Barcelona want Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette

Chelsea have posted their worst defensive record for a season in 29 years following Saturday s Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

Frank Lampard s side lost 4-1 in Munich, Robert Lewandowski scoring twice along with goals from Ivan Perisic and Corentin Tolisso to leave Tammy Abraham s effort scant consolation.

The Blues lost 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, leaving them with a 7-1 aggregate defeat – their heaviest in a two-legged European tie in their history.

Arsenal, who lost 10-2 over two legs to Bayern in 2016-17, are the only English team to have suffered a heavier aggregate defeat in the Champions League.

The result also means the Blues finish 2019-20 having conceded 79 goals in 55 games in all competitions, giving them an average …

According to a recent report from Sport, Barcelona are ready and willing to meet Lautaro Martinez’s £92 million buyout clause in order to secure his signature during next summer’s transfer window. The Inter Milan forward has been turning heads throughout the course of the current campaign, to the point where a series of top European clubs have been forced to sit up and take notice. 

However, Inter aren’t willing to go down without a fight. The title contenders are going to offer him a new contract in order to try and persuade him to stay at the San Siro, although it’s not yet known how much financial backing they’d be putting behind it. 

Barca are ruthless when they want to go after a player that they really think could improve the strength of their squ…

San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski has finally passed Landon Donovan for the most regular-season goals in MLS history.

The veteran former United States striker has long been chasing Donovan s total of 145 and seized the record against Chicago Fire on Saturday.

Wondolowski scored four goals in a 4-1 rout of the Fire to take his MLS tally to 148.

The 36-year-old twice won the MLS Cup with Houston Dynamo, while he was the league s MVP as the Quakes won the 2012 Supporters Shield, but team success has dried up in recent years.

WONDO ON TOP.

— Major League Soccer (@MLS)

Yet Wondolowski now has his own piece of history and, with the help of Opta, we look at the numbers behind his achievement.

338 – It took …

Manchester United are interested in signing Unai Simon from Athletic Bilbao in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Red Devils are looking for a new goalkeeper, and that they have the Spain international on their radar.

Simon has been on the books of Bilbao since 2016 and has established himself as the number one goalkeeper for the Basque club. The 25-year-old is also the first choice between the posts for Spain and played for his country at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 26 points from 14 matches, three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have played 15 games. Meanwhile, Bilbao currently find themselves fourth in the La Liga table with 24 points f…

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers believes British managers are just as talented as their foreign counterparts and deserve more respect for their achievements.

Rodgers took over at the Foxes in February 2019 and steered the club to a fifth-place finish in the 2019-20 campaign, missing out on a Champions League spot on the final day of the season.

His side have enjoyed a stellar start to the new season too, and sit top of the Premier League after winning six of their opening eight games. 

Rodgers is widely considered to be one of the best British managers of his generation, having come close to winning the Premier League with Liverpool in 2014. 

He also led Celtic to seven domestic trophies during his two-and-a-half seasons in charge of the Scottish c…

Chelsea and Bayern Munich are reportedly both in contact with Spanish midfielder Gavi amid concerns that Barcelona s financial position will mean they are unable to retain him.

Gavi, 18, is one of the top central midfield prospects in the world, having already racked up 87 senior appearances for Barcelona since debuting in the 2021-22 season.

According to AS, the contract extension Gavi signed this season to tie him to Barcelona until 2026 was rejected by LaLiga because of the club s finances and, if they fail to clear enough salary room by June 30, Gavi will be allowed to leave on a free transfer.

TOP STORY – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SHARKS CIRCLING VULNERABLE BARCELONA

AS reports Chelsea have already met with Gavi s agent in an attempt to convince him of a Pr…

Erik ten Hag lauded Ajax s outstanding achievement after the high-flying Dutch giants capped their group-stage campaign with more Champions League history.

Ajax made it six wins from six games in Group C following Tuesday s 4-2 victory over fellow last-16 bound outfit Sporting CP in Amsterdam.

With the triumph, Ajax became the first Dutch team to win all six of their games in a single Champions League group-stage campaign.

Ajax also won six consecutive matches in the European Cup/Champions League for the first time in their illustrious history.

Ten Hag s men have swept all before them in Europe this season and the Manchester United-linked head coach hailed Ajax.

To win one match in the [UEFA] Champions League is difficult enough, but to win six i…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Nemanja Matic from Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Newcastle are looking at a number of players to sign on loan, and Matic is among those they are looking for.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have already asked Premier League rivals Manchester United about signing Matic on loan next month. The 33-year-old has been on the books of the Red Devils since 2017 and has been a key figure in the team over the years.

Matic has made five starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for Manchester United so far this season. The Serbian midfielder made one start and five substitute appearances in the Champions League for the Red Devils last season.

…

Aurelien Tchouameni has withdrawn from France s squad ahead of their Nations League fixtures due to a foot injury.

The 24-year-old left camp on Monday and has returned to Real Madrid, where he will undergo further assessment, though the injury is not thought to be serious.

Tchouameni had started all four of Madrid s opening LaLiga fixtures, having also played five times for France at Euro 2024 as they reached the semi-finals, but he will now miss Les Bleus opening fixtures against Italy and Belgium.

The midfielder is the second Madrid player to pull out of Didier Deschamps squad on Monday, with left-back Ferland Mendy also withdrawing due to a shin injury.

Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Digne have been called up as their respective replacements.

It al…

Eddie Howe has vowed to adopt a siege mentality once again as Newcastle prepare for a first Champions League campaign in 20 years.

The Magpies have dragged themselves from the thick of a Premier League relegation fight when the club’s new owners took control in October 2021 to Europe’s top table in the space of a remarkable 19 months.

They have done so with the help of a £250million-plus investment, provided in large part by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which holds an 80 per cent stake, and the source of that wealth has prompted concerted criticism, with human rights campaign group Amnesty International in particular voicing concerns over “sportswashing”.

Newcastle, Feyenoord, Union Berlin…

Find out who is in next season s Champions…