I admire you very much – Pele congratulates Messi on equalling record

Barcelona are interested in signing Jules Kounde from La Liga rivals Sevilla in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Barcelona head coach Xavi personally wants to bring the 23-year-old France international central defender to Camp Nou this summer.

The former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners have made an offer of €55 million plus €10 million in add-ons to Sevilla for Kounde. Barcelona are also willing to offer the former Bordeaux defender €7 million per season as salary to convince him to move to Camp Nou.

However, the problem for Barcelona is that Chelsea’s offer for Kounde is superior. The Premier League giants have offered Sevilla €65 million with variables and are ready to pay the youngster €12 million in salary …

Barcelona have sold off a further 15 per cent of the club s LaLiga broadcasting rights to Sixth Street, a global investment firm.

In June, Barca confirmed 10 per cent of its TV rights had been sold to Sixth Street, and the company have now increased their investment into the club.

Sixth Street will now receive 25 per cent of the club s TV rights for the next 25 years, as Barca aim to appease their financial issues.

A statement from Barca president Joan Laporta read: We continue to move forward on our strategy and are pleased to have completed this additional agreement with Sixth Street providing us with a meaningful increase in capital strength.

Over the past few weeks, we and Sixth Street have engaged and collaborated with a shared understanding of wh…

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Real Madrid do not have a realistic shot at fighting for the league title anymore, so their best bet will be to clinch a UEFA Champions League spot as soon as possible. With that in mind, Los Merengues will host an Athletic Club side that remains very much alive on the race for a UEFA Europa League spot. This match will kick-off on Sunday at 16:15 hrs BST.

Real Madrid

Los Merengues only register one win in their previous three league matches (W1, D1, L1), but on the other hand they ve lost just once in their past five Liga matches (W3, D1, L1). For them, it s all about perspective and trying to end the season on a strong note after failing to win any of the three major trophies they competed f…

Alphonso Davies has returned to full training with Bayern Munich after six weeks out and Joshua Kimmich has stepped up his own personal fitness programme.

Davies, named 2020 Canadian Player of the Year, damaged ankle ligaments in the early stages of Bayern s 5-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on October 24 and was ruled out for up to eight weeks.

The versatile youngster completed a full 90-minute session with his team-mates on Thursday, though he is not expected to be considered for selection against RB Leipzig this weekend.

In a further boost for Hansi Flick, influential midfielder Kimmich is also on the comeback trail.

The 25-year-old suffered a right lateral meniscus injury in Der Klassiker on November 7 and was not expected to feature again until Janu…

Miguel Layun has warned his Mexico team-mates they must not let their standards drop against Jamaica as they bid to make it two wins from two at the Copa America Centenario.

Juan Carlos Osorio s side kicked off their Group C campaign with an impressive 3-1 triumph over Uruguay on Sunday, despite having Andres Guardado sent off in the second half of a bad-tempered match in Arizona.

The result stretched Mexico s unbeaten run to 20 international matches, with their last defeat being a 2-1 reverse against Ecuador at the 2015 Copa America.

Now they move on to the Rose Bowl in California to face a Jamaica team that suffered a 1-0 loss at the hands of Venezuela in their opener.

I think we have to be aware that Jamaica has different characteristics than …

Liverpool full-back Alberto Moreno feels he is approaching career-best form thanks to the faith shown in him by Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard was out of favour to start the season under Brendan Rodgers, but has grown into a regular since Klopp replaced the Northern Irishman in October.

Moreno, who arrived at Anfield from Sevilla in 2014, believes he is nearing his best form ahead of the Europa League semi-final first leg at Villarreal.

The 23-year-old said that was thanks to Klopp and the German manager s faith.

It was hard at first with Brendan, Moreno said.

He didn t seem to count on me much. I trained, I was 100 per cent and didn t play much, but that s now in the past.

Working with Mr. Klopp, he s put his trust in me and now I m in one…

Napoli have completed the signing of Goran Pandev from Inter for an undisclosed fee.

The versatile attacker has signed a contract until June 2015 with his new club, with an option for an additional season.

The 28-year-old spent the 2011/12 campaign on loan at the Stadio San Paolo and made 42 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, scoring seven times.

Napoli were eager to secure Pandev on a permanent deal due to the ongoing uncertainty about the future of Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

I am in seventh heaven. I wanted to stay at Napoli at all costs after a year in which I have felt right at home, Pandev commented on his move.

I have great confidence in this project and I am convinced that the victory in the Coppa Italia final is just …

Diego has vented his frustration after Atletico Madrid failed to make an offer to Wolfsburg to keep him at the club on a permanent basis.

The 27-year-old arrived in the Spanish capital after falling out with Wolves boss Felix Magath at the tail end of the 2010-11 campaign, and subsequently excelled under Diego Simeone s leadership as he went on to lift the Europa League trophy.

The midfielder is keen to stay with Atletico on a permanent basis, but he admits he is beginning to harbour doubts about the possibility of plying his trade.

First, I want to thank the fans for the affection (shown to me). It was special to me and was instrumental in our success into reality. I will never forget in my life, the moments that I lived with them. Always be in my heart, Dieg…

Everton manager Sam Allardyce has advised Davy Klaassen to find first-team football away from Goodison Park, admitting the Netherlands midfielder is not in his plans.

Klaassen, 24, cost Everton €27 million last July but he has failed to recapture the form that delivered 14 goals in 33 appearances for Ajax last season.

The playmaker has made just three Premier League starts for Everton and he was replaced after just 55 minutes in his last appearance against Bournemouth in September.

Allardyce, who has not picked Klaassen for any of his domestic match squads, told The Mirror: Because he has never appeared on the subs bench it would be of better benefit for him and the club if he moved on just on loan.

He is quite willing to sit and stay and fight for his…

Sitting in 17th in La Liga standings, only four points in front of the last-placed Malaga, Spanish side Las Palmas have a huge road ahead of them.

The Canary Islands-based side has thus far endured a difficult campaign which was arguably most graphically illustrated through back-to-back whitewashes – albeit in two different competitions – earlier in January when poor Las Palmas first suffered a 4-0 Copa del Rey beating at the hands of Valencia before being thumped by Girona 6-0 in La Liga.

Bright Spark

The single bright distinction in otherwise disappointing ten-goal glut turned out to be the re-introduction of Alen Halilovic, the 21-year-old midfielder once dubbed the ‘Croatian Messi’ who – like many similar talents – largely failed to live up to his overh…