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LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has dismissed suggestions that Erik Lamela could leave, saying it is "impossible" for the winger to think of moving clubs while he recovers from injury. Lamela has been linked with a return to Italy since he joined Spurs from Roma for £30 million in 2014, and the rumours have increased while he has been sidelined with a hip problem since October. The Argentina international will have surgery in Barcelona on Saturday -- described by Pochettino as a "last resort" to get him fit. Since he last played, Lamela has spent time in his home city of Buenos Aires on compassionate leave and in Rome, where he was treated for the hip problem at his former club. A relative lack of information from Spurs and Pochettino, plus Lamela's reluctance to speak publicly, has led to speculation including reports that the 25-year-old has played his last game for the club. But Pochettino said: "That was so stran

Watford have announced that they have exercised their option to sign Tom Cleverley from Everton on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. Cleverley, 27, joined Watford on loan in January and will extend his stay at Vicarage Road after agreeing a five-year contract. Sources had told ESPN FC this week that Watford would be obliged to make the deal permanent under the terms of the loan agreement if he played on Saturday due to an appearance clause Watford CEO Scott Duxbury told his club's official website: "We're very pleased to secure Tom's signature. I believe it's a sign of our ambition to recruit the highest calibre of player for Watford. "Tom's affinity with the club and supporters has been very clear from the moment he returned, and we now look forward to seeing him in a Watford shirt for many years to come." Cleverley, who has made 13 appearances for England, joined Everton from Manchester United in 2015.

  Amid speculation about Antonio Conte 's future at Chelsea, the Premier League leaders have decided they cannot sell Eden Hazard in case it further unsettles their manager, the London Evening Standard claims. ESPN FC reported Thursday that Conte is wanted by Inter Milan, and it is said that any hope of keeping him happy at Stamford Bridge hinges on Chelsea keeping their best players, Hazard among them. For his part, the Belgium international reportedly has reservations about moving to Real Madrid and fears he may not play regularly due to the competition for places in Zinedine Zidane's starting XI.

Griezmann remains United's top priority   Jose Mourinho likes the look of Kylian Mbappe and has his eye on Romelu Lukaku, but Antoine Griezmann is the manager's top target for Manchester United this summer -- and Mourinho has enlisted United star Paul Pogba to help complete the signing. The Daily Telegraph claims Pogba has been trying to allay his France international teammate's fears about the English weather in an attempt to convince him to leave Atletico Madrid for the Premier League and take United's attacking threat up a notch. United have long been linked with Griezmann, who has 22 goals in all competitions for Atletico this season, and it is reported they have no problem upping the ante in their pursuit by meeting his £85 million release clause.

Paul Pogba has been told to go slow on his social media antics and focus more on his Manchester United career. Jose Mourinho has finally waded into Paul Pogba’s incessant image and commercial work and as told the midfielder to concentrate more on his football instead. Pogba has extensive sponsorship agreements including a huge deal with sports goods giants Adidas, and his twitter emoji was recently launched. The midfielder can also be seen on social media either singing or dancing, but it was the emoji episode that tipped the balance for Mourinho, according to the Mirror. The United boss is believed to have told Pogba to cut down on his commercial activities, warning the France star he was prepared to drop him if he felt they were affecting his form. The France midfielder promoted his own emoji before the draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford in January and regularly sports eye-popping new hairstyles, and was criticized for promoting himself just before a crucial g

World footballing body, FIFA, has suspended Lionel Messi from playing in Argentina’s next four qualifying games of the 2018 World Cup. The disciplinary committee of the football body also fined  Messi CHF10,000. The 29-year-old striker was banned as a result of an incident that occurred during a match between Argentina and Chile on March 23, 2017. He was found guilty of violating art. 57 of the FDC for having directed insulting words at an assistant referee. “As a result, Messi will be suspended for four official matches and sanctioned with a fine of CHF 10,000,” FIFA said in a statement. “The first match for which the sanction will apply is the next fixture in the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup between Bolivia and Argentina, which will be played today, 28 March. “The remainder of the sanction will be served over Argentina’s subsequent FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. “This decision is in line with the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s previous ruling

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana could be out for up to a month after injuring a thigh on England duty. The 28-year-old set up Jamie Vardy for England's second goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania on Sunday, having also started against Germany in a friendly on Wednesday. He played the full 90 minutes    But it later emerged that he had sustained a thigh injury during the Wembley victory, and will miss Saturday’s Merseyside showdown with Everton. There is no timescale on Lallana's recovery, but the forward who has featured in 27 of Liverpool's 29 Premier League games so far this term could potentially miss five games. Jurgen Klopp's side host Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday. Losing him for the clash with their neighbours would be bad enough but further tests suggest the problem is not simply a minor one.

