..::Football IV::..

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Liverpool move closer to landing Southampton's Mane

Liverpool have moved closer to completing a deal to sign Sadio Mane following positive negotiations with Southampton, Goal understands.

The Reds have made an offer totalling £30 million for the Senegal international and while the Saints are yet to formally accept the proposal, it is understood they are open to doing business with the Merseyside club for the fifth time since the summer of 2014.

Indications are that Mane is enthused by the prospect of working under Jurgen Klopp but Liverpool are still waiting for permission to enter discussions with the player.The 24-year-old, who scored 15 goals in all competitions and recorded nine assists last season, would add speed and dynamism to Liverpool's attack.

His ability to operate across the forward line is appreciated by Klopp, who wants to build a squad capable of "playing different systems and reacting to different situations".

The 49-year-old has been aware of Mane's talents since the player's two-year spell at Red Bull Salzburg, with the Austrian club's sporting director at the time, Ralf Rangnick, a close friend.

Liverpool will most likely have to wait until the end of Euro 2016 to continue their pursuit of Piotr Zielinski. His agent Bartlomiej Bolek told Goal: "He is completely focused on the Euros and nothing else now. Afterwards, there may be things to discuss."

The Reds bid £11m inclusive of add-ons as well as a sell-on clause for the midfielder, who has rejected advances from Napoli and made clear his desire to work under Klopp. Udinese are holding out for around £15m.

Liverpool hope Leicester will soften their stance on Ben Chilwell after having a £7m approach knocked back. The Premier League champions want £10m for the 19-year-old, with Andy Robertson of Hull City an alternative at left-back.

Joe Allen, who was the subject of a £8m bid from Swansea that was rejected, is also of interest to Sevilla. A non-negotiable £10m price tag has been placed on the Wales international and his former club are expected to meet the valuation when he returns from the Euros.

Martin Skrtel has not yet committed to Fenerbahce as more bids are expected for the defender, while the Reds are waiting on offers for striker Mario Balotelli.

 

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Mane wa gatthoth nam hoda sign 1kak wei Liverpool lata​

 

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Di Maria in serious doubt for Copa America final

Angel Di Maria looks set to miss out on the Copa America Centenario final against Chile after the Argentina star suffered a recurrence of his adductor injury.

Di Maria went off injured in Argentina's 5-0 win over Panama in their second group-stage match, consequently missing their next three fixtures - wins against Bolivia, Venezuela and hosts the United States on their way to back-to-back finals.The Paris Saint-Germain attacker had been on course to face defending champions Chile in a rematch of the 2015 final on Sunday, but suffered an "evolution" of his initial injury.

Di Maria began training on Thursday before taking part in an informal kick-around with local youngsters, but was unable to complete the session.

The injury is a big blow for Argentina, who will also be without Ezequiel Lavezzi after he suffered a radial fracture of his left elbow, which will require surgery. Argentina coach Gerardo Martino is also sweating over the fitness of Nicolas Gaitan and defender Marcos Rojo, while Augusto Fernandez looks set to miss out with a muscle problem.

 

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Di Maria ta unoth wenne meh wage wada thamai​

 

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Rooney wants to end England's 'disappointing' tournament record


Wayne Rooney is on a mission to end England's "disappointing" record in major tournaments and believes his side can go all the way at Euro 2016. England have never made a final of the European Championships, with just two semi-final appearances (1968, 1996) to their name.

Since their last semi-final appearance on home soil in 1996, England have faced three group-stage exits in major tournaments, while they failed to qualify for Euro 2008.



Rooney has competed in six tournaments for England since making his debut in 2003, but his only knockout win came against Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup, and the Manchester United skipper is out to end their disappointing cycle.

"You don't play for the achievement of getting to a quarter-final. What would me and the other players get out of that?," the 30-year-old said ahead of their quarter-final tie with Iceland on Monday.

"We want to win it and that's the aim. I am not going to sit here and say we are a group of young players, so we'll be happy to get to the quarter-finals, the future's bright over the next two-four years.

"We are here and we want to win it. Whether it happens remains to be seen, but we are not going to say that getting to the quarter-finals will be a sign of progress. I believe we are better than that."He added: "In my time, playing for England in tournaments has been disappointing, because we haven't gone further in knockout stages.

