Newcastle United manager is working hard to prepare his team for the Premier League the best way possible and has already made a couple of notable signings, with the latest one being Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mikel Merino.
The Spanish tactician is keen to further reinforce his squad and is reported to have set his sights on first-team member Lucas Vazquez.
Rafa Benitez was the man who brought Vazquez back to Real Madrid back in 2015 when he transformed the Spanish winger into a consistent performer at Santiago Bernabeu and is now looking for a reunion at St James’ Park.
The 26-year-old will have problems breaking into the first team under Zinedine Zidane next season having fallen behind in the pecking order at Santiago Bernabeu and AS reports Rafa Benitez …
Sergio Busquets is confident Barcelona team-mate Neymar will continue with the Catalan giants, despite persistent rumours linking him with a big-money exit from Camp Nou.
Neymar, who joined Barca from Brazilian outfit Santos in 2013, has reportedly attracted serious interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, as well as Clasico rivals Real Madrid.
The Brazil captain s agent Wagner Ribeiro claimed three clubs are willing to activate his reported €190million release clause, with two years left to run on his five-year deal with Barca.
But Busquets is giving no credence to the reports and is optimistic Neymar, who scored 31 goals in all competitions last season, will remain with the Liga champions.
I m not worried, in the world of football wha…
Carlo Ancelotti has insisted Everton have no plans to sell Richarlison in the close season.
The 22-year-old Brazil international was reportedly the subject of a €100million (£85m) bid from LaLiga giants Barcelona earlier this week, though both Everton and the Blaugrana have since dismissed the speculation.
Richarlison, signed for a reported £40m potentially rising to £50m from Watford in 2018, has become a key figure for Everton since his arrival at Goodison Park.
He scored 14 goals in all competitions in his first season and, despite Marco Silva s struggles and ultimate sacking, has found the net 10 times this campaign.
Everton boss Ancelotti sees Richarlison as a key player moving forward, with the striker having signed a long-term deal in Decem…
Huddersfield Town have appointed former Borussia Dortmund reserve team coach Jan Siewert as David Wagner s replacement.
Wagner left his role by mutual consent last Monday after requesting a break from the rigours of football management , with Huddersfield bottom of the Premier League.
He guided the club to an unlikely promotion to the top flight and then kept them up last season, resulting in chairman Dean Hoyle lauding him as legendary after accepting his departure.
Speculation swiftly turned to who might be brought in to replace him and rumours highlighted Siewert as the leading candidate early on.
The 36-year-old had been in charge of Dortmund s second string since July 2017, when he succeeded Daniel Farke, who moved to Norwich City.
Dean Hoyle…
While PSG might have already booked their spot in the knockout stage of this year s Champions League ahead of Wednesday s showdown in Turin, Les Parisiens picked up a 2-1 victory away at Juventus.
Although the French giants might have failed to clinch top spot in Group H after Benfica secured a 6-1 romp against Maccabi Haifa, Christophe Galtier s side cruised their way to the knockout stage without breaking much of a sweat.
Wrapping up their group stage adventure thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Nuno Mendes on either side of the half-time break, PSG also piled more pressure onto a struggling Juve side.
While the Old Lady might have put in a much-improved display on Wednesday night, Leonardo Bonucci s first-half strike turned out to be just a minor boost fo…
Jurgen Klopp believes the problems arising from a crazy mid-season World Cup should have been addressed long ago amid a swathe of injuries affecting big-name players.
Debates around the scheduling of the tournament, which begins when hosts Qatar face Ecuador on November 20, have intensified after several players hopes of featuring were thrown into doubt.
England trio Kyle Walker, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are fighting to be fit for the tournament, while South Korea s Son Heung-min is also a doubt after suffering a fracture around his left eye in Tottenham s Champions League win at Marseille on Tuesday.
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher responded to that injury by calling the World Cup s timing an absolute disgrace , but Klopp says football missed the chance to c…
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri could quit international football, after claiming he has made a decision about his future with France.
In an interview on Sunday, Nasri revealed the national team doesn t make me happy , while he claimed his decision will benefit City.
Nasri was left out of Didier Deschamps France squad for the FIFA World Cup, prompting a Twitter tirade from his girlfriend and some disappointed comments by the player himself.
The 27-year-old was also overlooked for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while he suffered a three-game internal ban after swearing at a journalist at Euro 2012, following France s elimination from the tournament.
I ve made the decision, Nasri said.
I took it a while ago but I ll say it when the tim…
AC Milan have confirmed the signing of Sulley Muntari on loan from city rivals Inter Milan for the remainder of the season.
Ghana international Muntari, who is away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, has featured just four times in Serie A for Inter this season.
Milan however believe he will provide valuable cover in midfield, particularly with new arrival Alexander Merkel ruled out for two months with a knee injury.
Inter signed Muntari from Portsmouth in 2008 for a fee of 14 million euros, but the player has struggled to justifying his price tag.
Muntari has been repeatedly linked with a move away from San Siro in recent months, with Napoli and Galatasaray both said to have expressed an interested in signing the 27 year old.
However, it is Milan wh…
German daily newspaper Bild claims that Arsenal are keeping close tabs on Bayer Leverkusen shot-stopper Bernd Leno.
The Gunners have two very good goalkeepers at their disposal, with David Ospina currently in front of Wojciech Szczesny in the pecking order, but it appears Arsene Wenger is also looking towards the future.
According to Bild, the Frenchman rates Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno highly and could try and lure him to the Emirates in the future.
The 22-year-old will not come on the cheap though considering that he has a contract until June 2018 at Bay Arena.
The Germany Under-21 international has already amassed 120 Bundesliga appearances for die Werkself, having arrived in a mega money deal from Stuttgart in 2011.
Despite his fra…
Chivas and United States defender Carlos Bocanegra is to retire at the end of the MLS season.
The former Fulham man will call time on a lengthy career that has seen him represent the United States at two World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010.
Bocanegra has amassed 110 caps for the USA, having made his international debut in 2001, and captained his country on 64 occasions.
I m still hungry for the game and I want to play, but unfortunately you can t play forever, he told the USA s official website.
I was thinking about this in the close-season, and it took me about six months to come to a final decision.
The timing is right for me. I ve known for a little while now in my mind and in my heart. I m happy with it, and I m looking forward to the new ch…