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Celtic appear to be closing in on another summer signing but it could spell the end for one mainstay at Parkhead…

What’s the word?

According to Record Sport, the Scottish champions are on the verge of agreeing on a deal to sign Brighton centre-back Shane Duffy on a one-year loan.

It’s claimed that Celtic will pay £2m to sign the 28-year-old for the season and will also pay the majority of his £40k-per-week wages.

The Hoops have beaten off West Ham and West Brom with the Seagulls man expected to be in Glasgow on Tuesday to iron out the final details.

Life after Ajer?

This comes amidst the uncertain future of Kristoffer Ajer after his representatives reportedly asked the club for a valuation on the Norwegian ahead of a potential move away from Celtic Park before the transfer window drawing to a close in October.

He’s been linked with a stunning move to Serie A giants AC Milan in recent months.

Duffy would seem like the ideal replacement – standing at 6 foot 4 inches in height, the Irishman has been capped over 33 times and has featured in 96 Premier League matches over the course of his career.

Graham Potter claims the veteran has “been fantastic for me and he has been great in the group” and that’s not the first time having described him as “first class” earlier in the campaign despite a lack of regular game time.

The 28-year-old, valued at £8.55m, is an old-school no-nonsense type who has averaged 8.1 clearances per game over the course of his career as per WhoScored.

Ajer alongside Christoper Jullien kept a clean sheet against Well at the weekend but adding Duffy to the equation will certainly give Lennon a nice headache in terms of team selection.

AND in other news, Celtic fans laud Bhoys ace’s display against Motherwell…

Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked to Fenerbahce striker Vedat Muriqi and fresh reports this week suggest that Daniel Levy has actually bid for him, sparking a reaction from the north London fanbase.

According to Turkish outlet A Spor, Spurs have offered £4.5m for the Kosovan’s services whilst Italian duo Lazio and Napoli are said to also be keen on Muriqi.

The 26-year-old has been in decent form this term, bagging 15 goals and six assists in 28 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But it is not Muriqi’s goalscoring prowess that Spurs fans have been discussing on Twitter this week but rather the bold yet small figure of £4.5m being bid.

The Champions League runners-up may have broke their transfer record in the summer, splashing £55m on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, but in the past Levy has been known for his tough negotiations that have often left Spurs behind.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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Sir Alex Ferguson once said dealing with the Spurs chairman was ‘more painful’ than his hip replacement, so that tells it all really.

And that is why supporters have singled out the higher hierarchy at the club, blasting him for being up to his old ways.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react over reported Morgan Sanson interest…

Leeds United fans have reacted to Liam Cooper’s comments on who he supported growing up as a kid via a Q&A on the club’s official website.

Cooper has played a big part in the success at Elland Road this season, helping The Whites to sit top of the Championship as thing stand.

Born in Hull and starting his professional career with the Tigers, Cooper would have three loan spells away from the club before moving permanently to Chesterfield.

Impressing, Cooper would finally earn a bigger move, joining Leeds in 2014, and he has since gone on to become a key starter at the club, making a total of 190 appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit (Transfermarkt).

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, footballers across England have been engaging with fans over social media, official website’s and more to keep them entertained.

Club captain Cooper took part in a new series from take-away service Deliveroo, receiving questions from the club’s fans, and one response in particular has gained a response from Leeds fans.

Asked: ‘Who did you support growing up?’, Cooper responded with comments about his dad’s loyalties towards West Ham United and his families ties with Hull City, before revealing that he was a Leeds fan.

Below are just some of the responses gained to Cooper’s answer on supporting Leeds:

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تعرض مشجعو مانشستر يونايتد للهجوم في مدينة جدانسك البولندية، قبل ساعات من نهائي الدوري الأوروبي مساء اليوم أمام فياريال.

وأظهرت لقطات مصورة على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، حشدًا من مشجعي ليتشيا يرتدون ملابس سوداء وهم يهاجمون منطقة الجلوس الخارجية في نادي ومطعم فهرنهايت، في وقت متأخر من مساء الثلاثاء.

طالع أيضًا.. سولشاير: آمل أن يستمتع فيرجسون معنا في نهائي الدوري الأوروبي

وأظهرت اللقطات، جماهير مانشستر يونايتد وهم يهتفون ويشربون قبل أول نهائي لـ المدرب أوليه جونار سولشاير مع الفريق أمام فياريال مساء اليوم، وذلك قبل الهجوم عليهم بالضرب.

