Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has said he strongly considered a move to Real Madrid during the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old came close to joining the European champions before eventually settling on a seven-and-a-half-year contract extension at San Mames, with a release clause of €80million.
Already a senior Spain international, Kepa has racked up 44 top-flight appearances since his 2016 debut.
But the highly-rated shot-stopper says the offer from Madrid was not the right choice for his future.
66.7% Kepa Arrizabalaga has saved two of the three penalties he has faced in La Liga. Rescuer.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose)
It was a time of much reflection and the decision was one that would have shaped the directi…
Arthur has been named in Barcelona s squad for Saturday s trip to Celta Vigo amid intense speculation regarding a potential switch to Juventus.
Brazil international Arthur is supposedly set to be involved in a swap deal that sees Miralem Pjanic arrive at Camp Nou, with some of the belief he has failed to adequately replace Xavi since arriving from Gremio in 2018.
Despite the media reports, Barca coach Quique Setien insisted in his Friday news conference that the club have not told him the 23-year-old is leaving.
But Setien did hint there was some truth in the rumoured interest from Juve, saying that if it happens, I will try to convince him to leave a good impression .
Arthur will seemingly be available for selection at Balaidos on Saturday having been…
Pep Guardiola insists he will not gamble Manchester City s domestic dominance to go all in for Champions League glory.
City became the first team for a decade to win back-to-back Premier League titles last season before going on to complete an unprecedented domestic treble.
However, as was the case during his time at Bayern Munich, two-time Champions League winner Guardiola found Europe s top competition to prove elusive once more as eventual runners-up Tottenham prevailed against City on away goals in a thrilling quarter-final.
On the eve of beginning his fourth season as City boss with a Community Shield showdown against Liverpool, the Champions League looms even larger as the one major prize left to win, but Guardiola feels the consistency that has returned to…
Julian Nagelsmann hailed the outstanding Serge Gnabry after he scored a hat-trick in Bayern Munich s 5-0 thrashing of Stuttgart.
Gnabry marked his first start for almost a month with a superb display, helping himself to a treble and laying on the other two goals for Robert Lewandowski in the city where he was born.
The Germany forward gave Bayern a 1-0 half-time lead and they ran riot after the break, scoring three times in the space of five minutes behind closed doors at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.
Gnabry was directly involved in five goals in a competitive match for only the second time in his career, with the only previous instance coming in the 7-2 win at Tottenham in October 2019 when he scored four and provided one assist
Victory in Julian N…
As for the visitors, while Burnley may have managed to pick up what was their own expected FA Cup victory over lower league opposition in Peterborough last week, their Premier League struggles have begun to worry many around Turf Moor. Hit with what was a shock 2-1 defeat at home against relegation scrappers Aston Villa on New Year s Day, Sean Dyche s men have lost each of their last three top-flight matches on the bounce. With some starting to fear that the Clarets could be dragged into their own bottom-three battle, Burnley have lost six of their last eight Premier League appearances, a run that stems back to the 23rd of November. Along with showing some worrying issues in the final third and scoring just four goals in their previous eight matchups, the Clarets also hold what is an ap…
Cristiano Ronaldo revealed Alex Ferguson convinced him to re-join Manchester United, but the legendary former manager knows there has been zero progress since his departure from Old Trafford.
Ronaldo has been the subject of a great deal of scrutiny this season, having pushed for a move away from United prior to the campaign while subsequently falling out of favour with new manager Erik ten Hag.
Although heavily linked with a move to rivals Manchester City, the Portugal skipper returned to Old Trafford in August 2021 on the advice of his former boss, who he revealed is in agreement the club has stalled since the Scotsman s retirement in 2013.
in a wide-ranging interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ronaldo also questioned the Red Devils decision to replace Ole Gu…
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With all eyes falling on the Emirates this weekend, Arsenal will welcome Manchester City to north London for a heavyweight showdown.
Arsenal
Starting with the hosts, while Arsenal might have travelled out to France in midweek looking to secure back-to-back Champions League victories, Mikel Arteta’s young squad missed out on the chance to make another European statement. Eventually suffering a collapse on foreign soil as they were hit with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Lens, the Gunners will be seeking an immediate response here. Nevertheless, excited to turn their attention back to Premier League duties on Sunday afternoon, Arsenal have their sights firmly set on mounting another genuine title charge this time around. Last seen in top-f…