Tevez rejects new City deal - report

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has rejected a contract extension from the club and is likely to return to his former club Boca Juniors next summer, according to theDaily Mirror..

Tevez, 28, claimed this week that he would consider signing on with City, but it is now reported he will complete his current contract - which expires in 2014 - and look to join Boca for the 2014/15 season.

The Argentina international has enjoyed a positive spell since returning to City's line-up last season after falling out with Roberto Mancini in 2011. 

But a desire to return home and the competition for places at the Etihad could see Tevez request a move to the club where he began his senior career.

"I've got a year left on my contract at Manchester City and they want me to sign for two more seasons," Tevez told the Mirror. "I would prefer to return home, but it is very difficult because City won't let me leave for nothing.

"I will stay in Europe for another two years and then go back. Boca's president always says the door is open for me to rejoin them and I am dying to pull on their shirt once more.

"I want to end my career with them. It is my dream and the dream of my family as well. I would love to be playing for them against River Plate. I’d prefer that to City's game against Fulham. But I am under contract and have to be here in England."

Read More

DISGRACE: Real Sociedad Buried Barcelona's Unbeatable

Real Sociedad hit back from two goals down to beat 10-man Barcelona 3-2 and end their unbeaten La Liga record in stunning fashion at the Anoeta..

visitors when Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodriguez put them two goals up within 25 minutes.

But Gonzalo Castro's brilliant strike gave Sociedad hope before half-time and then, after Barca had lost centre-back Gerard Pique to a red card, Castro's curling effort was deflected into his own net by Barca substitute Javier Mascherano.

That sent the home fans wild, but it got even better in stoppage time when Imanol Agirretxe poked Carlos Martinez's cross from the right past Victor Valdes.

"We congratulate them,'' said Barca boss Tito Vilanova. "It is more credit to them than due to a fault of ours. I have no reproaches for my players

In the first half we had control of the game and hit the post twice. (Sociedad goalkeeper Claudio) Bravo has been playing very well - the team had conceded only six goals at home (before kick-off). (Even) at 0-2 I never thought it would be an easy match. I know Real Sociedad are a much more intense team than a year ago.''

Sevilla failed to get Unai Emery's league reign off to the perfect start as an error from goalkeeper Andres Palop gifted Getafe a 1-1 draw at the Alfonso Perez Coliseum.

Jose Antonio Reyes put Sevilla in front with a neat finish shortly before half-time, but the lead lasted only three minutes as Palop got caught under Adrian Colunga's inswinging cross and allowed the ball to float over his head and into the net.

Sevilla continued to have the better of the play after the break but Alvaro Negredo blasted over with their best chance.

Malaga missed the chance to climb to fourth place as lowly Celta Vigo battled hard for a deserved 1-1 draw at La Rosaleda.

Martin Demichelis bundled the ball over the line after a goalmouth scramble to give the hosts the lead seven minutes before the interval, but Celta grew as the match wore on and levelled 14 minutes from time as Augusto Fernandez side-footed home.

The point moves Celta two points clear of the relegation zone in 17th place, while Malaga stay fifth.

Granada secured only their second home win of the season as a Jordi Amat own goal and a late strike on his full debut from Recio handed them a much-needed 2-0 victory over an under-strength Rayo Vallecano.

The visitors came into the game on the back of four consecutive wins that had propelled them into the European places, but without the injured Leo Baptistao and suspended Alejandro Dominguez they lacked the same cutting edge and were made to pay for some defensive errors.

Amat unintentionally gave the hosts the lead on 24 minutes when he turned Allan Nyom's cross into his own goal and, after Lass Bangoura had passed up a great chance to bring Rayo level after the break, Recio sealed the win for the home side with a low drive from the edge of the area.

Read More

FINALLY: Lampard agrees terms on LA Galaxy move

The midfielder has been told by the three-time Premier League champions that he will not be offered an extension on his current £150,000-a-week deal when it expires at the end of the season, bringing an end to a 12-year association with the Stamford Bridge club.

As revealed by Goal.com earlier this month, Manchester United and Arsenal are both monitoring Lampard's situation, while Everton have already had a three-year offer rejected - but the MLS side appear to have won the race..


"It's all but done," a source in the United States told Goal.com.

An LA Galaxy spokesman would not confirm or deny the news, only telling Goal.com that head coach Bruce Arena publicly acknowledged interest in Lampard on Thursday.

"I wouldn't be surprised if over the next week or so, we're going to have some kind of decision we're going to make with a Designated Player," Arena told reporters.

