Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo could be set for a second stint in the Premier League with Middlesbrough attempting to sign the 30-year-old in a loan deal
According to , Middlesbrough are close to agreeing a season-long loan deal for Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo.
The former-Manchester City striker is currently plying his trade in his homeland at Valencia.
The striker is expected on Teesside to have a medical later this week if the two clubs can strike a deal. It is believed that the 30-year-old fancies another crack at playing in the English top-flight.
Previous experience of playing in England
Alvaro Negredo has of course plied his trade in the Premier League before with Manchester City. The striker spent a year in Manchester and was not a comp…
Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed that the club will complete the signing of teenager Rodrigo Bentancur from Boca Juniors.
AC Milan, Inter and Real Madrid have all been closely linked with the highly-rated midfielder who debuted for the Argentine giants in April 2015.
But Juve secured the first option to sign the 19-year-old, along with Guido Vadala, Franco Cristaldo and Adrian Cubas, as part of the deal that saw Carlos Tevez return to his first club from the Italian champions last year.
And Marotta has made it clear that Juventus fully intend to exercise that option by bringing the Uruguayan prospect to Turin next term.
We re always careful about young talents, just like Bentancur, he said.
We have an option on him from the Tevez d…
Southampton are ready to break their transfer record as they look to secure a permanent deal for Toby Alderweireld, .
The Belgium international spent last season on loan at St. Mary’s Stadium from Atletico Madrid, racking up twenty-seven appearances in all competitions while he grabbed his one and only goal in a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.
His form saw him gain admirers from a number of Saints’ Premier League rivals, with both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also linked with a move for the 26 year old.
Prior to last season Alderweireld played just twenty-two times for Atletico, with his last outing for them coming in the 2013/14 Champions League final, where Diego Simeone’s men were beaten in extra-time by city rivals Real.
The forme…
Netherlands left it late to get their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign back on track with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan in Amsterdam on Friday.
The Dutch had started Group A with a shock 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic last month and coach Guus Hiddink expressed a desire to see his side produce a victory with a performance to match in the build-up to this fixture.
However, Renat Abdulin s headed goal in the 17th minute threatened to subject the hosts to a humiliating defeat.
Netherlands tried their utmost to find a leveller, but it did not look to be their night until Klaas-Jan Huntelaar got his head to an Ibrahim Afellay cross in the 62nd minute.
Baurzhan Dzholchiev saw red for a reckless challenge soon after, and Hiddink s men eventually made their visitors p…
Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold is bracing himself for an improved Sydney FC side on Thursday.
The Mariners embarrassed Sydney in their previous A-League clash on November 3, with a Daniel McBreen hat-trick guiding the 2010-11 grand finalists to a thumping 7-2 victory at Bluetongue Stadium.
Ian Cook resigned four games later, leading to the appointment of former Australia coach Frank Farina.
The dual A-League champions have shown signs of progress under Farina, winning one of their past three fixtures, and Arnold is expecting a difficult encounter for his table-topping outfit.
One thing about his (Farina s) teams are that they are well organised, Arnold said on Wednesday.
He s doing a good job down there at Sydney. I think you can a…
Jeonbuk Motors require victory at Jeju United to seal the K. League title with three games to spare as Pohang Steelers host rivals Ulsan.
Kaio s last-gasp goal ensured Jeonbuk edged Seoul 1-0 last time out and began the Championship Round – in which the top six play one another to conclude the campaign – in style.
The Brazilian striker will now be entrusted with firing Jeonbuk to a sixth successive league victory and a third K-League crown in six years in Seogwipo on Saturday.
The odds certainly favour Jeonbuk. Their run of recent wins have all been secured to nil and they have lost just one of their past 13 encounters with Jeju, who have won only two of their last nine matches.
Jeju, who sit five points behind Pohang, holders of the last AFC Champion…
Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane feels he is mentally stronger after a knee injury saw him miss large chunks of last season.
The France international centre-back rose to prominence with a series of fine displays in the 2012-13 campaign.
Varane endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines at the beginning of last term, though, due to a knee complaint.
However, the 21-year-old returned to help Carlo Ancelotti s side clinch a UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey double, while he has enjoyed a solid start to 2014-15 that has seen Real move top of La Liga with 27 points from 11 matches.
Varane is confident his injury problems are a thing of the past and thinks his period on the sidelines has helped his mental approach to the game.
These things [t…
Frank Lampard was delighted with the way Chelsea rallied from an awful first-half display to beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The Blues inconsistent form continued with a 2-1 victory after late goals from Jorginho and Tammy Abraham, having looked set to lose for the second match running following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s opener.
As in a Boxing Day defeat to Southampton, Chelsea were unrecognisable from the team that dominated Tottenham in an away win a week ago.
But Lampard saw his side s lethargy give way to a spirited second-half display, with the coach refusing to take credit for the triumph despite a tactical tweak, ditching the 3-4-3 system that proved Spurs undoing.
We were so awful for 30 minutes; slow, lethargic, nervous, the oppo…
Boca Juniors have appointed former boss Miguel Angel Russo as head coach to replace Gustavo Alfaro.
Alfaro stepped down earlier this month and club great Diego Maradona – currently in charge of Argentina s Superliga side Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata – suggested ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino to take charge.
However, Boca brought back Russo, who previously coached the Argentine powerhouse in 2007 and led the club to Copa Libertadores glory that year.
I always had the illusion of returning to Boca again, Russo told reporters. The previous coaches who were lucky enough to win the Copa Libertadores have returned.
I knew that some time I would return and that I never lost it. This is the moment and this is the opportunity.
Miguel Á…
Arsenal maintained their serene progress in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday.
Quick-fire goals from Robin van Persie and Abou Diaby put the Gunners into a commanding position and, while Lee Bowyer halved the deficit after seizing on an error from goalkeeper Vito Mannone, Andrey Arshavin sealed Arsenal s seventh straight win with a smartly-taken third late on.
The only cloud on an encouraging day for Arsene Wenger s team was an injury to Theo Walcott, who was forced off before half-time after his knee buckled following a hefty challenge from Liam Ridgewell.
It was an eerie throwback to Arsenal s last meeting with Birmingham in February 2008 when, notoriously, Eduardo da Silva s leg was shattered by Martin Taylor s challenge.<…