Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has exchanged messages with Mario Gotze after the Borussia Dortmund playmaker was diagnosed with a metabolic disorder.
Gotze has not played in any of Dortmund s last six matches due to muscular problems and internal tests carried out by the club revealed the presence of a metabolic issue.
The Germany international was a key figure in the Dortmund side that won consecutive Bundesliga titles under Klopp in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
And Klopp has made contact with his former player, telling a media conference ahead of Liverpool s meeting with Arsenal on Saturday: Yes, we are in touch. We were always in touch.
I m in touch with a lot of my former players. With a situation like this then of course we exchange little messages.
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Edinson Cavani may have signed a new Paris Saint-Germain contract in April, but he is open to returning to Napoli later in his career as he has a deep love for the club.
Cavani, whose brace against Bastia in a 5-0 Ligue 1 victory on Saturday took his tally to 47 goals in all competitions for PSG this season, played for Napoli between 2010 and 2013.
With 128 goals for PSG, Cavani is closing in on Zlatan Ibrahimovic s club record of 156, but the Uruguay international is already thinking of his next move.
I am very attached to my country, my home, my family, my habits and the places where I grew up as a child are things that I miss so much, Cavani told Sky Sport Italia. I always say there is no day which I do not think of my country, my home, my family.
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Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock thinks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer absolutely stands a chance of landing the Manchester United job on a full-time basis after replacing Jose Mourinho in an interim capacity.
Solskjaer begins his United reign away to Cardiff – whom he coached in 2014 – on Saturday at the end of a hectic week at the Old Trafford club.
Mourinho was dismissed on Tuesday, two days after a 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool, leaving United 19 points behind the Premier League pacesetters.
United have borrowed Solskjaer from Norwegian club Molde until the end of the campaign, with the view to conducting a thorough recruitment process for Mourinho s long-term successor in the meantime.
Solskjaer on if he wants job long term:
When you get…
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno dreams of a transfer to Real Madrid as he looks to take the next step in his career.
The 25-year-old has become one of Leverkusen s undisputed star players since joining the club from Stuttgart in 2011 and he was linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this campaign after impressing in the Champions League.
Leno has a contract with his current club until June 2020, but he has acknowledged it would be hard to turn down Madrid if the Spanish champions were to approach him.
It is now my goal to become one of the best goalkeepers around in Europe, Leno told T-Online.
We are regularly playing European football with Leverkusen, but it remains my dream to one day play for a major club abroad.
And Real…
Hertha Berlin have announced head coach Pal Dardai will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 43-year-old, who is the club s record appearance maker, took over the reins in February 2015 on an interim basis and his appointment was made permanent three months later.
He guided the club to seventh- and sixth-place finishes during his first two full Bundesliga seasons in charge but could only steer them to 10th last term.
A run of five straight defeats this campaign has left them languishing in 11th, 12 points adrift of the European qualification places.
My years in charge of Hertha Berlin have been very intense and eventful. I m thankful for this chance and I m proud of what we ve achieved during this time, Dardai said in a statement on the club s…
According to Mundo Deportivo, Jordi Alba is set to hold talks with Barcelona over a new contract with the club. The 29-year-old has been with Barca since back in 2012, with his current deal being set to run until 2020. He ll likely be disappointed by the fact that he wasn t announced to be a part of Spain s first post-World Cup squad, but a new contract with the Spanish giants could still be a huge moment in his career.
Alba is an extremely gifted defender, and as he moves into his thirties, it ll be interesting to see how much Barca value him and his durability. In the Spanish league he ll probably be able to find success regardless of how old he is, and while we do believe that he could be successful anywhere around Europe if he s given the opportunity, you can see how much p…
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo is backing Spain to beat Italy in Saturday s crucial World Cup qualifying match and described captain Sergio Ramos as the best defender in the world right now .
The 2010 World Cup winners are top of Group G on goal difference, having conceded one goal fewer and scored three more than second-placed Italy.
A late Daniele De Rossi equaliser denied Spain victory in the corresponding fixture in October 2016, when Vitolo netted first in a 1-1 draw, but a win over the Azzurri at Santiago Bernabeu would make Julen Lopetegui s side firm favourites to top the group and leave Italy hoping to qualify via the play-offs.
Spain are the favourites, but not by much, Ronaldo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The only advantage is they are playin…
LaLiga has spoken out against FIFA over plans to reshape the structure of the 2026 World Cup into four-team groups.
Football s governing body had originally intended to have 16 groups of three teams after expanding from 32 to 48 nations for the tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
However, following the Qatar 2022 edition, plans to maintain the current four-team system resurfaced and have now been rubber-stamped at FIFA s annual congress.
The decision has enraged LaLiga however, with the competition set to expand to 104 games from 64.
LaLiga has also objected to plans for a new international club tournament, which will join an expanded Club World Cup on the football calendar. The latter is due to take place every four years s…
According to recent reports over in Italy, Inter Milan are interested in bringing in Massimiliano Allegri to replace Luciano Spalletti in the summer transfer window. Allegri is on the verge of winning the Serie A title once again with Juventus, who are considered to be the powerhouses of Italian football – and Allegri has played a big role in that.
Beppe Marotta, the club’s CEO, is very interested in bringing Allegri to Inter, who are currently attempting to battle their way into the Champions League spots. Allegri, who began his run with The Old Lady back in 2014, has been heavily linked with a move away from the club for quite some time now. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ve got Spalletti, who also seems set to leave at the end of the current campaign.
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti made no secret of his desire to coach Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani amid reports linking the Uruguayan with a return to Stadio San Paolo.
Cavani enjoyed three of his best seasons at Napoli, netting 78 Serie A goals to establish himself as one of Europe s most feared marksmen, ultimately earning a reported €64million switch to PSG in 2013.
Although 19 league goals was the most he managed in a single season during his first three years in France, Cavani stepped things up a notch in 2016-17 with 35 strikes and he has been similarly lethal ever since.
But, amid suggestions of a fractious relationship with Neymar, speculation has hinted Cavani could be allowed to leave.
Media reports indicate Napoli as being among th…