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Mbappe has just over a month, if he literally sticks to his contract, to decide his future. But it could be well before 30th June when the PSG striker finally decides whether to stay in Paris or move to Real Madrid.

According to 'L'Equipe', the French striker could make his decision this Sunday. And what's more, he would do it publicly. The aforementioned source adds that the No7 would make his future public through the 'Telefoot' channel.

PSG have their last official game of the season on Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino's side, with nothing at stake, host Metz at the Parc des Princes in a 38th matchday that brings to an end what has been the tenth Ligue 1 to reach the French club's trophy cabinet.

Mbappe has been dodging successive renewal offers from PSG all season. So far, neither the pressure from the sporting leadership, nor from Qatar or from the stands has diminished what seems to have been his will all along: to play for Real Madrid.

However, in recent weeks, various reports have emerged that have undermined the optimism of Real Madrid fans, but not the club. The dizzying offers from PSG have shaken a certain part of 'Los Blancos' fans who have been dreaming of his arrival for several years. But the club remains confident in the striker's "yes".

He is not expected to mention Real Madrid
With the current scenario, it is an unknown quantity to know Mbappe's decision. If he announces his departure, he is not expected to refer to Real Madrid or any other club, but only to confirm that he is fulfilling his contract without renewing it. With the Champions League final against Liverpool less than a week away on Sunday, 'Los Blancos' would not want an announcement of his transfer to distract Madrid fans from a match for the most coveted trophy in Europe.

Everything suggests, if he finally arrives at the Santiago Bernabeu, that he will wait until after the match in Paris for the club to finally announce Mbappe's arrival to the four winds.

Barcelona want to bolster their attack with one of the best strikers in European football. Robert Lewandowski wants to leave Bayern Munich and Barca want to take advantage of the circumstances.

The comments made by the Bavarians do not lead to much optimism that the Pole will move to the Camp Nou this summer. Bayern insist that Lewandowski has to see out his contract, which ends in June 2023.

Barcelona have been, and are, the team most interested in getting hold of the forward. It is for that reason that, after reaching a pre-agreement with the player, they will negotiate with Bayern Munich.

'Mundo Deportivo' reports that Barcelona have said they will spend a maximum of 35 million euros on the Polish striker. Anything more than that amount will be too much for the La Liga side.

In the coming days, negotiations will begin between the two clubs, or there will be an approach at least. The thing is that Barcelona have not spoken to Bayern about Lewandowski yet.

Lewandowski is determined to help Barcelona persuade Bayern Munich. The Pole, according to the cited newspaper, wants to play for the Catalans next term.

Salihamidzic confessed before the final match that the footballer was looking for new challenges. The striker himself said after playing for Bayern that he wanted to leave the German side.

So, while Real Madrid are alert to Mbappe's situation, and Man City have signed Erling Haaland, Barcelona are preparing to get hold of the top goalscorer in recent years.

Cadiz and Real Madrid drew 1-1 on the penultimate weekend of the La Liga season in an action packed contest. Madrid took the lead in the fifth minute, but Cadiz punished a Militao error to get a deserved leveller after 37 minutes. Cadiz could have even won it, but they saw a second half penalty saved. Ancelotti's side was made up of some players who had had less game time while the point for Cadiz means they are in the relegation zone after Mallorca's late win against Rayo. Mallorca and Cadiz both have 36 points while Granada on 37 are not out of trouble either.

Cadiz, who were two points above the drop zone at kick-off, went to attack from the off and Akapo hit wide within seconds. The home side made their intent clear, but within five minutes, they were behind. Rodrygo made a superb run down the far side before cutting into the penalty box and squaring for Mariano who tapped in.

That did not deter Cadiz though and they continued to threaten the Madrid goal. Asensio was denied by Ledesma at the other end, but then, in the 13th minute, Cadiz should have levelled. Negredo got himself into the box, but he was too unselfish and, instead of shooting, he passed for Lucas Perez at the back post and Nacho cleared for a corner. The game remained very open and the chances kept coming.

Fali made a terrific pass from midfield for Idrissi and Madrid's stand-in keeper Andriy Lunin had to turn the ball around the post with his left hand. However, seconds later, Cadiz got their leveller. Militao only managed to head the ball straight to Ruben Sobrino in the D, he controlled the ball and then his strike deflected off Militao's back and went in with the help of the crossbar.

Cadiz were not done and Negredo so nearly scored minutes later and then Eder Militao headed against the sidenetting at the other end after Cadiz goalkeeper Ledesma came out for a cross, but did not get to it. Cadiz had a draw at the interval, but the fact Mallorca were leading at home to Rayo meant Cadiz dropped into the bottom three on head to head.

Leo Messi's departure from Barcelona for fans and teammates. One of them, Gerard Pique, publicly said that he cried about his departure, but a friend of the Argentine's family said his comments were false and hypocritical. It is Alfonso Aguilera Rosique, who published an Instagram story with a screenshot of the newspaper 'Sport' and he slammed the centre-back.

"The headline read: "Pique: 'I cried when Messi left Barca". Aguilera did not believe this at all. "Gerard Pique (whose account he tagged), you're so false and arrogant that not only you didn't cry, but you also told the mediocre Joan Laporta (who he also tagged), that if he wanted to build a winning team, he had to sell Leo Messi."

"That same Messi who rescued you from Zaragoza when nobody wanted you because you held grudges, were jealous and a bad teammate," he added. He referred to the time the defender spent at La Romareda when he just a young player at La Masia. A few years later, he became a key player for Barcelona.

In any case, Aguilera's anger caused shock on social media. Many fans asked themselves whether Messi and Pique actually had a good relationship over the years or what happened between the two for Pique to allegedly ask Laporta to sell a club legend.

