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Lionel Messi continues to make a stunning impact on and off the field at Inter Miami, with his No.10 jersey being named a top fashion item of 2023.

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Argentine has made an immediate impact in AmericaRaised the profile of domestic game in the StatesStarring on & off the field for Florida-based franchiseWHAT HAPPENED?

Lifestyle magazine Vogue has pieced together a list of the top 15 of fashion pieces that defined the last 12 months. On that chart sits the jersey worn by eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi at his current MLS employers – a team he joined over the summer and immediately guided to a historic Leagues Cup triumph.

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said of an iconic pink kit that is being donned by a man that many consider to be the greatest of all-time: “Immediately following the Messi announcement, the generic Inter Miami jersey, in an unexpected shade of un–Barbie pink, sold out, giving rise to a rich bootleg industry. Now, nearly five months later, the official Messi jersey, sporting his number 10, remains wait-listed in most sizes on the adidas website.”

VogueTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Alongside Messi’s Inter Miami shirt sit Nike Shox, cat-eye sunglasses and underwear that is worn as outerwear. The Argentine icon has long been a trend-setter in his chosen profession, but his mass appeal and global reach now extend far beyond the lines of a football field.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Messi has continued to attract A-list guests – such as LeBron James and Selena Gomez – to Inter Miami fixtures and alongside his record-breaking shirt sales in Florida, Inter Miami are also increasing ticket prices for 2024 in a bid to maximise profits from games that sell out in the blink of an eye.

Kanye West has struck up a surprising bond with Serie A side Inter and will be among the crowd for their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.

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Nerazzurri in European actionFans feature on new albumMusic star in the crowdGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Chicago-born rap star is in Europe ahead of putting on a show for his loyal legion of fans. He will perform a concert in Bologna on Saturday, but has made a point of swinging by Milan during his visit to Northern Italy.

AdvertisementTHE GOSSIP

It was recently revealed that Inter supporters from the Curva Nord section of their ultras fan base have received a song credit on Kanye’s latest album, ‘Vultures 1’, with Ty Dolla Sign. A choir made up of Nerazzurri followers features on the tracks ‘Stars’ and ‘Carnival’.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

The Curva Nord at San Siro is renowned for generating a boisterous atmosphere at Inter home games, with their passion now being recognised by Kanye in his first album release since delivering 'Donda' in 2021.

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WHAT NEXT?

Kanye’s appearance at Inter’s continental clash with Atletico will be his first at a sporting event since reportedly being removed from his seat at Super Bowl LVIII following a complaint from pop superstar Taylor Swift – who did not take kindly to seeing the 46-year-old purposely purchase tickets in front of her at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Elliot Lee revealed a key message that have been "ingrained" into the Wrexham player by their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

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Wrexham earned promotion after 15 yearsLee proud to play a part in the journeyHailed the Wrexham fans who love the club with their "lives"Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragonsfinally got over the line and lifted the National League title in exceptional style following a record-breaking campaign in 2022-23 to seal promotion into the Football League for the first time since 2008. The fans invaded the pitch and the celebrations soon spilled over to the streets of Wrexham. McElhenney and Reynolds cried tears of joy as the Hollywood superstars were moved by the emotional scenes following the 3-1 win over Boreham Wood and Lee revealed how the co-owners and manager Phil Parkinson had always demanded to put the community first while on the pitch.

AdvertisementWHAT LEE SAID

Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Lee said: "I get goosebumps because we knew how much it meant to people. Yes, Ryan [Reynolds] and Rob [McElhenney] have been incredible and everyone knows how good they have been but it's also for the community and that is ingrained in us by the gaffer [Phil Parkinson] and Rob and Ryan as well. These people have been here before and they have been through so many bad times with the club and they still all come in their numbers.

"I remember on the bus parade seeing genuine tears of happiness and joy; we got to do that for people. That is a feeling I will take to the grave with me because that's something I am so proud of. It goes deeper than football, it's people's lives. This club is people's lives and I don't ever take that for granted when I go out on the pitch."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lee revealed that Parkinson enticed him to sign for the club by assuring him that he would be "loved forever" by the passionate Wrexham fans if he helped them realise their dream of getting promoted.

"I remember when the manager called me the summer before I joined he said, 'Whoever takes this club out of the National League, you will be loved forever'," he said.

