THE PEAK REPORTER

The latest transfer rumours from around the world. Things change in the blink of an eye in football.  The Football Whispers  Index takes the latest transfer rumours and gives them a score out of five; the higher the score, the more realistic and reliable the whisper. Here are today's top five emerging whispers for the summer. And keep an eye on  Transfer Talk  for all the latest gossip. Mario Balotelli - Nice to Borussia Dortmund Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola claims the ex-Liverpool striker will move to Dortmund for next season. Raiola was spotted at BVB's headquarters in Germany and was asked if there was a possibility that the Italian striker would be arriving. "Yes," he told Bild. "Balotelli will play for Dortmund." It could all be smoke and mirrors, with rumours Raiola was there to talk about a youth target. But there is no smoke without fire and it could signal that the Nice forward is set to leave this summer. Fabinho - Monaco to Manchester ...

FC Barcelona’s Argentina forward Lionel Messi says he will like to remain with the club for the remainder of his career. “It’s what I have always dreamt of and what I always wanted,” the 29-year-old said. Messi joined FC Barcelona at the age of 13 and made his first team debut at 17. He has since scored more than 500 goals for the club. The Argentine has won the La Liga eight times with Barca, the UEFA Champions League four times and Ballon d’Or world player of the year title five times. Last season under coach Luis Enrique, FC Barcelona were second in La Liga, three points behind champions Real Madrid. They lost 0-3 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals to eventual beaten finalists Juventus. Enrique had announced in March that he would leave the club in the summer after three years in charge. His final match saw Barca capture the Copa del Rey trophy, with Messi scoring the opening goal as they beat Alaves 3-0 to win the competition f...

Ahmed Musa has reportedly agreed in principle to sign a deal with Fenerbahce and is expected to complete a £17.4m move from Leicester to the Turkish club. Fernabache are believed to have started negotiations with Leicester over a potential deal,  according to Turkish newspaper Gunes . The striker is said to have given a green light to the deal after being asked if he would be happy to join Fenerbahçe, who finished third in the Super Lig last season. If he moves to the Turkish side, it would bring to an end an underwhelming stint at Leicester after struggling to make an impact following a £15million move from CSKA Moscow last summer. The 24-year-old scored just four goals in 31 appearances for Leicester City last season. Two of the goals came in the FA Cup win against Everton. Musa played just 11 mins in the Foxes last seven Premier League games of the season.

Craig Shakespeare Leicester City have named caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare as their permanent manager on a three-year deal. The 53-year-old was given the job on a temporary basis in February, following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. Shakespeare, who has only worked as caretaker or number two, was Ranieri’s assistant after joining the club under former Foxes boss Nigel Pearson. “This is a really exciting opportunity for me to continue along this new path in my career,” said Shakespeare. “Our preparations for pre-season and the new Premier League campaign have been ongoing for some time, but we can now move on with certainty and ensure we are well equipped to compete at the levels now expected of a club like Leicester City.” Shakespeare won eight of his 16 games in charge last season, leading the club to the Champions League quarter-finals.

In just over a year, Cristiano Ronaldo has cleaned up in the world of football. Here is what the Real Madrid and Portugal superstar has achieved. May 28, 2016: Wins Champions League trophy July 10, 2016: Wins Euro 2016 with Portugal Aug. 25 , 2016: Wins UEFA Best Player in Europe Dec. 12, 2016: Wins Ballon d'Or Dec 18, 2016: Wins Club World Cup Jan 9, 2017: Named FIFA 'The Best' Men's Player March 20, 2017: Named Portugal player of the year May 21, 2017: Wins his second La Liga title June 3, 2017: Wins Champions League again

Luka Modric believes Real Madrid are set to dominate European football for some time yet. Madrid claimed their third Champions League title in four seasons by brushing aside Juventus 4-1 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday night. By doing so, the Spanish side were crowned European champions for a record 12th time and became the first side to retain the Champions League trophy in the modern era. "It is something special we are doing at the moment and we need to keep going because this moment will not last forever,'' Modric said. "I think we feel that we are an amazing team. "We need to just keep doing what we are doing, because I think we can win many more titles in the future. It is difficult to say [how long], but we need to enjoy what we are doing and we will see. "We are at good ages, we have young players that are coming and have a lot of quality. This is only a positive thing for the team.'' Mario Mandzukic's stunning st...

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club supremo, Emmanuel Adeyemi, has showered praises on the Olukoya Boys for claiming the 2017 Lagos State FA Cup with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Spartan FC on Sunday evening at the Soccer Temple, Agege Stadium. Goals from petite midfielder, Onuwa Chukwuka, full-back Okorom Stanley and Olatunbosun Sikiru sealed the glorious win for MFM FC who are now back-to-back Lagos FA Cup champions. Speaking after the triumphant FA Cup finish, an obviously ecstatic Adeyemi expressed gratitude to the General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Olukoya, for his support toward the team and the officials and players of the team for defending the trophy. “The General Overseer has been of  tremendous support to the team. He has always given us the needed resources, support and enabling environment to excel. I really want to thank him for all he has done for us. “I also want to thank the management of MFM...

