Lukaku is not afraid to leave, claims former Belgium coach

Romelu Lukaku is not afraid to seek a transfer in order to find a club where he feels wanted, according to former Belgium coach Georges Leekens, who backed the striker to take a little bit of revenge by leaving Manchester United.

Inter are reportedly keen to take Lukaku to San Siro and the 26-year-old told reporters they would know something next week after United s friendly win over Perth Glory on Saturday.

Lukaku did not play against Perth but is expected to feature when the Red Devils face Leeds United on Tuesday, and Solskjaer said the club have not received any acceptable bids for the Belgium international.

Leekens said he feels Solskjaer s arrival as manager in December 2018 was the start of the end for Lukaku at United, telling The Mirror: He s a fantastic…

Everton sack struggling Lampard as another relegation scrap beckons

Frank Lampard has been sacked by Everton under a year after taking charge of the Premier League strugglers, Stats Perform understands.

Lampard was appointed as Rafael Benitez s successor on January 31, 2022, but less than 12 months later Everton are now on the search for yet another manager.

The former Chelsea boss managed to keep Everton in the top flight last season, with a dramatic 3-2 comeback over Crystal Palace in their penultimate match proving enough.

Yet Everton s struggles have carried over into this campaign and, with 20 games played, they sit 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham on Saturday. They have lost eight of their last nine matches in all competitions.

Everton s next manager will be their seventh perman…

Talk of Gareth Bale leaving Real Madrid on loan ´is ridiculous´

Gareth Bale s agent described suggestions he is to leave Real Madrid on loan as ridiculous and assured he will see out the remainder of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Having made just nine LaLiga starts for Madrid this season, Bale has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move back to the Premier League with Tottenham or Manchester United.

Barnett did not rule out the possibility of the Wales international leaving Madrid but emphatically dismissed the suggestion of a loan exit.

At the moment he is going to be playing football this evening for Real Madrid and he has got two and a half years left on his contract, Barnett told Sky Sports ahead of Zinedine Zidane s side taking on Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Spurs promise to ´gloss over´ Dulux jibes

Tottenham will gloss over a series of jokes made at the club s expense on Twitter by new sponsor Dulux.

Spurs announced Dulux as their new official paint supplier in a Twitter post on Thursday, with the company s ambassador and emblem, an old English sheepdog, pictured in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Yet news of the deal seemingly turned into something of a dog s breakfast, with Dulux s social media team taking aim at Tottenham faster than paint would dry.

Despite the tweets subsequently being deleted, there could be no whitewashing of the content, which included a suggestion that the Dulux dog would be a better option than Spurs current centre-backs, while another said the club s trophy cabinet was too dusty to paint.

— Tottenham Hotspur …

Prediction: Argentina vs Mexico

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker:

Looking to pick up their first Group C victory at the second attempt on Saturday night, Argentina will meet Mexico in Lusail for what is a must-win showdown.

Argentina

Starting with Argentina, while the South American giants might have been tipped as a landslide pick to open their World Cup adventure with a flurry earlier in the week, Lionel Scaloni s side suffered what was a stunning defeat in Lusail. Eventually putting in a nightmare second-half display as they were hit with an infamous 2-1 loss at the hands of Saudi Arabia, La Albiceleste will be desperate to prove that was nothing more than a blip. Watching their remarkable 36-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end last time out, Argentina face what is a must-win showdown on Satu…

Dembele´s agent warns Barca ´threats´ won´t tempt winger into agreeing new deal

Ousmane Dembele s agent claims Barcelona have threatened to bench the winger for the rest of the season if he does not sign a new contract.

Dembele entered the final six months of his deal on January 1, meaning he is eligible to discuss potential moves to other clubs for next season.

Barca, especially coach Xavi, have been open in their desire to see Dembele commit himself to the club, despite his time there being largely disappointing since joining from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105million in 2017.

But reports suggest Barca have grown frustrated with the lack of movement, with Xavi previously urging Dembele to make an effort in talks.

Now, the likelihood of an agreement may have diminished even further after Dembele s agent accused Barca of re…

Ibrahimovic agrees to AC Milan return

According to a recent report from Daily Telegraph, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has agreed to re-join AC Milan in the wake of his departure from LA Galaxy. The Swede has finished up his tenure with the Major League Soccer club, and now, he’s looking ahead to what the future may hold for him. 

It always seemed likely that he would return to Italian football which is where he’s been able to make such an impact throughout his career. Of course, he’s done well pretty much wherever he’s gone, but there’s certainly a feeling that Serie A is his spiritual home. 

He looks set to return to that spiritual home, aka the San Siro, with a move back to AC Milan. Zlatan is said to have rejected a move back to the Premier League where he resided with Manchester United, and will mak…

Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman resigns after four seasons

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman announced his resignation Thursday after six seasons with the team and four as its primary play-caller.

Roman said he is leaving to pursue other opportunities in a statement released by his agency, Athletes First. The 50-year-old’s job security had been a topic of speculation after the Ravens struggled to consistently produce points during the late stages of a season in which star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the final six games with a knee injury.

After visiting with coach [John] Harbaugh and after huddling with my family, I have decided that now is the right time to move on from the Ravens so that I can explore new challenges and opportunities, Roman said.

I ll truly miss Baltimore, but at the same time …

Sadio Mane set for medical ahead of move to Saudi Arabia – reports

Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane is to undergo a medical at Al-Nassr on Monday, according to reports.

The 31-year-old forward looks set to become the next big-name star heading to the Saudi Pro League with the Bundesliga champions, who confirmed on Saturday that negotiations were taking place, now said to have agreed a fee with Al-Nassr.

After announcing their team for a pre-season friendly with Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale, Bayern tweeted: “Sadio Mane is in contract talks ahead of a possible transfer and so is not in today’s squad.”

The 31-year-old Senegal forward has struggled for form in Germany since joining from Liverpool last summer for £35million.

During a tough season, injury saw him miss the 2022 World Cup and we was fined and suspended by …

Semi-final struggles make Guardiola wary of Arsenal

A first all-Manchester FA Cup final was not on Pep Guardiola s mind ahead of Saturday s Wembley meeting with Arsenal, given he has plenty of ghosts of semi-finals past to keep him company.

City will contest a place in the showpiece with the Gunners as they aim to retain a trophy they won last season thanks to a 6-0 demolition of Watford.

Manchester United take on Chelsea in Sunday s semi-final, with the prospect of the 183rd Manchester derby coming with silverware on the line an intriguing one – especially considering the Red Devils resurgence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and impressive record against City this season.

Guardiola has won a staggering 16 out of 17 career finals, including three one-off UEFA Super Cup encounters, with the 2011 Copa del Rey final aga…