22/07/09: Transfer Rumors

Barcelona have not ruled out signing a replacement for Lionel Messi despite their financial constraints.

Messi will not return for the 2021-22 season, Barca announced on Thursday, with a new deal unable to fit within LaLiga s salary restrictions.

President Joan Laporta, explaining the collapsed negotiations on Friday, confirmed new recruits Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia, Emerson Royal and Memphis Depay could be registered, though.

And despite a desperate financial situation, which Laporta said was a lot worse than exposed initially , there could yet be a further arrival to help plug the gap left by Barca s greatest ever player.

No, the first team squad isn t done, isn t closed, the president said. The market closes on August 31, so lots of things could happ…

England midfielder Gareth Barry admits he is desperate to make amends for the lowest moment of his career by helping Fabio Capello s side secure their World Cup place with victory over Croatia on Wednesday.

Barry was part of the England team who missed out on Euro 2008 after Croatia won 3-2 at Wembley 22 months ago, but the Manchester City star is confident Slaven Bilic s men will find it much harder in London this time.

Last time, in November 2007, Steve McClaren s England needed just a draw to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland but they fell apart in dismal fashion.

McClaren was sacked soon after and Capello took over. The Italian has quickly got England back on track and they can book their trip to next year s World Cup in…

​Galatasaray have appointed Turkey assistant Hamza Hamzaoglu as their new coach following Cesare Prandelli s departure from the club.

The Istanbul outfit sacked Prandelli on Friday, the former Italy boss paying the price for inconsistent performances that have seen Gala eliminated from European competition.

Gala sit bottom of UEFA Champions League Group D following a 2-0 defeat to Anderlecht last week that ended any hope of a place in the Europa League.

Despite losing three league games this term, Gala are well placed to compete for a 20th Super Lig title and will hope that Hamzaoglu can inspire them to that achievement.

I am in a place that I can call my home , he told the club s official website.

I am very happy to be here again. I m proud …

England are calm and together at Russia 2018 according to Marcus Rashford – a contrast to the Manchester United youngster s whirlwind first experience of major tournament football.

Rashford found himself in Roy Hodgson s Euro 2016 squad mere months after his explosive emergence at United.

The dream turned into a nightmare as the then teenager – one of few players on the night to emerge with credit from his performance – came off the bench in the second half but was unable to avert a humiliating last-16 loss to Iceland.

There is an entirely different feel around the current England squad under Gareth Southgate, something Harry Kane s last-gasp heroics against Tunisia in Monday s Group G opener only fuelled further.

The mood around the camp is a lot …

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Facing what is a must-win Bundesliga showdown on Wednesday night, Bayern Munich will welcome Union Berlin to the Allianz.

Bayern Munich

Starting with the hosts, while Bayern Munich might have eventually made more Bundesliga history last season, the German giants are facing a real uphill battle this time around. Opening the midweek fixtures sat seven points adrift of a high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, Thomas Tuchel’s side face what is a crucial showdown on Wednesday night. Putting in a toothless performance over the weekend as they eventually slumped to a shock 1-0 loss at home against Werder Bremen, the former Chelsea boss could have some mounting pressure on his shoulders at the Allianz. Suffering just a second Bundesliga defeat of t…

Nathan Ake has been recalled by Premier League leaders Chelsea from his loan spell at Bournemouth.

The 21-year-old defender joined Eddie Howe s side on a season-long loan deal last June and has impressed on the south coast, prompting Antonio Conte to bring him back to the Blues.

Conte had described Ake as a very interesting opportunity in the January transfer window as he looks to keep Chelsea at the top of the table and the Italian has now made the decision to bring him into his squad.

Chelsea and Bournemouth both confirmed the decisions in statements on Sunday, with the Cherries saying: Ake has started the last eight games he has been eligible for but Chelsea have activated an option to recall him during the opening weeks of January, and the 21-year-old will re…

Kevin van Veen is on his way to Kilmarnock after the Ayrshire club fended off competition from Motherwell and St Mirren for the Dutch striker.

Van Veen, scorer of 29 goals for Motherwell last season, has revealed he is joining Killie on loan until the end of the season.

Motherwell lost out on taking the player back after failing to match Killie and St Mirren’s financial input with the Rugby Park side set to pay the majority of his Groningen wages.

The 32-year-old scored five goals earlier this season but lost his place in the team after a disagreement with the manager and was keen to return to Scotland to be with his family.

Our new number 3 and 2 3 !

— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC)

Hibernian signed two 20-year-old centre-ba…

Lazio eyeing Ron Vlaar

that Lazio are set to launch a fresh assault on Dutch defender Ron Vlaar.

The Bianconeri are desperate to recruit a high-profile centre-back in the January window after it was revealed that star player Stefan de Vrij would require a knee surgery.

And the latest reports suggest that Lazio are set to reignite their interest in Ron Vlaar, who is now available on a free transfer.

The 30-year-old left Aston Villa in the summer, but having suffered a serious knee injury, the Netherlands international was unable to find a new club.

Vlaar has been training with former club AZ Alkmaar as he steps up his recovery and he will soon be ready to return into action.

As a result, Lazio are almost certain to offer the central defen…

Moise Kean must be one of the most disappointing players in Europe during the last 12 months. The Italian striker went from being a sure-fire prospect to someone who can barely hold his own at England’s top-flight over the course of a whole year. He also went from playing in the Serie A to feature for Everton in the Premier League. That is not an easy change for a 20-year-old player.

The biggest question here is quite simple. What is going on with Kean? It is obvious he has not forgotten how to play football and, if he settles anywhere, he has enough talent to be a star striker in most teams in the world. But will he ever reach his potential? That’s tricky, to say the least.

Young players need to feature regularly to reach their potential, but that is not enough. Wh…

Portuguese midfielder Deco has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35 and has blamed a string of injuries for his decision.

The Brazilian-born star enjoyed a glittering 17-year career with significant spells at Barcelona, Chelsea and Porto, before returning to his homeland to finish his career with Fluminense.

Deco won an array of trophies during his career in two Champions League titles, the UEFA Cup and eight league titles in four countries, while also helping his adopted country Portugal to the Euro 2004 final on home soil.

With a lot of sadness and hurt I am announcing the end of my professional career, Deco said on Monday.

I ve been really happy during this time and I wanted to help Fluminense more but my body won t allow that.

My musc…