Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann wants his future resolved before joining up with France for the World Cup in June, with Barcelona reportedly eager to make a move for him.
Griezmann had been strongly linked with a transfer to Manchester United in pre-season, before ultimately opting to remain in Madrid.
Ever since it became clear a switch to the Premier League was not going to materialise, Barca emerged as a suitor and reports have even claimed Griezmann held talks with them at the end of last year, though the Catalan club strongly denied this.
Nevertheless, speculation continues to suggest Barca will make Griezmann their primary target before next season and the striker just wants his future sorted early so he can concentrate on France s World Cup campaign…
Adam Le Fondre feels Reading have improved since Nigel Adkins was installed as manager.
The former Southampton boss was appointed after the club decided to part company with Brian McDermott.
He was ultimately unsuccessful in his bid to stave off relegation from the Premier League, but Le Fondre believes the team s style of play is generally better under Adkins.
You can see the massive progression we have made under the new manager and the contrast in styles, he told the Reading Chronicle.
No disrespect to Brian and how we played before, but it s a totally different kind of football in the Premier League than the Championship.
If you keep giving the ball away, trying to turn teams and don t have any sustained possession, teams tend to hurt you.
Premier League clubs h…
Serie A giants Lazio are pondering summer move for Genoa striker Ciro Immobile, .
It is no secret the Biancocelesti are looking to sign a long-term replacement for Miroslav Klose and they are currently looking at a number of players.
Genoa striker Ciro Immobile, who is also co-owned by Juventus, is one of their targets in the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks at Juventus, but he was forced to prove his worth during loan spells with Siena, Grosseto and Pescara.
Immobile shone during the 2011/2012 season at Pescara, bagging 28 goals in 37 Serie B matches, which saw him make a switch to Genoa last summer.
He has since clocked up 33 league appearances for the Rossoblu, scoring 5 goals in the process. Immobile is set…
Romania must beat Serbia in their 2010 World Cup qualifier on Saturday if they are to remain in contention for a place at next year s finals claimed their star striker Adrian Mutu on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old, Romania s third all-time scorer with 29, said that a draw would not be good enough against a side that presently tops Group 7 with nine points, though, the Romanians on four points have a game in hand.
We cannot just come away with a draw against Serbia, said Mutu.
This match is vital because if we don t win, we won t have a chance of qualifying, added Mutu, who also said that they must take three points off Austria on April 1.
The Fiorentina marksman claimed Serbia had an advantage because their players played in tougher championships than most…
Defending champions Rubin Kazan moved into third place in the Russian league following a 1-2 win at Terek Groznyi on Saturday.
Sergei Semak put Rubin in the lead on 18 minutes and Alejandro Dominguez made it 0-2 a few minutes later. Shamil Lakhiyalov got one back in added time but couldn t threaten the away side s lead.
Dinamo Moscow share first place -with Krylya Sovetov- after a 1-0 win over FK Rostov na Donu. The only goal of the match was scored from the penalty spot by Alexander Kerzhakov in the 76th minute.
On Sunday, Zenit St Petersburg have a chance to reconquer their lead when the 2008 UEFA Cup champions host Amkar Perm.
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Joshua Zirkzee made another crucial impact off the bench as Bayern Munich left it late to beat Wolfsburg 2-0 with two goals in the last five minutes of normal time.
The reigning Bundesliga champions, whose injury troubles were deepened by the first-half exit of Javi Martinez on Saturday, looked set to lose further ground at the top of the table as visiting goalkeeper Koen Casteels produced a fine performance at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern appeared to be running out of ideas in the closing stages after creating plenty of chances prior to the interval, but substitute Zirkzee who scored a key goal on his league debut against Freiburg in midweek again provided a dramatic late intervention.
The 18-year-old converted Thomas Muller s cut-back in the 85th minute to br…
Celtic suffered another Champions League nightmare as Midtjylland came from behind to reach the third qualifying round with a 2-1 victory after extra time.
A magnificent Callum McGregor goal put the Hoops in front on aggregate early in the second half of a second leg that started with the two sides level at 1-1 at the MCH Arena.
Awer Mabil equalised with a header and Raphael Onyedika settled the tie early in extra time as the Danish Superliga side set up a two-legged meeting with PSV.
Celtic crashed out at the same stage as they did last season at the hands of Ferencvaros and will now face a Europa League qualifier against Czech side Jablonec in a miserable start to Ange Postecoglou s reign.
The Hoops are knocked out of the .
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Tottenham have ended their long transfer impasse with the capture of Leeds United s teenage winger Jack Clarke, who will return to Elland Road on loan next season.
Clarke has penned a four-year deal to become Mauricio Pochettino s first addition since the arrival of Lucas Moura in January 2018.
Leeds accepted an offer reportedly in the region of £10million plus add-ons for the 18-year-old and negotiated his return for another 12 months under the tutelage of Pochettino s former mentor Marcelo Bielsa.
Quick, direct and comfortable on either flank, Clarke made 25 competitive appearances during his breakthrough campaign in Yorkshire.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)
He scored twice in that time and looked set to break into Leeds st…
Manchester City have signed Rodri from Atletico Madrid for a club-record fee after activating his reported €70million (£63million) release clause.
Atletico announced on Wednesday the midfielder s exit clause had been deposited at LaLiga headquarters by Rodri s lawyer and City representatives, freeing him from his contract.
The Premier League champions then confirmed on Thursday the Spain international has signed a five-year deal, becoming their second arrival of the week after full-back Angelino was brought back from PSV.
Rodri s move eclipses the £60m City paid to sign Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City in July 2018.
He only joined Atletico from Villarreal a year ago, signing a five-year deal at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The 23-year-old made…
West Ham have signed left-back Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal.
The Hammers have been in the market for a left-sided defender with Aaron Cresswell ruled out for four months with a knee injury.
They are reported to have held an interest in Inter s Davide Santon, but concerns over his fitness saw them switch their interest to Frenchman Masuaku.
It s a big honour for me to be part of this club, said Masuaku. I was speaking with my agent about some opportunities, but when he told me about West Ham and also the coach, I didn t think twice, so in my mind, it was West Ham.
For me, the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. When I was 18, my target was to come here, so now I am here, I have to prove myse…