Gareth Bale Left From Real Madrid Squad Amid Premier League Return

Real Madrid out of favor Gareth Bale has been axed from Zinedine Zidane 22-man squad for their final La Liga game of the season amid speculations he could return to the Premier League.

Bale appears to be on his way out of Madrid this summer, with Newcastle United having been linked with a move for the Wales international if a proposed Saudi-led takeover of the club is approved.

The 31-year-old has also been linked with a return to former club Tottenham, while Manchester United have been suggested as a possible destination numerous times in recent years.

And a return to English football may have moved a step closer after Bale was left out for the newly crowned Spanish champions' clash away at Leganes on Sunday night.

Reports have suggested Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is desperate to move Bale on in the summer transfer window.

The forward could be seen celebrating awkwardly when Real sealed the Spanish title against Villarreal on Thursday, standing to one side as his team-mates jubilantly threw Zidane in the air.

Since the season resumed in June, Bale has made just two appearances for Los Blancos - and has failed to feature in their last six games.

Bale was snapped watching last Monday's win over Granada from the stands through pretend binoculars, while was also seen pretending to fall asleep with a face mask over his eyes during Madrid's 2-0 win over Alaves three days before that.

His antics angered some fans, while Bale's former Tottenham teammate Dimitar Berbatov accused the Welshman of "disrespecting" Real Madrid.

"Gareth Bale is in the headlines again for pretending to sleep in the stands when he found out he was going to be an unused substitute," Berbatov told Betfair.

"When I saw it I couldn't believe it. I watched him put his mask over his eyes and pretend to be asleep.

"I cannot support that. It is unprofessional and disrespectful to Real Madrid.

"Madrid need to find a solution to the Bale saga. It's not good for Bale or the team."

At one stage last summer, Bale appeared set to switch to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua which was not materialized.

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Messi Sees Lack Of Support At Barcelona - Dani Alves

Former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves believes that Barcelona star  Lionel Messi is growing frustrated with the fact that he consistently has to lift the team.

The Argentine's exasperation came to the fore on Thursday night as he did the post-match interview after Barcelona's 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna, which came on a night that Real Madrid became LaLiga Santander champions.

"He's a born winner, he doesn't like to lose and it's normal to get angry," Alves told Catalunya Radio.

"He wants to win every time, like me.

"He's been doing it for so long that you can tell when your team is giving [that feeling] and when it's not.

"That's why he said it, he's been at Barcelona for many years and he's aware of what he needs to be able to win and aspire to great things.

"He sees, what I feel, and that's a lack of support.

"Messi was the main course, but we were the perfect ingredients [in the past].

"He always wants to be on top and you need people to build that.

"The feeling now is that he always has to be doing everything for the team and he's only human."

So, does the Brazilian think that Messi could leave?

"No, I don't think so," Alves responded.

"He's the face of this club, of this team and it would be the biggest mistake the club would ever make [if he left].

"It would be a mistake for such a player not to retire there and change the name of Camp Nou to Leo Messi."

Neymar has been strongly linked with a return to Barcelona in the last couple of summers, and Alves admitted to trying to convince his compatriot to join the Catalan side once again.

"The only one I've tried to convince is Neymar to go to Barcelona," he explained.

"He had a very big offer from Real Madrid, and I told him that if he wanted to be happy he should come to Barcelona.

"It's the only time I've ever convinced anyone of anything.

"If I were him, I would come back without thinking about it.

"I never think that people make mistakes when they make a decision.

"Everyone knows that Ney can help Barcelona, Messi and the club to become a giant again in LaLiga, in Europe... and football is becoming more and more balanced.

"The team has 11 and with Messi you have 13.

"The team has 11 and with Neymar you have 13."

The 37-year-old departed in 2016 as he joined Juventus on a free, but he is not happy about the way his exit was handled.

"I'm not a selfish, spiteful person," Alves stated.

"Of course I miss Barcelona, and I always will, because it's my home.

"The other day I said to my people that I was at Barcelona for eight years and I basically left out the back door.

"That bittersweet taste of asking you what else there is to do remains.

"I felt hurt at the time because I was doing so much at Barcelona and they didn't want to give me a new contract.

"I had just had my best season. I did not feel valued.

"Real Madrid, and other teams, offered me double and I decided to go to Barcelona [when I left Sevilla]; I wanted to have the right to make the decision to leave [when the time finally arrived].

"I wanted to go out the front door.

"I was left with this situation that I didn't like.

"I'm not bitter, I'm a pure and clean soul.