Eden Hazard is being linked with a move to Real Madrid, which could happen as early as this summer. Chelsea legend and former assistant manager Ray Wilkins has threatened to give up his season ticket if the club sells Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Hazard has been another splendid year for the Blues, as they march toward another Premier League title and Wilkins, who remains a staunch supporter of the club despite being sacked as their assistant manager, is finding it hard to understand why his team would want to give the Belgian up. Wilkins has urged Chelsea not to sell him, saying Roman Abramovich has an enormous amount of money, so even a ludicrous offer wouldn't be worthwhile. Reports out of Spain claim Zinedine Zidane has apparently made Hazard his main priority this summer, and hopes to make the former Lille man Real Madrid's latest Galactico. "If you want to be the best why sell the best? They'll never get there if they sell Eden Hazard, who has been absolutel

Real Madrid want to sign Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, according to Sky sources, but talks between the clubs have not taken place. The Stamford Bridge side do not comment on what they regard as media speculation and rumour. The 26-year-old is in contention to win his second PFA Footballer of the Year in three seasons after an excellent campaign for the Premier League leaders. Having struggled to find form last term, the Belgian international has played an integral part in Chelsea's rise to the summit, scoring 11 league goals so far. Hazard signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal in February 2015, meaning he remains contracted to the club for another three full seasons. Real president Florentino Perez has set his sights on signing a new Galactico - and wants to bring in the Chelsea forward. Head coach Zinedine Zidane has previously labelled the

Leicester City coach, Craig Shakespeare, has praised Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi for seamlessly adapting to life in the English Premier League (EPL). “He is made-to-measure for this league but he is humble and his personality is suited to our football club,” Shakespeare told leicestermercury.co.uk . “He is looking the part. He is a young boy but he has settled in really well. I think he has a huge future in the game.” Shakespeare said Leicester did well by beating other interested clubs to the signing of Ndidi. “There was a lot of interest in him from other clubs but he was high on the list of our recruitment team and, in the end, we did really well to get him,” he said. “I think he will be a big player for us.” “He is easy to manage,” revealed the coach who made his name as a player between 1981 and 1989 when he scored 45 goals in 284 games for Walsall. Ndidi, since his move to Leicester on December 3, 2016, has become an instant hit with The Foxes. The midfiel

Neymar has reaffirmed his commitment to Barcelona amid speculation in Spain that Manchester United are keen to acquire his services. Sport reports that United are prepared to go "all out" to acquire the Brazil international this summer. According to the Barcelona-based publication, United are willing to pay Neymar's buyout clause of €200 million and make the 25-year-old the highest-paid player in the Premier League by offering him a staggering wage package of €25m net per season -- almost double what he earns in Spain. Neymar, who turned down an offer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, before extending his contract until June 2021 with the Catalan giants told El Mundo Deportivo: "My dream was to play at Barca. When I was a boy that was all I wanted. "And the most important thing about playing for Barca is that I'm making my childhood dream come true." Neymar is also confident that his partnership with Lionel Messi will continue for man

Barcelona have signified interest in signing Arsenal defender, Hector Bellerin, but any deal would be ‘very difficult’ according to sporting director Robert Fernandez. The 22-year-old Spaniard who has been a key figure at the Emirates has been linked to the Camp Nou by both El Mundo Deportivo and Diario Sport, despite signing a new six-year deal with the Gunners in January. Fernandez in an interview on Mundo Deportivo said: "Of course Hector is a good player but it would be very difficult. "He is well known. He is playing at a great level but there are also other players that have good characteristics.'' In regards to other transfer targets such as Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti and Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, Fernandez admitted these deals would be extremely challenging. "Those players are under contract with their respective clubs. And especially when a player has a long-term contract, it's very difficult,'' he s