وأصدر مانشستر يونايتد بيانًا أكد فيه: “طاقم النادي كانوا يساعدون عددًا من مشجعي مانشستر يونايتد في جدانسك الليلة الماضية واليوم، بعد حادثة تعرض فيها مشجعينا للاعتداء خارج حانة في المدينة”.

يُذكر أن المباراة ستشهد حضور جماهيري بوجود 9500 ألف متفرج بما في ذلك 2000 لكل فريق، بالإضافة لشراء 500 تذكرة أخرى تم شراءها من قبل مشجعي مانشستر يونايتد الذي يعيشون في بولندا.

انقلبت مجموعة من جماهير ماميلودي صن داونز ضد ناديها لدعم منافسه الأهلي قبل مباراة العودة في دور الثمانية من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا لموسم 2020/2021.

ويستضيف صن داونز ظهر يوم، السبت المقبل، في تمام الساعة الثالثة عصرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة” الأهلي على ملعب “لوكاس موريبي” بقيادة الحكم الزامبي الدولي، جاني سيكازوي.

وتواجدت مجموعة من الجماهير في ملعب “توكس” يوم، الأربعاء، مرتدين قمصان الأهلي لتشجيع المدرب، بيتسو موسيماني، لحظة وصولهم للتدريب استعدادًا لمواجهة صن داونز.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مدرب صن داونز يُعلن جاهزية زواني ويعترف: لم يعجبني ارتداء سيرينو قميص الأهلي

وأجرت صحيفة “كيك أوف” الجنوب إفريقية حوارًا مع قائد هذه المجموعة للتعرف على سبب انقلابهم ضد ناديهم صن داونز، بعد توجيه مشجعًا للنادي يدعى فريدي منجوميزولو سؤالًا لهؤلاء المشجعين، وقال: “كيف يمكنهم فعل ذلك وينقلبوا ضد ناديهم؟ هؤلاء الناس يبيعون مبادئهم”.

وتابع: “نحن صن داونز، لا نمثل أنفسنا فقط بل جنوب إفريقيا بأكملها، كيف يجرؤون على فعل ذلك؟”.

لكن قائد مجموعة مشجعي جماهير صن داونز والذين كانوا يساندون الأهلي، قال: “أينما ذهب بيتسو موسيماني، نحن ندعمه، سندعم الأهلي يوم السبت”.

وأضاف: “هنا بلد حر، نحن أحرار في دعم الفريق الذي نريد دعمه، لقد كنا مع بيتسو في كل الأوقات السيئة منها والجيدة ولن يتغير ذلك يوم السبت”.

وواصل: “عندما أراد بعض مشجعي صن داونز أن يرحل بيتسو من الفريق وقفنا وراءه، عندما انقلب بعضهم ضده خلال مباراة سابقة ضد أياكس كيب تاون في لوكاس موريبي، كنا هناك لدعمه”.

واستمر: “لا أفهم ما هي المشكلة هنا، الناس يقولون هذا وذاك، هذا هو نفس الشيء الذي حدث مع كريستيانو رونالدو عندما غادر ريال مدريد، ذهب جمهوره لدعم يوفنتوس”.

وأتم: “هذا يحدث في السياسة أيضًا، هناك أشخاص يدعمون أشخاص ضد أحزابهم، ومن المحزن أن المشجعين غير مسموح لهم بالتواجد في المدرجات، كنا سنذهب إلى الملعب مرتدين قمصاننا لدعم الأهلي”.

Liverpool fans are concerned with the lack of form of Joe Gomez and believe he needs to improve quickly if the team is to cope without Joel Matip.

The Cameroon international has been ruled out for up to six weeks and Gomez could be in line to start against Arsenal on Wednesday, possibly alongside Dejan Lovren as Virgil van Dijk is also a doubt with a dead leg.

That could fill some supporters with worry, as the Croatian has failed to impress recently, too. The Reds have only kept three clean sheets from 17 games this term as well, which suggests it is an area of the team that requires improvement.

Gomez impressed last season prior to his long-term injury, and his form was rewarded with multiple call-ups to the England squad.

However, he has struggled since his return, and was at fault for some of the goals conceded in a disappointing display against RB Salzburg.

As a result, some of the Anfield faithful are worried about his current situation, and have taken a firm stance in their view of the player, as the following reactions show…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Life is currently not ideal at Real Madrid.

The rumours of Zinedine Zidane walking on thin ice and not being bulletproof anymore are still going strong and despite Los Blancos finally getting points on the board in the Champions League, with a 1-0 win over Galatasaray, their victories are anything but convincing.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Still, the same can’t be said for their 22-year-old loanee, Sergio Reguilon.

