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Manchester City take on Everton on Sunday afternoon in the final Premier League game of the season, with Pep Guardiola’s side to be handed the trophy in front of City supporters at the Etihad.

The Citizens have enjoyed a superb campaign and wrapped up the Premier League title earlier this month, whilst they also tasted success in the Carabao Cup.

Although the Spanish manager will undoubtedly have one eye on the Champions League final against Chelsea later this month, his team have lost two of their last three games now, so he may well revert to his strongest eleven when his side take on Carlo Ancelotti’s side this afternoon.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against the Toffees, with six changes from the team that started in the 3-2 defeat against Brighton last time out…

Ederson keeps his place in goal after wrapping up the Golden Glove award in midweek, despite the defeat against Graham Potter’s side.

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There are two changes in defence, as Kyle Walker comes in for the suspended Joao Cancelo at right-back, whilst Aymeric Laporte replaces John Stones at centre-back, with the Englishman rested for the final.

In midfield, Fernandinho replaces Rodri, as the “perfect” Spain international has disappointed in recent performances, and is arguably behind the Brazilian in the pecking order after his excellent displays against PSG recently.

Kevin De Bruyne also earns some much-needed match fitness in attacking midfield, with Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez supporting him on the wings.

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The final change sees Sergio Aguero replace Ferran Torres up front, in what will be his final appearance for the Citizens at the Etihad, so he deserves an almighty send-off.

And, in other news… Imagine him and KDB: Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “spectacular” £39.6m-rated beast

Manchester City have recently been tipped to sign Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski this summer and he could be a superb addition to Pep Guardiola’s side ahead of next season.

Former Inter legend Giuseppe Bergomi spoke to Przeglad Sportowy recently about the Poland international and suggested that he would be a good fit at the Etihad Stadium in the near future, saying: “Zielinski is an extraordinary player. He often makes moves that fascinate you, that leave you speechless. It makes you think he really is among the best in the world.

“Sometimes he fails. It’s as if he doesn’t always show these qualities. Maybe for this reason he’s not yet among the best in the world – but he is really very strong.

“In this respect, he can improve. Despite this, he is an outstanding footballer who can play for all Serie A teams and more. For me, the Pole would be an ideal player for Manchester City.

“He is a master of technique and Guardiola appreciates such players very much.”

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The 27-year-old midfielder has certainly enjoyed an impressive campaign at Napoli despite their failure to earn a Champions League spot for next season, contributing eight goals and 10 assists in 36 Serie A appearances.

His performances in Italy’s top flight earned him an impressive 7.16 average rating from WhoScored, which was the second-best of any player at Stadio San Paolo, so it is no surprise that he is being touted as a potential option for Manchester City this summer.

The £41.4m-rated midfielder averaged 1.6 key passes per game in Serie A in 2020/21, bettered only in the Manchester City squad by Kevin De Bruyne (3.2), whilst Riyad Mahrez and Joao Cancelo both averaged 1.6 also.

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Therefore, it definitely seems that Zielinski is the type of player Guardiola would appreciate having in his squad, and considering that City have been linked with him in the past, this definitely seems like the sort of deal sporting director Txiki Begiristain should be targeting this summer.

In other news… Fabrizio Romano drops major Man City claim on “world-class” star, Pep will be buzzing

Former West Ham striker Brian Deane has expressed his doubts over Declan Rice moving to Chelsea this summer, unsure where he would fit in in Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League-winning side.

Following Frank Lampard’s sacking back in January, Chelsea’s interest in Rice seemed to have cooled. However, according to The Telegraph, Tuchel is a fan of the player and the west London club could now revive their interest in the midfielder.

A deal will not be cheap, with the same report claiming the Hammers’ asking price is £90m. But, even so, the reliable Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Rice is still firmly on Chelsea’s radar.

Deane, though, has questioned where the 22-year-old would exactly play given the options Tuchel already has, which includes N’Golo Kante.

“For me, it depends where they’re going to play him because Kante is the best player in that position in the world,” the ex-West Ham forward exclusively told FFC.

“I couldn’t believe when Frank Lampard was the manager that he was playing Kante wide of a three midfield. He’s got more energy than I’ve seen any time from anybody, so that was surprising to me.

“If they bring him [Rice] in, are they bringing him in to compete with him [Kante]? Are they going to play two holding midfielders? I don’t know.”

Whatever the case, at £90m, you would expect Tuchel to find somewhere for Rice to play.

That being said, there is nothing yet to suggest Chelsea would be willing to pay that kind of money, while there has been a lot of talk about the newly-crowned European champions looking at alternatives. So there is probably no need for West Ham fans to hit the panic button yet.

Rangers were heavily linked with Jack Wilshere last year and, after his release from Bournemouth recently, Ross Wilson should seek to bring him to Ibrox to link up with Steven Gerrard’s side ahead of next season.

The Gers were one of several clubs to be linked with the former Arsenal man last year following his release from West Ham but it was Championship side Bournemouth who won the race to sign him in January on a deal until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old was a regular in Jonathan Woodgate’s side until the end of the campaign, making 15 appearances in the Championship, in which he managed one goal and one assist.

