Real focus on Brazil back Thiago Silva – report

Teenage striker Folarin Balogun has signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

The 19-year-old, who has been at the Premier League club since he was aged only nine, has scored twice in six first-team appearances for Mikel Arteta s side this season.

New York-born Balogun, on target against Molde and Dundalk in the Europa League, also has eight goals in 18 PL2 and EFL Trophy games in the 2020-21 campaign.

Gunners boss Arteta believes he has a bright future.

My home. My heart
See you soon Gunners

— Balogun (@fbalogun67)

He said: We have been extremely impressed with Flo this season. He has continually shown his natural ability in many training sessions with us and we have been equally impressed with his early integration into th…

Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso joked that he can only mark Lionel Messi in his dreams or on PlayStation as he looked ahead to the upcoming Champions League showdown with Barcelona.

Saturday saw Napoli end their 2019-20 coronavirus-hit Serie A season with a 3-1 victory at home to Lazio – Fabian Luiz, Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano fuelling the win.

Attention now turns to the second leg of Napoli s Champions League last-16 tie against LaLiga giants Barcelona, scheduled for August 8 at Camp Nou following February s 1-1 draw.

Asked about six-time Ballon d Or winner Messi post-match, former Milan midfielder Gattuso told reporters: I can mark Messi only in my dreams.

Or if I set Napoli vs Barcelona on my son s PlayStation, trying to catch him there w…

Veteran midfielder Guti said Sunday that he is closing a glorious stage in his career as he parts ways with Real Madrid after 15 seasons with the Spanish giants.

I believe you have to be aware that there are stages that close and in this case for me it is a very glorious stage at Real Madrid which is coming to an end, the 33-year-old told a news conference at the club s Bernabeu stadium.

Guti, who had another year on his contract, said he was considering an offer from Turkish side Besiktas, where he would be coached by German s Bernd Schuster, who managed Real between 2007 and 2008.

I have a good offer from them, an interesting one, now we will see, he said.

I think you have to make room for younger players and know that football is like that.

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Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has moved to quell fears around the injury he picked up in Saturday s crucial 3-2 win at Everton.

Ross Barkley netted a magnificent long-range opener for the hosts but Aguero demonstrated his finishing prowess by firing home an equaliser.

But the injury problems that have plagued the Argentina international since December returned as he hobbled off shortly afterwards, having appeared to aggravate a muscular problem in his leg while drilling his shot beyond Tim Howard.

On the back of a calf strain sustained in City s 6-3 home win over Arsenal and hamstring tweaks at Tottenham and Barcelona in January and March respectively, Aguero s departure was an uncomfortably familiar sight for manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Edin Dzeko goals …

Junior have edged Atletico Nacional 1-0 in the first leg of their Colombia Primera A Apertura final on Sunday.

Edison Toloza s 55th-minute goal saw Julio Comesana s men to the hard-fought win at their Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez home.

Junior, seven-time champions, last won a title in 2011 and need another result at Atletico Nacional s Estadio Atanasio Girardot on Wednesday to add to that crown.

The win extended Junior s unbeaten run to six matches, while Atletico s struggles continued.

Perhaps affected by their run to the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals, Atletico have lost four of their past five matches in all competitions.

It was a scrappy winning goal for Junior, with Toloza tapping in from close range after a corner went uncleared by the vis…

Southampton manager Claude Puel will be desperate for revenge against Manchester United

Southampton host Manchester United at St Mary’s in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, and will be determined to get a result as payback for February’s EFL Cup final defeat.

The Saints have a good head-to-head record against the Red Devils and are fancied by the bookmakers as the out-of-form visitors will have a weakened starting eleven.

Southampton won’t lie down in their penultimate home game. Can they win it?

Saints enjoying late-season resurgence

Claud Puel’s Southampton side are currently ninth in the Premier League table with 45 points from 36 games, having won one and drawn two of their last four outings. The South Coast club haven’t been…

Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde has signed a new contract to keep him at San Mames until June 2017.

The 52-year-old has been in charge of the club since June 2013 and this week insisted he knew nothing of rumours linking him with Real Madrid.

Valverde guided Athletic to finishes of fourth and seventh in his first two seasons in charge, as well as leading them to the Copa del Rey final in 2015, where they lost to Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Urrutia y Valverde firman el acuerdo

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub)

This season, Athletic got the better of Barca over two legs to win the Supercopa de Espana – the Basque club s first trophy in 31 years.

Athletic are seventh in La Liga with 11 games to go and remain alive in the Europa Lea…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Harry Kane from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, according to . It has been reported that Newcastle’s new owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), are keeping a close eye on the situation of the 28-year-old striker.

Kane was strongly linked with a move to defending Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer transfer window. The Tottenham striker himself said that he wanted to leave the North London club to win trophies.

However, Kane is still at Spurs. The striker, though, is struggling to score goals in the Premier League for Tottenham. It is unlikely that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will sell the England international in the January transfer window, but anything could happen next summer.

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Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo accepted substantial libel damages from a British newspaper on Monday over a claim that he put his injured ankle at risk by living it up in a Hollywood nightclub.

Ronaldo was not at London s High Court for the settlement of his action against Telegraph Media Group Ltd over a Daily Telegraph story in July 2008, when he played for Manchester United.

His lawyer Allan Dunlavy told judge Victoria Sharp that the report, which claimed the Portuguese player had laid down his crutches and taken to the dance floor with four models, caused him embarrassment, offence and distress.

As a professional, he was concerned both about his own reputation and how it might be perceived by United, the team s manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club s…

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri insisted his team need four more points to ensure they progress to the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

And the former Chelsea, Valencia and Juventus boss said they had put matters into their own hands by winning away to Basel last time out.

Roma had a disastrous start to their Group E campaign when they lost two of their first three matches, including a 3-1 home defeat to Basel.

But by winning 3-2 away to the Swiss outfit last time out, they put themselves in pole position to qualify for the second round, giving them a three point advantage over Basel and Romanians CFR Cluj.

Bayern have already booked their place in the last 16 and Roma can join them if they win on Tuesday and the other game ends in a draw.

An…