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Chelsea star N'Golo Kante beats Paul Pogba, Marco Verratti & Co to most valuable central midfielder rated by world-leading football website Transfermarkt. Atletico midfield star Saul ranks 2nd as Man United talisman Pogba comes 3rd, while Modric, Ekrisen & co are categorized as 'attacking midfielders'. Top 10 most valuable central midfielders: 1. Kante (Chelsea): €100m 2. Saul (Atletico Madrid): €90m 3. Pogba (Man Utd): €80m 4. Kroos (Real Madrid): €80m 5. Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio): €75m 6. Busquets (Barcelona): €75m 7. Verratti (PSG): €70m 8. Casemiro (Real Madrid): €70m 9. Koke (Atletico Madrid): €70m 10. Pjanic (Juventus): €70m

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has claimed he has some idea how Bayern Munich will set up tactically when they come to Anfield on Tuesday night. The German champions travel to Merseyside for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie and Keita is looking forward to facing his old foes again. He enjoyed a number of battles with the reigning Bundesliga champions during his time with RB Leipzig, and even scored in his former side’s 2-1 victory against Bayern in March. Keita is hoping his repeated showdowns with Bayern can give him and his Liverpool team-mates an insight into how to beat the Bavarians, but the midfielder was quick to point out he is not the only one accustomed to the German club’s tactical approaches. "I'm not the only expert in this regard - in Xherdan Shaqiri we even have an ex-Bayern player," said Keita. "And of course our coach Jurgen Klopp knows all about them. But yes, I know about Bayern's strengths and how to play ag...

Lionel Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, during Barcelona’s 1-0 win against Real Valladolid . In doing so, the attacker has become the first player from the top five European leagues to reach the 30+ goal mark this campaign. Incredibly, Messi has now scored 30 or more goals in each of his last 11 seasons for Barcelona in all competitions. Given that it’s only February, it is a safe bet Messi will add to that tally before the end of the season. He could even beat his total of 45 from last year, but might struggle to overhaul his record high of 73 from the 2011/12 campaign. Barca’s number 10 still continues to amount some truly staggering statistics. This season he has scored 22 goals from 22 games and has netted 30 in 30 in all competitions.

Manchester United have revealed it cost them £19.6 million ($25.1m) to sack Jose Mourinho and his staff in December after two-and-a-half years at the club. Mourinho was fired following a run of disappointing results, culminating in a 3-1 loss at Liverpool which left United 11 points adrift of the Premier League’s top four positions. The Portuguese was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has overseen a dramatic improvement with 10 wins being achieved in 12 matches in charge to ensure United now sit in fourth place as a result. And with the release of the club’s second-quarter financial report, they have stated that the release of Mourinho, along with coaches Silvino Louro, Carlos Lalin and Stefano Rapetti, scout Ricardo Formosinho, and analyst Giovanni Cerra, led to a near-£20m bill. “Exceptional items for the quarter were £19.6 million, relating to compensation to the former manager and certain members of the coaching staff for loss of office,” said the report. That £...

Gone is Christiano Ronaldo, gone is Zinedine Zidane also once a Madrid galactico in his playing days.    Real Madrid seems to have shifted or better still, they have shifted their focus from signing already made stars to signing potentially great young ones for relatively paltry fees,  which is quite the risk due to the success of their galactico model but as the saying goes 11 friends can't play together for 11 years... This current crop of Madristas will need replacing and younger ones to be genlty bedded in.    There's none other that epitomises this change in what was once the norm than Vinicius Jnr, a young player bought from Flamengo in Brazil. He would have been overlooked if he didn't hit the ground running. Madrid's former coach, Julian Lopetugui didn't want him to face the pressure or probably didn't fancy him so sent him to play with Madrid's B team.   Since Solari's appointment, Vinicius has gone from strength to strength. His pace, rawnes...

