Paulo Dybala admitted he was close to leaving Juventus in the close season and the star attacker said his future was in the Serie A champions hands.
Dybala was linked with a move to Manchester United and Tottenham, but ended up staying in Turin.
The Argentina international has impressed this season, scoring 11 goals in 26 games, but admitted he almost left Juventus.
I was close to leaving. That was in the club s thinking, I knew. Until the last minute, we were waiting, Dybala told The Guardian.
I have two years left on my contract. That s not a short time but it s not a long one either. We ll see what plans Juventus have, if they think I might leave in the next market or if they want me to stay.
That s a decision for the club to make. It s hard…
Aro Muric was Manchester City s hero as the holders edged into the EFL Cup semi-finals 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Leicester City.
Kevin De Bruyne, starting for the first time since suffering a medial knee ligament injury in the previous round against Fulham, gave Pep Guardiola s side an early lead with a magnificent strike from outside the box.
A Leicester side featuring seven changes from their weekend defeat to Crystal Palace often lacked fluency but Marc Albrighton thumped home an equaliser 17 minutes from time.
It meant the sides would settle a 1-1 quarter-final draw from the penalty spot, as they did 12 months ago, and Leicester showed little of the poise that had seen them through the previous two rounds via shoot-outs.
Christian Fuchs…
Best Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker:
Looking to open the defence of their Premiership campaign with a flurry on Sunday afternoon, Celtic will welcome Aberdeen to Glasgow.
Celtic
Starting with the hosts, managing to reclaim their domestic crown last season after a hugely impressive campaign under Ange Postecoglou, Celtic should find the mood in their camp at a continued high. With a Champions League group stage adventure on the horizon, the one-time Melbourne Victory boss has seen his side catch the eye this summer. Signing off their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 win against Championship outfit Norwich, the Hoops were unbeaten in each of their six friendly matchups. Likewise, drawing a close to the 2021/22 campaign with a thumping 6-0 romp against Motherwell in Glasgo…
Milan director Ricky Massara said the Serie A club are in talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gianluigi Donnarumma over new contracts.
Ibrahimovic has transformed Milan since arriving on a free transfer in January, though the evergreen 38-year-old is out of contract at the end of the 2019-20 season.
The former Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker scored two goals in Wednesday s 4-1 Serie A rout of Sampdoria, taking his tally to 10 in 2020.
Asked about Ibrahimovic s future prior to the midweek clash, Massara told Sky Sport Italia: We are talking to Mino Raiola and trying to do it behind the scenes, even if it s difficult to keep anything from the media nowadays.
There are issues that we will evaluate together, including Ibra s spirit…
Chelsea will have an advantage in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich, according to Leon Goretzka.
Bayern hold a commanding 3-0 lead following an impressive victory at Stamford Bridge in February, but they will not have played a competitive game in over a month when they take on Chelsea at the Allianz Arena on August 8.
The Blues, meanwhile, will conclude their Premier League campaign on July 26 and will contest the FA Cup final on August 1 if they defeat Manchester United in a semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.
Goretzka thinks that gives Frank Lampard s side an edge, though the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal champions will do their utmost to ensure Chelsea do not repeat their 2012 Champions League final success over Bayern in Munich.<…
Atletico Madrid supporters will not forgive Antoine Griezmann for his move to Barcelona in 2019 even if he was to return to Los Colchoneros, according to the Spanish champions president Enrique Cerezo.
Griezmann has been linked with a move back to Atletico during the current transfer window as part of a swap deal that would see Saul Niguez head the opposite way to Camp Nou.
France international Griezmann scored 94 LaLiga goals for Atleti across five seasons with the club before joining Barca two years ago when his release clause was triggered.
Cerezo recently refused to rule out a move for Griezmann, but the Atleti chief does not believe the 30-year-old returning would be widely accepted among Atleti fans.
Asked if there had been any development with rega…
Sergino Dest went with his heart in choosing Barcelona over Bayern Munich and has vowed to do whatever it takes for Lionel Messi.
Barca beat Bayern to the signature of the United States right-back, who joined from Ajax in a deal that could eventually cost the Catalan club €26million.
Dest signed a five-year contract with a €400m buyout clause, opting for Barca despite them being thumped 8-2 by Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
Bayern are a great club and there was interest from them, but I followed what my heart told me to and for that I signed for Barca. I think it was the right decision, Dest told a news conference.
They are a club with so much history and I ve always wanted to play here.
Sheesh!
— FC …
According to a recent report from Tuttomercato, Everton have opened talks with Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the veteran continues to go in search of a new club. The expectation was that he was going to re-sign for Serie A side AC Milan in the wake of his departure from LA Galaxy, but both parties ran into a few issues in regards to the length of the contract.
Ibrahimovic is still considered to be a valuable forward within the realms of European football, which is why so many clubs are eager to bring him on board. At the age of 38 this will almost certainly be his final big move of his illustrious career, which is likely why he’s taking so much time in making a decision.
Incoming Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti will almost certainly want to make an impact…
David Brooks was named on the bench for Bournemouth for their Premier League clash against Liverpool on Saturday, the first time he has been in a matchday squad since recovering from cancer treatment.
The Wales international has not featured since being diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin s lymphoma in October 2021.
Brooks was given the all-clear in May and returned to a modified training programme, before signing a new deal with Bournemouth until 2026.
Cherries head coach Gary O Neil named the 25-year-old among his substitutes for the game against Liverpool at Vitality Stadium, also making three changes to the team that started the agonising last-minute 3-2 defeat at Arsenal.
Our squad are in the building
With a very special inclusion
— …
Watford have appointed Slaven Bilic as head coach after sacking Rob Edwards just 10 Championship matches into his reign.
Edwards only took over at Vicarage Road at the end of last season, leaving Forest Green Rovers to replace Roy Hodgson following the Hornets relegation from the Premier League.
Watford relieved Edwards and his assistant Richie Kyle of their duties on Monday and swiftly confirmed Bilic had taken the hot seat, signing an 18-month contract – subject to securing a work permit.
The former Croatia defender had been out of work since leaving Beijing Guoan in January but will be the Championship club s fifth boss in less than a year.
Bilic, who was promoted with West Brom in 2019-20, takes over a side 10th in the table, just one point off the …