"I remember I felt that love straight after the final whistle [against Borehamwood], I was like, 'Wow, this is incredible'. We've brought joy to so many people. They pay their hard-earned money to come and watch us. After the ownership and everything that has gone on, just to bring better days back… the feeling at that Borehamwood game was incredible."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Wrexham are vying for their second successive promotion and are just one point outside the automatic promotion spots in League Two. They will be back in action against Accrington Stanley on Saturday to avenge their earlier defeat when the two sides met in the reverse fixture.

Celtic hero James Forrest has signed a new deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025, reliable journalist Anthony Joseph has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Forrest a Celtic ‘legend’

The 30-year-old has enjoyed an incredible Hoops career, making a total of 444 appearances for the club and registering 97 and 98 goals and assists in that time, respectively.

Forrest has also achieved amazing team success during his time at Celtic, winning a remarkable ten Scottish Premiership titles, also being described as a club ‘legend’ by Paddy McCourt.

While the winger’s future has been a little unclear of late, there has been a major development regarding the situation.

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The Latest: Forrest signs new deal

Taking to Twitter, Joseph of Sky Sports confirmed that Forrest would remain at Parkhead for another three years, having signed a new deal:

“James Forrest has signed a contract extension with Celtic until 2025.”

The Verdict: First of many?

This is a wonderful piece of news to add to a hugely positive week, following Celtic’s glorious title win, as Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge ends now with his first piece of summer business.

At 30, Forrest still has a number of years left in him at this level and he can continue to use his quality and experience to good use, barring any more injury troubles, having been hailed as ‘amazing’ by teammate Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Scot has 20 appearances in the Champions League too, chipping in with two assists and one goal, so he will believe he can use his know-how to help Celtic leave an imprint in the tournament.

With such a huge step-up to the group stages of Europe’s elite competition, look for Ange to add even more high-level players following the completion of this early business.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly interested in signing an Eredivisie player. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool already have two trophies to their name and still have the chance to win the Premier League and Champions League in the coming weeks.

One figure in Jurgen Klopp’s squad that has played a big part in getting the team in this position is winger Mohamed Salah.

With 49 games under his belt for the Reds across all competitions, the attacker has scored an impressive 30 goals and delivered 16 assists along the way.

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Despite his rampant goalscoring form on the pitch, there has been a big distraction going on behind the scenes regarding the Egyptian potentially signing a new deal with the club.

If the 29-year-old doesn’t put pen to paper on a new contract and leaves the club, the Reds will need to identify potential replacements. That said, they may already have one in mind.

Back in April, it was reported that Liverpool have an interest in signing Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma.

After joining the Spanish club from AFC Bournemouth back in the previous summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £21.3m, the winger has become a pivotal figure for his new club.

In 23 appearances in La Liga, the 25-year-old has scored 16 goals and provided three assists, whereas, in 11 Champions League appearances, he’s found the net six times and delivered one assist.

To further highlight how much of an attacking threat he has been, the former Cherries star has averaged 2.7 shots, the highest in Villarreal’s squad, and 1.4 dribbles per game in the league.

Labelled as a player that is “a nightmare for defenders” as well as being someone who “can hurt any defence with his pace and directness,” by Kevin Phillips, Danjuma is now reportedly available for a fee of £45m.

While he may not be as deadly as Salah has been this season, there aren’t many players in world football that have or could reach the levels he’s been at in this campaign.

However, as a potential replacement for the Egypt international, the Villarreal star could be a suitable option.

In other news: Liverpool eye bid for exciting wonderkid, he could become a “scary” £127m-rated talent

Crystal Palace journalist Matt Woosnam thinks another loan move is a possibility for Conor Gallagher next season. 

The lowdown

Chelsea midfielder Gallagher has now come to the end of his season-long loan at Crystal Palace.

The Englishman played the full 90 minutes on Sunday as Palace rounded off the campaign with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Selhurst Park.

It was his 33rd start from 38 matches, underlining his value to Patrick Vieira and the Eagles.

Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea must now decide whether to integrate Gallagher, who has also spent time on loan at Charlton Athletic, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion, into their first team next season.

The latest

Speaking in The Athletic’s Palace match-day discussion on Sunday evening, Woosnam raised doubts about Gallagher’s immediate prospects at Chelsea.

He wouldn’t be ‘surprised’ if the Blues sanctioned another temporary exit.

