Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has targeted a reunion with his former club Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Ronaldo netted for Juventus in a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday as they finished their Group D campaign with five wins and a draw.
The Italian champions will be joined in the knockout stages by Group A runners-up Madrid, with whom Ronaldo spent nine memorable years before heading to Turin in 2018.
Madrid are one of five sides Juve could face in the last 16, along with Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon and Tottenham, but Ronaldo is hoping to avoid the LaLiga giants for now.
Real are an extraordinary team, but if you ask me, I d rather face them later, Ronaldo, who won the Champions League four times with Madrid, told …
Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, according to . West Ham United and Leeds United, who will play in the Premier League this season after winning automatic promotion from the Championship, are also interested in the 20-year-old midfielder.
Gallagher spent the first half of the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Charlton Athletic from Chelsea and the second half on loan at Swansea City. According to , the young midfielder made 25 starts and one substitute appearance in the Championship for the Addicks, scoring six goals and providing two assists in the process. The England Under-21 international provided six assists in 21 Championship matches for the Swans, according to .
Gallagher did well during his loan spells in the Ch…
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets was delighted after signing a new deal that will keep him at the Nou Camp until 2015.
Busquets, 22, has become a regular member of Pep Guardiola s squad, making 73 La Liga appearances since he broke into the first team in 2008-09.
The Spaniard s new deal guarantees his future at one of Europe s most prestigious football clubs and he said he was thrilled to be staying at Barcelona.
It is a dream to continue my career here, Busquets said.
It is very difficult to stay here for a long time, but this is another step. I am very happy. I am very young, so there is still a lot of time. I hope that Xavi and Puyol can continue as well.
I am still young and there is a lot to achieve still. I hope that the remaining y…
Moise Kean hit the post in added-time as Juventus continued their run of disappointing results with a goalless draw at home to Genoa.
Substitute Kean came close to winning it for the Massimilano Allegri’s side when he struck the woodwork in the closing moments but it was another lacklustre showing for a team with just one victory from their last eight Serie A matches.
Dusan Vlahovic, just back from suspension, made things even worse in the dying seconds when he was sent off – booked initially for a foul then again for dissent.
FT || It s all over here. [0-0]
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
The Serbian could have finished things himself when he spurned a good chance in the 75th minute, but mid-table Genoa hung on for a welcome point.
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Michel Platini has reacted angrily to allegations over his role in the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar.
British media reports alleged the UEFA president was personally lobbied by Asian counterpart Mohamed bin Hammam in a secret meeting ahead of the vote.
However, Platini has responded to the British newspaper in writing, claiming his only meetings with Bin Hammam since banned from football by the FIFA ethics committee had been to discuss his potential candidacy for the FIFA presidency in 2011.
I find it astonishing that conversations with a fellow member of the FIFA executive committee could suddenly be transformed into a matter of state, read the letter.
I have obviously met with Mr Mohamed Bin Hammam on many occasions in 2010 as we were both member…
Inter Milan chief executive officer Ernesto Paolillo has confirmed that Leonardo has left his post as manager of the Serie A giants.
Leonardo has been linked with a move to Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain over the past week in a role that would see him likely to take up a position as general manager of the club.
And that move now seems more likely after Paolillo s comments on Friday.
Leonardo is going to Paris and the club are now looking for a new coach. We want to find another coach, Paolillo told Bloomberg.
His revelation means Inter will now be on the hunt for their third manager in just over a year.
After Jose Mourinho left the San Siro outfit after winning a treble with the club in the 2009-10 season, an extensive search saw former Live…
Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal has rubbished speculation linking him with a move away from Juventus by revealing that he is perfectly happy in Turin.
The highly rated footballer has been the subject of interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid, among other clubs, but he has so far remained with the Bianconeri.
Vidal now reveals that he was not concerned by the transfer talk and suggests there were no concrete offers for his services during the summer.
“The truth is I was relaxed and calm this summer, focusing only on my knee. I never once asked my agent or Juventus if something was happening,” Vidal confessed to Tuttosport.
“I have a pact with my agent: if there is something concrete, then he alerts me. He did not alert me.
“I don�…
Ex-Tottenham winger Chris Waddle reckons his former club have not had a good pairing in central defence since Ledley King retired.
Waddle questioned the transfer activity of Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino on Friday, arguing he did not improve the squad at White Hart Lane and was remiss in not signing a central defender.
Of the six players Pochettino signed heading into the 2014-15 season after arriving himself from Southampton only Eric Dier has started in the Premier League.
While Tottenham have the equal second-best defence in the Premier League this season (seven goals conceded in as many games), Waddle has declared the London-based club have not looked strong in the centre of their back four since former skipper King retired at the end of 2011-12.
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Chelsea are keen to win the race to sign Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, according to the Daily Star.
The Netherlands centre-back has been strongly linked with a move away from St Mary’s Stadium all summer with Liverpool leading the chase.
However, the champions are keen to secure his services after starting their title defence by shipping three goals at home to Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
Van Dijk missed the Saints opening day draw with Swansea City with a virus and certainly appears to have played his last game for the club which came back in January – a 3-0 win over Leicester City.
He missed the rest of the season through injury and has been working on his fitness by training away from Mauricio Pellegrino’s first team squad.
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According to Marca and Goal, Borussia Dortmund are interested in Villarreal winger as a replacement for Ousmane Dembélé, should he make an exit from the Westfalenstadion.
With Barcelona making a €100 million-plus bid for Dembélé, the German club is already lining up his possible replacement and reports say that the 22-year-old Spaniard would be a suitable substitute.
The Málaga-born Castillejo began his professional career with his hometown team before catching the eye of then- boss Marcelino who brought him aboard in 2015.
Since joining the Yellow Submarine, the young winger has appeared in 90 matches and has notched five goals in his two years with La Liga side.
Now entering the third year of his five-year contract, the speedy Castillejo has …