"When I left, as I said on another occasion, my thought was to go and prove my worth elsewhere and then come back.

"That's why I dedicated myself double and even triple."

Alves ended up spending just one year at Juventus as he made the move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, again on a free, but there was some talk that he could have returned to Barcelona in the last few years, so was it true?

"Things were being talked about, but nothing ever came of it," Alves confirmed.

"I'm not bitter, but they are anyway [laughs]."

Xavi Hernandez has been strongly tipped to take charge at Barcelona, most likely depending on the results of the presidential elections in 2021, and Alves is excited about the Blaugrana's future is his former teammate takes charge.

"It will be Barcelona's 3.0 version," he noted.

"A team is not just 11, it's not just a coach... it's the conjugation of all those verbs.

"That's how you make a great team invincible: when it's in tune."

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Arsenal 'In Advanced Talks For Philippe Coutinho Swap Deal

Arsenal are in talks with Barcelona over a proposed deal for Philippe Coutinho which could involve Matteo Guendouzi moving the other way.

Phillipe Coutinho has been in the frame of transfer lately, he's poised for a return to the Premier League ahead of next summer, with the former Liverpool attacker surplus to requirements at Camp Nou.

Chelsea, Tottenham, Leicester City and Newcastle United have all been linked with the 28-year-old, as well as FA Cup hopefuls Arsenal.

Matteo Guendouzi's Emirates future in doubt after the midfielder was dropped by boss Mikel Arteta following his antics against Brighton last month against Maupay.

Arsenal and Barcelona are in talks over a swap deal involving the two players, according to Foot Mercato.

The publication says Arsenal technical director Edu has long courted Coutinho, while Guendouzi has been held in similar esteem by Barcelona chiefs.

Barcelona are keen to get Coutinho off the wage bill with the midfielder having failed to hit the heights he enjoyed at Liverpool since his transfer to Catalonia in January 2018.

The Brazilian is contracted to Barcelona until 2023.

In a straight cash deal he would cost upwards of £60million, which would be a stretch for Arsenal given the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with Arteta having been told he must sell before he can buy this summer.

Therefore, the Gunners boss must find more creative solutions - and a swap between Coutinho and Guendouzi is likely after the French midfielder was left out of the squad for Arsenal's last eight games.

Arsenal's priority this summer is signing defenders and then holding midfielders.

However, the Gunners have an unusual relationship with Coutinho via his agent which could help engineer the move.

Kia Joorabchian is an Arsenal fan and is good friends with Edu. He also represents Gunners defenders David Luiz and Cedric Soares.

It remains to be seen whether Joorabchian's relationship with Arsenal and Coutinho's desire to return to the Premier League come together for what would be one of the most sensational transfers of the summer.

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Gimnasia Lure's Ronaldinho Out Of Retirement

Argentine legend and Gimnasia Boss Diego Maradona is hoping to convince Ronaldinho out of retirement to join his Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata side.

The Brazilian is currently under house arrest in Paraguay as his case has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ronaldinho has been contemplating on a comeback to football, but there haven't been any negotiations between the two parties yet, though Gimnasia coach Maradona is hopeful.

The former Barcelona superstar came close to joining Gimnasia in 2016 as the club offered him 1.5 million dollars per year.

However, his brother, who was heading the negotiations, announced that Ronaldinho will not move to the Argentine team.

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Arsenal Keeps Ceballos, Signs Cedric Soares And Pablo Mari On A Permanent Deal

Arsenal have confirmed they are making Pablo Mari's transfer permanent. 

£8million transfer option has been the hit as well as tying down David Luiz to a new one-year contract.

Cedric Soares, the Portuguese international who is still yet to kick start a game for the club despite arriving in January, has also signed a "long-term deal", while Dani Ceballos' loan from Real Madrid has been extended till the end of the current season.

The quartet were due to leave the Emirates Stadium on July 1, with their contracts set to expire next week.

All will now remain, most notably Mari, whose loan deal from Flamengo has been made permanent, and ex-Chelsea defender Luiz, who has found himself under fire from fans after his recent red card against Manchester City.

The Brazilian's one-year option had initially not been taken up by the club.

But with both he and Arteta keen for him to remain, a new deal, on slightly reduced terms, has been cut.

“With Pablo we’re all disappointed he got injured at Manchester City. Since Mikel arrived here he was asking for a central defender who was left-footed.

"We were really pleased with Pablo - his behaviour, the way he is training, his mentality and his quality.

"Unfortunately, he has that injury but of course we are really happy to keep him for the future."

