Man Utd, Liverpool ‘actively pursue’ defender as Ratcliffe ‘accepts’ inevitable Real Madrid transfer

Paris Saint-Germain have closed an investigation into player recruitment practices after finding no discrimination, the Ligue 1 club announced.

PSG acknowledged earlier this month that forms with illegal contents were used by a recruitment section of the club s academy.

A report by Mediapart and television programme Envoye Special , on the back of recently released Football Leaks documents, claimed scouts documented the ethnicity of potential academy signings.

It was reported PSG signed only one black player for their academy between 2013 and 2018, while a promising French player was allegedly not given a contract because of his race.

PSG have been investigating the allegations against the club and on Thursday released a statement confirming no discrimin…

Market: Doncaster win

Odds: 4/5 @

Two sides who already find themselves scrapping it out at opposite ends of the League Two table, a high-flying Doncaster will travel to Harrogate on Thursday night.

Starting with the hosts, while some in Harrogate’s camp might have opened up the 2024/25 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine top-half charge this season, Simon Weaver’s men are at the heart of a real struggle. Last seen putting in another toothless display as they slumped to a 1-0 loss away at Cheltenham, the Yorkshire-based outfit have collected just a single victory from any of their opening five League Two appearances. Crashing out of the EFL Cup on August 27th following a woeful 5-0 drumming at home against Preston, Harrogate have also shown …

“I have belief in my ability and what I have done in my career as every player should,” Maguire said.

“Every player who is on the bench should believe they should be starting, otherwise they wouldn’t be playing at a high level. I am no different.

“Listen, it’s been tough. I want to play games. I want to feel important to the club and I want to feel important to the rest of the team.

“At the moment I haven’t been playing anywhere near as much as I’d like. It’s the bottom line of it.

“I’ve just got to make sure I am ready to take the opportunities when they come along.”

Asked when gametime becomes an issue and, given Euro 2024 is coming up, whether that could be sooner rather than later, said: “Yeah, of course.

�…

Rangers won a second straight Old Firm derby and moved four points ahead of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership as an unlikely double from Connor Goldson secured a 2-0 victory.

Defender Goldson struck in the ninth minute and added another after the break on Saturday as Steven Gerrard s men made it two straight away league wins over Celtic for the first time in 23 years.

Celtic were without key players like striker Odsonne Edouard but few would have expected Neil Lennon s team not to register a shot on target or have a second-half attempt of any nature until the 85th minute in a miserable outing.

Rangers now hold a decent lead over their fierce rivals at the summit and, while Celtic still have a game in hand, Garrard can reflect on a positive first quarter of t…

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez believes match-winner Jhon Duran can be “one of the best strikers in the world” after he scored a 30-yard screamer against Everton.

Duran completed Aston Villa’s comeback in a 3-2 win against Everton at Villa Park, having been two goals down to the visitors after 27 minutes.

The Colombian was subbed on after 69 minutes and scored just seven minutes later. All three of his goals this season have been winners from the bench, meaning he has now scored the most winners as a substitute in a Premier League season ever.

Having witnessed his decisive impact today, Martinez believes he can be one of the best in the game.

I have seen it from behind and I saw the ball moving it was unstoppable,” the Argentine told Sky Spo…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he cannot be tamed, while the evergreen Milan star insisted he is ageing better than Benjamin Button.

Ibrahimovic has shown no signs of slowing down this season, despite the 39-year-old s advancing years.

The former Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward has scored 10 goals in six Serie A appearance in 2020-21 – a joint-high alongside Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter s Romelu Lukaku.

Ibrahimovic s exploits have helped unbeaten Milan top the table in pursuit of their first Scudetto since 2010-11, the ex-Sweden international s first spell at the club.

Asked who is less likely to be tamed, Zlatan or a lion, Ibrahimovic told UEFA.com: Zlatan, 100 per cent.

You can tame a lion, but you cann…

Former Netherlands star Wesley Sneijder has retired from football after arranging a business deal with Eredivisie side Utrecht.

The 35-year-old has been without a club since his 18-month deal with Qatari side Al-Gharafa ended in July.

He has signed a contract with Utrecht s business arm and will be able to watch the team play from a private box this season.

I have a lot of love for this city. Now that I ve quit playing, I want a nice place to share my experiences, he told the club s TV channel.

Sneijder began his senior playing days with Ajax in 2002 and went on to play for Real Madrid, Inter, Galatasaray and Nice in a storied career in Europe.

Gefeliciteerd met je fantastische carrière, !

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje)

He was a s…

Borja Valero appears to have confirmed he will leave Inter when his contract expires.

Antonio Conte was reportedly interested in handing the veteran midfielder a one-year contract extension at San Siro.

The 35-year-old s deal is due to expire at the end of August and he posted a farewell message to the club on his official Twitter account.

Valero wrote: It was an honour to wear these colours. Thanks for everything @Inter.

È stato un onore indossare questi colori. Grazie di tutto

— Borja Valero (@borjavalero20)

Valero joined Inter from Fiorentina in 2017 and made 100 appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring five goals.

A return to Fiorentina could be in the offing for the Spaniard, while Genoa and Parma have also been credited…

Mikel Arteta has heaped praise on Martin Odegaard for how he has started at Arsenal, calling the midfielder s effort phenomenal .

Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid towards the end of the January transfer window.

He is yet to register a goal or an assist in eight outings for the Gunners, prompting former players like Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn to criticise his start.

But Arteta has been highly impressed by the 22-year-old and is thrilled with how well he has settled, amid speculation over whether Arsenal will opt to pursue a permanent move.

I m really happy with him, said Arteta. I think he has settled really, really quickly into the team and with what we demand from the players. 

His behaviour, his attitude and his work ra…

Antonio Conte was left fuming over a heated post-match exchange with Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli following Inter s Coppa Italia semi-final exit.

The Milan-based side were held to a tense 0-0 draw in the second leg at the Allianz Stadium as the Old Lady advanced to the final, 2-1 on aggregate, before ugly scenes allegedly erupted following the final whistle.

Media outlet RAI reported that Conte made an insulting gesture towards his former employer Agnelli at half-time, and the Juve chief retaliated by verbally abusing the Inter coach as the teams left the field.

Conte criticised his former club s behaviour in his post-match interview but stopped short of pointing any fingers.

Juventus should tell the truth, Conte told RAI. 

I think the …