Lionel Messi wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to . The Argentina international forward is out of contract at defending Ligue 1 champions PSG at the end of the season, and his former club Barcelona are keen on bringing him back at Camp Nou. Messi himself is open to a return to Barca.

Messi joined PSG in the summer of 2021 on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona. The 35-year-old made 24 starts and two substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG last season, scoring six goals and providing 14 assists in the process. So far this campaign, Messi has scored 15 goals and given 14 assists in 26 Ligue 1 matches.

Barcelona are at the top of the La Liga table at the moment with 73 points from 29 matches, as many as 11 point…

Real Madrid have completed the signing of England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year deal.

Dortmund confirmed in a statement last week that Real have agreed to pay an initial 103million euros (£88.5m) to land Bellingham, who moved to Germany from boyhood club Birmingham in 2020.

Now both clubs have announced the deal for the 19-year-old has been finalised, with Real adding that he will be unveiled in the Spanish capital on Thursday.

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Verdict: Both teams to score

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Looking to gain an early advantage in their Champions League semi-final, Jurgen Klopp s side will travel to the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.

Barcelona

Starting with the hosts, after picking up a 1-0 win over Levante last weekend, Barcelona have reclaimed their La Liga title with time to spear and a triple-winning season still remains on the cards. Now winning their last four matches across all competitions, including a 3-0 win over Manchester United in the quarter-finals a fortnight ago, the mood in Ernesto Valverde s camp will be on a high. Looking to end their four-year wait to lift a European crown, one man who has continued to spearhead Barcelona s stellar campaign both domestically and in Euro…

Steven Naismith is hoping to see several other Hearts players pledge their futures to the club in the coming weeks after Alan Forrest signed a new contract until 2026.

The 27-year-old’s initial deal was due to expire this summer, but he has earned an extension after establishing himself as a key man for the Jambos this term.

Naismith praised Forrest for the way he has handled the step up since moving to Hearts from Livingston in 2022.

“Alan needed to prove to the fans he’s good enough and understand the demands at the club and I think over his time here he’s done that,” said the manager.

“I think this period is the most consistent he’s been. That’s something I challenged him with at the start of the season in terms of impacting games more …

England captain Leah Williamson feels women players are “driving ourselves into the ground” with a hectic schedule which could lead to more serious injuries unless an unsustainable workload is managed properly.

Arsenal defender Williamson was forced to miss last summer’s World Cup, where the Lionesses finished runners-up, after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in April 2023.

Earlier this month, Chelsea forward Sam Kerr sustained an ACL injury during Chelsea’s warm weather training in Morocco, leaving the Australia forward with her own lengthy spell of rehabilitation.

Chelsea Football Club can confirm striker Sam Kerr has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during our warm weather training camp in Morocco.

— Chelsea FC Wo…

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has signed a new long-term contract at the club.

The forward, recalled to the England squad this week, is believed to have penned a five-year deal and has scored 50 goals for Villa since joining from Brentford in 2020.

He netted 15 times last season to help Villa return to Europe and had been in talks over a new deal for around six months.

Our striker, signed and sealed.

Congratulations, Ollie!

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)

Boss Unai Emery said: “He is always very demanding, to learn and improve. He is doing that here. I have been working with him more or less for one year and today is the same as the first day, our method in the training ground.”

Watkins has scored seven times this season…

Market: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score anytime

Odds: 6/5 @

Desperate to make a welcomed return to winning ways on Friday night, Marseille will welcome Metz to the Stade Velodrome.

Starting with the hosts, while Marseille might have signed off 2023 in the midst of an eye-catching boost, Gennaro Gattuso’s side have struggled to find much stability over recent times. Crashing out of the Coupe de France last month following penalties heartbreak away at Rennes, the former AC Milan boss has seen his squad fail to win any of their previous five showdowns against top-flight opposition. However, desperate to make up some ground in the European chase this weekend, Marseille will be excited by their continued success at the Stade Velodrome. Including a stellar 3-0 vi…

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk believes his best form has returned ahead of his side’s top-of-the-table clash with Premier League champions Manchester City.

Van Dijk’s reputation as one of the world’s elite centre-backs has been under scrutiny since a knee injury in October 2020 sidelined him for nine months and last season’s campaign only intensified the criticism.

The Dutchman, who took over the captaincy from Jordan Henderson in the summer, does not back away from the fact he was well below his best as Liverpool finished fifth last term, but he believes there has been an upturn in his form and he is feeling “important” again.

“Last year saw ups and downs, good games and less good games,” said the Netherlands captain.

“I’m held to…

Chris Smalling

If Young needs an example of a success story when swapping Old Trafford for Italy, then he need look no further than long-time colleague for club and country Smalling. Deemed surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the arrival of Harry Maguire, the 30-year-old has been a revelation at Roma, performing superbly across 14 Serie A appearances and scoring twice. Smalling has made such an impression at the Stadio Olimpico that he narrowly missed out in a fan vote for Roma s team of the decade.

Micah Richards

Hart s long-time City team-mate Richards made a loan switch to Fiorentina for the 2014-15 season after falling out of favour with Manuel Pellegrini. The right-back made 19 appearances in all competitions but the injury problems t…

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, according to . The report has claimed that PSG are looking to bring in a new striker, and that Isak is on their radar.

Isak is one of the best strikers in the Premier League and has been superb for Newcastle. The Magpies do not want to sell the Sweden international striker, but a transfer fee of €100 million could be too much for Newcastle to turn down. Newcastle have had financial issues this summer.

The 24-year-old striker has scored 32 goals and given four assists in 56 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. Newcastle are aiming to finish in the top four of the league table this season, while PSG’s main objective this campaign is to clinch the Ligue 1 title and th…