Karim Benzema’s France exile has been a major bone of contention for the Real Madrid striker and it appears he is now aiming his wrath at Arsenal ’s Olivier Giroud. The 29-year-old Real Madrid forward, who has been capped 81 times by his country, has not been selected for national team duty since being charged by police in connection with an alleged blackmail attempt which targeted then teammate, Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema missed Euro 2016, which was hosted in France, as a consequence but France Football president Noel Le Graet announced that coach Didier Deschamps is now free to select the former Lyon man. However, Benzema claims there has been ‘no contact’ between himself and Deschamps and he was left out of their most recent squad that defeated Luxembourg March 25. The 1998 World Cup champion will host Spain, the 2010 World Cup winner in Paris in an international friendly match on Tuesday.  Clearly unhappy with the news, the two-time Champions League winner has

Juventus are reportedly prepared to offer €80m to bring in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti at the end of this current campaign. The Bianconeri are looking for a top-class midfielder for next season, having failed to replace the world most expensive player Paul Pogba after his move to Old Trafford. Despite an interest in Lyon’s playmaker Corentin Tolisso, Corriere Dello Sport revealed that Verratti is their number one target, with the Italian champion willing to offer €80m. The newspaper publication reports that Juventus general manager, Giuseppe Marotta, will speak informally with PSG about an offer, and ready to make an official bid if the response is positive. However, it’s likely the Ligue 1 champion would demand around €100m for one of their star players, and relations between the clubs are notoriously frosty. PSG were angered by the way Juventus brought Kingsley Coman to Turin and pulled the plug on a move for Blaise Matuidi last summer after a

In-demand Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe “will end up at Real Madrid or Barcelona”, according to team-mate Fabinho. The 18-year-old, who was handed his senior international debut for France on Saturday, continues to draw admiring glances from Europe’s top clubs. Reports suggest that Manchester United have already seen a record-breaking offer turned down for the teenage sensation, with the Red Devils eager to add him to their Premier League ranks. Jose Mourinho is, however, set to face competition from his former employers in Spain if a transfer scramble breaks out. And Fabinho believes that it is United who will be left disappointed once Mbappe takes the decision to leave his homeland. He told  Chuteira FC : “We know that sooner or later he will end up at Real Madrid, Barcelona or a club of that calibre,”’ said Fabinho. “But so long as he is still with us, we are going to profit from that!” Fabinho added: "Mbappe's tremendous. "For an 18-year-old, he has

Alexis Sanchez has reportedly been given a court date after being caught over-speeding. Arsenal striker, Alexis Sanchez, has been given a court date, fined and had his driving licence seized after being caught speeding in Chile, reports have claimed. According to the reports, the Arsenal striker, on international duty in his homeland, was doing 96mph in a 75mph zone on a motorway in capital city Santiago. It is also claimed Sanchez was clocked by cops yesterday and an image of what is thought to be his ticket is circulating online. According to AS, Sanchez’s court date has been fixed for April 12 in Buin, just south of Santiago and it will come just two days after Crystal Palace host Arsene Wenger’s side in the Premier League. Chile boss, Juan Antonio Pizzi, had given his players the day off training ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Venezuela on Tuesday. Sanchez was all smiles when the team got together again on Sunday for final preparations ahead of the game. But his brus

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has finally given his thoughts on media reports linking him with a return to the Emirates as the search for embattled Arsene Wenger's successor heats up. The Telegraph earlier in March claimed Henry is Arsenal owner’s son Josh Kroenke’s choice to replace under-pressure Wenger who is widely expected to leave this summer despite rumors of a new two year deal offer from the club. Henry according to ArsenalFan TV on its Twitter handle said: "My name is quoted to succeed Wenger but its hard for me to talk about it. I have a lot of respect for everything the coach has done. "Am I ready? I don’t know & nobody knows, but I also need to learn my job. Right now, I’m in learning mode" The 39-year-old Henry who has been working as an assistant to Roberto Martinez has made it clear his dream role is to manage Arsenal one day. Kroenke Jr is believed to have already picked Henry’s brains on his plans to move into management during discussions