Portuguese daily newspaper that Benfica are set to complete the signing of Swiss defender Loris Benito from FC Zurich.
With Guilherme Siqueira unlikely to remain at Estadio da Luz beyond the summer, the Eagles have made a move on the FC Zurich starlet.
And A Bola has suggested that Benfica officials have all but wrapped up the deal for the talented full-back after Sporting Lisbon pulled out of the chase.
The same source claims the Eagles have agreed to pay between €2.5m and €3m for the Swizerland Under-21 international.
Loris Benito, 22, came through the youth ranks at Aarau and went on to make a total of 47 league appearances before moving to FC Zurich in January 2012.
The left-back managed to catch the eye of Europe s top clubs with some i…
A hamstring injury to Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has meant he will miss Wednesday night s Champions League clash at Steve McClaren s FC Twente side in the Netherlands.
Fabregas (hamstring) joins the likes of Kolo Toure (hip), Abou Diaby (thigh), Philippe Senderos (hamstring) and summer signing Samri Nasri (knee/thigh) on the sidelines along with Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo, who are both recovering from long-term injuries.
The number of absentees means Wales Under-21 international Aaron Ramsey, who joined the Gunners in a five-million-pound deal, from Cardiff could be handed a full competitive debut alongside young Brazilian Denilson in midfield in this third qualifying round, first leg clash.
The Gunners travel to the Netherlands for the first leg against…
Valencia have turned down a 47 million euros bid from Real Madrid for striker David Villa, according to Marca.
Spanish media reported on Monday that Real had made a big bid for the Euro 2008 star, but Spanish sports daily Marca says Valencia president Vicente Soriano refused the bid straight away.
Soriano have made it clear that he is not interested in selling neither of his two big stars, David Villa and David Silva.
Marca claims that several directors at Valencia were interested in selling their star striker to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are keen on signing the Valencia striker as a replacement for Brazilian striker Robinho, who want a move to Premiership giants Chelsea.
Real could make a move for Ajax striker Klas-Jan Huntelaar should they fail …
RB Leipzig forward and reported Real Madrid target Timo Werner will stay with the Bundesliga club through next season, according to sporting director Ralf Rangnick.
The Germany international, 21, has enjoyed another fine campaign, scoring 10 times in 20 league games to back up his 21-goal 2016-17 Bundesliga season.
Werner, who has also netted seven goals in 10 internationals for his country, has previously been linked to Madrid and Liverpool.
But Rangnick said the forward, who is contracted until 2020, would remain at Leipzig.
Timo definitely knows he is still playing with us now and next season, he told Kicker.
We are also in talks to adjust and extend his contract.
…
Verdict: Both teams to score
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Hoping that a solid FA Cup run will improve the atmosphere around the Hawthorns, Alan Pardew s bottom of the table Baggies will host fellow relegation candidates Southampton in the FA Cup fifth-round.
West Brom
Despite going three matches unbeaten at the start of the new year, Alan Pardew s West Brom side have recently slumped back to their old ways and are now the firm favorites to be relegated come the end of the season. On Monday night, the Baggies slumped to a 3-0 defeat away at Stamford Bridge and will rue their missed chances. Now sat bottom of the Premier League table, the Midlands side are now seven points adrift of safety and have conceded nine goals in their last three matches. Although Pard…
Ignazio Abate hopes that Mario Balotelli will stay at AC Milan and says the forward has the right attitude to lead the Rossoneri to success.
Balotelli has quickly become a key player at the San Siro after his January move from Manchester City, scoring seven goals in six Serie A appearances, and Abate would like to see his Italy team-mate stay put for the foreseeable future.
Balotelli s mentality seems right to me. I hope he stays at Milan for a long time. Milanello is a family, everyone helps each other, the right-back told reporters.
Abate went on to praise promising youngster Mattia De Sciglio, who recently made his Italy debut.
De Sciglio is a calm and balanced guy who has his head in the right place, which is quite rare for someone so young, Abate s…
FC Porto have announced on their official website that they have signed forward Jackson Martinez from Jaguares.
The Portuguese champions had been following the Colombian international for quite a while and they have finally wrapped up the deal yesterday evening.
Martinez has signed a four-year deal with the Dragons after they agreed to pay €8.8 million to Mexican side Jaguares de Chiapas.
The highly rated forward has had a €40 million release clause inserted in his contract.
“It s a huge blessing, I want to succeed here, Martinez told club’s official website.
The 25-year-old revealed that his international teammate and former Porto star Radamel Falcao Garcia recommended the Dragons to him.
He had good recommendations about the ci…
Market: Galway half-time/full-time
Odds: 1/1 @
Simply looking to widen their buffer at the top of the First Division table on Friday night, Galway will welcome Longford to Eamonn Deacy Park.
Starting with the hosts, while Galway might have missed out on the chance to claim a Premier Division return last season, John Caulfield’s side have come flying out the traps this time around. Last seen putting in another professional display as they claimed a 2-0 victory away at at Cobh Ramblers, the Tribesmen have won each of their first nine First Division appearances. With their remarkable start to the campaign underlined by a remarkable 9-1 romp against Kerry earlier in the month, it is no secret that Galway are tipped as a landslide promotion contender in 2023. The o…
Bafetimbi Gomis backed Al Hilal to reach the Club World Cup final after he scored a spectacular winning goal in his side s 1-0 quarter-final victory over ES Tunis.
The former Lyon, Marseille and Galatasaray forward came on as a second-half substitute and struck a volley from the edge of the penalty area 17 minutes from time to tee up a semi-final clash with South American champions Flamengo.
Gomis reflected on his recovery from a series of hamstring problems after further justifying Al Hilal s €6million investment with his latest crucial goal.
It was a good team effort, the striker, who scored in the AFC Champions League final second leg last month, told reporters.
I am happy I helped my team. All the players worked well; we played a very good game. I…
PSG keen on Yarmolenko
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are weighing up a summer bid for Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko, .
The Saints expect to stay without Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani, meaning they are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements.
According to the Daily Mail, PSG officials aim to lure Dynamo Kiev attacker Andriy Yarmolenko to Parc des Princes and have already opened talks with his representatives.
The Ukraine star has been linked with a big club move for over a year now and he is reportedly valued at £15 million at the moment.
The 25-year-old has just over a year left on his current deal, meaning that Dynamo will be forced to cash in on him next summer.
Yarmolenko has spent entire career up to date at …