Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gonzalo Castro has joined Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart in a deal reported to be worth up to €7million.

The 31-year-old joined Dortmund from Bayer Leverkusen for €11m in 2015 and made a positive impact in his first season, scoring three goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances as the club finished second, 10 points behind Bayern Munich.

Since then, Castro s performances have dwindled and he started only 16 of the club s league matches as they finished fourth in 2017-18, and he joins Stuttgart on the back of their successful seventh-placed finish on their first season back in the Bundesliga.

A message on Dortmund s official Twitter account read: Thanks for everything, Gonzo !

Danke für alles, Gonzo ! Unsere Nummer 27 verlässt na…

On Sunday, Everton suffered yet another hapless defeat at local rivals, Liverpool in the third round of the FA Cup. This time the Toffees managed to suffer a 1-0 defeat at their former home Anfield against a Reds team mainly made up of youngsters.

It was one of the most embarrassing derby defeats that the Toffees have ever suffered, and there has been a fair few to chose from. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti may have watched his team and regret his choice to take the job.

A squad full of overpaid and overpriced wasters

If somebody was doing a study on how not to spend money as a football club Everton would be the best example ever. Since the arrival of Farhad Moshiri as majority shareholder in 2016, Everton have splashed the cash on absolute wasters.

Yesterday’s t…

Nacho was delighted to pick up three pivotal points in the LaLiga title race as Real Madrid demonstrated their strength in depth with a 2-1 triumph over rivals Barcelona on Saturday.

Zinedine Zidane s Madrid moved to the top of the table in Spain – albeit potentially for only 24 hours with Atletico Madrid playing on Sunday – by completing the league double over their Clasico rivals Barca for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

Reigning LaLiga champions Madrid scored both of their goals in the first half, Karim Benzema getting the first with an audacious back-heeled finish before Toni Kroos doubled the lead, albeit his free-kick took a deflection to beat goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

While Oscar Mingueza halved the deficit on the hour mark, Madrid s c…

Juan Bernat has signed a new four-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

The left-back is nearing the end of his third season with PSG having signed from Bayern Munich in 2018.

Bernat, 28, was due to be out of contract at the end of 2020-21 but will now be tied to PSG until June 2025.

He has not played since last September due to an ACL injury.

PSG sporting director Leonardo had publicly stated he was targeting four big contract renewals for the French champions – Angel Di Maria, Bernat, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Di Maria and Bernat are done, meaning the attention moves fully to the two star forwards, particularly with huge speculation the club will pursue Lionel Messi when his Barcelona contract expires at the end of the season.

I a…

Xavi criticised some of the Barcelona fans for booing and negative chants towards club president Joan Laporta during their 3-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Barcelona sealed second place in LaLiga with the victory, also guaranteeing a place in the Spanish Super Cup at the start of 2025.

However, speculation about Xavi’s future continues to dominate the headlines around the club, with reports suggesting the Spaniard could be sacked despite committing a U-turn to stay at the club after announcing his departure.

During the game, Xavi received a standing ovation, while some of the fans were heard opposing Laporta.

On the one hand, I want to thank the people for being with me on a personal level, Xavi said. But I don t like it when they point to a pers…

Premier League games are coming thick and fast, with European competition now on hiatus until the New Year.

The next few weeks provide fantasy football managers with a great opportunity to quickly rack up the points, but smart selections will be more important than at any other point of the season as rotation takes place amid the congested schedule.

In our latest batch of picks, Manchester City and Chelsea are particularly well represented, while a Manchester United talent will be hoping to kick-start his campaign.

Squeezing all of these into your team might be a little costly, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest they will reward you handsomely.

EDERSON (Manchester City v Wolves)

Brazil international Ederson is usually a pretty safe bet be…

Central Coast Mariners moved up to second in the A-League following an emphatic 3-0 win over Newcastle Jets on Saturday.

First-half goals from Anthony Caceres, Daniel McBreen and Matt Simon wrapped up a convincing triumph for the defending champions on home soil.

The result means Newcastle have failed to win a league fixture in Gosford since January 12, 2008, losing six matches and drawing three in that period.

Caceres set the tone after 13 minutes, unleashing an unstoppable 25-yard drive that flew past goalkeeper Mark Birighitti.

The Mariners doubled their lead after 32 minutes when McBreen seized possession on the edge of the area and arrowed a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

And the victory was complete when Matt Simon headed home Mile Sterjov…

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli feels his side are ready to turn the tide in the Derby della Madonnina against city rivals Inter.

Both Milan clubs have opened the new season with three straight wins to sit top of Serie A, two points ahead of defending champions Napoli, in the build up to Saturday’s clash at the San Siro.

The Nerazzurri won the four derbies played in 2023 across all competitions – with their rivals failing to score a goal in any of the games, including both legs of the Champions League semi-final.

This is Milan

— AC Milan (@acmilan)

Pioli, though, is not bothered by historical statistics.

“I am not interested past derbies – Saturday’s one counts. It is an opportunity to exploit and I want my players to think th…

Borussia Dortmund have dismissed rumours linking defender Mats Hummels with a potential move away from the club.

Hummels joined Dortmund from Bayern Munich in 2009 and has become an integral member of the first team at Signal Iduna Park.

The Germany international has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona.

Reports had indicated that Dortmund would be willing to let Hummels leave for a fee of €35million.

However, the club s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has rejected those suggestions.

That is absolute nonsense, Watzke told German TV station ZDF.

This is a complete non-story. There s no truth whatsoever in these rumours.

Hummels, who has won two Bundesliga titles with Jurgen Klopp s side, has a con…

Kyle Walker claims Manchester City consider themselves back at the bottom of the mountain again this season.

City scaled the heights last term as they became only the second English team to win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

Now, as City prepare to begin the defence of their European crown at home to Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday, Walker has revealed manager Pep Guardiola wants them to prove themselves all over again.

WALKER We’re at a massive club for a reason as the manager believes in us and and we’re all great players. It comes from within to keep going the hunger is still definitely in the dressing room from the players and the manager. He [Pep] still wants to win more, won t settle…

— Manchester City (@ManCity)