According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are gearing up to make another move for Frenkie de Jong next summer after failing to secure his services prior to this year s window closing. The 21-year-old Dutchman has been on the radar of the Spanish giants for a while, and they re wary of the fact that his transfer value is set to rise as he prepares for another season with Ajax as well as his senior international debut.
Barca have made several additions to their squad over the course of the summer, but de Jong seemed to pretty high up on their priority list. According to the club they believe that a series of major European clubs are also going to be interested in Frenkie, including Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Frenkie, who burst onto the scene…
Barcelona on Tuesday confirmed they have reached an agreement to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City for a reported fee of €65million.
The Spain international returns to LaLiga following an 18-month spell in the Premier League and has signed a deal until June 2027.
Barca are said to be paying an initial €55m (£46.7m) and as much as €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons.
The Catalan giants revealed a €1billion release clause has been inserted in Torres contract and he will be officially unveiled at Camp Nou on January 3.
City initially spent roughly €23m (£20m) to sign Torres from Valencia in 2020, meaning they have more than doubled their money on a player who has never truly been considered a first-choice starter.
Barca had been linked wi…
Pep Guardiola has hailed Gabriel Jesus as an animal after the Brazil striker expressed frustration at his number of first-team starts for Manchester City.
Jesus made it three goals in as many starts this season when City began their EFL Cup defence with a 3-0 win at Preston North End in midweek, but he is likely to find himself back on the bench against Everton on Saturday.
Sergio Aguero has netted in every Premier League game this season and, although Jesus proclaimed his admiration and respect for City s all-time leading goalscorer in an interview with Esporte Interativo, the 2017 arrival from Palmeiras stated he was over the I have to wait phase at the Etihad Stadium.
He s passionate. I read that interview and it was perfect, Guardiola told a pre-match ne…
James Tavernier scored twice as Rangers booked their place in the Europa League last 16 with a 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund, which sealed a 6-4 aggregate win.
A week on from their brilliant 4-2 triumph at Signal Iduna Park, Rangers had their captain to thank as they secured progression on a frantic night in Glasgow.
Tavernier opened the scoring from the spot in the 22nd minute, but the excellent Jude Bellingham equalised for Dortmund before Donyell Malen put the visitors ahead.
Rangers resolve returned in the second half, though, with Tavernier drilling in his second just before the hour to end BVB s Europa League hopes.
Bellingham had hit the post as Dortmund looked to deflate the raucous atmosphere at Ibrox, but having withstood the early press…
Jude Bellingham said it was fantastic for Borussia Dortmund to seal their place in next season s Champions League as team-mate Jadon Sancho achieved a feat last accomplished by David Beckham.
At the age of 17, Bellingham has found himself thrust into Bundesliga action at the heart of Dortmund s midfield, and the former Birmingham City youngster could be heading for Euro 2020 duty with England at season s end.
A challenging campaign for a talented Dortmund squad is ending on a high, with their 4-1 DFB-Pokal final win over RB Leipzig on Thursday followed by Sunday s 3-1 Bundesliga victory at Mainz.
That result means Dortmund, who sit third with one round of games remaining, are certain to finish in the top four. Bellingham piled praise on interim head coach Edin …
Brazil made it six wins from six games in World Cup qualifying after Neymar s goal and Lucas Paqueta s late strike secured a 2-0 win over Paraguay.
Neymar broke the deadlock in the fourth minute before substitute Paqueta completed the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time as Brazil preserved their 100 per cent record in CONMEBOL qualifying on Tuesday.
A 67th international goal for Neymar – only 10 adrift of all-time record holder Pele – helped send Brazil six points clear of rivals Argentina atop the standings on the road to Qatar 2022.
Brazil entered the contest away to Paraguay amid continued uncertainty over the scheduled Copa America and their participation, with the Selecao squad united in their opposition of hosting the showpiece tournament on ho…
Talksport understands that Raheem Sterling has signed a new contract with Manchester City.
The England international’s future at the Etihad Stadium has been the subject of continuous speculation, with his previous deal set to run to the end of the 2019/2020 campaign.
However, he has finally agreed fresh terms and is now committed to the Premier League champions until the summer of 2023.
The news comes with the twenty-three-year-old having started this season in fine form, scoring seven goals in fourteen appearances in all competitions.
Since signing from Liverpool in the summer of 2015, Sterling has played one-hundred and fifty-four times, scoring fifty-one goals and has won the EFL Cup and the Premier League title.
Internationally he ha…
Russia coach Fabio Capello has no plans to resign from his post, despite the nation s disappointing FIFA World Cup campaign.
Russia bowed out of the Brazil showpiece on Thursday after Algeria came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against them in Curitiba.
Former England boss Capello was left seething at the officials after lasers were shone at goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev throughout the match, in which Islam Slimani cancelled out Aleksandr Kokorin s early strike.
Needing a win to stay in the tournament, Russia will now leave Brazil, but Capello – who extended his contract until 2018 earlier this year – defended his record and wants to stay on.
I will continue to work for the Russian national team, if they want me to continue, Capello said.
I h…
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Still struggling to find some Serie A stability, Napoli will welcome Udinese to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night.
Napoli
Starting with the hosts, while Napoli might have made real Serie A history last season as they got their hands on a first domestic crown since 1990, the Italian heavyweights have struggled to find much stability this time around. Although new boss Rudi Garcia might have seen his side open their Champions League adventure with a 2-1 win against Portuguese outfit Braga last week, the Blues are without a win from any of their previous three domestic showdowns on either side of September’s international break. Last seen over the weekend putting in a toothless performance on the road as they had to…
Manchester City appear frontrunners to secure Erling Haaland s signature after Borussia Dortmund adviser Matthias Sammer inadvertently hinted at a move for the striker.
Haaland has taken the Bundesliga by storm since he arrived from Salzburg in January 2020, scoring 80 goals in 80 appearances across all competitions.
That has made him one of the most sought-after talents in European football, with a host of elite clubs circling for when his reported €75million release clause kicks in at the end of this season.
Barcelona and Real Madrid were reportedly among the favourites to secure the Norwegian s services, with Blaugrana boss Xavi said to have met with the 21-year-old in Munich.
But Pep Guardiola s City, who Haaland s father Alf-Inge played for be…