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Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos has fractured his nose according to the club.  The defender was kicked in the face in the 35th minute by Atlético Madrid player Lucas in the Atleti box , as Ramos had a headed attempt on goal. After being kicked Ramos went down with a profusely bleeding nose. A club doctor stemmed the bleeding, and he played the rest of the first half with plugs in his nostrils,  but did not come out for the second half, with Nacho taking his place. Not only did Real Madrid lose Ramos, according out resident referee, they should have had a penalty for the kick to the head. The club confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Ramos the centre-half has been diagnosed with a fractured nose. Real Madrid do not speculate about a potential return date, but  medical sources consulted by  AS  state that if Ramos has an operation, he will be out for between two and three weeks. If the fracture is less severe, the 31-year-ol...

Gareth Bale has been linked to Manchester United almost every summer since he joined Real Madrid, but reports in the British press claim that this time he really is going to move to Old Trafford. Despite the injuries which have seen him miss 40 of the past 60 Real Madrid games, Jose Mourinho's club are reportedly willing to take a chance on the Welshman. This is according to the Daily Mirror, who claim that Real Madrid are willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old, while hoping to recoup the 99 million euros spent on him.

Italy are keen to take back former manager Antonio Conte following their dismissal of Gian Piero Ventura, the Italian Football Federation have confirmed. The Azzurri are still in a period of mourning after failing to qualify for next year's World Cup - only the second time in their history they have failed to do so. Ventura's days were soon numbered after Italy lost to Sweden over a two-legged play-off, failing to beat their opposition in Milan and in doing so shocking the football world. After parting ways with the manager, the Azzurri are now firmly on the hunt for a fresh replacement at the helm, and many within the country's FA are keen to see Conte reinstalled as national boss. Italian FA president Carlo Tavecchio has gone as far as to confirm Conte is a wanted man, addressing speculation this week regarding Ventura's successor. Tavecchio told media, when asked about potential candidates such as Massimiliano Allegri or Roberto Mancini: ...

Edinson Cavani has revealed that Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery has decided his side's next penalty will be taken by Neymar. The Uruguayan and the world's most expensive player were embroiled in an embarrassing public fall-out during the club's 2-0 win over Lyon in September. Neymar was seen remonstrating with Cavani as they both stood over the spot arguing over who should take the penalty, having earlier squabbled over the taking of a set-piece. Emery and the PSG hierarchy have done all they can to prevent a similar situation arising again with Cavani reportedly being offered €1million to pass on penalty duties to his Brazilian team-mate. After Cavani rejected the financial offer, Emery has been forced to step in and hand the reigns over to Neymar himself. 'The coach has decided that Neymar will take the next penalty,' Cavani said, as reported by FourFourTwo.

Ernesto Valverde  will a few problems to keep him occupied this week.  Gerard Piqué who went into this yesterday's meeting with  Leganés  on four yellow cards, picked up a fifth booking on 29 minutes for which means he will now miss next week's away trip to Valencia. Match official Alberto Undiano Mallenco dipped into his top pocket for his yellow card when Piqué grappled with Amrabat from behind.  The decision enraged Valverde - as it didPiqué who was later seen mouthing to the ref that there was minimal contract as both teams made their way to the changing rooms at half-time. Follow us on Facebook So Piqué is suspended and  Javier Mascherano remains out for a month with a hamstring tear which leaves Valverde with the bare minimum of options at the back next weekend at Mestalla. The coach will only have  Samuel Umtiti , who is also one booking away from suspension, and  Thomas...

Ernesto Valverde  will a few problems to keep him occupied this week.  Gerard Piqué , w ho went into this afternoon's meeting with  Leganés  on four yellow cards, picked up a fifth booking on 29 minutes  for which means he will now miss next week's away trip to Valencia. Match official Alberto Undiano Mallenco dipped into his top pocket for his yellow card when Piqué grappled with Amrabat from behind. The decision enraged Valverde - as it didPiqué who was later seen mouthing to the ref that there was minimal contract as both teams made their way to the changing rooms at half-time. So Piqué is suspended and  Javier Mascherano remains out for a month with a hamstring tear which leaves Valverde with the bare minimum of options at the back next weekend at Mestalla. The coach will only have  Samuel Umtiti , who is also one booking away from suspension, and  Thomas Vermaelen ...

