Jorginho on the brink of City move, says Napoli chief

Napoli midfielder Jorginho is expected to sign for Manchester City in the next few days , according to the Italian club s president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

After previously claiming to have rejected a bid worth €50million, De Laurentiis said City are moving closer to his valuation of Jorginho and gave a positive assessment of negotiations.

The Italy international, who has made 133 Serie A appearances for Napoli since joining the club from Hellas Verona in 2014, scored twice as the Partenopei finished second to Juventus in 2017-18.

I think the deal can be done in the next few days, De Laurentiis told Sun Sport.

2860 completed the most passes (2860) in the top-5 European Leagues in 2017-18. Crucial.

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo)

Everythin…

Bale unfazed by latest Madrid boos – Coleman

Gareth Bale will be unfazed by being booed once more by Real Madrid fans, according to Wales manager Chris Coleman.

Bale came in for criticism during Madrid s 2-2 draw at home to Valencia on Sunday, jeered by some supporters.

The 28-year-old is preparing for Wales World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Moldova, and Coleman said Bale had learned how to deal with critics.

This latest episode won t faze him at all, Coleman said on Tuesday.

People wondered how he would handle it when he went to Real Madrid [in 2013] because you are like a film star there, but he absolutely cruised through it.

He s answered all the critics. He s matured in the last four or five years and come through it with flying colours.

Coming off an injury-affected s…

Hazard ´just happy I can play again´ against Chelsea friends

Eden Hazard is happy to keep progressing step by step after playing 24 minutes for Real Madrid against his Chelsea friends in the Champions League.

Hazard started from the bench for Madrid in Tuesday s home first leg of their semi-final tie, which ended 1-1.

The winger had only returned from more than a month out against Real Betis at the weekend, finally putting his latest injury setback behind him.

A series of issues have meant the meeting with former club Chelsea saw Hazard make just his 38th Madrid appearance since signing in 2019.

Like much of his career in Spain, it was a largely forgettable cameo, having only 12 touches and failing to attempt or create a shot.

But Hazard was simply happy to be back involved, explaining: I just want to go st…

Jensen named temporary Hareide replacement as unknown Denmark players travel to Slovakia

Denmark have named John Jensen temporary first-team coach for Wednesday s friendly with Slovakia, as an unspecified squad of players heads to Bratislava.

Plans for Denmark s games with Slovakia and the UEFA Nations League clash with Wales have been thrown into disarray by a dispute between the Danish Football Association (DBU) and the senior players.

A row over commercial rights has led to concerns the squad will boycott the coming matches, meaning the DBU could risk a substantial UEFA fine and suspension from tournaments if the games are forfeited.

With head coach Age Hareide also involved in the dispute, Denmark have decided to place former midfielder Jensen in charge of the team for Wednesday s game, which could reportedly include uncapped players from lower l…

Cavani´s renewal essential for Man United and Greenwood

When Manchester United confirmed the signing of Edinson Cavani on a free transfer last October, it s fair to say there was by no means universal praise for the deal.

The announcement, which came on transfer deadline day, smacked of desperation to many. United hadn t been able to sign their primary target, Jadon Sancho, but couldn t face the prospect of heading into the new season without strengthening the frontline.

Granted, failing to add reinforcements wouldn t have been a good look for the club, but Cavani s signing wasn t exactly much of a consolation in the eyes of supporters.

Doubts over his age, form during his final season at Paris Saint-Germain and the simple fact he was still without a club at the start of October all appeared to be valid concerns, part…

Neymar and Mbappe will win Ballon d´Or, predicts Drogba

Didier Drogba believes Paris Saint-Germain s exceptional strikers Neymar and Kylian Mbappe will both win the Ballon d Or during their careers.

The pair have been instrumental in PSG s dominance of French football since linking up at the start of the 2017-18 season, scoring 115 goals between them across all competitions.

Luka Modric broke Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo s decade-long stranglehold on the Ballon d Or last year and former Chelsea and Marseille striker Drogba has no doubt PSG s potent attackers will join that illustrious group.

He told Le Parisien: Neymar and Mbappe will one day win the Ballon d Or. They are part of this small group of exceptional players. There are very few in the world.

While Champions League winner Drogba thinks their…

Rangnick in disbelief over ´human disaster´ in Ukraine as Man Utd boss backs Champions League decisi

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick insists UEFA s decision to move the Champions League final from St Petersburg was correct amid the ongoing human disaster in Ukraine.

Russia began an invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday and the attack continued into Friday, with reports suggesting the fighting reached the capital of Kiev early in the afternoon.

Many countries around the world have imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as Russian entities and individuals in an attempt to disrupt the attack.

Similar measures have been taken in the sporting world, with United announcing Russian airline Aeroflot had been dropped from the club s list of major sponsors, while UEFA stripped St Petersburg of host responsibilities for this season s Champions League f…

Inter Milan thinking about Ruben Neves

Inter Milan are expected to do a lot of work in the January and the next summer transfer window, at least according to the media reports. With the news of Crystal Palace being interested in signing Gabriel Barbosa a.k.a. Gabigol for around 30 million euros, the Italian side could be possibly getting into another business with an English club.

This time it would be Wolverhampton Wanderers, as Inter are interested in their star player Ruben Neves. There are certain reports suggesting that the Portuguese midfielder could find himself the subject of an attempted purchase in the new year.

The 22-year-old is currently closing in on a hundred games for the club, having joined Wolves back in 2017 when they were still playing in the Championship. Since then, he helped them get p…

Sarri appointed as Inzaghi´s replacement at Lazio

Lazio have appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new head coach following the departure of Simone Inzaghi.

Former Italy international Inzaghi left Lazio at the end of May after an impressive five-year spell in charge at the Stadio Olimpico, stepping in for Antonio Conte at Inter.

Sarri quickly emerged as a front-runner for the job and has been appointed on a two-year deal.

The 62-year-old has been out of management since being sacked by Juventus in August last year, paying the price for the Old Lady s shock Champions League elimination by Lyon in the last 16.

Nevertheless, Sarri did guide Juve to a ninth successive Serie A title, with his successor Andrea Pirlo unable to continue that run as the Bianconeri scraped a fourth-placed finish on the final day of…

Maguire and Leicester players join Srivaddhanaprabha tribute march

Harry Maguire joined Leicester City players on a tribute march to the club s late owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Leicester host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, their first home game since the death of Srivaddhanaprabha last month.

Srivaddhanaprabha, who oversaw the Foxes remarkable Premier League title triumph in 2015-16, was one of five people killed when his private helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium.

Maguire, who misses the Burnley game due to injury, joined thousands of Leicester fans in marching to the stadium as part of a series of planned tributes to Srivaddhanaprabha.

Just finished the #WalkForVichai, England defender Maguire wrote on Twitter. Unbelievable support. A special day for an amazing man.