Aston Villa want to sign Villarreal’s Nicolas Jackson

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Two sides who will be looking to extend on their Champions League qualifying adventure on Wednesday evening, Genk will welcome Servette to the Cegeka Arena.

Starting with the hosts, while Genk might have been disappointed after eventually settling for a 1-1 draw away at Switzerland last week, the Smurfs will feel that they are sat firmly in pole position to extend on their qualifying adventure here. Although Wouter Vrancken’s men might have signed off the 2022/23 campaign by mustering just a single win from any of their final five Juliper Pro appearances, the former Mechelen boss saw his squad lay down an early marker last weekend. Opening their new domestic campaign with a thumping 4-0 win away at RWDM, Genk certainly picked up some …

Gianluigi Donnarumma hailed an amazing and emotional year after Paris Saint-Germain won the Ligue 1 title, but knows they cannot be  fully satisfied due to Champions League failure.

Donnarumma was recruited by PSG ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, with Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum and superstar Lionel Messi also arriving in the French capital.

Messi joined forces with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to form a fearsome frontline, with PSG easing to a record-extending 10th Ligue 1 title, their eighth in the last 10 seasons.

The championship win was also Mauricio Pochettino s first trophy as a coach, but the former Tottenham boss appears to be heading for the exit door after failing to deliver Champions League success.

Mbappe scored in both leg…

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag has refused to rule out a high-profile return to Bayern Munich.

Dutchman Ten Hag coached Bayern s reserves from 2013 to 2015 before returning to his homeland to join FC Utrecht.

The 49-year-old then moved to Ajax and led the powerhouse to the Eredivisie title last term, as well as the Champions League semi-finals.

Bayern have struggled for consistency in the Bundesliga this season and sit third in the table, just one point above ninth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

As a result, Bayern coach Niko Kovac s future has been the subject of speculation, and when asked by Kicker if he would be open to going back to the Bundesliga giants, Ten Hag said: I do not exclude anything.

But I m almost 50 and [I am] not a dreamer. It comes …

Tottenham must feel the blood of their opponents in order to improve, says Antonio Conte.

Spurs played out a thrilling, full-blooded 2-2 draw with London rivals Chelsea on Sunday, with the visitors twice coming from behind at Stamford Bridge.

Harry Kane s stoppage-time equaliser was overshadowed by a touchline fracas at full time, with both Conte and his Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel sent off.

Conte and Tuchel had both previously been booked, and the Spurs boss seemed to have taken issue with how Tuchel shook his hand after the final whistle.

While hopeful he will be allowed to take to the touchline for Tottenham s meeting with Wolves on Saturday, Conte has no regrets about the fierce nature of his side s display against his old club Chelsea.

…

World Cup winner Andre Schurrle has confirmed his retirement at the age of just 29.

Earlier this week the forward s contract at Borussia Dortmund was terminated a year early, Schurrle having made 33 Bundesliga appearances across two seasons for the club before spending campaigns on loan at Fulham and Spartak Moscow.

Now he has confirmed he is stepping away from the sport for good.

Alongside an Instagram picture of him lifting the World Cup with Germany in 2014, Schurrle wrote: I want to let you know that I m stepping away from playing professional football !!

On behalf of myself and my family I want to thank everybody who was a part of these phenomenal years! The support and love you shared with me was unbelievable and more than I could have ever asked …

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has been loaned to Crystal Palace for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.

The 23-year-old has made 15 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions this campaign, although just two of those have been Premier League starts.

He has not appeared for Mikel Arteta s side in the league since coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 win over Tottenham on October 1.

Belgium international Lokonga will now spend the next four months with Palace, who are managed by former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira.

North London south London

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC)

Palace confirmed the news on their official website on Tuesday, shortly after Arsenal completed the signing of Jorginho from Chelsea to provide adequate…

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has agreed a contract extension that will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu until June 2027.

The 23-year-old Uruguay international s original agreement ran until 2025 but he signed a deal for a further two years, and it reportedly includes a €1billion release clause.

A statement on Madrid s website on Tuesday said: Federico Valverde signed a contract renewal at Real Madrid. The Uruguayan midfielder remains linked to our club until June 30, 2027.

Valverde joined Madrid from Uruguayan club Penarol in July 2016, initially playing for Real Madrid Castilla, the club s reserve team.

He joined Deportivo La Coruna on loan for the 2017-18 season before establishing himself in the Madrid first-team setup under Santi…

Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman respects Gerard Pique s opinion and has backed the defender to do his talking on the pitch in Saturday s clash with Real Madrid.

La Vanguardia published an explosive interview with Pique on the eve of the first Clasico of the season in which the long-serving defender heavily criticised his club.

The 33-year-old hit out at president Josep Maria Bartomeu in particular over his handling of Lionel Messi s contract saga and admitted Barca have gone backwards since 2015.

Pique did reserve some praise for new boss Koeman, however, and the Dutchman insisted he has no problem with the timing of the interview.

He has been here for many years and I have been here for three months, Koeman said at a pre-match news conference on Frid…

Pep Guardiola says he is “very pleased and excited” that Manchester City are taking part in the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia over the coming days.

The treble winners go into the tournament after a slump in results, dropping points in five of their last six Premier League games to leave them fourth in the table.

Playing Club World Cup matches on Tuesday and Friday, they do not return to league action until December 27, by which time there could be a considerable gap between them and the top of the table.

An expert s view of our Club World Cup opening opponent, Urawa Red Diamonds!

Tap to read

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

Having seen his side held to a 2-2 draw at home by Crystal Palace on Saturday, Guardiola was asked if the tourn…

According to a recent report from L Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain have yet to decide whether or not they want to renew Lionel Messi s contract.

Back in August 2021, Lionel Messi signed a contract with French giants PSG. At the time, he signed a two-year deal with the option of extending for an extra year. The 35-year-old still seems to be enjoying his time with the club but in equal measure, they once again came up short in their attempt to win the Champions League this past season.

Now that Messi has a World Cup title under his belt, you d have to imagine going after one more European Cup is a big priority for him.

Many have spoken about the possibility of him returning to Barcelona. Alas, given their financial issues, it doesn t seem like that s the best move ri…