FOOTBALL: MANCHESTER UNITED AND MOURINHO SET TO OFFER £34M DEAL TO IBRAHIMOVIC

The Swedish striker is looking for a new club after calling time on his four-year spell with French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
And while he could yet decide to move to MLS for a huge payday, United are set to present him with a deal which would allow them to blow any American deal out of the water.

Ibrahimovic is said to be looking for a contract which would see him earn a similar net salary to his €350,000 weekly wage at PSG, and advisors working on United's behalf are putting together a package which could persuade the 34-year-old to move to Manchester.
As part of the deal, Ibrahimovic would receive an £8 million tax-free signing-on bonus, with a £250,000 weekly salary to come over the course of his 12-month contract. He would also be offered an option to sign for a second year as part of the initial agreement, taking his potential total earnings over two years to £34m.

The front man, Sweden's record goalscorer in international football, may yet decide to choose MLS over the Premier League, with his wife Helena Seger having a sportswear business which would benefit massively from a move to the United States rather than Manchester.

However, United are hoping that the lure of a massive contract and a continued career in European football will be enough to secure a deal to bring one of the world's most recognisable football faces to Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic has won 12 league titles in his last 13 years, including four successive Ligue 1 crowns with PSG. He previously won one of his three Serie A titles with Inter under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, who is due to be announced as United's new manager imminently.

source: goal.com

FOOTBALL: RUMOURS: EVERTON PLAN £40M HART BID

Everton are plotting an ambitious £40 million bid for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

New Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri is keen to splash the cash this summer following the sacking of Roberto Martinez, and with Tim Howard having left the club, a new goalkeeper is high on the priority list.

Hart's future has been thrown into doubt by Pep Guardiola's pursuit of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and the Goodison Park outfit believe they could tempt him with a contract worth £200,000 per week.

source: goal.com

FOOTBALL: TRANSFER RUMORS: KEANE TALKS UP GALAXY MOVE FOR RONALDO

Ronaldo, 31, has already said he is open to a move to MLS once his time in Europe is up.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo have followed in the footsteps of David Beckham and Keane in heading to the United States.

And Keane, a three-time MLS Cup winner with the Galaxy, said it looked like Ronaldo would end up at a club like LA.

"I think it's probably a natural progression for him," the Republic of Ireland international toldTMZ Sports.

"Hopefully, not for another couple of years. I've still got a couple of years left in me to play."

Keane added: "I'll be still playing. It'd be great if we could play together."

The Galaxy sit fifth in the Western Conference in MLS after winning five of their opening 11 games of the season.

source: goal.com

FOOTBALL: BETTING: PUNTERS READY TO BACK MANCHESTER UNITED AFTER VAN GAAL'S DEPARTURE

Bet365 reported seeing a rush of bets on United winning next season's Premier League title as the speculation around Van Gaal's departure intensified over the weekend with the online firm responding by cutting them from 6/1 (7.0) from 7/1 (8.0).

Those quotes have been clipped even further today, with 11/2 (6.50) now the price available on United finishing top of the pile next season following the announcement that Van Gaal would no longer be in charge and rumours intensifying that Mourinho will be the man to take over as punters are clearly willing to put their faith in "the special one" being able to turn around a United team who have struggled to re-establish themselves within the top tier of the Premier League since Ferguson left in 2013.

Mourinho has the highest win percentage of any Premier League boss in history (minimum 15 games) according to Opta's statistics with 66%.

With Chelsea (11/2) and favourites Manchester City (13/8) both bringing in new managers, the scene is already set for another intriguing campaign, especially with Arsenal(6/1) Tottenham (7/1), Liverpool (9/1) and even surprise winners Leicester City (25/1) all in the mix.

source: goal.com

Iran says it is capable of destroying Israel in eight minutes after testing new long-range weapon

Just weeks after Iran claimed to have successfully tested 2,000km-range missiles capable of hitting Israel, a senior military adviser, Ahmad Karimpour has boasted that the country has the capacity to 'raze the Zionist regime' using the 'abilities and equipment' Iran has at its disposal.

According to the Times of Israel, Karimpour - an adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite unit al-Quds Force - said: 'If the Supreme Leader’s orders [are] to be executed, with the abilities and the equipment at our disposal, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes.'
Senior military figures in the Islamic republic hailed the development of the missile earlier this month.

General Ali Abdolahi said: 'A missile with a 2,000-kilometre range was tested two weeks ago.
'We can guide this ballistic missile. It leaves the Earth's atmosphere, re-enters it and hits the target without error.'

Iran's missile tests have been criticised by the United States, Britain, France and Germany who say it violates United Nations resolutions, and they have called on the Security Council to address them.

source: lindaikejisblog

FOOTBALL: Read Louis Van Gaal's emotional statement after Man U sack him

The Dutchman was sacked tonight by Manchester United after performing below expectations at the club and after the club released its sack statement on it's official website, LVG released his own statement where he thanked the club for giving him the opportunity to lead it and also wished the club well in the future. Read the emotional statement after the cut...

