Marcos Rojo wants summer exit

Portuguese daily newspaper that Sporting Lisbon full-back Marcos Rojo is trying to engineer a move away from Estadio Jose Alvalade.

The Argentina international is wanted by some of Europe s top sides, but the Lions have so far managed to keep hold of his services.

And with the player also impressing at the 2014 World Cup, he is desperate to leave Sporting for a big European club before the summer transfer window closes.

Southampton and Napoli are believed to be leading the chase at the moment, with the Saints recently having a bid rejected for the 24-year-old.

New boss Ronald Koeman sees Rojo as a perfect replacement for Luke Shaw and he is likely to return with a new bid.

After spending two very successful …

Roma and Fulham have agreed a deal for goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, according to the player s agent.

The Italian club s general manager, Franco Baldini, was in London last week to discuss the move and reportedly agreed a deal, subject to the player discussing personal terms at Craven Cottage.

And Rob Jansen, Stekelenburg s representative, has now confirmed that a deal is indeed in place for the 30-year-old Netherlands international to complete a switch to the Premier League.

The current employer of the goalkeeper, AS Roma, and Fulham have already reached an agreement on the transfer of Stekelenburg to London, a statement from Jansen said.

Now the club and the player can see it out.

It is believed that Fulham will pay in the region of fou…

Ledley King did not train with the England squad on Tuesday during their first practice session ahead of Saturday s friendly against Slovakia and next week s World Cup qualifier with Ukraine.

The 28-year-old Tottenham Hotspur captain does not train with the Premier League side between matches because of a chronic knee condition.

King s longstanding fitness problems have cast a shadow over his international career because it is hard to see how his body could stand up to the rigours of tournament football, where major matches come thick and fast.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was shocked by the decision of Fabio Capello to call-up King, who has not played for England since the Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia almost two years ago, saying it risked his club availabili…

Czech football was left reeling on Wednesday after the sacking not only of under-performing coach Petr Rada but also six senior players for allegedly cavorting with prostitutes after a World Cup qualifier last week.

Photographs of the players in company with several girls were published in two Czech tabloids after the Czech Republic s 2-1 home loss to Slovakia on April 1.

The scandal added to an upset caused by a lacklustre 0-0 away draw with Slovenia and the loss to the Slovaks, after which Rada fell out of favour with both media and fans.

The association, which fired the entire national team management, has not named a replacement for the 50-year-old Rada, who has won only two out of eight games since replacing Karel Bruckner after Euro 2008.

It said i…

Real Betis and Atletico Madrid have different objectives on their minds ahead of the final Liga matchweek in 2019. While Los Colchoneros are looking to sneak into the Top 4 race, Betis simply want to end the year on a high note since they sit in the middle of the standings. These two sides will collide Sunday at 15:00 GMT at Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Real Betis

Real Betis have undoubtedly taken most of their points at home, and their recent form backs up that statement. Los Verdiblancos have lost just two of nine games at Estadio Benito Villamarin this term (W5, D2, L2) and, as if that wasn’t enough, they also enter this contest riding a four-game undefeated streak in LaLiga (W3, D1). One of the most notable trends for them has been the fact that both teams have scored in ev…

Best Odds: 17/20

Bookmaker:

With it all still to play for on Wednesday night, Celtic will be desperate to extend on their Champions League adventure when they travel to FC Midtjylland for their second-leg showdown.

FC Midtjylland

Starting with the hosts, while Midtjylland might have been heavily outplayed at Celtic Park last week, the Danish outfit do find themselves holding the most marginal of leads on Wednesday night. Managing to mount a second-half comeback on foreign soil as they snatched a 1-1 draw and a crucial away goal, The Wolves will be seeking a far more polished display if they re to extend on their European adventure in midweek. However, while Head Coach Bo Henriksen might have seen his side end last year s tournament with back-to-back 1-1 draws a…

Danny Ings has joined for Southampton on a permanent transfer following his season-long loan from Liverpool last term.

Ings left Anfield in August 2018 to join Saints on a loan deal that included an agreement for a transfer a year later.

That switch has now been formally finalised, with Ings signing a three-year contract at St Mary s Stadium for a reported fee of £20million.

The 26-year-old, who scored eight goals across 25 Southampton appearances in all competitions in 2018-19, is now excited for the new season after putting serious knee injury troubles behind him.

I m raring to go for the new season.

Hear from after he signed his three-year deal with :

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC)

It feels good,  Ings told Southampt…

As for the visitors, making a return to winning ways after snatching a 1-0 win off of Crystal Palace in the North East over the weekend, few across the Premier League would have expected Newcastle s rise entering the festive period. Despite much displeasure over the arrival of Steve Bruce over the summer, the Magpies open Christmas Day in ninth and the one-time Sunderland boss has seen his side win three of their last four top-flight outings. With the mood around St. James Park arguably the highest it has been in recent memory, Thursday s guests have lost just a pair of their last nine Premier League appearances, a run highlighted by a 2-2 draw against defending champions Manchester City last month. With summer signing Miguel Almirón bagging his first goal over the weekend, the Magpies…

Full-back Christian Fuchs claimed Leicester City s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Community Shield was not a fair result.

Premier League champions Leicester were undone by Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Wembley, with the star recruit s 83rd-minute winner deciding the contest on Sunday.

Penalties looked likely in London as the match petered out for a draw after Jamie Vardy pounced on Marouane Fellaini s attempted back pass to equalise seven minutes into the second half, cancelling out Jesse Lingard s stunning solo effort in the 32nd minute.

While lamenting the loss, Fuchs insisted Leicester are ready to defend their Premier League crown.

I think it was a good performance and we had our chances, a couple more chances than United, he said

We didn t …

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso said his side is lacking a bit of malice as he outlined his aims for next season in the aftermath of a 5-1 final-day victory over Fiorentina.

Goals from Hakan Calhanoglu, Nikola Kalinic, Giacomo Bonaventura and a brace from Patrick Cutrone made sure of Milan s place in next season s Europa League and gave the San Siro faithful a day to celebrate at the end of a tumultuous season.

Gattuso has been credited with turning the club s campaign around and he paid tribute to his players after they produced an emphatic finale.

I have to thank this group, there were very difficult moments, Gattuso told Sky Sport. I found some guys that gave me a great sense of belonging. I broke the boxes for five months but nobody has ever failed to respec…