Genoa have secured the services of Chile international Mauricio Pinilla from Serie A rivals Cagliari.
The 30-year-old was part of the national squad that reached the second round of the World Cup in Brazil, before being knocked out on penalties by the hosts.
Pinilla was almost the hero for his side that day, crashing a shot off the crossbar in extra-time, before missing his spot-kick in the ensuing shootout.
The forward was also involved in a bust-up with Brazil press officer Rodrigo Paiva during the match, which saw the official banned for three matches.
Pinilla joined Cagliari from Palermo initially on loan in 2012, and scored 22 goals in 63 league appearances during his time at Stadio Is Arenas.
Genoa announced the news on their official websit…
Newcastle United are interested in signing Joe Willock from Premier League rivals Arsenal in the summer transfer window, according to . Willock spent the second half of last season on loan at Arsenal from Newcastle, who want to bring the 21-year-old midfielder back to St. James’ Park on another loan deal for the 2021-22 campaign.
It has been reported that Newcastle have opened talks with Arsenal over signing Willock on loan for next season. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has yet to make a decision on the future of 21-year-old, but if Albert Sambi Lokonga joins, then it is going to open the door for the English youngster to leave the Gunners on another temporary deal.
Willock played well for Newcastle on loan last season and helped Steve Bruce’s side avoid the dreaded …
Wayne Rooney has praised Manchester United for moving on from Cristiano Ronaldo s exit, while backing their new talisman Marcus Rashford to beat his own Red Devils goals record.
Ronaldo left United for the second time in acrimonious circumstances in November, having declared he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag during an incendiary interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner then joined Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, while United have enjoyed a successful spell, winning the EFL Cup and strengthening their grip on a top-four spot in the Premier League.
Asked about Ronaldo s controversial departure during an interview with CNN, United s all-time leading scorer Rooney said: I suppose he got what he wanted.
For Manchest…
Real Madrid have decided to enter the battle for the signature of Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, according to RMC Sport.
The 21-year-old defender was on the radar of practically every big European club throughout the 2018/19 season as he led his team to a domestic double, as well as the Champions League semifinal. With reported potential destinations ruling themselves out, mostly due to a hefty price tag and large wage demands, only Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain were left in the running until Real decided to step in.
Los Blancos seem to be on the lookout for a long-term replacement for their long-serving captain, Sergio Ramos, who has once again hinted at a possible departure from the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. They have, apparently inquired about de L…
According to , Liverpool have come very close to agreeing a deal for Real Madrid s Dani Ceballos.
In his first season at Real Betis, Ceballos made only one appearance. He was, however, a very important part of their team for the following three years, before moving to Real Madrid in 2017 for €18 million.
Since then he has failed to establish himself as a regular feature in Zinedine Zidane s team and he s therefore been told he can leave, but the price the Los Blancos are demanding now for his services is €40 million. This price, the Mirror claim, has put Juventus out of the reckoning for Ceballos signature, but not Liverpool who are keen to add some quality into their midfield as they plan an assault on the Premier League title next season.
The Reds sold Phi…
Blues are reportedly considering a move for Valencia defender and Germany international centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, according to .
Having missed out on Juventus versatile defender Leonardo Bonucci, Antonio Conte has turned his focus towards the World Cup winner Mustafi, a player who has become one of the key players for Los Che in La Liga.
Chelsea are also interested in Mustafi’s teammate Andre Gomes, but Valencia are unwilling to sell the midfielder and could be tempted to let go of the German defender hoping that Blues will give up on the pursuit of the Portuguese talent.
Shkodran Mustafi is likely to command a hefty £25 million transfer fee for the player who left Everton on a free transfer in 2014.
The 24-year-old defender has played 61 La Liga …
Jose Mourinho believes Portugal should not be discounted as potential World Cup challengers because the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo ensures nothing is impossible .
Ronaldo was a key figure and captain as Portugal won Euro 2016, a victory which in itself was a shock given their perceived lack of star quality aside from the Real Madrid forward.
The European champions head into the World Cup ranked fourth in FIFA s rankings, though few consider them to be among the favourites, with Germany, Spain, France and Brazil the most widely fancied.
But Manchester United s Portuguese coach thinks both his country who face Spain, Iran and Morocco in the group stage and Argentina should be considered as in with a chance, purely because they have Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
…
Schalke have sacked head coach Jens Keller after a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign, hiring Roberto Di Matteo to replace him.
Keller was promoted to role of head coach in December 2012 after previously working with Schalke s Under-17 team.
The 43-year-old guided the Gelsenkirchen side to fourth place by the end of the 2012-13 campaign, subsequently securing a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
Keller went one better in the previous campaign as Schalke finished third in the Bundesliga and once again ensured a place in Europe s premier competition.
However, Keller has paid the price for an inconsistent start to the season that has seen Schalke take just eight points from seven league matches, while they also exited the DFB-Pokal to Dynamo Dresden in …
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to further put his stamp on the team this summer
Tottenham seem to be in a state of permanent stillness.
Granted last season the club from north London went from sixth place in the previous campaign to fifth place last season in the table, nothing to call a press conference about though.
It must be a frustrating state of affairs for the Spurs fans.
Threat
The season before Gareth Bale left for the Spanish sun of Madrid, Spurs really did look ready to challenge at the top of the Premier League.
Unfortunately like your average Joe punching above his weight with a beauty, Spurs just could not keep hold of Bale and he left for the promise of silverware in Madrid. It seems when the Welshman le…
A cash-rich Japanese football club is interested in acquiring Brazilian superstar Ronaldo on loan as the AC Milan striker recovers from a ruptured tendon, a report said Wednesday.
The unidentified J-League club, rumoured to be in or around the greater Tokyo area, has one billion yen (10 million dollars) a year to spend on players, the daily tabloid Nikkan Gendai reported.
The 31-year-old Ronaldo has ruled out retirement after undergoing surgery in February for a ruptured tendon in his left knee. He is expected to be sidelined for at least nine months.
He is expected to become able to run in May and train with the ball before the summer. That is enough to attract attention because he is Ronaldo, the daily quoted an unnamed Japanese broadcaster as saying.
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