Portugal full-back Cedric, part of their Euro 2016-winning side, arrived in North London from Southampton in January on a free transfer.

Injuries mean he is yet to feature for the club since his arrival, but the 28-year-old is understood to have been handed a four-year contract.

It's hoped he will challenge Hector Bellerin for the right-back spot next term.

“Cedric is also going to be an important player," added Edu. "He has been unlucky with the injuries but he is close to being ready and gives us more strength in the right-back position.

"We’re also pleased Dani will finish the season here.

"He is making a good contribution and we look forward to him having a strong finish to the season.”

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Morgan Recalls How He Adviced Gunners To Appoint Jorgen Klopp Five Years Ago

Under the shrewd managerial competence of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool lifted their first league title in 30 years after Manchester City's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea left them trailing by 23 points with seven games still to play.

As a result, Liverpool are crowned champions of England, Europe and the world but Morgan was left in dejection at the thought it could have been Arsenal jubilating if they had listened to his advice five years ago.

Klopp was still in charge of his previous side Borussia Dortmund as at that period but had already announced his intentions to leave the German side at the end of the season, thus effectively becoming a free agent in the summer.

Already at that point Klopp was considered one of the biggest managers in Europe having landed back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Dortmund, including a league and cup double in 2012, against a vastly more resourceful and rich Bayern Munich outfit.

'Arsenal would be perfect for Jurgen Klopp - and he would be perfect for Arsenal. Sign him.

'If we don't sign Klopp, he will go to another top club and win trophies. The guy's a dynamic, driven young winner.

'Two league titles in last five years against one of the greatest Bayern sides ever - and some Arsenal fans don't think Klopp's good enough? Wow.

'Klopp would be our Mourinho. The time has come, Arsenal - act. #KloppIN'.

Despite his predictions over his future success coming true, Arsenal failed to act and stuck with Arsene Wenger for another three seasons.

Although they went on to win two additional FA Cups under the Frenchman, they also dropped out of the Champions League in 2017 and have not returned since.

The Gunners now currently sit ninth in the Premier League table with just half the points of Liverpool under new boss Mikel Arteta following the sacking earlier in the season of Wenger's eventual successor Unai Emery.

Klopp spent five months out of the game after leaving Dortmund, before being appointed Liverpool boss in 2015 following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers. The rest as they say is history.

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Ferguson Already Knew Klopp Would End Liverpool's 30 Year Wait - Jammie Carragher

Former and legendary Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson already knew that Jurgen Klopp would be the man to end Liverpool's 30-year wait for the premier league title from the moment he arrived, according to Jamie Carragher.

The German arrived on Merseyside in 2015 after impressing with his games at Dortmund, taking them to the Champions League final and winning the Premier League.

However, he arrived to a squad who had finished sixth the previous season were lacking in quality in vital areas, leading few to imagine the transformation Klopp has managed at Anfield.

'Outside Anfield, there was only one high-profile figure in the game who tried to convince me Klopp could bring the title to Anfield,' Carragher told the Telegraph.

'I should have listened to Sir Alex Ferguson. I will never forget meeting Sir Alex when I played in Michael Carrick's testimonial in June, 2017. "You've got yourself a manager, there," Fergie told me.

'It was the look he gave me which was most revealing, as he explained how impressed he had been with Klopp during Champions League coaching seminars.

'Klopp attended while Borussia Dortmund coach to hear from the most esteemed football minds. He felt, and exhibited, no inferiority complex, and Ferguson intuitively knew he was perfect for Liverpool.'

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Sheffield United Optimistic On Gunning Down Arsenal At The Bramall

Sheffield United Boss Chris Wilder  speaks Ahead of Arsenal's FA cup quarter final trip to the Bramall Lane. 

He recollected Arsenal's legend Nwankwo Kanu's controversial assist for Marc Overmars' goal when both teams met in the competition back in February 1999.

Alan Kelly's clearance was put into touch for Sheffield United striker Lee Morris to be attended to at the other end of the pitch.

Arsenal legendary midfielder Ray Parlour intended to give the ball back with his throw-in as it's the convention but Nwankwo Kanu, eleven minutes into his debut, misunderstood the situation and Marc Overmar's instinctive reaction was to score with ten minutes remaining.

The Gunners coached by Arsene Wenger decided on a sporting solution and offered a rematch which was again won by them.

"There have been a couple of instances against Arsenal in the Cup, the one at the old Highbury ground when Kanu decided to go his own way," the Sheffield United coach was quoted as saying by the Mirror.

"That was quite an interesting afternoon! I was at that game.

