Juventus
With Serie A title out of reach, Juventus face moment of reckoning
After becoming an unbeatable force in the Serie A over the years, Juventus’ champion status in Italy is under threat. Whether it is due to the pandemic, burnout or just general lack of consistency, Juventus have failed in their bid to win a tenth consecutive title. Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atalanta are ahead of them in the table, and with Napoli just behind, there is no guarantee they will qualify for the Champions League. Juve are fourth in the Serie A league table with six games left to play. They are level one point behind Milan, level with Atalanta and two ahead of Napoli. There is little chance of the champions reclaiming their title – Inter are unlikely to lose four games in their last five. Juve still have a chance to finish the season with a trophy if they beat Atalanta in th...
Roma join Tottenham and Juventus in race for Premier League defender
Roma have joined the race for Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard, according to Tuttomercatoweb. Vestergaard has been a hit at Southampton since signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2018. He made 42 appearances in his first two Premier League seasons and has featured a further 24 times this campaign. Vestergaard celebrates his goal against Brighton The Denmark international is renowned for being a good reader of the game and strong in the air, standing tall at 6ft 6ins. He can contribute at both ends of the pitch, netting three goals this season. Vestergaard has caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur both reportedly interested in his services. Tuttomercatoweb claims that Roma are also set to compete for his signature. Roma need ad...
English FA ‘exploring all options’ to prevent Super League repeat
English football is set for a fan-led review, under the direction of former sports minister Tracey Crouch, following the fall-out from the widely criticised breakaway plans. Twelve of Europe’s leading clubs — including the Premier League’s “big six” — announced late Sunday they had signed up to compete in the Super League. But the plans dramatically unravelled two days later as clubs withdrew following an outpouring of outrage from fans, governing bodies, players and politicians. Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all swiftly confirmed they would not be moving ahead with the proposals, which would have seen founder members exempt from relegation. Bullingham is determined there must be no repeat of the chain of events, which caused an uproar throug...
32-goal star open to Manchester United transfer, could be available for just £26m
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is open to the prospect of returning to Manchester United this summer, a report from Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness claims. The Portugal international made the switch to the Bianconeri from Real Madrid in 2018 for around £100 million, and he has impressed with 97 goals from his 127 appearances. However, the 36-year-old is assessing his future ahead of the summer after what has turned into a disappointing 2020/21 campaign for the club. It is added that the Portuguese is open to the ‘romantic idea’ of rejoining the Red Devils, where he was contracted between 2003 and 2009. It is added that he is prepared to take a reasonable cut on his £27m annual wages but won’t accept anything less than £17.4m as the net salary. While United boss Ole G...
Barcelona supremo: European Super League a ‘necessity’
Barcelona president Joan Laporta described the European Super League as a “necessity” on Thursday but said the final decision would be given to the club’s members. Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus are the only clubs yet to withdraw officially from the breakaway competition, which lasted just 48 hours before the project imploded. Nine of the 12 clubs involved have pulled out. With total debts of more than a billion euros, Barcelona are struggling to keep up with Europe’s elite, making the prospect of a hugely lucrative new tournament particularly attractive. But Laporta said Barca’s members would have to approve the idea in a vote. “We understand it is a necessity but on the other hand, the members will have the last word,” Laporta told Catalunya Radio. “It is absolutely necessary the big cl...
West Ham willing to pay up to €45million for summer signing
West Ham are reportedly willing to spend up to €45million on Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri in the summer transfer window. The Hammers have had a brilliant season so far, with the club currently sat fifth in the Premier League table, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. Despite that, David Moyes’ striking options have struggled during the campaign. Jesse Lingard, who joined West Ham on loan in the January transfer window, is the club’s joint-top goalscorer with nine goals. Midfielder Tomas Soucek is the other player to have scored nine goals during the current campaign. Meanwhile, Michail Antonio and Sébastien Haller have only managed seven goals each this season. As a result, West Ham have now been linked with Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri. A report from ...
