Barcelona director Mateu Alemany has confirmed holding talks with Antonio Rudiger s agent, but insists the Chelsea defender s future was not discussed during the meeting.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel revealed following Sunday s late win over West Ham that Rudiger intends to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Tuchel suggested that Rudiger s decision was influenced by the financial restrictions imposed on Chelsea while a new owner to succeed Roman Abramovich is being sought.
Barcelona are one of a number of teams to have been linked with the Germany international, along with fierce rivals Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking ahead of Barca s home LaLiga clash with Rayo Vallecano later on Sunday, Alemany was p…
Victor Piturca left his position as Romania coach on Thursday to take charge of Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad.
Romania have made an encouraging start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, taking seven points from three matches to sit second behind surprise package Northern Ireland in Group F.
However, a 2-0 victory in Finland on Tuesday has proven to be the final game of Piturca s third spell in charge of the national side.
The 58-year-old was reappointed in June 2011, having guided Romania to the European Championship finals in 2000 and 2008, but will now continue his career in Saudi Arabia.
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) announced that Piturca s contract had been cancelled by mutual agreement on Thursday, with his backroom staff also departing…
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Looking to collect a first Champions League victory at the second attempt on Tuesday night, Inter Milan will welcome Benfica to the San Siro.
Inter Milan
Starting with the hosts, while Inter Milan might have slumped to a shock 2-1 loss at home against Sassuolo on September 27th, the Italian heavyweights certainly came roaring back over the weekend. Putting in a rampant performance away at Salernitana as they breezed their way to a 4-0 romp, Simone Inzaghi’s men will be looking to use that display as a platform to build on. Gaining a string of plaudits last season as they reached the Champions League final before suffering a 1-0 loss at the hands of Manchester City, the Nerazzurri have their sights firmly set on mounting another genui…
Napoli forward Jose Callejon described Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world, claiming the Real Madrid star is the most complete footballer.
Callejon weighed into the Ronaldo and Lionel Messi debate ahead of Napoli s trip to Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on February 15.
And Callejon favours his former Madrid team-mate the winner of four Ballon d Or awards among other individual and club honours as the pair prepare to reunite at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In my opinion it s Cristiano, Callejon said when asked to name the best player in the world during a Q A session via UEFA s Instagram page.
I think he s the most complete player out there.
…
Borussia Dortmund full-back Lukasz Piszczek has signed a contract extension until June 2019, the Bundesliga club have confirmed.
Piszczek joined Dortmund from Hertha Berlin in 2010 and remains a key member of Thomas Tuchel s squad.
The 31-year-old Poland international has played 31 of his club s 39 matches in all competitions this season, scoring four goals and providing five assists.
I am absolutely delighted with the trust that BVB have shown in me and am honestly very proud to be able to pull on the black and yellow shirt and play in front of our wonderful fans for at least two more years, Piszczek told Dortmund s official website.
Sporting director Michael Zorc added: Piszczu is the perfect professional, which makes him a role model for our many youn…
According to Marca, Switzerland AC Milan defender is wanted by several high-profile clubs courtesy of his performances for the Swiss at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The 25-year-old spent ten years with his hometown club FC Zurich to kick off his career, before earning a big money move to Wolfsburg in 2012. He then spent five years in Germany developing his skills before Milan came calling, signing just over a year ago for a reported fee of €15 million.
Alas, after Switzerland were able to earn four points from their first two WC games, more and more clubs around Europe started taking notice of Rodriguez. He s well known for being strong at the back while still being more than capable of making surging runs forward, with his abilities on set-pieces being sighted as one of h…
David Moyes has been appointed head coach at La Liga side Real Sociedad.
The Basque club have been searching for a replacement for Jagoba Arrasate who paid the price for a dismal start to the season when he was dismissed earlier this month.
Sociedad have subsequently turned to Moyes, who has been out of work since April when his ill-fated tenure at Manchester United was brought to an end less than 12 months into a six-year contract.
The Scot, who has penned a deal at Anoeta until June 2016, was chosen as the successor to legendary manager Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, but endured a torrid tenure at the club, losing 11 of the 34 Premier League games he took charge of and failing in the UEFA Champions League, the FA Cup and League Cup.
Previously, Moyes en…
Carlo Ancelotti insists he is not in fear of losing his job after former Bayern Munich captain Stefan Effenberg claimed the Italian could be on the way out.
Effenberg suggested the club s patience may wear thin if Bayern fail to improve on last season, which did include a fifth successive Bundesliga title but also yielded their earliest Champions League exit since 2010-11.
Pre-season losses to Arsenal, AC Milan, Inter, Liverpool and Napoli have added to the sense that Bayern have lost momentum, but Ancelotti – who oversaw a DFL-Supercup win on penalties against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday – is not concerned, despite taking additional flak from an unimpressed Dietmar Hamann of late.
There are a lot of critics, but as I said, no pressure for me, Ancelotti …
Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill was happy with his side s performance after they beat Latvia 1-0 at a sold-out Windsor Park to maintain their momentum ahead of Euro 2016.
O Neill s men topped Group F to qualify for their first major tournament in 30 years and are now unbeaten in eight matches after skipper Steven Davis scored to settle a tight game.
Northern Ireland had not won an international friendly since March 2008, but Davis goal early in the second half was enough to seal the victory in front of a celebratory crowd.
It was important to keep up the winning momentum, O Neill told BBC Sport.
I thought we controlled the game from the first minute to the last.
Northern Ireland experimented with a new 3-5-2 formation, with Jam…
Inter warmed up for the visit of Barcelona on Tuesday with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Genoa at San Siro.
Two goals from Roberto Gagliardini, either side of Matteo Politano s strike, and late Joao Mario and Radja Nainggolan goals moved Luciano Spalletti s side back into second place in Serie A as they won a fourth home league match in a row for the first time in 12 months.
Inter s seventh top-flight win in succession came despite the likes of Mauro Icardi, Matias Vecino and Nainggolan starting on the bench, leaving them in good shape to face Barca in a key Champions League match next week.
Gagliardini put Inter ahead after only 14 minutes, pouncing on a loose ball in the box to prod home from six yards, with the goal standing after a quick check from the referee…