Low tells Gotze a new challenge may be good

Borussia Dortmund will not be selling Jude Bellingham, but the Bundesliga giants are optimistic they will have a new striker on board by the end of next week.

England midfielder Bellingham has emerged as a target for some of Europe s biggest clubs, with Real Madrid reportedly among his admirers.

At just 19, he is entering his third Bundesliga campaign, having previously spent a year as a first-team regular with English second-tier side Birmingham City.

It appears Bellingham will still be a Dortmund player by the time the World Cup gets under way in November, with the German club eager to avoid a second star exit in this transfer window after Erling Haaland left for Manchester City.

Asked if he could rule out selling Bellingham, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachi…

Former Barcelona midfielder Ronald de Boer feels Luis Suarez has silenced any doubters of his ability this season.

Despite suggestions that he would struggle to displace Lionel Messi as the spearhead of Barca s attack when he joined from Liverpool after the 2014 World Cup, the Uruguay international has become one of their undisputed star men over the past two seasons.

Suarez netted 40 goals in La Liga in 2015-16 to win the European Golden Shoe and De Boer has nothing but praise for the 29-year-old.

Suarez has been unbelievable. Nobody expected this when Barcelona signed him two years ago, De Boer told Omnisport.

There were some doubts whether he would fit Barcelona s style of play and was skilful enough. But he has been unbelievable.

He became …

Atletico Madrid winger Eduardo Salvio could return to Benfica this off-season, the player s agent has confirmed.

The Argentina international spent the 2010-11 season on loan at the Estadio da Luz, making 39 appearances in all competitions before an injury ruled him out of the final weeks of the campaign.

Benfica attempted to sign the 22-year-old on a permanent basis following his loan spell, but a move failed to materialise as the two clubs could not reach an agreement over the transfer fee.

However, it is believed that Benfica s interest in Salvio has not cooled, and the Argentine s representative has revealed that he has been approached by the Portuguese club regarding a transfer.

I received a call, asking me to travel to Portugal in the next days to …

Wayne Rooney underlined the confidence surging through England ahead of Saturday s World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan as the striker claimed Fabio Capello s side can hit even greater heights than they reached in the demolition of Croatia.

England return to Wembley hoping to extend their 100 percent start to the Group Six campaign and maintain the feelgood factor engendered by last month s 4-1 win in Zagreb.

Rooney produced what he believes was his best international performance to help end Croatia s long unbeaten home record, but the Manchester United star is convinced Capello s team still have room for improvement.

I have not played better for England than the Croatia game but I still think we could have played better in the first-half, he said. I though…

Market: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 1/1 @

Looking to cause what would be another upset on their travels in midweek, Burnley will make the trip to an empty Villa Park on Thursday evening.

Starting with the hosts, although they might have seen Douglas Luiz sent off away at bitter Midlands rivals Wolves last weekend, Aston Villa did manage to grab themselves a last-gasp 1-0 win at Molineux. Bringing a much-needed end to their back-to-back 2-1 defeats against West Ham and Brighton, Head Coach Dean Smith has still seen his squad largely impress since opening the 2020/2021 campaign. Still holding games in hand over the teams above them in the table, the one-time Brentford boss will now be calling for his side to find their early-season clinical edge. Despite picking up tha…

Pep Guardiola has confirmed he will not leave Manchester City for Juventus, stating:  I am a blue shirt, I am one of yours.  

Guardiola has been strongly linked with the Serie A champions following the departure of Massimiliano Allegri.

Juve denied making an approach for Guardiola, who led City to a domestic clean sweep in 2018-19, yet reports in Italy continued to suggest the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was a target.

Guardiola, though, has ended the speculation by insisting he sees his future in the Premier League due to the strong backing he receives from City s fans.

There is no better place to play in the world than in England. Or to do your job as a manager here in England, Guardiola said in an extensive interview on City s official we…

Internacional striker Diego Forlan has criticised former club Inter Milan, saying he was treated like an outcast.

The Uruguay international endured a torrid time after moving to Inter in 2011 from Atletico Madrid, scoring just twice in 18 Serie A appearances.

And he has revealed the club repeatedly turned down requests to allow him to say goodbye to his teammates in a cold ending to his stay at San Siro.

I knew I was leaving Inter. I wanted to say goodbye to my teammates, but people wouldn t take my calls, the 33-year-old told Four Four Two.

I tried to reach (team manager) Ivan Cordoba, but a club official told me some bullsh*t about tomorrow being a difficult day for me to go in and say goodbye.

The message was clear. I wasn t welcome anymore…

Diego Simeone has told his Atletico Madrid side to forget last season s UEFA Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid before the city rivals do battle in Tuesday s quarter-final first leg.

Atletico were heading for a first Champions League title in the 2013-14 showpiece in Lisbon until Sergio Ramos headed home an injury-time leveller that set Real on their way to a 4-1 extra-time victory.

Unsurprisingly, Atleti head coach Simeone was asked about that defeat in his pre-match news conference on Monday, but the Argentinian wants his team to focus on achieving something special this season.

That [comparisons to last season s final] is normal, for both sides, he said. 

[But] we need to focus on what is going to happen tomorrow. What happened in …

Harry Maguire has hit out at the minority of supporters who jeered Jordan Henderson over the international break – insisting “proper England fans don’t boo players”.

Henderson was booed off the Wembley pitch during Friday’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia, admitting it was “disappointing” to be on the receiving end of a negative reaction.

Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal during the summer.

The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

There were mur…

Benfica have dismissed speculation linking them with a summer move for Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves. The Brazilian has misfired at The Riverside after arriving from Dutch club Heerenveen in a record £12million move in January 2008.

In the face of persistent reports throughout the week, Benfica would like to clarify that it never asked about Afonso Alves, read a statement on the Lisbon-based club s official website. Therefore, Benfica expects the focus of recent reports to end.

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