MIDDLESBROUGH are making a shock £5million move for Slovan Bratislava striker David Strelec.
Boro are in the market for forwards and Strelec, 23, could be snapped up fast as boss Michael Carrick juggles with his attack.
The player, who has 28 caps for Slovakia, would jump at the move.
He’s now waiting to see if the deal will be finalised.
It comes after Boro paid £6million to land Plymouth attacker Morgan Whittaker on Friday.
Carrick wants to go for both if Emmanuel Latte Lath departs.
The Ivorian star went off with a groin injury in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Preston.
So his fitness could complicate any transfer interest in the current window
But it’s understood MLS side Atlanta United offered £18m plus £2m add-on earlier this month.
Boro would love to keep their star forward but also know that splashing out on Whittaker & Co has affected their finances.
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Meanwhile, “devastated” Whittaker has angrily denied a claim from new Plymouth boss Miron Muslic that he refused to play in last Wednesday’s 5-0 home loss to Burnley.
The ex-Swansea winger, 24, posted a lengthy statement on social media, insisting he had “always made myself available for selection” and “even trained happily that day”.
Whittaker added: “I want to make it abundantly clear that I never refused to play against Burnley.
It was agreed by myself and the manager that due to the bids from both Burnley and Middlesbrough I would not be up for selection.
“I was then told to train wit the other non-selected players.”
Whittaker added he was “devastated” by the “backlash” he received following the comments from Wayne Rooney’s successor Muslic.
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GOLF legend Jack Nicklaus has doubled down on his prediction that Rory McIlroy will win the Masters before the end of his career.
In 2011, the Northern Irishman infamously led by four shots through 54 holes but had meltdown on the famous course.
McIlroy had a one-shot advantage on the 10th tee, where a horrible tee shot led to a triple-bogey 7.
He carded a final-round 80 before finishing 10 strokes back of winner Charl Schwartzel in a tie for 15th place.
He’s come close since, especially at the 2022 edition but was too far behind world number one Scottie Scheffler to win as he had to settle for second place.
18-time major winner Nicklaus has long backed the Ulsterman to win the green jacket.
The Holywood ace hasn’t added to his four major wins in 11-years but ‘The Golden Bear’ has yet again said that he expects the 35-year-old to don the green jacket.
Speaking on the Golf Channel this week, he said: “You get yourself [in a position] where you haven’t won for a while and it’s difficult to get out.
“I still firmly believe that Rory will win The Masters, he’s just too good a player not to.
“I love Rory, he’s a great guy, as talented as any player out there and he’s got a lot more majors in him.
“He’s just got to get them out.”
The 2025 Masters will take place from Monday, April 7 to Sunday, April 13 at Augusta National Gold Club.
RIO FERDINAND has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson would get “intel” that current managers would not get today.
The former Manchester United star played under the legendary manager between 2002 and 2013.
Ferdinand, 46, has suggested that the Scot would have a huge amount of people in Manchester feeding him information about the players.
He claimed that Ferguson, 83, would know “everything” that the players were up to when they were away from the pitch and training ground.
He told the BBC: “Everyone in the city wanted to talk to him.
“Everyone in the city is telling him what the players are drinking or what they are eating.
“When they are out and what they are doing. He knew everything.
“Managers don’t get that info nowadays, that intel.”
Ferdinand also revealed that people who worked for the players would also feed “intel” to Ferguson.
He compared the sources of knowledge to Ferguson to “mafia-type stuff” without the players knowing about it.
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He continued: “You had nightclub managers who were ringing in, taking pictures and sending in the receipts of players’ bills.
“Like, who is getting that now? Who is running a city like that?
“If you had a party at your house he would know about it.
“Because your driver or security was telling him and they are working for you.
“But they are working for him as well, what is going on?
“It was almost like mafia-type stuff. It was just and you had to learn quickly because if you didn’t, you were gone.”
Ferguson enjoyed great success during his 27-year reign at Old Trafford.
