Rakitic dismisses transfer talk, eyes Barca extension

Ivan Rakitic has reiterated that he has no plans to leave Barcelona on transfer deadline day despite a host of Premier League clubs reportedly vying for his signature.

The World Cup finalist has been linked with a January switch to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United despite having a contract at Camp Nou until 2021.

Rakitic has been a regular since swapping Sevilla for Barca in 2014 and has featured in all but one of their LaLiga matches this year.

That has not stopped talk of a move to England, but the Croatia international insists he is solely focused on life in Barcelona.

Since I ve been here I do not know how many times I ve left and I m back, Rakitic said after scoring in Barca s Copa del Rey drubbing of Sevilla, the 6-1 win overturning a 2-0 fir…

Otavio would trade goal for Porto victory as he bemoans Schalke draw

Porto s Otavio was left frustrated after the Portuguese giants were held to a 1-1 draw by Schalke in their opening Champions League match.

Otavio scored from the spot with 15 minutes remaining in Tuesday s Group D clash at Veltins-Arena, cancelling out Breel Embolo s early effort.

Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann was on top form throughout, pulling off a superb penalty save in the first half before denying Felipe from close range after the interval.

Fahrmann also kept out a stinging strike from Otavio late on, and the winger said he would not think twice about giving up his goal – his first in the Champions League – it meant Porto had claimed the win.

I would trade my goal for a victory. We deserved victory. We fought for it, the 23-year-old said.

Adrian Lopez seals Deportivo La Coruna return

FC Porto striker Adrian Lopez returned to Deportivo La Coruna on Friday, sealing his season-long deal with the Spanish outfit.

The 29-year-old forward spent five years playing for Deportivo La Coruna at the beginning of his professional career before joining Atletico Madrid in 2011. Teverga-born footballer joined FC Porto in 2014 but never quite manage to break into the first team in Portugal.

Lopez spent last two years playing for Villarreal on loan and is now once again back in La Liga with Deportivo La Coruna confirming a loan deal has been struck with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Deportivo La Coruna claim the arrival of Adrian Lopez does not mean the club will end interest in Arsenal forward Lucas Perez, with the club president Timo Fernandez c…

Popovic leaves Perth Glory amid Xanthi links

Tony Popovic has left Perth Glory amid reports he is set to take charge of a club in Greece.

Popovic, 47, took over at Perth in mid-2018 and helped the A-League club win the premiership in his first season.

But after two seasons at the helm, the former Australia and Crystal Palace defender is leaving, with reports suggesting he will become coach of second-tier Greek club Xanthi.

I d just like to thank the players, staff, members and fans and everyone involved with the club, as well as the owner, Tony Sage, for giving me the opportunity, Popovic said in a statement.

I had a wonderful two years, winning the Premiers Plate being a fantastic highlight, along with playing in front of a sell-out crowd at Optus Stadium in the Grand Final and being a part of th…

Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Marseille: Thauvin settles frantic Classique as Neymar sees red

Paris Saint-Germain s poor start to their Ligue 1 campaign continued as they fell to a 1-0 home defeat against Marseille in a foul-tempered Classique in which five players, including Neymar, were sent off late on.

Having been without seven first-team stars for Thursday s loss to Lens, Thomas Tuchel was able to welcome four of his regulars back into the fold on Sunday, yet it was Andre Villas-Boas side – who lost 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last season – that claimed the points at Parc des Princes, where a limited number of fans were allowed in attendance.

Florian Thauvin s 31st-minute volley settled the encounter, which ended in ridiculous scenes as referee Jerome Brisard dished out red cards like confetti following a stoppage-time brawl.

Neymar, who…

Viktoria Plzen 2 Roma 1: Chory winner takes hosts into Europa League

Tomas Chory s winner 18 minutes from time secured Viktoria Plzen a place in the Europa League, as they beat Roma 2-1 to pip CSKA Moscow to third place in Group G.

Although CSKA claimed a remarkable 3-0 win away to Real Madrid, the Czech club just needed to get the same number of points as the Russians due to their superior head-to-head record and they showed admirable character to progress.

Roma, who were already sure of second spot, looked every inch a side with nothing on the line during the first half, as they offered precious little going forward and just about survived falling behind – Jan Kovarik looking particularly lively for the hosts.

Kovarik opened the scoring just after the hour and, although Cengiz Under pegged them back, Chory got what proved to b…

Depay has Barca agreement, says Lyon´s Juninho

Lyon sporting director Juninho said it is possible that star captain Memphis Depay will join Barcelona before the transfer window shuts.

Depay has been tipped to reunite with former Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman at LaLiga giants Barca ahead of Monday s transfer deadline.

The Lyon forward remains in Ligue 1, though Juninho conceded a departure from Groupama Stadium is still possible.

He has 12 months left on his contract, so… He has got an agreement with Barcelona, we don t hide that, Juninho told Telefoot Chaine.

It is possible that Memphis signs for Barcelona tomorrow [Monday], but it is not certain. He is the most likely to go. If he stays he will help us.

We pressed hard but it ends as a draw. 1-1

— OL English (@OL_Engli…

PSG coach Emery happy to avoid injuries ahead of Champions League tie with Real Madrid

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery was happy to avoid injuries ahead of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League as his side cruised through to the Coupe de France quarter-finals with a 4-1 win at Sochaux.

With Neymar rested after celebrating his 26th birthday at the weekend, Angel Di Maria took a starring role with his first PSG hat-trick helping secure a comfortable win for PSG, who are seeking a fourth straight Coupe de France title.

Edinson Cavani was also on target in a win that never felt in doubt despite Florian Martin cancelling out Di Maria s first-minute opener at the Stade Bonal on Tuesday.

After Di Maria wrapped up his first treble since 2010, Emery was able to rest Marco Verratti and Cavani for the closing stages, although Dani Alves had to g…

Ange Postecoglou has ‘great admiration’ for Chelsea rival Mauricio Pochettino

By contrast Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have quickly settled and Postecoglou said recruitment is a big factor for him, especially at the start of his tenure.

He added: “Wherever I’ve been, I’ve made sure that I have the biggest say over recruitment. I don’t do all the work, but I really think it’s an important part of my function and particularly when I first go into clubs.

“When you first go into a club, there are two measures that people will always put up against you.

“One is the results, that tells its own tale, but as a manager, and I’ve certainly had that experience, you can’t always guarantee the results early on.

“The other thing you get measured on is the people you bring in. Because at…

De Ligt: I need time to decide future

Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt insisted he was still assessing his future amid links to Barcelona and the Premier League.

De Ligt, 19, is widely expected to leave Ajax – who sealed the Eredivisie title on Wednesday – in the off-season.

The centre-back has been linked to the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus and Bayern Munich.

But after Ajax beat De Graafschap 4-1 for their first league title since 2014, De Ligt said he needed time to consider his future.

This is not the time to talk about my future, he told Fox Sports.

I don t know if I will go with Frenkie de Jong [to Barcelona]. I still have to analyse things and see everything. We ll see what happens.

I cannot say anything. We ll see at the end of summer. …