Atletico Madrid have finalised the signing of Marcos Llorente from fierce rivals Real Madrid on a five-year deal.
Last season s LaLiga runners-up announced on Thursday an agreement had been struck with Madrid over a transfer reported to be worth €40million.
And Llorente, who broke into Los Blancos senior ranks in 2015, is now officially an Atletico player after passing a medical at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra.
He is expected to replace Rodri at the Wanda Metropolitano amid strong rumours that his compatriot is on the brink of a big-money move to Manchester City.
Llorente joins former Porto defender Felipe in making the move to Atletico ahead of the 2019-20 season, while in-demand Benfica teenager Joao Felix is also rumoured to be close to signing…
Hamburg and Borussia Dortmund will meet at the Volksparkstadion on Friday in an emotionally charged Bundesliga clash.
The German national team were forced to spend the night at the Stade de France on Friday as Paris suffered a series of apparently coordinated terrorist attacks during their friendly against Didier Deschamps side.
Joachim Low s men then had their match against Netherlands cancelled on Tuesday due to security concerns at the HDI-Arena in Hannover.
Despite promising an increased focus on security, Hamburg hope fans can demonstrate a united front through football on Friday.
HSV will do all it can in to ensure the safety of its fans and viewers, a club statement read. We are in an ongoing dialogue with the state authorities, the Hamburg …
Best odds: 17/20
Bookmaker:
Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla are set to take each other on in the 31st round of the 2022/23 season in La Liga, a midweek pack of fixtures which ends on Thursday evening at the San Mames Barria in Bilbao.
The two clubs find themselves in very different circumstances, facing different sorts and levels of pressure to do well in this particular game.
Athletic Bilbao
For Bilbao, there s pretty much everything to play for. Even a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League might be possible, but if that s what they re gunning for, then there s no room for error. At the moment, Ernesto Valverde s team are in seventh place with 46 points, nine less than Real Sociedad in fourth, three less than Real Betis in fifth, and one less…
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Liverpool s Daniel Sturridge, according to the Mirror.
The idea is to provide a high-quality backup option for Spurs star striker Harry Kane and replace Fernando Llorente in that role. The north London club are apparently prepared to offer the occasional England international a two-year deal. Sturridge turns 30 in September this year.
Once an important player at Liverpool, Sutrridge struck up a sublime partnership with Luis Suarez during the 2013/14 season, which saw the pair score 52 league goals between them as the Reds came agonizingly close to the long-elusive Premier League title. However, with the Uruguayan gone the following summer, injuries hampered the rise of Sturridge as the undisputed first-choice striker, and with…
Competition: Serie A
Market: AC Milan to beat SPAL
Odds:
Serie A returns for yet another massive round of games as the competition continues to heat up. Every side in the league will be desperate to pick up all three points this weekend as this can quite often see a side rise a number of places up the table. With this in mind, SPAL host AC Milan on Saturday.
SPAL have been incredibly poor this season and they are staring relegation full in the face. After 23 games they have won three, drawn eight and lost 12, scoring 23 goals and conceding 42 times. In their last five they have not managed to win a single game, instead losing three times and drawing twice. This has seen the side onto 17 points, meaning they are three short of Crotone in 17th an…
Borussia Dortmund earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in a game which saw the referee suspend proceedings following Roger Schmidt s refusal to accept his sending off.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang s 31st goal of the season settled a feisty clash at the BayArena as Dortmund moved back to within eight points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
But the main talking point was referee Felix Zwayer s decision to suspend play midway through the second half, shortly after Aubameyang s goal, in response to Leverkusen coach Schmidt s refusal to leave the dugout.
Schmidt was ordered to the stands for dissent in the wake of what proved to be Dortmund s winner in the 64th minute and when he showed no inclination to leave the technical area, the referee took…