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has ruled out a return for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar. Neymar left the Nou Camp for £200m to join PSG in 2017, but has often been linked with a return to his former club. Bartomeu, speaking to Spanish radio station Radio Kanal Barcelona, said: "I've spoken with Neymar, we've seen each other a few times, but his people have never told me he wants to come back. "No one's called us about it. Neymar has a contract with PSG. It's his second season there and it's very difficult (to imagine) they want to sell. We didn't want to. "We have the disadvantage of the (release) clause here. European clubs (can) take advantage of that. That's not the case (in France) so it's not possible for him to return."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not believe Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus has presented the Portuguese forward with a new challenge, noting the Serie A giants were already a great club. Ronaldo left Real Madrid in the summer for the Bianconeri in a €100 million (£90m/$114m) deal and previously called his move to Turin a challenge, even encouraging Lionel Messi to undertake something similar. The Portugal star has fared well in Serie A thus far with 18 goals, the best tally in the Italian top flight, and seven assists so far this season. Juventus have won the previous seven Serie A titles to become the dominant force in Italy, and Ibrahimovic thinks going to a lesser side and taking them to glory would have been a greater challenge. "I didn't say his transfer wasn't great,” Ibrahimovic told DAZN, clarifying the belief the striker had previously criticised Ronaldo’s move to Juventus. "I said that it wasn't a challenge to join Juventus. It's not a ch...

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has agreed a one-year contract extension until the end of the 2019-20 season, with an option for a further year. Valverde will end the speculation surrounding his future by formally signing his new contract at the Nou Camp on Friday morning. Valverde replaced Luis Enrique as manager in 2017 and guided Barcelona to the La Liga and Copa del Rey double in his first season in charge. The Catalan club are on course to defend their league title and are currently six points clear of rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, with 15 games remaining in the season. Barcelona are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League and will face Lyon in the first leg in France on Tuesday.

Barcelona are one of the most powerful teams in the world. There is no doubt. The proof is in the numerous titles that have been conquered, and this season, the club has the ability to win the treble. But while the goal for Ernesto Valverde and his team is to win LaLiga Santander, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is looking ahead into the future. For years, the first team has been full of star players with the maturity and quality levels to always be at their best for the club, but sometimes, it's hard for newcomers to breakthrough. But some players, such as Arthur, Nelson Semedo and Ousmane Dembele are managing to do it. The transfer policy carried out by the Catalan club has the sports management teams focusing on the future of the club rather than the present. The team scours the market to hunt young players who can eventually replace the veterans rather than signing older players. Bartomeu only has two more years left in ...

Ernesto Valverde has a new dilemma at Barcelona with the return of Samuel Umtiti from injury and he must choose two from all of his central defenders to play, which won't be easy given the performances of Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet this season. Umtiti has missed a long time but is back training and it is not out of the realms of possibility that he could play some time at the Camp Nou on Saturday with Valladolid visiting. November's meeting with Atletico Madrid in Round 13 of LaLiga Santander was the last time the Frenchman saw any minutes on the pitch and since then he has been plagued by discomfort in his left knee. He has only played in eight games this season, with seven of those coming in LaLiga Santander and the other one in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven. But now things are on the up for Umtiti, which gives Valverde a headache on the Camp Nou bench. He had returned to training last week but on Wednesday he completed the session. Now Valve...

Paris Saint-Germain have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after their 2-0 victory over Manchester United and Kylian Mbappe hopes they can be joined by fellow Ligue 1 side Lyon. Lyon take on Barcelona, with their first leg taking place next midweek, and the World Cup winner will be rooting against the LaLiga Santander side. "We'll be supporting Lyon next week," the 20-year-old told RMC after Tuesday's match. "I want those from French football to go as far as possible in the European Cup."

⚽Goals: P. Kimpembe (53) K. Mbappé (60) Paul Pogba was sent off as Paris Saint-Germain won 2-0 at Manchester United to take control of their last-16 Champions League tie, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tasting defeat for the first time since taking charge. Pogba Injuries to Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard dented United's attacking thrust and PSG scored twice in seven second-half minutes at Old Trafford on Tuesday to put a foot in the quarter-finals. Presnel Kimpembe converted a corner from Angel Di Maria to score his first professional goal and the former United winger recorded another assist when he set up Kylian Mbappe for a crucial second. Although PSG were without injured forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani, United could muster no response with veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon completely untested and the Premier League side's task in next month's second leg looks huge, especially as Pogba will be banned.

Barcelona, who still need to finalise a fee with Eintracht Frankfurt, but have agreed terms with the young striker FC Barcelona have agreed personal terms with Serbian striker Luka Jovic according to German newspaper 'Frankfurter Allgemeine". The information claims Barça have moved to the front on the queue after talks with the player's representatives and both sides hope to finalise the transfer in the summer. It's a similar case to what happened with Frenkie De Jong: first agreeing terms with the player and later with the club. This way Barcelona have won the battle against a host of European sides, including Real Madrid, who wanted the young striker. Despite no one confirming the news being reported by 'FAZ', only a few days ago Jovic said he wanted to play in the Champions League next season. Jovic, who has 14 goals so far, is the top scorer in the Bundesliga. He's currently on loan at Frankfurt from Benfica, although the German side have alre...

