Madrid (AFP) – Jorge Messi, father and agent of Lionel Messi, appeared to concede his son could remain at Barcelona this season, according to footage broadcast by Spanish media on Thursday. Messi senior seemingly replied "yes" when asked by a reporter if they had considered the possibility of staying at the club for another season […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City's parent company has invested in French Ligue 2 side Troyes, taking the total number of clubs in its global stable to 10. The City Football Group will become the new majority shareholder in Troyes after buying the stake from previous owner Daniel Masoni. Along with Manchester City and Troyes, CFG […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa have signed Nottingham Forest defender Matty Cash in a deal worth a reported £16 million ($21 million). Cash agreed a five-year contract with Villa, who narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League last season. Sheffield United and West Ham also reportedly made bids for the right-back. "We are delighted to […]

London (AFP) – Gareth Bale has accused Real Madrid of making it "very difficult" to leave the Spanish club as the Wales forward looks to end his Bernabeu exile. Bale is out of favour with Real manager Zinedine Zidane and played just 48 minutes of Madrid's 12 games when the Spanish season resumed after the […]

London (AFP) – Dean Henderson has set his sights on dislodging David de Gea as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper and becoming England's number one this season. Henderson has returned to Old Trafford after two impressive seasons on loan with Sheffield United. The 23-year-old signed a new five-year contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side last week and […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United's new signing Donny van de Beek has revealed he will wear shirt number 34 in honour of former Ajax team-mate Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered brain damage after an on-pitch heart attack. United on Wednesday announced they had completed a deal for the Netherlands international worth a reported initial 39 million […]

London (AFP) – Phil Foden says Pep Guardiola's faith in his ability has been a "massive" factor in his development after the 20-year-old Manchester City playmaker was called up to the England squad for the first time. City boss Guardiola has regularly lavished praise upon Foden, saying he would not sell the young star even […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luka Modric blows out his cheeks. "It would be a huge loss," he says. "Like when Cristiano left. But you can't think about the past. It's football and that's it." Modric has faced Lionel Messi 21 times and is the only player since 2008 other than Cristiano Ronaldo to beat him to […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazil's football federation announced on Wednesday it will pay men and women the same amount for representing the national team, one of the few countries to make such a pledge. "The CBF has equalled the prize money and allowances between men's and women's football, which means the women players will earn […]

Pretoria (AFP) – A refereeing error helped Kaizer Chiefs beat nine-man Chippa United 1-0 Wednesday and stay top of the South African Premiership table on goal difference with one round remaining. The match official awarded Chiefs a free-kick 11 minutes from time as he believed veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune had been fouled when attempting to […]

Stuttgart (Germany) (AFP) – Sergio Ramos said Wednesday that Lionel Messi should be allowed to decide on his future as the Argentine superstar attempts to force his way out of Barcelona after two decades at the club. "He has earned the right to decide his future. I don't know if he is doing it in the […]

London (AFP) – Fulham have rewarded manager Scott Parker with a new three-year deal after he won promotion back to the Premier League. The 39-year-old former England international was named caretaker boss following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri in February 2019 and given the job on a permanent basis despite the west London club's relegation. […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United on Wednesday announced the signing of Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek for a reported fee of 39 million euros plus add-ons. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made the 23-year-old Dutch international his first signing of the summer transfer window in a deal that could rise to 44 million euros ($52 million, […]

Marseille (AFP) – Yuto Nagatomo on Wednesday promised Marseille fans that he wouldn't be outrun by his younger teammates as was officially unveiled as the Ligue 1 club's latest recruit. Japan full-back Nagatomo, who has collected 122 caps and played in three World Cups for his national team, will turn 34 in 10 days time […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona would be shattered if Lionel Messi left the club he has graced since he was a boy, but could the departure of arguably the world's top player create the financial conditions to rebuild? The Argentinian maestro, who has been with the club since he was 13, handed in a transfer request […]