Football news LIVE: Bournemouth replace O’Neil, Celtic re-appoint Rodgers, Real Madrid sign Newcastle and Stoke flop, Chelsea stars set for Saudi transfers, Havertz to Arsenal latest

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has been linked with a stunning switch to Saudi Arabia.

That is according to The Athletic, who have stated the 28-year-old could depart the Etihad this summer.

It has been said that the Portugal international has been presented with a lucrative opportunity.

Talks have taken place with Silva’s agent Jorge Mendes, though there is an expectation he will turn down a move to the Middle East.

The news outlet reports that PSG and Barcelona are also keen on Silva, with the French side making the biggest push so far.

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun insists he will not go out on loan again after a successful spell at Reims.

After scoring in USA’s Concacaf Nations League final victory over Canada, Balogun addressed his future.

“I’m not sure [about] the discussions that are going to take place,” he said.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But I’m just committed to now; I try to stay present. I obviously want to enjoy the moment with my team and my family.

“What I can say is that I definitely won’t go on loan again.”

Balogun has been linked to the likes of Juventus, AC and Inter Milan, Marseille and RB Leipzig.

Should Kai Havertz be signed for Chelsea, Balogun would also be competing with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah for a starting spot.

Bournemouth have now confirmed the appointment of Andoni Iraola as their new head coach.

The announcement comes just a matter of hours after the surprise news of Gary O’Neil’s sacking as Cherries manager.

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Andoni Iraola as the club’s new head coach on a two-year deal,” reads a club statement.

“Andoni arrives at Vitality Stadium following the expiry of his contract at Rayo Vallecano, where a successful three-year spell ended with an 11th-placed finish in La Liga last season.”

Bournemouth owner and chairman Bill Foley said: “We’re so excited to welcome Andoni to the club. With his contract in Spain coming to an end this summer we wanted to act quickly.

“He was highly sought after by other clubs across the continent, and his style of play has been an important factor in making this decision. His achievements in Spain have certainly been very impressive, and we’re confident that he is the right man to lead our next chapter.

“We have identified a number of targets in the transfer market, which along with our January additions will supplement our strong playing squad to give Andoni the best chance to consolidate our Premier League status and keep progressing.”

FULL STORY

talkSPORT can reveal Andoni Iraola is the front-runner to become Bournemouth’s new manager.

Iraola, 40, was on Leeds United’s list of contenders after Jesse Marsch was sacked earlier this season.

He is a free agent after leaving Spanish club Rayo Vallecano. He spent three seasons in charge at the Spanish club, guiding them to promotion to LaLiga in his first campaign before sealing 12th and 11th placed finishes in the top flight.

As a player, the former right-back played over 400 games for Athletic Bilbao and also enjoyed a spell at New York City FC before hanging up his boots and turning to coaching, and earned seven international caps for Spain.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley sacked Gary O’Neil as he wants to go in a new direction and implement a new style of football, talkSPORT understands.

O’Neil triggered an extra year on his contract by keeping the Cherries in the Premier League, but ambitious American businessman Foley – whose takeover of the club went through in December 2022 – is aiming for the club to progress quickly with European football his major aim.

O’Neil’s replacement is likely to be named today and does NOT have previous Premier League experience.

For the moment, O’Neil’s backroom staff will remain in place.

Manchester United are reportedly making signing a new No.1 goalkeeper one of their priorities this summer.

With doubts over David De Gea’s future, Manchester Evening News claim chiefs at the club see signing a new No.1 as ‘essential’.

It is reported superiors at Old Trafford want to ‘move on’ from the 32-year-old Spaniard after spending 12 years as United’s first-choice man between the sticks.

United have been linked with interest in Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and Inter Milan’s Andre Onana – who Erik ten Hag worked with at Ajax.

Andros Townsend admitted on talkSPORT this morning that he is still looking for his next club after leaving Everton.

The 31-year-old was released by the Toffees at the end of the season, meaning he is now a free agent.

A former England international, with three goals in 13 caps for the Three Lions, Townsend admits he may have to go on trial to secure his next move and continue his career.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown says Bournemouth must have a big-name manager lined up to replace Gary O’Neil, saying his sacking was ‘brutal’.

And talkSPORT host Simon Jordan speculated if Frank Lampard is set for a rapid return to the dugout after leaving his job as Chelsea’s interim boss.

Keown said: “Maybe there’s a bigger name coming to the club. Maybe there’s somebody who is out of work right now who has come available, they’ve identified him and facilitated this news.

“This is quite a shock, but it might be because somebody special has come to the table. It looks like they don’t believe O’Neil is the man to take them forward.”

Jordan added: “There’s no sentiment being deployed here, they’re looking at the bigger picture and thinking, does he have the lure of a big-name manager if they’re going to go for it?

“Reading between the lines, I dont think there’s been a huge fallout, I think the new American owner has gone, ‘It’s wonderful we’ve stayed up, he filled a gap, you’re now a manager, so here’s some money and I’m going to look at someone else who is going to bring players in and who has the name’.

“It looks like they’ve made a directional change based on a name. You never know, Frank Lampard might pop up and be part of the equation… especially with Harry Redknapp’s influence down there.