I went to a lot of ­Sheffield United games.

"I must have been dropped so many times when I was at Rotherham, ­Bradford and Notts County to allow me to go to all these games!"Games against Arsenal, we’ve had a decent run at it.

They’ve been very, very intense and quite tight.

I’m not expecting anything ­different on Sunday and yeah, it would be great to win this time.

" A two-time African Footballer of the Year, Kanu won the FA Cup three times during his playing days in England.

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Pjanic Medical Takes Place In Turin As Barcelona Transfer Moves Closer

Barcelona star Arthur Melo has arrived in Turin ahead of his medical, while Miralem Pjanic will have his Barcelona medical in Turin as well.

The Brazilian landed at the Caselle Airport in Turin via private plane late on Saturday night.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, he was accompanied by family members and former Barcelona director Robert Fernandez.

He will complete a transfer worth €70m, as Pjanic is going to Barcelona with an additional €10m cash sum.

It’s believed Arthur’s contract with Juve will be worth up to €7m per year, including performance-related bonuses.

The two clubs are rushing to get the deal finalised by June 30 so that it counts for the 2019-20 financial year.

These players will see out the season at their current clubs, not making the transfer until the 2020-21 season.

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Champions League To Return on August 7 As 'Final 8' Will Be Held in Lisbon on August 12

UEFA have confirmed today plans to end this season's Champions League with a mini-tournament in Lisbon over 12 days in August.

Europe's premier club competition will complete its 2019-20 edition with a final-eight World Cup-style tournament, held in the Portuguese capital, from August 12 to August 23.

After the four outstanding last-16 ties are completed at the scheduled home stadiums, the quarter-finals onwards will be held on neutral territory, with no fans present and, most notably, over just one-leg.

As things stand, teams will not have to quarantine either, with each club are likely to set up in their own hotel away from the public so that social distancing measures can be maintained.

UEFA have earmarked August as the month to complete the competition in order to give Europe's top domestic leagues enough time to finish their respective seasons.

The 'final eight' tournament will be held over 12 days in Lisbon, with the first match taking place on August 12 and the final being played on August 23.

Instead of playing the quarter-finals over two legs as normal, the new plan will see the ties become single games across four straight days.

The semi-finals, which will also be played over one leg, will take place on August 18 and 19, with the final at the Estadio da Luz four days later.

Istanbul was due to host the 2020 final but will now be the venue for the 2021 showpiece, with all other scheduled hosts moving back a year.

The teams already qualified for this season's quarter-finals are France's PSG, Italy's Atalanta, Spain's Atletico Madrid and Germany's RB Leipzig.

The remaining last-16 second-leg fixtures are Manchester City's home tie against Real Madrid, Chelsea's trip to Bayern Munich, Juventus's home game against Lyon and Napoli's visit to Barcelona.

Portugal was picked because of its location and the fact it has no teams left in the competition.

Lisbon emerged as an attractive host city because it has two stadiums with the facilities needed for elite matches - Benfica's Estadio da Luz and Sporting Lisbon's Estadio Jose Alvalade.

In addition, most of the country's coronavirus restrictions are also being lifted this month, with air travel in and out of the country allowed from June 22.

Visitors will not need to go into quarantine on arrival, although additional health and safety measures will be in place in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Organisers are proceeding on the basis that all matches will be played behind closed doors, with only essential personnel allowed on site.

However, UEFA are understood to have left the door open for possible changes should public health conditions in Portugal allow.

If government guidelines are altered in time for ticketing to be organised, there is an outside chance that some fans could be allowed in to watch.

The capacity of both grounds would be greatly reduced in order to comply with social distancing rules and other safety protocols.

UEFA are braced for a loss in income from broadcasters, who will expect sizeable refunds because they will have six fewer games to show as a result of the new format.

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Liverpool 'Consider £110M Move On Wolves 'Generals' Ruben Neves and Adama Traore

Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp is determined to keep improving on his squad, eyeing up a swoop for Wolves stars Ruben Neves and Adama Traore.

With Liverpool inches from the title and Jordan Henderson's fingers hovering above the Premier League trophy, the Reds are already looking ahead to a title defence.

A number of departures are likely in the summer with Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana almost certain to leave, while Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita and Divock Origi's Anfield futures remain in doubt.

Klopp is a known admirer of Nuno Espirito Santo's work at Wolves and in particular his star players Neves and Traore, who Liverpool are considering a £110m move for, according to the Sun.

Traore was described as 'unplayable at times' and 'unbelievable' earlier this season, and has been one of the standout performers of 2019-20.

