Keita not as consistent this year, says Hasenhuttl

Barcelona are interested in signing William Saliba from Arsenal in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Arsenal and France international centre-back Saliba is among the defenders that La Liga giants Barcelona are following in case they fail to secure the services of Jules Kounde from Spanish rivals Sevilla in the summer transfer window.

Former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona are keen on signing Kounde this summer, but they are facing stiff competition from Chelsea. The Blues’ offer to Sevilla and to the player himself is superior to that from Barcelona, who are now looking at alternatives in case they are unable to bring the France international centre-back to Camp Nou this summer.

Saliba spent last season on loan …

Sadio Mane will return to Bayern Munich training on Sunday having missed three months with a fibula injury, but fellow forward Kingsley Coman will miss Saturday s trip to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Mane missed Senegal s run to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar after being required to undergo surgery in November.

Last month, coach Julian Nagelsmann suggested the former Liverpool man could be fit to feature in Bayern s Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, but he was not involved as the Bundesliga champions claimed a 1-0 first-leg lead in the French capital on Tuesday.

Mane is making progress in his recovery, though, and Nagelsmann believes heck could be involved in a matchday squad after as little as one week of full training.

He wi…

Jurgen Klopp started with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino on the bench for Liverpool s derby clash with Everton at Anfield.

Liverpool headed into Wednesday s Merseyside showdown the 234th meeting between the local rivals and the first of potentially nine matches for the Reds in December eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Everton, meanwhile, were sitting 17th, and a defeat, combined with a Southampton victory over Norwich City, would see them drop into the relegation zone, with Marco Silva under huge pressure at Goodison Park.

Liverpool boss Klopp, however, opted to shuffle his pack, with Salah and Firmino, who have featured in 12 and 14 league games respectively this term, both starting as substitutes.

Sadio Mane retained his place,…

Football legends Pele and Gordon Banks both warned Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo against walking out on Champions League winners Manchester United and moving to Spanish giants Real Madrid on Saturday.

The 23-year-old forward has still four years remaining on his contract with United with whom he also won the Premiership last season and both Pele and Banks ridiculed both his and FIFA president Sepp Blatter s claims that he was being treated like a slave .

You are a slave if you work without a contract or you don t get paid, said 67-year-old Pele, who was in Stoke, central England, to unveil a statue dedicated to Banks and for a charity match for the former England goalkeeper s charity foundation.

If you have a contract then in any job you have to finish th…

Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill has rejected the opportunity to succeed Gordon Strachan as Scotland boss.

Strachan resigned after Scotland missed out on qualification for the 2018 World Cup, while Northern Ireland fell agonisingly short a month later – going down to a 1-0 aggregate loss in a play-off versus Switzerland.

It was a campaign that saw the former Shamrock Rovers manager s stock rise further, after leading his country to the last 16 of Euro 2016.

O Neill was tipped to take the reins with Scotland ahead of Wednesday s UEFA Nations League draw, with a four-year deal reported to be on the table.

But the 48-year-old released a statement on Monday confirming he had turned down the Scottish Football Association s approach.

Having g…

Dunga was ruthless in his selection for the upcoming Copa America Centenario, with star defenders David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Marcelo left out of Brazil s 40-man preliminary squad.

With captain Neymar already absent for the tournament in the United States in June due to his participation at August s Olympic Games, David Luiz, Silva and Marcelo also failed to make the initial list that will be reduced to 23 players on May 5.

While Silva s absence was not surprising, having not featured under Dunga since last year s Copa America, the omission of his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate David Luiz was.

David Luiz with 56 caps to his name was involved in Brazil s last set of World Cup qualifiers in March, partnering Miranda in defence in the 2-2 draw with Uruguay before h…

Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour admits that he is delighted to have been linked with a move to Barcelona.

The Ligue 1 club have seen Moussa Sissoko leave for Newcastle in the January transfer window, with Etienne Capoue and Cheikh M’Bengue likely to follow in the summer.

With Barcelona reportedly showing interest in talented defender Aymen Abdennour, le Tefece could soon be staying without another key player.

Abdennour, 23, says that a move to Camp Nou would be a dream come true.

I am flattered by the interest of the biggest club in the world, the Tunisian told Sky Sports.

Barca would be a dream come true but at the same time I have a contract until 2017.

Abdennour joined Toulouse in the summer of 2011 from Etoile Sahel and quickly…

France captain Hugo Lloris is wary of the attacking threat England possess ahead of their Euro 2012 clash on Monday.

The last time the two sides met was during a friendly in November 2010 when the French recorded a 2-1 win at Wembley, with a goal each from Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena enough to pick up the victory.

Andy Carroll made his international debut in that match and the Liverpool man is vying with Danny Welbeck to lead the line in Donetsk, but Lloris believes Roy Hodgson’s men will be tightly marshalled whoever starts in attack.

Carroll is very strong in the air, and Welbeck likes to drop deep. They have different characteristics and we can t allow them any space, Lloris told reporters.

Our preparation was based on the game here. We hav…

With the 2018/2019 Ligue 1 campaign drawing to an end on Friday night, we here at Soccer News have found a handful of helpful tips that can boost your Friday acca:

Friday 24th May

BST 20:05 Angers vs Saint Etienne 

Starting with Friday s visitors, while Saint Etienne are unable to make a last-ditch push for the top-four ahead of their trip to the Stade Raymond-Kopa, it has been a stellar end to the year for Jean-Louis Gasset s side. Already securing another Europa League return for next year and coming off the back of an impressive 3-0 win at home to Nice last weekend, Les Verts have won five of their last six Ligue 1 appearances and have tasted defeat just once since the 10th of March. A huge part of Saint Etienne s European push this season has come down to their c…

Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani has played down reports linking him with a summer exit from the Parc des Princes, insisting he is happy in Paris.

The Uruguay international, 28, joined PSG from Napoli in a deal worth €64 million in the summer of 2013, and has gone on to tally 24 goals and two assists in 52 Ligue 1 appearances for Les Parisiens.

According to reports, last summer, Cavani was looking to leave the French capital for the English Premier League amid reported interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, the 28-year-old striker, whose current deal at PSG expires June 2018, has now insisted he is great in Paris.

Today I m great here in Paris, Cavani said. My family and I are happy and every time they com…