"But I feel we have a chance of doing really well in this tournament. It's going to be tough but we are confident, we have a very good team. "I don't want to be remembered as a captain who wasn't good for his team, wasn't good for his team-mates and wasn't good for his club or country.

"I want to be a success and I think with everything I have done I have always wanted to be successful and I want to be a successful captain for both Man United and England, so I still feel I have got time to do that with England and hopefully it will be in the next few weeks."While Rooney has been in good form for England in a midfield role, one man who has had a difficult time in France so far is Harry Kane.

The Tottenham striker - who won the Premier League golden boot in 2015-16 - failed to find the net in the group stages, but Rooney believes the goals will soon come."I think it is difficult [for Kane] because I have seen it a lot throughout my career, especially at Manchester United when you play as a striker and teams sit back so it is very difficult," he said.

"It is difficult to get touches of the ball, to get that yard to get your shot in. I think it is important to be patient. You don’t have to try and do everything when you get the ball. You have to be patient. Your chances will come.

"Harry knows he is a goal away from everything changing. He knows he has the potential to win us the game on Monday, to win us the quarter-final. He is a special player and is a natural goalscorer. A great finisher."If he gets chances he will score goals and hopefully those chances will come."

 

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'Amazing' Nolito will thrive at Man City, says Guidetti

Celta Vigo star Nolito is being backed to thrive at Manchester City, ahead of a much-hyped move, by team-mate and former City star John Guidetti.

Nolito started all three of Spain's group-stage games at Euro 2016 and looks likely to become Pep Guardiola's second signing since taking over at City.

Guardiola has already worked with Nolito at Barcelona, handing him his Camp Nou debut in 2010 and Guidetti has no doubts about his suitability to City and the Premier League.

"He is an amazing footballer," the 24-year-old Guidetti said following the conclusion of Sweden's disappointing Euro 2016 campaign, which they failed to win a game."I played with him this year and for a striker to have someone like that playing on the wing for you, it is an absolute pleasure.

"He just brings the ball into you and he has great delivery, you can just see it in the way he has performed at the Euros. I am pleased for him as well because this was a big, big time for him and this is a big opportunity for him. He deserves it."Nolito scored 12 goals in 29 La Liga games last season, laying off another seven for his team-mates.

 

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Wenger 'respects' Vardy's decision to snub Arsenal

Arsene Wenger insists he respects Jamie Vardy’s decision to reject Arsenal in favour of staying at Leicester City.

The Gunners had activated the striker’s £20 million release clause but the England international stalled on his decision before Leicester confirmed on Thursday that a new four-year contract had been agreed.

"I think Leicester have made a statement and Vardy will stay. We were on the case and interested, but not more than that," said the Arsenal manager.

"He has decided to stay at Leicester and good luck to him.

"He came late to the game and in fairness Leicester bought him from Fleetwood and he has been successful.

"He is 29 and he has chosen to stay at Leicester. You have to respect that."

 

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Brexit poses problem for Real Madrid over Bale

Gareth Bale’s future could cause Real Madrid problems after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.

The Wales international will now become a non-EU player at the Santiago Bernabeu following 'Brexit', with La Liga clubs only allowed a maximum of three in their squads.Madrid already have their full quota of non-EU stars with James Rodriguez, Danilo and Casemiro currently filling those spots.

Real Madrid had reportedly been set to offer Bale a new deal that would see him commit his long-term future to the club.

However, that may now provide a headache for Zinedine Zidane’s side following the UK electorate's decision to leave the EU, a process which is reportedly set to take two years.

Bale moved to Real Madrid in 2013 for a world-record fee and has gone on to win the Champions League twice during his time with Los Blancos.

 

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Brexit will not affect England team, says Iceland's Lagerback


Iceland joint head coach Lars Lagerback does not believe Britain's decision to leave the European Union and its ramifications at home will affect the England players ahead of their Euro 2016 clash in Nice on Monday.

The United Kingdom has been plunged into financial and political uncertainty following success for the campaign to depart the EU in a referendum held on Thursday.

Addressing the media before the round-of-16 clash at Allianz Riviera, Lagerback agreed with the suggestion from an Icelandic journalist that his team could cause another 'Brexit' by securing passage to the quarter-finals.

"That's a good way to put it," he said. "We can always hope for that. Even if I don't know if Brexit is good or bad, I don't want to comment on that."