The end of the group stage seems so long ago, but the Champions League is back with the round-of-16 kicking off on Tuesday. After the drama of the group stage, some of the usual big names are joined by some more surprise features and the ties ahead are a mouthwatering prospect. With these 16 teams comes an array of attacking talent, whether it's a striker partnership, a frightening trio or overloaded quartet. But which team has the best attack in the 2018/19 Champions League knock-out stages? Read on to find out our top 10. 10. Antoine Griezmann & Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid) Atletico Madrid have been a strange beast this season but Antoine Griezmann has continued to find the goals which had Barcelona sniffing around him in the summer. The Frenchman is usually joined by Diego Costa up front but the Spaniard has been injured since December and his replacement, Alvaro Morata, is yet to set his new side alight. 9. Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski & Kingsl...

Real Madrid have been named as the world's biggest football club by France Football. In their February edition, the publication listed their top 30 clubs around the world and Spain's top two found themselves leading the way. The editorial team took into account the analysis of players, television audiences, social media following, average attendances, income, expenses, market value of the team and the historical importance of the club - the latter being something the magazine themselves acknowledged as being subjective. The top 10: 🔰 Real Madrid 184 points 🔰 Barcelona 177 points 🔰 Manchester United 151 points 🔰 Bayern Munich 135 points 🔰 Liverpool 120 points 🔰 Juventus 107 points 🔰 PSG 94 points 🔰 Chelsea 91 points 🔰 Manchester City 89 points 🔰 Arsenal 88 points

Maurizio Sarri’s fate as Chelsea’s head coach will in effect be determined over the remainder of this month as the Italian seeks to convince the club’s hierarchy that he can recover some poise and still deliver Champions League qualification for next season. Sunday’s humiliating 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City, Chelsea’s worst defeat since 1991 and a loss which confirmed a drop from fourth to sixth place, has left Sarri clinging to his position only seven months into a three-year deal. The head coach will hope progress in the Europa League, starting with Thursday’s knockout tie at Malmö, earns him time, given the competition’s winners gain entry into next season’s Champions League. Yet eliminating the side who finished third in the Swedish league last season would only marginally bolster his job prospects unless a team clearly struggling to come to terms with his tactical demands can improve their performances over a daunting run of domestic fixtures. Chelsea face Manchester...

Marcelo has sought to bring an end to the speculation suggesting that he is destined to be heading out of Real Madrid for a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. Speculation continues to suggest that the Brazil international will be on the move this summer. Italy is considered to be his most likely destination, with Ronaldo eager to see a familiar face drafted in alongside him in Turin. Marcelo, though, claims there is no substance to the transfer talk and insists it is his intention to honour a contract in the Spanish capital which is due to run until 2022. He told Esporte Interativo when quizzed on the supposed interest from Juventus: “We’re talking about a formidable team. “I remember following them a lot when [Pavel] Nedved played. I also swapped shirts with him. “Having said that, I’m still a Real Madrid player and I have a contract in force. “I don’t know where the rumours have come from. I’d say if there was an agreement or negotiations had taken place....

Maurizio Sarri apologised for Chelsea's record Premier League defeat and insisted he would be happy to receive a call from club owner Roman Abramovich after a 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City. Sergio Aguero scored his 11th Premier League hat-trick to equal Alan Shearer's record, with Raheem Sterling adding a double and Ilkay Gundogan also on target in Sunday's rout at the Etihad Stadium. Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in their last three Premier League away games, their battering at new league leaders City coming on the heels of a 4-0 thumping at mid-table Bournemouth. "I am doing my best and I'm trying to get the players to do their best but at the moment I can only say sorry because in the last three away matches we played very badly," he said. Sarri told Sky Sports he expects to hold talks with the club's board after their historic loss and in another post-match interview, he gave an insight into his relationship with Abramovich. "If ...