The Spaniard has finally turned the raw pace and power he's shown since his Barcelona academy days into a terrorising threat for top-flight defenders, bagging four goals and seven assists.

Midfielder Neves joined from Porto in 2017, helping Wolves climb out of the Championship before proving his £16m fee was a bargain in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old could refresh the Liverpool midfield and challenge for a place in the Champions League winners' first XI.

Liverpool restart their march to the title with Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, hoping to secure the title the day after Wolves take on struggling West Ham behind-closed-doors.

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PSG Confirms Edison Cavani & Thiago Silva Will Leave This Summer As A Free Agent

French Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain director Leonardo confirms ‘Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva will be leaving’ at the end of the season as a free agents.

Their contracts are due to expire and have been linked with numerous clubs, including Cavani to Inter and Atletico Madrid, with Thiago Silva potentially returning to Milan.

“It’s true, we are reaching the end of the road with them,” Leonardo told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

“The idea is to keep them until the end of August so that they can play in the Champions League.”

Cavani is 33 years old and had moved to PSG from Napoli for €64.5m in the summer of 2013.

As for Thiago Silva, the 35-year-old centre-back joined the Parisians from Milan for €42m alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2012.

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Manchester United Offer Alexis Sanchez A Lifeline After Torrid Time In Italy

Former Arsenal and Current loany Manchester United player Alexis Sanchez is set to be welcomed back at Old Trafford next season but may have to settle for a back-up role.

The Chilean striker is currently on loan at Inter Milan, where he has continued his disappointing form in major European football after being exiled at United last season.

The 31-year-old is currently on a £500,000-a-week contract and has two years on his current Manchester United deal.

According to the Daily Mirror, United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has met with the club's chief executive Ed Woodward, with the club choosing to keep Sanchez in its ranks next term instead of paying off the striker to terminate his deal.

Financial constraints at the club caused by the coronavirus pandemic has forced Manchester United's hand on this matter, though the Chilean is likely to be used as a back-up option next season.

While Solksjaer is happy to include Sanchez in his plans for the 2020/21 season, he is wary of the forward blocking the development of other youngster such as Daniel James and Mason Greenwood.

The 31-year-old joined Manchester United from Arsenal in January 2018 in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mhkitaryan.

He has since made 32 league appearances for the Premier League giants.

He enjoyed a torrid first full season at United, which saw him score just once in a league campaign where he fell out of favour with both Jose Mourinho and his replacement Solksjaer.

He moved to Antonio Conte's Inter at the beginning of the current campaign along with fellow United exile Romelu Lukaku, who joined the Serie A club for £73million, but has yet to pick up his form.

The Chilean has played just 16 games in all competitions since joining Conte's team due to injury problems and stiff competition for places.

Sanchez was a second-half substitute for Inter in their Coppa Italia second-leg tie on Saturday night, which the Nerazzurri drew 1-1 to crash out of the competition.

Before joining Manchester United two-and-a-half years ago, Sanchez enjoyed a goal-laden spell at Arsenal, where he scored 80 times in 166 games for Arsene Wenger's Gunners.

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Barcelona Mount Pressure On Arthur To Accept A Swap Deal With Juventus' For Pjanic'

Spanish giant Barcelona are cranking up the heat on midfielder Arthur to accept a swap deal with Juventus' Miralem Pjanic, according to reports in Spain.

The Catalan giants have taken a heavy financial hit amidst the lethal Covid-19 pandemic, with their players taking hefty pay cuts to support other staffs at the club.

Barcelona and Juventus are continuing to struggle over the transfer fee, with Pjanic reportedly determined to join Barcelona after supposedly turning down advances from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

But so far Arthur has refused to move in the opposite direction, and according to Spanish outlet SPORT, Barcelona cannot keep waiting and are now turning up the pressure on Arthur to accept the move to Italy.

The Brazilian came on as a second-half substitute in the club's 4-0 win at Real Mallorca on Saturday, with boss Quique Setien preferring to start with Arturo Vidal, who scored the opening goal of the evening.

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OFFICIAL: PL Approve 5 Subs Per Game & 9 Subs On The Bench

For the rest of 2019/20 season up to five substitutions is to be allowed in every match and team benches will increase to nine players, approves Premier League.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT:

Premier League Shareholders today agreed temporary changes to the rules relating to substitute players.

For the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the number of substitutes that can be used during a match will increase from three to five players.

This is in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board last month. 

Shareholders also approved for Clubs to increase the maximum number of substitute players on the bench from seven to nine for the rest of the 2019/20 season. 

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