“I just hope we’re not going to see the second coming of Jesse Marsch.”

Bournemouth looked headed for the drop after a disastrous start to the season under Scott Parker, but Gary O’Neil steered the ship back to Premier League safety.

He led the Cherries to notable wins over Liverpool and Tottenham on their way to a 15th place finish to ensure the south coast remain in the top flight for a second successive campaign.

But now the coach has been sacked, much to the surprise of Bournemouth fans.

Bournemouth have announced the departure of Gary O’Neil as their head coach.

Former Premier League player O’Neil stepped in to guide the club to Premier League safety last season after replacing the sacked Scott Parker on an interim basis.

He was then appointed full-time head coach in November and oversaw 37 matches last term.

A superb run of results under the boss secured their safety with time to spare, but the club has now confirmed his exit totally out of the blue.

AFC Bournemouth owner and chairman Bill Foley explained: “Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for. This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.

“As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions around upgrades to our stadium.

“We have also identified a number of significant targets in the transfer market this summer and believe this change in direction will provide us with the best platform from which to build.

“Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club. I would like to place on record my thanks to Gary and wish him all the best for the future.”

The statement added that the appointment of a new head coach would be ‘announced imminently’.

Marcus Rashford is close to signing a new long-term contract with Manchester United.

The England forward is about to enter the final year of his current deal at Old Trafford, which has prompted recent fears he could be snapped up by a rival – particularly amid interest from PSG.

However, Fabrizio Romano is reporting Rashford is ‘on the verge’ of agreeing new terms to remain at his boyhood club.

Erik ten Hag has been keen to secure the 25-year-old’s services after his resurgence under the Dutch boss – ending the season with 41 direct goal involvements [30 goals, 11 assists] in 56 games in all competitions.

Celtic have confirmed the return of Brendan Rodgers as manager.

The Northern Irishman has been welcomed back by the club, signing a three-year contract.

Only time will tell if Celtic supporters will extend that welcome or not, considering how he left for Leicester City last time…

Pep Guardiola also hopes Ilkay Gundogan remains a Man City player this summer.

The German midfielder was included on the Premier League champions’ release list with his contract set to expire at the end of June.

He has been linked with a free transfer to Barcelona, but Guardiola would prefer to keep his captain.

“I’m aware of Barcelona interest in signing Gundo but we’re also very interested in keeping him at the club,” said the City boss.

“I hope he stays with us.

“If Barca succeed in signing him, they will get a great, fantastic player.”

Staying with Man City, it is claimed Kyle Walker’s exit is not the done deal as many believed.

Last week it was suggested the right-back was looking to leave the Etihad Stadium with the England man unhappy over the reduced role in Pep Guardiola’s team this season.

The 33-year-old was linked with a surprise move back to oyhood club Sheffield United, following their promotion back to the Premier League, while reports in Germany claimed Bayern Munich are also keen.

However, Fabrizio Romano now claims Walker is in talks with City over a contract extension with the treble champions.

It’s also claimed Bayern still hope a deal to take Walker to Germany can still be done, so this one is not over just yet.

Man City chief Khaldoon also paid tribute to captain Ilkay Gundogan and hopes the German stays at the club.

Gundogan played a key role in the run-in but is out of contract this summer and has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona.

Khaldoon said: “When you need him in the big games, he’s always there, and I hope there’s more chapters to that legacy. Obviously, Ilkay has to make big life decisions for him.”

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has promised to give some ‘very blunt views’ on the Premier League charges facing the club in due course.

City were charged in February with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations dating back to 2009.

The club could face a points deduction or even expulsion from the competition if found guilty but City have vociferously denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight their case. It is unclear how long this process will take with some suggestions proceedings could run for several more years.

Speaking in his annual end-of-season interview with the club’s media channels, Khaldoon said: “So obviously I can’t talk about them (the charges), unfortunately, for legal reasons.

“What I would typically always do is comment after, so I think we’re going to go through the legal process.

“These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we’re done, we’ll have a conversation. I’ll give you my very blunt views, I promise you that.

“I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained today.”

Khaldoon feels people are judging the club too quickly without checking all the facts.

He said: “It’s very frustrating because it takes so much from the great work that’s happening at this club and it’s happening not just on the football pitch.

“What these players have achieved this year, the treble, is incredible. I hope people focus and judge them for their football and what they’re achieving on the pitch and what they’re achieving in every competition they’re in.

“The club as a whole is very well run. Today, the value of this group is over six billion dollars. We’ve created so much value – we’ve brought in world-class investors. Why? Because we have a commercial machine here that is one of the best in the world.

“We’re the number one football brand in the world. The club generates a tremendous revenue.

“People will throw at us ‘the biggest spenders’, ‘you have the biggest squad’. I wish people can just pause and ask the question, and get the facts and then comment.”

Chelsea are planning to sell SIX players to Saudi Arabia this summer, according to reports.

We already know that N’Golo Kante is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the month to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad, where he will earn SIX TIMES what he’s on at Stamford Bridge.

