Chelsea took control of their Europa League last-32 clash with a 2-1 victory over Malmo in Sweden. Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud struck either side of half-time to give the Blues two crucial away goals ahead of the return leg at Stamford Bridge. However, with the visitors searching for a third, Malmo decided to make things interesting and halved the deficit through Anders Christiansen. Maurizio Sarri’s men ought to have taken more than a one-goal lead back to London, with several guilt-edged chances wasted, but the manager will be pleased with his team’s convincing display following the 6-0 battering at Manchester City on Sunday. The Blues took the lead in…

Here are the biggest transfer rumours to digest on Saturday morning. Manchester United have made an approach for Borussia Dortmund’s 18-year-old England international Jadon Sancho, who is valued at £70m. (The Sun) Mesut Ozil will not leave Arsenal on loan this summer as the club attempt to try and reduce their wage bill, as the 30-year-old prefers a permanent move. (Daily Mail) How Man United could look next season with FOUR top transfer targets United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward wants to complete an overhaul at Old Trafford in time to mount a title challenge next season. (Evening Standard) Inter centre-back Milan Skriniar is among Manchester United’s top targets, along with…

The Argentine scored a free-kick for the third game running as the Uruguayan reached 100 goals and the Brazilian ended his scoring drought COMMENT As responses go, this one was pretty emphatic. Barcelona had been below par in their first two games so far this year, with Neymar and Luis Suarez particularly under the spotlight. Against Athletic Club, however, it was just like old times for the MSN. Rakitic returns for Barca after City links Neymar had not netted since October 19 prior to this game and midway through the first half, he had gone 1,000 minutes without a goal. He has been contributing, though, and averaged almost an assist per…

After Wednesday night’s embarrassing Copa del Rey exit at home to Leganes, the Blancos boss knows that only Champions League glory can save him How quickly things can change. Real Madrid were on cloud nine after beating Gremio to claim the Club World Cup in mid-December, as they ended 2017 with a club record five trophies. Just a few weeks later, however, their season hangs very much in the balance. Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss to Leganes in the Copa del Rey saw Zinedine Zidane’s side crash out of the Copa del Rey on away goals at the quarter-final stage and represents the latest embarrassment in an increasingly calamitous campaign. Already 19 points behind fierce…

Declan Rice has pledged his international future to England. The West Ham midfielder has announced he wants to play for the Three Lions, after appearing in three friendly matches for the Republic of Ireland. Rice, 20, was born and raised in London but qualified for the Republic through his grandparents. He opted to play for the Republic at youth level, representing them from Under-16 to Under-21 level before being handed his senior debut in 2018. He went on to play a further two times for the Boys in Green but as none of the matches were competitive fixtures, he was still eligible to switch his allegiance under FIFA rules. Now, having…

Chelsea suffered their heaviest ever Premier League defeat when they were hammered 6-0 at Manchester City last weekend. The Blues capitulated at the Etihad Stadium and now face a three-way fight  for fourth spot with Arsenal and Manchester United. After the result, many supporters voiced their outrage with the performance. However, none were angrier than a certain fan who crashed Maurizio Sarri’s post-match presser and had plenty to say. We don’t speak Italian ourselves and so are not certain of what was said in the conversation. Thankfully though, the trusty talkSPORT translator was on hand to give us the full subtitles. Check out the video above as an irate ‘Chelsea…

The Croatian midfielder has been given “medical discharge” after undergoing surgery on a broken finger and will be back for the Copa del Rey final Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has been cleared to return to action after undergoing surgery on a broken finger. Rakitic sustained a fractured metacarpal in the first finger of his left hand during Barcelona’s stunning 3-0 loss to Roma in the Champions League last week. The defeat saw Barca sensationally dumped out of the quarter-finals on away goals, having won the first leg 4-1. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre…

Almost immediately after news of Gordon Banks’ death emerged, footballers past and present, as well as clubs, queued up to pay their respects. The great goalkeeper was one of the heroes of England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, but he has amazingly become better known for the outrageous save that kept out a Pele header in Mexico four years later. England still lost that game, as they did their quarter-final against old rivals West Germany – a defeat many attribute to Banks’ absence with a mysterious stomach bug. At club level, Banks made 510 league appearances for Chesterfield, Leicester and Stoke and the latter led the tributes on Tuesday morning. “It is with great…

The European champions had been rumoured to have completed a deal for the Argentinian midfielder, but Renato Corsi claims Inter Milan are interested Real Madrid have not agreed a deal with River Plate to sign Exequiel Palacios but Inter Milan are interested, according to the player’s agent. Rumours have been gathering pace suggesting that a deal worth around €23 million (£20m/$26m) had been agreed between Real and River Plate for the midfielder. However, Palacios’s representative Renato Corsi was quick to quell these reports, instead suggesting that it was in fact Inter who had shown the strongest interest in his client. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa…

The Dutch coach believes that the young starlets would be wise to choose a switch to the Camp Nou, with several top clubs chasing their signatures Former Barcelona midfielder Jordi Cruyff has suggested that Matthijs De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong should snub all other offers to move to the Camp Nou in 2019. The Ajax duo are arguably the two most in-demand young players in European football right now, having attracted interest from top clubs including Paris Saint Germain, Manchester City, Manchester United, Barca and Real Madrid. De Ligt, 19, is a centre-back tipped for a bright future at the highest level of the game, already displaying confidence and technique…