PSG president replaces Juventus supremo as ECA chairman
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been appointed as the new European Club Association chairman, replacing Andrea Agnelli in the wake of the Juventus executive’s departure. Agnelli stepped down from the ECA in response to the formation of the Super League, assuming the role of the new competition’s chairman. Although the Super League is not set to go ahead, Al-Khelaifi has been named as Agnelli’s replacement after his club resisted an invite to join the new competition. “I am honoured and humbled to have been appointed by my fellow ECA Executive Board Members as Chairman,” he said in a statement. “The leadership, integrity and togetherness of our organisation has never been more required than at this pivotal moment in European football. “I will provide my unconditional co...
European Super League shelved as more clubs withdraw
The European Super League collapsed on Wednesday as eight of the 12 founding members from England, Italy and Spain abandoned the breakaway project. The project collapsed after it came under massive pressure from fans, politicians, football officials and even the British royals. Founder and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli told Reuters he was reluctantly calling time on the new league. This was after six English clubs withdrew on Tuesday, with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid following suit and AC Milan indicating they would too. “The voices and the concerns of fans around the world have clearly been expressed about the Super League, and AC Milan must be sensitive to the voice of those who love this wonderful sport,” the Italian club said in a statement. Agnelli said he still believed in the...
FIFA chief to break silence as Super League plunges Europe into crisis
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is expected to deliver his verdict on the European Super League on Tuesday after the widely condemned breakaway competition triggered threats of legal action and punitive measures. European body UEFA will look to support from the world football chief at its congress in Switzerland as it attempts to quash an initiative that threatens its prized Champions League and the health of domestic competitions such as England’s Premier League. Twelve powerful clubs – six from England, and three each from Spain and Italy – have signed up for the Super League, which offers guaranteed spots for its founding members and billions of dollars in payments. Currently, clubs have to qualify for the Champions League each year through their national competitions, and face a length...
Florentino Perez: Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ruled out a return to Santiago Bernabeu for Cristiano Ronaldo and claims to have had no contact with Paris Saint-Germain regarding a move for Kylian Mbappe. Movement in the Spanish capital is being mooted ahead of the summer transfer window, with Perez – who is famed for his ‘Galactico’ recruitment model – being re-elected to remain at the helm of the Liga giants. It has been suggested that efforts will be made to re-sign a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, with Ronaldo having left Real for Juventus as the club’s all-time leading scorer in 2018, but no bid is being lined up to land the 36-year-old Portuguese. Perez has told El Chiringuito: “Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid. “It does not make sense, he has a contract with Juventus. I...
UEFA exco member: Super League clubs will be thrown out of Champions League
Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid could be kicked out of this season’s Champions League this week, according to the Danish FA chairman Jesper Moller. Moller, who is a member of UEFA’s Executive Committee, says the teams involved in the new Super League could face sanctions following Sunday’s groundbreaking announcement. One team that wasn’t part of the Super League’s unveiling was Paris Saint-Germain, who are the only semi-finalists currently not involved in the new competition. “The clubs are going out, and I expect that to happen on Friday, and then you have to see how to finish the Champions League,” Moller told DR Sport. He added: “There must be one extraordinary executive committee meeting on Friday. I have an expectation that the 12 clubs will be thrown out.” As things stand, ...
Zinedine Zidane: I don’t think I’m a disaster of a coach
Zinedine Zidane has responded to more questions of his future at Real Madrid by pointing out that he is not “a disaster of a coach”, but is also unable to speculate on how long he will be sticking around at Santiago Bernabeu. The Frenchman has secured two titles in La Liga and three Champions League crowns across two spells as Blancos boss, and remains in the hunt for more glory down both of those avenues this season. Questions have, however, been asked of whether he will remain in his current post through to the end of his current contract in 2022, with calls for change at various intervals being added to a pot that also includes links to Serie A giants Juventus. Asked at a pre-match conference about those who continue to suggest that his success is down to good fortune, the World Cup win...
