Diego Costa said he is disappointed Atletico Madrid did not wait long enough for him to force through a return as the Chelsea striker vowed never to fight to come back to the LaLiga club.

Costa came close to leaving Chelsea in the off-season after seriously considering a return to Atletico for family reasons heading into the 2016-17 campaign.

The 28-year-old Spain international stayed and has starred under head coach Antonio Conte who permanently replaced Jose Mourinho scoring 17 goals to help Chelsea move 10 points clear atop the Premier League standings.

However, Costa revealed how desperate he was to make it back to Vicente Calderon, where he left for Stamford Bridge in 2014.

The relationship with Conte did not begin well because on arrival I told him…

Former Barcelona star Xavi believes Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti is good enough to play for the Catalans.

The Italy international has developed into a key figure at the Ligue 1 champions since joining them from Pescara in July 2012 and his performances in the French capital have not gone unnoticed elsewhere.

Verratti has been linked with clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona and Xavi feels he would fit right in at the Camp Nou side.

Verratti is an extraordinary player, Xavi was quoted as saying by Le Parisien.

He plays at a level similar to the midfielders currently at Barcelona. He is enjoying a fantastic season at PSG and is playing at a very high level.

There are not many midfielders out there in the game who are better t…

Christian Pulisic said it felt just crazy as the Chelsea forward became the first American player to be a Champions League winner.

The 22-year-old former Borussia Dortmund star came off the bench in the second half and went close to doubling Chelsea s lead, but they settled for a 1-0 victory over Manchester City.

Speaking after the final in Porto, Pulisic told CBS Sports: I can t explain it, it s still such a shock. I m so proud.

He was watched by his parents and a number of friends from the stands at the Estadio do Dragao, making the occasion all the more special.

I m so thankful for all the support. To have people here today was amazing, Pulisic said.

I knew I was going to have to put in the hard work defensively. I wish I put away the chan…

Jordan Henderson believes Liverpool look ready for the new season as they prepare for their Premier League title defence. 

The Reds ended a 30-year wait to be crowned champions but there has been little time to dwell on t, considering the restructured schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Jurgen Klopp s squad have spent time at a training camp in Austria as part of their pre-season plans, including playing friendly fixtures against Salzburg and Stuttgart. 

Henderson is still recovering from a knee injury that cut short his involvement in the previous campaign, though the England midfielder has been impressed by what he has seen from the squad during the trip. 

They are next in action against Arsenal on Saturday in the Community Shield, of…

Liverpool will be welcoming Manchester City to Anfield in a hugely important clash in the Premier League title race, where the leaders play host to the defending champions in second place.

The outcome of the game will obviously be of interest to third-place Arsenal as well, but Gunners boss Mikel Arteta says he ll only enjoy watching two top teams take each other on.

I can t control it, I will enjoy a magnificent game of football

Mikel Arteta insists he is not concerned about the outcome of Liverpool Manchester City

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews)

…

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been left out of the Egypt squad for a fothcoming international friendly tournament.

The 31-year-old left the Africa Cup of Nations early when he picked up a hamstring injury on January 18 against Ghana and suffered a re-injury during a second-half substitute appearance against Brentford on his return.

Salah has been out of action since but returned to training this week and came off the bench in the 74th minute of their 5-1 thrashing of Sparta Prague on Thursday in the Europa League.

The list of the 2 5 Pharaohs who have been selected by captain Hossam Hassan for March camp

— Egypt National Team (@EgyptNT_EN)

The Liverpool top scorer has 19 goals this campaign and his return to fitness sparked a club-versus…

Manchester City have completed their first signing of the January transfer window in the form of Australian Anthony Caceres.

Caceres arrives at the Premier League giants from A-League battlers Central Coast Mariners, who confirmed the midfielder was signing for City on Friday.

Mariners coach Tony Walmsley said he was sad to see Caceres leave the club but said the club should celebrate the 23-year-old s big move.

We need to celebrate when players at the Central Coast Mariners are sold to bigger Clubs. It s our charter. It s our intent, Walmsley said.

When I brought Anthony Caceres to the Mariners his potential was obvious.

This move demonstrates how far Anthony has progressed and symbolises how giving youth a chance works for both the Central C…

The Stade Velodrome will host Marseille s first home game of the season after a three-year agreement was struck with the city s authorities.

Marseille announced on Thursday that a new deal had been agreed for the lease of the stadium following a meeting at City Hall.

Club owner Margarita Louis-Dreyfus confirmed that the rent the Ligue 1 club will pay is now acceptable to all parties and expressed her delight that negotiations had come to a successful conclusion.

Everyone here agrees that the OM must play at the Stade Velodrome, she told the club s official website. I am pleased that we have reached an acceptable compromise for the club and the city of Marseille.

The authorities and OM had to make a considerable effort for us to sign this agreement today…

Faced with a sort of a defensive crisis at the moment, La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are considering their options.

The player who’s long been linked with a move to Camp Nou as a temporary solution – – is once again being mentioned as a possible transfer target although Mundo Deportivo are suggesting Barcelona has a long(er) list of January targets.

Barcelona are said to be monitoring a promising FC Koln centre-back Jorge Mere.

The 21-year-old Spanish youth international has been highly regarded as one of the biggest talents in Spain and Barcelona are allegedly taking a firm interest in his services.

Mere moved to Germany from Sporting Gijon in 2017 and this season he made 9 Bundesliga II appearances.

Apart from Mere, Barcelona are not wi…

Thierry Henry has been sacked by Monaco, with the struggling Ligue 1 side confirming the return of the club s former head coach Leonardo Jardim.

Henry was suspended on Thursday and his sacking was confirmed 24 hours later, with Monaco facing Dijon in a relegation six-pointer on Saturday. Franck Passi will take charge for that game.

Monaco were already deep in trouble when Henry took charge in October but the club s former striker was unable to inspire a turnaround at Stade Louis II.

They exited the Champions League at the group stage and were knocked out of the Coupe de France at home by second-tier side Metz.

Henry s departure comes with the club a point and a place above the bottom of the Ligue 1 table, with Jardim sensationally returning to Monaco in a…