Hansi Flick acknowledged he remains in contact with Mario Gotze after rumours circulated the Germany World Cup winner could return to Bayern Munich.
Gotze spent three years at Bayern between 2013 and 2016, winning the Bundesliga in each season and the DFB-Pokal twice, before returning to Borussia Dortmund.
The attacking midfielder was released at the end of last season, though, after struggling to regain the form that saw him rise through the ranks at Signal Iduna Park.
Flick was assistant to Joachim Low when Gotze scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and German publication Bild suggested the Bayern boss is keen on bringing him back to bolster his midfield, an option that has proved attractive as there is no fee involved.
Asked …
Kevin De Bruyne pulled the strings for Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday as he guided the champions to a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth.
The Belgium international bagged one goal and assisted another as Pep Guardiola s hosts delivered an imperiously composed performance at the Etihad Stadium in their first home match of the season.
Phil Foden matched the playmaker s involvement with a double goal contribution of his own, while Ilkay Gundogan also got in on the act against an outclassed Cherries side, who helped City out with an own goal to complete the scoring.
Scott Parker s men got their first season back in the top flight off to a winning start against Aston Villa last weekend, but this represented a significant step up.
A relentless st…
Diego Simeone seemed optimistic despite seeing his Atletico Madrid team fail to beat Espanyol at the Metropolitano, even with a man advantage.
The visitors had Leandro Cabrera sent off after 28 minutes on Sunday after he fouled Alvaro Morata to deny him getting in on goal, leaving Atletico with more than an hour with an extra player.
However, it was Espanyol who took the lead just after the hour through Sergi Darder s volley, before substitute Joao Felix fired in a leveller with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Simeone expressed his gratitude for the love he has received at the club since taking over as head coach in 2011, with some believing him to be under pressure after finishing bottom of their Champions League group and f…
Jaap Stam has signed a new contract with Reading, tying him to the Championship club until 2019.
The Dutchman guided the Royals to the play-off final last season, where they were beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town.
Stam was linked with West Ham in March to underline the former Manchester United defender s growing reputation as a coach, and chief executive Nigel Howe was delighted to secure his signature for another two years, along with retaining coaches Andries Ulderink and Said Bakkati.
Jaap, Andries and Said signing new contracts is momentous for this football club and a clear demonstration that Reading football club is a great place to be right now, Howe told the club s official website.
Akin to the manager, we are a club with fierce ambition …
After coming up short in Super Bowl 53, the Los Angeles Rams missed the playoffs. Then, they were ousted in the Divisional Round a year later.
Head coach Sean McVay knew his Super Bowl window wouldn’t stay open forever, especially with Jared Goff as his quarterback. So, he said, “f#$% it, who needs draft picks,” and went out and traded for Matthew Stafford.
With the move, the Rams immediately became a legitimate contender and saw their Super Bowl futures jump from +2,000 to +1,200. And despite some ups-and-downs throughout the season, the all-in gamble paid off as the Rams return to the Big Game, and in their own stadium no less.
We run down the Rams’ Super Bowl odds during their long and winding road to SoFi Stadium for Su…