Heard It On The Grapevine: Liverpool Lose Out Again On Long-Running Transfer Target, Chelsea Veteran Wont Be Playing At The Santiago Bernabeu Next Season And New Developments On Future Of Both Gunners And Barca Bosses

Ron Carne

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A number of big-name Premier League clubs have been sniffing around Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic this season, and none more so than Liverpool.

In fact, it was widely expected that the Merseyside giants would try to sign the highly rated Croatia international during the recent January transfer window.

However, with the Reds doing so well at that point of the campaign, head coach Brendan Rodgers decided that he was more than happy with the options he had at his disposal in the centre of the park, although it has been widely assumed that the Northern Irishman will definitely look to make a move for the Sevilla skipper when the summer transfer window does reopen for business at the start of July.

But Rodgers and the Reds will be wasting their time, though, as by my understanding La Liga giants Real Madrid have already made contact with their Spanish rivals to express an interest in the player, with Sevilla having informed Los Blancos that they would be willing to part company with their star man this summer, for the right price.

And with Rakitic himself said to be desperate to seal a dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu for next season, Liverpool look like once again missing out on one of their main transfer targets. 

However, one player who will definitely not be playing for Real Madrid next season is veteran Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, despite recent rumours to the contrary.

Speculation has been rife in the British press of late linking the England international with a glamorous switch to the La Liga giants when his current one-year rolling contract with the west London club runs out at the end of June.

However, despite the fact that Los Blancos will be in need of a new left-sided full back at the Santiago Bernabeu next season, with current back-up left-back Fabio Coentrao set to leave the Spaniards this summer to move to the Premier League, Real do not see Cole as being the answer to their problems.

And that is because with the player set to turn 34 at the end of this year, and with a number of niggling injury problems having badly affected his campaign at Stamford Bridge this season, including to his ribs, ankle and now knee, Madrid would rather sign a younger option who can eventually succeed current first-choice Marcelo in the role going forward.

All of which means Real instead switching their focus to either Sevilla’s Alberto Moreno, or Granada’s Guilherme Siqueira. 

There are still huge question marks hanging over the future of experienced Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger, despite the Frenchman’s insistence that he will shortly be signing the new contract that has been on the table now since before Christmas.

Initially, we were told by the north London club that Wenger would be putting pen to paper on the two-year extension to his current deal, which runs out this summer, after the Gunners had confirmed their safe passage into the knockout rounds of this season’s Uefa Champions League.

And then when that moment passed, the Arsenal fans were informed that the 64-year-old would definitely be signing the contract before the end of this campaign.

However, I am now hearing that the delay in proceedings is only coming from one side of the negotiating table, and that is Wenger’s, with the manager said to now be considering his future at the Emirates for the very first time since he first arrived in north London in October 1996.

And despite his bosses at the club have assured Wenger that his job is safe next season EVEN if the club both fail to win the FA Cup AND also do not manage to qualify for the UEFA Champions League by finishing this campaign in the top four of the Premier League, the Gunners boss is said not to share the same views.

All of which means that if the dreaded doomsday scenario does materialise next month whereby Arsenal do finish the season outside the top-four places for the very first time since Wenger replaced Bruce Rioch in the Gunners dugout 18 years ago, then the trainer will call it a day himself. 

And finally, news of another potential big-name managerial casualty this summer, with under-siege FC Barcelona boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino having already informed close friends that he will not be taking up his option of a second year in charge of the La Liga champions.

The Argentinian took over from Tito Vilanova last summer after the previous Barca manager was forced to step down due to health reasons, with the 51-year-old making a sensational start to his reign at Camp Nou after becoming the first coach in the club’s illustrious history not to lose in his first 16 a competitive matches.

However, ever since beating arch-rivals Real Madrid at home in the league back in October, things have slowly started to disintegrate for ‘Tata’, with the Catalan giants having thrown away a seemingly invincible seven-point lead at the top of the Liga standings to now trail Atletico Madrid by a point with only six league games now left in this campaign.

Meanwhile, Martino also became the first Barcelona manager for seven years not to qualify the team for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Atleti on Wednesday, meaning that the former Paraguay and Newell’s Old Boys boss has decided enough is enough.

And so instead of taking up the option of a second year in Catalonia next season, as is stipulated in the deal that Martino signed last summer, the Argentinian will instead replace Alejandro Sabella as coach of his national side after the end of the World Cup finals.