Morata linked with Real return
Spanish daily newspaper that Real Madrid officials are keeping close tabs on former player Alvaro Morata.
The 22-year-old only left Santiago Bernabeu in the summer as he joined Juventus in a €22 million deal, but los Blancos also included a buy-back clause.
Under the terms of the agreement, Real Madrid can purchase Morata for €30 million in the summer or €35 million a year later, while they also have the right of first refusal.
That appears to have been a good piece of business considering that the youngster has largely impressed in Turin and los Blancos are seriously thinking about luring him back to Madrid.
Alvaro Morata has scored 5 goals in as many Serie A starts and appears on the verge of nailing down a…
Serbia caretaker coach Ljubinko Drulovic believes Lazar Markovic s transfer to Liverpool can help him become one of Europe s elite players.
Markovic, 20, is tipped join Liverpool from Portuguese champions Benfica after the Premier League club reportedly activated his release clause.
The Serbia international winger, who made his debut as a 17-year-old against Armenia in 2012, only arrived in Portugal at the start of the 2013-14 season after joining Benfica on a five-year deal from Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade.
Despite spending just one season in the Primeira Liga, Drulovic interim coach of the national team following Sinisa Mihaljovic s decision to take charge of Sampdoria in November said Markovic s proposed move to Anfield was the right decision for his …
Carlos Vela has signed a four-year deal with La Liga side Real Sociedad, bringing to an end his seven-year stay with Arsenal.
The Mexican striker was on loan with the Spanish outfit last season, finishing as Real s top scorer with 12 goals and making seven assists in 35 appearances.
Vela has previously played on loan at Salamanca, Osasuna and West Bromwich Albion after failing to nail down a place in the Arsenal first team since joining the club in 2005.
The 23-year-old is expected to put the finishing touches to the deal on Tuesday, though Sociedad have already announced an agreement, with an official presentation set to take place on Thursday.
Vela has represented Mexico at every youth level, playing at the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, and was a …
Twice-champions FC Porto sneaked into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday with a 2-1 win at Turkey s Fenerbahce, Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez netting a first-half brace.
The Portuguese, European champions in 1987 and 2004, stood two points behind Group G leaders Arsenal at start of play after winning two and losing two of their opening four outings and with the Gunners edging Kiev in London Porto could not afford to lose ground.
Lopez s two goals inside ten minutes midway through the opening period were just enough to see off a Kazim Kazim consolation as the Portuguese moved onto nine points two adrift of their English Premiership rivals but comfortably ahead of the Turks and Ukrainians.
Fenerbahce, coached by Spain s Euro 2008 architect Luis A…
But that s what I told them [the squad] at midday: what happened at the weekend and before is no longer on the agenda. We have to focus on Russia and Colombia. That s part of our job as coaches.
Obviously, this is a situation he won t appreciate in relation to everything he s done. There can be many, varied reasons. He can t be happy with what he s going through with his club.
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele earned a recall to Deschamps set-up following a run of good displays under Ernesto Valverde in recent weeks.
The 20-year-old was not involved for his country towards the end of last year, initially being left out while Barca tried to secure his transfer from Borussia Dortmund last August, before a serious hamstring injury saw him miss the final World Cup…
Luka Jovic feels he could play alongside Karim Benzema in the same team but indicated he is happy to let Zinedine Zidane decide how to use him at Real Madrid.
Serbia striker Jovic signed a six-year deal to join Los Blancos after hitting 27 goals in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt last term.
Jovic s arrival is part of a major rebuild for Madrid after a disappointing campaign, with Eden Hazard, Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes also arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema hit 21 LaLiga goals in 2018-19 and was one of the few Madrid players to impress, although Jovic could usurp him in the team.
The 21-year-old, though, suggested at his Madrid unveiling on Wednesday he and Benzema are compatible .
When he arrived [at Real Madrid], I w…
Maarten Stekelenburg s agent has denied a deal has been agreed with Fulham for the Roma goalkeeper s services.
Rumours surfaced that the Netherlands international was due to sign for the Premier League side after reports in Italy suggested the two clubs had agreed a deal.
Fulham were close to signing the shot-stopper before the transfer deadline in January, but the move fell through at the last minute.
A deal between the two clubs looks imminent, but agent Rob Jansen declared nothing had yet been agreed.
Maarten to Fulham? At the moment there is nothing. It s still early, we have to wait, he told Calciomercato.
The 30-year old began his career at Ajax, before moving to Roma in 2011 for an estimated 6 million euros.
He has appeared 19 times in Serie A for the club this …
QPR have confirmed the signing of Netherlands international Leroy Fer from Norwich City on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Fer featured at the recent World Cup in Brazil, scoring in a 2-0 win over Chile in Netherlands final Group B clash.
The 24-year-old midfielder joined Norwich from Twente ahead of the 2013-14 campaign, but failed to help keep the club in the Premier League as the Carrow Road outfit finished 18th, three points adrift of safety.
Fer featured as a substitute in Norwich s 3-0 win over Watford in the Championship on Saturday before completing his move to Loftus Road on Wednesday.
I can t wait to get started here, Fer said. It was always my dream to stay in England, in the Premier League.
QPR did well last season to come…
Egil Olsen will remain put as Norwegian national team manager until the end of the World Cup qualifiers. The country s FA announced this on Tuesday.
Olsen became caretaker manager in January, following the departure of Age Hareide who had failed to win a single international match with Norway in 2008.
The Norwegian FA initially attempted to find a permanent replacement but Olsen s performance since January convinced board members to leave the 66-year-old until October.
Norway are currently in last place in Group 9 of the European World Cup qualifiers.
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In the opening round of the Russian Premier League, Rubin Kazan booked the first three points for the 2021-22 season with a huge win over Spartak Moscow at the Kazan Arena on Saturday.
Sticking to the task
The best way to explain how Rubin achieved their victory in this match is probably to say they stuck to the task at hand from the first to the final whistle.
Having finished second last term and shown a high level of desire and quality through pre-season, it only stood to reason to expect Spartak to walk away from Kazan with a collective smile on their faces. Indeed, the visitors pushed forward hard from the start, completely dominating possession and keeping the ball in the opposition half practically all the time during the opening 15 minutes.
Rubin defende…