Whelan ends nine-year Stoke City stay by joining Aston Villa

Manchester City have completed the signing of highly rated Argentina youth international Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield.

The 20-year-old is reported to have cost City £8million initially and has signed a deal that runs through June 2028.

Perrone only made his breakthrough at Velez last March, but the central midfielder quickly established himself as a prominent part of the senior team, even wearing the captain s armband on occasion.

His contract had entered its final year, and although City are said to be paying more than his reported £7m release clause, that was sure to be significantly higher if Velez did manage to secure his future into 2024.

Perrone is the latest in a string of exports to fetch Velez a considerable fee in the past six years, wi…

Four years ago, Wayne Rooney burst onto the world stage by starring for England in the 2004 European Championships. Many people in England, maybe optimistically, think that we would have gone on to win that tournament if Rooney hadn’t been injured in the penalty shoot-out defeat to Portugal.

At that time, I was convinced that Rooney was going to become one of the best players in the world. I was certain that he was going to be England’s best player for a very long time indeed. Watching Euro 2008 I have been wondering whether he would have stood out in this tournament if he had been there and whether he has come anywhere near the hype and hope that surrounded him four years ago.

We all know that Rooney came to fame by becoming the younge…

Arsenal are interested in signing John Stones from Premier League rivals Manchester City, according to . It has been reported that the Gunners want to be kept informed of the former Everton central defender and would be keen on speaking to him if he became available.

The report has added that Stones has been waiting patiently for his chance at City, which he got in the 5-0 win against Burnley at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League at the weekend. However, the England international central defender could have a big decision to make on his future in the coming weeks if he fails to get regular playing time under manager Pep Guardiola, according to the report.

According to , Stones has made two appearances in the Premier League and has made two starts and two substitut…

The Sun reports that both the Gunners and Spurs are keen on signing Real Madrid midfielder, Ruben De la Red. However, the price is estimated to be around ₤15million to secure his services.

The 23 year old star was hugely impressive for Getafe last season on loan. So much so that he earned not only a place in Spain’s triumphant Euro 2008 squad, but also a return to Real Madrid, who exercised their buy-back option this summer.

It is uncertain whether the he will remain at the Bernabeu past pre-season, as Madrid is reportedly intent on using the deep-lying playmaker as a makeweight for certain transfer targets, much alike Robinho.

Blancos boss Berndt Schuster has stated he would like to give De la Red the opportunity to work his way i…

Chelsea s second string flattered to deceive at Carrow Road as the 2017 FA Cup finalists were held to a 0-0 draw by Norwich City in the third round.

Antonio Conte used Saturday s clash as a chance to give some of his squad players more game time, but it backfired as they struggled to create openings and will need a replay if they are to progress.

The likes of Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi and Willy Caballero were all given rare starts for the visitors, but they were easily marshalled by the Championship side.

A disappointing first half failed to produce a single shot on target, and, although Chelsea improved slightly after the break thanks to Willian, finding a goal proved too much.

It is a fourth unbeaten game in a row for Daniel Farke s Canaries, who impres…

Jupp Heynckes is relishing the challenge of going up against Julian Nagelsmann when Bayern Munich host Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga this weekend.

Nagelsmann is the youngest coach in Germany s top flight and has been touted as a future Bayern boss after impressing since taking over from Huub Stevens at Hoffenheim in February 2016.

The 30-year-old guided the Sinsheim side to safety in the 2016-17 campaign and led them to a top-four place last term, securing Champions League football.

This season they sit ninth after three wins in their last 13 league matches, but remaining four points off second means Nagelsmann s growing reputation has not been affected.

Heynckes, the oldest coach in the Bundesliga, continues to be impressed by this weekend s adversary and…

Sky Italia is reporting that Serie A giants Lazio are readying summer bid for Parma midfielder Marco Parolo.

The Biancocelesti are expected to spend heavily in an attempt to avoid another disappointing season, and it would appear as though the Italy international is one of their primary targets.

According to Sky Italia, Lazio plan to offer around €5 million for the player who has another three years left on his deal at Parma.

Having largely impressed at Cesena, Marco Parolo made a switch to Parma in the summer of 2012, initially joining on loan before signing a permanent deal.

The 29-year-old has continued with impressive performances at Ennio Tardini, scoring 11 goals in 72 Serie A appearances.

After enjoying the most successful season in his …

is suggesting that Barcelona right-back Dani Alves has urged the club to sign Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere in the future.

Alves went up against Wilshere for Brazil when they took on England earlier in the month and many said that the Arsenal midfielder was the best player on the pitch at Wembley that evening.

When you consider the talent that was on the pitch in that encounter, it shows you just how good Wilshere was and a move to Barcelona could be on the cards.

Alves has often come out and said he would like the La Liga club to sign a certain type of player and it seems as though he is a big admirer of Wilshere.

He said: “He has a lot of quality and a great personality. If I was given the chance to choose, he is a player that I would sign for Barcelona…

Everton s reported plans to hire Vitor Pereira as the successor to Marco Silva have been scuppered after the Shanghai SIPG coach confirmed his intention to remain in China.

The Toffees sacked Silva following their 5-2 Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool at the start of the month.

Club favourite Duncan Ferguson took charge at the weekend as Everton beat Chelsea 3-1 and the Scot was well received by supporters, though he distanced himself from suggestions he should lead the team full-time.

Pereira, Marcelino, Unai Emery and David Moyes had been linked with succeeding Silva, with the former reportedly their first choice.

But Pereira appears to have ended Everton s chances of bringing him to England.

 | This is class.

The great Howard Kendal…

Frank Lampard backed Carlo Ancelotti to bounce back at the top level after Napoli sacked the experienced Italian on Tuesday.

Ancelotti was dismissed three hours after leading the club to a 4-0 victory over Genk, which confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout rounds.

Poor results in Serie A and rumours of discontent at Stadio San Paolo had placed pressure on the ex-Milan head coach for a number of weeks.

Links to the vacant posts at Everton and Arsenal have already emerged and Blues boss Lampard, who played under Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge, suggested the 60-year-old would have no trouble finding another high-profile position.

I have huge respect for him, I am very sorry for him, Lampard said after Chelsea s win over Lille.

I know …