Barcelona will challenge for Champions League again – Ancelotti

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Reims attacker Hugo Ekitike on loan until the end of the 2022-23 season, with an option to buy.

Reports suggest the eventual fee, should the deal be made permanent, will see the Ligue 1 champions pay around €35million for the 20-year-old.

Newcastle United had been linked with Ekitike, with reports suggesting he had turned down a move to the Premier League side in January.

Reims coach Oscar Garcia then quelled fears the forward would leave, suggesting Ekitike wanted to stay unless Real Madrid or Barcelona made an offer.

However, PSG have now swooped in to sign the striker on an initial loan deal as new head coach Christophe Galtier attempts to build a squad capable of competing domestically and in the …

Market: Dundalk win to nil

Odds: 10/11 @

Two sides who are battling it out at opposite ends of the Premier Division table, Dundalk will welcome UC Dublin to Oriel Park on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Dundalk might have been disappointed to have only collected a single point away at Shelbourne last weekend, the Irish heavyweights are still enjoying an eye-catching run of form. Simply hoping to make up some ground in the Premier Division title chase, Head Coach Stephen O Donnell will be smelling a golden chance on Friday night. Now in the midst of a stellar 10-match unbeaten run, a run that stems all the way back to April 18th, Dundalk have also continued to shine with their displays at the back. It should be highlighted, this weekend s hosts have …

Leeds United have completed the signing of Diego Llorente from Real Sociedad for a reported £18.7million (€20m).

Sociedad announced on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached between the clubs and two days later Leeds confirmed Llorente had passed his medical and signed a four-year contract.

The 27-year-old is looking forward to working under Marcelo Bielsa and says he is ready to play against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday if required.

He told a news conference: For me, this step is very important. I think that I am doing the right thing. I hope to help my team-mates and to improve my football.

I want to learn a lot off the coach. I think we can have a great season and I will give my best.

The coach has been an important facto…

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will work with Ruud van Nistelrooy after being sent on loan to PSV for the 2022-23 season.

Branthwaite moved to Goodison Park from Carlisle United, aged just 17, and made his Premier League debut against Wolves in July 2020.

The centre-back proved the unlikely hero against Chelsea the following season, scoring a header in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to mark his first Premier League goal.

Branthwaite spent the second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at Championship side Blackburn Rovers, before returning to make eight appearances in the most recent campaign, including four Premier League starts.

Frank Lampard s side staved off Premier League relegation fears last season before bringing in James Tarkowski from Burn…

Stephanie Frappart will become the first female referee to referee a Ligue 1 match, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced.

Frenchwoman Frappart will make history when she officiates Sunday s top-tier match between Amiens and Strasbourg.

The 35-year-old – who will feature at the Women s World Cup this year – was also the first woman to referee a Ligue 2 fixture in 2014.

Stephanie Frappart, selected by FIFA for the Women s World Cup in France, has been appointed by the FFF Refereeing Direction for the match on the 34th day of Ligue 1 between Amiens SC and RC Strasbourg, the FFF said in a statement.

Dans le cadre de sa préparation à la Coupe du monde féminine 2019, Stéphanie Frappart a été désignée pour officier lors de la prochaine jou…

Lionel Messi has outlined his journey from sickbed to three-time Club World Cup winner.

The Barcelona superstar missed his team s semi-final triumph over Guangzhou Evergrande after being struck down with renal colic – a type of abdominal pain commonly caused by the kidney stones.

But Messi returned to Luis Enrique s starting line-up for Sunday s final against River Plate in Yokohama, opening the scoring before a Luis Suarez brace ensured Barca ran out 3-0 winners.

The Spanish and European champions are the first three-time winners of the global crown, adding this year s success to titles collected in 2009 and 2011.

Messi is now the only player to score in three Club World Cup finals, and was relieved to be passed fit for Sunday s match.

There w…

Memphis Depay will not leave Lyon in the January transfer window despite Barcelona maintaining their interest in the attacker, according to Jean-Michel Aulas.

Barca were heavily linked with a move for Depay after former Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman took over in August, but the ex-Manchester United forward remained at the Ligue 1 side.

The Catalan giants are said to be looking to step up their efforts to sign the 26-year-old after Ansu Fati was ruled out for around four months with a knee injury.

Depay s contract with Lyon is set to expire in June and club president Aulas insists he will not be allowed to depart beforehand.

Memphis is an exceptional player. It is him who is pulling the club, along with a number of other players, Aulas said on RMC.

…

According to a recent report from Bild, German giants Borussia Dortmund are set to launch a bid for Thorgan Hazard in the summer transfer window. The 25 year old has been with Borussia Monchengladbach since back in 2015, with a loan spell dating back to 2014, and he has been turning heads ever since then. He spent three years with Chelsea, alongside his brother Eden, but never made a professional appearance for the Blues.

Hazard is currently valued at around £35 million, but it feels like Gladbach will want to hold out for even more than that – given he is one of their star players.

Thorgan is also a Belgium international, and has been since back in 2013.

If he decides to go ahead with leaving in the summer, then we’d imagine even more high profile European…

Darwin Nunez of Benfica is open to the idea of joining Liverpool amid rumours of Reds interest in his services, according to .

The Uruguayan striker started out at Penarol in his homeland, which he left to join UD Almeria in 2019 for a reported fee of €13 million. A year later, the Spanish club sold him to Benfica for €24m.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a great 2021-22 season with the Portuguese club, scoring 23 goals and producing two assists in 29 matches in all competitions so far. Come this summer, his contract will still have three years left to run, which obviously means he won t come cheap.

As for Liverpool, they are currently dealing with the need to restructure their attacking line. They ve done rather well over the last 18 months with the signings of…

Julian Nagelsmann has set up a kitchen control room to guide Bayern Munich while he remains away from the team after a COVID-19 positive test.

Assistant head coach Dino Toppmoller will lead from the touchline when Bayern host Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday, having also stood in for the 4-0 win at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Despite being fully vaccinated, Nagelsmann learned that the flu-like symptoms he was experiencing in Portugal were caused by coronavirus.

He said he feels a bit weak and is wary of getting in the way of the work being carried out by Toppmoller and fellow assistant Xaver Zembrod.

Still, I am trying to take control if possible, said head coach Nagelsmann.

In isolation, I have built myself a little …