Eden Hazard says Chelsea have what it takes to catch Manchester City in the race for the title Eden Hazard helped to fire Chelsea to a 4-0 thrashing of West Brom on Saturday – and then warned Manchester City that the Blues are out to get them in the race for the Premier League title . The Belgian playmaker was in superb form for Antonio Conte’s men as the west London side ran riot at The Hawthorns to move up to second place in the Premier League table. Alvaro Morata opened the scoring for the Blues after great play from Hazard, and it was the Belgian who made it 2-0 shortly after. Marcos Alonso fired the home side into a 3-0 lead before half-time, and Hazard scored again on the hour-mark to complete the rout. Follow us on Facebook Manchester City beat Leicester City 2-0 on Saturday as they continued their fine form in the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola’s men nine points ahead of Chelsea. But Hazard, who helped to fire Chelsea to the Premier League title last season, ...

Tunnel footage of the buildup to England's 0-0 draw with Brazil on Tuesday night could hold the answer to why Neymar swapped Barcelona for PSG in the summer. The Brazilian star shocked the football world by completing a sensational £198m move to the Ligue 1 giants, smashing the transfer record in the process. The reasons behind Neymar's move have been shrouded in mystery since, with reports in the European press last week claiming he was already unhappy at the club.

Italy have announced they have sacked manager Gian Piero Ventura with immediate effect. Like our Facebook page The 69-year-old was under the spotlight after failing to guide the iconic European side to next summer's World Cup.

Chelsea are moving ahead with plans to sign Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura and are preparing to sell Willian in order to fund the transfer, according to reports in France. The big-spending Ligue 1 club are reportedly ready to sell Lucas, who has fallen down the pecking order following the arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. The Premier League champions are said to be one of the clubs offered the 25-year-old, and Antonio Conte has apparently shown interest. According to 10 Sport, Chelsea are making preparations to free funds to sign Lucas, who has 35 senior Brazil caps, and would sell Willian in order to do so. They feel they could get a higher fee for Willian than they would spend on Lucas, who it is reported could be signed for around €30million (£27m). The French sports paper reports that Chelsea are scoping out potential buyers in the Chinese Super League. Clubs in China signed John Mikel Obi and Oscar from Stamford Bridge last January. Willian h...

Catalan club is working on the signing of a player at the height of the Italian PSG crack to snatch it from Real Madrid. Barça has already located the new Marco Verratti. The Barca club is already pulling the strings to close the signing of a player who is not only called to be as bright as the Italian midfielder of PSG, but also may be charged for his particular revenge for the signing of Neymar by the French set and also give a hard blow to Real Madrid Florentino Perez. And everything, for a more than modest price.  The entity chaired by Josep Maria Bartomeu is launching its networks on a young talent from the Parisian side, Yacine Adli, which has awakened not only the interest of the Catalans and their eternal rival in the League, but also of other greats in Europe such as Manchester City or Bayern Munich. The azulgana club is already looking for the best way to approach the signing of a very young player whose contract with the PSG expires on June 30 a...

Didier Drogba has revealed Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s defiant response when confronted over the number of managers he has sacked at Stamford Bridge. Since taking over the club in 2003, Abramovich has hired ten different managers and has shown a ruthlessness in his approach, often dismissing his employees just months after periods of success. Antonio Conte, who guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in his debut season, is already being linked with a departure after reportedly clashing with the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge. But despite a whiff of controversy surrounding the Chelsea owner, his record speaks for itself and this is something he reiterated to Drogba when the subject arose during their time together. ‘Everyone says Chelsea isn’t very stable,’ Drogba told French radio station RMC. ‘But in modern-day football, there is no coach who lasts more than three or four years at a club. ‘I asked him [Abramovich]: “We have had how many managers in how many sea...

An 'angry' Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly rejected a new contract at Real Madrid and demanded a transfer away from the Spanish giants at the end of the season. Ronaldo, who has previously made it clear he didn't want to extend his current deal which runs out in 2021, was believed to have wanted to quit the club last summer. The Portuguese superstar opted to remain at the Bernabeu but reports in Spain on Tuesday have now suggested he doesn't want to play for the club beyond this term. Spanish journalist Edu Aguirre, who works for TV station El Chiringuito, claimed Ronaldo has told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez of his decision. Aguirre adds that the 32-year-old former Manchester United star wants to leave on June 30 — and for a 'reasonable price'. However, Real Madrid are understood to have rejected his demand — which has further angered the wantaway star. It is believed Ronaldo doesn't feel appreciated at Real, and the offer on the t...