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Juventus in the summer in a deal that will earn him over £400,000 a week. The 28-year-old has agreed a four-year contract that will see him join the Italian champions as a free agent, ending his 11-year spell with Arsenal. Ramsey passed a two-part medical in January, having picked Juve following talks with a host of European clubs. He will be the highest-earning British player ever based on basic salary. The Wales international's Arsenal contract expires on 30 June and the Gunners will receive no fee when he leaves. Ramsey, who joined Arsenal from Cardiff City in 2008 for a fee of around £4.8m, held preliminary talks with Barcelona and also received an offer from Paris St-Germain. Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid also showed interest, with Real forward Gareth Bale understood to have encouraged his Wales team-mate to link up with him in Spain.

Sergio Aguero equalled a Premier League record with his hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea. Aguero's treble at the Etihad Stadium was his second in a week following his heroics against Arsenal and his 11th in the Premier League - matching Alan Shearer's record in the competition. The Argentine struck his first in stunning fashion, curling a long-range shot past Kepa Arrizabalaga after Raheem Sterling had opened the scoring. He then showed his predatory instincts for his second, firing home a first-time shot on the turn following Ross Barkley's misplaced header. City went four goals up after just 25 minutes when Ilkay Gundogan struck soon after that, but Aguero was not finished, stepping up to convert his hat-trick goal from the penalty spot after Sterling was brought down by Cesar Azpilicueta. Aguero was substituted to a standing ovation before Sterling added City's sixth, his place in the history books already assured. As we...

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde dismissed suggestions Lionel Messi was not fit enough to start in Sunday's 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao. LaLiga's leaders were held to a third draw in succession across all competitions, as they were frustrated at San Mames by Athletic. Messi started Wednesday's 1-1 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg draw against Real Madrid on the bench due to a thigh knock, but he came back into the line-up in Bilbao. The Argentina star was Barca's liveliest player, yet he still appeared to be a little off colour compared his usual level of performance. As such, Barca were kept at bay, as Philippe Coutinho did little to ease the burden on their talisman, but Valverde is adamant Messi was in condition to play. Speaking to reporters, Valverde said: "Messi is fine and he has played at 100 per cent. "He has had some difficulties, because we had them as a collective, but when he plays it is because is absolutely convinced ev...

Samuel Umtiti's bid to be fit for the Champions League last-16 trip to Lyon has gathered momentum with the defender returning to Barcelona training. France international Umtiti completed part of Friday's session as he steps up his recovery from a persistent knee problem, which has blighted his season. The centre-back has not featured since November’s 1-1 draw with Atletico but recently declared his desire to be available for the Lyon tie. Umtiti joined Barca from the Ligue 1 side in 2016, where in five years as a player and made 170 first-team appearances. Therefore, the 25-year is especially keen to return in time for the encounter at Groupama Stadium on February 19. Clement Lenglet has been Ernesto Valverde's preferred partner for Gerard Pique in Umtiti's absence.

Sergio Ramos insists Real Madrid can catch Barcelona in La Liga after a 3-1 derby win at Atletico Madrid moved his side up to second in the table. Ramos scored from the penalty spot in Saturday's victory at the Wanda Metropolitano, netting his 11th goal in all competitions this season, making 2018-19 the best scoring record of his career. Antoine Griezmann had cancelled out Casemiro's bicycle-kick opener before Ramos struck from 12 yards, with Gareth Bale's 100th goal for Madrid wrapping up the club’s first win at the Wanda. Madrid are now five points behind Barcelona, although the leaders are at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, and captain Ramos declared the title race alive after a fifth successive league win. "The league is still to be contested," Ramos said to beIN SPORTS. "There are many points in play and any team can complicate your life as it was seen in the first round [of games]. "We have that hope and we will fight for the league and...

Real Madrid beat bitter rivals Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano for the first time, as Gareth Bale's 100th goal for the club helped secure a 3-1 win to move them up to second in LaLiga. Los Blancos claimed a morale-boosting 1-1 draw at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Wednesday and they produced another resilient display to beat Diego Simeone's men on their own turf for the first time since their meeting at the Vicente Calderon in November 2016. Atletico conceded twice in a first half at the Wanda for the first time, as Sergio Ramos' penalty added to Casemiro's spectacular opener after Antoine Griezmann had equalised, with a little thanks to VAR. Madrid looked in control at the back under pressure in the second half and finished off their opponents 16 minutes from time through substitute Bale's landmark goal, before Thomas Partey's late sending off.

