Saint-Etienne midfielder Yann M Vila is not ruling out a return to the Premier League at the end of the season.

The 22-cap France international starred on loan for Sunderland in the 2015-16 season and, while his former club have since been relegated, he is open to the possibility of going back to England.

However, M Vila says his focus for now remains on Saint-Etienne, where he has one year remaining on his contract.

I m only 27 years old, he told SFR Sport. I signed with Saint-Etienne until June 2019.

I am very happy there and I think only about football, about being on the pitch. My agent takes care of the rest.

I spent an amazing year in Sunderland. [The Premier League] is the best championship in the world. Why not [return to England]? Only…

Three top-ranking members of the Italian referees association (AIA) have received packages filled with bullets, according to the body s president Marcello Nicchi.

Nicchi claimed he, vice-president Narciso Pisacreta and referee selector Nicola Rizzoli who officiated the 2014 World Cup final were all sent the parcels in the mail.

The incident follows a string of controversies surrounding the usage of VAR in Serie A, with hundreds of Lazio fans last month gathering to protest outside AIA headquarters.

In December, an aggrieved group of Biancocelesti supporters also initiated legal action against match officials Piero Giacomelli and Marco Di Bello over perceived errors in a 3-1 loss to Torino.

Yesterday Di Bello managed the Milan derby very well, yet he and …

Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be available for Chelsea s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Boxing Day following negative COVID-19 tests. 

Lukaku and Hudson-Odoi were among a group of seven players to miss last weekend s 0-0 Premier League draw with Wolves due to a positive coronavirus test. 

However, Tuchel confirmed the duo could be back in training on Thursday if they return a negative result for the second straight day. 

Ben Chilwell has also tested negative but will not be involved against Villa on Sunday as he continues to recover from a serious ankle injury. 

If I understand correctly we a negative test first of all, and we had a negative test for Romelu and Callum and Ben Chilwell, said Tuchel following Chelsea s 2-0…

Manchester City paid £100 million to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa this summer, but with three goals and three assists in 20 appearances in all competitions since completing the move, he can hardly be said to have repaid such faith.

Nonetheless, the England international sees that fee being spent on his services as a privilege, and he hopes he ll be able to make it worth to the Premier League champions soon.

I see it as a privilege the fact this club wanted to spend that much money on me, I hope I can repay them with goals, assists and trophies.

Jack Grealish reflects on his time at Manchester City so far after becoming the most expensive British player

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

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Juventus coach Antonio Conte says his team will have to change the way they play in Wednesday s Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich.

The Serie A leaders lost 2-0 in the first leg of the tie in Germany to the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions and have to overturn the deficit if they are to progress to the semi-finals.

They showed all their strength in the first leg. We have the desire and the serenity to face this second leg, but we also want to play differently to the way we played last week, he said.

We ll try to play like Juve, aware that we re playing a very strong Bayern, but this gives us even more stimulation and even more motivation to try to pull it off.

Conte added that Juventus are well on their way to replicating the success B…

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has signed a new five-year deal that will see his buy-out clause remain at €150million.

The 25-year-old, who is a product of Barca s famed La Masia youth academy, has made over 200 senior appearances since being handed his debut by Pep Guardiola in 2008.

During that time, Busquets has played a prominent role in one of the most successful periods in Barcelona s history, with his five years as a first-team regular yielding four La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey twice and two UEFA Champions League wins.

He has also earned 59 caps at international level with Spain, featuring in the successful 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2012 UEFA European Championships campaigns.

Busquests made 45 appearances for Barca last term as they lifted the Sp…

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes feels goalkeeper Jack Butland has the potential to be as good as Arsenal s Petr Cech.

Both keepers were in fine form at the Britannia Stadium in a tight 0-0 draw that sent Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League.

Cech made a double save from Joselu and Bojan, while England goalkeeper Butland twice denied Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.

We ve all seen the potential of Jack, Hughes told Sky Sports.

He s having a great season and our feeling is that he ll be of the stature of Petr Cech at some point in the future if he keeps progressing.

He needs a number of years in the game at this level.

It s only his first year as a Premier League number one, so it s going to take him time, but in terms of his a…

Vicente del Bosque believes he could have guided Real Madrid to more Champions League glory had he stayed on at the Spanish giants. 

The 65-year-old spent four seasons at Madrid between 1999 and 2003, in which time he won two Champions League trophies, as many La Liga titles, as well as UEFA Super Cup and Supercopa de Espana triumphs. 

Del Bosque had the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Raul in their prime while coaching the club, and thinks he could have tasted more success on the European stage if the club had offered him a new contract. 

It is very difficult to win [the Champions League], the Spaniard told Teledario.

We had a lot of luck and some very good players in a favourable period for the club.

With…

Barcelona have completed a €40million deal to sign Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao.

The Brazil international finalised his move to Camp Nou after completing a medical and agreeing terms on a reported four-year contract on Thursday.

Paulinho completing his switch has been a formality ever since a deal was announced by Barca on Monday, ending an on-off transfer saga in which Guangzhou attempted to hold on to their prized asset.

The 29-year-old is Ernesto Valverde s first signing since the world-record €222m sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

, together with president , has now signed his contract with FC Barcelona

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

Barca have not confirmed the length of Paulinho s contract, but previousl…

France Football is reporting that Paris Saint-Germain are hot on the trail of Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio.

The Saints fear that main playmaker Marco Verratti could decide to leave the club this summer and if that happens, they will make a move on the Italy international.

Marchisio is no longer an undisputed starter in Turin, and having made just 18 league appearances last term, he may be interested in a new challenge.

Apart from a season-long loan spell with Empoli, Claudio Marchisio has spent entire career up to date at Juventus, amassing 279 Serie A appearances.

Capped 55 times by Italy, the 31-year-old has enjoyed success on international stage, playing a key role as the Azzurri finished as Euro 2012 runners up.

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