With the exception of Belarus, global football is currently suspended. There is talk of the Premier League eying a potential mid-June return, and with that in mind, a possible return to team training in the next couple of weeks. Right now, there are just more questions than answers with Project Restart.
The English top flight just doesn’t seem to have the same coherence and direction as the leading leagues in Germany, Spain and Italy right now. Today it was just announced that the German Bundesliga will return in the later half of this month.
The good news is that United have reportedly called their foreign players back home, in the belief that training will restart soon. For today’s MUFC news and notes round-up go here.
We start with the latest on very long term target Kalidou Koulibaly, the Napoli man who is in high demand. The stellar centre half has been linked to a host of big money clubs over the past year, including most of the Premier League big six. Now you can add new money Newcastle United to the mix.
The Magpies are on the verge of becoming nouveau riche, as a big money Saudi Arabian group is set take ownership of the club. And according to Le10 Sport, they want to offer Koulibaly a contract worth €12 million-a-year – around £200,000-a-week.
So now United have more competition in the race to acquire his services, even though it’s not a move that would really make sense for Newcastle, as they’re already stacked at the position.
Elsewhere, the next transfer narrative relates to a youth prospect. According to ESPN, Marc Jurado, a Barcelona FC academy prospect, became eligible for a professional contract when he turned 16 this past month. However, he turned down the Catalan Club in order to join United.
ESPN writes that the right back was offered “a three-year deal, worth €60,000 annually in the first year rising to €100,000 by the third year of the contract, in addition to a €200,000 bonus if he made his debut for the B team in that time.”
To learn more about this kid, check out this highlights video of him on YouTube.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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