With half an hour to go in Wednesday night's Clasico, Philippe Coutinho was taken off by Ernesto Valverde in yet another underwhelming performance by the club's all-time record signing, with patience starting to wear thin The Brazilian midfielder still has the backing of those at the club, but a possible sale in the summer cannot be ruled out as the Blaugrana are beginning to put feelers out that they may be willing to listen to offers if his performance does not improve before the end of the campaign. Given the injury to Ousmane Dembele, that was viewed as a perfect opportunity for Coutinho to establish himself and force his way into Valverde's starting line-up, displaying the quality that Barcelona fans know he possesses. Instead, he has often stayed on the periphery of matches and looks like a shadow of the player Barcelona paid 155 million euros for back in January 2018; a couple of goals in recent weeks, of which one was a penalty, may cause some people to thin...

Barcelona have confirmed that midfielder Arthur Melo will be ruled out for up to four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury. The Brazil international has enjoyed an encouraging first season at Camp Nou following his arrival from Gremio, making 27 appearances and becoming a mainstay of the Blaugrana midfield. Having been handed the No.8 shirt, the 22-year-old has been compared to Andres Iniesta, and alongside Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets the trio have helped Ernesto Valverde's side build a six-point lead at the top of La Liga. Arthur now, though, will be forced to watch on from the sidelines as Barca enter a critical stage of the season. "Tests have confirmed that first-team player Arthur Melo has a muscular injury to the left femoral biceps," a club statement read. "The approximate down time is between three and four weeks." That means Arthur will certainly miss Sunday's trip to Athletic Club as well as upcoming Liga fixtures against R...

According to words straight from the player himself, sports brand Nike want Barça's new signing to have his first name instead of surname. Frenkie de Jong still has an important end to this season with Ajax, with the Dutch team sitting second in their league, in the semi-finals of their domestic cup, and just days away from a double header against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Despite this, he will be wearing the blaugrana of FC Barcelona next season, and discussions about the next stage of his career have begun. Nike want Frenkie at Barça In an interview with Het Kontakt, the player confirmed that his sponsor Nike would prefer that he uses his first name, Frenkie, on the back of his shirt rather than the more traditional surname, De Jong. He also admitted that he'd like to have the number currently used by carles Aleña. "In July I will sign my official contract with Barcelona and will be presented," the 21-year old reminded us. "I would like t...

The body of Argentina-born professional soccer player Emiliano Sala has been formally identified after it was brought to Portland Port on Thursday, UK police said. Sala, 28, had been en route from Nantes in western France on Jan. 21 to make his debut for Premier League team Cardiff City when the small aircraft he was traveling in disappeared over the English Channel. The single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft had crashed into the sea. The wreckage of the plane was found on Sunday following a privately-funded underwater search. The body was recovered on Wednesday from the wreckage of the plane.

Lionel Messi wasn't a starter against Real Madrid in the Clasico on Wednesday night, fully highlighting the end of the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era of the match, yet Barcelona showed incredible prudence with their handling of the 31-year-old. Ernesto Valverde was heavily maligned for his failure to reach the semi-final of the Champions League in 2018, and the Spanish coach seems determined to put that right this season, with Messi's availability being crucial in that endeavour. In the first few minutes after being brought off the bench in the Copa del Rey clash, the No. 10 felt his hamstring and whilst it turned out to be only a minor feeling of discomfort, there remains concerns about his fitness with the Champions League return on the horizon. This presents Valverde with a dilemma as to whether he will select Messi against Athletic Club on Sunday. A decision will be made based on the Argentine's fitness and the upcoming run of fixtures that the Blaugrana must n...

Ivan Rakitic has reportedly asked to leave Barcelona, putting Inter on red alert this summer.  Inter have already approached Rakitic, who in turn wants out of Camp Nou, signalling ‘a clear message’ to the Nerazzurri. The issue of the midfielder’s future at Camp Nou has ‘exploded’ in recent hours, borne out of the Blaugrana’s deals for Frenkie de Jong and possibly Adrien Rabiot. The Beneamata, for their part, already have a significant Croatian contingent that includes Marcelo Brozovic, Sime Vrsaljko and Ivan Perisic. The 30-year-old is ready to ‘start a new cycle’ with Inter and could cost €30m. Rakitic joined Barca from Sevilla in the summer of 2014 and has gone on to win three Liga titles and a Champions League, while he helped Croatia reach the 2018 World Cup Final. However the Milanese club would still be interested in Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, whose contract expires next year, leaving them with a decision to make.

