Libertadores: Tachira, Defensor and Chico win on opening day

Jurgen Klopp claims he is in the dark over the length of contract Liverpool s club-record signing Virgil van Dijk has agreed at Anfield.

Van Dijk watched on from the stands as Mohamed Salah s brilliant brace secured a 2-1 comeback victory at home to Leicester City on Saturday.

Liverpool have not disclosed the length of the contract agreed by Van Dijk, who will officially usurp Salah as the club s biggest buy and become the most expensive defender in football history when he joins Liverpool for £75million from Southampton on January 1.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the Leicester match, Klopp pleaded ignorance over the Dutchman s deal.

It is not too important. I don t know how long the contract will be, he said.

My guess is maybe five or six years?…

Bundesliga outfit Schalke do not plan to keep hold of midfielder Jan Kirchhoff beyond the current season, .

The Miners signed the 24-year-old on a one-and-a-half-year loan from Bayern Munich last January, with a €6 million buy out clause also inserted in the deal.

However, with Kirchhoff largely disappointing in the opening exchanges, Schalke officials have no plans to exercise the release option.

The former Mainz star has only managed 8 league outings since joining from Bayern, while featuring in another two Champions League fixtures.

He was in the starting line-up as Schalke defeated high-flying Wolfsburg last weekend, but his place in the side is in danger after yet another under-par showing.

The talented midfielder had moved to Bayern on a…

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho hinted Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be sold as doubts remain over the out-of-favour playmaker.

Mkhitaryan has been linked with a move away from United after failing to win over Mourinho at Old Trafford this season.

The Armenia star, who was one of Mourinho s first signings from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, could return to Signal Iduna Park, while reports have claimed the 28-year-old might be used in a swap deal for Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez.

Asked about Mkhitaryan s future in Manchester, Mourinho – speaking ahead of Monday s visit of Stoke City – said: My approach is that every player has a price. And I am not the kind of blind manager.

Blind in the sense that this player is untouchable, this one can never be so…

25th May 2012

Roy Hodgson’s England face a tough task in their first warm-up game for the Euro 2012, with an away game against very good Norway side expected to be anything but a walk in the park. The Three Lions staff are sweating over the fitness of several important players ahead of the major tournament, while the Scandinavians are as carefree as can be.

After Norway took just two points from their first three 2010 World Cup qualifiers, legendary boss Egil ‘Drillo’ Olsen was once again called to the rescue, but in spite of the huge uptrend in team’s form, there simply wasn’t enough time for the Norwegians to get back into contention for a place in South Africa. The Scandinavians continued to impress under Olsen, winning five of six friendly games before the…

Valencia vice-president Fernando Gomez said Thursday that the financially troubled Spanish club would do everything it can to keep their star players David Villa and David Silva.

That is our priority. We have officially communicated to their representatives that this is our desire, he told news radio Cadena Ser.

Our intention is to ensure that they stay. I think next week we will be able to talk about this with more details, he added.

Spanish media have reported that the club was considering selling one or both Spanish internationals in order to balance its books.

Gomez confirmed that the Spanish side had received a reasonable offer from Italian side Roma for Silva but had ruled it out.

Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Liver…

Pep Guardiola conceded Manchester City could not live with the pace of Manchester United s attacking players in Saturday s 2-1 derby defeat.

Visitors United constantly exposed their opponents on the counter at the Etihad Stadium, helping them move into a two-goal lead inside the opening half-hour.

Marcus Rashford won and then converted a penalty before Anthony Martial fired in a second after being picked out by Daniel James.

Guardiola talked up United s counter-attacking threat on the eve of the match, but the City head coach has admitted his side ultimately had no answer to the trio.

I like how my team played, he said at his post-match news conference. We conceded a little bit more space not more than usual, but more than last year against United.

…

Lionel Messi has been left out of Barcelona s squad for their final Champions League group stage match against Inter.

Messi endured an injury-hit start to 2019-20, but has shown little sign of rustiness since returning to full fitness, and followed up his record sixth Ballon d Or win with a hat-trick in Barca s 5-2 win over Real Mallorca on Saturday.

However, with Barca s place in the last 16 already secured thanks to a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in their previous Group F fixture, it appears Ernesto Valverde has decided to rest Messi for the trip to Milan.

After Tuesday s match at San Siro, Barca face Real Sociedad before taking on Real Madrid in the rearranged Clasico on December 18, with another league match against Deportivo Alaves capping off 2019 thr…

Portuguese daily newspaper that FC Porto are readying summer bid for Olympiakos defender Kostas Manolas.

The Dragons are preparing for life without Eliaquim Mangala and they believe the Greek centre-back would be a very good replacement for the Frenchman.

Porto officials have yet to establish the first contact with the player s employers, but they are expected to step up their interest in the coming weeks.

It is believed that league rivals Benfica are also keen, while Inter Milan reportedly had a €5 million bid rejected for the 23-year-old.

Kostas Manolas made a name himself at AEK Athens, where he featured in 66 league matches before joining Olympiakos on a free transfer in the summer of 2012.

The talented footballer was in fine form last sea…

Roma eyeing Younes Belhanda

that AS Roma are hot on the trail of Dynamo Kiev midfielder Younes Belhanda.

Signing a quality midfielder is the priority for Giallorossi after Kevin Strootman picked up a serious injury, and they have looked at a number of high-profile footballers.

According to Tuttosport, Dynamo Kiev star Younes Belhanda is the latest player on their wish list.

The Moroccan surprised everyone when he left Montpellier for Ukraine despite interest from Europe s top clubs, and he seems to have lived to regret the decision.

In the wake of latest developments in the country, the 24-year-old revealed some two months ago that he is pondering a summer exit.

AS Roma appear ready to try and take advantage of the situation, but it rema…

Lionel Messi s father Jorge has claimed fake news is being spread about the superstar forward s future at Paris Saint-Germain.

Argentina international Messi is due to be out of contract at the Parc des Princes at the end of the campaign, only intensifying talk over his next career move.

A report this week suggested PSG are not willing to accept Messi s wage demands over a new deal, while another claimed he is asking for €600million to join Saudi side Al Hilal.

It was also alleged on Friday that Messi left a training session early this week due to a falling-out with head coach Christophe Galtier.

However, Jorge Messi took to social media on Friday to denounce all three articles.

When will you stop lying? he posted on his personal Instagram accou…