Former Nigeria internationals,  Sunday Oliseh and Victor Ikpeba have been celebrating Arsenal's 2017 Emirates FA Cup title success following The Gunners'convincing 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday,  Completesportsnigeria.com  reports.  Both believe that Arsene Wenger who had been under intense pressure for a lack of trophy-success for a long time deserves the fans' support and contract extension. Fortuna Sitters coach, Oliseh  urges Arsenal board to hand Arsene Wenger a new deal. The Arsenal board will meet next Tuesday and a decision  as to whether the Frenchman will remain at the club will be decided. Wenger made history for himself winning the Emirates English FA Cup for a record seventh time defeating Chelsea 2-1 after a rather poor campaign in the English Premier League where his side finished fifth in the log. "Extremely happy for my favourites. The Gunners, Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal fans a...

The Super Eagles resumed training on in Paris Sunday morning ahead of their next international friendly game against Togo on June 10 in the French capial city. This was confirmed on the Super Eagles verified twitter handle on Sunday. The Eagles are being quartered at Hyatt Regency Hotel  Paris. On Friday, the Eagles forced Corsica to a 1-1 draw thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho from the penalty spot after Jean-Jacques Mandrichi had given Corsica the lead also from the spot. "Back to work. The team returned to the training pitch this morning in Paris. #SoarSuperEagles," the handle was quoted. On Saturday, Leicester City Wilfred Ndidi and Austria Wien striker Olanrewaju Kayode joined their Eagles teammates in Paris for the Togo clash. Their arrival brings the number of the players in camp to 18. Complete Sport

Manchester United is delighted to announce that Antonio Valencia has signed a contract which will keep him at the club until June 2019, with the option to extend for a further year. Valencia, 31, signed for United on 30 June 2009.  During his time at the club he has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, the UEFA Europa League and three Community Shields. Antonio Valencia said: "Manchester United has been my life since 2009 and I am absolutely delighted to have signed a new contract. Wednesday evening provided the one trophy this club had never won and it was a true honour for me to captain the team for the final. I would like to thank the Manager for the confidence he has given me this season and I am sure that we will be challenging on all fronts next season. I would also like to say a big thank you to my family, my team-mates and, of course, the fans, for their amazing support." José Mourinho said: "It is no secret that I had been an admirer...

Victor Moses says Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal eight months ago remains fresh in the minds of the players, but is confident Antonio Conte’s winning 3-4-3 formula will see the Blues win the FA Cup today at Wembley The Gunners inflicted a heavy defeat on the Blues side at the Emirates Stadium last September when first-half goals from Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil stunned the eventual Premier League champions. Such was Arsenal’s dominance in the first 45 minutes of the Premier League game that Conte reacted by switching to a 3-4-3 set-up for the second half as Blues shut out the Gunners. The defeat rounded off a disappointing month for Chelsea following the 2-2 draw away to Swansea and the 2-1 loss at home to Liverpool earlier in September. But it would prove the key moment in the season as Conte kept faith with the 3-4-3 formation for the trip to Hull the following week as Chelsea embarked on a 13-game winning streak in the league. Indeed, Conte admit...

Mata, who started and was replaced by club captain Wayne Rooney in second-half stoppage time, told  BT Sport : “We wanted to win this as well for the city of Manchester and we bring the trophy back. “I’m so happy today, especially after what happened. We know it was a very difficult week for the city of Manchester and we are happy to win for all of the people that have suffered.” The attacking midfielder also reflected on the further significance of the win, with the Reds clinching a return to Champions League football in 2017/18.  “It’s massive for us," said Juan. "We had the option of coming here to win the trophy for the first time and be in the Champions League next season. We’ve done that and I’m so happy. “It means a lot [to be back in the Champions League] for me personally. It was a great final in front of our supporters here. It’s my first European trophy with United and hopefully the first of many....

Henrikh Mkhitaryan made history for Manchester United with his UEFA Europa League final goal against Ajax. The second strike of United's 2-0 win in Stockholm, expertly hooked home by the Armenian from Chris Smalling's downward header following a corner, made him the only man ever to score in five different European games on the road for the Reds in a single campaign. He had previously found the net in four away fixtures, against Zorya Luhansk, Saint-Etienne, Rostov and Anderlecht, in addition to also scoring in the home leg against Anderlecht. Mkhitaryan, who has netted 11 times in all competitions during this debut season with United, thanked his team-mates when speaking to BT Sport: "Without them, I couldn’t score many goals. "I’m really happy that I scored today in the final because everyone kept saying ‘you’re going to score in the final’. After the last game, when we played against Celta Vigo in the second leg, I was dreaming every day that I would...

Ed Woodward has had my list, what I want, what I would like, for more than two months. So now it's up to him and the owners. I wish Mr Woodward all the success in his work because now it’s time for me to disconnect, because I’m very tired. I am going to land in Manchester, I am going to get a car to London, then to Portugal. I don't care about football for now. Now I am on holiday. I don't want to see any international friendlies, I am selfish. I can't do it. For me, enough is enough. It has been a very hard last few months, we were short of numbers. But with three trophies in one season and [qualifying for] the Champions League, I am very happy in my most difficult season as a manager."