It has been an honour to manage such a magnificent club as Manchester United FC, and in doing so, I have fulfilled a long-held ambition. I am immensely proud to have helped United win the FA Cup for the 12th time in the club's history. I have been privileged during my management career to have won 20 trophies but winning the FA Cup, which is steeped in so much history, will always be one of the most special achievements of my career. I am very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan.

I believe that the foundations are firmly in place to enable the club to move forward and achieve even greater success. I hope that winning the FA Cup will give the club a platform to build upon next season to restore the success that this passionate set of fans desire. Having managed in Holland, Spain and Germany, I had always hoped for the opportunity to manage in English football and be part of English culture. Both of these experiences have lived up to expectations and been fantastic. I thank my players and wish them well for next season. It has been a pleasure to work with them and it has been particularly rewarding to see so many young players take their chance to break into the first team and excel. I look forward to watching the continued development of these young players next season. Thank you to the owners and board of Manchester United for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club. I would also like to express my gratitude to the amazing United supporters. They are truly the best fans in the world.

I am indebted to my support and coaching staff, who have given me their all during their time at the club. I am deeply grateful to each and every member of the club’s staff - the sports science team, the medical team, the kit and laundry department, club administration, the press office, the manager's team, the Academy team, ground staff and the catering team, both at Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training ground, all of whom have given me their unwavering support in my time at United. Never in my 25 years as a manager have I been so well supported in my role. Finally, my special thanks go to Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton for always making me and my family feel so welcome throughout my time as Manchester United manager.

source: lindaikejisblog 

FOOTBALL: OFFICIAL: MANCHESTER UNITED CONFIRM VAN GAAL SACKING

Manchester United have confirmed that manager Louis van Gaal has been sacked, paving the way for Jose Mourinho to take charge at Old Trafford.

Speculation had been rife for several months that the Dutchman would depart the Red Devils, and though he claimed the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace after extra time, his failure to qualify for the Champions League ultimately proved his undoing.
"I would like to thank Louis and his staff for their excellent work in the past two years culminating in winning a record-equalling 12th FA Cup for the club (and securing him a title in four different countries)," executive vice-chairman Edward Woodward said in a statement published by United on their official website.
"He has behaved with great professionalism and dignity throughout his time here. He leaves us with a legacy of having given several young players the confidence to show their ability on the highest stage.

"Everyone at the club wishes him all the best in the future."

Van Gaal joined the Red Devils ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, after David Moyes was removed from the post following hus one-year stint as Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement. 

The ex-Barcelona boss' first term ended with United regaining a place in the Champions League, but criticisms mounted due to a lack of goals and some erratic results at Old Trafford. 

The club were then booted out of the Champions League at the group stage, with tilts at the Europa League and a final-four finish also ending in failure in 2015-16. 

source: goal.com

Justin Bieber speaks out against the hypocrisy of Award shows

As shared by the singer after the cut

source: lindaikejisblog

Piligrims flock to a small Colombian town after a Virgin Mary statue 'cried a single tear of blood'

A virgin Mary statue believed to be crying a single tear of blood has prompted mass pilgrimage towards a small town named Floridablanca in Columbia. Hundreds of pilgrims are flocking to see the said statue of the Virgin Mary which has a red liquid dripping down its cheek and images have been shared via Social Media.

Although Locals believe they have witnessed a miracle and want representatives from the Catholic Church to come and clarify whether it is one or if there is a scientific explanation for the occurrence, the Church has not commented or participated in the unexpected mass pilgrimage and an archbishop of a nearby city has urged people to be cautious. See more photos taken from the site below...

source: lindaikejisblog

100 thieves stole $13m from ATMs in Japan in 3 hours.

In an audacious heist involving thousands of coordinated withdrawals, 100 thieves in Japan made away with $13m in just under three hours and what's more, none of them have been apprehended.

Police believe that as many as 100 people worked together using forged credit cards containing account details illegally obtained from a bank in South Africa.

The attack which took place on the morning of May 15th appears to have been the brainchild of a criminal mastermind.The fake cards were used in 1400 ATM's and each person made a withdrawal 100,000 yen – the maximum allowed by the cash machines, they were able to cart away more than 1.4bn yen (US$12.7m)

 Japanese police have requested the assistance of the authorities in South Africa, via Interpol in establishing how the credit card information was obtained.Transaction data retrieved from the cash machines suggests that the criminals used information for 1,600 credit cards issued by the unnamed South African bank.

According to local media, the daring operation went into place early on Sunday the 15th, the withdrawals began just after 5am with the last one made just before 8am the same day.

 Reports suggest that members of the gang may no longer be in Japan. They made sure to buy themselves enough time by using cards issued in another country and carrying out the theft on a day when banks won't be open, by the time the crime was discovered, they already had a good headstart.

source: lindaikejisblog