Transfer Rumours And Paper Review - Saturday, May 16

Here's the top transfer-related stories in Saturday's newspapers...

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea will leave Old Trafford at the end of the season after the 24-year-old agreed personal terms with Real Madrid, with only a transfer fee to be negotiated. (Marca)

Real Madrid are looking to re-sign Juventus Champions League hero Alvaro Morata. That switch could see Karim Benzema move to Arsenal, Manchester United or Liverpool. (Daily Star)

Stoke plan further contract talks with Asmir Begovic next month — but Mark Hughes admits the keeper now holds all the aces. (The Sun)

Paris Saint-Germain have made a move to sign Chelsea keeper Petr Cech. The Czech star has been linked with Arsenal. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are to step up their bid to land Rafa Benitez after deciding he is their first choice to replace manager Sam Allardyce. (Daily Mail)

Christian Benteke has been told: Don’t blow your Euro 2016 chances by leaving Aston Villa this summer by manager Tim Sherwood. (Birmingham Mail)

James Milner will quit Manchester City to join Liverpool, instead of Arsenal, on a free transfer. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham Hotspur have not given up hope of landing Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin this summer with Arsenal having widened their midfielder search. (Daily Telegraph)

Bayern Suffer Fifth Defeat In Six Games

Bayern Munich suffered their fifth loss in six games on Saturday as their ex-striker Nils Petersen scored an 89th-minute winner as relegation-threatened Freiburg claimed a shock 2-1 victory.

Having been knocked out of the Champions League's semifinals by Barcelona 5-3 on aggregate, despite a 3-2 home win against Barca on Tuesday, Bayern's bad week continued.

The loss at Freiburg followed their cup defeat at Dortmund and league losses against Leverkusen and Augsburg, plus the away defeat at Barca in Bayern's nightmare three-week period since winning their 25th German league title.

"Freiburg wanted to win it more and showed more fight," admitted Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, whose side will be presented with the Bundesliga trophy at home to Mainz next Saturday.

"It's not been easy for us since winning the title.

"We have one last game - then we can go on holiday and look at the future."

Bayern took the lead at Freiburg when Bastian Schweinsteiger marked his 500th Bundesliga appearance drove home a cross with 11 minutes gone.

But to the delight of the Freiburg crowd, the hosts drew level when midfielder Admir Mehmedi hit the bottom left-hand corner on 33 minutes.

Freiburg were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after Bayern defender Rafinha fouled Mehmedi in the area early in the second half, while Schweinsteiger hit the crossbar with a free-kick with 20 minutes left.

But ex-Bayern striker Petersen hit Freiburg's winner just three minutes after coming off the bench to seal their first win over his former employers in 19 years when he converted Karim Guede's pin-point accurate cross on 89 minutes.

The result lifted Freiburg out of the relegation places to 14th.

- Relegation fight goes to wire -With one match left, things remain tight at the bottom with just four points separating bottom six sides of Paderborn, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hanover, Freiburg and Hertha Berlin.

Hamburg dropped back to 17th with a 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart who climbed off the bottom to 16th as Hamburg's midfielder Gojko Kacar scored his third goal in three games with an early header, but Stuttgart roared as Christian Gentner and Martin Harnik netted first-half goals.

Paderborn defender Uwe Huenemeier suffered the nightmare of heading into his own net to seal his side's 1-0 defeat at Schalke which put them bottom of the table.

Ten-man Hanover 96 boosted their survival chances with a first win since December with a 2-1 victory at Augsburg, captain Lars Stindl scoring twice to hoist his team up to 15th on 34 points.

Hertha Berlin have 35 points after being held to a goalless draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, and are hovering just above the bottom three.

Third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach's 2-0 win at Werder Bremen confirmed Lucien Favre's side direct qualification into the Champions League thanks to Raffael's second-half goals.

Bayer Leverkusen will finish fourth, and go into the qualifier for a place in the Champions League's group-stage, after their 2-0 home win against Hoffenheim as free-kick specialist Hakan Calhanoglu curled one in just before the halftime whistle before Stefan Kiessling added Bayer's second.

Wolfsburg enjoyed a 2-1 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final dress rehearsal.

Wolves' took the lead on 41 seconds when midfielder Daniel Caligiuri tapped home, but Borussia drew level when Kevin Kampl was fouled in the area by home goalkeeper Diego Benaglio and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted the resulting penalty with 11 minutes gone.

The hosts restored their lead when Brazil defender Naldo took a speculative swing at a Ivan Perisic header and the shot beat Dortmund goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak four minutes into the second half for the winning goal.

The two sides will meet again at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on May 30 in the cup final.

‘No Hiding Place For Taraba’

Giwa FC captain and central midfielder, Charles Henlong has said there will not be any hiding place for FC Taraba in Sunday’s league clash.