Jurgen Klopp's men have four matches left in their historic attempt to become the first English team to win all four major trophies in one season. They beat Chelsea to lift the League Cup in February and have reached the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, where they face Real Madrid on May 28. No English club has come this close to such an incredible clean sweep, but Liverpool know their hopes of winning the Premier League are starting to fade.

Manchester City moved three points clear of the second-placed Reds with a 5-1 win at Wolves on Wednesday and need four points from their last two games against West Ham and Aston Villa to retain the crown. If a second English title in three seasons proves beyond Liverpool despite their blistering form in the second half of the season, then winning two more cup competitions would be a memorable consolation.

First up is a rematch with Chelsea, who fought gamely in an intense League Cup final in February before Liverpool prevailed 11-10 in the shoot-out that followed a 0-0 draw. Liverpool and Chelsea are the first English teams to meet in both domestic finals in the same year since Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. Klopp's side will hope they emulate Arsenal, who did the cup double against Wednesday that season. But, in their 60th game this season, fatigue could be a threat to Liverpool's hopes of a first FA Cup triumph since 2006.

In a bid to keep his stars fresh, Klopp made several changes in Tuesday's win at Villa, yet still lost Brazil midfielder Fabinho to an injury that rules him out of the final.

The history chasers will be back on league duty at Southampton on Tuesday and, aware of the strain on the squad, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson called for one last push, starting at Wembley. "The more it goes on, the more important and intense the games are. We are using all the squad and I thought the boys that came in were brilliant (against Villa)," Henderson said. "That's football and there's going to be ups and downs in a game. You've got to react in the right way. To be honest, the boys have done that for a long period of time.

"The boys have been incredible. Stay together in important moments and you get your rewards in the end. Let's prepare now for a big game on Saturday."

Like Liverpool, Chelsea's season will conclude with 63 games played, but it has been Thomas Tuchel's side who have looked more drained in recent weeks. Before Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Leeds consolidated their grip on third place, the Blues had won just once in five league games as they struggled to recover from their painful Champions League quarter-final exit at Real Madrid.

Uncertainty over the future of the both the club and several key players has also been a factor since Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale just before he was sanctioned by the government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With LA Dodgers co-owner Boehly and his consortium agreeing a £4.25 billion takeover last weekend, subject to approval from the Premier League, Chelsea can finally plan for next season.

Before that, Tuchel has the chance to end the Abramovich era with one last prize, in the process winning his first English domestic trophy after leading Chelsea to Champions League and Club World Cup glory over the last year. Tuchel is sweating on the fitness of Mateo Kovacic after the Croatia midfielder was injured at Leeds. "He has a swollen ankle and is in a lot of pain. If he misses it I'm very disappointed because he was a clear starter," Tuchel said.

Pep Guardiola's men move three points clear of Liverpool with two games to play and boosted their goal difference to seven superior to the Reds. City need just four points from Sunday's trip to West Ham and the visit of Aston Villa on the final day of the season to be crowned champions for the fourth time in five years. And with De Bruyne on this form, they will take some stopping as the Belgian produced his brilliant best to blow away the hosts with a hat-trick inside 24 minutes.

City broke the news on Tuesday that they have beaten Europe's top clubs to the signature of Erling Haaland. However, even the Norwegian goalscoring phenomenon would struggle to match the range of finishes off both feet dispatched by De Bruyne. In keeping with their form in recent weeks, City looked to have dispelled any early nerves by scoring first as Bernardo Silva teed up De Bruyne to fire first time across Jose Sa.

The visitors, though, were without three key defenders in Kyle Walker, John Stones and Ruben Dias through injury and it showed. Aymeric Laporte had to make a desperate last-ditch challenge to deny Chiquinho before Wolves levelled on 11 minutes. Pedro Neto was allowed to gallop clear into the City box and picked out Leander Dendoncker to slot past Ederson.

Parity only lasted another five minutes as De Bruyne was both creator and executioner of City's second. Raheem Sterling failed to connect with his pass through the heart of the Wolves defence, but Sa could only turn the ball back into De Bruyne's path and he made no mistake. The best was yet to come from the 30-year-old as he took aim from outside the box and arrowed a shot into the bottom corner to complete a hat-trick, with all three goals scored by his supposedly weaker left foot.

De Bruyne's was the third quickest hat-trick in Premier League history and his first since he played for Genk 11 years ago. But there was even more to come after the break as he slotted home on his right foot after Phil Foden's cross was deflected into his path. An injury to Laporte was the only negative of the night for City as he limped off after a heavy challenge from Raul Jimenez. Yet, any defensive deficiencies are being masked by the firepower of Guardiola's men at the moment.

Ivan Perisic secured a thrilling win with a double in the first half of extra time but the match hung on the awarding of a soft-seeming penalty which Hakan Calhanoglu smashed in to take the match past 90 minutes.

Juve had been deservedly leading through quickfire goals from Alex Sandro and Dusan Vlahovic early in the second half and referee Paolo Valeri's decision to give the spot-kick after Lautaro Martinez fell following a slight touch from Leonardo Bonucci enraged Massimiliano Allegri's team.

"I always thought we could do it, even when we were 2-1 down... We lost our heads a bit for 10 or 15 minutes but we fought back and I think that we definitely deserved to win," Perisic said to Mediaset.

For Inter it is another success over Juve after another controversial win in Turin last month and beating them to the Italian Super Cup earlier in the season and is one which will boost them in their Serie A title defence.

Simone Inzaghi's side trail AC Milan by two points and could hand their local rivals the Scudetto if they don't beat relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday.

Juve meanwhile have only Champions League qualification to show for an up-and-down season, but they chose to say nothing about the penalty decision which denied them a trophy.

