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John Henry has dropped a bombshell by revealing Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has no plans to sell Liverpool, so what does that mean for the Reds?

Liverpool owner John Henry had been thought to be willing to sell the Reds but has now announced that it's investment he's after, rather than a sale.

FSG claimed in November 2022 it would "consider new shareholders", which had prompted speculation there could be a takeover at Anfield.

Yet a sale is now very much off the table, so what does it mean for the club, manager Jurgen Klopp, potential transfer targets and the future? GOAL takes a look…

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  Will FSG be willing to fund Bellingham deal?

  Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham is expected to have his pick of top sides this summer after becoming a vital player for club and country at the grand old age of 19.

  Liverpool are set to battle the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid for Bellingham's signature and have already made the midfielder their top summer target.

  Yet the Reds will be well aware that Bellingham will not come cheap. Liverpool will likely have to break their transfer record and make the midfielder their highest-paid player if they are to bring him to Anfield.

  The money will obviously be an issue, particularly if investment is not forthcoming, and the big questions fans will be asking is whether FSG are willing to fund a big-money move for Bellingham in the summer.

  Liverpool are also in the midst of a difficult campaign both at home and abroad. Failure to qualify for next season's Champions League will impact the club financially and on a sporting level.

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  Fans frustration to continue

  The news that FSG are not selling up will be met with frustration by some sections of the Liverpool support.

  Fans have been angered during FSG's reign by hikes in ticket prices, a failed attempt to trademark the name 'Liverpool' and the decision to furlough non-playing staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. That decision came just six weeks after Liverpool announced pre-tax profits of £42 million and was very swiftly reversed.

  There was also the European Super League fiasco which brought another U-turn from Liverpool after players and supporters made it clear they were completely against the idea.

  There's no doubting that FSG have done a lot for the Merseysiders, but the team is struggling on the pitch which will leave many fans wanting serious investment in the summer to strengthen the squad.

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  FSG to complete Anfield redevelopment

  FSG have long wanted to redevelop Anfiled and are not far off seeing their plans realised.

  Work on the new Anfield Road End Stand began in 2021 and remains on track to be completed in time for the new 2023-24 season.

  FSG's redevelopment plan will see the famous old ground's capacity rise by 7,000 to 61,000 spectators, making it the fifth-biggest stadium in England and the third largest in the Premier League.

  Liverpool's owners have made mistakes during their tenure but their work to redevelop the ground certainly shows plenty of ambition.

  It will also have attracted jealous glances from neighbours Manchester United who are eager to see their dilapidated Old Trafford redeveloped.

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  Big-name departures?

  Given FSG are still rooting around for fresh investment in the club, it won't fill people associated with Liverpool with confidence that their will be funds available to keep everyone happy.

  If the Reds don't show ambition in the summer, or simply aren't able to because their hands are tied by financial constraints, that could provoke an exodus – especially if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

  Although he signed a new contract last summer, Mohamed Salah's future is still fairly uncertain, while other such as Luis Diaz and Ibrahima Konate could be tempted away by big-money offers from elsewhere.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has admitted that he is worried about his old side losing Jack Grealish this summer.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has had a bright campaign, scoring six goals and creating a further 10 in the Premier League, and is now attracting interest from other clubs.

In fact, according to Football Insider, Grealish is Manchester City’s top target for the next transfer window, with the player said to be open to the idea of joining Pep Guardiola’s side.

It has now left Hendrie fearing the worst, with the ex-Villa player sharing his concerns in an exclusive interview with FFC.

When asked whether the Villans are at risk of losing some of their star names this summer like Ollie Watkins, he said:

“There’s always that element of do you lose your big players [once they reach England international level]. To be honest with you, out of that Villa squad, I’m more worried about losing Jack Grealish. That’s the main one because I feel that he sets the bar really for that whole Villa squad.”

Manchester United are another club who are said to be admirers of Grealish, meaning there could be a real transfer tussle for the England international if Villa do decide to sell in the summer.

The country's greatest-ever player couldn't deliver Portugal the biggest prize of all, so can the next generation now step up in four years' time?

