Newcastle striker Demba Ba could be staying with the club until at least the end of the English Premier League season.

Ba reportedly had unproductive talks with Chelsea on the eve of the January transfer window, with his seven-million pound release clause to become active at the start of 2013.

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said he was almost prepared to allow Ba to leave his side at the end of the campaign.

In some respects I feel a little bit sorry for Demba, Pardew said.

There are people out there fuelling this who are not actually involved or want to be involved and that s the sort of world that we are in.

The contract is what it is, we are all aware of that, and for me as the manager I need it resolved as quickly as possible. That s the…

Finland face one of the toughest tasks in international football on Friday, when they visit holders Spain in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Since winning Euro 2008 under Luis Aragones, Spain have swept all before them to become the game s undisputed powerhouse.

Former Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque succeeded Aragones, leading his country s national team to glory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, before orchestrating a successful defence of their European Championship crown in Poland and Ukraine last year.

Despite their status as holders of the prestigious competition, Spain must earn the right to defend the World Cup by qualifying for the tournament in Brazil next year.

Drawn in Group I of UEFA qualifying, they sit joint top with France, having mustered seven…

Manchester United outcast and former Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger will join Chicago Fire in MLS.

Schweinsteiger has reportedly signed a one-year designated player contract, having found first-team opportunities hard to come by at Old Trafford.

Signed by Louis van Gaal in 2015, Schweinsteiger was ostracised from the senior side by United manager Jose Mourinho, who arrived in the off-season, but the 32-year-old World Cup winner managed to force his way back into calculations, scoring one goal in four appearances.

However, it was always a matter of time before veteran Schweinsteiger swapped the Premier League for MLS as the former Bayern Munich star now prepares to link up with Veljko Paunovic s men following an initial meeting in November.

Throug…

Arjen Robben does not believe Bayern Munich will be affected by the memory of their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Real Madrid when they meet in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola s Bayern were taken apart 5-0 on aggregate by a rampant Madrid in the semi-finals in 2014, with Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo both bagging braces at the Allianz Arena.

The clubs have not met in the Champions League since that memorable occasion but Robben insisted Bayern will not have that humiliation on their minds.

That does not count, it is already forgotten, former Madrid winger Robben told reporters at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday.

Tomorrow there will be small details that will decide the game; there will be a l…

Antoine Griezmann believes it will be difficult for Barcelona to re-sign Neymar and form a star-studded attack with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Barca sealed a €120million move for Griezmann this month and are reportedly keen to bring Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain, who signed him for a world record €222m in August 2017.

The World Cup winner is unwilling to contemplate lining up alongside the Brazilian until a deal is done, with the Catalan giants reportedly offering €100m and two of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti, Nelson Semedo, Ivan Rakitic and Malcom in exchange.

Griezmann thinks it will be tricky for Barca to get a move over the line and stated they already have sufficient talent to challenge on multiple fronts.

We hav…

When French forward Anthony Martial arrived at Manchester United from Monaco in 2015 for an initial fee of £36million, potentially rising to £58million, the youngster was seen as one of the brightest young players in world football.

However, things have not worked out for the 22-year-old in Manchester. According to media reports and quotes from his agent Philippe Lamboley, Martial wants to move on this summer.

The forward had previously been in talks with United over a new deal. Whether the talk of unrest is just a negotiation tactic is unknown.

Not lived up to his early performances

One of the problems with Martial is that he seems to have believed the hype from his early career and has become overconfident. Unfortunately, his confidence is rather misplaced,…

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez is close to agreeing a new contract with Inter Milan, according to . It has been reported that the 23-year-old striker’s new deal will see him almost double his salary. This is bad news for Manchester City, who have been monitoring the Argentina international over the past year.

City are on the hunt for a new striker. Sergio Aguero has had injury problems and is also 32 years of age. Gabriel Jesus is a very talented and promising young striker, but the Citizens could do with a more established striker who can make an immediate impact at the Etihad Stadium.

Martinez is one of the strikers City have been reportedly tracking, but it seems that the 23-year-old is now set to stay at Inter. The Argentina international has been on he book…

With a stacked Easter schedule on the cards throughout Sunday afternoon, we have a long list of fixtures from across Europe. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Sunday flutter, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Sunday 4th April

BST 14:05 Newcastle vs Tottenham

While Tottenham might have endured those worrying back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and that infamous display against Dinamo Zagreb during the middle of March, they did manage to make a much-needed return to winning ways. Entering the international break with a 2-0 win away at Aston Villa, Jose Mourinho s men still have their sights set on securing another European finish this season. Smelling what should be a golden chance on their travels this week…

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side’s victory at Ibrox can be a big moment in their development as a team.

The Scottish champions had not scored in their previous two matches and were without four injured centre-backs against Rangers, while their starting full-backs could not complete the game.

But, after dominating the first half and leading through Kyogo Furuhashi, Celtic shut out Rangers in the second half as they came under sustained pressure for long spells.

Good Morning, Celts

Time for s Glasgow Derby Unique Angle from Ibrox!

Watch as a sound of silence greets Kyogo s wondergoal winner! | |

— Celtic TV (@CelticTV)

A back four of Anthony Ralston, Alexandro Bernabei, Liam Scales and recent signing Gustaf…

Gareth Southgate believes it will take a collective effort from England to stop Kylian Mbappe in Saturday s mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final against France.

Mbappe is the tournament s top scorer with five goals in four matches, including a double in the reigning champions 3-1 victory over Poland in the round of 16.

Kyle Walker is the player many believe will be chosen to deal with the power and pace of Mbappe, with the possibility that Southgate will opt to play with a back five.

The Three Lions boss does not think it will all be on Walker to stop the Paris Saint-Germain star, stating that every player will have to chip in.

He’s [Walker] been a very important player for us over the last six years, Southgate said.

Kyle is ready. We, of cou…