Barcelona have reportedly taken a significant step toward acquiring the signature of Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann after it emerged they've reached a "principle of agreement" with their target. French newspaper Le10Sport (h/t Calciomercato.com) reported Griezmann has given the green light to a move to the Camp Nou and could be well on the path to joining the Blaugrana next summer. The same article explained how Griezmann pulled the plug on a switch to Manchester United last summer due to Atletico's transfer ban, and he then extended his contract to raise his release clause to €200 million (£178 million). One would therefore assume that's the figure Los Rojiblancos will hold out for in order to sell Griezmann, despite the fact he's struggled to regain top form this season, as recently illustrated by Sky Sports Statto: United fans will undoubtedly be saddened to hear rumours of any pre-agreement with Barca, which could well mean their purs...

According to Marca, The Spanish FA have been given the green light to begin using VAR - Video Assistant Referee - and the technology could make its debut in the second leg of Atletico Madrid and Elche's Copa del Rey tie at the end of November. VAR is already in use in some European leagues, but there has been a mixed reaction to it, particularly in Germany   and Italy. As such, any initial use of it in Spain will be for testing and it will not be rolled out across the country straight away. This, though, is a start and a big step, one which seemed unlikely to come to fruition until Angel Maria Villar had to step aside as Spanish FA president. click here for more

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is investigating whether there is a growing problem between manager Antonio Conte and the players. The Russian billionaire is increasing his involvement in the day-to-day running of the club following the resignation of technical director Michael Emenalo on Monday. According to Sportsmail, Abramovich visited Chelsea’s Cobham HQ last week, and has already made enquiries over the relationship between Conte and his squad. Having fallen out with Diego Costa last season before selling him in the summer, question marks are being raised over Conte’s relationship with David Luiz. The Brazilian was axed from the squad that beat Manchester United on Sunday. Despite Conte’s insistence that the decision was tactical, it is understood the axe came after Luiz questioned the Italian in training last week. But while Abramovich is not questioning Conte’s handling of the Luiz situation, the latest stand-off has raised concerns of a rift between the manager and...

CHELSEA are looking to add fire power to their attacking force in order to compete with Premier League high flyers. To do this the Italian hopes to bring Inter Milan's captain Mauro Icar d i  to partner their striker Alvaro Morata The striker would cost Chelsea in the region of £100million, which would make him the most expensive Premier League player. Conte has been tasked with retaining his title, a mission which is looking far less likely as the games go on. It is unquestionable whether or not Icardi would add quality to the Chelsea squad, the issue for the champions is catching up with the unprecedented pace set by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side. The London club face a number of challenges if they wish to bring the young forward in however. Icardi would prefer a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid , a club searching for a young striker to replace Karim Benzema. And Inter are unwilling to let go of their star man mid-season.

Manchester United will trigger contract extension clauses on four first team stars that will stop them from holding talks with other clubs in January. According to reports, the Red Devils are ready to extend the deals of Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Daley Blind. All are out of contract at the end of the current season but Manchester United have the option to extend their deals by a further 12 months, tying them at the club until summer 2019. The call follows an earlier decision to make the same move with Luke Shaw. Making the decision before the turn of the year will stop the players from being able to talk with foreign clubs in January about a potential move, at least openly. Herrera in particular has become a concern with the Spaniard linked with a move to Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile Juan Mata, who has struggled to get into the Manchester United side this season, has been linked with Real Madrid. The decision to extend their contracts, reported by The Te...

The 21-year-old’s attracted interest from across Europe this season after guiding the Brazilian club to the Copa Libertadores final. Melo, who plays as an attacking midfielder, has been watched by Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona this term and was recently called up to Brazil’s national squad. Jose Mourinho is keen to add creativity to his squad and has targeted a move for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil in the summer. However, the German is 29 and Melo – commonly known as just ‘Arthur’ – would provide better long-term value. According to the Daily mail , United are interested in signing the Brazilian and will compete with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona for his signature. click here for more

Philippe Coutinho is still Barça's great bet to reinforce his attack. If possible, even, in the next winter market. As much as it has been filmed that the Barcelona entity is considering the possibility of signing alternatives to the Brazilian  crack   of Liverpool, with the Algerian Nabil Fekir, of Olympique de Lyon, as apparently the first on the list, the player of the whole   network   is, Today, the main option handled by both the technical services of the club azulgrana and those responsible for the first team, with Ernesto Valverde at the head, and, of course the bulk of the template that has under his command the coach. Moreover, the figures that Barça is currently managing to close, once and for all, the signing of Coutinho in the next winter market have already been made public. The economic conditions that put him on the table to the Brazilian last summer continue to be valid and the Catalan entity plans to present...