And so it's (probably) official: Cristiano Ronaldo, for all his greatness, will end his career having never won the World Cup. Portugal's wait for the biggest trophy of them all goes on, their campaign in Qatar ended as Morocco made history in the quarter-finals.

This might not the blast we see of Ronaldo at a major tournament. While he has hinted at international retirement, the European Championship is just 18 months away, and Ronaldo will certainly believe he has something offer, even at 39.

Playing at another World Cup when he reaches the age of 41 is, however, surely above even the great man, and so the Selecao must now start planning for the next generation to carry the torch for their country.

The good news is, there are loads of talented players coming through in Portugal, with some already established internationals while others are just making their way into first teams at their clubs.

But who among them has a chance to be in the line up the next time the World Cup is played in 2026? GOAL breaks down their options…

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  GK: Diogo Costa

  Costa only recently took over as Portugal's No.1 goalkeeper, but the Porto shot-stopper looks primed to be the man between the sticks for a long time given he only recently turned 23.

  His excellent penalty-saving record certainly makes him an asset for tournament football, and though he still has some improvements to make to his game, Costa profiles as one of the next generation's best 'keepers.

  In terms of younger players to watch, Benfica duo Samuel Soares (20) and Andre Gomes (18) are both highly-rated, and are the current No.1s for Portugal's Under-21s and U19s, respectively.

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  RB: Joao Cancelo

  Cancelo had a World Cup to forget in Qatar, as the Manchester City man struggled for form before being dropped to bench for the knockout stages.

  His quality, however, is clear, while his versatility is also helpful at tournaments, and so while he will be 32 by the time the next World Cup kicks-off, it would be a shock were he not still in contention to start.

  Diogo Dalot (23), who replaced Cancelo at right-back over the past couple of weeks, is the obvious alternative, especially if he can continue to be a starter for Manchester United.

  There are high hopes, too, for Sporting C.P. teenager Goncalo Esteves, who has already played in both the Portuguese top-flight and the Champions League before his 19th birthday.

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  CB: Antonio Silva

  Silva's rise has been meteoric, as he went from making his first-team debut for Benfica at the end of August to starting for his country in the World Cup just over three months later.

  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 19-year-old is now being linked with the great and good of European football, with Benfica likely to make a huge profit on yet another homegrown talent in the next couple of years.

  Others who could factor in the centre-back discussion over the next four years include Lille's Tiago Djalo (22) and Braga's David Carmo (23), both of whom were called-up to recent Portugal squads before failing to make the World Cup roster.

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  CB: Goncalo Inacio

  Ruben Dias may seem like the obvious answer when it comes to Silva's long-term partner at the heart of the Portugal defence, but there are some concerns that he has struggled to replicate his form from the 2020-21 season over the past 18 months.

  The Manchester City man will be 29 when the next World Cup kicks-off and should be in his prime years, but for now we've gone for the younger man in Sporting's Inacio.

  The 21-year-old has been linked with Manchester United and Barcelona in recent months, and though he is yet to be capped by his country, that should change now that the likes of Pepe and Jose Fonte will be moving on.

  Others who will be hopeful of pushing on and earning international recognition before 2026 include Hoffenheim's Eduardo Quaresma (20) and Servette teenager Diogo Monteiro (17).

The waiting is finally over – EA Sports has revealed the first batch of FIFA 23 ratings.

This year's iteration of the most popular sports video game franchise ever is set to be another hit.

Scheduled for release on September 30, 2022, it will be available to play across the majority of consoles and is packed full of new features.

On September 12, the best 23 players in FIFA 23 have been revealed – and some of the decisions are bound to spark debate.

• Marquinhos | PSG | 88

  Marquinhos is the second best centre-back in FIFA 23 and is sure to be in high demand on Ultimate Team this season due to his high pace and defending attributes.

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• Toni Kroos | Real Madrid | 88

  It is hard to remember at time when Kroos wasn't dominating the midfield for Real Madrid. His set-piece delivery makes the German a real danger on the game.

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• Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 88

  Haaland's card looks scarily good this season. The striker can do it all and is bound to bang in a load of goals for your team.

