Marseille
Juventus eyeing up return for former striker if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves
Juventus have set their sights on two strikers in case star man Cristiano Ronaldo departs this summer. Ronaldo came to Juventus in the summer transfer window of 2018 for a club-record fee of €100 million. 33-years-old at the time, it was hoped that the Portuguese would be the man to bring them to European glory, having not lifted the Champions League trophy since 1996. On an individual level, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a smashing success in Turin. He is just one goal short of the century mark for the Old Lady, having made 130 appearances in all competitions. As things stand, he leads the Serie A Golden Boot race with 27 – six more than Romelu Lukaku, Dusan Vlahovic and Luis Muriel in joint second. Ronaldo is on the verge of hitting the 100-mark at his third club In contrast,...
Neymar on target as PSG beat Lens ahead of Man City clash
Neymar netted on 33 minutes and his corner was headed home by Marquinhos just prior to the hour mark at the Parc des Princes, with Cameroonian forward Ignatius Ganago pulling a goal back for Lens. It was a huge three points for PSG in their attempt to retain the Ligue 1 title, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side move provisionally two points clear of Lille at the top of the table. However Lille can return to the summit by beating Nice at home later on Saturday, while third-placed Monaco will return to within a single point of PSG if they defeat Lyon on Sunday. PSG are looking to win their eighth Ligue 1 title in nine years and, given how close the title race is in France this season, they could not afford to take it easy in between the two legs of their Champions League tie against City. Last se...
Paris Saint-Germain wait for Neymar to sign contract extension
Paris Saint-Germain were revelling in the joy of knocking holders Bayern Munich out of the Champions League in midweek when Neymar offered more cause for celebration. In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster TNT Sports following PSG’s away-goals victory in the quarter-finals, Neymar dropped a clear hint that he would be staying at PSG beyond the end of his current contract. “For me there is no debate, it is obvious that I feel very comfortable here and at home at Paris Saint-Germain. I feel happier than I did before,” the world’s most expensive player said. His current contract, signed following his arrival from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($264m) in 2017, runs out at the end of next season, at the same time as Kylian Mbappe’s deal. It has been reported in France since the Bayern gam...
Tottenham reportedly ‘closely following’ in-demand 28-year-old winger this summer
According to reports from Estadio Deportivo, Tottenham Hotspur are “closely following” the developments of Marseille winger Florian Thauvin ahead of a potential summer move. The report claims that the Marseille president gave Thauvin an ultimatum in January – either renew his contract or leave. However, the 28-year-old ignored the pressure and continued playing under Andre Villas-Boas. He has been performing well under the current manager, Jorge Sampaoli, but there’s no indication that he will sign a new deal at the club between now and the end of the season. Sevilla and AC Milan are interested in him, while Roma and Napoli are also monitoring his situation. Premier League clubs – Tottenham and Leicester City – are also in the hunt for his signature. The Foxes have alr...
WCQ: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele returns to France squad
Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been rewarded for his upturn in form with a recall to the France squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since the summer of 2019 but now has the chance to add to his six international caps in matches against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other notable returnees include Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, who hasn’t featured since November 2019, while Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, a member of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is back for the first time in two-and-a-half years. This represents Ndombele’s first international call up since his club-record €60 million (£54m/$68m) move from Lyon to Tottenham. The Frenchman arrived in north London with a reputation as an all-action midf...
Report shares key role Marcelo Bielsa played as French side appoint new manager
Ligue 1 outfit Marseille announced Jorge Sampaoli as their manager last Friday, with the Argentine succeeding Andre Villas-Boas who was sacked last month. The former Sevilla boss will now look to impress on his second managerial stint in Europe, and Marseille have Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa to thank for Sampaoli’s arrival. According to Telefoot, the boss of the Elland Road outfit and Sampaoli were in discussion on the telephone for over 90 minutes about whether he should sign for the French outfit or not. 🚨 Toujours selon nos informations, Marcelo #Bielsa a échangé plus d’une heure et demi au téléphone avec #Sampaoli avant sa signature, le confortant encore plus dans son choix de rejoindre l’#OM (@YassinNfaoui) pic.twitter.com/0ILJLraH9E — Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) Febru...
