Premier League top sides Chelsea and Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to land Everton star Ross Barkley this summer.

There are reports that the defending league champs are monitoring the situation in case the purported move fails. Spurs have been trying to get the Toffees to lower their £50 million valuation but the Ronaldo Koeman led side is not having it.

If the Blues enter the fray or United submit a bid, it could tilt the situation significantly as Everton would strengthen the resolve on their valuation. Well, Everton allowed the deal enter its final year when they could have sorted it earlier.

Barkley and his reps have a decent case now as they can decide to allow the contract run down next year and leave as a free agent. They have the edge in the negotiations. Ahead of the player’s move to Spurs, there were reports that the player wanted £150,000 weekly. That salary band would make him the highest earner at the club, above Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris. The player and his reps refused to comment on those rumours, so the silence sent a message.

Everton have offered the player a new deal. Koeman has reportedly asked that Barkley gives the club a response on the offer soonest so they can prepare for the next move. At Tottenham, there is no guarantee that Barkley would be a regular as the youthful team is packed with top talents. Everton are a decent side with ambitions and recent strides as proof. It seems Barkley is just keen on moving away from his boyhood club. Koeman’s issue with him might have played a part though as Barkley was placed on a higher scale by Roberto Martinez.

With Paul Martin allegedly the player’s agent, it seems a big money move from Goodison Park is almost certain. Martin of Wasserman Media Group handled the move of John Stones, JoleonLescott and others. Well, he also managed Tim Cahill and Landon Donovan as well. Happenings all point to a move to Spurs this summer.

The San Diego Soccer City project to repurpose the Qualcomm Stadium site and build a 30,000 seat stadium is getting more and more support by the day.

The people of San Diego want to move past the loss of NFL side San Diego Chargers with the prospects of having a beautiful park along the San Diego River, a sport and entertainment district and a multiuse stadium. All of these would come at no cost to taxpayers hence the response.

There has been public review of the proposal with the media scrutinizing the move. Over sixty percent of the city favour the deal. Twenty five percent are against the idea while the rest sit on the fence. The ownership group are supposed to fundthe whole concept privately while paying fair market value for the site.

The jobs that would be produced would employ many while generating tax revenue for the city. It is a big win for the city that you would wonder who would oppose it. It costs USD12 million annually to maintain the rotting Qualcomm Stadium. The city can use the money for other ventures as the project would take over.

Landon Donovan and his ownership group have a long way to go for the high stakes project to come to fruition. The proposed stadium would serve the new MLS team, San Diego State football, high school football and championship matches. Concerts, events and others would also hold to generate funds and keep the city busy.

San Diego has grown into a soccer-loving city that the project seems just right. Donovan joined Shannon Mac Millan with the hope of creating a soccer academy in Soccer City to develop young talents. The blend of residential, commercial and fun centres is the way to go.

Netherlands are in danger of missing the 2018 World Cup in Russia after missing the European Championship in France.

While the governing body of the football giants think they have quickly reacted, it does not seem to have come early enough with Russia closeby.

“We have for some time seen an upward trend after the failure of last year. We were pleased. But we always felt that it was paper thin,” KNVB director Jean-Paul Decossaux said after Blind’s sack.

Blind remained in his role despite regularly overseeing a string of poor results. His record: seven wins, three draws and seven losses. Of the seven matches the Dutch side won in his tenure, only three were in competitive scenarios.

The selections he made were mind boggling and they always haunted him. On Saturday, he decided to play 17-year old Matthijs De Ligt despite the shaky defence. Many always questioned his credentials and his strategies were poorly though out. All of this is perplexing considering the impressive performance at the 2014 World Cup.

After the tournament, Louis van Gaal resigned as he accepted Manchester United’s offer. GuusHiddink was called upon ahead of the Euro 2016 where Holland had high hopes but they lost faith in him, firing him during the qualification campaign. The success of Germany with Jurgen Klinsmann and his assistant Joachim Low forced the resolve to give Blind a chance ahead of Russia 2018. However, the coach failed utterly.

Ronald Koeman was the first choice to support Hiddink with the hope of taking over, following his success at Feyenoord. The manager on the rise then rejected such moves and the KNVB stuck with Blind. Blind lacked the necessary basics with his managerial career being a one-year poor run in charge of Ajax in 2005/06. The way he took over a destabilized side after Hiddink’s methods failed forced the fans to be patient with him.

Netherlands have a mountain to climb with France, Sweden and Bulgaria ahead in the qualifying phase. The team lacks direction and confidence is at an all-time low.