"Inter are fighting for the league title and we're behind them. We need to close that gap with hard work and looking to sort out the team," said Allegri.

Nicolo Barella gave Inter the lead in the sixth minute with a long-range effort which would soon be forgotten amid the controversy to come.

His thumping strike came after a blistering start from Inter which threatened to blow Juve away, the Italy midfielder collecting after a corner was cleared, cutting in side and unleashing a curling effort which Mattia Perin didn't even bother trying to stop.


- Penalty drama -

However from then on Juve were the better team and should have gone in at the break at least level, if not ahead.

Paulo Dybala was the first to offer signs of life in the 23rd minute when his low shot was comfortably saved.

Moments later the Argentine fed Vlahovic whose powerful, angled drive needed smart reactions from Samir Handanovic to be kept out.

Matthijs de Ligt had a header well saved on he half-hour mark and it looked for all the world that Dybala would bag a deserved leveller when the subsequent corner fell kindly to him, but he sliced his first-time strike wide.

Juve soon turned the match on its head though, with Sandro levelling the scores five minutes after the break when his shot slipped through Handanovic's hands as Alvaro Morata tried to deflect the ball.

The Juve fans were jumping and their end of the ground exploded with joy seconds later, Vlahovic ending a four-match dry spell in front of goal after being sent flying through on goal by Dybala.

The Serbia forward sent Danilo D'Ambrosio packing and although his first effort was kept out, the 22-year-old made no mistake on the rebound.

Juve looked to have the game under control until referee Valeri handed Inter an ill-deserved lifeline.

Calhanoglu rifled home from the spot and an already fired-up Juve team then lost control when De Ligt was ruled after a VAR check to have chopped down Stefan de Vrij.

Perisic stepped up to smashed in the penalty in the 99th minute and once the Croat's decisive second flew in from distance three minutes later there was chaos, with Allegri sent off and players and officials tussling on the sidelines.

However Juve couldn't turn that anger into a fightback and Inter took the honours to set up a potential league and cup double with the Serie A season heading to its climax.

Cristiano Ronaldo has still got a year left on his Man Utd contract. The Portuguese star has a contract at the English club until 30th June 2023 although the team's difficult situation could lead to him leaving.

A lot has been spoken about in recent days over the former Juventus man departing this summer despite the fact Erik ten Hag, who will become the Man Utd manager in the summer, wants the Portuguese striker to stay.

But, according to the 'Mirror', Cristiano Ronaldo has met on several occasions with the former Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson to ask for advice over his future.

Apparently, the ex-Real Madrid forward has had several private meetings with the Man Utd legend both at his own and in Ferguson's to get to know Sir Alex's opinion. Ferguson signed the player when he was just 19.

The veteran 37 year-old striker is in a difficult situation because when he left Juventus, he wanted to return to Old Trafford to take his team to the highest level, something he has not been able to achieve.

Now, his nine brilliant seasons at Real Madrid seem a long time ago. That was the club he won most trophies for and he scored a whopping 450 goals in 438 competitive matches. We will have to wait until summer to see whether CR7 decides to change team once again.

The 40-year-old, who took over at the Emirates in December 2019 following the dismissal of Unai Emery, is close to leading the Gunners back into the Champions League after a five-year absence.

Arsenal are fourth in the Premier League table, two points clear of north London rivals Tottenham with just four games to go.

The Spaniard said Friday he was "really happy" to have signed his new deal at the club that he captained when he was a player.

"We want to take the club to the next level and to compete really with the top teams," he said.

In order to do that, we have to be playing in the Champions League. We have to be able to evolve the team, improve our players, improve all departments, generate even more connection with our fans, improve the atmosphere at the Emirates, be able to recruit top, top talent and the best people for this club to drive this project to that level."

Arteta, who won the FA Cup during his first year in charge at the Emirates, has steered Arsenal back towards the top of the table after their worst start to a season for decades.

The Spaniard was facing calls for his sacking back in September but he has been rewarded for keeping faith with his young players as well as cutting ties with club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who moved to Barcelona in January.

Arsenal have enjoyed impressive recent wins over Manchester United and Chelsea to take control of fourth place but face a potentially decisive derby against Spurs next week.

Arsenal director Josh Kroenke, whose father Stan owns the club, said the deal provides "stability and clarity for the future.

The finalists of the 2021-22 Europa League have been decided. Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers will face each other in what is expected to be a fierce encounter at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, the home ground of one of the great teams in this competition, in Seville. The match will take place on 18th May at 21:00.

To reach the final stage, Eintracht eliminated West Ham United in the semi-finals. A win in England was followed by another victory in Germany to seal their passage without too many setbacks. The Hammers were down to one man early in the second leg due to a red card for Cresswell and could hardly have challenged for the win.

Finalists Rangers beat fellow German side RB Leipzig in their semi-final clash. Their match was the one that attracted the most interest because the Scots had to comeback from a 1-0 deficit at their home stadium, which had left everything open for the match in Scotland. The fans were a key factor in the game, and they kept the home fans' spirits high from start to finish.

Previously, Eintracht had knocked out Real Betis in the round of 16 and Barcelona in the quarter-finals. The second match with Barcelona was particularly controversial because the German fans 'took over' the Camp Nou. Rangers, on their way to the final, knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the round of 32, Red Star in the round of 16 and Sporting Braga in the quarter-finals.

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There will be new faces at the Santiago Bernabeu for next season. Real Madrid have completed the signing of the defender Antonio Rudiger and the agreement with the German was reached after he reduced his salaruial demands, 'AS' reports.

The current Chelsea footballer's contract expires in July and he will move to the club as a free agent. In fact, Madrid have now thought about when his arrival will be made official, something which will be decided shortly.