Despite this return, the Cherries would not offer the former England international a new deal and released him recently, meaning that he is once again available on a free transfer.

Wilshere was once regarded as one of the most exciting young midfielders in England before injuries unfortunately derailed his career but, after an injury-free spell on the south coast, he could well be worth the risk for Rangers this summer.

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If he was signed on a pay-as-you-play basis, there would be nearly no risk in signing him, and should he stay fit, he could prove to be a superb addition to Gerrard’s squad.

Back in 2018, Gennaro Gattuso spoke very highly of Wilshere due to AC Milan’s interest in signing him, saying: “I think he can play in any league. He may not be super-fast, but he has got great skills and is super-tactical. He has good ball circulation—when he gets the ball he knows exactly where to send it. He knows exactly the right pace and can change the pace of the game. He can play central midfield or a little bit further up.”

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If there is one man who can help Wilshere rediscover his best form, it could be Gerrard; and if the Liverpool legend can whip his former England teammate into shape, then he would surely be worth whatever money Rangers need to pay him in order to bring him to Ibrox this summer, so Wilson should definitely consider signing him.

In other news… Douglas Park could be set for huge Rangers blow with “amazing” gem, Gers fans will surely be fuming

According to Il Messaggero, Maurizio Sarri has stalled on completing his switch to Lazio after Antonio Conte’s move to Tottenham fell through.

The Lowdown: Conte move falls through

Conte, who recently left Inter Milan despite winning Serie A, looked to be on the verge of becoming Tottenham’s new manager.

However, a deal collapsed after Daniel Levy and the Italian could not come to an agreement over certain tasks and responsibilities (The Guardian).

The Latest: Sarri stalls

Following the news that Conte will not become the new Spurs boss, Il Messaggero reported that Sarri has stalled on completing a switch to Lazio.

He had been expected to already be unveiled at the Stadio Olimpico, but the Conte development has made things slightly more complicated.

The Verdict: The right man?

Sarri does have a strong reputation as a manager in Europe. He made his name at Napoli – he turned them into regular Serie A title challengers and, after they played Manchester City in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola said that Sarri’s Napoli might be the best team he has faced (Goal.com) – and won trophies at Chelsea and Juventus before being relieved of his duties by the latter.

However, his failure to connect with fans at both Chelsea and Juve has become a cause for concern. He clearly has the credentials, but does he have the right temperament to deal with the pressure? That is what Levy must determine if he is to appoint the 62-year-old.

In other news, Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign this Premier League star.

After a very strong end to the season, Steve Bruce and Newcastle United fans would have expected to improve their team this summer but with a £10 million budget that will be less likely to happen, and former Toon defender Steve Howey can’t understand why Bruce has been handed such a small transfer kitty.

Bruce faced a similar problem last summer where he had to beg and plead with Mike Ashley to spend some money on a striker, and the club truly reaped the rewards as Callum Wilson’s 12 goals were ultimately the difference between staying up and being relegated.

However, Ashley does not appear to either trust or want to back Bruce despite the former Sunderland boss guiding the Magpies to two relatively comfortable finishes in the Premier League.

Bruce is set to have a tiny transfer budget of £10 million this summer which will get you very little nowadays and Howey can’t understand why the budget is that considering where the club finished in the league, something he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“I find it puzzling why the budget is so small, considering how much money the club will get. Yes, I do understand about the pandemic and losses but, the club will be getting a lot of money for where they finished in the Premier League last season.

“I understand that you can’t use all of that money because of the situation with COVID but I think people are pretty surprised at how limited the budget really is.”

Mike Ashley may well be scarred from signing Joelinton for £40 million back in 2019, however, after some astute scouting and signings last summer, surely Ashley can trust Bruce’s judgement on players this year.

It could be a case of Bruce having to sell before he can make any significant signings, one in particular being Joe Willock who was a huge hit during his short spell on Tyneside.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been handed a major boost as some exciting news emerges from Thorp Arch about the club’s finances for the summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Whites enjoyed a superb end to the Premier League season, reeling off four wins in a row and climbing up the table and into the top ten. And that late run of form may have handed Bielsa a major boost, according to finance expert Kieran Maguire.

He said to Football Insider: “Leeds can certainly afford to spend more. They have had substantial financial developments. They finished 9th and probably budgeted to finish something like 16th.

“So realistically, they’ve got an extra £15-20m from that particular (prize money) pot. They were also chosen as the first picks for matches to be broadcast live on TV 24 times, so that’s an extra £14m. That’s because the first 10 picks are considered part of the overall deal and anything above that is an additional £1m per match.

“So we’ve automatically got around about £35m in the budget that they hadn’t originally budgeted for. The sponsors are very keen to get into bed with them too, so you’d imagine that Leeds will have a pretty good budget to work with this summer.”