Ligue 1 Preview: Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco to face off in must win encounter
This season’s Ligue 1 has been one of the most captivating campaigns in recent years in France, with four teams very much in the hunt for the league title. This weekend’s batch of fixtures in the French top-flight could prove to be crucial, as two of the quadrant, Paris Saint-German and AS Monaco, face-off this weekend in a game that could have huge ramifications for the Ligue 1 table. Here is a preview of the games you can look forward to this weekend. Brest vs Lyon 19-02-21 (BT Sport ESPN) 20:00 GMT The weekend action in France kicks-off tonight, as Lyon travel to Brittany to take on mid-table Stade Brestois. OL will have to be at their best in this match as Olivier Dall’Oglio’s Stade Brest have proven to be stern opposition so far this season. Rudi Garcia will be keen for...
Ligue 1 Preview: Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco to face off in must win encounter
This season’s Ligue 1 has been one of the most captivating campaigns in recent years in France, with four teams very much in the hunt for the league title. This weekend’s batch of fixtures in the French top-flight could prove to be crucial, as two of the quadrant, Paris Saint-German and AS Monaco, face-off this weekend in a game that could have huge ramifications for the Ligue 1 table. Here is a preview of the games you can look forward to this weekend. Brest vs Lyon 19-02-21 (BT Sport ESPN) 20:00 GMT The weekend action in France kicks-off tonight, as Lyon travel to Brittany to take on mid-table Stade Brestois. OL will have to be at their best in this match as Olivier Dall’Oglio’s Stade Brest have proven to be stern opposition so far this season. Rudi Garcia will be keen for...
Leicester City interested in signing AC Milan target with 16 goal contributions this season
Leicester City are keen on landing the signature of Marseille attacker Florian Thauvin during this summer’s transfer window, as per Eurosport’s Dean Jones. The Foxes have experienced another fine campaign in the Premier League, and they are presently third in the standings with 43 points on the board. Their primary focus remains on finishing in the Champions League places this term, and they are currently four points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea. They are already making plans for the summer and it is reported that they have their sights on landing Thauvin, who was previously at Newcastle United. The Foxes signed Cengiz Under on loan from AS Roma last summer to bolster their attack, but they are not keen on triggering the buy-clause at the end of the season. SL view: Under joined the Foxes...
Report: Villas-Boas left Marseille after club decided against signing Hammers star
According to The Sun, French manager Andre Villas-Boas left Marseille after the Ligue 1 outfit decided against signing West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan during the January transfer window. Sportslens View The French top-flight side brought in Celtic star Olivier Ntcham instead, and the former Chelsea boss offered to resign the next day after the transfer deadline as a result. The club parted ways with him just a few hours later, but that might not have happened had they granted his wishes and snapped up Lanzini. With Morgan Sanson on his way out, Villas-Boas tried to swap the Hammers man for the club’s former star who has since joined Aston Villa. The Frenchman went back in with a late loan offer after a swap deal with West Ham fell through, but Marseille were not keen on L...
Report: Manager wants to resign because club signed Celtic star on loan
Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has tendered his resignation this morning after the club signed Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham on loan. Breaking | Marseille manager André Villas-Boas announces that he has offered his resignation this morning after the club signed Olivier Ntcham when he didn’t want him. More follows. — Get French Football News (@GFFN) February 2, 2021 Vilas Boas: We signed one player in the transfer window. It wasn’t my decision. I only found out this morning. It’s a player I said no to. As a result I handed in my resignation. https://t.co/d2srkv7h9F — Jeremy Smith (@jeremysmith98) February 2, 2021 The Frenchman joined the Ligue 1 outfit for the rest of the season with an option to buy in the summer, and that could now prove costly for the club. Ntcham was more than k...
Arsenal clearout, last-ditch Liverpool – the best of January transfers across Europe
It’s been a rather quiet January transfer window. Previous years have seen the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Virgil van Dijk make big money moves, but nothing of that magnitude happened this time around. Nonetheless, while there wasn’t a headline-making move, there were still some exciting deals being made. Here’s a look at the best signings of the 2021 January transfer window. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal to Fenerbahce, free transfer) Ozil in his first training session at Fenerbahce Once one of the world’s best playmakers, Mesut Ozil’s time at the Emirates had gone sour, having been left out of Mikel Arteta’s 25-man squad back in October. Sitting on a contract estimated to be worth £350k-a-week, the World Cup winner couldn’t be left to sit in the reserves much longer. Along came Fenerbahce, who off...
