M´Vila open to Premier League return

Barcelona youngster Rafa Alcantara has signed a new three-year extension to his deal with the Catalan club.

The Brazilian midfielder s brother Thiago has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United of late, having reportedly grown frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities at the Camp Nou.

However, Rafinha has no intentions of leaving the La Liga champions, and has put pen to paper on a contract which runs until 2016.

I am very happy to stay on at Barca. I am not ignoring the option of going somewhere on loan. If I have to go away to get playing time, then that’s no problem, he told the club s official website.

I came here when I was 13 with the dream of one day making it into the first team and I am very happy that my dream is coming true.

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Jupp Heynckes was left ruing Bayern Munich s failure to take their chances after a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

A string of saves from Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller denied Bayern a winner in Saturday s clash.

The hosts took the lead through Toni Kroos, but were soon pegged back by a dramatic Mario Goetze equaliser moments later as the champions sealed a draw.

It was an intense contest between two teams playing modern football, with very smart tactics and good transitions from defence to attack, Heynckes said after the match.

We started very well and dominated the first 20 minutes, but we rather lost control of the game after that. After the break, we needed 15 minutes to recover our rhythm.

Heynckes believes Dortmun…

Spanish striker Diego Tristan continues his professional career at Spanish second division side Cadiz CF. This was announced on Friday.

Tristan played for West Ham United since the summer of 2008 but was released at the end of the season as the London outfit no longer required the Spaniard s services.

The forward, now 33 years old, experienced his career peak at Deportivo la Coruña from 2000 to 2006, during which he also played 15 games for the Spanish national team.

At La Coruña, Tristan helped the side to win the Copa del Rey in 2002 and reach the semi finals of the 2003-04 Champions League.

Cadiz, based in the south of Spain, finished 20th in last season s edition of the Segunda Division but beat FC Cartagena 3-2 on aggregate in a play-o…

Everyone wants Lionel Messi but few have the resources to sign him.

Paris Saint-Germain appear to be strong favourites to land the Argentina international.

A deal could happen in the coming days.

TOP STORY PSG CLOSE IN ON MESSI

PSG believe they are close to a deal to land Lionel Messi.

ESPN reports PSG have been in contact with Messi s father and agent Jorge for some time and are set to offer a three-year contract. 

Sky Sport Italia says the deal is more likely to be for two years with an option to extend it to a third. 

The ESPN report said adding Messi would make it more likely Kylian Mbappe would stay with the club rather than leave when he is out of contract next year, though it would end PSG s pursuit of Paul P…

The arrival of Scolari to Chelsea has very much coincided with Mourinho s hiring at Inter and since both managers have an eye for pressing the reset button on their squads, transfers are in the air.

Reports say that Scolari is willing to bring Deco to Chelsea in a bid to strengthen his midfield (and increase the Brazilian contingent at the club), while Jose Mourinho is looking to do a similar thing in Italy.

La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports that Jose Mourinho is close to bringing Frank Lampard to his club and that Chelsea will no longer completely reject the possibility of the move since they could bring in Barcelona s playmaker.

Frank Lampard s contract with Chelsea runs out in 2009 after negotiations have stalled over the past year and it is likely that the pla…

Burnley boss Sean Dyche insists his side have changed since they were relegated from the Premier League in 2014-15.

The Turf Moor club were demoted in the season following their promotion two years ago, but are determined to improve this time around after bouncing back at the first attempt.

Now, having recorded their first win of the league campaign against Liverpool last weekend, Dyche claims this is a different Burnley team.

We re differently equipped and we still need players, we re working hard on that, but it s a different group, he said. 

What everyone would deem the impossible challenge for a club like us, we want to make it possible.

We said that two years ago and didn t quite get there. We want to do that again this year.

Aft…

Verdict: Both teams to score

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Former Everton manager Roberto Martinez takes charge of his first game as the new Belgium manager as the Red Devils face star-studded Spain in a high-profile friendly. His counterpart Julen Lopetegui is in the same situation after taking over from Vicente Del Bosque, so no doubts both managers as well as their squads will be looking to impress at Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels.

Belgium

This Belgium side is considered by many to be one of the most talented national teams in Europe, but the reality is they have yet to reach their full potential. The Red Devils have crashed out in the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup and the Euro 2016 finals, so it is not that surprising that Marc Wilmots was sacked …

Stefano Pioli wants to see a reaction from his players in the Coppa Italia showdown with Inter following Milan s humbling home loss to Atalanta last time out.

The Serie A leaders went down 3-0 at home to Gian Piero Gasperini s side on Saturday, though they still have a two-point cushion over their next opponents at the halfway stage of the 2020-21 season. 

Next up is the small matter of a derby against Inter on Tuesday, an opportunity for Milan to quickly move on from such a disappointing result and reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. 

The Rossoneri came out on top when the teams met earlier in the season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic s early double proving enough in a 2-1 triumph. 

It s a different competition, but one we care about. The league …

Harry Maguire says Manchester United have always been a club he has looked up to and has vowed to give everything for his new side.

The centre-back finally completed his move from Leicester City on Monday, signing a six-year deal with the option of a seventh after a reported fee of £80million was agreed between the clubs.

The England international is now the world s most expensive defender, having eclipsed the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

Despite the expectations on his shoulders due to the exorbitant price tag, Maguire is desperate to get to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and realise a dream of stepping out at Old Trafford in a red shirt.

It s a really proud moment to join such a big club, he told MUTV.