Barcelona set €500m buyout clause for teenage gem Marc Bernal after ´contract adjustment´

Anita Asante feels there have been “important steps” taken with regard to the diversity issue in English women’s football but has stressed it will take some time to see them bear fruit.

During England’s run to winning Euro 2022, Asante wrote in the Guardian about the lack of diversity in a squad featuring just three members from black, Asian or mixed heritage backgrounds out of 23, with the player pathway and access to football for girls in schools among the issues the former Lioness pointed to as problems.

In February, the Football Association announced a revamped women’s and girls’ pathway that it said would make the game more diverse and accessible, with up to 70 ‘Emerging Talent Centres’ being established across the country.

A new-look women�…

Manchester United s bid to improve their backline has seen them make Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka two of the world s most-expensive defenders.

England defender Maguire has joined from Leicester City for a reported £80million, surpassing the record set by Liverpool s capture of Virgil van Dijk.

Earlier in this transfer window United spent £50m to acquire right-back Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace as they commenced a substantial rebuild of their squad.

Maguire has not cost United as much as their biggest signing Paul Pogba, who joined from Juventus in 2016 in a then-world record £89.3m deal, but he is the most expensive defender of all time.

Here, we profile the men at the back who have cost a fair whack.

HARRY MAGUIRE – Leicester Cit…

Harry Winks wants Tottenham to shed the inconsistency that has left them casting an envious eye at Europe s elite.

After four consecutive years of Champions League football, Spurs will drop into the Europa League next season, a blow to a club with grand ambitions.

That is the consequence of finishing sixth in the Premier League, with Tottenham s modest total of 59 points their lowest since the 2008-09 campaign.

It was small consolation that they finished above rivals Arsenal, but the Gunners FA Cup final victory over Chelsea meant it was they who finished the season with north London bragging rights.

Spurs and their head coach Jose Mourinho will expect to deliver more next season, and England international Winks says it will be important to start strong…

Phil Foden hailed Pep Guardiola as a genius ahead of Manchester City s decisive Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, having helped inspire his team to a 1-0 first-leg win last week.

The 21-year-old provided the assist for Kevin De Bruyne s 70th-minute winner just 79 seconds after being introduced as a substitute at the Etihad, allowing City to take a slender advantage into their second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Foden s delightful ball to De Bruyne represented his seventh Champions League assist, with only Cesc Fabregas (10) ever assisting more goals for English clubs in the competition aged 21 or younger.

Looking back on a first leg in which City had to be patient after racking up 15 shots to Atletico s zero, Foden labelled his manager a genius fo…

Thiago Alcantara admits Liverpool could not imagine in their worst nightmares how bad this season would pan out, but the midfielder is hopeful his side are in the process of turning things around after advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Liverpool have sent a number of unwanted records tumbling this season, including a run of six successive top-flight defeats at Anfield for the first time in their history.

The reigning Premier League champions have long been out of title contention and find themselves eighth with 10 games to play, seven points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

However, Jurgen Klopp s side put their domestic woes to one side on Wednesday by seeing off  RB Leipzig 2-0 in Budapest to complete a 4-0 aggregate victory in their last-16 t…

The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ have all now distanced themselves from the possibility of joining any new European Super League.

Arsenal became the last of the clubs who joined the original Super League in 2021 to confirm their position on Friday.

The Gunners issued a statement saying they will continue in UEFA competitions despite a European Court of Justice ruling which has at least opened the possibility of a club-led tournament to rival the Champions League being launched.

Club statement

— Arsenal (@Arsenal)

Liverpool have not commented directly since Thursday’s ruling but the PA news agency understands legal consent on the issue of joining new competitions has rested with the recognised supporters’ trust, the Spirit of Shankly (So…

Over the course of his two decades at the top of world snooker, Ronnie O Sullivan has carried an air few sportsman are lucky enough to possess.

The feeling has often been, no matter what his opponents do, if O Sullivan is in the mood then the outcome is entirely in his hands. He might lose focus or get bored, but the only person who can beat peak Ronnie is Ronnie.

A keen Arsenal fan, if O Sullivan had been watching his team on the television on Sunday, he might have seen something of himself in Manchester City s nonchalant dominance.

By the time Raheem Sterling leapt to head home Riyad Mahrez s cross after 75 seconds, the England forward had already swiped errantly at a left-footed volley after City s battery of playmakers cut Arsenal to ribbons from kick-off.

Prediction: England to win 2-0

Odds:

Bookmaker:

England will be aiming to continue their perfect start to FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying as they host Poland at Wembley Stadium.

The Three Lions have won each of their opening two games throughout the campaign and will take control of the group as they come up against arguably their hardest rivals on home soil.

England

After their first two matches of qualifying, England sit where most would probably have backed them to be top of the group. Gareth Southgate s men have claimed two wins out of two with a 5-0 success against San Marino and a 2-0 victory versus Albania last time out. Those results have extended England s impressive run in qualifiers having not fallen to defeat in a World Cup qualifyi…

Massimiliano Allegri is a complete coach who has the ability to turn Juventus season around, according to midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

Experienced coach Allegri won 11 trophies in his first five-season spell with Juve, but he is under intense pressure a year and a half on from returning to the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus finished fourth in Serie A last season and ended the campaign trophy-less for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.

The Bianconeri have started this season slow, too, with Saturday s 2-0 loss to rivals Milan leaving them eighth in the table and already 10 points off top spot after nine matches.

But speaking ahead of Juve s Champions League tie with Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, Rabiot gave his backing to the under-fire coach.

Allegri…