Eight Premier League teams make it into the ranking of the 20 most expensively assembled squads currently playing If there is one thing that rings true across the entire footballing world, it is that you have to spend money to win trophies.Being able to splash the cash is even more imperative across Europe's top leagues, where last season's champions were some of the richest teams on the planet. Transfer fees continue to get higher and higher, and it surely won't be long until Neymar is no longer the world's most expensive player. Signing one player for almost £200million was always going to raise eyebrows, but that only plays a small role in building a strong team. The truly rich teams can make standout signings like that while also spending a good £30 or £40million on every player they bring to the club. When you are spending that kind of cash every year the value of your squad increases remarkably fast, but just who h...

Lionel Messi is the best-paid player on the planet and rakes in an astonishing €8.3million a month before tax – nearly twice the amount that Cristiano Ronaldo does at Juventus. It has been revealed who the 10 best-paid footballers in Europe are going by monthly wage before tax. Of these 10, five play in Spain, a pair play in France and England respectively while just the one player features in Italy. It's no secret that modern-day players are paid huge sums of money but the amount Messi receives on a monthly basis is extraordinary – even by footballers standards. The Barcelona talisman signed a new contract in November 2017 which propelled him to the top of the list, beating long-term rival Ronaldo in second who earns a staggering €4.7m a month before tax. Surprisingly, coming in third is Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid who earns €3.3m a month following his well-publicised contract renewal before the World Cup this summer. Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar foll...

A body has been successfully recovered from the wreckage of the plane that went down in the English Channel with Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala on board. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed late on Wednesday that the victim, who has not been publicly identified, will now be passed to the Dorset Coroner, having been recovered with the help of specialist contractors. The Piper Malibu aircraft disappeared with Sala and pilot David Ibbotson on board on January 21. A private search was launched, backed by donations from the public, after authorities halted their initial efforts to find the plane and the wreckage was found under water on Sunday, 24 nautical miles north west of Guernsey. The AAIB said one of the occupants was visible amid the remains of the planeand have now confirmed that a recovery has been successful. However, it said attempts to retrieve the aircraft have been stopped due to bad weather.

Real Madrid have extended their record run of scoring in away matches against their great rivals Barcelona. Lucas Vazquez netted in the sixth minute of Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at Barcelona, with Malcom scoring in the second half in an eventual 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. It was Vazquez's first El Clasico goal in his seventh appearance in the fixture. With the Spain international's goal, Real Madrid have extended their record for consecutive away matches at Barcelona with a goal, having now netted in 15 straight games and scoring a total of 26 times in those matches. Sergio Ramos also grabbed a piece of history in Wednesday's game as the 32-year-old became the joint record-holder for the most appearances in El Clasico in all competitions in the 21st century. With his 40th El Clasico appearance, Ramos tied Barcelona legend Xavi in that category.

Liverpool have made a £61million bid for Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, according to reports in Italy. Jurgen Klopp is already looking to boost his Reds squad ahead of next season, despite sitting at the top of the Premier League and in a three-way title race with Manchester City and Tottenham. According to La Repubblica, the Reds placed the offer for Insigne through agent Mino Raiola and his father - as the Reds didn't want to approach Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis due to his volatile past. The offer was almost immediately rejected by De Laurentiis when the news filtered through the outfit. The fee was around half of the price tag the Serie A side have slapped on their prized possession - with the Italian open to offers of £131m. The 27-year-old, who has been capped 30 times by Italy, has a contract at Napoli until the summer of 2022.

Barcelona have included Lionel Messi in their 19-man matchday roster for Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Blaugrana manager Ernesto Valverde still must cut one player from his squad, meaning it is possible Messi could still miss out due to a thigh injury. The Argentine star picked up the injury on Saturday in Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Valencia. Though Messi played the entire match and scored twice, Valverde confirmed after the game that the 31-year-old had a "small problem" and would face tests to see if he'd be ready for Wednesday. "We will have to wait to see what medical staff say. If he's in good shape, he'll play on Wednesday," Valverde said on Saturday. Messi did not take part in full training on Monday, but returned to join his team-mates on Tuesday for their final session before facing their great rivals. Though Messi was included in the gameday squad, Ousmane Dembele missed ...

Chelsea's talisman Eden Hazard has revealed that he 'knows what he is going to do' at the end of the season. The Belgian's current deal with the Blues will expire at the end of next season and it is widely speculated that the attacker will look to move on this summer with Real Madrid after his services. "I know what I am going to do," Hazard said. "I have made a decision." He is yet to reveal his decision though. Hazard is enjoying another productive season, scoring 15 times and registering 10 assists in 31 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea.

