Sanchez: Barca lead offers no guarantees

Schalke general manager Horst Heldt has lashed out at AC Milan for allegedly making an illegal approach for defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos.

Goal.com exclusively revealed on Friday that Milan see the Greece international as the ideal replacement for Thiago Silva, who joined Paris Saint-Germain at the weekend.

Heldt said he was aware of Milan s interest in the centre-back, but he has now accused the Italians of speaking to the player s advisors without the Bundesliga outfit s consent.

We will see Milan next week for the friendly match at the Veltins Arena so then I will tell the representatives of the club that it would be nice if they would warn us next time before they come to hold talks with the player, he stated.

I can confirm that AC Milan held disc…

Welcome to the best club in the world . That was Thibaut Courtois message after Eden Hazard s move to Real Madrid.

Hazard joined LaLiga giants Madrid from Chelsea on a five-year deal on Friday for a fee that could reportedly rise to €140million.

The Belgium international attacker won two Premier League titles and as many Europa League crowns during his time at Chelsea, where he played alongside Courtois before the star goalkeeper left for Madrid in 2018-19.

And Courtois welcomed Hazard to the Santiago Bernabeu via social media as the Belgian duo prepare to reunite in Madrid.

Bienvenido al mejor club del mundo!!! 

— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois)

Welcome to the best club in the world!!! @hazardeden10 @realmadrid, Courtois wro…

Ajax and Netherlands star Matthijs de Ligt revealed Cristiano Ronaldo asked him if he would join Juventus next season.

De Ligt, 19, is expected to make a big-money move from Ajax in the close season, with Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona reportedly his most likely destinations.

But Juve star Ronaldo wasted no time trying to get the defender to Turin after Portugal edged Netherlands 1-0 in the Nations League final on Sunday.

Asked if Ronaldo had questioned if he would be his team-mate at Juventus, De Ligt told NOS: That could be true, yes.

I didn t understand him at first. I was a little shocked, so I laughed, but I didn t say anything.

Shortly after the game you are not at all concerned with it, you are disappointed you have lost and that is the…

Barca eyeing Mateo Kovacic

Spanish champions Barcelona are hot on the trail of Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.

It is no secret the Catalans aim to sign a long-term successor to Xavi Hernandez and it would appear as though the Croatia starlet is one of their primary targets.

Il Corriere dello Sport has suggested that Barcelona are prepared to offload both Pedro Rodriguez and Alex Song in an attempt to wrap up the deal for Kovacic.

And with Inter Milan showing interest in both players, a swap deal involving Kovacic, Pedro and Song could be on the cards.

Mateo Kovacic, 20, has shown plenty of potential since joining the club from Dinamo Zagreb, scoring 5 goals in 73 Serie A appearances.

His suitor…

West Brom head coach Tony Pulis believes Louis van Gaal will be under pressure to ensure Manchester United are genuine contenders for the Premier League title next season.

United turned to David Moyes to replace legendary manager Alex Ferguson ahead of the 2013-14 campaign, but the Scot was dismissed less than 12 months in to the job.

Subsequently, Dutchman Van Gaal who has won the domestic titles in Netherlands, Spain and Germany took over and has steered the club to fourth place with four matches remaining.

With a return to the UEFA Champions League seemingly assured, Pulis expects Van Gaal to make more of an impact in his second season at the helm.

Louis has obviously spent a bit of money and brought quite a few players in, I think he has had a yea…

Mesut Ozil has dealt a blow to Manchester United by saying that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid any time soon, .

The German international has been a long way off his best for Real Madrid in recent weeks and has come under a lot of scrutiny from the Spanish press.

There were also reports that he has a falling out with manager Jose Mourinho – which started to spark doubts over the 23-year-olds future at the club.

This put English Premier Side United on high alert as Sir Alex Ferguson is a big admirer of Ozil and tried to bring him to Old Trafford back in 2010, but was unsuccessful.

However, the playmaker has said: “There is no single reason to leave Real, I don t need to prove anything to anyone I enjoy playing football.

I play for…

Best Odds: 6/4

Bookmaker:

Glad to make a return to the Banc of California Stadium this weekend, Los Angeles will host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Los Angeles

Starting with the hosts, while Los Angeles might have impressed many across the MLS when opening July, The Black and Gold came crashing back down to earth earlier in the week. Despite putting in what was another eye-catching display and dominating large spells of the game in the early hours of Thursday, the Western Conference outfit were hit with a hard-fought 2-1 defeat away at Portland. Watching their three-match winning run come to an abrupt end on their travels, Head Coach Bob Bradley finds his squad tipped as another leading contender to clinch another Final Series sp…

Market: Hull win

Odds: 1/2 @

Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Championship table, Hull will welcome Rotherham to the MKM Stadium on Tuesday night.

Starting with the hosts, mounting a stellar second-half comeback away at Swansea over the weekend as they eventually snatched a 2-2 draw, Hull have continued to gain a string of plaudits from across the Championship this season. Already cementing their spot as one of the surprise packages, the mood in Liam Rosenior’s camp appears to be at a red-hot high. With some around the MKM Stadium now dreaming of the chance to mount a genuine play-off charge in 2024, the former Derby coach should be smelling a golden opportunity here. Signing off October with a stellar 1-0 victory against P…

Pep Guardiola has called on Manchester City s supporters to back his side when they are enduring tough moments.

Premier League champions City were back somewhere close to their brilliant best on Saturday as Kevin De Bruyne inspired a 3-1 comeback win against Leicester City – Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus on target either side of Ilkay Gundogan s first-half penalty.

However, they remain third in the table behind Leicester and 11 points shy of runaway leaders Liverpool having played a game more.

It is a situation somewhat different to the one enjoyed at the Etihad Stadium over the course of back-to-back title wins and a cumulative total of 198 points.

The Leicester game was the first of four home fixtures in a two-week period for City, who also face Man…

Aston Villa are interested in signing Tammy Abraham from Premier League rivals Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the Villans want to secure the services of the 23-year-old on a loan deal.

Chelsea would prefer to sell Abraham to sending the England international striker out on loan. The 2021 Champions League winners value the youngster at £40 million. London rivals Arsenal are claimed to be keen on securing the services of the striker.

Abraham struggled for playing time at Chelsea last season after Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as the club’s manager. The striker made and 10 substitute appearances in the league, scoring six goals and providing one assist in the process. Araham also made three starts and two substitu…