Race hot up for Samir Handanovic

Sport Mediaset is reporting that Manchester United, Liverpool and Roma are all considering moves for Inter Milan goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.

The Slovenian shot-stopper has a contract until June 2016 at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, and, as thing stand now, he is unlikely to sign a new deal.

With the Nerazzurri largely struggling in Serie A and club officials not showing enough desire to keep hold of their star player, Handanovic might be ready to explore other avenues.

According to Sport Mediaset, the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool are showing interest, while Roma are ready to pounce if the goalkeeper decides to remain in Italy.

Handanovic, 30, is widely regarded as one of Europe s top shot-stoppers and it appears he is ready to leave the Nerazzurri…

Bayern star Lewandowski heads nominees for Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award

Robert Lewandowski heads a stellar list of nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award after a golden 12 months for Bayern Munich.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and tennis great Rafael Nadal are also in contention. Joshua Cheptegei and Armand Duplantis complete the male nominees.

Poland striker Lewandowski enjoyed a memorable 2020 for the German giants, with his impeccable performances helping Bayern to a Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble. 

Across the top-five European leagues, no player could match Lewandowski s 45 goals scored in all competitions from January 1 to December 31 with Cristiano Ronaldo his nearest rival on 41.

Liverpool confirm Luis Alberto capture; Celtic sign Van Dijk

Liverpool F.C. have completed the signing of Spain Under-21 international forward Luis Alberto from Sevilla on a long-term contract, .

The deal is subject to international clearance.

Alberto, 20, made his first-team debut for Sevilla on 16 April 2011 against Getafe CF but failed to establish himself at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, making just seven senior appearances for the Sevillistas from 2010 to 2012.

Thus, in August 2012, the 20-year-old was loaned to Liga Adelante side FC Barcelona B on a one-year deal.

While on loan at the Mini Estadi, Alberto bagged 11 goals and 17 assists in 38 appearances, attracting interest from a number of top European clubs.

We are all delighted that Luis has decided to join Liverpool, Liverp…

European giants in Pulisic pursuit

Borussia Dortmund starlet Christian Pulisic has emerged as a top transfer target for the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, according to the British media.

Daily Mail reports that the American teenage sensation has once again turned plenty of heads after scoring a brace in and ICC win over Liverpool. Pulisic was the standout performer for the Bundesliga side against the Reds.

Pulisic has enjoyed a stellar season at the German club during the 2017/18 campaign. He hit the rich vein of form in 32 Bundesliga appearances, while he also took part in his team’s eight matches in the Champions League and Europa League.

Jurgen Klopp is said to be extremely keen to bring his former protegee to Anfield but the German tactician will face plenty of …

Hargreaves, O´Shea set for United squad return

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said Friday midfielder Owen Hargreaves and defender John O Shea could be back in the squad for the visit of Chelsea this weekend.

England midfielder Hargreaves has not played a first-team game since September 2008 after undergoing surgery to both knees, while Republic of Ireland international O Shea has been out with a leg injury since November.

John O Shea and Owen Hargreaves have trained very well with the first team, Ferguson said.

They are not far away and I may use one of them as substitute on Saturday and the other on Wednesday.

John O Shea in particular has done a lot of work. The boy has come on terrifically well in the last two or three weeks.

If I include one on Saturday and one on Wednesday i…

Manchester City goalkeeper Hart wants quadruple

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is dreaming of winning the quadruple this season.

Manuel Pellegrini s men sit third in the Premier League table and have already booked their ticket for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

They also qualified for the semi-finals of the League Cup last week and are yet to begin their FA Cup campaign.

It will be a successful season if we win all the trophies, Hart told Sky Sports.

We can t say we want to lose that one or we accept we are going to lose then. We have to go out to win all four and see what happens.

Manchester City have struggled to make an impact in Europe in recent seasons, but Hart is optimistic about his side s chances this term.

We are ambitious as a team, as a club and a…

Juventus 2-1 Napoli: Ronaldo and Dybala restore winning ways in Turin

Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A with a 2-1 defeat of Napoli at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

After a shock defeat to Benevento ended their run of seven consecutive home league wins, the champions responded in impressive style to record a ninth victory in 10 home league games against Napoli.

Cristiano Ronaldo dispatched a cross from the excellent Federico Chiesa to put Juve ahead with his fourth goal in his past six appearances against the Partenopei.

Gianluigi Buffon made a handful of solid saves to preserve Juve s lead before substitute Paulo Dybala fired in an expert second to make the points safe, with Lorenzo Insigne s late penalty counting for little.

1 Paulo Dybala has scored a goal as a substitute in Serie A for the first time…

China tycoon in talks to buy Liverpool: report

A Chinese Internet gaming tycoon has confirmed he is in talks to buy British football club Liverpool, Chinese media reported Wednesday.

Zhu Jun, chairman of Nasdaq-listed online game company The9 Limited, said the negotiations to buy Liverpool were ongoing , but added that the outcome was hard to predict, the Beijing Times reported.

Officials at Shanghai-based The9 said they could not immediately confirm the comments when contacted by AFP.

Zhu, who already owns Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, has held two preliminary meetings with Barclays Capital, the investment bank hired to handle the sale, Britain s Independent newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

Chairman of debt-ridden Liverpool Martin Broughton, who is also chief of British Airw…

Aston Villa 1 Crystal Palace 0: Hennessey howler hands Villa first home win

Wayne Hennessey s terrible error gave Aston Villa their first win in 20 Premier League matches, the goalkeeper fumbling Joleon Lescott s header over the line to gift Remi Garde s men a 1-0 home victory against Crystal Palace.

Villa had not tasted success in the Premier League since beating AFC Bournemouth on the opening day of the season, but the league s bottom club held on for a narrow win on Tuesday.

Wilfried Zaha had hit the outside of the post in the opening minute of the game after swapping passes with Jason Puncheon but both teams struggled for a cutting edge in the final third.

And it was an awful mistake from Hennessey that gifted Villa the lead on 58 minutes. Lescott s header had power but was straight at the goalkeeper, who contrived to bundle t…

Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs Osasuna

Prediction: Atletico Madrid to win 3-0

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Atletico Madrid and Osasuna will face each other in La Liga this coming weekend. The match at the Wanda Metropolitano is slated to kick off at 5:30pm UK time on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have recovered their form and are back in pole position to win the La Liga title this season. Diego Simeone’s side are at the top of the standings at the most with 80 points from 36 matches, four points clear of second-placed Barcelona and five ahead of defending champions and city rivals Real Madrid, who have played 35 games.

There could still be a twist in the La Liga title race, but Atletico will know that that have their destiny in their own hands. A win against Osasuna would be …