Borussia Dortmund sign Leverkusen star Brandt

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says his players will disconnect as they prepare for the resumption of the Champions League next month.

Los Blancos, who secured a first LaLiga title since 2017 this week, travel to the Etihad Stadium on August 7 looking to overturn a 2-1 first-leg defeat in their quarter-final against Manchester City.

Speaking after Madrid wrapped up their domestic campaign with a 2-2 draw against Leganes on Sunday – a result that condemned their neighbours to relegation – Zidane says his players will be allowed some time to relax, but is adamant the next few weeks will not be a holiday.

It is not a holiday that we have now, he said.  Now, I don t think about City. We want to disconnect a bit, then we will have all the time to think. We …

Once a highly promising youngster and one of the biggest talents in European football, Alen Halilovic left AC Milan on the transfer deadline day to join Standard Liege.

The 22-year-old Croatia international joins Belgium heavyweights on an 18-month loan deal with an option to buy in June 2020.

The transfer was completed last night, long after the Serie A January window had closed. Halilovic left AC Milan quietly and without making any waves just as was the case with his Rossoneri stint in the first place.

The Croatian youngster managed only 60 minutes of competitive football in the city of Milano, widely failing to prove his worth in Italy.

He joined Rossoneri last summer on a free transfer from HSV. The Dubrovnik-born youngster made his mark at Dinamo Z…

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp remains completely convinced by Darwin Nunez after the club-record signing was criticised for his performance against Manchester United.

Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica in a deal potentially worth up to £85million (€100.5m) last month and made his first appearance in Tuesday s 4-0 loss in Bangkok.

The Uruguay international played the final half an hour of the contest and missed a glorious opportunity to open his account for the club when blazing over the bar late on.

That led to many already questioning the big-money signing, with footage of his miss shared widely on social media platforms.

But Klopp has no doubt that Nunez, signed effectively as a replacement for Sadio Mane after he joined Bayern Munich, will have a big…

Barcelona target Memphis Depay is also the subject of interest from Roma, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed.

Lyon captain Depay is into the final year of his contract with the Ligue 1 club and has been linked with a big move to Barca.

The former Manchester United forward previously worked with new Blaugrana coach Ronald Koeman with the Netherlands.

But Aulas warned a deal with Barca has not yet been done, encouraging Roma s rival interest.

He told Telefoot: Memphis contract is expiring. Koeman wants him at Barcelona, but there is also Roma in for the player.

Have a blessed Sunday, don’t forget to tell the people close to you that you love them!
They might need to hear that today.

— Memphis Depay (@Memphis)

Depay…

The group stage of UEFA Euro 2020 is starting to heat up with the majority of nations still feeling like they ve got a real chance of qualifying for the knockout stage. We ve seen everything from surprise results to world class goals and everything in between, which is a trend we hope continues.

Last night, Turkey and Wales went to war in Baku in a game that wound up being as dramatic as you d expect ending in a 2-0 win for the Welsh.

Welsh resilience

Wales had chance after chance after chance both in the first and second half and with a few minutes remaining, it was starting to feel as if a Turkey equaliser was imminent. Alas, they stuck to their guns, got the second goal and put the game on ice, which is the sort of resilience you need at this level. They may not rea…

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has declared Robert Lewandowski did the club a huge favour by making it clear he wanted to join Barcelona.

The Poland international this month completed a €50million move to the Catalan giants, bringing an end to his trophy-laden stint in Germany.

Bayern were initially adamant that Lewandowski would not be allowed to leave, despite being in the final year of his contract, but the prolific striker was determined to move to Barca.

The 34-year-old eventually got his wish and Hamann believes Lewandowski helped the Bundesliga champions get a great deal when they sold him due to the way he went about his business with a distasteful approach.

I think they are happy that he has gone. This whirlwind of signings …

Prediction: Colombia win

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The Copa America has reached the business end of the tournament now, as just eight teams remain in the quest to become the South America champions. A series of nations will consider themselves to be in with a pretty good chance of getting all the way through to the final, but of course, the quarter-finals are probably going to upset the status quo in more ways than one. The game we re going to be looking at today is Colombia vs Chile, which has the potential to be an absolute barnburner.

Colombia

Colombia seem to hold the distinction of being a popular second team for many international football fans, but unfortunately for them, that wasn t enough to lift them past England in last year s 2018 FIFA World C…

Jose Mourinho s second spell in charge of Chelsea ended ignominiously on Thursday, with the Portuguese sacked just eight months after winning the Premier League title.

The 52-year-old has managed just four wins from 16 matches in the league so far this season, leaving the reigning champions only one point clear of the relegation zone.

The decision leaves owner Roman Abramovich again seeking to replace the most successful manager in the club s history.

Be it a short-term solution or long-term successor, the new man will be required to steer the team to safety and attempt to prolong the club s Champions League campaign, with Paris Saint-Germain awaiting in the round of 16 next year.

So who are the candidates to take over Stamford Bridge? 

Juande Ra…

Fabian Delph of Manchester City has joined up with his likely future teammates at Everton for pre-season training at their camp in Switzerland, with his move from the Etihad to Goodison Park being in the final stage, according to Sky Sports.

The two clubs reportedly agreed on a £9 million fee for the former Aston Villa captain.

Brought in initially to play in his favored position in midfield for City, Delph made most of his appearances for the Premier League champions on the left defensive flank, covering for the frequently injured Benjamin Mendy. However, last season Oleksandr Zinchenko moved ahead of him in the pecking order, condemning him to no more than 11 league appearances, and with Pep Guardiola determined to keep faith with Mendy, Delph has become surplus to …

Ligue 1 high-flyers Marseille have terminated the contract of experienced defender Rod Fanni, La Provence has learned.

The 36-year-old made 28 league appearances last term, but he wasn’t in Rudi Garcia’s plans for the 2017/2018 campaign.

Even though his deal was due to expire in June 2018, Marseille decided to release the player from his contract after several weeks of negotiations with his agents.

This was Fanni’s second spell at Stade Velodrome, as he had initially joined the club from Rennes in January 2011.

Operating as a right-back and centre-back, the defender amassed a total of 158 Ligue 1 appearances during his two stints.

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