“I’m not sure Gallagher gets into that Chelsea team, but then perhaps they’ll set up in a way that suits him better than the slightly more defensive outlook Palace have had in the last couple of months that doesn’t play to his strengths,” he said.

“Would not be surprised to see him back out on loan somewhere.”

The verdict

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has already publicly expressed the club’s desire to re-sign Gallagher for the 2022/23 season.

And that’s absolutely no surprise in light of his contribution this season. Gallagher finished the campaign second in Palace’s goalscoring charts with eight (behind Wilfried Zaha on 15) and was also runner-up in the assist rankings behind Michael Olise (who had eight to his five).

Chelsea will surely have encouraged by these returns, but there’s some pretty daunting competition at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel primarily operated with just two central midfielders in 2021/22, and the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are already jostling for those positions.

Kovacic is Chelsea’s former player of the year, while Kante and Jorginho have both been nominated for the Ballon D’Or.

If Gallagher winds up behind them in the pecking order, his development may slow down.

In other news, this Palace stalwart may leave in the summer. 

Tottenham Hotspur target Idrissa Gueye is exactly the sort of player Antonio Conte wants at the club…

What’s the word?

That’s according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who delivered the claim to GIVEMESPORT recently, where he said:

“He’s obviously a warrior, and there’s this sort of player that Conte wants to see in there.

“He’s got this real feeling that losing games didn’t hurt Tottenham enough, so he’s trying to look for players of a certain character at the moment.”

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The north London outfit were linked with a move for the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder by reports in France earlier this month, and the Ligue 1 champions could be open to selling him for around €20m (£18m) as he enters the final year of his current £99k-per-week contract.

Shades of Kante

After a fresh £150m cash injection ahead of the summer transfer window, it’s believed that Conte wants as many as six new signings at Hotspur Way, in which another central midfielder is thought to be among the targets.

Gueye at 32 may not be the most inspiring option but given their interest in Ivan Perisic, 33, it seems the Italian is targeting proven experience in a bid to change their fortunes in the short term.

Competing in the Champions League next season, Spurs will certainly need strength in depth to compete on all fronts and signing another engine room option would be wise, especially with Harry Winks and Giovani Lo Celso on the way out.

Just as Jones explains, Gueye is a ‘warrior’ and has done the business in the Premier League before, at Everton. He very much fits the mould of N’Golo Kante, who the Italian head coach had during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur are very solid options but none fit that mould as well as the 90-cap Senegal international.

The £11.7m-rated powerhouse, once lauded as a “monster” by ex-Villa boss Tim Sherwood, Gueye has averaged a whopping 3.1 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 0.9 dribbles per game across the course of his long career, via WhoScored.

This sort of defensive work rate and output is right up Conte’s street and whilst he is stacked with alternatives, it would be foolish to not add the PSG man on the cheap, should the opportunity arise.

£18m for an Premier League ready option is certainly a steal.

AND in other news, Paratici now closing in on “unreal” £15m Spurs signing, it’ll give Arteta nightmares, again…

A major Sunderland update has emerged regarding their interest in Nathan Broadhead heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Kristjaan Speakman has confirmed that the Wearsiders will be holding talks with the 24-year-old’s parent club Everton with a view to bringing him back for another spell at the Stadium of Light, after spending the 2021/22 campaign on loan from the Premier League outfit.

The Black Cats chief told The Northern Echo: “We will have a conversation with Everton this week, to see where they are at with it and where we are at with it, and see if that’s aligned.

“We have to respect the fact that he is an Everton player. We have seen him as our player for the year, because we had to get the best out of him but now that the season is finished he unfortunately goes back to being an Everton player.”

Alex Neil will be excited

The Sunderland head coach will surely be left feeling excited by these quotes from Speakman, as Broadhead returning next season would be a huge boost for the 40-year-old.

The Welsh attacker was lethal in front of goal in the 2021/22 League One campaign as he produced an eye-catching 10 goals in 15 starts for the club. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.91, remaining consistent with his performances whenever he was available during an injury-hit time on Wearside, which illustrates the big impact he had when he was on the pitch.

The youngster has also been backed to step up to the mark in the second tier as Speakman said: “Look, he’s had some incredible moments and he’s been an inspiration in many respects in terms of some of the goals he’s scored. It has been harder for him of late because of injury but you can’t take away from the fact that he has got all the attributes to go and play at Championship level.”