Madrid are thinking of making it official the weekend of 21st and 22nd May as Madrid will play their last game against Betis and Chelsea will put an end to their Premier League campaign.

This would be case if Ancelotti's men do not make the Champions League final on 28th May. If they make the final, the annoucement would be made after the game. Mbappe is the other top player Real Madrid want.

Rudiger was asking for 12 million euros a year which Real Madrid turned down. Now, it seems like he has reduced his salarial demands and he is set to join a club who knocked his side out in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Real Madrid face Man City on 4th May in the Champions League semi-final second leg, a game in which they require another great night at the Santiago Bernabeu as 'Los Blancos' are 4-3 down.

In order to get into the final, Madrid will have to overturn the one goal deficit against Pep Guardiola's side, who have said they will be firm candidates for the Champions League.

And if that were not enough, it seems like Carlo Ancelotti will have to play this important clash without David Alaba in his team. Carrusel Deportivo' reports that it is "almost impossible" for the Austrian central defender to be able to play in the game.

According to the cited media outlet, the former Bayern Munich player has trained on his own this Monday due to an injury in his adductor muscle. The experienced defender. The experienced defender has suffered a fibrilar tear in the addcutor muscle, an injury which will basically rule him out of the important European clash.

The 29 year-old player, after suffering a relapse of his muscle injury against City, did recovery work indoors this Sunday. Without Alaba on the pitch, Nacho and Militao would play at centre-back against Man City.

The final decision will be made by Ancelotti, who will wait until the final moment.

Nothing is known in terms of what decision Cristiano will make at the end of this season. Despite being contracted until 2023 at United, he may be leaving the club this summer after not having the season he would have hoped. Champions League qualification is now looking highly unlikely and the attacker will not be keen on the idea of missing out on the competition next season.

In England, they see his exit as highly probable. Current interim boss at United, Ralf Rangnick, is conscious of the fact that the Red Devils need to be looking at signing more strikers. "You have to know what Cristiano wants to do... and go for two strikers, that's certain", he commented recently.

'The Mirror' has even suggested Ronaldo's next destination. The British paper reports that he may end up playing alongside Leo Messi in the PSG squad.

Ever since the rumours of Cristiano Ronaldo making an early exit from United, PSG have been the team on most people's minds as his next club. Kylain Mbappe comes to the end of his contract in June and could well be moving on to Real Madrid. Therefore, this would leave room for Ronaldo in the PSG team.

Currently, Cristiano has not mentioned anything publically about his future. However, 'The Mirror's' report dreams of an historic duo of Messi and Ronaldo at PSG. After years of the two players battling it out for the world's best player crown, what better way would it be to end this with the two fighting for the same cause in the same squad.

Carlo Ancelotti is not as sure as Mauricio Pochettino is that Kylian Mbappe will be staying at PSG. The Italian coach will be giving the French player a warm welcome into his Real Madrid squad this summer should Mbappe decide to swap Paris for Madrid during the transfer window.

In his most recent press conference, the Argentinian manager said that he is 100% certain that both Mbappe and himself will remain in the French capital next season. However, when his Italian counterpart spoke to the media ahead of Real's match against Espanyol on Saturday at the Bernabeu, his words countered those of Pochettino.

"In their press conferences, managers can't tell the whole truth, it's quite normal. I believe that right now, the only two things a 'Madridista' is thinking about are: winning this Saturday and then Wednesday. We, as we are, all think the same. After the City match, the players were already thinking of Espanyol", he affirmed.

In can be understood from the first few words of his comments, that Ancelotti wanted to say that Pochettino should not be so sure that Mbappe is going to stay in his team. In any case, only two months remain until the Frenchman's future is known. His current contract is due to end in the summer and he is still yet to confirm whether or not Madrid will be his next destination.

Ousmane Dembele is clear. Of all the proposals he has on the table, the option which interests him most is staying at Barcelona. His priority is to stay at the Camp Nou beyond the month of June, the date which his Barca contract expires.

In recent hours, Moussa Sissoko, Dembele's agent, met with Barca to speak about his possible renewal. According to 'Sport', the summit served to help them come closer to reaching an agreement.

After several months of toing and froing, it seems like Dembele and Barcelona are starting to understand each other. The Catalan paper reports that the winger understands the club's situation so he is willing to earn less money to stay.

'Sport' highlights that Dembele has offers from certain clubs which are offering him more money than Barcelona. However, Dembele is willing to turn down all of them. He would not mind sacrificing part of his salary to continue at Barca.

Despite the fact both sides have come closer to reaching an agreement, they are still quite far away from reaching an agreement. His new contact, if it happens, it will not happen overnight, according to information published to this source.

In any case, Barca were waiting for a sign from Dembele and they now have it. 'Mundo Deportivo' adds that Barca are optimistic and they are confident in reaching an agreement to allow the Frenchman to continue. The footballer has made it clear that he will make it easy for him to renew. It remains to be seen how this saga ends.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached the remarkable landmark of 50 hat-tricks at club level as he propelled Manchester United to victory over Norwich City.

Ronaldo, who has managed 60 trebles when his goals for Portugal are added to the count, remains an arch predator at the age of 37, and his display at Old Trafford rescued an off-key United team in Saturday's encounter with the Premier League's bottom side.

After reaching 49 club trebles by hitting three against Tottenham last month, Ronaldo brought up a half-century with a close-range strike, a header from a corner and a 25-yard free-kick.

It was his third United treble (one in 2008, two in 2022). He hit three hat-tricks with Juventus and an incredible 44 during a stellar nine-year spell at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo moved to 21 goals for the season in all competitions, going through the 20 barrier for a 16th consecutive campaign, and he now has 99 Premier League goals in his career.