"We wouldn't rule [a move for Lampard] out. It's always a possibility."

Lampard, Chelsea' second-highest all-time goalscorer, was free to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club from the start of January, and is open to a move to the States for personal as well as professional reasons.

During Chelsea's tour in North America last summer, Lampard expressed an interest in playing in MLS but admitted that he would wait to see if Chelsea would extend his contract first.

"I am not sure [about a future in MLS]," Lampard said. "I have another year on my contract at Chelsea and we have a big season ahead of us with the Super Cup and the Club World Cup in December. It's up to Chelsea to speak with me about my future and, at that time, I'll speak with them.

"I wouldn't rule anything out at the moment."

Read More

Pep will not sign anyone from Barcelona, says Guardiola's father

The former Blaugrana boss will take over from Jupp Heynckes in the Allianz Arena hotseat as of this summer, following an announcement earlier this week..


And since then, rumours have linked Guardiola with a number of his former players after he admitted he would look to replicate the style of football he implemented at Camp Nou with his new club.

"Barça is his home. He's not going to pull it apart, how would his home end up then?", Valentí Guardiola told Deportes Cuatro.

He then gave his thoughts on a possible language barrier stalling his son's progress at Bayern and whether or not he will be able to enjoy the same success in Germany as he did in Spain.

"Only time will tell. He'll put everything into his job and he will be able to defend himself in German," he added.

Barca midfielder Thiago Alcantara was one such player linked with a move to join his former boss, but has since denied that speculation.

Read More

No Beckham or Balotelli moves for AC Milan, insists Allegri

The Italy international has been heavily linked with a return to Serie A but Allegri has suggested the City man is simply too expensive for Milan..


"Last Friday his projected price was €37 million. We'll see on Monday," he told reporters ahead of his side's clash with Bologna. 
Allegri also claimed that the club were not interested in bringing Beckham back to the club for another spell, and that they were focusing their attentions instead on signing Kaka.

"[We are] only negotiating for Kaka, so there will be no Mario Balotelli or David Beckham," he added.

"There are talks in progress for Kaka, and it's an important negotiation process if this great return should occur.

"I agree with the club and Adriano Galliani on everything, so my position there has never been opposed to that of the club. There is an exchange of ideas, certainly, but it's not true that I don't want Kaka.

"I know Beckham, he is a great guy and a player of real class. Milan have chosen to focus on youth hopefully with support from an important champion like Kaka.

"We are only negotiating for Kaka, not Balotelli. In attack we have Giampaolo Pazzini, Bojan Krkic and M'Baye Niang, while we also have experienced players who bring a sense of security."

Read More

Juventus midfielder Pogba 'not looking to mimic Rijkaard'

"I know who Rijkaard was in the game," he told reporters. "I do not know if I appear like him. I do not want to mimic anyone, I just want to improve and remain Paul Pogba."


The former Manchester United man also said he was happy with his display against Udinese, but admitted he would have to impress to secure a regular starting berth.

"It was a beautiful evening for me, I scored two goals, and the first in particular was very nice, so I'm very happy," he said.
"I know though that I don't have to stay here, I have to keep playing this way and maybe even better.

"[Claudio] Marchisio and [Andre] Pirlo are big players so there is no problem if I have to go on the bench - I will go. If I have to play I'll play and I'll try to do my best. "

Juventus are currently five points clear at the top of Serie A and face Genoa in their next fixture.

Read More

Wenger urges Arsenal to become more physical

The Gunners are sitting in sixth ahead of their encounter with Chelsea and could climb above Everton to fifth with three points against Rafael Benitez's outfit, leaving them three points behind Tottenham in fourth..


However, Wenger's side have endured a fairly torrid start to 2013, having been held to a draw by Southampton, before being forced to an FA Cup replay by Swansea and then losing to Manchester City.

The veteran boss believes that, while not compromising their technical style, a return to the physicality of his previous teams would be conducive to his side's ambitions.

"Maybe we need to be a bit more physical. When the referees see our team sheet they say: ‘Oh, Arsenal – fantastic’," he told reporters.

"We have physical players, but maybe have to restructure the balance of the team. We have the characters to do it. We have technical players but we also have physical players.”

Wenger also voiced his opinion on the contentious - and, consequently, revoked - decision that led to Vincent Kompany's dismissal against Arsenal.

“The tackle was technically bad – and it can be seen as a red card. The guy who comes in with two legs doesn't know where he will finish," he continued.

“I was surprised when Kompany’s red card was overturned. I don’t think Kompany meant to hurt [Jack] Wilshere but it was a clumsy and technically a bad tackle.”

