Atletico Madrid are set to sign Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Athletico Paranaense, according to .

The Rojiblancos were scouting the 22-year-old for a long time, and their idea was to continue doing so until the summer when they would make a decision, but apparently, sudden competition from the Campeonato Brasileiro and Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo made them put their plans into operation much sooner than that. The midfielder is still expected to make the move in the summer, but the agreement is already in place, both between the two clubs and between the Spanish club and the player over personal terms. Atletico will pay a fee of €30 million for his services.

Guimaraes got very emotional after his farewell match for Paranaense against Santos…

Former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Louis Saha believes Gareth Bale can match Cristiano Ronaldo.

Saha played with Ronaldo at United for four years and was Bale s team-mate at Tottenham for six months in 2012.

Having played alongside both, the Frenchman has backed Bale to reach the same level as Ronaldo, if he mimics the Portuguese forward s commitment at training.

What I saw from Bale in six months was amazing, I could tell straight away he would be one of the best. His physique alone was unbelievable it wasn t normal, Saha told the Daily Mail.

As a striker, you couldn t keep up if he went on the counter-attack. If he ran up the pitch and crossed straight away, I didn t have time to get into the box – he was too fast.

But if you asked me the be…

Adelaide United have suffered a blow with coach John Kosmina resigning from his job citing a lack of trust with certain people at the club.

The Reds are currently sitting fourth in the A-League but have spent the majority of the season in the top two.

Before last weekend we had been first or second in the league and were recognised as a good football team. However, apart from survival, I can see no clear direction. There is no vision. Decision-making at management level is reactive and impulsive at best, and there is no consistency in managerial procedure, Kosmina said.

There is far too much whispering in corridors and around corners. I feel sorry for Rob Gerrard, and I also feel for directors Richard Noble and Phil Lounder people I trust. But I simply cannot,…

Raheem Sterling was the headline absentee as Gareth Southgate handed Eberechi Eze his first England call-up and ended Lewis Dunk’s time in the international wilderness.

Having kicked off Euro 2024 qualification with wins over Italy and Ukraine, attention turns to June’s straightforward-looking doubleheader against Malta and North Macedonia.

Sterling is the most eye-catching absentee for those games as a difficult first season since swapping Manchester City for Chelsea comes to a frustrating conclusion.

The 28-year-old has not played for England since the World Cup quarter-final exit to France – when a burglary at home disrupted his preparations – as injury ruled him out of the March camp.

“I spoke with him a week or so ago – a general catch-up…

Paul Pogba s absence from the Juventus squad on Sunday came after he felt an adductor injury when taking free-kicks in training, according to Massimiliano Allegri.

Head coach Allegri explained Pogba s situation before Juventus faced Sampdoria on Serie A duty, at the end of a turbulent week for French midfielder Pogba.

The former Manchester United player has had a torrid time of things with knee and thigh injuries since embarking on a second spell at Juventus last July, appearing for just 34 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Pogba appeared to have put those issues behind him when briefly featuring in back-to-back games against Torino and Roma, but he was dropped for Thursday s match with Freiburg.

That was down to Pogba turning up late for a team …

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has warmly praised opposite number Thomas Tuchel ahead of Saturday s DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund.

Guardiola will end his decorated three-year spell at Bayern at the Olympc Stadium in Berlin ahead of his move to Manchester City.

Bayern have claimed Bundesliga glory in each of the ex-Barcelona boss seasons in charge and a win over Dortmund secured the domestic double in 2014.

A penalty shootout loss to Wolfsburg meant they fell short in the Pokal last time around and Guardiola expects a tough encounter with Dortmund, identifying Tuchel as a key factor in their progress to second place and a 78-point haul in the first campaign after Jurgen Klopp s celebrated tenure as coach.

Thomas lives football, Guardiola t…

Atletico Madrid have once again confounded expectations both at home and abroad this season.

Diego Simeone s side pushed Barcelona and Real Madrid all the way in the race for the Liga title, and face a second all-Madrid Champions League final in the space of three seasons at San Siro on Saturday.

Real came out on top after extra-time in Lisbon in 2014, as well as last year s quarter-finals, but Simeone feels this final is 50-50 .

Here we take a look at how Atletico reached Milan.

Group Stages

Atletico started their Group C campaign with a 2-0 win at Galatasaray courtesy of a first-half double from Antoine Griezmann, but Benfica sprang a surprise by beating them 2-1 at the Vicente Calderon on matchday two.

Simeone s team th…

Benfica are interested in bringing Atletico Madrid forward Eduardo Salvio back to La Luz, according to the player’s representative.

The Argentine forward spent the 2010/2011 season on loan at Benfica, but despite showing a lot of potential the Eagles opted against making his loan deal permanent.

Salvio then returned to Vicente Calderon and produced some promising showings last season, especially in the Europa League, helping the team win the coveted title for the second time in last three years.

This summer the Argentine has been heavily linked with a return to Benfica and his representative now confirms that the Eagles are indeed keen on signing the 22-year-old.

“They called me, and asked me to travel to Portugal in the coming days to meet with Benf…

Pep Guardiola denied confidence was the problem for Manchester City in front of goal after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by West Brom.

The struggling Baggies earned a hard-fought point thanks to a Ruben Dias own goal and a string of superb stops from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who denied Ilkay Gundogan – the opening goalscorer on Tuesday – and Raheem Sterling from point-blank range in stoppage time.

City had 26 attempts on total, six of which were saved by Johnstone, including a fine stop from a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick in the 86th minute.

Sergio Aguero made his league return from injury late on but lashed wide with the only chance that fell his way, underlining the problems for a City side who have been outscored by all but one of the sides presently in t…

Neymar has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid but the star has rejected that possibility.

The Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil forward, ruled out of the Copa America due to an ankle injury, was reportedly a target for the LaLiga giants just two years after leaving bitter rivals Barcelona.

But Neymar has dismissed any chance of that move, as Zinedine Zidane tries to rebuild Madrid following a tough 2018-19 season.

Still, maybe a return to Camp Nou is possible.

TOP STORY – NEYMAR REJECTS MADRID, OPEN TO BARCA RETURN

Neymar has rejected any possibility of a move to Real Madrid, according to Sport.

According to the report, Madrid wanted Neymar as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Juventus last year.

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