Fiorentina playmaker Stefan Jovetic has ruled out a move away from the Serie A club in the January transfer window.
Reports emerged in August that Manchester City were in advanced talks over the transfer of the 23-year-old, but an agreement was not reached before the summer transfer deadline.
Roberto Mancini is reportedly preparing to ignite the deal with a second approach in the January transfer window, however Jovetic has moved to quell such speculation by insisting he intends to stay with his current club.
I am fine here, I will not go. I have no thoughts about leaving, even if in life you never know what might happen, he told Rai Sport.
At the moment there is no way I will leave Fiorentina although in the life of a footballer you can never be 100 p…
Argentine midfielder Pablo Aimar has rejected speculations linking him with a January exit from Estadio da Luz.
Aimar, 33, has just over six months left on his deal with Benfica and was heavily linked with a return to River Plate.
However, the highly rated playmaker says that he is ready to stay at Estadio da Luz until the end of the season, or maybe even longer.
“The idea is to stay until June or maybe even longer, as the club plans,” the veteran midfielder told Radio Marado. “They have always treated me phenomenally at Benfica and they want me to (stay).”
Aimar joined Benfica from Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2008 and immediately developed into a key member of the squad at Estadio da Luz.
He has since made 98 Primeira Liga appearances…
Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of Bordeaux forward Yoan Gouffran for an undisclosed fee as the club s French revolution continues.
The 26-year-old came through the youth ranks of Caen before moving to Bordeaux in 2008 and has been an ever-present at the club, playing on the wing or through the middle.
Former France Under-21 international Gouffran signed a four-and-a-half year contract with Newcastle and the club s new number 11 is delighted to have completed his move, worth a reported 3.5 million pounds.
Speaking to the club s website, Gouffran said: I am really proud to have joined this fantastic club.
Throughout the last few years I have enjoyed every moment of my time at Bordeaux but all good things must come to an end and it was time fo…
Sepp Blatter has confirmed his intention to appeal against his eight-year FIFA ban from all football-related activity at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Blatter, who had already announced that he would step down as FIFA president ahead of February s elections, and UEFA counterpart Michel Platini were both banned for eight years by FIFA s Ethics Committee on Monday.
But the 79-year-old Swiss later announced in a media conference that he is to appeal to CAS, while also questioning the validity of the judgement under Swiss law.
Blatter said: With my lawyer, he is putting into question all of what is right and what is wrong. I will use sporting justice now to go forward. We will go immediately once again to the appeal committee to the Court of Arbi…
Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed he will make significant changes to his line-up for Saturday s FA Cup third-round tie against Doncaster Rovers.
The Premier League side were defeated 1-0 by Liverpool in Tuesday s League Cup semi-final first leg at the Britannia Stadium, which is part of a busy programme of seven January fixtures.
Hughes will take the opportunity to make plenty of alterations when they travel to play League One Doncaster, giving a chance to fringe players who have been left frustrated with the manager sticking to a settled team in recent weeks.
We will make changes – we need to make changes, Hughes told the club s official website.
We have got another midweek game next week against Norwich, so it is important that guys who h…
Tottenham have appointed former midfielder Ryan Mason as an academy coach as part of a reshuffle of their backroom staff.
The 28-year-old, who retired from football in February 2018 after suffering a head injury, will take charge of the Under-19 side in the UEFA Youth League.
Mason, who worked with Spurs academy staff last year while earning his coaching badges, spent 17 years at the club as a youngster and senior player before a permanent move to Hull City in 2016.
He was forced to retire after fracturing his skull in a collision with Gary Cahill in Hull s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea in January 2017.
Former Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers and West Ham midfielder Matt Taylor has also joined Spurs academy staff, taking over as Under-18s boss.
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Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas doubts Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool in the off-season because no one would meet the Reds asking price.
Salah has excelled at Anfield since arriving from Roma for an initial £36.9million (€42m) last June, firing a double in Tuesday s 5-2 Champions League semi-final first-leg victory against his former club to take his tally for the season to 43 goals in all competitions.
The Egyptian s sensational form earned him the PFA Players Player of the Year award and has led to links with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, although an astronomical figure would likely be required to tempt Liverpool into a deal.
Fabregas therefore believes his former Cheslea team-mate will remain on Merseyside next season, adding that S…
Best Odds: 21/20
Bookmaker:
Simply looking to finish off their qualifying job on Thursday night and punch their Europa League group stage ticket, Ajax will welcome Ludogorets to Amsterdam.
Starting with the hosts, coming under a fair amount of scrutiny last season as they eventually had to settle for a bronze medal finish among Holland’s elite, Ajax have endured somewhat of a transition over the summer. Opening the 2023/24 Eredivisie campaign with a rampant display in Amsterdam as they cruised their way to a routine 4-1 victory against Heracles, Maurice Steijn’s men will also take plenty of positives away from their stellar first-leg performance on foreign soil last week. Eventually storming their way to another 4-1 victory, the Dutch giants firmly have one …
Mikel Arteta declared himself really disappointed despite Arsenal fighting back from three goals down to claim 3-3 draw with West Ham United on Sunday.
The Gunners paid for a poor start at the London Stadium as they fell behind to early goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek.
However, they reduced the deficit when Soucek was forced to put through his own net before the break, and it was game on when Craig Dawson did the same following the restart.
Alexandre Lacazette subsequently completed the turnaround with a header 10 minutes from time to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.
But, speaking after the game, manager Arteta could not hide his disappointment over a sloppy start that had given his side a mountain to climb.
He told…
Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
In what is a heavyweight showdown from the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, Arsenal will welcome Manchester United to north London.
Arsenal
Starting with the hosts, left frustrated last weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home against Fulham, there is no doubt that Arsenal will be seeking an immediate response here. Suffering Premier League heartbreak back in May as they missed out on the chance to get their hands on a first domestic crown since 2004, Mikel Arteta’s young squad will know the importance of laying down a major statement of intent on Sunday afternoon. Still mustering seven points from their opening three top-flight showdowns, the Gunners will be excited by their extended success in north London. De…