  EA Sports

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• Jan Oblak | Atletico Madrid | 89

  Oblak is not quite the best goalkeeper in FIFA 23 – but he is not far off the honour. He will take some beating regardless.

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Bayern Munich narrowly lifted the league title, but faced stiff competition from a brave Borussia Dortmund side

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  Bundesliga Team of the Season

  Bayern Munich narrowly lifted the league title, but faced stiff competition from Borussia Dortmund and their brilliant performances. RB Leipzig's defensive displays in 2018-19 also mean they are well represented in Goal's Bundesliga Team of the Season, but who made our final XI?

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  Peter Gulacsi | RB Leipzig

  Boasting the meanest defence in the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig secured a Champions League place for next season by comfortably finishing in third. Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was key to their strong showing in 2018-19, conceding less than a goal a game in the league as well as leading the way in clean sheets. The 29 year old kept 16 clean sheets in 34 games, just under 50 per cent for the season.

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  Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich

  The only thing that was inconsistent about Joshua Kimmich in 2018-19 was the right-back's facial hair. As always, the Germany international was as reliable as ever for Bayern Munich, so the only topic of conversation that was any different this season was how the cherubic-faced defender looked week to week. Whether wearing a mustache or not, Kimmich was one of Bayern's key performers, leading all defenders in assists for the season.

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  Willi Orban | RB Leipzig

  RB Leipzig captain Willi Orban's performances at club level finally earned him international recognition, with Hungary convincing the centre-back to switch allegiance from Germany. Germany's loss is definitely Hungary's gain as he has already scored for his new nation. He netted four times in the Bundesliga this season, but was even more impressive at the back, where he kept more clean sheets than any other centre-back despite playing 10 games less than many of his competitors. Orban also ranked in the top five of all positions for headed clearances and was ever-present in the Leipzig lineup for the last four months of the season, aside from a yellow card suspension.

Who are the most decisive young players aged under 23 in Europe? Goal gives you the lowdown with our ranking in conjunction with Opta

Kylian Mbappe has never done things like the others. On Sunday, the 19-year-old showed that once again as he captured the spotlight at Stade Velodrome, where he won the match for Paris Saint-Germain. 

Head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that he punished the forward by putting him on the bench for the start of the game against Marseille, but just three minutes after coming onto the field, he accelerated like lightning to open the scoring and tilt the match in PSG’s favour.

Since August, he has posted terrifying figures, already up to 10 goals in Ligue 1 this season. But where does he rank in comparison to other players under 23? Goal has taken a look at the most decisive young players – adding together goals and assists – in Europe’s five major leagues since August 2016.

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  25​Franck Kessie

  95 matches, 23 times decisive – 14 goals, 9 assists.

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  24​Allan Saint-Maximin

  86 matches, 23 times decisive – 10 goals, 13 assists.

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  23​Leon Bailey

  65 games, 26 times decisive – 19 goals, 7 assists.

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  22​Kelechi Iheanacho

  69 games, 27 times decisive – 17 goals, 10 assists

The 2017-18 FIFA La Liga Team of the Season has been revealed, with the biggest and best performers getting big ratings boosts

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  Marc-Andre ter Stegen – Barcelona

  85 > 94

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  Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid

  90 > 95

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  Jordi Alba – Barcelona

  85 > 93

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  Gerard Pique – Barcelona

  87 > 93

Aston Villa could wave goodbye to a hugely disappointing Ross Barkley this summer by signing Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia.

The man on loan from Chelsea has endured a poor campaign at Villa Park, scoring just three goals in 21 Premier League games and only providing the one assist. All but one of those contributions came prior to the November international break.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side have made the decision not to sign him on a permanent basis this summer, and it’s no surprise given the below-par displays he has put in this season.

Speaking after he was substituted in the second half against Leicester last month, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed the 27-year-old’s performance, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

If Barkley leaves as expected, then Villa should be looking at none other than Buendia – a player who Lee Hendrie has insisted would be near the top of his summer shopping list.