Sevilla are not in a much better position as far as the results in La Liga go – currently seventh behind the fourth-placed Blancos – but the young left-back is definitely enjoying his stay with the Andalusians.

After all, he has already taken part in eight games so far in the ongoing 2019/20 season in the Spanish top-flight, tallying 649 minutes in the process.

But more importantly, whenever he has been called into action, Reguilon’s delivered, dropping some impressive displays along the way. As a direct result of that, he already has a goal and an assist to his name and has averaged two key passes per game while maintaining 81.1% passing accuracy.

Not only that but he’s also recorded one shot and 1.9 dribbles per game. Bear in mind, however, that we are talking about a left-back first and foremost, which makes these stats even more impressive than they already are for a 22-year-old player.

As far as his defensive contributions go, he’s averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.1 clearances per game, which could well go up as he tallies more minutes in the future.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

It’s funny how football often writes these weird stories. During the summer, he was something of an outcast but the decision to loan him out didn’t seem right at all.

So far, that has turned out to be true for the Galacticos, but it couldn’t be farther from it for young Reguilon. He keeps playing week in, week out and more importantly, he keeps impressing while Real are struggling back at the capital.

Talk about an insult to injury.

Pepijn Lijnders spoke ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal and his words have led many fans to call on him to be named as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

The Reds’ assistant manager joined the club in 2014 and many believe his continuation of Klopp’s philosophy would be the best route to take when he eventually departs.

It is a somewhat surprising viewpoint when you look at Lijnders’ record in management. In his native Netherlands he spent just five months in charge of NEC Nijmegen from the beginning of 2018, but was sacked following his failure to get the club promoted from the Eerste Divisie.

Taking over Liverpool would be a huge step up and a considerable task for a young coach with limited experience in the hot seat.

Nevertheless, one fan thinks the 36-year-old is being “groomed” for the role and others are impressed with the way he handles himself, as well as recognising the responsibility he has already been given for League Cup fixtures.

Here are some of the reactions from supporters calling for him to be Liverpool’s next manager.

أهدى خالد الدرندلي، أمين صندوق النادي الأهلي، رئيس بعثة الفريق الأول لكرة القدم في السودان، درع وعلم النادي إلى آدم عبد الله، رئيس نادي المريخ السوداني، على هامش اللقاء الذي جمعهما اليوم الجمعة في الخرطوم، قبل مباراة الفريقين المقرر أن تقام غدًا السبت في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتوجه الدرندلي بالشكر إلى رئيس المريخ على الجهود التي قام بها ناديه من أجل تذليل جميع العقبات، مؤكدًا أن هذه المعاملة تعكس العلاقات القوية التي تربط مصر والسودان في كل المجالات.

طالع | الأهلي يشيد بإدارة المريخ وينفي وجود أزمة في المياه

ومن جانبه رحب رئيس المريخ بالدرندلي، مؤكدًا أن إدارة ناديه كان لديها رغبة صادقة في توفير الأجواء المناسبة لبعثة الأهلي خلال مهمتها، انطلاقًا من العلاقات الوثيقة التي تجمع الناديين.

وأوضح آدم عبد الله أن بعثة المريخ حظيت باستقبال حافل خلال مباراة الذهاب في مصر، وأن هذا الأمر ليس غريبًا على مسؤولي الأهلي نادي القرن.

وتمنى رئيس النادي السوداني أن تتاح له الظروف لزيارة النادي الأهلي ومقابلة مسؤولي النادي، من أجل تعزيز سبل التعاون بين الجانبين، مشددًا على أن الأهلي واجهة مشرفة للأندية العربية والإفريقية.

Two goals from Sadio Mane and a second half strike from Mohamed Salah enabled Liverpool to come from behind and defeat Newcastle 3-1 to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season. [via Sky Sports]

Roberto Firmino came on as a first half substitute for Divock Origi and slipped through Mane for his second goal while also providing the assist for Salah’s goal later in the afternoon, his backheeled pass releasing the Egypt winger to finish calmly to the Newcastle net. [via Sky Sports]

Liverpool’s official Twitter channel @LFC revelled in the Reds’ third goal, acknowledging Firmino’s work in setting up Salah for the finish.

The Brazil international has two goals to his name so far this season and added a couple of more assists to the three he had prior to Saturday afternoon. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]

Between them, the Liverpool front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino now have 12 goals in the Reds’ first seven matches of the season.

These Liverpool fans on Twitter hailed the impact of Firmino off the bench against Newcastle:

How good do you think Firmino was against Newcastle and how important has he been to Liverpool so far this season? Have your say in the comments section below!