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MANCHESTER: Manchester United have received a positive update ahead of the summer transfer window as they are reportedly closing in on Atalanta midfielder Ederson.

Michael Carrick’s team are said to be close to finalising a £43 million transfer to bring in the Brazilian player after months of negotiations.

United will end their Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow night after confirming third place in the league, and Carrick has just signed a permanent contract as the club’s manager.

Ederson is expected to fill the void left by Casemiro, who is close to joining Inter Miami.

The 27-year-old only has one year left on his contract in Italy, making his transfer value lower than originally expected.

United and Atalanta have previously engaged in transfer dealings, including the signings of Amad Diallo in 2021 and striker Rasmus Hojlund two years later.

Hojlund, however, has left Old Trafford and will become a permanent Napoli player after being loaned to the Italian club.

According to Italian media reports, Ederson’s move is now “almost complete” and would be United’s first step in rebuilding the squad ahead of next season.

Midfield has been identified as United’s main priority this summer, especially after the major changes expected to take place in the squad.

It is hoped that Ederson’s presence will be able to form a strong partnership with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, as Casemiro has demonstrated this season.

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Luis Enrique expressed his disappointment at the lackluster performance of his men after losing 1-2 to local rivals, Paris FC, in the final match of Ligue 1 this season, early this morning.

The Spanish coach admitted that a lack of intensity and motivation was clearly the cause of his team’s defeat, even though PSG had already confirmed their league title for the fifth consecutive season.

“There is nothing positive to say about this match.

“When you play without ambition and intensity, this is what happens. I expected a match like this to be difficult because we had no target anymore, but I was still disappointed,” he said.

PSG will now only return to action on May 30 when they defend their Champions League title against Arsenal in the final.

According to Enrique, the players need to immediately recover and maintain high motivation ahead of the biggest event in the club’s history.

“I think players need to learn to endure difficult matches and stay motivated.

“The end of the season this time is more challenging than last year because before that we still had the French Cup final which was a morale booster.

“But there are still two weeks before what I consider to be the most important match in our history, and I hope that by then the players will no longer need extra motivation,” he said.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has described Kobbie Mainoo as the club’s “present and future” after the youngster signed a new contract.

Under former manager Ruben Amorim, Mainoo was previously linked with a move away when he struggled to find a place following competition with team captain Bruno Fernandes.

However, the 21-year-old player once again shone under Michael Carrick before signing a new contract until 2031 with a handsome salary increase.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, Casemiro praised Mainoo’s qualities.

“He is the present and future of this club,” said Casemiro.

According to Casemiro, Mainoo is more suitable to play as a number eight midfielder than the number five position.

“He loves the ball, needs the ball and rarely loses possession. He is strong and has high quality.

“But he needs consistency every game,” he said.

Casemiro is expected to leave United at the end of the season after four years with the club.

He also defended Carrick, who is now interim manager after replacing Amorim until the end of the season.

Carrick has successfully brought United back into contention and almost certainly qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season.

“For me he deserves to stay. The team is playing well and improving from game to game,” added Casemiro.

The former Real Madrid player also compared Carrick to experienced coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“He understands this club and knows what the players need because he himself has played at the highest level,” he added.

Casemiro also named Diogo Dalot and Fernandes as key influences in United’s dressing room.

However, he also praised veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who is considered to have played a big role in maintaining the team’s atmosphere.

BARCELONA, Spain: Alvaro Arbeloa admitted Real Madrid must accept the wrath of their fans after their disappointing season ended with Barcelona lifting the La Liga title in their own eyes.

The 0-2 defeat to Barcelona in the El Clasico at Camp Nou early this morning confirmed their arch-rivals’ 29th league title with three matches remaining.

This ensures that Real end the season without any trophies after a campaign full of disappointment.

“There’s not much we can say. We understand the fans’ disappointment and anger towards this season. All we can do is keep working hard and look ahead and learn from all the mistakes this year.”

“Real Madrid will always get back up. We’ve fallen many times and gotten back up, but I understand the anger felt by every Real Madrid fan. We have to work to change this situation,” said Arbeloa.

Real’s season continues to be turbulent after being eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich, as well as the incident of a fight in the dressing room involving Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni last week.

Arbeloa insisted his players cannot give up even though the title race is over and wants the team to finish the season professionally.

“With a greater sense of responsibility, even though our season is over, we can’t let ourselves down. We have to go out there to win.

“We are defending something bigger than ourselves, which is the Real Madrid badge. We need to endure three more great matches and achieve three wins,” he said.

Asked whether Real needed a major overhaul, Arbeloa remained confident in the quality of the existing squad.

LONDON: Chelsea were so insipid against Nottingham Forest that their legend, Thiago Silva, could hardly watch from the stands.

The former Chelsea defender was at Stamford Bridge for last night’s humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of Forest.

It was Chelsea’s sixth consecutive defeat in the Premier League, seeing them drop to ninth in the league – just three points above Newcastle United in 13th place with three games remaining.

For Silva, who made more than 150 appearances and lifted the 2021 Champions League with the club, the situation was too difficult to accept.

Sitting with his son, Isago, who plays in the Chelsea academy, it was clear he was disappointed as at one point, the camera recorded Silva rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Silva leaves Chelsea on a free transfer after the 2023/24 season under Mauricio Pochettino.

He also played in the previous season when the team finished 12th in the first season of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake ownership era.

However, the situation has not changed much even though the club has spent more than RM8 billion on new players.

The situation made supporters reminisce about the glory days, with one fan saying, “What his eyes saw, his mouth could not express.”

Another wrote on X ‘imagine going back to your own club and seeing Tosin playing as your substitute! I would cry too.”

Another added ‘he was clearly upset by what he witnessed.’

Some even sympathized, saying ‘I understand how you feel, Thiago Silva.’