He won 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice as well as nine domestic cups with the Red Devils.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand is now working as a pundit and often appears on broadcasters covering Man United.
During the Europa League win over Rangers, he tweeted during the match to slam a disallowed goal.
LOVE Island star Jess Harding has shown off her incredible face transformation ahead of her ex entering the All Stars 2025 villa.
Jess, 24, was an Islander in the tenth series of Love Island, which aired in the summer of 2023.
Entering on day one, Jess went on to win the series with Sammy Root.
Sammy, 23, will reportedly step back into the spotlight very soon as he prepares to join the All Stars cast in South Africa.
According to MailOnline, the reality star, who also joined Towie last summer, is making another attempt to find love by re-entering the famous villa.
And ahead of Sammy’s alleged entry into the villa, his ex is showing off her beautiful transformation.
“My personal transformation over the past 5+ years as an Aesthetics Practitioner,” she penned on her aesthetics Instagram page alongside a before snap and an after snap.
“Of course growing up and coming into my features naturally has played its part but Aesthetic treatments have definitely made a difference too (along with learning how to do my makeup),” she went on.
She added: “Just a little reminder that when done correctly and with a natural approach, Aesthetic treatments can create subtle yet amazing changes over time! choose your practitioner wisely.”
Reacting to the “glow up”, fans went wild in the comment section underneath Jess’ before and after snaps.
“Gorgeous darling,” penned one.
“Love the transparency gorgeous,” said another.
“Glow up girlie xx,” declared a third.
A fourth person then added: “Honest, real and gorgeous inside and out, before and now! keep shining queen xx.”
“Gorgeous girl before and after,” said a fifth.
A sixth then penned: “I love the transparency! You’re beautiful inside and out!”
Throughout the series the couples will chop and change as each recoupling happens
Here’s who’s coupled up with who right now:
Singles:
But a seventh fumed: “Why not just be natural? I don’t get all this fake look!”
Just a couple of months after Jess and her then-boyfriend Sammy left the villa in 2023 as champions, they split.
The pair’s split came shortly after they won the £50,000 prize pot on the hit reality-dating show.
Jess told Sammy their relationship was over by phone – before news of their split leaked online while she was partying in Ibiza with pals.
Since their separation, Sammy has been linked to Love Island and Towie alum Elma Pazar, 31, who is currently taking part in the show, and season 11 star Samantha Kenny, 27.
ANGE POSTECOGLOU is set for a massive payout if Tottenham decide to sack him.
The Australian’s future is in huge doubt after Spurs lost for the sixth time in their last seven matches on Sunday.
The Londoners were beaten 2-1 at home by lowly Leicester, who themselves were on a seven-game losing streak.
Tottenham were booed off the pitch by their fans, who have now witnessed eight defeats in the previous 10 games.
And Postecoglou gave a sheepish wave as he left the pitch before trudging down the tunnel.
The Aussie’s boss Daniel Levy now has a huge decision to make.
On the one hand, Tottenham are potentially facing a relegation battle if their losing streak in the league continues.
On the other, Spurs are 1-0 up in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and could land a first trophy since 2008.
Should Levy decide to sack Postecoglou though, it is sure to cost him a pretty penny.
Former Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness told the Inside Track podcast that Big Ange is earning £5million-a-year on a four-year deal.
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And with Postecoglou only being 18 months through it, Levy would have to shell out £12m to get rid of him right now.
The former Celtic boss now faces an anxious wait to see if he will take charge of the next match against IF Elfsborg.
When asked if he reckons he’ll still be in a job next month, Postecoglou said: “Who knows. I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no.
“When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that.
“I feel like this group of players are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.”
Big Ange added: “I have felt all along that the players are still very committed to what we’re doing.
“That’s important to me, because I firmly believe in it.
“This is as low as we’ve been so far this year but I still think that in these last three months we can do something really special and these players believe that.”
