Cesar Azpilicueta says he is flattered by reported interest from Barcelona but wants to continue playing for Chelsea.

The Spain international has become a key figure at Stamford Bridge since moving from Marseille in 2012, this season switching from his natural full-back position to feature in a three-man defence.

While Azpilicueta s performances in both roles have led to speculation of a bid from LaLiga giants Barca, he is determined to simply carry on his current fine form for the Premier League leaders.

It s flattering to be linked to Barcelona: it means you re playing well, he told The Guardian. I wasn t hearing those sort of stories last season. That s a consequence of us being top of the Premier League, things are going well.

My objective since I a…

Espanyol have made an approach to sign Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes,.

The thirty-three year old is expected to leave Old Trafford in January after being frozen out by manager Louis van Gaal.

Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for the former Barcelona man, who has made just two appearances for the Red Devils since signing for them in January.

The North East outfit are on the lookout for a new shot-stopper after losing first choice Tim Krul for the rest of the season due to the Dutchman picking up a cruciate knee injury.

During his time at Barcelona, Valdes won a whole host of major honours including six league titles, two Copa del Reys and three Champions Leagues while internationally he was part of the Spain squads that …

Raphael Varane believes France team-mate Paul Pogba would be a fantastic addition if he joined Real Madrid.

Pogba, 26, has been heavily linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this off-season, but the midfielder remains at Manchester United.

Varane, whose team s pre-season struggles continued with a 1-0 loss to Tottenham at the Audi Cup on Tuesday, would welcome Pogba to Madrid.

I think we have a team. Pogba is a good player, I know him very well. For any team he would be fantastic, the defender said.

I trust my team-mates. If new players come, we ll see. I trust my team-mates.

Madrid have lost three of their four pre-season games, with their only victory coming over Arsenal on penalties at the International Champions Cup.

 FT: 0-…

Arsene Wenger believes Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta has the qualities required to succeed him at Arsenal.

Wenger is leaving Arsenal after 22 years at the club, with former Gunners captain Arteta said to be the front-runner for the post.

Talks are reportedly due to be held between Arsenal and Arteta on Thursday, with Pep Guardiola having confirmed he will allow the Spaniard to leave City, should the 36-year-old be offered the job.

And Wenger has given his backing to Arteta as the next manager of Arsenal, who missed out on Champions League qualification for the second year in a row and lost in the semi-finals of the Europa League.

He has all the qualities to do the job, yes and I think as well he is one of the favourites, Wenger told beIN SPORTS.

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With England s top-tiers returning from the international break this weekend, we have a stacked Friday afternoon schedule on our hands. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Friday flutter, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Friday 2nd April

BST 12:30 Notts County vs Wrexham 

Although Wrexham might have only just hung onto their National League status last season, the Welsh outfit are enjoying a real purple patch. Now under superstar new ownership, The Reds have a Football League return at the top of their agenda this time around. Sat in pole position to secure a play-off finish this year, they were last seen putting on another eye-catching display. Eventually cruising their way to what was a thumping…

Thibaut Courtois does not believe he is given enough recognition for his performances at Real Madrid in comparison to his time at Atletico Madrid.

After a difficult start to his Madrid career upon joining from Chelsea in 2018, Courtois has been one of Los Blancos most consistent performers over the past two seasons.

He has kept 11 clean sheets in LaLiga this term – only Atletico s Jan Oblak has more with 12 – while no keeper has more shutouts (29) in the competition since the start of 2019-20, level with Oblak.

Courtois has been regularly praised by boss Zinedine Zidane for his game-saving heroics, but the 28-year-old does not believe his achievements are fully appreciated by everyone, particularly in his homeland.

The Belgium international, who spe…

Lionel Messi will extend his contract with Paris Saint-Germain after the World Cup, according to president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

The Argentina superstar is out of contract at the end of the season and it has been reported during the tournament in Qatar that he had already agreed to terms to move to MLS, where he would join Inter Miami.

Those links have since been downplayed, however, with Messi not set to make a decision on his future until after the World Cup, where Argentina are preparing for a quarter-final showdown against the Netherlands.

Al-Khelaifi is optimistic his two-year spell at Parc des Princes will be extended as, when suggested by Sky Sports that Messi wants to stay in the French capital for longer, he said: Definitely. He s very happy, you can see t…

Comoros put in a tremendous performance despite being without a recognised goalkeeper and having 10 men for most of the game, as they succumbed to a narrow 2-1 loss to hosts Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16. 

After booking their place in the knockouts with a famous win over Ghana, Comoros fairytale quickly turned into a nightmare when a coronavirus outbreak in their camp left them without a keeper for the clash with Cameroon. 

Back-up option Ali Ahamada returned a negative result on Monday but was not authorised to play by CAF, meaning defender Chaker Alhadhur had to be deployed between the posts. 

The task facing Les Coelacantes was made even more daunting inside seven minutes when they lost their captain Nadjim Abdou, who was shown…

Premier League leaders Arsenal will be wary of a buoyant Hull City side ahead of Wednesday s meeting at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have stormed to the top of the table with 10 wins from 13 matches this season, their latest triumph coming at Cardiff City on Saturday.

Star midfielder Aaron Ramsey scored twice on that occasion as Arsenal won 3-0 to maintain a four-point advantage over second-placed Chelsea.

Ramsey has now netted 13 times in all competitions for Arsene Wenger s side this season, and his efforts have undoubtedly helped France striker Olivier Giroud, who has had to bear the brunt of the workload up front all season.

Big-money signing Mesut Ozil laid on two assists at Cardiff in a continuation of his fine form, while Arsenal s mean defence is now the…

Lionel Messi gives Argentina a special advantage , says Nicolas Tagliafico, as La Albiceleste prepare for their World Cup semi-final with Croatia.

Lionel Scaloni s side are two wins away from Qatar 2022 glory, having shrugged off a shock opening loss against Saudi Arabia to battle their way to the last four.

Captain Messi has won virtually all other major honours possible, and in likely his final World Cup with his country, is out to complete his collection.

Tagliafico credits the veteran forward as the driving factor both for and behind their run to within 90 minutes of the final, stating he fires his team-mates on to greater heights.

He s always been like this, he stated. For us, he is our captain, our leader, the one who pushes us and motivates us.