His goals can be broken down further, with all three of his hat-tricks for United coming in the Premier League, while with Juventus he hit two trebles in Serie A and one in the Champions League.

During his time at Madrid, spanning 2009 to 2018, Ronaldo hit 34 hat-tricks in LaLiga, seven in the Champions League, two in the Copa del Rey and one in the FIFA Club World Cup.

He managed five goals in a LaLiga game twice for Madrid, against Granada in April 2015 and against Espanyol in September of the same year, and also plundered five four-goals hauls in the same competition.

Ronaldo also hit four for Madrid in a Champions League game against Malmo in December 2015.

Two goals in two minutes undid Villarreal boss Unai Emery's defensive game plan as Pervis Estupinan deflected Jordan Henderson's cross into his own net before Sadio Mane slotted in a second. The Reds remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple of Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. And barring a huge upset when the sides meet again in southern Spain in six days' time, Liverpool's season will finish in Paris on May 28.

The population of Villarreal would fit inside Anfield but the 3,000 travelling support did their best to match the noise of the home support early on. In stark contrast to the free-flowing thrills of Manchester City's 4-3 win over Real Madrid in the other semi-final on Tuesday, Emery's men followed the same tactic that saw them past Juventus and Bayern Munich by retreating behind the ball. However, the Yellow Submarine could barely lay a glove on Jurgen Klopp's men as Liverpool just had to bide their time to make their dominance count.

The Reds have now scored 135 goals this season, but were held scoreless in a frustrating first 45 minutes. Mane headed wide Mohamed Salah's pinpoint cross with the best opening. The Senegalese also saw a deflected effort fly just wide and Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli escaped unpunished with some sloppy handling from a number of speculative efforts. Another long-range strike was the closest Liverpool came to breaking the deadlock before the break as Thiago Alcantara's sweet strike clipped the post.

The six-time European champions started the second half at a higher tempo and quickly began to punch holes in Villarreal's rearguard. Fabinho's goal was ruled out for offside against Virgil van Dijk in the build-up. Moments later, Anfield erupted as the error-prone Rulli finally cost the Spaniards with a feeble attempt at parrying Henderson's deflected cross. The last thing the visitors could afford was the floodgates opening, but they were powerless to stop the waves of Liverpool attacks.

Salah was the architect with a perfectly weighted pass for Mane to prod past Rulli on 55 minutes. The offside flag came to Villarreal's rescue once more to rule out Andy Robertson's strike.

Emery was hailed the "king of the cups" by Klopp for his stunning Europa League record, with one of his four triumphs in that competition coming as Sevilla boss against the German during his first season at Liverpool in 2016. However, Liverpool are a different beast six years on and the limitations of a side sitting seventh in La Liga were shown up as they struggled to mount any sort of response to going behind.

Luis Diaz smashed across the face of goal as Liverpool threatened to kill the tie off with a third. The English giants had to settle for a two-goal advantage, but they are yet to lose by a two-goal margin in 55 matches this season.

The BrainHOPE study will be led by consultant neuropathologist Willie Stewart, whose previous research showed ex-professionals were 3.5 times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population.

The new project, jointly funded by the Football Association and world governing body FIFA, will use a range of tests to compare brain health in former footballers between the ages of 40 and 59 with the general population, and explore whether there are ways to reduce the risk.

"This is an incredibly important study, and we are grateful to the FA and FIFA for their support to allow it to proceed," said Stewart, an honorary professor at the University of Glasgow.

"Our findings from the Field study show there is reason to worry about lifelong brain health in former footballers. BrainHOPE is designed to identify tests that might detect problems early on and, more importantly, possible ways to try and reduce dementia risk for former footballers."

Several members of the 1966 England World Cup-winning squad, including Jack Charlton and Nobby Stiles, were suffering from dementia at the time of their deaths.

In 2002, an inquest recorded a verdict of death by industrial disease in the case of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle caused by repeated heading of the ball.

Stewart carried out a new examination on Astle's brain in 2014 which concluded that the 59-year-old had died from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

English football chiefs last year introduced guidance saying that footballers should engage in a maximum of 10 "higher force" headers during training in any one week.

Charlotte Cowie, head of performance medicine at the FA, said: "The launch of the BrainHope study is another important step in building our understanding of the long-term health of former professional footballers.

"Forming part of the wider Prevent Dementia study, this research will help us further understand the links between the game and neurodegenerative diseases and also potential early interventions which could help reduce risk or speed of developing dementia."

Modric's mesmeric, curving pass with the outside of his right foot for Rodrygo to volley in resuscitated Real against Chelsea, just when it looked like they were dead and buried.

His eye-of-a-needle pass through the legs of Presnel Kimpembe for Karim Benzema to finish gave the Spaniards life against PSG, levelling a contest that until that point had gone almost entirely in the opposition's favour.

Modric's craft and guile, along with Benzema's ruthless finishing, have been Real Madrid's most devastating weapons en route to the Champions League semi-finals. The first leg is at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

But the Croatian international midfielder is a warrior, too, lifting Real in their most desperate moments through his grit, resilience and sheer force of will.

Two minutes before he bamboozled PSG with that feathered pass through to Benzema in the last 16, Modric had already raised the Santiago Bernabeu to its feet.

PSG were 2-1 up on aggregate and Lionel Messi was off on the counter-attack, racing out of his own half, about to embark on a trademark, scuttling run down the right wing.

Modric, despite being in the twilight of his career, scampered after Messi, tracked him and closed in.

He lunged across with his right foot, hooked the ball out of play and clattered Messi to the ground, the stadium roaring with delight, a surge of momentum crackling through the stands.

Benzema's decisive goals came two and four minutes later. Defying doubts -

When asked in an interview with AFP in 2019 what his favourite thing to do in football was, Modric did not say score, pass or dribble.