The Tin City side will host the Jalingo-based side in Glo Premier League match day 9 encounter at the Rwang Pam Stadium in Jos.

Henlong said after the Federation Cup round of 64 shocking exit in the hands of Kukuruku Dragons FC his side must restore confidence in their teeming supporters with a convincing win against FC Taraba.

“We’ve learnt the bitter way not to underrate any side that was our greatest undoing in the shocking defeat to Kukuruku Dragons FC in the Federation Cup round of 64 tie.

“We’ll never allow a repeat occurrence in future no matter the opposition as well as competition.

“Right now we’re paying 100% concentration on the league to get something substantial for ourselves.

“We must start winning matches again to restore confidence among our supporters after the Federation Cup loss to Kukuruku.

“And the take off point is the league clash against FC Taraba on our home ground in Jos on Sunday.

“The encounter is a must win game as we need the points to chance climbing back to the top of the log.

“Our dream is to remain in the top three brackets at every point in time while we continue the push to earn a ticket to Africa.

“Our chairman was disappointed over our defeat in the Federation Cup to relatively unknown side so we must give him something to cheer by winning big against Taraba.

“Taraba will come hard to challenge for decent result after a hard fought 3-3 home draw against Gabros last weekend but we won’t allow the luxury as we need the points more than the visitors,” said the Super Eagles playmaker to supersport.com.

The Jos-based side are second on the league log on 15 points one point adrift leaders, Sunshine Stars in the eight-week old Nigerian top flight.

Mane's Record-Breaking Treble Destroys Villa

Southampton's Sadio Mane scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history as the Senegal winger's astonishing spree condemned dismal Aston Villa to a 6-1 defeat on Saturday.

Mane took just two minutes and 56 seconds to demolish Villa at St Mary's and surpass the previous record of four minutes and 33 seconds set by Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler against Arsenal in 1994.

The 23-year-old also set a new mark for the quickest post-war English top-flight treble as Villa's defence parted with alarming ease.

Although Mane made Premier League history, he couldn't break the record for the fastest ever hat-trick in English football, which was set by James Hayter when he scored three times in two minutes and 20 seconds after coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Bournemouth in their third-tier match against Wrexham in 2004.

Irish striker Shane Long netted twice after Mane's treble to leave shell-shocked Villa trailing by five goals only 38 minutes into the match.

Graziano Pelle made it six late on and Southampton's scintillating display keeps them firmly in the hunt for a place in next season's Europa League.

Christian Benteke got one back for Villa in first-half stoppage time, but it was no consolation for Tim Sherwood's players, whose woeful capitulation cost them a chance to guarantee their Premier League survival.

FA Cup finalists Villa remain four points above the bottom three and will have to rely on other results if they are to be certain of staying up before the season's final round of fixtures next weekend.

Ronald Koeman's team were on course for their first win in five matches from the moment Mane struck in the 13th minute.

Mane, a £10 million ($15.7m) signing from Red Bull Salzburg last year, latched onto Pelle's flick and held off the weak challenges from two Villa defenders before slotting into the net after a lucky rebound off goalkeeper Shay Given.

Just 84 seconds later he scored again after Ron Vlaar's sloppy backpass fell to Long, who helped the ball on for Mane to tap in.

Fittingly, Mane's hat-trick was completed in more eye-catching style as he curled home from just inside the penalty area in the 16th minute.

Mane was involved again when Long made it four in the 26th minute, playing a defence-splitting pass to Pelle, who fed his strike partner for an easy finish.

With Villa in complete disarray, the fifth goal arrived in the 38th minute as Ashley Westwood conceded possession to Long and he caught Given off his line with a brilliant long-range strike.

Belgian striker Benteke headed home from Leandro Bacuna's cross in first-half stoppage time, but there was hardly a sign of celebration from Sherwood and his embarrassed players.

Inevitably, the second half had far less drama, but Southampton put the seal on a memorable day in the 81st minute when Italian international Pelle fired into the roof of the net from Mane's cross.

Transfer Rumours And Paper Review

Here's the top transfer-related stories in Friday's newspapers...

