Liverpool and Newcastle United are reportedly among the Premier League teams exploring a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah – and the interest could be mutual.
Tah, 26, is in his eighth season in Leverkusen after arriving ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, racking up 283 appearances in all competitions and earning 16 senior international caps for Germany.
After five consecutive seasons finishing in the Bundesliga s top-six, Leverkusen have struggled this campaign, with just seven wins and a negative goal difference after 19 games, leaving them 10th.
Facing an uphill battle for any European football next season, the club will reportedly struggle to convince Tah to stick around, especially with plenty of interest from his desired landing spo…
Republic of Ireland will host Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium in their final warm-up game ahead of Euro 2016.
The May 27 fixture will see Martin O Neill s men test themselves against a Dutch side who failed to qualify for next year s finals in France, but bring with them a wealth of big-tournament experience.
Ireland also face Switzerland (March 25) and Slovakia (March 29) in Dublin before heading to Saint-Denis for their opening fixture against Sweden.
Belgium and Italy have also been drawn in Group E.
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Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been cleared of raping a young woman and trying to rape another.
Mendy, 28, broke down in tears as the two not guilty verdicts were delivered by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court.
The French international footballer and World Cup winner had faced a lengthy jail sentence if convicted.
Jurors found him not guilty of both charges following around three hours and 15 minutes of deliberations.
He was cleared of attacking a 24-year-old woman at The Spinney, his £4.2million mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020.
And the jury also found him not guilty of the second charge, the attempted rape of a 29-year-old woman also at his home two years before.
Luis Enrique has warned Spain against complacency heading into the mouth-watering World Cup showdown with Germany, who he feels will hammer La Roja if they are overconfident.
The 2010 champions launched their campaign in Qatar with a comprehensive 7-0 rout of Costa Rica on Wednesday, scoring seven goals in a single match at the finals for the first time.
La Roja could secure their last-16 place with a match to spare with victory over Germany, who they steamrollered 6-0 when the sides last met in the Nations League two years ago.
Following their shock defeat by Japan, Hansi Flick s side would subsequently be eliminated at the first hurdle for the second successive finals should Costa Rica fail to beat the Samurai Blue elsewhere in Group E.
Addressing the m…
Manchester City and Leicester City get the weekend s Premier League action under way at the King Power Stadium, with the Foxes back to form of late.
Yet Leicester have lost nine of their last 11 Premier League matches against Pep Guardiola s City, and they have been beaten in their last three in a row when the teams have met.
Graham Potter returns to Brighton and Hove Albion as boss of Chelsea on Saturday, Antonio Conte badly wants a win as Tottenham head to Bournemouth, and Liverpool would not mind a repeat of last year s scoreline in the corresponding fixture as Leeds United visit Anfield. It was a 6-0 pasting that Liverpool meted out back in February.
West Ham manager David Moyes has famously never won away against his former club Manchester United in the Prem…
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has stressed he will not take any risks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the remainder of the season with an eye on Euro 2016.
The Sweden international sustained a calf problem in PSG s 1-1 Ligue 1 draw against Bordeaux on Wednesday and was forced to leave the pitch with 20 minutes left, having earlier scored his 36th league goal of the season.
Blanc revealed that Ibrahimovic is being plagued by a minor calf injury and is optimistic he can still play a role in the upcoming Coupe de France final, but added that he has no intention of risking the striker if he is not fully recovered.
Ibrahimovic has a minor problem with his calf, but it was enough for him to prefer to be taken off, Blanc told reporters.
Fatigue is slowl…
According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Sergio Busquets will decide on his Barcelona future during the international break.
At the age of 34, Sergio Busquets is certainly at a crossroads point in his career. While there’s every chance he will attempt the new deal presented to him at the Nou Camp, there are other options out there for him too.
As per the report in question, there are offers on the table from both the United States and Saudi Arabia for him to earn a big money deal before retiring.
Busquets has been playing professionally since 2008 and has been a one-club man in that time, making over 700 appearances for the Spanish giants.
He’s won just about everything there is to win for club and country, and at this stage, it’s all abo…
Borussia Dortmund must put their Champions League heartbreak behind them when they attempt to secure a club record ninth consecutive Bundesliga win in the 100th Revierderby against Schalke.
Edin Terzic s side crashed out of Europe s premier club competition in the round-of-16 when they were beaten 2-0 at Chelsea on Tuesday, having won the first leg 1-0.
That ended Dortmund s run of 10 consecutive victories and they felt hard done by, as referee Danny Makkelie allowed Kai Havertz to retake a decisive penalty due to encroachment and he made no mistake after missing his first attempt.
Dortmund must turn their attention back to the battle for the Bundesliga title and resuming their rivalry with relegation-threatened Schalke at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday, when Marc…
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City face a stiff test of character against a Bayern Munich side whose defiance he says is in their skin .
Although City lead 3-0 from the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, Guardiola claims his side will on Wednesday be facing a Bayern team who firmly believe they can turn the tie around.
City have looked to have ties wrapped up before and then imploded, most recently in last season s semi-finals when they led Real Madrid 5-3 on aggregate as stoppage time approached in the second leg, only to still be knocked out.
Asked whether he was more confident than before in his group of players getting the job done, Guardiola said on Tuesday: I would like to say yes, but I don t know. Every game is completely different.
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Bayern Munich have agreed a five-year deal to sign Bryan Zaragoza from Granada ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The 22-year-old Spain international joined the LaLiga side from Conejito de Malaga in 2019 and began his senior career on loan for a season with Ejido before returning to Granada, where he has so far made 51 appearances during his time there.
This season he has featured in 14 league games for Granada, who are currently second-from-bottom in the table, scoring five goals and providing two assists.
Bryan Zaragoza is set to join FC Bayern!
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN)
He made his senior Spain debut in October against Scotland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers and Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund revealed the forward has be…