And it appears more will follow, with owner Todd Boehly seeing the Saudi football revolution as a blessing in disguise as he looks to solve the club’s FFP situation.

The Blues are needing to balance the books this summer after two windows of big spending and it is widely claimed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech are also in talks over moves to the Middles East.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy’s agent is now said to be in talks over a move to take him to Saudi Arabia, and while Romelu Lukaku has also been linked, it is reported he is not ready to give up playing in Europe just yet.

Scroll down for the latest on that rumour below…

Arsenal are confident of signing Kai Havertz AND Declan Rice this summer.

The Gunners have submitted first bids for both the Chelsea and West Ham stars, but both offers fell short of the clubs’ asking prices and were rejected.

That was just the beginning as far as Mikel Arteta are concerned, though, with new and improved offers expected for both players.

According to Sky Germany, Arsenal are in ‘advanced talks’ with Havertz and Rice and both players are expected to join the Gunners.

Bayern Munich are also said to be keen on Havertz, but there is no offer on the table yet, and Arteta is reportedly keen to get a deal for the Chelsea forward done as soon as possible to secure his services.

Real Madrid have announced the signing of former Newcastle and Stoke City flop Joselu.

It marks a return to the Bernabeu for the Spanish striker, who first signed for Los Blancos in 2009.

He spent two seasons with the giants before being sold to German club Hoffenheim, with the frontman later securing a move to the Premier League with Stoke and then Newcastle.

He failed to really impress with either English clubs and sealed a return to Spain with Alaves in 2019, where his career really took off.

He enjoyed a decent three years there, scoring 36 goals, before signing for Espanyol last summer, where he got 17 goals in 37 games this term.

He was also part of the Spain national team that beat Croatia on penalties – scoring in the shootout – to become UEFA Nations League champions.

And he has now re-signed for Real Madrid on loan, with the 33-year-old expected to lead the line for Los Blancos this season following Karim Benzema’s exit.

What a journey!

Romelu Lukaku is NOT joining the host of players taking up big-money offers to move to Saudi Arabia.

The Belgian striker has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League, where he would join Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and a long list of other top stars.

However, Fabrizio Romano claims the Lukaku feels he has more to give at the top level in Europe and isn’t ready to make the money-spinning move just yet.

The striker’s loan back at Inter Milan has ended and he is now a Chelsea player again, and while it is claimed the two clubs are locked in discussions over his future with claims he could seal a permanent return to the San Siro, there is no agreement yet.

Former Ajax star Quincy Promes has been jailed after being found guilty of stabbing his cousin at a family gathering.

The Dutchman has been given 18 months in prison for aggravated assault.

The incident happened in the summer of 2020 after an dispute broke out between Promes and his cousin.

Promes allegedly stabbed his relative in the leg and was initially hit with an attempted murder charge.

That was dropped but Promes has been found guilty of assault and will pay £6000 in damages to his cousin, according to NOS.

Barnsley boss Michael Duff is set to replace Southampton-bound Russell Martin at Swansea manager.

Martin is set to leave the Swans and take over at Saints following their relegation from the Premier League.

Duff will step up from League One to the Championship following Barnsley’s play-off final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

Ex-Tottenham star Andros Townsend believes Harry Kane’s dream to become the all-time leading Premier League goalscorer is a problem for Spurs.

Manchester United have made Kane their top target this summer but Tottenham are reluctant to sell, especially to a top-flight rival.

However, Kane has one year left on his current contract, and Townsend insists his ex-teammate will want to stay in England.

The superstar striker needs 48 goals to break Alan Shearer’s all-time leading goal tally in the Premier League…

Luke Shaw has joked that he’s tapped up ‘a few’ England players after he gave Harry Kane and Declan Rice a ‘tour’ of Carrington.

Shaw has taken the opportunity to show some of his England teammates around the Man United training ground as they consider their futures at club level.

Asked about his antics Shaw said in a press conference: “There’s a few (players he is tapping up).

“It’s all a bit of banter really, we have a joke and a laugh about it.

“I am not too sure what goes on behind the scenes, because it is to do with the club. But of course when we’re here and together we have a joke about it.”

England manager Gareth Southgate has hailed the “big progress” in Marcus Rashford’s goalscoring prowess and insists the Manchester United forward “loves” playing for his country.

“The obvious thing is the goals,” he replied when asked what Rashford has brought to his game.

“I think when he has had chances this season that you expect him to score as the season has gone on. Maybe in previous seasons that was a little bit less of a certainty.

“I think, in working with Erik (ten Hag), he has had to work a bit differently without the ball. There’s been a bit more onus on that as a team. I would say the goal tally is big progress for him and something he will be pleased about.

“At the moment I still think he’s better from the left than as a nine but he’s definitely made progress as a nine this year and had a bigger impact.”

“I’ve had him since he was in the Under-21s, really,” he added. “He kind of came back to us because he had been up with Roy (Hodgson) and then had one game back with us.

“We’ve always had good communication, I know him as well as anybody is going to know him. He’s not always easy to read.

“He does love playing for England, he’s very proud to play for England and I’m sure an England game at Old Trafford will be a special moment for him.”