The Europa League is back with a bang on Thursday as the round of 32 gets underway. Eight clubs have dropped into the competition from the Champions League, joining the 24 who safely navigated through the group phase. Manchester United and Ajax are the biggest names to enter the Europa League at this stage, and both will fancy their chances of making progress. However, with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Leicester City, AC Milan and Napoli amongst a strong line-up, winning the Europa League will not be easy. All four Premier League clubs are on the road for their first leg matches, with Arsenal facing the toughest test against Benfica. The Gunners have been boosted by Kieran Tierney’s return to training, but the defender is unlikely to be included in the starting XI. Spurs will be without Joe...
Everton are looking to sign Granada stopper Rui Silva on a pre-contract deal this January – despite reports claiming that the Portuguese has already agreed to join Real Betis in the summer. The 26-year-old has been at Granada since January 2017, arriving from Liga NOS side Nacional. He has since established himself as the club’s number one goalkeeper. Silva should be on the move this summer Silva’s contract is set to expire in the coming months, leaving him free to negotiate a pre-contract deal this January. Betis looked to have won the race for his signature, with reports emerging that he had signed with Los Verdiblancos. However, Estadio Deportivo are now claiming that the transfer has not been finalised, and that he could still move elsewhere. Everton are believed to be pushing to bring...