Manchester United’s De Jong deal stalls but club step up Martínez pursuit

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has been acquitted of tax fraud by a court in Madrid.

Alonso was accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office of almost €2million between 2010 and 2012, when he was at Real Madrid.

The Prosecutor s Office had called for a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, but at a ruling on Tuesday, Alonso – who had always denied any wrongdoing – was found not guilty.

Two advisors to Alonso, Ivan Zaldua and Ignasi Maestre, were also acquitted.

Several high-profile names have been the subject of separate tax cases in Spain. 

In June 2018, former Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo – now with Juventus – accepted a suspended two-year jail term and total fine of €18.8million to end a dispute with …

Pep Guardiola has been hugely impressed with Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers as the Foxes prepare to visit the defending Premier League champions on Monday.

Should second-placed Liverpool lose at Rafael Benitez s Newcastle United on Saturday, victory for City at the Etihad Stadium will see them achieve what no team has managed since 2008-09 and successfully retain the title.

Since Rodgers was appointed in late February, Leicester have won six of their nine outings, while Jamie Vardy has rattled in 10 goals during that period to propel the side firmly into contention for a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification.

And Guardiola paid tribute to both Vardy and Rodgers in Friday s pre-match news conference.

His [Vardy s] career speaks for it…

France are not overly dependent on Kylian Mbappe, according to head coach Didier Deschamps.

Mbappe has been in sparkling form at the Qatar World Cup and is the top scorer in the competition with five goals from four appearances.

The 23-year-old s double in the last-16 win over Poland has taken his tally of World Cup goals to nine, as many as Lionel Messi and more than Cristiano Ronaldo.

World champions France are unbeaten in the 13 games Mbappe has started in major competitions – outside of penalty shoot-outs – and will be hoping that record continues against England at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs.

Deschamps dismissed the idea France rely too heavily on the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has now scored 2…

Rio Ferdinand believes Frank Lampard can be Chelsea s answer to Pep Guardiola as Maurizio Sarri reportedly nears a move to Juventus.

Chelsea head coach Sarri is poised to sign a three-year deal to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Serie A champions Juve, according to reports.

Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard has emerged as one of the favourites to take over if Sarri leaves after almost guiding Derby County to the Premier League via the Championship play-off in his first season at the helm.

Ex-Manchester United defender Ferdinand – who played alongside Lampard with England – likened the 40-year-old to Manchester City manager Guardiola prior to the Spaniard being appointed Barcelona boss in 2008.

That is genius!  

One from the archives, and it …

Best Odds: 2/3

Bookmaker:

In what is a heavyweight FA Cup showdown on Friday night, Manchester City will travel to north London when they meet Tottenham.

Tottenham

Starting with the hosts, while Tottenham might still face a real battle in their bid to book a Champions League return, Ange Postecoglou’s side have continued to receive a string of praise. Last seen snatching an action-packed 2-2 stalemate away at Manchester United, the former Celtic boss should find the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. Signing off 2023 with an action-packed 3-1 victory at home against Bournemouth, the Lilywhites have continued to impress with their success in north London. Extending on their FA Cup adventure earlier in the month as they secured a 1-0 win against Bournemouth, T…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/5 @

With it all still to play for on Thursday evening, Sporting Lisbon will make the trip to Midtjylland for what could be an enjoyable second-leg showdown.

Starting with the hosts, while Midtjylland might have been tipped as a real Europa League underdog this month, Albert Capellas side should be smelling the chance to collect an eye-catching scalp on Thursday evening. Putting in a gritty display as they left Lisbon with a 1-1 draw following their first-leg meeting last week, the Danish outfit are enjoying another extended flurry. Picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they claimed a routine 4-0 romp away at Viborg, the Wolves have certainly hit the ground running after returning from the World Cup s winter brea…

According to a recent report by The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur have resigned themselves to the likelihood of losing Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United. The Spurs defender has been linked with a move away from North London for what feels like forever, with some suggesting that Old Trafford is the most likely destination for him. The 30 year old has been with Tottenham since back in 2015, turning himself into a fan favourite in English football. He is also a Belgium international, having made his debut for the senior team in 2009.

Toby himself hasn’t been shy when it comes to discussing his future, and given the way the season is going for Spurs, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see him search for a move elsewhere. The price tag is certainly an interesting anecdote, es…

Having failed to do so twice, Real Madrid finally managed to book their first victory away from home in the 2024/25 La Liga season, beating Real Sociedad at the Anoeta 0-2.

Both goals were scored from the penalty spot, the first by Vinicius Junior in the 58th minute, and the second by Kylian Mbappe in the 75th.

The teams

Imanol Alguacil in the home dugout arranged his team in a 4-5-1 formation. The back four, in front of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, consisted of Jon Aramburu, Igor Zubeldia, Nayef Aguerd and Javi Lopez. Martin Zubimendi was the central figure in midfield, with Sergio Gomez and Luka Sucic tasked with more creative roles in the middle of the park. Former Real Madrid man Tafekusa Kubo played wide on the right, and Sheraldo Becker covered the left flank. With Mi…

Best odds: 41/50

Bookmaker:

Borussia Dortmund, already secure in their qualification, will host a Paris Saint-Germain team still vying for a spot in the Champions League last-16 draw in an exciting Group F finale on Wednesday.

A single point is all the hosts need to secure their first-place position in the group. However, Luis Enrique s PSG must secure a victory at the Signal Iduna Park to be certain of going through, or risk leaving their hopes to chance.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund started this season s Champions League in the challenging group of death with a disappointing 2-0 defeat against their upcoming opponents at the Parc des Princes. However, they ve since showcased their European prowess, securing a spot in the knockout rounds with a third con…

Chile start their bid for a third successive Copa America title in Sao Paulo on Monday, as they go up against Japan in their Group C opener.

La Roja defeated Argentina on penalties in both the 2015 and 2016 finals, though much has changed since then. Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi departed after the team s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, with Reinaldo Rueda appointed as his replacement.

The Colombian has won just five of his 13 games since taking charge in January 2018, though he has a squad containing a plethora of famous faces for the tournament in Brazil.

Arturo Vidal is one of the senior players included and the Barcelona midfielder believes Chile can come good at just the right time to defend their crown, which would see them join Argentina as the o…