Фото Владислав Томік Співачка MamaRika (Анастасія Середа) поділилася у своєму Instagram новими чуттєвими кадрами та звернулася до жіноцтва. Настя попозувала у обтислому чорному максі з вирізом на спині. Свій образ зірка доповнила зібраним волоссям та золотими прикрасами. «Ти нічого не повинна, повинна лиш бути щасливою, запамʼятай моя люба», — написала вона. Співачка наробила фото […]
A VOICENOTE claiming that the Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana has been attacked behind bars has been debunked.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed to The Sun that the 18-year-old has not been assaulted while in prison.
A spokesperson for the department, which oversees the prison estate, said: “I can confirm that reports of Axel Rudakubana being attacked in prison are inaccurate.
“He has not been attacked.”
A WhatsApp message, flagged as “forwarded many times”, appears to claim that Rudakubana was set upon by two men serving time for murder.
The message was then widely shared on Elon Musk’s X despite it being incorrect.
The Sun revealed this week that Rudakubana will be “target no 1” for attacks behind bars with lags looking to seek revenge for the horrific Southport attacks.
He stabbed to death Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, at a Taylor Swift dance class in an incident which shocked the nation.
He was sentenced to life behind bars on Thursday with a minimum of 52 years and is currently being held in Belmarsh prison in south east London.
Mr Justice Goose said at Thursday’s sentencing hearing that it was highly unlikely that he would ever be released from prison.
The teenager will be 70 by the time that he can apply to leave jail, and even then it is incredibly unlikely he would be let out.
Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, said Rudakubana would likely be held in isolation in a segregation unit for his own protection as he will be “target No.1” for other inmates.
He is expected to remain at Belmarsh until he is assessed.
He could either stay at the notorious jail or be sent to other Category A prisons across the country including Full Sutton in York or Frankland Prison in Durham.
Mr Fairhurst said Rudakubana would have the same rights as every other inmate and would be offered isolation.
He would be entitled to showers, phone calls home and exercise even in isolation.
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana will face a lifetime of hell behind bars.
He said the evil killer is currently being held at high-security Belmarsh Prison in Woolwich, south east London.
His fellow inmates include:
Urfan Sharif
Urfan Sharif was handed a minimum 40-year term last month for murdering innocent Sara in a two-year “campaign of torture” that saw her beaten, burned and bitten.
He was jailed alongside Sara’s stepmum Beinash Batool, 30, and uncle Faisal Malik, 29, who was convicted of allowing the death of a child.
Khairi Saadallah
Khairi Saadallah stabbed three people to death in a Reading park in 2020.
He is serving a whole life order in Belmarsh.
David Copeland
Neo-Nazi David Copeland who bombed a gay pub, Brixton Market and Brick Lane in 1999 killing three people and injuring 140.
Hashem Abedi
Hashem Abedi – brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman – has spent time at Belmarsh after being handed a minimum 55-year life term for murdering 22 people in the May 2017 attack.
Mr Fairhurst said: “If there was any intelligence he was at risk then he would be put in the segregation unit under isolation or to some other part of the prison where he is away from everyone else.”
He added: “His life will be absolute hell. He is target No.1.
“He’ll be looking over his shoulders for the next 52 years. Any chance they can get him they will.”
Notorious prisoners have been targeted by other lags in the past with inmates using improvised weapons to maim their victims.
Sara Sharif’s killer dad had his throat slashed while in the notorious jail despite being under close supervision by guards.
Two inmates ambushed Urfan Sharif, 43, in his cell and cut his neck with a jagged tuna can lid just weeks after he was sentenced.
The pair were sickened by his abuse of Sara, who was beaten, burned and bitten over two years before her death in August 2023.
Soham murderer Ian Huntley had his throat slashed with an improved knife while at high security Frankland Prison in County Durham in 2008.
Three years earlier he had been scolded with boiling water at Wakefield Prison while on the healthcare wing.
As he has just been sentenced to life imprisonment, Rudakubana will be on “suicide watch” with officers keeping a constant eye on him to ensure he does not hurt himself.
The teenage killer will also likely have three prison officers with him when he leaves his cell at all times to ensure he, and other prisoners, are kept safe.
