Wigan fancy gaffer Jones
Blind is kept in the dark
BRAZILIAN midfielder Gabriel Pires is on Rafa Benitez’s radar – but the Newcastle chief faces a battle to land the 23-year-old.
The former Juventus trainee never played for the Turin giants but was loaned out and has blossomedmed in La Liga with h Leganes, helping t he c l ub to promotion last season and has caught the eye this term after being g signed on permanently.
Benitez (above) has been kept up to speed with the playmaker’s progress by his own contacts back i n Madrid and he also has the backing of chief scout Graham Carr.
Pires ( right) has a £6million release clause in his contract and falls into the age range preferred by Toon owner Mike Ashley.
However, there is also interest from WEST HAM and EVERTON.
Zenit St Petersburg are DALEY BLIND has revealed he wants to stay at Old Trafford despite MANCHESTER UNITED’S silence over a new deal for the Dutch defender.
The 27-year-old former Ajax star faces his old club in the Europa League Final in Stockholm on Wednesday with just one more season left on his contract.
United have the option of a further year after that – but so far the Holland international has heard nothing.
Blind said: “I don’t really know anything yet about my future. I haven’t really thought about it either.
“But which player wouldn’t want to stay at Manchester United?
“That’s the only thing I can say about it.”
Blind was a regular under Louis van Gaal but hasn’t enjoyed the same support from Jose Mourinho.
And that’s left Ajax eyeing a move to try and take Blind back to Amsterdam. TOTTENHAM plan to ditch £11million French flop Georges-eorges-Kevin N’KoudouN this summer.ummer. The winger, 22, has barelyly featured since joining from Marseille last August. N’KoudouN has yet to start a Premier League game and has been restricted to rare outingstings off the bench. Manageranager MauricioM Pochettino has run out of patience with him, and is keen on landing CRYSTAL TAL PALACE’SPALAE’S Wilfried Zaha. WIGAN are ready to move for Luton boss Nathan Jones. Jones’ stock has soared after leading LUTON into the League Two play-off semi-finals. Uwe Rosler (Fleetwood) and Gary Caldwell (Chesterfield) are also in the frame at Wigan.