Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric has reportedly emerged as one of Real Madrid s top transfer targets.
According to Marca, both president Florentino Perez and coach Jose Mourinho want Modric with the La Liga champions.
They believe the former Dinamo Zagreb man, who moved from Croatia to London for 16.5 million euros in 2008, would be an excellent acquisition.
The newspaper goes as far as to say that Mourinho has even called the player to express his interest in him.
Modric would also look on the move as a positive step in his career.
Tottenham failed to qualify for the Champions League for the upcoming campaign and, four years into his stay at White Hart Lane, he would be keen to consider a new challenge as he approaches his peak years.
T…
Twente have signed Robbert Schilder from NAC for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old has agreed to a four-year contract with the 2010 Eredivisie champions.
Twente had long been linked with a move for the versatile midfielder, and have now managed to lure him to Enschede ahead of the 2012-13 campaign.
Schilder is a product of the Ajax youth academy, but never secured regular first-team action at the Amsterdam giants.
Ajax farmed the left-footed midfielder out on loan to Heracles from 2006 until 2008, before eventually selling him to NAC in the summer of 2009. He had since developed into a key player at the Breda side.
Schilder, who can also feature at left-back, is Twente s third signing for the 2012-13 season after the arrivals of Dusan Tadic and…
French football stars Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery are to face trial for allegedly soliciting an underage prostitute.
The Real Madrid striker and Bayern Munich winger were first questioned two years ago over allegations that they had paid for sexual encounters with Zahia Dehar, who was under the age of 18 at the time.
The scandal, which stemmed from a police investigation into a prostitution ring based around a Paris nightclub, rocked French football and destabilised Les Bleus ahead of their disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign.
The pair are now set to face the charges along with six others after judicial papers were submitted by investigating magistrate Andre Dando this week.
Some of the defendants will be prosecuted for aggravated pimping, although…
French Ligue 1 outfit Nice have announced on their official website that the club are set to complete the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa.
The controversial winger was set to join les Aiglons in January, but he was denied a chance to represent his third side in a single season having previously played for Hull City and Newcastle Under-21 side.
Nevertheless, Nice chairman Jean-Pierre Riviere has made it clear that Hatem Ben Arfa will play for Nice next season.
“There are one or two points to sort out, but he will be part of OGC Nice next season. It’s a gamble for him as for us, but it gives us great pleasure,” Riviere said at a press conference.
The Nice chief also revealed that Mickael Jean-Seri would be joining as well with the club having all but reac…
Arsenal defender Kyle Bartley has signed a three-year deal with Swansea City after the two sides agreed on a transfer fee rumoured to be in the region of £1 million, .
Bartley joined the Gunners from Bolton Wanderers in 2007. He made his club debut on 9 December 2009 in the UEFA Champions League group stage against Greek Superleague giants Olympiacos, a match Arsenal lost 1-0.
The 21-year-old centre-back spent last season on loan at Rangers, making 20 appearances (19 starts) in all competitions for the Teddy Bears.
Bartley decided to move on to pastures new just one year after inking a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium.
I spoke to Arsene Wenger briefly last week and he said that my game-time would be at a minimum, the former England…
England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed that he intends to hold talks with Wilfried Zaha regarding the Crystal Palace winger s international future.
Zaha announced last month that he intends to switch allegiance to Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, despite having already made two friendly appearances for England during Roy Hodgson s tenure.
But Southgate, who was in the stands at Selhurst Park for Palace s win over Southampton on Saturday, is hopeful that the 24-year-old may reconsider his decision.
We are still, first and foremost, hopeful that we can speak to Wilf, he said. He s a player I ve worked with at Under-21s level and he has played very well this season.
I ve had a conversation about him with [Palace manager] Alan Pardew and also wit…
Gareth Southgate identified room for improvement for England after the largely forgettable 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania at Wembley.
Veteran Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe ensured a fairy-tale return to the international fold when he broke the deadlock after 21 minutes, but the hosts laboured in their attempts for a second against opponents with limited ambition.
Defoe s replacement Jamie Vardy eventually made the points safe in the 66th minute and Southgate felt the Leicester City man as well as Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford gave an edge to England s play during the closing stages that they previously lacked.
The Three Lions were unfortunate to suffer a 1-0 friendly defeat to Germany on Wednesday after an enterprising display in Do…
Joshua Kimmich can follow in the footsteps of Philipp Lahm after committing his long-term future to Bayern Munich, according to Jupp Heynckes.
Despite his previous deal having two years left to run, the versatile 23-year-old has signed a new contract that will keep him at the Bundesliga giants until 2023.
Comparisons to fellow German Lahm a legendary name at Bayern who captained his country to glory at the 2014 World Cup are understandable, considering Kimmich s suitability to play in either defence or midfield.
Heynckes is full of praise for the former RB Leipzig player and believes he will go on to become a legendary name, just like the man he has replaced for both club and country.
Joshua is a young player, he still has huge potential to dev…
Kieran Richardson and Nigel Reo-Coker will be offered contracts at LaLiga strugglers Granada for next season, with financial woes preventing the free agents being signed immediately.
Richardson, formerly of Manchester United and Sunderland, and ex-West Ham midfielder Reo-Coker were brought in for a trial by Tony Adams when the former Arsenal and England captain was appointed as Granada s head coach earlier this month.
They have both been brilliant and I would really like to take them and we will be offering them deals for next season, Adams told Sky Sports.
However, we have a cash flow situation at the moment that doesn t allow us to bring them in.
Reo-Coker has plied his trade with Vancouver Whitecaps, the now defunct Chivas USA and Montreal Impact i…
Cristiano Ronaldo is acting as a diet guru to Juventus players, and Arthur has revealed the sick dedication that has seen the Portuguese superstar train in the middle of the night.
Five-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo turns 36 in February but is showing little sign of slowing down, scoring eight goals in five starts and one appearance off the bench in Serie A this season.
He is scoring at a rate of once every 58.75 minutes, taking his haul to 60 goals in 70 league appearances for the Italian champions.
Since joining from Real Madrid in 2018, Ronaldo s average minutes-per-goal record in Serie A stands at one strike every 101.3 minutes, with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (94.65) scoring at a faster rate of players with 20 or more goals.
Ronaldo was already known …