The G.O.A.T from Portugal celebrates his 34th birthday today🎉!! Take a look at the the major honours that Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to win in his extraordinary career. 🏆Trophies : 5⃣ Ballon D'Or 5⃣ League Titles - EPL(3), La Liga (2) 5⃣ UCL Titles 2⃣ UEFA Super Cup 1⃣ UEFA Euros - 2016 2⃣ FIFA Club World Cups 1⃣ FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008  2⃣ The Best FIFA Men's Player: 2016, 2017 1⃣ FA Cup 2⃣ League Cup 2⃣Copa del Rey On the field: Top goalscorer in UEFA Champions League: 105 goals Most assists in La Liga: 85 assists Most assists in UEFA Champions League: 25 assists Most Hattricks in La Liga : 34 (including 8 in one season) CR7 shares his birthday with Neymar & former Man United team mate Carlos Tevez!!

Marco Verratti has returned to training with Paris Saint-Germain, giving the Ligue 1 leaders a timely fitness boost ahead of next month's Champions League clash with Manchester United. Verratti limped off during a game against Guingamp last month and was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, making him a doubt for the last-16 tie against United. But the Italy midfielder trained with his team-mates on Monday and could be fit to play at Old Trafford on February 12. The Ligue 1 champions will be without their star striker Neymar who misses out due to a foot injury.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is used to winning with offside goals, according to Manuel Pellegrini. West Ham held the Reds to a 1-1 draw at London Stadium on Monday after Michail Antonio cancelled out Sadio Mane's opener. But Mane's goal should not have counted as James Milner was offside in the build-up, while Liverpool could have scored an added-time winner through substitute Divock Origi, who was also offside. Klopp appeared annoyed at the full-time whistle and was involved in exchanges with both Pellegrini and referee Kevin Friend's team of match officials before leaving the field. And Pellegrini was quick to mention that last-eight tie in 2013 when he appeared in a post-match news conference. "It doesn't matter [what was said], Klopp is used to winning [with] goals offside," Pellegrini said."He beat me against Malaga with Borussia Dortmund with a goal seven metres offside, so he cannot complain about anything."

Liverpool have been dealt an injury blow with Joe Gomez set to undergo surgery on his fractured leg. The England international has been sidelined since early December after suffering the injury in a tackle with Burnley’s Ben Mee. The Reds had initially expected Gomez to miss around six weeks of action, but the 21-year-old’s recovery has been more complicated than first thought. And he is now set to have an operation which Liverpool hope will speed along his rehabilitation. The operation will take place in London later on Monday, and has been described by club sources as "routine, but necessary." Liverpool have not put a timescale on a potential return to action, or even training, with the issue dependent on how Gomez reacts to the surgery. The former Charlton man is expecting to feature again before the end of the season. “It’s a blow for the boy and for us because, prior to the injury, he was in such fantastic shape," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told the...

The Reds could lose the lead in the title race on Wednesday after another insipid draw at West Ham London called, but  Liverpool   were  unable to answer. Grey shirted, the  Premier League  leaders produced a performance to match the East London sky. This, their second draw in the space of five  days,  raises serious questions as to whether they can sustain their title challenge amid growing pressure from both  Manchester City  and  Tottenham . They will surrender top spot if City can win at  Everton  on Wednesday. Here, against a West Ham side wounded by recent setbacks, they looked like a team burdened by the situation they find themselves in. Pressure, it seems, can do strange things to a football team. An easy assumption? Perhaps, but how else to explain the way the Reds’ basics have deserted them of late. They got to the top through solidity, security and composure, but it has been lacking since the turn of t...

Barcelona star Lionel Messi faces further fitness tests ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Madrid. The Argentine star picked up a thigh injury during his decisive display against Valencia on Saturday after he converted his 50th penalty in La Liga and then pulled his side level with a second-half strike, but needed treatment on the touchline shortly afterward when he pulled up with an apparent thigh injury. Although he returned to see out the 2-2 draw with Los Che at Camp Nou, coach Ernesto Valverde confirmed after the game that Messi had a "small problem" and would face tests to see if he is available to feature against fierce rivals Madrid in midweek. "We will have to wait to see what medical staff say. If he's in good shape, he'll play on Wednesday [against Madrid]," he said. The 31-year-old was still struggling with the injury on Monday, however, and did not take part in normal training with his Barca t...