Jose Mourinho ended his first season in charge of Manchester United by winning the UEFA Europa League final at the Friends Arena in Stockholm and claiming his third trophy at the club. Here are the main points from his post-match interviews with MUTV and BT Sport... OVERALL THOUGHTS "My thoughts are obviously with the victims of the tragedy in Manchester and with the families. The tragedy is in my mind. Maybe this victory will bring some happiness to Manchester, I don't know. I would obviously, me and everyone else, we would change this trophy for the people that lost their lives, that's obvious. But if I focus on the football side, I am really proud." TEAM PERFORMANCE "The team was fantastic from the first minute to the last minute. It was a fantastic collective performance, there were very good individual performances and we had total control of the game. We always thought that we could win the Europa League and we are very happy. We played intelligently...

We are in the Champions League in the right way and for me the right way is winning the Premier League or winning the Europa League. We were not strong enough to win the Premier League but we were strong enough to win the Europa League and we are back in the Champions League. The club now has every trophy in world football. We fought hard for this since the beginning. We totally deserved the win. I am so happy to see all the players, including the boys with the crutches, with the trophy." THREE TROPHIES OUT OF FIVE THIS SEASON  "And 64 matches out of 66 possible, which is incredible. I am very happy and I thank everyone that had a contribution for that, and I’m not speaking just about the players. Many other staff. The work they did to organise everything for us, for our families, to come to this important match with a short period of time, the way people dedicate themselves to that, to try to have our heads clean and focused and everything was perfect. So I thank everyone ...

Ander Herrera has capped a fine third season for Manchester United by winning the club’s prestigious Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award. The midfielder topped the closest-ever poll for this prize, finishing just 242 votes ahead of Antonio Valencia, with top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic not much further behind in a three-way contest that went right down to the wire and reflected the superb contributions of those players in 2016/17. Operating in a deeper role in Jose Mourinho’s midfield, Herrera’s whole-hearted, all-action displays have won him many admirers and he’s just one appearance shy of a half-century for the season.  The 27-year-old, who also made his senior international debut for Spain in November, succeeds compatriot and friend David De Gea, the winner of our coveted accolade for the previous three seasons. "It’s very special for me to win this award because when you see the list of winners, you realise how important it is," said Herrera...

The 23-year-old, whose goals along with a double from Korean star Son Heung-min saw this season’s runners-up hammer last year’s champions Leicester 6-1, added he hoped Hugo Lloris could also win the Golden Glove for the least goals conceded when they round off their league season at relegated Hull. Kane tops the Golden Boot charts with 26 goals, two ahead of Everton’s Romelu Lukaku with Arsenal’s Chilean marksman Alexis Sanchez third, a further goal adrift. “I wanted to get one or two goals at least and take it to the final game,” Kane told Sky Sports. “I am in the driving seat but there’s still one more game. I am not resting on my laurels but I hope to get four more. “Hopefully I can get the Golden Boot and hopefully Hugo Lloris can get the Golden Glove. “It is disappointing to concede but hopefully we can keep a clean sheet against Hull,” added Kane, who has scored five hat-tricks for his club in just over two years. Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was proud how Kan...

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s amazing ‘scorpion’ kick against Sunderland has been voted Manchester United’s Goal of the Season for 2016/17 by a big margin. The Armenian’s effort in the 3-1 Boxing Day win at Old Trafford, an instinctive backheeled volley from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross, picked up 57 per cent of the votes in the official poll on ManUtd.com. Wayne Rooney’s record-breaking 250th goal for United, a spectacular last-gasp free-kick in January’s draw at Stoke City, was the runner-up with 13 per cent, and Paul Pogba’s long-range drive at Swansea City on nine per cent completed the top three. Fans’ favourite Mkhitaryan also provided three other contenders in the original 10-strong shortlist for the prize but his inventive strike against the Black Cats, the finest goal of his career by his own admission, proved a landslide victor. Collecting the accolade at Thursday’s end-of-season awards ceremony at Old Trafford, t...

Antonio Valencia's consistently solid performances at right-back for Manchester United during 2016/17 have earned him the Players' Player of the Year award. The Ecuador international was the top pick among his team-mates in the dressing room after an impressive campaign in which he won three Player of the Month awards from fans voting on ManUtd.com. One of only five players to make at least 40 starts during the season, he captained the side in both legs of this month's Europa League semi-final against Celta Vigo and could be a key player in the Stockholm final. On picking up the accolade at Thursday's awards ceremony, Valencia said: "It's all about working hard. I'm very grateful for the words of the manager, the support of the fans and obviously on this occasion the support of my team-mates. I'm very grateful to all of them, especially Marouane!" The 2015/16 winner of the squad's own accolade, Chris Smalling, told MUTV he had voted for Anto...