Liverpool are ready to make a move for Southampton forward Sadio Mane, .
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to make the Senegal international his top target after admitting defeat in his pursuit of Bayern Munich star Mario Gotze.
Manchester United have long been linked with a move for the twenty-four year old and failed with a bid last summer while Tottenham Hotspur have also been monitoring the situation.
Mane moved to St Mary’s in the summer of 2014 and has since racked up seventy-five appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals.
Three of those goals came in under three minutes in a win over Aston Villa last May the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history.
Prior to his move to the south coast of England, he spent two…
Barca eyeing Team USA star
Barcelona are keeping close tabs on Borussia M gladbach full-back Fabian Johnson, .
It is no secret the Catalans are in the market for a long-term successor to Daniel Alves, and the technical department plans to compile a list of four or five possible reinforcements before making their decision.
And while FC Porto s Danilo remains the number one name on the hit-list, recent reports suggest Barcelona are also looking at USA hotshot Fabian Johnson.
El Mundo Deportivo has learned that the Catalans scout Juan Carlos Rojo watched the player in action in midweek as Sevilla hosted Borussia M gladbach in Europa League.
Johnson, who can play on either side of defence and even in midfield, has been on Barcelona s radar for some t…
Ricardo Carvalho and Fernando Gago are both believed to be close to leaving Real Madrid after missing the club s training session on Monday.
The duo are not part of coach Jose Mourinho s plans for the new La Liga season, and have been given permission to discuss their future with any interested clubs, according to AS.
Carvalho, 34, signed for Real in 2010 after previously working with Mourinho at Porto and Chelsea, but endured a frustrating 2011-12 season as he made just 13 competitive appearances.
As for Gago, the Argentine midfielder returned to the Spanish champions at the end of the season following a loan spell at Roma, with coach Zdenek Zeman deciding against signing the 26-year-old.
Kaka, Angel di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain were among the 22 player…
How did I do last week? I got four right again. Not brilliant, but not too bad. I reckon I might be getting better at this!
Saturday 22nd November 2008
Aston Villa v Manchester United
Aston Villa looked as though their season might be blowing up after defeats against Newcastle and Middlesbrough but they bounced back with a real ‘bang’ last week by winning comfortably at Arsenal.
Manchester United put five past a hapless Stoke team last Saturday and they seem to be in the mood. Will Ferdinand and Rooney make miraculous recoveries from the injury and illness that kept them out of the England game?
Villa have failed to beat Manchester United in a remarkable twenty-two league and cup matches, since a 3-0 triumph in the third …
Antonio Conte s men are in the final four of the FA Cup after edging past Leicester City in extra time. The clash between the last two Premier League champions was always going to be a fascinating encounter, with both sides clearly putting a lot of emphasis on the importance of progressing in the competition. They put out strong starting XIs, and as the game went on, you could feel that there was a certain sense of urgency regardless of the scoreline.
Moving forward the Blues will have a date at Wembley to look forward to in late April, where they ll take on Southampton who defeated League One side Wigan Athletic earlier in the day. In the other semi-final Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur, but aside from that contest, Conte will feel confident that his team can pro…
Northern Ireland left it late to maintain their 100 per cent start to Euro 2020 qualifying with a narrow 1-0 win over Belarus on Tuesday.
Michael O Neill s side won their first three Group C games – including a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture in March – but looked like they would be leaving the Borisov Arena with just a point after a disjointed display.
But, having secured a late turnaround to overcome Estonia at the weekend, they did the same again in Barysaw, Paddy McNair sparking wild celebrations among the travelling support with a fine finish four minutes from time.
The win means O Neill s men remain at the summit of their group, three points ahead of Germany, who have a game in hand.
FT: Four games. 12 points. Get in there!!!!!!
— Nor…
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has refused to be drawn on speculation that he wants to sign former player Morgan Schneiderlin.
Southampton midfielder Schneiderlin has been vocal about his desire to depart St Mary s Stadium throughout the close-season following the exits of the likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Dejan Lovren.
Pochettino left Southampton for Tottenham in May, and has consistently been linked with a bid to bring France international Schneiderlin with him to White Hart Lane.
However, the Spurs boss would not reveal whether he wants to be reunited with the 24-year-old when speaking ahead of Tottenham s Premier League curtain-raiser at West Ham on Saturday.
It s not my style to speak about another player, said Pochettino.
It s…
Hull City boss Steve Bruce has promised to rotate his squad in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off at Lokeren on Thursday.
Hull left it late to book their place in the play-offs of Europe s second-tier competition in their first ever continental campaign.
An 80th-minute Sone Aluko goal was required to give Hull a 2-1 aggregate win over Trencin of Slovakia in the third qualifying round, and they now meet a Lokeren side who have won three of their last four matches.
The Yorkshire outfit opened their Premier League season with a 1-0 win at QPR on Saturday but Bruce had to leave out several of his seasoned campaigners.
And the former Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic manager is keen to use his depth against the Belgian outfit.
Bruce to…
Emmanuel Adebayor shook off a six-week injury absence to score the winner as Togo shocked Cameroon 1-0 Saturday at the start of the final 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup qualifying phase.
A doubtful starter after injuring his hamstring against Tottenham Hotspur last month, the Arsenal striker kept his promise to play for his country and struck just 11 minutes into the first half.
Victory was particularly sweet for Togo as they are 22 places below five-time World Cup qualifiers Cameroon on the FIFA African rankings and had to stage a home fixture in neutral Accra.
But the 45,000-seat Ohene Dyan Stadium in the Ghana capital is a happy hunting ground for Adebayor who scored four goals against Swaziland there in the previous round.
Togo were forced to mov…
Spanish side Getafe have fired their coach Victor Munoz as the club fights relegation from the Primera Liga, Spanish media said Monday.
Munoz, 52, replaced Denmark s Michael Laudrup at the club in the summer of last year.
Getafe lost at 2-1 at home on Sunday to Villarreal and also succumbed 3-2 to derby rivals Real Madrid on Tuesday.
The club, a finalist in the Spanish Cup in 2007 and 2008, is now in 17th position in the league and just one point clear of the relegation zone.
The club finds iteself in a situation where there is no more room for error, the club said after Sunday s defeat.
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