Gossip Columned – Episode 33

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is considering a sabbatical from football at the end of next season if he wins the Champions League. (Star)

Manchester United have made contact with Barcelona over their 31-year-old Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic. (Sport – in Spanish)

United will have to twice break their transfer record for a defender if they are to sign England duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 21, from Crystal Palace and Harry Maguire, 26, from Leicester for a combined total of £130m. (Standard)

United are interested in signing Norwich City‘s English defender Max Aarons, 19, if their move for Wan-Bissaka is unsuccessful. (Sky Sports)

Ajax’s Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, 19, says he does “not know what my heart says” but will decide on his future while away on holiday. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish)

De Ligt’s advisors have told him to go to a team such as Manchester United where he is guaranteed starts, before moving to Barcelona later in his career. (Sport)

Chelsea want a replacement for current manager Maurizio Sarri ready by the time the Italian confirms his departure to Juventus later this week. (Mirror)

Sarri has been urged to reconsider his future by the Chelsea hierarchy as they want the Italian to stay on as their manager. (Sun)

Chelsea have opened talks with Derby manager Frank Lampard over the former Blues midfielder returning to Stamford Bridge. (Mail)

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, wants assurances over being part of the first team before signing a new contract with the club. The England international has one year left on his current deal. (Sun)

Real Madrid will do everything they can to sign Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba, 26, as he is Zinedine Zidane’s first choice. (Marca)

Arsenal are interested in Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has a £27m buy-out clause in his contract, but face competition from Tottenham, AC Milan and Inter Milan for the 22-year-old Italy international. (Mirror)

West Ham have targeted Villarreal’s Spanish midfielder Pablo Fornals, 23, after cooling their interest in Celta Vigo’s Slovakian midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, 24. (Guardian)

Former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 41, could join Porto after leaving Paris St-Germain, to replace Spaniard Iker Casillas, 38. (Tuttosport – in Italian)

Barcelona hope to bring in at least 60m euros in player sales before 30 June with the aim of balancing their accounts for the 2018-19 season. (ESPN)

England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 25, is set to extend his current deal at Liverpool until 2023. (Mail)

Portugal and Benfica attacker Joao Felix, 19, is interested in a move to Atletico Madrid. (AS – in Spanish)

Manchester United are in talks to sell Italy full-back Matteo Darmian, 29, with Valencia and two unnamed Italian clubs interested. (ESPN)

Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas, 32, wants Real Madrid to pay him for the remaining two years of his contract and let him go for free this summer, but the club want 20m euros for the player. (AS – in Spanish)

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