Read More

Atletico grab advantage over Betis

Atletico Madrid are in control of their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie with Real Betis after claiming a 2-0 win in the first-leg at the Vicente Calderon on Thursday..

Diego Simeone named a strong side for the clash as Atletico target one of their best chances of silverware this season.

The manager's selections paid dividends when Radamel Falcao opened the scoring for the hosts 11 minutes into the match, heading home a Raul Garcia cross from close range.

Atletico doubled their advantage just 12 minutes later when Luis Filipe finished a tidy shot from inside the penalty area after Betis' poor clearance from Mario Suarez's free kick.

The visitors' slim chances of a comeback lost further momentum either side of half-time with Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois pulling off a series of outstanding staves to deny Betis.

Although Pepe Mel's side had a fair share of chances in the second half, they face an uphill battle to overturn the two goal deficit in the return match at the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera on January 24.

Read More

Fletcher ruled out for rest of season

Manchester United have confirmed that midfielder Darren Fletcher will not play again this season after undergoing an operation on his ulcerative colitis condition..

Fletcher, 28, has been suffering with the issue since March 2011, and in December that year it was confirmed he would be taking an extended break from the game.

In September last year, he made his first competitive appearance in ten months in the Champions League victory over Galatasaray at Old Trafford, but he was unable to start a game after the success against Reading on December 1.

Two brief substitute appearances followed that month against CFR Cluj and Newcastle, but he had not been included in the match-day squad since Boxing Day and he has now had an operation in a bid to resolve the issue.

A club statement read: "Darren Fletcher will be unavailable for the remainder of this season having undergone surgery to resolve his ulcerative colitis condition.

"We wish to stress this was a planned procedure undertaken at the optimal time having achieved a period of sustained good general health, as illustrated by the fact that Darren has trained with the team regularly this season and been available for selection right up to the operation.

"Whilst it is frustrating for both Darren and the club that he won't be able to contribute further during this campaign, this decision has been taken with our full support in the best interests of his long term health and we look forward to him returning next season with this problem firmly behind him.

"We would be grateful if his privacy could be respected at this time and in the coming months in order to aid his recuperation."

Gordon Strachan, the new Scotland manager, issued a statement in support of Fletcher in response to the news.

Strachan said: "On behalf of the Scotland supporters, the national squad and backroom team, I wish Darren the best of luck in his recovery from the surgery that has been confirmed by his club.

"I spoke with Darren on Tuesday and know that the decision to have the operation has been taken in the interests of his long-term health and with the full backing of the medical staff at Manchester United.

"Darren's commitment and pride in playing for his country is an example to any professional footballer, as has been demonstrated by his availability for the recent World Cup qualifiers and the international challenge match against Luxembourg.

"I'm sure I speak for all Scotland fans when I say I hope that the operation allows Darren to overcome his condition and resume his role as a major influence for club and country in his own time.

"In the meantime, I have stressed to him that, as captain, he remains an integral part of the international set-up and that he is welcome to join up with the squad at any time during his recovery."

Information from the Press Association was used in this report

Read More

Milan begin talks over Kaka move

AC Milan have announced that they have begun negotiations with Real Madrid over the possibility of Kaka returning on loan..

The club’s official Milan Channel said the 30-year-old Brazilian and his representatives met Rossoneri officials on Thursday and confirmed that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi and Madrid’s Florentino Perez have begun to discuss potential terms.

The news comes a day after Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said any move for Kaka, who won the 2007 Ballon d’Or whilst with the Serie A giants, was “impossible because of his wages.

Kaka played for the Rossoneri from 2003 to 2009 before moving to Real for €68.5 million.

Since then, however, he has struggled to find his best form, undergoing surgery on his knee and falling victim to a string of injuries.

He has made just seven league appearances under Jose Mourinho this term and told Sky Italia he hoped Real and Milan could agree a deal.

“A future for me at Milan? I have a contract at Real Madrid, but the present situation is not good for me or Real,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m at the club's disposal, but the two sides have to come to an agreement. I’m still very thankful to Milan - I love the city and I have many friends here. I’m open to any solution, and I’ve already told this to Real Madrid.”

Galliani told Sky Sport Italia on Thursday: “I have no news to give you today. It’s true, I was very, very pleased with Kaka’s words. There is contact with Real Madrid, but at the moment I haven’t got any news for you.”

Asked if a deal was possible, he replied: “It will be difficult, very difficult. How hard will I try? We’ll see.”

Read More