"Tackle!" he replied with a grin. "Everything gives me joy, but sometimes a tackle can be a big part of a game. When you do it, it feels great."

Modric has a sense of how to change a game. He can rouse his teammates with a challenge or a run and protect them with his passing and possession. In the toughest moments, he steps up.

"What Modric does, only Modric does," former Real Madrid striker Jorge Valdano said last month. "When the ball passes through his feet, the play just flows like it's the easiest thing in the world."

As a teenager, scouts in Croatia told Modric he was too slight to make it in the professional game, while Arsene Wenger supposedly turned down the chance to sign him for Arsenal on account of his spindly frame.

At Tottenham, Harry Redknapp took time to be convinced to play Modric in central midfield instead of the wing and in La Liga numerous opponents have tried to rough Modric up, only to find themselves bouncing off him instead.

"Always around me there were a lot of doubts, about my quality, my style, my physique," Modric told AFP. "They said, 'You are too weak, too fragile, you will not reach the top.'

Its hard to overstate the importance of that result for Barcelona, who move back into second place in LaLiga, six points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis, and eight clear of Sociedad.

Victory leaves two points ahead of Atletico Madrid in fourth. Atletico were held to a goalless draw by Granada on Wednesday. Sevilla sit third after they held on for a 3-2 win away at Levante, Tecatito scoring twice in Valencia.

Real Sociedad might have had an outside chance of joining the race for the top four if they had beaten Barcelona but defeat surely leaves them looking to secure a spot in the Europa League. They are six points behind Atletico in fourth.

A defeat would have been a huge blow for Xavi's hopes of leading the Catalan giants to Champions League qualification, but the likes of Ter Stegen, Pique, Busquets, and De Jong produced heroic performances to lead them to a much-needed victory.

Barcelona could have had some early joy against Real Sociedad. The blaugranas took the lead after just ten minutes following a good start from Xavi Hernandez's side.

Aubameyang jumped higher than his pair and with a fine header beat Remiro about a metre from the goal line. The Gabonese has scored his 9th goal in LaLiga, a staggering number since his arrival in the winter transfer window.

The second half was all about suffering for the Catalans. Up to three players were injured and others limped off. Araujo, Pique and Alba were all out with injuries and Gavi asked to come off.

The second half started with two great chances for the home side. Sorloth could have equalised at the start of the second half. However, there were no more goals and Barca held off Real's pressure.

The 52-year-old, who has signed a three-year contract, faces a huge task to revive the Red Devils fortunes after a fifth consecutive trophyless season.

The Dutchman becomes the fifth permanent manager at Old Trafford since Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 sent the 20-time English champions into decline.

Ten Hag is on course to win his third league title with Ajax and took the four-time European champions to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019 for the first time in 22 years.

"It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead," said Ten Hag.Â

"I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

"It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United."

United sit sixth in the Premier League, 23 points behind leaders Manchester City, and are unlikely to qualify for next season's Champions League.

The club have been looking for a permanent manager since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in October.

Ralf Rangnick was appointed interim boss for the remainder of the season, but the German has been unable to inspire any improvement in United's performance.

Rangnick has been fiercely critical of the standard of the United squad in recent weeks, claiming after Tuesday's 4-0 defeat by Liverpool that United are "six years" behind their rivals.

- Squad overhaul -

An overhaul of the squad is expected in the coming months with Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata all out of contract and Nemanja Matic having already announced his decision to leave at the end of the season.

A summer of long-needed change will put Ten Hag's ability to work constructively with the club's new CEO Richard Arnold, technical director Darren Fletcher and football director John Murtough immediately to the test.

"During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth," said Murtough.

Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva all struck in the second half as Pep Guardiola's men edged one point ahead in the title race with six games to go.

Guardiola recalled a number of key players he had left out for Saturday's 3-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool, but it took City time to break Brighton's resolve at a tense Etihad.

The Seagulls had won on the road at Arsenal and Tottenham in their previous two games and frustrated the English champions for the first 45 minutes.

Mahrez bore the brunt of the City support's nerves as he missed the best chance before the break when he passed up the opportunity to take a quick shot from Robert Sanchez's mishit clearance.

City captain Ruben Dias made his return from injury after a two-month absence at half-time.

Real Madrid's opener was a goal that Carlo Ancelotti would've taken pride in. A well-worked freekick ended up with Karim Benzema squaring for David Alaba, and the Austrian turned home at the second time of asking after his first shot had been stopped.

That lead barely lasted a minute though. Ante Budimir levelled instantly after Chimy Avila had broken forward and crossed, allowing the former to finish easily. Budimir again had the ball in the net shortly after the half-hour mark but his strike was chalked off for offside.

Real Madrid did go in at the break with a lead though, with Marco Asensio restoring their advantage on the stroke of half time, finishing after Dani Ceballos had seen an effort saved.

A bizarre eight-minute spell in the second half saw 'Los Blancos' awarded two penalties, and Benzema remarkably failed with both of his attempts from 12 yards.

Deep into stoppage time, though, Lucas Vazquez made sure of the points. Fine play between Benzema and Toni Kroos saw the ball switched to Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian worked it to Lucas to finish.

Ancelotti's Real Madrid now have a 17-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid, each with 33 games played. They are yet to be crowned champions, though, as Barcelona are on 60 points and have played two games fewer, while Sevilla in fourth have one point fewer than Atleti with one game in hand over both Madrid clubs.

Benzema frustrated by keeping heroics
Benzema entered Wednesday's LaLiga clash on a high following a sparkling run of form. Since the start of March he has smashed 13 goals for Madrid in just eight games, a streak that has sent 'Los Blancos' to the Champions League semi-finals and to the brink of the Primera Division title.

