Newcastle United’s search for a new midfield leader has suffered another setback, with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg turning down the chance to return to the Premier League at St James’ Park. The 31-year-old had emerged as one of Newcastle’s preferred options following an extraordinary summer of change. Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source […] The post Newcastle United suffer major transfer blow as midfielder rejects Magpies move appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry will play in the Premier League for the first time since 2001 (Photo: Getty) A former Manchester United star is reportedly keen on returning to the Premier League amid interest from Frank Lampard’s Coventry City. After cruising to the Championship title, Coventry are preparing to play in the Premier League for the first time since in 2001, kicking-off the new season against champions Arsenal on August 21. And Lampard has splashed the case this summer transfer window, spending £86million on five players, including highly-rated English goalkeeper Carl Rushworth from Brighton. More signings will be needed to give the Sky Blues the best possible chance of avoiding relegation and, according to L’Equipe, they have made enquiries about Marseille’s Angel Gomes. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. The midfielder came through United’s academy but failed to break into the first-team before joining Lille, where he quietly impressed, leading to Lee Carsley giving him his England debut in 2024. Gomes only signed for Marseille last summer before spending the second-half of the season on loan at Wolves, though he was unable to stop their relegation. It is said that the 25-year-old wants another chance to prove himself in his homeland and while Marseille do not wish to sell him, they will not stand in his way if a suitable deal can be agreed. Angel Gomes joined Marseille on a free only last summer (Photo: Getty) Due to their financial situation, the French club need to sell this summer, and as one of their top earners, Gomes, who is under contract until 2028, is a top candidate to leave. Additionally, Sky Sports report that Marseille striker Neal Maupay, formerly of Brentford, Everton and Brighton, and defender Leonardo Balerdi, are also of interest to several Premier League clubs. Newcastle United were on course to sign Gomes’ current midfield partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to replace captain Brumo Guimaraes, who recently completed a £75m switch to Arsenal. Gomes made just 10 senior appearances for boyhood club Man Utd (Photo: Getty) However, it was reported on Monday that the former Tottenham star has declined the chance to return to England, in yet another transfer blow for the Magpies. In other news, rumours from Italy suggest Lampard is preparing an ambitious bid to reunite with former Chelsea and England centre-back Fikayo Tomori, whose future at AC Milan is unclear. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Arsenal were ‘used’ by Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, says John Obi Mikel (Picture: The Obi One Podcast) Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel has trolled Arsenal supporters after the club missed out on signing Vinicius Junior, asking the fanbase ‘what they were smoking’ to convince them a deal was possible. Vinicius emerged as a surprise transfer target for Arsenal on the back of the club’s title triumph last season, with Mikel Arteta said to be ‘absolutely smitten’ with the idea of capturing the Brazilian. A proposed move had been approved ‘at all levels’ at the Emirates and the Gunners were reportedly ready to make the 26-year-old the highest-paid player in Premier League history. But Vinicius would go on to commit his future to Real Madrid, putting pen to paper on a six-year contract extension at the Bernabeu, forcing the English champions to consider alternatives elsewhere. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. It’s understood PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz remain on Arsenal’s radar with three weeks remaining of the transfer window, but it would likely take an earth-shattering offer to coax either club into a deal before the deadline. Prior to Vinicius signing his extension, Obi Mikel told Arsenal fans to ‘forget’ about the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up, insisting the attacker was simply ‘using’ the Gunners to get a better deal. And in the latest episode of The Obi One Podcast, the former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder couldn’t resist reminding supporters of his previous remarks. Vinicius ignored interest from Arsenal to sign a new six-year deal in Madrid (Picture: Getty) Arsenal had reportedly been prepared to make Vinicius the highest-paid player in Premier League history (Picture: Getty) Asked if signing a new deal had perhaps been Vinicius’ plan all along, Obi Mikel replied: ‘Of course, mate. F***inghell. I don’t know what the Arsenal fans were expecting. ‘You win the league after 22 years and then you all of a sudden think: that’s it, you’ve arrived, you’re one of the big boys again. No, you’re not. ‘They’ve just been humbled because I said it: there’s no way Vinicius Junior is leaving Real Madrid to go to Arsenal, a club that’s won one title in 22 years. ‘This guy wins titles, he’s won lots of titles at Real Madrid. He wants to win titles season after season, the Champions League, La Liga, competing year after year and winning those titles. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Martin Odegaard heads ball directly into police officer during Arsenal parade","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/06\/01\/188721103218914644\/480x270_MP4_188721103218914644.mp4","description":"Whoops!","duration":"T8S","height":480,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/06\/01\/12\/109008017-0-image-a-36_1780314932393.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-06-01T12:52:23+0100","width":270} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘He’s tasted what it feels like winning the Champions League, Arsenal have never won the Champions League. Zero. ‘You expect a player who has won the Champions League with Real Madrid to leave that, everything that he’s built at Real Madrid, and the squad that Jose Mourinho
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs (Picture: Getty) Ryan Giggs ‘tried to persuade’ England World Cup star Elliot Anderson to join Manchester United before his £116m move to Manchester City. Anderson signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium last month after Man City briefly made him the most expensive British player in history. Manchester United were interested in beating their local rivals to a deal but pulled out of the race once Nottingham Forest’s demands went above £100m. Anderson became arguably Forest’s most important player following his £35m move from Newcastle United, helping the club finish seventh in the Premier League and qualify for Europe. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. The 23-year-old was an integral member of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, featuring in all of England’s games as they reached the semi-finals before a heartbreaking defeat to Argentina. Ex-Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley has revealed he and club legend Giggs bumped into Anderson earlier in the summer and tried to ‘persuade’ him to move to Old Trafford. After pulling out of the race to sign Anderson, Michael Carrick welcomed two new midfielders to Manchester – bringing in Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. England World Cup star Elliot Anderson (Picture: Getty) ‘Signing Youri Tielemans for £35m is a great bit of business,’ Bardsley told Casinolyze. ‘I think Manchester City and Tottenham certainly overpaid for Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali. ‘I knew it was getting to a stage with Elliot Anderson where he’d be £100m plus and I just didn’t feel comfortable about going to that sort of price for him as a player. ‘Listen, he’s outstanding. I really like him. I was in Portugal earlier in the summer playing golf with Ryan Giggs and we saw Anderson on the golf course and had a chat with him to try and persuade him to join United. https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJFR9ajQwN/?hl=en&img_index=1 ‘He was still unsure what he wanted to do but north of £100m for a defensive midfielder like him? If I’m spending that money, I want a player who will add 30-40 goals to my team a season. ‘That’s what I’m looking for at that fee. That’s value for money. Compare that sum to what United have paid for Tielemans and it’s a steal. ‘He’s a proven Premier League player, he’s captain of Belgium, he can deliver and he’s won trophies. He won the Europa League with Aston Villa last season. Manchester United summer signing Youri Tielemans (Picture: Getty) ‘He brings an element of calm and real class on the ball too but he’s also not afraid to get stuck into the ugly side of the game too so I think he’s a really good signing, even leaving aside the price but I’ve been really impressed with the deal.’ Manchester City have been the dominant team in English football over the past decade but said goodbye to legendary manager Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, with ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca taking over at the Etihad Stadium. Following his huge move to Man City, Anderson said: ‘As soon as I knew [City] wanted me, I was absolutely determined to make this move happen. ‘You want to test yourself at the highest level. Being at City means I have that opportunity. ‘As soon as I arrive in Manchester after a break, I will be doing everything I can to establish myself in the City team. ‘They’re winners, they’re relentless, and that’s the sort of team I want to be a part of – champions and people who win trophies. Over the last 10, 12 years, they’ve dominated, so that’s why I wanted to join.’ Man City face Arsenal in the Community Shield next weekend before their Premier League opener at home to Bournemouth. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add a
Liverpool have taken a major step forward in their pursuit of Bradley Barcola, with the Paris Saint-Germain winger now giving the Reds the green light over personal terms. That removes one of the biggest potential obstacles in what could become one of the most expensive transfers of the summer. Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us […] The post Romano drops Barcola bombshell and issues update on what Liverpool need to do next appeared first on CaughtOffside.
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