Pressed on whether or not the resignation of the Prime Minster and the stock market fall caused by the triumph for the 'Leave' vote will affect manager Roy Hodgson and his squad at their training camp in Chantilly, Lagerback said: "I don't know the players but I know Roy personally and I don't think he [will be] concerned.

"I don't know how it will develop, [but] I don't think things like that influence you in a situation like this. Of course it can influence you privately, but I don't think it will affect them."

Iceland have been one of several debutants or smaller countries making an impact at this European Championship, something Lagerback ascribed to the freedom granted to players to choose a new club when their contract expires, a landmark ruling that was enforced - ironically by the European Court of Justice - in 1995."You see in this development from the Bosman ruling, accelerating in the last five or six years, all small countries have players at good clubs - that's why it's getting together and tighter at international level," he said.

As for whether or not Iceland, having impressed on their first appearance on the big stage, can continue to secure passage to major tournaments in the future, Lagerback was uncertain."Of course it's very difficult to speculate," he said. "It's a really good group of players, including the Under-21s and Under-17s.

"We have talented players going forward, but as a small country it's always difficult to qualify. You don't have the number of players to choose from. It's difficult to win games for small countries."

 

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Cech: Brexit a 'fake campaign based on lies'

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has hit out at the Brexit campaign following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, labelling it as a “fake campaign based on lies.”Thursday’s referendum saw the Leave campaign secure a narrow victory of 51.9%, on a historic day for the country.

However, Cech has since launched a scathing attack on the campaign after UKIP leader Nigel Farage backtracked on a key pledge which had promised that £350 million a week would be spent on the NHS if the UK backed Brexit.

After the win Farage admitted to ITV's Good Morning Britain it had been a “mistake”, leading to Cech writing on Twitter: "It looks like the biggest decision in the history of this country was made based on fake campaign and lies."

The £350m pledge was a key part of the Leave campaign, who claimed that was the amount of money the UK paid to the EU a week, with the slogan emblazed across the side of a bus.

 

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Morata thanks Juventus fans after Real Madrid return

Alvaro Morata has thanked Juventus fans for their support after returning to Real Madrid following a two-year stay in Serie A.

Despite the Italian champions being keen to keep Morata, Madrid exercised a buy-back clause reportedly worth €30 million to bring the striker back to the Spanish capital.

Morata, who has hit three goals in as many games on international duty at Euro 2016 with Spain, posted a letter to Juve fans on his personal website."Hello everyone. Writing this letter isn't easy for me," wrote Morata, who won back-to-back domestic doubles with Juve as well as scoring in the 2015 Champions League final.

"I would like firstly to thank all the people who believed in me, who placed their faith in me and who treated me extremely well to make me happy at Juventus and in Turin.

"Thanks to president Andrea Agnelli, Pavel Nedved, John Elkan, Giuseppe Marotta, Matteo Fabris and above all to Fabio Paratici and Javier Ribalta. "Thanks to all the people who work for this immense club that is Juventus.Workers, physiotherapists, doctors, security, chefs. In brief, thanks to all who are part of Juve.

"Thanks of course to all the Juventus fans in the world for their unconditional love and support, which was never lacking. Thanks to [Massimiliano Allegri] for believing in me and for turning me into a better footballer, to the captains who took care of me with such dedication and to my team-mates for all the incredible days I spent with them, because winning with them was spectacular.

"I remain marked by this club, its history and all of you. Wherever I go I'll always feel like a Juventino and I'll be able to say with pride and in a loud voice that I wore the Juventus colours and that I was one of their champions."Thanks once again to everyone for letting me be part of this family."

Morata's agent Juanma Lopez has said his client is still interesting top Premier League clubs, with Madrid rumoured to be willing to sell the 23-year-old on at a large profit.

 

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Morata deserves to be Real Madrid and Spain No.9, says Chiellini

Alvaro Morata deserves to be more than "a bargaining chip" for Real Madrid, according to former Juventus team-mate Giorgio Chiellini.

Madrid confirmed on Tuesday they would exercise the buy-back clause included in the deal that took Morata to Turin in 2014.However, his future remains unclear with his agent Juanma Lopez having claimed there is still interest from Premier League clubs.

Chiellini is confident Morata can make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu and hopes he is not used as a pawn by the Spanish giants."Alvaro is a special guy. I'm sorry to be greeting him as a former team-mate but I'm happy for him and I hope he stays at Real Madrid," said the centre-back.

