September 5th: Weekly Football News Catch Up: 3 Premier League Clubs Turn Down Ronaldo; Real Madrid To Go For Premier League Star Next Summer; Xavi Talks About Getting Sacked; Others

Arsenal, Chelsea And Newcastle Turn Down Offers For Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle United have reportedly declined offers for Manchester United’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Following his most recent altercation with manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo is reportedly pushing for a transfer away from the club in January.

According to reports, a chance to sign the Portugal international was turned down by Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle United.

Chelsea’s former manager, Thomas Tuchel had objected to signing Ronaldo despite Chelsea’s co-owner, Todd Boehly’s willingness to take in the Euro 2016 winner.

Prior to the January transfer window, according to The Sun, Ronaldo’s agents have already contacted Newcastle, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

However, it is clear that none of the three teams are interested in signing the United forward.

A source told The Sun, “Chelsea were interested in Ronaldo over the summer, but he is no longer on their radar.

“Arsenal and Newcastle realise the quality he would bring in helping them to achieve their ambitions.

“But both clubs worry about the wider impact his arrival could have on the clubs.”

Real Madrid Reportedly Eying Premier League Star For Next Season.

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has reportedly caught Carlo Ancelotti’s attention as a potential addition to his team for the next season.

It’s rumoured that Real Madrid will soon begin looking for a new forward.

While Mariano Diaz has failed to firmly establish himself in Ancelotti’s squad, players like Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio are rumoured to have reached the end of their Real Madrid careers.

Son, a South Korean international who still has three years left on his contract with Tottenham, is reportedly considering his options, so Ancelotti has decided to keep an eye on him.

Son was ranked number 11 in the most recent Ballon d’Or rankings in 2022.

The 30-year-old has contributed five goals and two assists to Antonio Conte’s team this year in 16 games.

Last season, he and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool shared the top goal-scoring spot in the Premier League.

Ralf Ragnick Reveals Players He Asked Manchester United To Sign While He Was In Charge.

Ralf Rangnick, a former Manchester United interim coach, has disclosed six players he requested the club sign in the January transfer window.

In November 2021, Rangnick was appointed as Man United’s interim manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired.

The German revealed how he suggested the club’s hierarchy target six players in January: Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku, Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic, and Erling Haaland. However, the club did not make any of these signings while he was in charge of Man United.

Rangnick said to BILD, “There was no such dossier, and it was never wanted by the club.

“But even without such a script, it was clear to everyone that there was a need in many areas.

“That is why we were already discussing players like Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. Those were names that were realistic.

“We also talked about Alvaro Morata, Luis Diaz, Dusan Vlahovic and, as I said, Haaland when they were still on the market. But the club decided at that time to rebuild the team under the new coach.”

Young Arsenal Forward, Folarin Balogun Expresses Desire To Play For Nigeria’s Super Eagles.

Folarin Balogun, a forward for Arsenal, has said he would be willing to play for the Nigerian Super Eagles.

Balogun was born in the USA to Nigerian parents and was raised in England making the 21-year-old qualified to represent England, Nigeria, and the United States.

Balogun has now expressed his admiration for Nigeria and desire to one day play for the Super Eagles.

Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Balogun said, “I haven’t heard anything from Nigeria, but I’m open to anything because Nigeria is very close to my heart.

“My family’s from there. I always have love for Nigeria.”

At the moment, the forward is on loan at Ligue 1 team Stade de Reims.

In 12 league games for Reims, Flo, as he is nicknamed, has scored seven goals and contributed two assists.

Xavi Speaks On Barca Possibly Sacking Him After Falling Out Of Champions League.

Xavi Hernandez, the manager of Barcelona, has stated that the club still supports him despite Barcelona’s second consecutive Europa League presence after exiting the Champions League.

Ronald Koeman was replaced by Xavi a year ago, and he was given more than €150 million to spend on summer transfers.

He added players like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha, but the team once again struggled in Europe.

Xavi, however, maintains that there are plenty of reasons for positivity for Barca.

He said in a news conference on Friday, “There is complete confidence in the project. The expectations are high and it’s not what we hoped for, going out of the Champions League.

“There are no doubts results will come. I have the confidence of the president [Joan Laporta], the board and [directors of football] Mateu [Alemany] and Jordi [Cruyff].

“There is nothing for it but to keep working hard.”

Victor Osimhen Scores His First Senior Career Hatrick.

Super Eagles Striker, Victor Osimhen scored his first senior career hat-trick in Napoli’s 4-0 victory over Sassuolo on Saturday afternoon at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

The Nigerian international has now scored six goals in his last four Partenopei appearances across all competitions.

Osimhen scored for Napoli as early as the fourth minute of the game, with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia assisting.

Kvaratskhelia also assisted on Osimhen’s second goal of the game, which came in the 19th minute.

Osimhen scored his third goal of the game, and Napoli’s fourth, with 23 minutes remaining in the match.

This season, he has eight goals in eight league appearances for Luciano Spalletti’s side.

This leaves Napoli still unbeaten in Serie A this season.