Barcelona linked with Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz

Antoine Griezmann said he can do it. Quique Setien thinks Ousmane Dembele can do it. But is Ansu Fati best placed to fill in for Luis Suarez at Barcelona?

The 17-year-old was one of Ernesto Valverde s final plus points for the club, the former head coach handing a chance to the youngster that has allowed him to go from La Masia hopeful to Lionel Messi strike-partner in a matter of months.

With Suarez not expected to return until the season is pretty much over, Barca were expected to sign a number nine in the transfer window. The fact that they didn t is something the board will have to explain, but another time. Sunday s win over Levante was all about Ansu.

Griezmann might have been deployed as the centre-forward, but Fati was the most threatening player on the p…

According to Sky Italia, Inter Milan are set to look into the possibility of signing Manchester United star Antonio Valencia – if they end up losing Joao Miranda, that is.

The Ecuador international hasn’t really been given much of a chance to shine this season, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did bring him into the fold during their game against Newcastle United. The big question is whether or not the next manager to take over from OGS will have any first team plans for the 33 year old.

His contract contains an option to extend until 2020, but that’s still considered to be very much up in the air. Clubs around Europe and China are also believed to be interested in Valencia, but Inter would certainly be leading the way if they decided to take their interest to the ne…

Edouard Mendy has become the third player to leave Chelsea for Saudi Arabia this summer after the club confirmed he has joined Al-Ahli.

A fee of £16million is understood to have been agreed for the goalkeeper, who lost his place in the team to Kepa Arrizabalaga during the second half of last season.

The 31-year-old had risen to become one of the most highly-rated keepers in the world after helping Chelsea to win the Champions League in 2021, but played only once for the club after returning from the World Cup in Qatar, costing his side a goal after a mistake in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in May.

The PA news agency understands that new manager Mauricio Pochettino decided weeks ago that Arrizabalaga would be his first choice to start next season in goal, re…

According to a recent report from Marca, Dutch giants Ajax are considering a move for Barcelona forward Luis Suarez during the summer transfer window.

The move would see the Uruguay international return to the club that helped put his name on the map, as the former Liverpool star spent four years of his career in Amsterdam between 2007 and 2011. Ajax are contemplating the move as a way to allow for a possible swap deal that would see Donny van de Beek go in the opposite direction, but the logistics of that have yet to be worked out.

At the age of 33, Suarez is still viewed by many as one of the most lethal goalscorers in the game today. He likely only has a few years left at the top of his game, and instead of heading to the US or China for a big money deal, he clearly …

Liverpool host Manchester City in the highlight of the weekend s Premier League action, as Jurgen Klopp s men hope to open up a nine-point lead at the summit.

The omens are not great for City, with Liverpool boasting a stunning record in matches against teams who are the defending champions.

But victory for City could blow things wide open in the title race, particularly if Chelsea , who are home to Crystal Palace, and Leicester City hosting Arsenal are triumphant on Saturday.

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham will be aiming to continue his impressive form as he looks to emulate a former Blues favourite, but on the other side of the coin in that contest, Jordan Ayew is out to achieve a feat accomplished by only three players in Premier League history.

For tha…

Manchester United are willing to sell former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Eriksen and head coach Erik ten Hag have spoken to each other about the player’s future. If a suitable offer comes in, then United will offload him.

Eriksen has been on the books of United since the summer of 2022 when he joined on a free transfer after leaving Brentford. The 32-year-old has not had a great impact at Old Trafford and has not always been played in his favoured number 10 due to Bruno Fernandes playing in a similar position.

The Denmark international has scored one goal and given two assists in 21 competitive appearances for United this season. Eriksen scored two goal…

It has by no means been a vintage start to the season for Lionel Messi.

The six-time Ballon d Or winner failed to force through an exit from Barcelona at the end of 2019-20 and in his nine appearances in all competitions this term he is yet to register a goal from open play.

His solitary goal in LaLiga came from the penalty spot, as did his three in the Champions League as Ronald Koeman s side navigated meetings with Ferencvaros, Juventus and Dynamo Kiev to reach the midway point of the group stage with a 100 per cent record.

Messi may not be at his prolific best but the 2020-21 Champions League is on course to set a record for the most goals per game in the competition s history.

Still a key creator

All of Messi s three goals may have come from t…

Joan Laporta and Victor Font are among four candidates who look set to do battle for the Barcelona presidency later this month. 

Laporta, Font, Toni Freixa and Emili Rousaud all delivered signatures from enough socios on Monday to advance to the election on January 24. 

Laporta, previously president for a decorated period between 2003 and 2010, presented 10,272 signatures, significantly ahead of Font s 4,713, Frexia s 2,822 and Rousand s 2,510.

Validation of these signatures will begin on Tuesday, with confirmation of the final candidates announced on Thursday. 

Jordi Farre, Xavier Vilajoana, Agusti Benedito, Luis Fernandez Ala and Pere Riera were unable to meet the threshold of 2,257 signatures.

Given the small amount by which he passed th…

Alexis Sanchez scored before being sent off in a dramatic first Inter start as his side battled to a 3-1 away win over Sampdoria.

Inter made it six victories from six in Serie A, ensuring they kept the two-point lead over Juventus at the top of the table that they held at the start of Saturday.

Two goals in the space of 128 first-half seconds from Stefano Sensi and Sanchez had Antonio Conte s men on course for a dominant victory in response to Juve s earlier win over SPAL.

Sanchez received a second yellow for diving early in the second half and there was brief alarm for 10-man Inter when that was followed by a strike from Samp s Jakub Jankto, but Roberto Gagliardini wrapped up the points.

| THAT S IT

out of for the Nerazzurri

An accompli…

Ralf Rangnick believes Manchester United should focus on signing younger players as the interim Red Devils manager outlined his transfer strategy.

Rangnick will take charge of his first match when United welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford in Premier League action on Sunday.

The 63-year-old has been appointed until the end of the season, with former RB Leipzig boss Rangnick set to move into a consultancy role until 204.

Rangnick has earned a reputation for identifying young talent during his work with Red Bull-owned clubs Leipzig and Salzburg and as the January window approaches, he provided an insight into how he operates.

Good afternoon, Ralf.

Let s get down to business. |

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

One does not exclu…