Manchester United will off-load Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria this summer - to make way for the marquee signing of Gareth Bale. (Daily Mirror)

The Red Devils are also considering an ambitious £40 million move for Harry Kane, the Tottenham Hotspur and England striker, this summer. (The Times)

Atlético Madrid are attempting to ward off Chelsea’s interest in their forwards Antoine Griezmann and Koke by raising the buy-out clauses to nearer £100m in the new contracts to be offered to both players this summer. (The Guardian)

Andre Ayew is likely to leave Marseille for the Premier League this summer, according to the club's president Vincent Labrune. (Daily Star)

Inter Milan president Erick Thohir has admitted the club will pursue the signing of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure across the summer. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City have joined the £25million race for Monaco star Geoffrey Kondogbia. The France star has also been linked with Arsenal. (The Sun)

Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel has emerged as a transfer target for Arsenal should they fail to land Petr Cech this summer. (Daily Telegraph)

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has admitted he would like to sign defender Robert Huth permanently, but said talks have not taken place with Stoke. (Leicester Mercury)

Nigel Pearson is set to make a £8million bid for Shinji Okazaki this summer after reopening talks with Mainz. (Daily Telegraph)

Money isn't everything: Juventus are worth €774m, Real Madrid valued at €3.1bn

The European Cup has had its surprise successes over the years and, as such, Juventus' progression to the Champions League final at the expense of Real Madrid should not have come as such a major shock.

The Old Lady is no penniless pauper, with her status as Italy's biggest club being bolstered by yet another Serie A title this season. It was hardly a David vs Goliath story. The trip to Berlin in June will mark their eighth final, not their first.

Yet the ever-widening gap between the richest and the rest in the modern game dictates that any failure for one of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid becomes a huge story. The phenomenal pulling power of the top trio has threatened not just to leave behind the minnows of the game, but also many of the traditional giants from elsewhere across the globe - Juventus included.

Not since 2008 has the Champions League final taken place without one of Barca, Bayern or Madrid, while all three have made the semi-finals in three of the last four campaigns. It is four years since the Germans didn't make the semis, with Madrid going one better. Barca, meanwhile, have only once failed to make the last four in eight attempts since a last-16 exit to Liverpool in 2007.

There can be no doubting that the financial conditions which have been put in place in recent years have been hugely beneficial to the traditional powerhouses, with the largely unchanged make-up of the Champions League each season speaking volumes about the way the natural order has been strengthened.

But just as the Premier League's financial might has not blown away European opposition, the top three have also found plenty of competition in the latter stages of the Champions League from those with far less muscle in the market.

In 2010, Inter upset the odds to win the trophy, while Schalke made the semi-finals 12 months later. Then there was Borussia Dortmund's run to the 2013 final and Atletico's similar achievement last year. The bigger the biggest clubs get, the more astonishing such achievements are.

While Juventus versus Real Madrid might have been a fairer fight back in 2003 when the Bianconeri last saw off the Blancos to reach a final, the same cannot be said now. Madrid had twice the income of Juve in 2013-14, and over the last three years alone they have coined in €835 million more than the Turin side in commercial, matchday and broadcasting revenues.

As a result, Real Madrid as a club now has an estimated value of €3.1 billion, four times as large as Juventus' €774m valuation. The first XI which took to the field at the Santiago Bernabeu cost €425.5m compared to Juve's €128.8m.

All common reason pointed to a Real Madrid win, but Juventus' success gives football hope. It shows why the sport still has a future. If the success of the rich was a foregone conclusion, the rest of us would have every reason to just pack up and go home.

But when Massimiliano Allegri and his Bianconeri take their pre-match walk around the field at the Olympiastadion on June 6, they will be playing not just for Juventus fans – not just for Italy – but for the vast majority of European football. They are proving that the game is not always about who has the most money.

Juve, like Atletico, Dortmund and Schalke before them, are keeping the dream alive.

'Liverpool will regret letting Gerrard leave'

Liverpool will live to regret their decision to allow Steven Gerrard to leave the club for LA Galaxy this summer, says club legend Ray Houghton.

Gerrard will play his final game at Anfield against Crystal Palace on Saturday before ending his 17-year association with the Merseysiders at the end of the season.

Player and club were unable to agree terms on a new contract with Liverpool only willing to offer the 34-year-old reduced terms to extend a deal which runs out this summer.

And Houghton, who played 202 times for the Reds in a five-year spell, believes Liverpool should have taken a leaf out of rivals Manchester United's book and done all they could to convince Gerrard to stay.

"Manchester United got it right with Ryan Giggs," Houghton told Goal. "A great one-club man who was recognised as having so much still to offer.

"Louis van Gaal came in and saw that he was a point of reference at United, and that should have been the thinking with Stevie.

"I know Stevie wasn't ready for a coaching role, but even with an eye to the future I don't think it was ever offered to him.

"Stevie is unique at the club not just in his knowledge of the game but his knowledge of Liverpool.

"There are very few left at the club steeped with the traditions of Liverpool. Jamie Carragher left to join the media and he is another one that Liverpool would have done well to keep hold.

"Liverpool has always been a club with plenty of links with the past. Where are they now? First-team coach Mike Marsh is one, but not many more.

"Don't forget Stevie is a lad who was a Liverpool fan before he was a Liverpool player. If he wasn't a footballer, he'd probably be in the Kop. That is a priceless commodity that's been lost."