"He deserves to be the nine of Spain and Real Madrid. He does not deserve to be a bargaining chip."Over the past two years he has improved so much tactically and on a human level. He has grown a lot.

"When he arrived he was a kid and we are proud to have helped him to grow."Italy face Spain in the last 16 of Euro 2016, and Chiellini admitted it will be tough for the Azzurri to break their hoodoo against the European champions at the Stade de France on Monday.

"Spain have been our bogey team since 2008," he added."The beginning of their golden cycle coincided with that win against us [in the Euro 2008 quarter-finals]. It was only in Kiev [at the Euro 2012 final] that we weren't able to give them a game, we hadn't been able to recover from our [semi-final] game against Germany.

"Other games have been more balanced and decided by incidents. Twice we went out on penalties [in 2008 and at the 2013 Confederations Cup] and in Fortaleza in the Confederations Cup we deserved to win.

"That's how the game will be on Monday. I think it will be another balanced, exciting one, where details can make all the difference. There's mutual respect, and every game is beautiful."It's a shame that it's in the second round, but it'll be challenging."

 

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Spain need biggest performance to beat Italy, says Koke


Spain midfielder Koke says there are no favourites between Monday's Euro 2016 last-16 tie between Spain and Italy.

Vicente del Bosque's men suffered a late loss to Croatia in their last group game, setting up a crunch last-16 meeting with the the nation they beat to win this competition four years ago.

"I watched the last final on the television, I enjoyed the great game that we played in," he said."We know how Italy play. Bit by bit, we are studying our opponent. "It is the decision of the boss to see if we are going to change our line-up.

"We always go out to win, it is the only way that we know how to play. The other day, we were unlucky. We hope to win on Monday."There are no favourites when it is between such big national teams. We have to put in our biggest performance in order to win and progress."

Koke has made just one substitute appearance for Spain at this tournament, but he is remaining patient as the competition moves into the knockout rounds."The boss thought that not changing anything was best for the team," he added. "Those of us who are playing less, we are still giving it everything."

 

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We've stopped Ronaldo, we can deal with Bale - O'Neill


Michael O'Neill will call upon his experience of attempting to shackle Cristiano Ronaldo when Northern Ireland face Gareth Bale and Wales in the last-16 of Euro 2016.

Wales are favourites to progress from this Battle of Britain in Paris, largely down to the supreme capabilities of Bale, with the Real Madrid star having scored three goals in as many games on the way to securing top spot in Group B.

O'Neill twice pitted his wits against Ronaldo during qualification for the 2014 World Cup, leaving Bale's club team-mate goalless on his 100th cap - a 1-1 draw in Porto - before being on the receiving end of a hat-trick in a 4-2 loss.

And the 46-year-old believes his side have what it takes to stop Bale on Saturday."Gareth Bale's a huge player for Wales, he's shown that in the tournament already and he's shown that in qualification," O'Neill told a pre-match news conference at the Parc des Princes.
"I've had that task as a manager before, trying to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo, so I know how to deal with that for large parts of the game. "We had that in the first game against Poland with Robert Lewandowski as well."Once you get to this stage of the tournament you're always going to have to deal with special players.

"We'll be ready to deal with Gareth Bale. We know his threat, his threat at set-pieces. We know his running power, his pace and his goal threat but we're ready to deal with that."I think in previous games and qualification games the players have dealt with top, top players.

"We need Gareth Bale to have a quiet night and it's up to us to make sure that's the case."O'Neill takes confidence from Northern Ireland's exploits at this venue three days ago when world champions Germany were restricted to a 1-0 win."We've been incredibly strong defensively. On Tuesday night we played a team full of world-class players," he said.

"We had a performance that was fantastic. Yes, we relied on our goalkeeper to make some good saves but I don't think you're going to play the world champions and not have.

 

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Portugal energised despite lack of rest - Joao Mario


Portugal midfielder Joao Mario insists a day's less rest will make no difference in his side's Euro 2016 clash against Croatia.Fernando Santos' men return to action just three days after their draw with Hungary for a meeting with the Group D winners in Lens on Saturday.

While Croatia had an extra day of rest, Joao Mario said that would have no impact at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis."We know we haven't much time to recover," he told a news conference. "It's not ideal but we have to go onto the pitch and represent our country.

