SPORTS MANIA

MANCHESTER UNITED transfer news is hotting up as we approach the January window and Express Sport is on hand to bring you all the latest from Old Trafford.                   Real target Martial Anthony Martial is reportedly a transfer target for Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain. Don Balon claim Zinedine Zidane is keen to add the Frenchman to his ranks in place of Karim Benzema. Martial is reportedly open to a move to Spain after struggling to hold down a place in the starting XI at Old Trafford. Real are said to be considering an offer in the region of £88m for the former Monaco man.                       Dybala deal hijack Real Madrid are reportedly looking to muscle in on Manchester United’s negotiations for Juventus midfielder Paulo Dybala. Spanish outlet Don Balon claim the La Liga champions are keen to sign Paulo Dybala and are willing to pay up to ...

BARCELONA will this week try to finally agree a deal which will see them sign Philippe Coutinho for a British record £125million in the summer. The Spanish giants will on Wednesday host a meeting when they will hope to reach an agreement with the Reds for the Brazilian playmaker. Coutinho agreed personal terms with Barca last summer but Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group rejected all attempts to get them to sell him. But it now seems that Barcelona will finally get their man with the only question remaining of how the deal will be financially structured. Liverpool want a substantial upfront payment with less of the fee dependant on add ons as Barcelona originally offered in the summer. Sportskicker understands that both clubs are keen to settle the deal for once and all so doesn’t drag on until the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Coutinho, 25, handed in a transfer request in the summer as he tried to push through a move to the Nou Camp. ...

NEWS of Real Madrid’s secret plans to sign Chelsea star Eden Hazard has not gone down well with Cristiano Ronaldo, according to reports in Spain. Real Madrid are keen to land a new Galactico following their dismal first half of the La Liga season that leaves them 14 points behind leaders Barcelona. Club president Florentino Perez and Zinedine Zidane are keen to land the Belgian and are doing all they can to convince him to join. Eden Hazard is even stalling on signing a new contract offer from the Blues as he waits to receive a proposal from Los Blancos. And with the wheels in motion to bring the 26-year-old to the capital, not everyone at the Bernabeu is ready to welcome him with open arms. Spanish publication Diario Gol claim the Portuguese does not want Hazard to join at the risk of becoming the club’s new talisman. They claim Zidane and Hazard have been in contact via phone with the pair already striking up a close relationship. And Ronaldo is reportedly furiou...

Jose Mourinho's side have gone three games without a win in all competitions and will be hoping to get back on track as they bid farewell to 2017 Manchester United will be hoping to see their final fixture of 2017 deliver a return to winning ways against Southampton. The Red Devils have gone three games without success in all competitions, while collecting just two victories from their last five Premier League outings. An untimely wobble has allowed the chasing pack to close in behind them, with Jose Mourinho’s side now just one point above third-placed Chelsea as the battle for top-four finishes intensifies.                    MAN UTD INJURIES Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian have returned to full training to suggest that they will come back into contention against the Saints. Chris Smalling is, however, still nursing a knock while fellow centre-half Eric Bailly is a long-term absentee after undergoing ankle surgery. Ant...

ANTONIO CONTE refused to get involved with Eden Hazard’s fathers comments suggesting he is waiting on a transfer to Real Madrid. Thierry Hazard revealed in an interview with Le Soir earlier today that his son had rejected a new contract from Chelsea. He went on to suggest that Eden Hazard is holding out for an offer from Real to weigh up his options. Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez have been long-term admirers of the Belgium international and the Real boss has publicly praised Hazard in the past. But when Conte was pressed about Hazard’s father and his comments suggesting he could be seeking a move to the Spanish capital, the Chelsea boss instead chose to respond by stating how pleased he is to work with him. "My answer is always the same: This is a private conversation between the club, the player & his agent,” Conte said. “I’m proud to have him in my team, in my squad, & I'm very happy to work with him. “He's a really good guy with a lot o...

ALEXIS SANCHEZ gave Arsenal a narrow advantage over Crystal Palace – but his muted celebrations raised even more question marks about his long-term commitment to the club. Palace had initially pegged back Shkodran Mustafi’s first-half opener but, when the Chile international arrowed in a shot to put Arsenal back in front, his downbeat response – and that of his team-mates towards him – once again raised questions over his belief in the cause. And Wenger refused to rule out Sanchez being allowed to leave in January. “I have answered that question,” he said. “First of all, nobody knows what will happen really. It’s difficult to speculate. At the moment we are focused on short-term, that means the next game with the players committed and ready to fight.” With Jack Wilshere – another player out of contract in the summer – also turning in a starring role, a night of history with Wenger celebrating a record-equalling 810 Premier League games in charge quickly became one of conce...

MARCOS ROJO is available to play for Manchester United in their Premier League clash with Southampton on Saturday (5.30pm). Rojo picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 2-2 draw with Burnley on Boxing Day, but is still available to face Southampton this weekend. Premier League rules dictate a player receives a one-match suspension if they accumulate five yellow cards, although this threshold is lifted to 10 cautions midway through the season. Matchweek 19 marks the halfway point of the campaign, meaning Rojo avoided a ban by just one match after picking up his latest booking in Gameweek 20. Manchester United could also be buoyed by the potential return of both Matteo Darmian and Anthony Martial after the duo were left out in midweek. However, Eric Bailly (ankle), Antonio Valencia (hamstring), Marouane Fellaini (knee) and Michael Carrick (heart condition) are all sidelined while Chris Smalling is also a doubt (groin).