The veteran has also been deadly from the spot, converting nine and missing just two of the 11 penalties he had taken prior to the trip to Osasuna. Yet Herrera proved his equal, saving both efforts after 51 and 58 minutes to keep the hosts within a single goal - making him the first Liga player to err twice from the spot in a single game for 16 years.

David Alaba and Marco Asensio both scored in the first half for the title hopefuls, while Ante Budimir kept Osasuna in touch with his own early strike.

The semi-final second leg was closer than the scoreline suggested, but Inter ultimately were comfortable winners on aggregate after a goalless draw in the first fixture.

Simone Inzaghi's men will take on the winners of Wednesday's other semi-final, which Juventus lead 1-0 after the first leg, at the Stadio Olimpico on May 11th.

AC Milan remain without a major trophy since winning the 2011 Serie A title, but the Scudetto is still up for grabs this season.

Stefano Pioli's men lead Inter by two points in the table, although the reigning champions have a game in hand.

Inter Milan made a dream start on Tuesday as they struck inside the first four minutes.

Matteo Darmian's dinked cross found its way to Martinez, and the Argentinian slammed a volley into the top corner to score his 18th goal of the season in all competitions.

AC Milan eventually burst into life around the half-hour mark, with Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic having to make smart saves from Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers.

They almost levelled again twice in quick succession five minutes before half-time, as Ivan Perisic somehow scrambled the ball off the line with his chest, before Leao's effort was kept out by Handanovic's legs.

But Inter sprung straight up the other end to double their advantage against the run of play, as Joaquin Correa played a lovely through ball into the path of Martinez, who coolly chipped the ball over advancing goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Milan started the second half brightly, with the defence producing crucial blocks from attempts by Brahim Diaz, Olivier Giroud and Pierre Kalulu.

The Serie A leaders thought they had given themselves hope in the 66th minute through Ismael Bennacer's excellent long-range drive.

But the goal was disallowed by VAR due to Kalulu standing in front of Handanovic in an offside position.

Inter secured their place in the final with eight minutes remaining on the counter-attack, as Marcelo Brozovic crossed for substitute Robin Gosens to score.

Jurgen Klopp's men won 5-0 at Old Trafford in October and expectations of a similar rout were well-founded as Liverpool exposed the massive gulf between the sides with Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane also on target.

Liverpool move two points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, but still need the English champions to slip up in their remaining seven league games of the season to win the title.

In contrast to the fine margins separating Liverpool and City, a 22-point gap now lies between the league leaders and United in sixth with only Tottenham and Arsenal's own failings keeping the Red Devils in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.

United interim manager Ralf Rangnick forewarned what would happen to his side if they defended as they did in a 3-2 home win over bottom-of-the-table Norwich on Saturday.

The German's attempt to plug the holes in the United defence was a recall for Phil Jones, making just his second Premier League appearance since January 2020, as part of a back five.

But it took just five minutes for the visitors to be cut open.

Mane's through ball picked out Salah in acres of space and he found Diaz to apply a simple finish from close range.

Two minutes later the fierce rivalry between English football's two most successful clubs was set aside in a show of support for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar was missing for United after revealing on Monday that his newborn baby son had died. Supporters on all sides of Anfield stood for a minute's applause, while the Liverpool fans sang their own anthem "You'll never walk alone".

On the field, the one-way traffic continued with United barely able to get out of their own half.

The 37-year-old joined big-spending Vissel Kobe in Japan in 2018 after making more than 600 appearances for Barcelona, where he won the Champions League four times and scooped nine La Liga titles.

But the 2010 World Cup winner is now facing the possibility that he could become embroiled in a relegation battle for the first time in his storied career unless his side can quickly turn their season around.

Vissel have made a disastrous start to the J-League campaign and sit one spot off the foot of the table after failing to win in 10 games so far.

Iniesta has looked badly off the pace at times and suffered the indignity of being nutmegged in the build-up to an FC Tokyo goal last week as Vissel threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 3-1.

They fired manager Atsuhiro Miura last month and replaced him with Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Lotina, a man whose CV includes relegations with five different clubs in his home country.

"Where we've been coming up short is that we haven't been making the most of our chances and we haven't been able to see games out defensively either," Iniesta, who lifted 32 major trophies with Barcelona, said earlier this season.

"All we can do is keep looking for a win and keep trying to improve," said the midfielder, who turns 38 next month.

It was not supposed to be like this when he moved to the port city of Kobe in 2018 from Barcelona on a three-year deal worth a reported $30 million a year.

In May last year he signed a two-year extension for what will surely be his final contract as a player.

Robert Lewandowski is one of the candidates for the Barcelona striker, who wants to take advantage of the fact that he finishes his contract with Bayern in 2023 to get him at a cheaper price. After 'Mundo Deportivo' claimed that the 'Cules' have not yet negotiated with him, Gianluca di Marzio details what the Germans' demands would be.

The journalist specialising in the transfer window warns that the Germans will ask the Catalans for between 70 and 80 million euros. This is a figure that is a far cry from what the Spaniards had in mind to employ. The board, led by Joan Laporta, were hoping to talk with 30 million euros as a starting point.

Barcelona president and those close to him have already confirmed on several occasions that they do not intend to lose their heads for any player. If the Germans do not reduce their demands, there will be no progress in getting the Pole under the orders of Xavi Hernandez next season.

Moreover, Bayern's request fits with Oliver Kahn's words after the Champions League match against Villarreal. The team's CEO ruled out an exit for Lewandowski this summer and took it as read that he will remain in his squad until at least June next year.

Fabrizio Romano also reports on the situation
Fabrizio Romano, another journalist specialising in such matters in the world of football, has also provided an update on the deal. Via his Twitter profile, he indicates that, if Bayern do not offer him three more years on his contract, he will not agree to stay and will look for a way out this summer.