Liverpool are set to miss out on Champions League qualification this summer, finding themselves six points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with two games remaining.

Houghton believes his former club need more quality if they are to challenge at the highest level again and claims that the loss of Gerrard is a step in the wrong direction.

He added: "Liverpool have lost their superstars and they need to attract new ones if they want to get back in the Champions League and contesting league titles.

"Stevie is a superstar who could have attracted better players than Liverpool currently have by remaining at the club in an active capacity.

"He is an inspiration to many and his experience is invaluable. Now it's the MLS that is getting the benefit and it should still be Liverpool."

With the American campaign beginning in March and ending in December at the latest, there has been talk that Gerrard could return to the Premier League in MLS close-season.

Frank Lampard spent this term on loan at Manchester City despite announcing he had signed for New York City last summer, but Houghton does not envisage Gerrard playing another competitive match in England.

"I know Robbie Keane well and he combined playing for LA Galaxy in the MLS with playing here for Aston Villa a couple of years ago, but he said it took a toll on his body and has not done it since," he said.

"There is a lot of travelling involved and Stevie has gone over there to enjoy the end of his career, I don't think his heart would be in it playing for anyone else other than Liverpool."

Ronaldo hasn't beaten a defender for months – Sacchi

Former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi claims it has been months since Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was able to beat a defender.

Ronaldo scored in both legs of the Champions League semi-final defeat to Juventus but has failed to find the net in three of his last four Liga matches.

Sacchi, who also spent 12 months at Madrid as sporting director between 2004 and 2005, claimed the Portugal international has been a long way from his best in recent weeks despite having already scored 55 goals this season.

"It's been three months since Cristiano Ronaldo got away from an opponent," Sacchi said on Mediaset.

"He scores, because he's a fighter, but he's not in form."

Ronaldo, who scored from the penalty spot in Wednesday's 1-1 draw that saw Madrid eliminated at the semi-final stage, hit 10 goals in 12 matches in this season's Champions League.

The 30-year-old Ballon d'Or holder has found the net 42 times in just 33 Liga appearances this season, though his goals look unlikely to secure Madrid the title as Barcelona need just one victory from their final two games to secure the Spanish crown.

Though they claimed the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, failure in domestic competition and the Champions League has left Carlo Ancelotti's future at the club in serious doubt.

Faus: Messi, Neymar or Suarez could leave Barcelona

Barcelona economic vice-president Javier Faus has conceded that the club could lose Lionel Messi, Neymar or Luis Suarez to richer rivals such as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 51-year-old Catalan says that the Blaugrana have every intention of keeping the prolific attacking trio together for the foreseeable future but conceded that the Liga leaders are not in a position to the match the salaries now on offer at the likes of Stamford Bridge and the Parc des Princes.

"We can no longer pay the most in terms of wages," Faus told German publication Handelsblatt. "That's now Chelsea and PSG.

"You have to understand that players [in Spain] always compare their net pay to those of the Premier League or the Bundesliga, who have pushed costs up dramatically.

"It will be a challenge but we want to avoid letting Messi, Neymar or Suarez go.

"But if a club has the potential to take them away because of their chequebook, then they will go.

"The players have a very short career and are entitled to charge what other clubs can pay for their services."

Faus, of course, infamously clashed with Messi in December 2013 when he claimed that the Argentina international had demanded a pay rise.

The diminutive forward denied that accusation and countered by stating that the Blaugrana director "does not know anything about football".

However, despite the very public spat, Faus insists that the pair now enjoy a mutually beneficial working relationship.

"Messi is right: I do not understand football," he added. "It was just a misunderstanding that we clarified with his father and him.

"Then, we agreed a new contract and now we have a kind of partnership: we help him increase his market value and he helps us to project the Barca brand. "

Messi the best in the world, but my goals were more beautiful - Maradona

Diego Maradona says Lionel Messi is currently the best player in the world, but insists his own goals were “more beautiful” than those of the Barcelona star.

The Argentine legend, who played for the Catalan club, as well as the likes of Napoli and Boca Juniors during a glittering career, is often been labelled as the greatest ever to play the sport.

And while he believes his countryman is the best there is in the modern game, rating him above Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo, he says that Messi is still developing as a footballer.

“I think the goals come with the style. I think Messi is finding his own style, but he is killing it with the goals. This makes you accelerate the pace. Most likely, he will find his style very soon,” Maradona told CNN.

“I think that I had my own style from the very beginning, so that is the point at which I could be better than Messi. But Messi has scored 300 goals, whereas I think I scored a little over 200 in my whole career.

“But the thing is, my goals were more beautiful!”

Messi scored two goals in Barcelona’s 5-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich, which saw them book a spot in the Champions League final against Juventus.