SPARK OB

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted at a summer move away from Real Madrid and his mother would prefer a return to Manchester United over a switch to Paris Saint-Germain . Having helped the Blancos to a third successive Champions League crown, the Portuguese went on to refer to his time at the Santiago Bernabeu in the past tense . Transfer talk was immediately sparked, with Ronaldo offering contradictory messages regarding his future since then to keep the rumour mill ticking over . Few clubs would be willing to put a deal in place were the exit doors to be opened in Spain, with only those with the deepest pockets capable of pulling off such a coup. United and PSG would form part of that exclusive club and Dolores Aveiro has suggested to her son that a second stint at Old Trafford should be taken in if he really does want a fresh start. She told SFR Sport prior to Ronaldo’s exit hint in Kiev: “I like Paris. I go there now and again. “The last time was with my son when he won the Ballon D’Or. ...

Manchester United have become “slow, pragmatic, boring and dated” under Jose Mourinho, claims former Red Devils winger Lee Sharpe. The Red Devils have won few admirers for their brand of football since seeing the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson slip into retirement. David Moyes oversaw a humbling fall from grace, while Louis van Gaal was considered to be far too conservative for the Old Trafford faithful. Mourinho has put United back into contention for major honours, but he too has been accused of favouring a defensive mindset which stands in stark contrast to the attacking philosophies being embraced at arch rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. Sharpe told PA Sport on the club’s current position, with silverware having eluded them in 2017-18: “For me it was a pretty disappointing season and not entertaining enough. “There are clubs with certain identities and United have never been a 1-0 team that sits back and rests on its laurels. “You’ve got the blue side of Manchester under Pep [Gua...

Super Eagles defender, Kenneth Omeruo, has made it clear he would not leave Chelsea to go on loan again. Omeruo, in an interview with ACL Sports, admitted he was tired of moving from one club to another every transfer window. According to the 24-year-old, he is read to stay or leave Stamford Bridge permanently this summer. Omeruo joined the Blues in January 2012 as a teenager and was loaned out to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag immediately. He has been out for four further loan spells since then, the last ending this month in Turkey. “One thing I don’t want is to go on loan again. “It’s been too much! It is either I am back to Chelsea to stay and play or I need a home, I need a permanent place to really focus and play,” Omeruo said.

Manchester City are in advanced talks to sign Napoli midfielder, Jorginho, according to Sky Italy. City have reportedly made an offer of around £40m for the 26-year-old, but the Serie A side are demanding at least £44m. Jorginho, who has two years left on his current deal, has made 36 appearances for Napoli this season, scoring three goals. He also netted against City in the Champions League in November. The Italian’s agent has previously said the player will join the Premier League champions, if they can reach a deal this summer. Jorginho’s agent Joao Santos said: “Jorginho is still under contract but if Napoli finds an agreement with City, the player will go to Manchester. “Finding an agreement with the English club will not be a problem considering the importance of the team. “But, I repeat, that will depend on the decisions of Napoli as the player is tied for another two years. “City are the champions of England and are one of the top European clubs. If Napoli and City find a solut...

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has spoken about his team suffering from possible burnout, because of travelling a lot during the last phase of preparation for the 2018 World Cup. The Nigerian squad regrouped on Monday, May 21 at Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, where they spent six days. They later moved to Port Harcourt on Saturday, May 26 where they faced the Democratic Republic of Congo in a friendly on Monday, May 28. Rohr then led his stars to Abuja on Tuesday, where they were expected to meet with the country’s President, a meeting subsequently postponed till Wednesday. “You know that young people like to move; and when you move all the time, you can learn some things and you’re not bored. “If you’re in the same place for three weeks, it can be frustrating so I think it is interesting (especially for those based in Europe) to see how the passion in the country is and how the expectations of Nigerians are and to have contact with the fans. “I think that it is interesting not ...