Reigning European champions Chelsea have been destabilised by the enforced sale of the club after the British government sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich for his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea's 3-1 defeat in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week followed a surprise 4-1 home defeat to Brentford in the Premier League, although Chelsea got back on track with a 6-0 thrashing of Southampton this weekend.

"It is one of the biggest challenges to perform away at the Bernabeu," Tuchel said. "It is even more difficult if you have to earn a certain result, if you need to win with a minimum of two goals or better or maybe a three-goal difference, that makes it almost impossible and very, very difficult but still it is worth trying. We need nothing else than a fantastic script if we want to overcome this," the German said.

"The task is incredibly high and the challenge is incredibly high given the circumstances of the first leg and where we play and against whom we play and at what stage we play this kind of match. It's always allowed to dream and it is sometimes important to imagine things and to dream about it but it will not shift the focus from the fact that we need to deliver and we need to be ready tomorrow."

Tuchel said he believed Chelsea face a "huge disadvantage" as 13-times European champions Real have been able to make five substitutions throughout their domestic season. He said he believes that difference was one of the reasons his players failed to show the physical edge to their game in the first leg when Karim Benzema dominated the Chelsea defence to score his second hat-trick of this season's competition.

"We face a huge disadvantage in terms of physicality because Real Madrid has a whole year with five changes and we play the most demanding league, we play the most matches throughout the season and throughout 2022 so it is not always easy to play a physical game," Tuchel said. "We are a team that needs the physicality, the sharpness, the commitment and the investment to be a special team. We could not implement that enough in the last match."

Five substitutions will be allowed in the Premier League from next season, something which was initially put in place following the return to action after the delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tuchel publicly criticised Chelsea's underachieving players following Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The German admitted holders Chelsea have no chance of progressing to the semi-finals and claimed his team's performances in that defeat and their 4-1 home loss against Brentford last Saturday were unacceptable.

As if that was not a strong enough message from a manager usually careful to be composed in front of the media, Tuchel called his squad together on Thursday to deliver another reality check ahead of Saturday's game at Southampton.

"It was not a discussion type of meeting, it was more that I gave my point of view and that's sometimes also necessary," Tuchel told reporters on Friday.

"We always take the players' view into account. But over the last two games we felt it was maybe necessary to give our point of view.

"It was behind closed doors in an atmosphere where everybody can take criticism."

Tuchel took off N'Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen at half-time against Real, having dropped Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Marcos Alonso and Ruben Loftus-Cheek following the Brentford debacle.

But Tuchel said he did not single out players for personal criticism in a meeting which included a focus on their recent defensive failings.

"We don't point fingers, we don't look for people who are guilty, we are in this together," he said.

"But we needed to point out some things in our game where we were not happy, but it was about the game.

"We looked into it and we talked to the team about it, to try to figure out how to improve and to stop this direction of travel as soon as possible.

"It's not like us at all to defend like this and that's why we didn't see it coming. It wasn't the case before the national break and it's not so easy because it doesn't fit into a pattern."

With their Champions League title defence all but over after Karim Benzema's hat-trick for Real, Tuchel's side must focus on qualifying for next season's tournament via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

They sit third at present, but are only five points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal.

To finish the season on a high, Tuchel said they must get back to the principles that made them European and Club World Cup champions.

"We lacked structure in the last game. Normally our big strength is that you can clearly see what we try to do and that was not the case," he said.

"We lacked intensity and investment in defending. After Brentford, and after Real Madrid, I felt like we gave a huge opportunity away.

"That's why we were not only disappointed, but also angry. And you know, for me it's best to say it like it is, don't hide."

Insisting he had no qualms about reading his players the riot act, Tuchel added: "I don't know if the meeting is a turning point.

"I think it's necessary so that the players understand it, if the manager is sometimes angry, I think I had some reasons, and I presented my reasons and from there on we go.

"Sometimes you have to handle things like this, it isn't amateur football."

Ronald Koeman will return to his former role as head coach of the Netherlands national team after the 2022 World Cup.

The former Barcelona boss will take over from Louis van Gaal, who revealed recently on Dutch TV show Humberto he has undergone 25 rounds of radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

The 70-year-old has continued to work and did not tell his players of his condition when the Netherlands squad got together in March for friendlies against Denmark and Germany.

However, Van Gaal will remain in charge for the tournament in Qatar, which takes place between November 21 and December 18, with Koeman resuming the role he left in 2020 after that.

The news was confirmed by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) on Wednesday.

"I am looking forward to the new collaboration," Koeman said. "A little over a year and a half ago, I certainly did not leave the Dutch national team out of dissatisfaction.

"My stay felt good, the results were good and the connection with the players was good. We will soon continue on that path, that is certain to me."

Carlo Ancelotti, Italian coach of Real Madrid has had coronavirus since last Wednesday. He again today tested positive for the virus and therefore, will not travel with his Real squad to London.

The manager of 'Los Blancos' is waiting to return a negative PCR test to at least be able to jet off to England on the same day of the match, and direct his team from the touchline on Wednesday evening at Stamford Bridge.

After not being able to lead all training sessions up to the Celta match, or travel to Vigo last Saturday, the club have their fingers crossed that Ancelotti will finally come back negative and things will return to normal. Despite the fact that the manager does not have any symptoms, as per the rules of the Real Madrid club doctors, he is still having to self isolate at home.

Ancelotti will not lead the early evening walk through session that the Real players will take part in at Chelsea's stadium this Tuesday. He remained in Madrid where he took another PCR test and awaits its result which should arrive on Wednesday morning. According to 'EFE' sources from the club, should the result come back negative, he will fly straight out to London to lead his team.