The former Villa ace told This Is Futbol: “I think a big club will definitely try and take him. I know you can say he’s done it in the Championship, but you could say that about (Said) Benrahma, you could say that about Ollie Watkins.

“I feel that Buendia, I mean we’ve seen him in a very good Norwich side in the Championship, I feel in a Villa side… wow. If I could say or had a big say in bringing players in, he’s the one on top of my list that I would bring into Aston Villa.”

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The £19.8m-rated playmaker has been dubbed a “revelation” by Chris Sutton and has enjoyed a stellar season at Carrow Road, scoring an incredible 12 goals and providing a further 16 assists. Buendia’s contributions have fired Norwich to the brink of Premier League promotion, currently sat top of the Championship table.

Given Barkley’s virtually nonexistent end product this season – a total of four goals and assists in the Premier League is a shocking return – bringing in Buendia would allow Smith to wave goodbye to the on-loan liability.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign Jack Grealish’s perfect partner in this star…

Leicester City continue to be linked with a number of arrivals ahead of what could be an extremely busy summer transfer window.

From forwards to goalkeepers, a long list of potential signings has been produced, with the latest added to that being Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai according to Hungarian publication Blikk.

He could be the perfect arrival for Leicester and Brendan Rodgers.

Since arriving in Turkey from Apollon Limassol in January, the 23-year-old has very quickly forged himself an indisputable spot in the club’s starting XI having played every minute of the last 12 SuperLig matches.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Szalai has been dominant in the heart of the Fener defence, producing a huge 1.9 tackles and interceptions each, as well as a further 2.7 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game according to WhoScored.

For comparison, these are numbers that are even greater than the statistics currently being chalked up by Foxes’ defender Caglar Soyuncu.

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With the Turk also being somewhat lesser known upon his move to the King Power Stadium in 2018, Szalai could certainly emulate his success in the East-Midlands should the Foxes make a move.

They certainly should consider it too.

Of the four current central defensive options, two of those are on the wrong side of 30, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans, with it also looking likely that the Jamaican could potentially hang up his boots sooner rather than later.

With Filip Benkovic also not having broken through yet under Rodgers, this lack of viable options could cost Leicester as they potentially embark on yet another European campaign next season should they suffer any injuries.

The addition of the promising Szalai could definitely be welcome in that case.

With the 20-year-old Wesley Fofana having established himself as a key part of the Foxes back-line, having a sheer brute in Szalai could offer the perfect compliment to the more technically gifted Frenchman – the former St Etienne man averages an impressive 86.1% pass accuracy.

So, of the potential transfer targets for Leicester heading into the summer transfer window, the young Hungarian should certainly be right at the top.

AND in more news, find out which on-loan star must be included in Rodgers’ plans next season…

According to a report by 90min, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has admirers at Tottenham Hotspur as pressure mounts on current boss Jose Mourinho, with many names being mentioned alongside the three-time Champions League-winning Italian.

Ancelotti, who was appointed at Goodison Park in December 2019, is reportedly attracting some interest from Spurs as those within the club hold an admiration for the 61-year-old.

Ancelotti admired by Tottenham

Alongside Nuno Espirito Santo, who is also admired by Spurs, both Max Allegri and Diego Simeone have apparently displayed an interest in replacing Mourinho at Tottenham, according to close agents (90min).

The report from 90min added that, as well as these names, Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is the leading contender to potentially replace Mourinho should he be sacked by Spurs.

Alongside Diego Simeone, Ancelotti arguably stands out as a surprise big name to be attracting admirers from within Spurs, but his record both domestically and in Europe could explain why some Tottenham figures seem keen – the 61-year-old has won league titles in four different countries.

Transfer Tavern take

The former AC Milan and Real Madrid head coach is one of only a trio of managers to win the Champions League three times, clinching the trophy twice at the San Siro and once at the Bernabeu.

Former Premier League left-back Ashley Cole, who played under him at Chelsea, has praised him as a tactical ‘genius’ and the best manager with whom he’s worked (90min), but time will tell whether this apparent admiration from Spurs develops into anything more concrete.

In other news: Alasdair Gold relays injury blow for Tottenham starlet, find out more here.