Barella extends Inter contract as Italy star makes long-term commitment

Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella has signed a new long-term deal at San Siro.

The Italy international, who is into his third season with Inter since joining on an initial loan from Cagliari, is now under contract until 2026.

Barella s previous deal was due to run until 2024 and he had been linked with the likes of Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the most recent transfer window.

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta revealed last month talks were ongoing regarding fresh terms and the Italian champions have now reached an agreement with the 24-year-old, who was also a key member of Italy s Euro 2020-winning side. Inter confirmed the news in a short statement on their official website.

Barella has made 102 appearances for Inter in all competition…

Lucas Hernandez injury adds to Bayern selection woes

Lucas Hernandez sustained an injury in Bayern Munich s win over Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, further depleting a squad Julian Nagelsmann described as on a knife-edge .

Bayern headed to Dynamo for their fifth Champions League group game of the season without five first-team players who were forced into quarantine following close contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus.

A vaccine debate has raged around Bayern in recent weeks, but Nagelsmann s side were able to maintain their 100 per cent European record this term – just the third time they have made such a start since 2003-04 – with a 2-1 success that secured their place at the top of Group E.

Robert Lewandowski broke the deadlock with a sensational overhead kick, extending his scoring run in the …

BREAKING: Manchester United sign James

Manchester United have that they have completed the signing of Daniel James from Swansea.

James has been a Swansea player since signing his professional contract back in 2015, but his first-team debut did not come before 2017/18. He made only a single League Cup appearance that season, and with the Welsh side relegated the following summer, he is only now, as a United player, set to make his Premier League bow. He did, however, score five goals in 38 Championship appearances for the Swans in the season that has just ended. Has also gathered four international caps for Wales.

The 21-year-old winger boasts plenty of pace and trickery and will likely add another attacking dimension to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s team.

The 20-time English champions will reported…

Arteta focuses on dominant win after dropping Aubameyang: ´You´re not going to get anything else´

Mikel Arteta preferred to focus on Arsenal s comfortable 3-0 victory over Southampton despite repeated questions over Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s absence.

Arteta left out Aubameyang on Saturday due to a disciplinary breach , but Alexandre Lacazette stepped up and delivered the opening goal in the first half.

Martin Odegaard soon added a second at Emirates Stadium – where Southampton have never won in 23 Premier League games, the longest barren run for one team away to another in the competition s history – with Gabriel netting after the interval.

Arsenal are unbeaten in 27 home league games against Southampton dating back to November 1987, their joint-longest such run against any opponent, and Arteta was keen to discuss the performance rather than Aubame…

His development has been fantastic – Solskjaer in awe of blossoming Lingard

Jesse Lingard s development at Manchester United has been fantastic and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in awe of the England international.

It was in United s reserve team that Lingard first played for Solskjaer, when his talents as a goalscoring midfielder started to become apparent.

Although not always considered the most technically gifted, Lingard s work rate and versatility made him an asset as a squad member and he went on to score eight Premier League goals in 20 starts last term.

Lingard has been a key player at Old Trafford this season, with his performances particularly impressive since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho last month.

The 26-year-old has provided three goals and two assists in seven starts across all competitions for the Norwegian and…

Austria v Hungary: Schopf demands supreme effort against neighbours

Austria midfielder Alessandro Schopf says nothing but a top-level display from his side will be enough to beat neighbours Hungary in their Euro 2016 opener.

Marcel Koller s side, co-hosts of the 2008 tournament, progressed to the finals through a qualifying campaign for the first time in laudable fashion, winning nine and drawing one of their 10 matches.

With an 11-game unbeaten run in competitive fixtures and a squad boasting the talents of David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic and Aleksandar Dragovic, Austria are firm favourites to open their campaign in France with victory over a Hungary side who are appearing in their first major finals since 1986.

But with the Hungarians boasting the better head-to-head record they have won 66 and lost 40 of 137 meetings Schalke mid…

Shevchenko steps down as Ukraine head coach

Andriy Shevchenko has left his role as head coach of Ukraine after a five-year spell in charge following the expiration of his contract.

The 44-year-old stepped up from his position as assistant to take over the Ukraine senior side in July 2016.

After missing out on qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Shevchenko guided his country to the delayed Euro 2020 finals, where they reached the last eight for the first time in their history.

However, the legendary former Milan striker announced on Sunday that he will not be extending his contract to stay on as Ukraine boss.

Today, my contract with the Ukrainian Football Association came to the [sic] end, he posted on Instagram. I spent five years with the national team. 

It was hard work that proved t…

Lionel Messi wins sixth European Golden Shoe

Lionel Messi claimed his sixth European Golden Shoe thanks to his 36 LaLiga goals for Spanish champions Barcelona.

Messi clinched the award – handed to the player with the most league goals in any of Europe s top-flight leagues – for the third consecutive year, beating Kylian Mbappe by three following Paris Saint-Germain s defeat Friday.

Mbappe needed to score five goals in PSG s Ligue 1 finale to collect the Golden Shoe, however, the French sensation could only manage one in a 3-1 loss at Reims.

Messi now has two more Golden Shoes than Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who last won the award in 2014-15.

 goals in = 18/19
 Congrats, Leo!
 

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

The 31-year-old Messi led Barca to back-to-back LaLig…

Ajax in fine company after another away win

Ajax became just the third team to win the away legs of their last-16, quarter-final and semi-final Champions League ties in a single campaign.

Donny van de Beek scored the only goal against Tottenham in London on Tuesday as surprise semi-finalists Ajax seized a 1-0 first-leg lead in the last four.

And that victory came after winning away in stunning fashion at both defending champions Real Madrid – a staggering 4-1 success – and Cristiano Ronaldo s Juventus.

Ajax join Bayern Munich, in the 2012-13 season, and last term s Madrid side in achieving such a run of results on the road.

3 are the third team to win their round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final away game in a Champions League season, after FC Bayern in 2012-13 and Real Madrid in 2017-18. H…

Inter work on Gleison Bremer deal

Inter Milan are working on signing Gleison Bremer from Torino this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. They ve placed the centre-back on top of their wishlist for the next transfer window and the talks between the two clubs have been in progress for over two months now.

Having followed a path which led through several academies in Brazil, Bremer eventually became a first-team player at Atletico Mineiro at the start of July, 2018, but Torino swooped in immediately and took him to Italy, paying just under €6 million for his services at the time.

Since then, he s gone on to make a total of 104 appearances for the Serie A side, scoring 13 goals and assisting his teammates five times.

Interestingly enough, Bremer extended his contract with Torino in early Februar…