Neil will therefore be excited by the prospect of working with the 24-year-old next season, as he is a talented player with the potential to improve even further. He has the scope to develop into an excellent option for the club in 2022/23, as suggested by Speakman’s comments and his form in League One, and the Sunderland manager would surely enjoy attempting to get the best out of him if the Black Cats can obtain him for another season.

This is why the ex-Norwich and Preston manager will be thrilled by the club’s efforts to bring Broadhead back to the Stadium of Light, and he will now be hoping that a deal can be agreed for the Welshman.

AND in other news, Speakman confirms exciting Sunderland news that will leave supporters delighted…

The last few weeks haven’t been ideal for Liverpool with Jurgen Klopp’s men failing to secure the Premier League title, losing in the Champions League final and seeing rumours of Sadio Mane’s exit.

What’s the word?

With that in mind, signing players ahead of next season should be a large priority right now.

Liverpool have a mind-blowing attack but if Mane does leave, they will need to find an experienced replacement who has the know-how to perform in top-level games.

Fortunately, it looks as though the Reds have identified his heir in Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry.

A report from Anfield Central claims that Liverpool have already held talks with the player’s agent over a possible move this summer with his contract at the Allianz Arena expiring in 2023.

They claim the winger is valued at around €80m (£68.3m) but Bayern realise they may have to accept as little as €40m (£34.1m) due to the fear of losing him for free in a year’s time.

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Talks are understood to have been had about the German’s salary demands with a weekly wage of £250k being mentioned. Liverpool, however, are only prepared to offer £200k-a-week.

The next Luis Diaz

A move for Gnabry this summer would be an incredibly sensible one by Liverpool. The Germany international is experienced and in his prime, knows where the back of the net is and he also knows the English game.

He came through the ranks at Arsenal before moving back to his homeland where he’s become one of the most exciting attackers in Europe.

Described as a “real weapon” by his former manager Niko Kovac to Bundesliga.com and as “magic” by Transfermakrt’s Stefan Bienkowski, the 26-year-old was in stunning form this term.

He scored 17 times for Bayern, as well as registering ten assists in all competitions.

That type of attacking return has seen him compared to Liverpool’s January signing, Luis Diaz, who has made an instant impact in Merseyside.

The Colombian has been involved in 11 goals for the Reds and according to FB Ref’s similar players model, Gnabry and Diaz are alike.

It’s clear to see why the pair are equal in terms of some of their in-depth attacking statistics.

This season, the Liverpool winger produced 4.62 shot-creating actions per 90 compared to the former Arsenal attacker’s 4.37.

Furthermore, they are similar when it comes to their dribbling with Gnabry registering a dribble success rate of 64.4% to Diaz’s 66.7%. As for progressive carries, the former amassed 9.38 per 90 in comparison to the latter’s 8.58.

With that in mind, this is a potential signing that will excite plenty inside of Anfield.

AND in other news, James Pearce drops huge Liverpool transfer update, it’ll surprise supporters…

Luke Edwards has now revealed some Newcastle United transfer news on Sven Botman.

The Lowdown: Deal close?

It has been reported that the St James’ Park club are now ‘pressing to close a deal’ for the 22-year-old and have ‘submitted’ a ‘new proposal’ worth more than €30m (£25.6m).

Talks are ‘ongoing’ between them and Lille, although AC Milan (among a number of other clubs) are also still thought to be ‘in contention’ for his signature.

The Latest: Edwards’ update on Botman

Taking to Twitter, Daily Telegraph journalist Edwards has revealed that despite some reports to the contrary, there is ‘nothing imminent’ at the moment with regards to a move for Botman.

He revealed: “All I’m told at moment is “nothing imminent.” “

The Verdict: Get it done

With interest from Serie A title winners Milan, who can offer Botman Champions League football next season, the Magpies simply need to get this deal done as soon as possible.

Hailed as a potential ‘massive signing’ and ‘one of the best’ young defenders in European football by Pod On The Tyne podcaster Taylor Payne, signing the 22-year-old would be a real coup for Newcastle.

Botman was Lille’s third-best performer in Ligue 1 last term, averaging more clearances and passes per game than any of his team-mates (WhoScored), showing that he is equally as comfortable at playing out from the back as he is at getting stuck into challenges.

There seems little doubt that Eddie Howe would be excited to work with the Dutchman over the next campaign and beyond, if he can lure the player to Tyneside.

In other news, find out who is now ‘on verge’ of leaving St James’ Park