Newcastle United and Liverpool have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Micah Richards - with the Manchester City defender admitting his next move will be "massive" for his future. The 26-year-old spent the season on loan at Serie A club Fiorentina and he will a free agent this summer once his contract expires with Man City on July 1st. Although primarily a right-back, Richards can also operate at centre-back and it is that versatility that has attracted both Newcastle and Liverpool to the 5ft 11in defender's availability on a free transfer. Capped 13 times by England and on five occasions by Great Britain, Richards has fallen out of favour with Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson due to his lack of first-team football. The defender has played just 19 times for Man City over the last three seasons - but he has made 245 appearances for the club in all, as well as a further 19 while on loan at Fiorentina in 2014-15, and he wants to return to the England fold. And, speaking to the Daily Star, Richards revealed he needed to think long and hard about whether or not to sign for Newcastle, Liverpool or even someone else this summer for the betterment of his career. The soon-to-be-out-of-contract defender explained:
"I'd like to get back into the England squad. "That's why the next move - and next season - is massive for me. "I just want to play football."
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