Chelsea, Galatasaray vie for Turan

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says manager Tony Pulis has the final word on transfer business at the club.

Local businessman Coates said he has queried purchases in the past specifically the signing of Peter Crouch for 10 million pounds in 2011 from Tottenham but has always been supportive of Pulis vision.

Crouch had recently turned 30 when he joined the Britannia Stadium outfit and has since gone on to score 20 goals in 67 appearances for the club, but Coates was wary of the limited re-sale value of the striker.

I never liked that deal financially, but I did that to support the manager, Coates told the Daily Mirror.

I did question the deal financially because it was a lot of money.

If you buy a player at the latter end of his career it s c…

Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe are set for spells on the sidelines after sustaining injuries against Montpellier at the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed.

Defender Kimpembe went off after 18 minutes after suffering an injury to his left hamstring and is unlikely to return to training until early January.

Gueye lasted seven minutes longer than his team-mate and should return to training within 10 to 12 days after also sustaining a left hamstring injury.

There is better news for Marco Verratti and Edinson Cavani, however.

 The schedule for the week!

11/12
15/12

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)

Verratti has missed his side s past two games with a thigh problem but resumed full training on Monday, whi…

Antonio Conte was rueful regarding Inter s poor finishing in Tuesday s costly 2-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona but insisted he had no complaints after elimination from the competition.

Inter needed to at least match Borussia Dortmund s result against Slavia Prague, but the Germans claimed a 2-1 victory and the Nerazzurri did not do enough in San Siro.

Despite early dominance and a flurry of chances, Inter found themselves trailing in the 23rd minute when Carles Perez swept home in composed fashion.

Romelu Lukaku equalised before half-time, but he was otherwise wasteful and Ansu Fati, 17, secured Barca the three points four minutes from time to become the youngest Champions League scorer in history.

Conte acknowledged Inter had enough clear-cut opp…

Various reports are suggesting incoming manager Jose Mourinho will look to axe Antonio Valencia among others this summer, but such claims might be premature when considering how his strengths match the demands Mourinho has of his places.

The Ecuadorian international boasts high levels of industry and physical strength that may see him staying at Old Trafford past the summer.

Frequently puts the ball into dangerous areas

Antonio Valencia’s biggest strength is undoubtedly how often he whips the ball into the danger zones in games. His crosses don’t always amount to created chances, but he gives his side the best chance of conjuring a goal by testing the opposition backline as much as possible. 2014/15 saw Valencia put in 120 crosses into the box.

…

Former Sunderland director of football Roberto De Fanti has defended his player recruitment during his brief time at the club.

Roberto De Fanti, the former director of football at Sunderland, has defended the work he carried out during his time at the Stadium of Light.

De Fanti was appointed by chairman Ellis Short prior to the 2013-14 season, but a tumultuous campaign followed and head coach Paolo Di Canio departed in September. 

The likes of Cabral, Valentin Roberge and Charis Mavrias all arrived amid an influx of signings under De Fanti, with many of the fresh faces failing to make a positive impact.

De Fanti was subsequently sacked in January 2014, but he insists he holds no ill-feeling towards Sunderland.

For me it was an incredible…

Raymond Domenech will remain coach of the France team, according to the president of the French Football Federation, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, putting an end to recent speculation over his future after an indifferent start to the World Cup qualifying campaign.

Escalettes revealed that 19 out 20 members of the FFF s federal council had voted to keep Domenech on board.

Domenech took over the reins of Les Bleus in 2004 and the 56-year-old, who had previously coached the youth side, led the French to the World Cup final in 2006, where they bowed out to Italy on penalties.

However, a dreadful Euro 2008 campaign the French failed to get out of the group stage brought calls for his head and an inept loss to Austria at the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers only in…

Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan has taken a step closer to a move to German giants Bayern Munich after impressing coach Jurgen Klinsmann on his 10-day trial in the south German city.

Landon is a player who bring all sorts of qualities, he has developed into one of the top players in North America and Mexico, said Klinsmann, who was a technical advisor at Galaxy before he took over as Bayern coach on July 1.

On Tuesday, Donovan was named US football s Player of the Year for the fifth time, the same day he started a ten-day trial with Bayern while his United States club Galaxy are on their annual winter break.

Having struggled to impress on his last sojourn to the Bundesliga when he had a brief spell at Bayer Leverkusen, Donovan said he is enjoying hi…

The Daily Star understands that Chelsea are ready to join the race to sign Samuel Umtiti from Barcelona.

The news comes days after Manchester United were linked with a move for the full-back and the Red Devils are favourites to secure his services.

However the reigning Premier League champions have thrown their hat into the ring as they look to strengthen their squad following a poor defense to their championship.

Lionel Messi is among those keen for the twenty-four to remain at the Nou Camp though Barca chiefs are reluctant to meet his wage demands leaving the door open for potential suitors to agree a deal should they meet his £53m release clause.

Umtiti moved to the La Liga giants from Lyon in the summer of 2016 and has since racked up seventy-fo…

Antonio Nocerino hopes Antonio Conte returns to coach Italy as the celebrated football nation attempts to pick up the pieces after their failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Football s showpiece international tournament will be staged without four-time champions Italy for the first time since 1958 following November s embarrassing play-off defeat to Sweden.

Gian Piero Ventura was sacked after the shock 1-0 play-off loss, with Italy Under-21 coach Luigi Di Biagio appointed on a caretaker basis for this month s international friendlies against Argentina and England.

Chelsea boss Conte, who oversaw Italy s run to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, is on the shortlist to replace Ventura, while Zenit s Roberto Mancini and former Bayern Munich head coach Carlo Ancelotti ha…

Championship club Burley have moved to deter potential suitors by placing a £7 million price tag on striker Charlie Austin, according to .

The club are keen to keep hold of their prize asset, who has scored 40 league goals since becoming previous manager Eddie Howe’s first signing back in 2011.

Twenty-four of those goals came last season, helping his side to eleventh place in the table, missing out on the play-offs by just seven points.

Aston Villa and Hull City have recently shown an interest in the former Swindon Town man, though they will need to pay a similar figure to what Southampton paid the Clarets for Jay Rodriguez a year ago.

Burnley co-chairman Mike Garlick remained coy on the situation, telling the Lancashire Telegraph: “He is a Burn…