Manchester United and Liverpool have joined Nottingham Forest in the race for one of Europe’s most highly-regarded midfielders.

Michael Carrick has already been handed one new midfielder in the form of Ederson. The Brazilian will officially join the club after the World Cup, becoming Carrick’s first summer signing.

United were keen on Mateus Fernandes but refused to match Tottenham Hotspur’s £85m bid for the Portuguese star. He has joined the Lilywhites from West Ham United, leaving INEOS to explore alternatives.

Man Utd and Liverpool eyeing Thuram

One of them could be Juventus’ Khephren Thuram, who has emerged as a target for both United and Liverpool. A report from Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) claims that the Old Lady are considering selling the Frenchman.

Forest are also in the mix and reportedly made a “firm approach” for Thuram. All three clubs are said to have expressed their interest in the 25-year-old who has three years left on his contract.

Juve are holding out for around €40-50m for the midfielder, who is the latest name to be linked with Old Trafford. He was a mainstay in the Italians’ midfield last season, featuring 45 times across competitions, registering four goals and five assists.

United and Liverpool can offer the four-cap France international UEFA Champions League football. That might prove an issue for Forest who aren’t participating in Europe next season.

Thuram shouldn’t be a priority for Carrick

via Reuters

Thuram’s box-to-box profile could be a real asset for Carrick, who has moved on from an ageing Casemiro. Replacing the Brazilian is the club’s priority but the Frenchman probably isn’t the solution.

Rather, United may view Thuram as a squad player who can add much-needed depth to Carrick’s squad. There had been much talk ahead of the transfer window about the club looking to sign three new midfielders and the third had been a rotational option.

Should the Red Devils make a concrete move for the Frenchman, they will surely do so, believing they can sign a marquee heir to Casemiro. They remain attentive to Aurelien Tchouameni’s situation at Real Madrid, although Fabrizio Romano claims that the Spaniards haven’t opened the door to a sale and his salary remains an issue.

Even if United do want to bring Thuram, hailed “extraordinary” to Old Trafford, they face competition from Liverpool and Forest. Andoni Iraola is building a squad in his image and might be keen on swooping for the Juve star.

As is always the case at a World Cup, some players in the England team are earning more plaudits than others. Harry Kane, for example, has led the way with five goals, including two in the Last 32 victory over DR Congo.

The captain’s efforts have been so impressive, Jamie Carragher has even suggested that ‘based on the past 12 months, Kane should win the Ballon d’Or’ – although the former defender thinks the award will actually go to someone else from a different nation.

Not everyone has been as impressive for the Three Lions this summer, however, and TV personality Piers Morgan and former England star John Terry have agreed upon one player they aren’t particularly big fans of.

Piers Morgan Questions England Ace’s Attitude

During an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, the show host and Terry both spoke negatively about Djed Spence. The defender has struggled against DR Congo, with the opening goal coming down his flank before later being hooked, as midfielder Declan Rice finished the game at right-back instead.

During the match, England boss Thomas Tuchel had been caught on camera appearing to lose his temper with Spence. Terry brought this up, saying he’s ‘a little bit worried’ about the Tottenham defender, wondering if Tuchel would have shown a bit more respect if he was dealing with a more senior figure like Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He added, “I really like Tuchel, and I think he’s a top and elite manager, but when I see this, I’m like, if that’s Trent, I’m not sure he’s behaving like that. I’m not sure he’s talking to Trent like that. And maybe that’s a decision of why he’s picked a couple of these players, because he can go like that to these younger players or these new players in the squad, for me. That’s interesting.”

At this point, Morgan spoke disparagingly about Spence, bringing up some past incidents, which have left him unsure about the defender’s character. He said:

John Terry Not Impressed Djed Spence

In response to Morgan’s criticism of Spence, Terry admitted that he also is not really a ‘big fan’ of the player, and doesn’t rate him very highly at all. The Chelsea legend said:

However, Terry did stick up for Spence, as he suggested that Tuchel should perhaps be careful not to single out the right-back for too much public criticism. He explained: “I will say I’ve not seen Tuchel do that to anyone else. It just seems to be on two or three occasions he’s dug Spence out. But also, for me, he’s then relied on him and played him again. I agree it’s kind of mixed messaging.”

With Tino Livramento injured before the tournament began, and Reece James missing the last two outings with his own fitness issues, it seems as though Tuchel will need to rely on Spence as the tournament continues.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has been accused of corruption after eye-opening footage emerged of some “shameless” comments he made following one of the World Cup’s Round of 32 ties. Football’s top dog has found it difficult to stay away from the limelight for too long this summer, and his latest act could be his most controversial yet.

Indeed, some of the other things he has done that have kicked up a storm include the sycophantic gesture of gifting US President Donald Trump an inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” last December. Meanwhile, he introduced hydration breaks even in stadiums that are air-conditioned or experiencing heavy rainfall, while his organisation also threatened to change the kick-off times for a number of fixtures, including England’s trip to Mexico, before backtracking just two days before the match.

Even with all of the above, it has still been a great spectacle, with Argentina, France and Spain emerging as the favourites for glory up to this point. However, all of that could be in vain if suggestions on social media that Infantino has already made up his mind about who he wants to win turn out to be true.

Gianni Infantino’s Tongue Slip Sees Him Accused of ‘Corruption’

While being interviewed by an Argentine journalist after Lionel Messi and co. required extra-time to beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday night, Infantino appeared to let slip his secret support of the 2022 winners. He said (watch the full segment below):

The 56-year-old’s realisation that what he said was probably not going to do his already-tarnished reputation any favours, and so prompting him to backtrack on his ‘shameless’ comments, has caused a huge stir on social media.

With many already suspicious over the fact the world champions have been given the easiest route to the final, one X user wrote: “But seriously what can be done to curb this corruption scandal going on?” as a second added: “Incompetent. It’s a disgrace that the FIFA president is this biased. He needs to resign ASAP.”

Another continued: “How do you even convince people that this organization isn’t favoring Messi when the president openly declared his support for Argentina?” Meanwhile, a fourth remarked: “Imagine the outrage if he said this about Portugal”, while a fifth concluded: “Absolutely embarrassing, we should protest and boycott until he resigns.”

Argentina Look Good Value For Back-to-Back World Cup Success

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The supercomputer currently predicts that France have the best chance of winning the World Cup, with Argentina following just behind them.

Given both nations’ route to the final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, it wouldn’t be a shock to see a repeat of the 2022 Qatar showdown, which saw Messi reach football immortality via a penalty shootout despite Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in normal time.

After other fans noticed the Inter Miami star, considered the greatest footballer of all time, trying to cheat from a free-kick in a last-gasp win over Cape Verde, there’s growing belief FIFA want Argentina to win again. But when you have Messi in your side, anything’s possible.