Saul: Atletico not seeking Champions League revenge

Everton have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Twente for the transfer of Netherlands international Leroy Fer.

The 23-year-old is now expected to travel to Merseyside to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms ahead of an estimated 8.5-million-pound move.

The signing will represent David Moyes first foray into the market this January and comes on the back of watching Kevin Mirallas again succumb to injury in the 2-1 FA Cup win at Bolton.

Moyes hinted at an imminent deal on Monday.

If I have to have a bet on whether we will get someone in, then I would back myself to do it, he said.

When I took the job 500 games ago, I knew the situation wasn t going to be having lots and lots of cash to spend.

I will tell the c…

Market: Norwich win

Odds: 19/20 @

Hoping to extend their stay in the play-off places this weekend, Norwich will welcome Sunderland to Carrow Road on Sunday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Norwich might have opened 2023 in the midst of an extended nightmare, David Wagner s men have come roading back in some style. Last seen putting in another thrilling display as they claimed an action-packed 3-2 victory away at Millwall, the former Huddersfield boss should find the mood around Carrow Road at a real high. Finding a route into the play-off places and with their sights set on booking an immediate Premier League return this year, the Canaries have now collected 13 points from their last five Championship outings. Likewise, along with winning each of their …

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Arsenal s long Premier League title wait is helping them score late goals and insists the Gunners are still favourites for the domestic crown.

Arsenal s 3-0 win at Fulham on Sunday meant they restored their five-point lead over second-placed City with 11 games to play.

The Gunners latest win was more routine in comparison to the recent 3-2 triumph over Bournemouth where Reiss Nelson netted a 97th-minute winner, or last month s thrilling come-from-behind 4-2 victory at Aston Villa.

Guardiola argued Arsenal s long drought for a Premier League title, having not claimed the honour since 2003-04, was fuelling their belief late in games.

On the contrary, the Catalan sensed City lacked that desire having lifted four of …

Gareth Bale has praised Zinedine Zidane for allowing Real Madrid s stars the freedom they need to perform at their peak.

Zidane has overseen a transformation of fortunes at the Santiago Bernabeu since taking over from Rafael Benitez in January, with Madrid having a Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on the horizon after coming close to snatching the Liga title away from Barcelona.

Madrid head into Saturday s European showpiece at San Siro on the back of a 12-game winning run in La Liga, and Bale says Zidane, a great of the game as a player with France, Juventus and then Los Blancos, has adopted the correct approach in his first senior coaching role.

I think he s come in and he s kind of just given us that freedom to enjoy ourselves on the pitch, said…

Rejuvenated England, European kings Spain and defending champions Italy hope their young players can fire them closer to the 2010 World Cup finals on Saturday.

But former champions Germany and France, whose qualifying campaigns have yet to hit top gear, will be looking to the tried and trusted to spark them closer to South Africa.

England have enjoyed two wins from two games under new coach Fabio Capello, the last of which was an impressive 4-1 win in Croatia which propelled them to the top of Group Six and sent Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott s reputation into orbit.

The 19-year-old s hat-trick in Zagreb should make him a first choice in Saturday s clash with minnows Kazakhstan at Wembley and against Belarus in Minsk four days later.

As a young player…

Is Lionel Messi set to swap Spain for France?

Paris Saint-Germain have been among the clubs linked with Messi.

And rumours suggest PSG believe they will land the Barcelona superstar.

TOP STORY – PSG POISED TO SIGN MESSI?

Paris Saint-Germain are preparing to announce the signing of Lionel Messi, according to FootballTransfers.

Messi, who is out of contract at the end of the season, tried to leave Barcelona at the start of 2020-21 but the six-time Ballon d Or winner opted to remain at Camp Nou.

Now, Ligue 1 champions PSG are growing increasingly confident of luring Messi to Paris on a free transfer, having told their stores around the French capital to brace themselves for a high demand of shirt sales.

The Daily Star, …

Gareth Bale and Keylor Navas have been used to promote Real Madrid s new home kit for next season, despite both being heavily linked with a move away from the club.

Zinedine Zidane s men are undergoing a major rebuild following a poor 2018-19 campaign, with more than €100million already being spent to bring in Eder Militao and Luka Jovic.

More big-name signings are expected to follow in the coming weeks, including Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, but others such as Bale and Navas could be on their way out of the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale played no part in Madrid s final three matches of last season, while goalkeeper Navas featured more regularly in the closing weeks of the campaign but has still been tipped to find a new club.

Inspired by glory. Created to d…

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has announced that he is to retire from football at the end of the season.

The 38-year-old ex-England international is likely to feature in United s two last games against Swansea and West Brom but will then call time on his career.
Scholes told the club s official website: Yes, I am finally hanging up my boots for good! Playing football is all I have ever wanted to do, and so to have had such a long and successful career at Manchester United, under the greatest manager of all time, has been an honour.
The team has the right balance and will continue to thrive under the leadership of David Moyes.
Boss Alex Ferguson added: Paul is a truly unbelievable player. He has always been fully committed to this club and it has been a real privil…

Juventus striker Carlos Tevez has claimed it is easier to score in the Premier League because of   non-existent midfields in England.

Tevez enjoyed stints with West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City in England s top flight before making the move to Juventus in 2013.

The Argentina forward has scored 25 goals in all competitions this term as Juve remain on course for a Serie A, UEFA Champions League and Coppa Italia treble.

But Tevez told La Repubblica:  It s much easier to score in the Premier League, where the ball doesn t stop moving, the action is everywhere and the midfield is non-existent.

Here you see a striker up against five defenders, it s much more difficult than in England. The Italian league is of a high standard.

Althou…

Manchester City are interested in signing Joshua Kimmich from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has noted that Kimmich is out of contract at Bundesliga champions Bayern in the summer of 2025, and that the Bavarian giants could sell him at the end of the season if he does not sign a new deal by then.

City manager Pep Guardiola worked with Kimmich when he was the manager of Bayern. Kimmich is at the top of his game at the moment and is 28 years of age. The Germany international is a very versatile player who can operate in defensive midfield, central defence and right-back.

City are third in the Premier League table at the moment with 18 points from eight matches, two points behind Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who are first and second respec…