BARCELONA boss Ernesto Valverde reportedly wants three players to leave the club in January. The Catalan giants are considering strengthening in winter window but must first offload some of their fringe stars. Barcelona sit top of the La Liga table, nine points above Atletico Madrid and 14 ahead of fourth-placed Real Madrid. Rumours were circulating that Luis Suarez may be replaced having netted 10 goals in the first half of the season. Denis Suarez was also thought to be searching for a loan move to play regular football. But according to Don Balon, Arda Turn heads to list heading for the exit door. The Turk has not played a single minute this season and is unhappy with his current position. A return to his home country is apparently on the cards with Galatasaray touted as a potential suitor. The most surprising selection is Rafinha, who has recently recovered from a long-term knee injury. The Brazilian is desperate to get into his international side for the Wor...

REAL MADRID star Cristiano Ronaldo misses James Rodriguez and wants the club to sign Valencia’s Gonzalo Guedes, according to reports. Real Madrid loaned Rodriguez to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the summer with Los Blancos struggling since the Colombian’s departure. Ronaldo himself has been toiling, managing just four La Liga goals all season with Barcelona now sitting 14 points clear of Los Blancos at the top of the table. Real Madrid are likely to splash the cash given the need to replace Rodriguez, as well as the likes of Pepe, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Morata. And Spanish outlet Diario Gol say Ronaldo is urging the Bernabeu outfit to seal a deal for Valencia star Guedes. It is said Ronaldo is pining for more dressing room allies. The 32-year-old was close with Rodriguez, striking up a good relationship both on and off the field. He also got on well with compatriots Pepe and Coentrao, who left for Besiktas and Sporting Lisbon respectively. As a result, Ron...

Sportskicker247 takes a look at the biggest transfer rumours from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and beyond as we head into the winter window ARSENAL WON'T INCREASE €40M BENZEMA BID Arsenal will not offer more than €40 million to sign Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema at the end of the season, claims Don Balon. Madrid president Florentino Perez is reportedly ready to cut his losses on Benzema, with Arsenal rumoured to have already made a €40m bid for the Frenchman. Perez values Benzema at significantly more, but the likes of Arsenal, who are expected to be in the market for a replacement for Alexis Sanchez, will not go higher than €40m. LAZIO READY TO SELL LIVERPOOL TARGET Lazio are willing to sell Stefan de Vrij in the January transfer window after failing to agree a new contract with the Dutch defender, reports Calciomercato.com. De Vrij is out of contract at the end of the season, and he has been linked with a move to Liverpool and Lazio’s Serie A rivals ...

Barcelona news LIVE updates: All of the latest from the Nou Camp Coutinho transfer boost Barcelona's chances of getting Philippe Coutinho on-board have improved. The Liverpool playmaker is top of the La Liga giants' list of January transfer targets. And the Reds have now opened talks with PSV Eindhoven over his replacement. Liverpool have targeted Hirving Lozano to take the Brazilian's place at Anfield. And that will come as a huge boost to Barcelona gaffer Ernesto Valverde. Iniesta opens up Andres Iniesta admits he has Barcelona to thank for his glittering career. "It's not that I considered leaving Barcelona," the Nou Camp icon told Marca. "I’m just in a position where I now try and enjoy each day. "I’m aware that I'm at an age where every year I need some time for myself, to make a decision on the future. "I am honest with myself and this club has given me everything, so I am grateful." Messi claim ...

JUAN MATA has an interesting theory as to why Manchester United’s title hopes are fading. Second-place Manchester United are a massive 13 points behind leaders Manchester City and a slip-up at home at Burnley on Boxing Day would make their chances of chasing them as good as over. Mata scored both goals in the 2-2 draw at Leicester as the ten-man Foxes grabbed a 94th minute equaliser with the last kick of the game. The Spaniard is well aware that their title hopes are blowing up in their faces - and he’s put that down to the fact the team aren’t natural killers of games. Mata said: “Now we feel frustrated and angry but we need to keep going and just think about the next game and be determined to finish it with a much better feeling. “We didn’t kill Leicester off and we should have killed it off. “It’s easy to say now but if, instead of drawing, we had won again we would have been saying that it was a fantastic game. “We’d be saying that we came back and we did the mos...

GERARD PIQUE was in the mood to celebrate after Barcelona's 3-0 El Clasico victory over Real Madrid. Barcelona are flying high at the top of La Liga, now 14 points ahead of Real Madrid after winning El Clasico 3-0 today. Goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal saw Ernesto Valverde's men earn a comprehensive victory at the Bernabeu. And the win was especially sweet for centre-back Pique, who posted a picture celebrating with his Barca team-mates on Twitter. "Bon Nadal #ElClasico" the 30-year-old wrote, which means 'Merry Christmas'. Pique's comments will not go unnoticed in Madrid, given his fierce relationship with their club and fans. Pique is a staunch Catalan and a player who came in for strong criticism at the beginning of the season. When Barcelona lost 5-1 in the Spanish Super Cup to Real, the finger of blame was pointed at him by the media. But now Pique and Barca are having the last laugh going into the winter br...

MANCHESTER UNITED news is on the agenda ahead of the January transfer window and sportskicker bring you the latest. Arsenal boost  Arsenal have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey, according to reports. The Gunners have been closely monitoring the 20-year-old striker and scouts flew over to Germany to catch his last two matches. The Jamaican-born forward has taken the Bundesliga by storm netting eight goals in 16 matches this term. Two of those strikes came in the 4-4 draw at Hannover last weekend, while Arsenal scouts were in attendance. He also impressed by scoring the winning goal against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Cup on Wednesday. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been a long-time admirer of Bailey, while Man Utd’s Jose Mourinho is also considering making a move for the youngster. But according to the Mirror, Arsene Wenger is now in the driving seat to secure his signature and could get him when the tran...