Before the game: Jose Mourinho wants to return to Chelsea
Jose Mourinho is eager to return to England next season amid frustration over a lack of financial support from Roma.
The ideal scenario would be an extraordinary third spell at Chelsea and his representatives have announced he would be interested in any vacancy at Stamford Bridge, but the club has made it clear it intends to stand by Graham Potter.
Mourinho’s wife and children still live in London and he has always preferred working in the Premier League to anywhere else.
Jose Mourinho has become frustrated with the lack of financial support he is receiving at Roma
The manager would like him to spend a third spell at heavily spent Chelsea if he returns to England
The Portuguese won the European League title in Rome last season and is currently in fifth place in the Italian league, but he lacks the resources to fight for the title. A West Ham job may also be available soon given David Moyes’ struggles, although Mourinho will not leave Roma during the middle of the season.
United doubts about waiving prices
Manchester United officials have been particularly critical of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to bid for the club, as they are convinced owner INEOS has no intention of meeting the Glazer family’s demand for bids in excess of £6 billion.
Ratcliffe became the first potential bidder to announce his bid last week and an INEOS spokesperson confirmed: “We’ve officially put ourselves in the process.”
However, United are convinced that the company’s main concern is securing positive publicity. Ratcliffe publicly announced his interest in buying Chelsea last year, but only after the deadline for bids had expired.
Manchester United have doubts about how serious Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover bid actually was
Italy may postpone offering the euro
Italy is considering withdrawing from the race to host the 2032 European Championship if it can secure the right to host the 2036 tournament without opposition.
Italy and Turkey, who are also vying for Euro 2028 for a joint United Nations bid, are currently vying for the rights to bid for Euro 2032, with UEFA set to announce the winners in the autumn.
UEFA made it clear last year that they were ready to award the UK and Ireland €2,028 without competition, but Turkey insisted on making a late bid after losing out to Germany for the right to host in 2024.
A championship cycle in the UK, Ireland, Turkey and Italy from 2028 onwards will be for UEFA, where the risks of taking the competition to a new market on the edge of Asia will be sandwiched between two sure-footed money-makers in Western Europe.
Italy have until the April 12 bidding deadline to inform UEFA of their intentions, with discussions currently taking place behind the scenes.
Italy may withdraw from the bid to host Euro 2032 and instead look to host four years later in 2036.
TERRIERS ON THE MARKET FOR £1!
Huddersfield City owner Dean Hoyle is willing to sell the club for a nominal fee of £1 as long as buyers are willing to cover the Terriers’ debts.
The Championship club has been officially up for sale since October, when Hoyle stepped away from day-to-day operations for the second time due to health reasons.
He had regained full control of the club earlier last year after former owner Phil Hodgkinson fell into bankruptcy with his other businesses.
Huddersfield owe around £14m to banks and £34m to Hoyle, who made numerous loans during his previous spell in charge between 2009 and 2019.
The sale process has been complicated by the poor form of Huddersfield this season, as coach Mark Fotheringham’s team faces the threat of relegation to League One.
Huddersfield could sell for £1 as long as the buyers were willing to cover the Terrier’s total debts
Promote the plans of the organizer
The government’s decision to drop plans to sell Channel 4 earlier this month is set to accelerate the arrival of the independent football regulator.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport officials have more time now to push regulatory legislation through this parliament, with a white paper outlining plans expected at the start of next month and likely to appear in the postponed King’s Speech, which takes place this fall.
Government officials are confident the regulator may now be in place ahead of the 2024 general election, when it is seen as a potential winner of the Conservative vote.
Despite their opposition to the plans, it would please the Premier League, who feared a Labor-organised presence would make life more difficult for them.