Former Super Eagles handler, Samson Siasia has stated that forward, Moses Simon will be a big miss for Gernot Rohr’s side if he misses out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia due to injury. Simon who plays for Belgian Jupiler League side, Gent, has been ruled out of the tournament because of injury . “Let’s wait for the final list first before arguing this,” Siasia told CSN. “But if he is left out, he will be a big miss for the team. He brings a different attacking quality to the team,” he added. Simon scored one goal and provided two assists for Rohr’s side as they qualified for their sixth FIFA World Cup from a group that had Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia. Nigeria played a 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Monday evening at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt. The three times African champions will play against England on June 2 at Wembley, before facing Czech Republic in their final pre-World Cup game in Austria on 6 June.

Nigeria star Ahmed Musa has called on his team-mates to take revenge on Argentina for beating them in the last World Cup when they meet in this season’s tournament. The two nations are drawn in the same World Cup finals group for the second time in a row and will again meet in their final game of the round in Russia. The game proved decisive last time as a Lionel Messi double cancelled out Musa’s strikes before Marcos Rojo netted a winner to see the Albiceleste finish top of the group, while Nigeria finished second and crashed out against France in the next round. Excited to return to the big stage and come up against Messi and Co. again, Musa feels his side may have extra motivation, although he insists their opener against Croatia is the most important game. “Nigeria are younger and, I hope, better than [we were] in Brazil. At that World Cup, I scored two goals vs Argentina, we lost 3-2, but both progressed,” Musa told Goal. “I wouldn’t mind if that happened again in Russia. But also...

There are rumours that Ronaldo who is open to a move to the English Premier League is sad about Manchester United’s lack of interest in him. Cristiano Ronaldo has apparently been left very disappointed at Manchester United for their failure to go all out to sign him, Don Balon reports. The Real Madrid star caused a stir with his post-match comments after the Champions League final having suggested he may not be staying with Los Blancos. And he is reportedly not happy with United for not pushing hard to bring him back to Old Trafford, with the club unable to match his €50 million (£44m/$58m) wage demands. In other news, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho fears his club may be priced out of signing Gareth Bale because of a massive £335 million (€384m/$446m) cost of doing business, according to the Mirror. After Bale’s Champions League winning display, Real Madrid want £200m (€229m/$266m) for the Wales international, who then would require another £135m (€155m/$180m) in total wages o...

Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has admitted their game against Nigeria in the 2018 World Cup will be difficult, because both teams have a history of tough matches. The paths of the Super Eagles and La Albiceleste will cross for the fifth time at the World Cup in Russia. Argentina have won their previous four encounters at the tournament. Their last meeting was in a friendly game last year when Gernot Rohr’s men came from 2-0 down to win 4-2. “We have to take it match by match,” Messi said in an interview with Pasión por el Fútbol. “Starting off with a win is important because it’ll then make us calmer. It’s not an easy group. Iceland showed in the Euros that they can go up against anyone. “Croatia has a very good midfield and if you let them, they’ll control the ball all match long. They have Spain’s style. And it always costs us when we play Nigeria.”

t has emerged how Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp secretly met with Brazilian midfielder, Fabinho and convinced him to join Liverpool over Manchester United or any of the European giants. The Merseysiders moved on quickly from their Champions League final heartbreak by announcing the arrival of Fabinho from Monaco in a deal worth around £44m on Monday night. Yahoo Sport reports that the club have been working on the transfer for weeks with Klopp even speaking to Fabinho. Jose Mourinho, who shares agent Jorge Mendes with Fabinho , was among the suitors and tried to sign Fabinho last summer, though Monaco were then not ready to let the player go. Fabinho has scored 29 goals in his three seasons in Monaco despite being a holding midfielder. He also spoke with fellow Brazilian, Roberto Firmino about moving to Anfield. Fabinho told Liverpool’s website, “We spoke a bit more about how the city was, about the infrastructure of the club, the city and we also spoke about the coaches and how they...