MX23RW : Tuesday, April 23 13:08:02| >> :60:2092:2092:

Friday's papers: Maurizio Sarri, Harry Maguire, Ivan Rakitic

Friday's papers: Maurizio Sarri, Harry Maguire, Ivan Rakitic
© Reuters
Frank Lampard, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker are all being talked about in Friday's papers.

What the papers say

The seemingly very near departure of Maurizio Sarri from Chelsea has left Derby County steeling themselves for an approach for manager Frank Lampard, The Sun reports. According to the paper, two-time Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has told friends he would like a third term at Stamford Bridge, while RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick has also been tipped as a successor. But former Blues star Lampard is the bookies' favourite to take the reins at his old club. Chelsea are understood to have agreed on a compensation deal worth in excess of £5million for their Italian boss to join Juventus after just one season at Stamford Bridge.

Maurizio Sarri file photo
Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea departure looks set to be confirmed sooner rather than later (Adam Davy/PA)

Tottenham could be willing to break their transfer record not once but twice this summer in their bid to land Real Betis' Giovani Lo Celso and Lyon's Tanguy Ndombele, the Mirror reports. After having their £53million bid for Lo Celso rejected, Spurs are said to be considering a bumper offer and are in negotiations for £71million-rated Ndombele, the paper says, and although boss Mauricio Pochettino looks unlikely to offer the full asking price for either player, he could go above the £42million club record.

Manchester City have gone cold in their pursuit of Harry Maguire after Leicester City slapped a £90million price tag on him, the Daily Mail reports. Pep Guardiola is said to see the England defender as a successor for Vincent Kompany. However the price – which would be a world record for a defender – is said to have put the Premier League champions off. Manchester United are also said to be interested in the 26-year-old, but also find the fee too much according to reports.

Kyle Walker looks to be back in favour with Guardiola, with Manchester City reportedly set to offer the defender a contract extension. The Mirror says the 29-year-old could be offered a pay rise as a reward for helping his side complete the domestic treble after coming back from a dip in form towards the end of last year.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

End of Premier League Season Package
Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart is said to be attracting interest from Stoke (Dave Thompson/PA)

Joe Hart: Stoke are said to be interested in a move for the Burnley goalkeeper if Jack Butland departs this summer, according to The Sun.

Laurent Koscielny: Borussia Dortmund are keeping tabs on Arsenal's former France defender, the Mail reports, with the 33-year-old nearing the end of his contract at the Emirates.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'db816ff3-31d3-47e0-88c9-d4c9f97c3d2e');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story-enriched');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Football rumours from the media'});

ID:361982: cacheID:361982:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:16717:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele shoots at goal during the Ligue 1 meeting with Nantes on April 12, 2019
Read Next:
Spurs 'make £60m bid for Ndombele'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal33235577265174
2Liverpool33228375324374
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33127144653-743
12Fulham34126165054-442
13Bournemouth33119134860-1242
14Crystal Palace3399154256-1436
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton33108153448-1430
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3337233188-5716


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!