Alisson beats Firmino to 2019 Samba d´Or Award with Neymar fifth

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.

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Aurelien Tchouameni has withdrawn from France s squad ahead of their Nations League fixtures due to a foot injury.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

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp says he will treat the Europa League with respect should the Reds qualify for the second tier continental competition.

The 2019-20 Premier League champions are currently sixth on the table, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the final Champions League qualification spot with five games to play.

As a result, Liverpool appear destined to play in the Europa League in 2020-21 for the first time since 2015-16.

Since I am in England we have only played in the Europa League once and we went to the final [in 2016 against Sevilla], so it was good apart from the final, Klopp said. Last night I saw a Man United team enjoying the Europa League a lot.

It depends obviously which competition you are in and the circumstances a…

The midfielder’s bold run and curling stoppage-time finish stunned Molineux and secured his boyhood side a much-needed 4-3 victory after they had squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads.

“I think it’s hard to sum it up,” summer signing Hojlund said after the chaotic clash. “A little bit annoyed because we switch off a little bit but so happy for us in the end. A generational talent in Kobbie Mainoo. He did well.”

It is high praise for a player that Hojlund hopes to join as a bedrock of the United team for years to come.

“We enjoyed things, spending time outside together,” the 20-year-old said of Mainoo. “I think I’ve said before that us young guys, we have a little group and we’re chatting to each other.

Kobbie Time

— Marcus Rashford…

Liverpool took time adjusting to life back in the Europa League but for the fourth time in six matches this season they came from behind to win 3-1 against LASK in Linz.

It had been 2,682 days since they last appeared in UEFA’s second-tier competition, having played in three Champions League finals and won one, and that adaptation to a new reality took a while to bed in.

The Austrians had no such problem in the biggest game in their history as the visit of Manchester United in 2020, when they were hammed 5-0, happened behind closed doors because of the pandemic.

Up and running in the

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It was a modest record for a player as magnificent as Lionel Messi: three games, two final defeats, one red card, no goals.

But the Barcelona great s Copa America performances against Chile prior to Monday s curtain-raising clash were not entirely out of keeping with the rest of his Argentina career.

There have been moments of magic, of course, but just 15 goals across 46 Copa America and World Cup appearances ahead of this game. Meanwhile, not since 2007-08 has Messi fallen short of averaging a goal every two games for Barca, let alone one every three.

Even Messi himself could not reasonably argue his international displays have come close to the standard set at club level.

And while World Cup failures will always remain at the forefront of any such disc…

Market: Stevenage win

Odds: 19/20 @

Hoping to shore up their spot in the play-off chase, Stevenage will welcome Reading to the Lamex Stadium on Tuesday night.

Starting with the hosts, although Stevenage might have only made their League One return this season, the Boro are enjoying what has been a real fairytale. Continuing to receive a string of public praise from across England’s third-tier, it is no secret that Steve Evans’ men have their sights firmly set on securing a shock play-off ticket in 2024. With the mood around the Lamex Stadium at a red-hot high, the former Gillingham boss will be calling on his squad to make another statement in midweek. Last seen over the weekend putting in another eye-catching display as they clinched a 1-0 victory against B…