"In the knockout stage of a competition like this one, you always feel energised and I'm sure we'll be ready."Portugal scraped through the group, drawing all three games against supposedly inferior opposition in Iceland, Austria and Hungary.

With two goals each, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani have scored all of the team's goals at the competition so far, but Sporting midfielder Joao Mario has denied suggestions that Portugal lacked a cutting edge.

"These matches are always very tactical, all the teams defend very well," the 23-year-old said."But I don't think we've been remiss and proof is that we scored three goals in our last match. I don't think we've lacked creativity."

Portugal have won all three previous meetings with Croatia, who have failed to score a goal against the Seleccao, and Joao Mario is confident his nation can maintain that unblemished record.

"They'll have to run more than us and fight more than us to beat us and I don't think they'll be able to do that," he said."We believe that we will make it through."

 

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Coleman praises 'spectacular' Ramsey ahead of Euro game


Chris Coleman has hailed Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey for his performances in helping Wales through the Euro 2016 group stage.

The 25-year-old netted the crucial opening goal in his side's final group match against Russia, which Wales won 3-0, but Ramsey has largely abandoned the creative role to focus more on defensive duties.And, ahead of their last-16 clash with Northern Ireland, Coleman singled out Ramsey for praise, saying: "I think Arsenal probably play slightly differently to us."Arsene [Wenger] probably asks different things from his players than I do from mine.

"Having said that, in the last game we were outstanding and created chance after chance. A lot of that was through Aaron."The other side of his game is also good for us. Positionally he's become more disciplined for us.

"When you've got someone with that type of energy it can be very difficult to lock him down. You just need him to go and express himself and he's been doing that."He's been excellent in this tournament, as have all the players. They've all been fantastic."

And while Coleman has been keen not to curb Ramsey's inventiveness in possession, he revealed he has worked with the Arsenal man on his defensive contributions.

"Rambo, as a player with that imagination, is going to stand out," Coleman continued. "He's a player with that imagination and can do something spectacular."With his energy levels, he's a lot more disciplined with us. He's got a lot better at that.

"You have to let him enjoy himself and then give him a few pointers when he hasn't got the ball and tell him to do those things. That's what he's been doing."

 

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Santos: Croatia are not an easier opponent for Portugal than Spain


Portugal coach Fernando Santos insists their performances in the group stage mean nothing as they prepare to face Croatia at Euro 2016. Santos' men take on a Croatia side that has impressed many at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens for a place in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

The last-16 tie comes after a group stage in which Portugal scraped through having drawn each of their games, failing to deliver against supposed inferior opposition in Iceland, Austria and Hungary.



But Santos is adamant those matches are now behind them, saying at a media conference: "This is a final. You can't compare the group stage with these matches, it's apples and oranges."We wanted to finish first but after a while, it became essential just to make it through. Now we have to win, and that's what we want to do. We're facing a very strong team and they want the same thing Portugal wants."

Portugal have struggled to break down the likes of Iceland and Austria, however, they may have more space to operate in against a Croatia team that plays an expansive style of football.

Croatia topped Group D, helping Portugal avoid a meeting with Iberian rivals Spain, yet Santos was quick to reject talk that they now have an easier tie.

He added: "How could it be easier to play against Croatia? They're an amazing team. I realise they had an amazing game against Spain but we're very strong."Both teams are self-confident. I believe Portugal will win, I'm sure the Croatia coach thinks he will win."And Santos does not believe Luka Modric's likely return after sitting out the win over Spain will influence Croatia's approach.

"One of the best games in the Euros was Croatia against Spain, and Modric didn't play, which tells you about the Croatia team," Santos said."He's one of the best players in the world, nobody doubts that, but I don't think they play differently with or without him."

 

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Euro16 Road to The Final!

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Euro 2016 Round of 16 Fixtures 2016.06.25

Euro 2016 Round of 16 Fixtures 2016.06.25

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Switzerland Vs Poland

(SL Time 6.30PM)

Wales Vs Nothern Ireland

(SL Time 9.30PM)

Croatia Vs Portugal

(SL Time 12.30AM(26th June)​

 

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Copa America 3rd Place Fixture 2016.06.25

Copa America 3rd Place Fixture 2016.06.25

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USA Vs Colombia

(SL Time 5.30AM(26th June)​