Real Madrid should allow Gareth Bale to leave on loan, says the club s former president Ramon Calderon.

Bale fell out of favour at Madrid after Zinedine Zidane returned for his second spell in charge in March.

But his lofty wages reportedly as high as £350,000 a week mean few clubs will likely be able to afford the Wales star.

Madrid have been spending heavily on reinforcements with France international Ferland Mendy their latest signing, the left-back joining Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Eder Militao in heading to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Manchester United have long been linked with a move for Bale, but reports suggest the Premier League side are no longer considering a move. 

Calderon therefore feels a loan deal could suit both Madrid and Bale,…

Eintracht Frankfurt took a significant step towards the Europa League final with another impressive away win, beating West Ham 2-1 at London Stadium in their semi-final first leg.

The Bundesliga side had beaten Barcelona away from home to reach this stage and showed why they had caused the Blaugrana such problems in their latest exciting attacking display that featured the earliest ever Europa League semi-final goal.

That Ansgar Knauff header after 50 seconds was cancelled out by Michail Antonio later in the first half, but Frankfurt were firmly on top following the restart.

Daichi Kamada tapped in what proved to be the winner on the night, with Jarrod Bowen almost stealing a draw when an audacious acrobatic effort cannoned off the crossbar in injury time leaving…

When asked about a potential move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer in an interview with Le Figaro, Paul Pogba refused to rule it out. He made it perfectly clear his intention is to win trophies again, and also questioned his own role at Manchester United.

At Manchester United, do I really have a role? I ask myself this question and I do not have an answer, he said.

The France international will be out of contract at the end of the season, and it seems his time with the 20-time English champions has reached its final stretch. Having joined the club from Juventus in 2016 for around €100 million, he s set to leave for free. In all competitions, the 29-year-old midfielder has so far made 229 appearances in all competitions, scoring 39 goals and providing 51 assists for…

Atletico Nacional have called on CONMEBOL to award Chapecoense the Copa Sudamericana after a plane crash claimed the lives of most of the Brazilian club s squad and staff.

Chapecoense were travelling to Medellin for the first leg of their final against the Colombian club when their plane came down in Cerro Gordo in the municipality of La Union.

At least 75 people on board were killed, with six individuals including players Alan Ruschel, Jackson Follmann and Neto named by the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority as survivors.

CONMEBOL suspended all activities in the wake of the news, but Nacional have called on the governing body to act and hand the Brazilians who played fourth-tier football as recently as 2009 a first major title.

A club statement read: …

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed extraordinary star Marco Verratti as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Verratti signed a new five-year deal with PSG on Wednesday, having established himself as an integral member of the Ligue 1 champions since arriving in 2012.

The Italy international, who will remain in Paris until 2024, has won six Ligue 1 titles and 22 trophies in total following his transfer from Pescara.

Tuchel lauded the 26-year-old as a coach s dream ahead of Friday s trip to bottom side Dijon.

The club is pleased to announce the extension of Marco Verratti s contract for additional seasons.

The Italian midfielder, who will turn 27 next Tuesday, is now signed through June 30, 2024 

— Paris Saint-Germai…

French striker Karim Benzema is in line for a new long-term contract at Real Madrid, .

The experienced forward has a deal until June 2019 at Santiago Bernabeu, and he will be offered an extension for two or three years.

This may come as a surprise considering that Benzema’s performances this season have not been of the highest standard, with the 29-year-old having scored mere 5 league goals so far.

But, even though everybody at the club knows he needs to do better, the Frenchman is seen as a valuable member of the squad and is expected to remain at Real Madrid for years to come.

Karim Benzema had joined los Blancos in a mega money deal from Lyon back in 2009 and he went on to score 116 goals in 230 La Liga appearances for the Spanish giants, winning on…

Juventus youngster Samuel Iling-Junior has signed a new contract with the Serie A giants through to the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The 19-year-old made his senior debut for the Bianconeri in October s 4-0 league win over Empoli and has since made two further appearances in all competitions.

Iling-Junior, who was part of Chelsea s academy before joining Juve in September 2020, has assisted two goals in his three first-team outings – including one in a Champions League meeting with Benfica.

Juve confirmed on their official website on Monday that the England Under-20 international has agreed fresh terms.

Iling-Junior s previous contract had been due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Samuel Iling-Junior extends his contract until 2025,…

Thailand head coach Milovan Rajevac is motivated by his team s status as Group A outsiders ahead of their Asian Cup opener against India.

Twelve years on from their previous campaign at the continental showpiece, Thailand head into the tournament having been dethroned as AFF Cup holders – the Southeast Asian competition they claimed in 2014 and 2016.

Thailand s common problem of being overly strong in their region and not strong enough in the continent at large is one former Ghana boss Rajevac has been keen to address by prioritising this tournament.

The 65-year-old Serbian tactician has sought to bring a more pragmatic edge to Thailand s play but observed their weaknesses were made obvious in a 2-0 friendly loss to Oman this week.

Nevertheless, 2010 W…

Lokomotiv Moscow missed a chance to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar for €10million as a teenager, the club s former president Nikolai Naumov has claimed.

Neymar became the most expensive footballer in history last August when he left Barcelona for PSG in a deal which cost the Ligue 1 giants €222m.

The Brazil international had long established himself as one of the world s best – and most marketable – footballers, coming to prominence with Santos in his homeland before seamlessly developing into a star alongside Lionel Messi at Barca.

But the trajectory of his career could have been different had Lokomotiv followed up on their initial interest after seeing him play against their youth team as a 16-year-old during the 2008 edition of the Mediterranean …

Best odds: 12/25

Bookmaker:

After a dominant two-legged victory over Hibernian, Aston Villa is set to travel to Anfield for a Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday. Aston Villa sealed an 8-0 aggregate triumph over the Scottish side during the week to claim a spot in the group stage of the Europa Conference League.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp s team, despite playing with 10 men, secured a 2-1 victory against Newcastle United last weekend, much to the surprise of the St James Park crowd.

Liverpool

A red card in the first half during the clash between Newcastle and Liverpool, similar to what occurred last year, threatened to banish one team s hopes of victory at St James Park. Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a last-man foul on Alexander Isak, and L…