After several failed attempts, Chelsea have reached an agreement with Leicester City over the proposed transfer of Wesley Fofana, according to Fabrizio Romano. The total sum the London Blues will have to put aside for this signing amounts to £75 million, including add-ons. For comparison, Liverpool paid that much to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018, which goes to show how badly Fofana is wanted at Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old defender, who has made a total of 52 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes since joining the club from Saint-Etienne in 2020, is set to sign a six-year contract with Chelsea and make his dream of playing in the Champions League a reality this season.

As Chelsea sought to strengthen their defensive ranks following t…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 2/3 @

In what could prove to be an enjoyable League Two showdown on Thursday night, Notts County will welcome Grimsby to Meadow Lane.

Starting with the hosts, while some in Notts County’s camp might have opened up the 2024/25 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine top-half charge, the Magpies have drastically struggled to find any kind of stability. Missing out on what they had billed as a potential opportunity last weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate at home against Fleetwood, Stuart Maynard’s men are seeking a much-needed boost. However, crashing out of the EFL Trophy last week following a thriller away at Shrewsbury, the former Wealdstone boss could find some mounting pressure on his…

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker:

Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Bundesliga table, Bayern Munich will welcome Bochum to the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Bayern Munich

Starting with the hosts, managing to make a much-needed return to winning ways last weekend as they claimed an action-packed 4-2 victory away at Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich are now seeking some crucial stability. However, while the defending Bundesliga champions might have extended on their DFP Pokal adventure on February 1st as they cruised their way to a 4-0 romp against Mainz, they find themselves in an almighty title tussle. Although Julian Nagelsmann s superstars might have opened the 2022/23 campaign tipped as a landside pick to defend their domestic crow…

Reece James has committed his long-term future to Chelsea by signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

The England international has put pen to paper on a fresh five-year deal that will make him the highest-paid defender in the club s history.

James first joined Chelsea at the age of six, making his first-team debut against Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup in September 2019; scoring one and assisting two goals.

The defender has gone on to make 128 appearances for the Blues across all competitions, scoring 10 goals.

Speaking to Chelsea s website, James professed his delight at committing his future to his boyhood club, declaring: I am over the moon with my new contract and I m thankful for the fans, the new ownership and everyone involved in the club. 

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Juventus have been the dominant force in Italian football for the past six seasons, but they do not head into Saturday s Derby d Italia against Inter at the top of Serie A.

Instead it is Luciano Spalletti s side that lead the way in what has all the makings of an enthralling title battle that could see Lazio, Roma, Napoli and Inter all pose a serious threat to the Bianconeri hegemony.

The Nerazzurri could open up a four-point advantage at the summit if they leave Allianz Stadium triumphant, but Massimiliano Allegri s men will no doubt see this clash as a chance to reassert themselves as favourites in the title race.

It sets the stage for an entertaining match-up, so we recall previous derbies that still linger in the memory.

June 1961 Juventu…

The Champions League title would be the pinnacle for Manchester City and a greater prize than successive Premier League crowns, according to Paul Dickov.

Despite the vast investment in the playing squad since Sheikh Mansour s takeover 10 years ago, City are yet to make much of an impression in Europe.

City reached the semi-finals in the 2015-16 Champions League but lost to Real Madrid, who have won the tournament in each of the last three seasons.

Nobody has been able to retain the Premier League title since the 2008-09 season when City s rivals United wrapped up their third straight success, while three different clubs have lifted the trophy since 2015.

But asked whether domestic dominance or a first European crown would be more important to the club, …

Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott admitted he was his own worst critic and would not be happy until he was providing regular goals and assists for the team.

The 20-year-old was one of the better players – particularly in the first half – of the 5-1 Carabao Cup win at home to West Ham which booked a two-legged semi-final against Fulham.

But despite having a couple of shots and taking up good positions in between the lines, he was not one of the four goalscorers on the night as that honour went to Curtis Jones (two), Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah.

We will face Fulham in the semi-finals of the :

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Elliott said only a week ago he did not want to earn a reputation as a super-sub after just nine starts in…

On the back of a stellar campaign for Lille that saw him register a combined 33 goals and assists in Ligue 1, Nicolas Pepe has completed a big-money switch to Arsenal that makes him one of the most expensive players in British football history.

The 24-year-old rose through the ranks in France and acquired a growing band of admirers, with Arsenal winning the race after having an €80million (£72.9m) offer accepted by Lille.

Pepe is now under pressure to match the form he showed last season as he embarks on a new chapter, in what will be his first spell outside of French football.

Following confirmation of his move to Emirates Stadium, we look at Pepe s career to date and explore exactly why Arsenal decided to break their transfer record to sign him.

Her…

Michael Carrick will start against Watford on Sunday in what will be his final match for Manchester United, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed.

The 36-year-old will retire at the end of the season before taking up a role in the club s coaching team.

Mourinho plans to give the midfielder a fitting send-off at Old Trafford, but is thrilled to be keeping him as part of his staff.

He will start the last match, Mourinho told a news conference on Wednesday. Old Trafford, last match of the Premier League [season], our captain in front of our fans, he will start the match against Watford.

A special surprise for me last night. Honoured to be recognised by . Big thank you for the amazing reception I received on stage, to Jose for the gifts and to all those who se…

Liverpool fought back from a goal down to claim a 4-2 win over Burnley and move back to within a point of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola s side eased to a 3-1 victory over Watford on Saturday to turn up the heat on Liverpool, who had drawn four of their previous six league matches.

The pressure was increased when Ashley Westwood scored straight from a corner on Sunday, but Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane each netted twice to secure the comeback, despite a late Johann Gudmundsson goal amid difficult conditions on Merseyside.

Anfield was stunned after only six minutes when Westwood s corner from the left curled all the way into the net, although Alisson was furious it was allowed to stand after claiming he had been blocked by three Burnley p…