Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane on Friday left Gareth Bale out of the Real Madrid squad to face Atletico Madrid this weekend but said he is "not contemplating" the Welshman leaving before the end of the winter transfer window. Asked about the possibility of Bale being sold on Friday, Zidane said in a press conference: […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal have emerged stronger from the January transfer window after landing two new signings and keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arteta has bolstered his creaky defence by adding Flamengo's Pablo Mari and Southampton's Cedric Soares this week. Just as significantly, the Arsenal manager held on to Gabon forward Aubameyang despite reported […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the Reds' forward planning meant there was no need to be busy in the January transfer window as they close in on a first league title for 30 years. Klopp's men are 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League with just 14 games remaining. […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick revealed Friday he has admonished Jerome Boateng and Leon Goretzka after the pair came to blows in training. Tempers boiled over on Wednesday at Bayern's early-morning training session when midfielder Goretzka went hard into a tackle and defender Boateng retaliated — the pair being swiftly forced […]

Munich (Germany) (AFP) – With Robert Lewandowski on hand to improve his shooting technique and Philippe Coutinho helping perfect his passing, New Zealand's Sarpreet Singh is relishing learning from some of the world's best at Bayern Munich since he made history on his Bundesliga debut. The 20-year-old New Zealander, whose parents hail from a village […]

Lausanne (AFP) – FIFA has announced the launch of what it has called a "groundbreaking talent development programme" with the aim of reducing the gap between the world's leading football nations and the rest. The programme was launched by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is now working as the head of global development at […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid have signed Yannick Carrasco from Chinese side Dalian Yifang on loan until the end of the season, the Spanish club confirmed on Friday. Carrasco returns to Atletico, where he spent three years before moving to China in 2018. "Our club has reached an agreement with Dalian Yifang for the loan […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not expect Manchester United to do any deadline-day business but confirmed new signing Bruno Fernandes would be involved in Saturday's home game against Wolves. The United boss has been open about his desire to bolster his squad with a striker after the injury to top-scorer Marcus […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal announced the signing of Portugal defender Cedric Soares on loan from Southampton until the end of the season on Friday. The 28-year-old will be out of contract in June, having made more than 100 appearances for the Saints since joining them from Sporting Lisbon in 2015. Right-back Soares, who had a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane has said he is "not contemplating" Gareth Bale leaving Real Madrid on Friday before the end of the January transfer window. Bale came close to joining Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning last summer and English newspaper the Times reported on Friday the Welshman was in talks to rejoin his […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp steadfastly refuses to allow Liverpool's long-awaited Premier League title celebrations to start, but the opening month of 2020 has underlined the Reds' mastery over their rivals. Reds boss Klopp could see his side move an astonishing 22 points clear of their closest rivals and defending champions Manchester City on the […]

Leipzig (Germany) (AFP) – RB Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi says head coach Julian Nagelsmann was right to question his players' desire in the Bundesliga title race, just before they face rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayern Munich in quick succession. Leipzig's lead over Bayern at the top was slashed to a single point last Saturday after […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool can equal Manchester City's record of 20 consecutive home Premier League wins on a weekend that pits six top-four contenders against each other in the scramble for Champions League spots. Jurgen Klopp's men, champions in all but name after 23 wins in 24 matches, will lock horns with in-form Southampton at […]

Milan (AFP) – Antonio Conte's new Premier League recruits have been settling nerves at title-chasing Inter Milan who travel to Udinese on Sunday looking to end a three-match Serie A winless run before their derby clash against city rivals AC Milan. Inter have brought in Christian Eriksen, Ashley Young and Victor Moses to keep the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid were supposedly in a mess last summer and Atletico Madrid about to challenge for the title but each have defied expectations ahead of their meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. With Real marching to the top of La Liga and Atletico languishing in fifth, the city derby this weekend […]