Lionel Messi ‘will beat Erling Haaland to win his EIGHTH Ballon d’Or – becoming the first winner outside of Europe’… and extend his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo
17/10/23 10:50
Lionel Messi is set to win his eighth Ballon d’Or later this month, with the World Cup winner to become the first player playing outside of the European top flight to take home the storied award, according to reports. The Argentine’s eighth trophy will extend his record as the most-decorated recipient of the award, and will see the 36-year-old reclaim the Ballon d’Or after it went to Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema in 2022. The former Barcelona star has long been the frontrunner to scoop the top prize at the awards ceremony in Paris at the end of October, after captaining Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. …read
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first job at Manchester United is to clear up the club’s transfer mess following calamitous years of overpaying, last-minute offers and eventual rejections
17/10/23 12:31MATT HUGHES: The most telling recent indication of Manchester United’s approach to transfer business is the club’s final offer for Rasmus Hojlund increasing by around £27million in a day.
Joao Felix claims he can ‘maintain a good level’ at Barcelona, and admits he struggled to achieve that at Atletico Madrid and Chelsea before his loan move this summer
16/10/23 06:29Joao Felix has revealed he has been able to ‘maintain a good level’ since joining Barcelona, after admitting his struggles to hit the mark with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.
A Real family affair! Madrid ‘send scouts to watch Jude Bellingham’s younger brother, Jobe, in action for England U19s’ with Los Blancos chief ‘Florentino Perez keen on a deal’
16/10/23 05:49Real Madrid sent scouts to watch Jobe Bellingham – Jude’s little brother – play for the England under-19s in the international break, according to a Spanish report.
Barcelona ‘are keen on £17m-rated Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen as a possible replacement for former Blues full back Marcos Alonso’
16/10/23 03:18Chelsea have to secure the future of Dutchman Ian Maatsen quickly, or run the risk of losing him for free at the end of the season, with Barcelona interested in his services.
Jordan Henderson insists he’s unfazed ‘whether people believe me or not’ over his reasons to move to Saudi Arabia – but admits ‘it’s not nice’ to have England fans boo him following jeers during friendly win over Australia
16/10/23 12:31The midfielder was booed during England’s 1-0 win over Australia, a clear reaction to his decision to leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window.
Eric Dier is ‘offered an escape route out of Tottenham’ as ex-Spurs boss Jose Mourinho ‘targets the out-of-favour star’ as he looks to improve his defensive options
15/10/23 08:22Dier has been on the periphery of proceedings at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou and has yet to make a single appearance this season.
Bruno Guimaraes ‘has secret Barcelona release clause’ in his new Newcastle contract that allows the Nou Camp club to buy him for £40m less than everyone else
15/10/23 12:05The Brazilian midfielder agreed a five-year extension through until 2028 earlier this month with a £100million release clause included.
Wayne Rooney ‘targets former England team-mate’ as his first signing at Birmingham City
15/10/23 10:39Rooney, 37, was appointed Blues manager last week with a brief to return them to the Premier League and he is already targeting a former England colleague.
Liverpool ‘identify Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane as their first-choice to replace Mohamed Salah’ in club-record deal if Egypt international moves to Saudi Arabia
15/10/23 01:06If it was to go ahead then a deal for Sane would surpass the fee paid for Darwin Nunez, who cost £64.2million plus £21.4million in add-ons when he joined Liverpool from Benfica in 2022.
Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta refuses to rule out return for Andre Onana amid his nightmare start at Man United… as he hails the club for signing the goalkeeper for free and selling him for £47m
14/10/23 07:55Onana signed for United from Inter in July for a fee of £47.1million. Although Onana hasn’t had the best of starts at United he remains highly regarded by Inter, who signed him on a free transfer last year.
ALVISE CAGNAZZO: After just eight games, Romelu Lukaku has scored SEVEN goals in a blistering start with Roma – it looks like third time’s a charm for both the Chelsea flop and head coach Jose Mourinho
13/10/23 07:16ALVISE CAGNAZZO: After a turbulent transfer window, Romelu Lukaku appears tranfsormed from ugly duckling to splendid swan under the care of former manager Jose Mourinho at Roma.
Kalvin Phillips ‘is being monitored by a top Champions League side’, with out of favour Manchester City midfielder ‘likely’ to leave the club in January transfer window
13/10/23 11:50Tipped to be a vital player for the club and, if nothing more, an understudy to Rodri, the England midfielder has made just five starts for City, with a further 21 appearances coming from the bench.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright undergoes surgery for liver cancer… as the 78-year-old leaves hospital after a ‘prolonged period in an intensive care unit’
12/10/23 10:02Everton have announced that their chairman Bill Kenwright has left hospital after undergoing surgery for liver cancer six weeks ago. The Toffees released a statement on Kenwright’s health scare on Thursday.
Bayern Munich chief condemns Thomas Tuchel for ‘unwise statements’ about their squad depth – as he insists it is isn’t ‘too thin’ to compete after boss’ pleas to strengthen in January
12/10/23 07:03Tuchel arrived at Bayern less than six months ago when he replaced Julian Nagelsmann , but has already tested the patience of his new bosses, particularly during the summer transfer window.
Chelsea ‘eye move for unsettled Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in January’… with Arsenal target Ivan Toney ‘also an option for the Blues’
12/10/23 03:14Osimhen’s future at Napoli was plunged into doubt last month after a row over the club’s TikTok account, with the forward being the subject of two offensive clips shared on the social media app
Sound familiar? Furious fans of Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg slam the ‘senseless’ transfer policy of their new owners and label them ‘money without competence’ after struggling in England too
11/10/23 03:12Boehly’s BlueCo consortium – who own Chelsea – purchased Strasbourg back in June, with the American having previously outlined his desire to develop a multi-club model.
Ronald Koeman reveals he holds a grudge against Ryan Gravenberch after he snubbed a Netherlands Under-21 call-up last month, as he admits the decision played a part in the Liverpool star’s latest omission from the senior side
10/10/23 08:09The 21-year-old midfielder signed for Liverpool at the end of the summer transfer window, and opted to reject joining up with the Netherlands Under-21 squad in September.
Are these the numbers that show Harry Maguire may have a future at Manchester United? Much-maligned defender set up Scott McTominay’s winner against Brentford and reminded Erik ten Hag why Gareth Southgate relies on him for England
10/10/23 11:59Manchester United rolled back the years to avoid a third consecutive home defeat in the Premier League on Saturday, with Scott McTominay scoring twice in injury time to thwart Brentford.
Wataru Endo may have been ‘surprised’ by his move to Liverpool but he is filling the hole left behind by Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at Anfield
08/10/23 02:24JOE BERNSTEIN: While some clubs lack leaders, Liverpool can boast five international captains in their squad. The latest is Japan’s Wataru Endo.
Juventus ‘are keen to sign Jadon Sancho on loan’ in January if Manchester United ‘agree to pay half of his £350,000-per-week wages’
08/10/23 01:38Sancho has been banished to work on his own in the academy after falling out with Ten Hag by publicly challenging the manager’s reasons for dropping him from the squad at Arsenal last month.
Lionel Messi ‘could rejoin Barcelona on LOAN in January’ if Inter Miami fail to make the MLS playoffs – but the Spanish club are yet to approach David Beckham’s team over a move
06/10/23 03:19Barcelona are contemplating a stunning move to bring Lionel Messi back to his boyhood team on loan in January if Inter Miami fail to reach the MLS playoffs.
