France international Antoine Griezmann said he did not need to be asked twice to join Atletico Madrid.
The 23-year-old was officially unveiled as an Atleti player on Thursday having signed for the La Liga champions from Real Sociedad for a reported fee of €30million.
Griezmann told reporters Atletico s ambitions mirrored his personal goals and claimed it was easy for the capital club to convince him to leave Sociedad s Anoeta stadium for the Vicente Calderon.
Atleti showed their interest in me a long time ago. This is a great club with a great project, the attacking midfielder said.
[UEFA] Champions League finalists and league champions I didn t think twice about it.
Atletico won their first league title in 18 years last season, while they we…
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has ruled out selling striker Edinson Cavani despite intense speculation over his future with the Ligue 1 club.
Cavani, who joined PSG from Napoli for a fee believed to be in the region of €64million in July 2013, has been heavily linked with Manchester United, Juventus and Atletico Madrid.
However, he has been said to be dissatisfied with his role at PSG, with the Uruguay international pushed out wide due to coach Laurent Blanc s preference in playing Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a central striker.
The former Palermo man was also publicly criticised by Blanc and forced to sit two games in January after missing a mid-season training camp.
But Al-Khelaifi is unwilling to part with PSG s record signing.
The Netherlands have taken matters in Group B of the Euro 2024 qualifications back into their own hands with a 0-1 victory in Greece on Monday evening.
The only goal of the game was the work of captain Virgil van Dijk, who showed great composure to convert from the spot while being taunted with lasers from the stands of the OPAP Arena in Athens.
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UEFA president Michel Platini will be choking on his coffee and croissants on Thursday morning when all four English teams have made it through to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Platini has a well-documented disliking of all things English and has voiced his displeasue at England and the Premier League on numerous occasions, suggesting quotas on foreign imports and after England s dismise at Euro 2008, he barked: When you lose with the national team, that is the soul of your football losing.
Still the fact is Manchester United are the Champions League holders and three Premier League sides have made the semi-finals of Europe s premier club competition for the last two seasons.
And this time around the Premier League s big four are all well-placed in their…
Kylian Mbappe s potential move to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain is in doubt.
Mbappe, 22, has been heavily linked with a switch to Madrid after starring for PSG, where he is contracted until 2022.
But with Thomas Tuchel reportedly sacked as coach, Mbappe moving to the Spanish capital may be unlikely.
TOP STORY – MBAPPE S MOVE TO MADRID IN DOUBT
Mbappe s move to Real Madrid from PSG is in doubt after Tuchel s reported sacking, according to AS.
The departure of Tuchel, who is expected to be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino, adds another obstacle to Madrid s bid to land the France international next year, the report says.
Mbappe has scored 14 goals in 18 games for PSG this season.
ROUND-UP
The exp…
Perth Glory humiliated Newcastle Jets as Melbourne Victory breathed life into their A-League campaign with a much-needed derby triumph on Saturday.
Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC began the triple-header with an entertaining four-goal draw but the majority of the goalmouth action was to be found in a stunning 6-2 result at Perth s HBF Park.
Diego Castro guided home a brilliant free-kick and Neil Kilkenny converted a penalty after Nikolai Topor-Stanley s equaliser to give Tony Popovic s team a slim advantage at the interval, before the visitors began to fall apart.
Joel Chianese struck within a minute of the restart and, though Steven Ugarkovic grabbed one back, that was as good as it got for the Jets.
Bruno Fornaroli hit a 12-minute brace and Castro co…
Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare is expected to make a full recovery after being injured in a car crash and could be out of hospital by Friday, according to a statement from the Premier League club.
The Senegal international who was signed from Lille in January 2015 was involved in an accident on the M4 motorway on Sunday.
The full-back had to be cut free from his Mercedes 4 4 and was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital for further treatment after suffering injuries to both his jaw and thigh.
However, following surgery on Tuesday, Palace chairman Steve Parish was able to give a positive update on the player s condition.
Pape Souare has this morning undergone surgery on both his jaw and thigh, Parish said.
Thanks to the fan…
Verdict: Draw
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Two wins in last three helped West Bromwich keep their survival hopes alive, and the Baggies now need to win both remaining games to have any chance of beating the drop. Spurs, on the other hand, need two more victories to secure a top 4 finish, so chances are we will see an entertaining clash at the Hawthorns.
West Bromwich
Before the current campaign started, nobody really tipped West Bromwich to go down, but the team have been largely disappointing for big periods of the season. A shocking eight-match losing run in the league saw the Baggies lose all hope of avoiding relegation, but the club chiefs made one last attempt to shake things up as they sacked Alan Pardew and appointed Darren Moore as their caretaker boss.<…
Lazio have completed the signing of Brazilian defender Wallace from Braga, with the centre-back signing a five-year deal.
The Serie A side were keen to add more depth to their defence ahead of the 2016-17 campaign and they have now found their man in Wallace for an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old started his professional career with Cruzeiro, before joining Braga in 2014. He spent the past two seasons on loan at Monaco, making 26 Ligue 1 appearances in 2015-16 as Leonardo Jardim s men finished third.
è un calciatore biancoceleste
— SS Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio)
Wallace will now continue his career at the Stadio Olimpico and joins compatriots Mauricio and Felipe Anderson in the Italian capital.
The stopper becomes Lazio s third signing…
Jurgen Klopp is adamant Liverpool no longer want to sell their best players as he aims to turn the Anfield side into a force to be reckoned with again.
Liverpool lost Luis Suarez to Barcelona in 2014, before selling Raheem Sterling to Manchester City last year.
Philippe Coutinho is the latest name to have been linked with a move to a bigger club, but Klopp has stressed Liverpool have no intention of cashing in on the Brazil international.
We want to be a club in the future for sure whose players don t want to leave. That s very important, Klopp told Liverpool Echo.
I think we can do this. It s one of the targets for the coming years. There hasn t been a successful team in world football who change their squad every year. You need to keep your key player…