Fans will be buzzing

With the Premier League’s prize money divvied up based on a team’s final finish, and scaling up for every place you end up higher, Leeds’ late flurry of victories has had a massive impact on the club’s finances for this summer.

As Maguire says, the fact they leapt up the table into ninth has given them an “extra £15-20m” based on that Premier League finish alone – after match-day 30, they were in 11th, with Crystal Palace and Southampton all within a couple of wins behind them.

Then, when you take into account the kind of money they should be getting for being selected as part of the TV coverage, things are looking very exciting for Bielsa and his plans for the summer transfer window.

Maguire himself thinks that Leeds should have around £35m more than they originally budgeted for, and when you think that sum of money is actually significantly higher than the club-record £26m they paid to sign Rodrigo, and you can see just how game-changing that could be.

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Bielsa will surely be buzzing with Maguire’s claim and insight, as will the Leeds supporters who will be keen to see their club make a splash in the transfer market this summer as the Yorkshire side look to push on from an excellent first season back in the top flight.

If Leeds do have more money available than they’d budgeted for, as Maguire suggests, then their chances of getting more transfer business completed this summer will surely have increased, and that’ll be music to the ears of the club’s loyal supporters.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a reunion with this Leeds United hero…

Manchester City fans want to sign Kalvin Phillips after they were said to keeping an eye on the Leeds United midfielder.

The past campaign was a mixed one for the Citizens – they did manage to win the Premier League and the League Cup, but they lost to Chelsea 1-0 in Porto in the Champions League final, the one trophy they wanted to win more than any other. Pep Guardiola and co will now be looking to see what they can do during the summer transfer window to put them in the best possible position for next season.

According to Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News, City have been watching the development of £27m-valued Phillips (Transfermarkt), who is currently at Euro 2020 with England.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their desire to capture the 25-year-old, with one fan calling the Leeds man ‘exceptional’:

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Phillips news below

“rice and phillips both expectional but not a priority fernandinho shows age is just a number. KANE AND JACK A MUST.”

Credit: @RameshPeri1

“Phillllllllips”

Credit: @Kelvi_nnn

“Please sign him, since ‘Buster’ left I’ve only been able to have SWP on my shirt as the closest approximation of my name.”

Credit: @Phleeper

“I would take Phillips all day long at City. I know Dinho is extending and we have Rodri but Dinho is gonna be that dressing room guy and probably play 10-15 games in all comps next season. So it would basically be Phillips and Rodri battling it out for the CDM spot.”

Credit: @MCFC_SZn26

“Good”

Credit: @Farris28767585

Linking @Kalvinphillips to @ManCity is the best transfer rumor I’ve heard in a while!! Great player and locks down the center for both @LUFC and @EnglandFootball

Credit: @Katstg

In other news, Man City fans are unhappy with this Oleksandr Zinchenko news.

Former Leeds United star David Norris insists that Danny Rose will be a fine signing for Watford.

The Championship club have snapped up the left-back following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur.

Rose left north London upon the expiration of his contract, after spending 14 years at the club and making a total of 214 appearances.

He did have a number of loan spells during his time at Spurs, moving to Watford on a short-term deal way back in 2009.

Brendan Rodgers was in charge at Vicarage Road at the time but the ex-England defender has now confirmed his return to the club following their promotion to the Premier League from the Championship.

Rose, of course, gained a reputation for being an outspoken figure during his time in north London but Norris believes that he is an excellent player to have in and around the dressing room.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Sometimes he can be a little bit outspoken and would he then come into the changing rooms and cause any problems? Would that be an issue?

“But he speaks his mind on certain situations, but I’ve heard that in and around the changing rooms, he’s actually a good lad, so I think that’s a good signing.”

According to sportklub.rs, Tottenham are leading the race to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye striker

Harry Kane dropped a bombshell on Spurs when he revealed he wants to leave the club during this transfer window (Sky Sports).

Daniel Levy remains keen on keeping him, but Spurs must prepare for the possibility of needing to replace him should he leave. Even if he stays, Tottenham need a striker to provide competition and adequate support for him.

The Latest: Spurs lead Vlahovic race

Now, it is being reported that Spurs are leading the race to sign 21-year-old Vlahovic.

As per the report from his homeland, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid are also interested in the Serbian striker, who is said to be valued at €60m (£51.5m) by Fiorentina.

However, out of those clubs, only Spurs can afford to pay that fee.

The Verdict: Long-term forward

Vlahovic would be a long-term choice for Spurs if they could capture his services. He had a fantastic season with Fiorentina last time out, scoring 21 goals in 37 league games for the club – he has 32 goals throughout his young club career (Transfermarkt).

Fiorentina legend Steven Jovetic has even said he will be the leading striker in football in the next few years along with Erling Haaland (Tuttosport via Football Italia).

It is surprising to hear Tottenham are the only club of those now in pursuit who can afford to sign the Serbia international – they are not known for their big spending. However, an easier deal could be fantastic news for Levy as he prepares the squad for a campaign potentially without their talisman.

In other news, Tottenham want this Euro 2020 star.