Visit Lille 48 hours before or after matches and it s hard to know Euro 2016 is taking place. The city is still bustling, vibrant, from the old town s cobbled walkways to the nightclub district of Rue de Solferino, but football shirts and flags disappear from view.

Something is stirring this week, though. A handful of Lille OSC strips are dotted around the streets, stickers cropping up at metro stations. A hero is quietly coming home.

For Eden Hazard, this tournament has been building towards this moment. The Belgium captain showed jolts of his electric best in the 4-0 dispatch of Hungary in the last 16, knowing that a quarter-final back in the city where he began his professional career was on the horizon.

I was really motivated to go through,  he said. It w…

Chelsea keen on Nico Gaitan

Premier League champions Chelsea are considering summer move for Benfica star Nicolas Gaitan, .

The Blues are not exactly spoilt for options in the final third and with Juan Cuadrado failing to prove his worth at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho is expected to add another attacking midfielder to his ranks in the summer.

According to A Bola, the Portuguese manager is seriously thinking about recruiting Benfica s Nicolas Gaitan, who looks ready to leave the Eagles for a top European club this summer.

La Liga high flyers Valencia are also casting admiring glances towards the player who has a €35 million release clause in his deal.

Since joining the club from Boca Juniors, Nicolas Gaitan has managed 30 goals and 67 assists…

Sergio Aguero will miss Manchester City s Premier League match against Cardiff City and is a doubt for Saturday s FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Aguero was substituted before the hour during Saturday s 2-0 win over Fulham, having earlier dispatched his 29th goal of the season in all competitions.

Speaking at a pre-match news conference, Guardiola did not disclose the nature of Aguero s injury but he is not willing to risk the 30-year-old as City enter a pivotal phase of their battle for honours on all fronts – including the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final at Tottenham in seven days time.

He didn t train the last two days – tomorrow he is not able, the Catalan said ahead of a match where victory would see his team retake the…

The transfer market continues to move all over Europe and this Wednesday, some shocking news came from the German Bundesliga. Reigning champions Bayern Munich have sold their star centre-back, Mats Hummels to Borussia Dortmund, his former side and from where they acquired him in 2016.

The 30-year-old central defender previously spent eight years with Dortmund before joining rivals Bayern in 2016. But now, Die Roten have sent Hummels back to his former side. Per several reports, the deal was worth €38 million (£33.8m/$42.5m).

The timing of the transfer and the whole move seems to be quite puzzling. At least from Bayern’s point of view. There’s no question why Dortmund decided to bring Hummels back. The former Germany international might not be one of the world’s…

Manchester City’s dreams of retaining the Champions League were shattered after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid.

Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed from the spot as City were beaten 4-3 on penalties after their pulsating quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.

Rodrygo had given Real an early lead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium but City otherwise dominated and, after creating a host of chances, finally made it 1-1 on the night through Kevin De Bruyne in the 76th minute.

De Bruyne spurned a good chance to win the tie in normal time and Erling Haaland had earlier hit the crossbar but it was the competition’s record 14-time winners who ultimately prevailed.

It was harsh on City, who had immediately set out their stall…

Jude Bellingham can take the World Cup by storm with his unbelievable talent, according to England team-mate Luke Shaw and Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

At the age of 19, Bellingham could be handed a prized England midfield berth in Gareth Southgate s starting XI at the Qatar finals.

The teenager s development at Dortmund has been so great he was handed the chance to captain the team last month, when Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were unavailable.

Having begun his career at Birmingham City, Bellingham has built on his early promise while in Germany, where he is flourishing in his third season.

Left-back Shaw, who scored for England in last year s European Championship final, has seen young players come and go during his England career.

…

Wayne Rooney has revealed he would consider a move to MLS when his time at Manchester United comes to an end.

Rooney signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal with United in February 2014 and is on course to break the goalscoring records for both club and country in the upcoming campaign.

But, speaking ahead of United s pre-season fixtures in the International Champions Cup, he told the Seattle Times that he would consider following in the footsteps of former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the future.

I m obviously concentrating on Manchester United, [but] when that time comes, that ll be something I d think about,  said United and England captain Rooney, whose brother John made 14 appearances in MLS for New York Red Bulls and Orlan…

Manchester City have rewarded Kevin De Bruyne for his sensational form by handing him a new five-year contract, the club have announced.

De Bruyne s previous deal was not due to expire until 2021, but his increasing importance to Pep Guardiola s side has encouraged City to offer him fresh terms.

The Belgium international signed from Wolfsburg in August 2015 for a reported £55million and has since established himself as one of the most important figures at the Etihad Stadium.

De Bruyne led the Premier League with 18 assists last season, a number he could well replicate this term having managed 10 in 24 top-flight matches.

GET EXCITED! has today signed a new contract at the Club!

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— Manchester City (@ManCity)

The 26-yea…

Bundesliga outfit Schalke have confirmed the signing of Germany Under-21 international striker Cedric Teuchert from Bundesliga 2 side Nuremberg.

The 20-year-old forward is set to join his new teammates at training camp in Spain following a medical.

Teuchert agreed on a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Gelsenkirchen club who are reinforcing their squad and enhancing their options upfront in case any of the wantaway stars – Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka – end up leaving the club in January.

Cedric Teuchert is described as a courageous striker who isn’t afraid of a duel and a player with a nose for goal.

The Coburg-born striker made his debut for Nuremberg as a 17-year-old in 2014. He has represented Germany throughout all youth levels from the Under…

Best odds: 8/11

Bookmaker:

Liverpool are set to travel to Amsterdam where they will face Ajax in the opening round of the 2020/21 Champions League group stages on Wednesday evening at the Johan Cruyff Arena. The man whose name the stadium bears scored three goals the last time these teams met in a competitive game, back in 1966/67.

Ajax and Liverpool have been drawn in Group D of UEFA s elite club competition, together with Italian side Atalanta and Danish champions Midtjylland, who play each other at the MCH Arena in Denmark at the same time.

The 2019/20 Eredivisie campaign ended with the standings on March 8th declared as final due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Ajax sitting top of the table. However, they weren t named as champions, given that they sa…