SPORTS

Liverpool have already seen one approach for Benfica starlet Francisco Ferreira turned away in the summer but are considering another in January.

Manchester City are reportedly willing to offer Lionel Messi a five-year deal worth £500,000-a-week and a signing bonus of £40m if he joins them on a free transfer.

Chris Smalling was omitted from the England squad for their games against Germany and Brazil during the recent international break.

Salah has scored nine goals in 12 league appearances for Liverpool after arriving on a £34m transfer from Roma.

Manager Raphael Wicky believes FC Basel will miss suspended midfielder Taulant Xhaka against Manchester United, but believes Serey Die and Luca Zuffi can succeed in his absence.

Klopp admits his side took the foot of the gas as they relinquished a three-goal lead against Sevilla.

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde insist that the La Liga leaders are "open" to signing new players during the upcoming January transfer window.

Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has admitted in his biography that he would be open to the idea of joining Manchester United in the future.

Walcott, 28, is down with a bout of illness and is being assessed by the Gunners' medical staff at the club's London Colney training base.

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has revealed who he believes is the toughest fight between Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Roger Federer has revealed how he had an aggressive nature in his early days as a tennis professional as he discusses how he grew from his teenage days to become a superstar.

Ivan Rakitic would welcome Mesut Ozil at Barcelona if the Arsenal playmaker moved to the Nou Camp in January.

The Reds surrendered a three-goal lead at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and missed a chance to seal qualification to the Champions League knockout stages.

Goretzka is expected to be a free agent next summer after rejecting a contract extension from Schalke and has attracted attention from Arsenal, Barcelona and Liverpool.

Phil Jones has been ruled out of United's upcoming clashes against Basel and Brighton in the Champions League and Premier League, respectively.

Joshua most recently defended his WBA and IBF heavyweight titles against Carlos Takam in Cardiff on 28 October and is set for his next defence.

Rafael Nadal has been backed to have a perfect end to 2017 as he returns for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December where a meeting with Novak Djokovic could happen.

Bale, 28, has only made five La Liga appearances for Real this season and has not played for the club since September due to a calf problem.

Juventus star Paulo Dybala is unsure whether he will still be at the club next season amid interest from Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Valencia centre-back Jeison Murillo is set to miss the La Liga visit of Barcelona on Sunday [26 November] due to a groin injury.

Australia and England are braced to contest the 71st Ashes series this week - but how do you follow a series played at night? IBTimes UK explains all.

Ashley Young's current deal will expire in 2018, with an option to extend it by a year. Manchester United have decided to trigger that option to keep him at Old Trafford until 2019.

Vincenzo Chiarenza is the former youth coach at Juventus and has been credited with developing players like Paolo De Ceglie, Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino was pleased to see his decisions over Danny Rose's fitness pay off and plans to do the same with his other returning players.

Sturridge is a bit-part player under Jurgen Klopp and has been heavily linked with a move away from Merseyside.

Courtois has less than two years remaining on his current deal at Stamford Bridge but is leaving matters up to his agent.

Klaassen has not featured for Everton since being withdrawn at half-time during their home defeat by Lyon but will be given the chance to prove himself against Atalanta.

David Ospina has not played for Arsenal since 28 September due to a groin injury and could start against cologne on Thursday.

Former Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge believes Fabian Delph can fill the void left by Benjamin Mendy this season.