Busquets could leave Barca on a high with title win, but Xavi keen to keep captain

Manchester City are ready to meet Isco s release clause of 21 million euros this January before loaning the playmaker back to Malaga.

According to Goal.com, City s new director of football Txiki Begiristain has learned Malaga are looking to extend the midfielder s contract at La Rosaleda.

Such a move would likely raise his buy-out clause to over 30 million pounds and the English Premier League champions are preparing to act fast to grab a bargain.

Roberto Mancini has been desperate to land the 20-year-old for several months, with the youngster proving pivotal to Malaga s outstanding form this season.

Manuel Pellegrini s side sit fourth in La Liga and are comfortably through to the Champions League knockout stages.

The Italian had hoped to bring…

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis said it should be no surprise Liverpool are contending for the Premier League title.

Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis said it should be no surprise Liverpool are contending for the Premier League title.

Liverpool finished 28 points behind champions Manchester United in the 2012-13 campaign and were well outside European contention also.

There was significant improvement early this season from Brendan Rodgers men, as they entered the New Year just inside the top four, before they burst into life with an 11-match winning streak beginning in February.

Despite Liverpool s dominance surprising some, Pulis who has commandeered Palace to safety after a dire opening under Ian Holloway said Liverpool are simply reaching expectations set …

After an exclusive interview, SetantaSports has claimed that Colombian star, Radamel Falcao García Zárate, better known as Falcao, is now linked to Manchester United and Aston Villa and would be delighted to play in the Premier League in the future.

The 22 year old striker has impressed in the Argentinian league with River Plate being their top scorer on aggregate across the 2007-2008 period with 19 goals in 35 starts in all competitions. In 2007, Falcao was voted a member of the prestigious XI of America in the annual survey of South American sports journalists conducted by El Pais de Montevideo.

His agent, Nestore Omar Sivori, has declared, “I can only say that one of Falcao’s top aspirations is to be given the chance to f…

Greuther Furth coach Frank Kramer has called on his club s fans to yell themselves hoarse when they host Hamburg on Sunday.

Hamburg will travel south to Bavaria for the second leg of the Bundesliga s promotion-relegation play-off hoping to maintain their record of having played every season in Germany s top tier.

The first leg on Thursday finished 0-0 in Hamburg and Kramer wants Greuther s fans to cheer his team into the Bundesliga.

I think our fans will whip us forward. I hope I will not be the only one after the game, which is hoarse, the 42-year-old told Greuther s website on Friday.

Greuther finished third in the 2.Bundesliga and must overcome Hamburg in a two-legged play-off to reach Germany s top flight.

Hamburg are the only club to have played every …

According to , Georginio Wijnaldum s decision to join Paris Saint-Germain has hit Barcelona hard. The soon-to-be former Liverpool midfielder had already agreed to a Camp Nou switch after five successful years at Anfield, but a last-minute offer to double his wages by the Ligue 1 giants seems to have turned his head and he called the deal off, leaving Barcelona to scramble for an alternative target as best they can.

The problem is, no player on the market is deemed capable of providing the same qualities as the Dutch international. Real Sociedad s Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz of Napoli have been considered in that aspect, but their prices, reportedly set at €30m and €50m, respectively, are something Barcelona cannot afford at the moment. It points to another advantage the ac…

Millwall have described themselves as dismayed and saddened after supporters at The Den jeered a demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter prior to Saturday s game against Derby County.

Fans are coming back to stadiums in some parts of England including London this week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But their return for the Championship clash between Millwall and Wayne Rooney s Derby was marred by the loud boos that met the players now customary anti-discrimination display as they took the knee.

The act, popularised in the United States by NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, has remained part of elite competition across the world since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Players are demonstrating in support of BLM and ag…

Roma have signed Sadiq Umar and Abdullahi Nura from Serie B side Spezia for a combined fee of €5million.

Both players have signed four-year contracts at Stadio Olimpico after impressing while on loan at the club in 2015-16.

The permanent acquisition of 19-year-old Sadiq will boost Luciano Spalletti s attacking options  the tall striker scored two goals in six Serie A appearances for Roma last season and was reportedly being tracked by a number of other top European clubs.

Nura s preferred position is right-back, and he made 11 appearances in Roma s Primavera youth side in 2015-16, scoring three goals as they won the Primavera title.

Sadiq Umar and Abdullahi Nura are now players after deals were tied up today:

— AS Roma English (@ASRoma…

After Roy Hodgson stepped down in the wake of England s humiliating Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland, thoughts immediately turned to his successor.

Goals from Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson cancelled out Wayne Rooney s early penalty, as the outsiders remarkable debut at a major tournament continued with a 2-1 success.

Iceland will now take on hosts France in the quarter-finals in Paris on Sunday, while England are left to contemplate another ignominious exit.

With Hodgson resigning after four years at the helm, we look at five possible contenders to take charge.

GARETH SOUTHGATE

The England Under-21 boss appears the man in pole position to take over. He is well established at the Football Association, although he endured a mi…

French midfielder Franck Ribery took part in full training with Bayern Munich on Thursday for the first time since his Euro 2008 ankle injury and expects to play again by the end of September.

Having torn ankle ligaments in June, Ribery, 25, trained with his team-mates under new Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann in Munich watched by more than a thousand fans.

He is working day after day with more energy, Franck is getting more and more confidence, said Klinsmann.

The Bayern boss expects Ribery to return for the German giants on September 27 for the Bundesliga match against Hanover.

The Frenchman damaged his ankle playing for his country in the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Italy on Tuesday June 17 during the Euro 2008 group stages and underwent surgery two …

Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini has targetted next week s Champions League clash against UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg for his injury comeback.

Chiellini, Italy s one bright spark in their miserable Euro 2008 campaign in June, injured his knee in a friendly last month and was expected to face a month on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old now feels he is ready to start playing again and has not ruled out being included in Sunday s visit of Udinese.

But it is the match against the Russians that Chiellini is targetting as Juve are in one of the toughest qualifying groups for Europe s premier competition, also including Spanish champions Real Madrid.

I hope to be on the field against Zenit. Who wouldn t want to play in such a match? he said.