Palermo will sell Dybala in the summer

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed the club will sell star striker Paulo Dybala when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

Dybala, 21, has been the subject of reported interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Paris-Saint Germain in recent weeks.

The former Instituto ACC starlet is out of a contract following the 2015/16 season, and had reached an agreement on a three-year contract worth €9 million per season, but the deal ultimately fell through.

I will sell him, I am almost certain of this, Zamparini told Tuttosport. [Juventus general director Giuseppe] Marotta told me that they are very interested in the player.

They [Juventus] are ready to negotiate. I have warned Marotta already that I ve h…

McCormack completes Fulham switch

Leeds United captain Ross McCormack has completed an estimated £11million move to Championship rivals Fulham.

The Scotland international has penned a four-year deal at Craven Cottage after leading the scoring chart s in England s second tier last term with 28 goals to his name.

The reported fee for McCormack will see him become the most expensive player in Championship history, eclipsing the £8m paid by Blackburn Rovers for Jordan Rhodes in 2012.

McCormack is Fulham s fifth signing since their relegation from the Premier League, and is the second striker to arrive at Craven Cottage after Australia international Adam Taggart.

Leeds owner Massimo Cellino claimed last week that he was desperate to keep hold of the Scot after the club rejected offers for hi…

We deserve loyalty and respect, insists Ballack

Germany captain Michael Ballack has jumped to the defence of team-mate Torsten Frings on Tuesday and launched a thinly-veiled attack on national coach Joachim Loew.

Ballack, 32, is currently recovering from a foot operation having led Germany to World Cup qualifier wins over Russia and Wales earlier this month.

But his experienced midfield colleague Frings was left on the bench for both games and Ballack told the Frankfurter Allgemeinen newspaper: If he (Loew) doesn t want him (Frings) anymore then the issue should be addressed honestly.

Ballack says senior players should be treated with a certain respect to help the team s hierarchy, pointing to the treatment handed to Oliver Kahn and Christian Woerns by ex-Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann when Loew was the as…

Urawa Red Diamonds to fire German coach: report

Urawa Red Diamonds will fire their German coach Gert Engels at the end of the season following their failure to defend their AFC Asian Champions League title, it was reported on Thursday.

I was told that I will have no contract for next season. I must just accept it because of the differences in how we think, the Sports Nippon daily quoted Engels as saying after meeting club president Mitsunori Fujiguchi on Wednesday.

Urawa were knocked out of the AFC Champions League last month in the semi-finals, losing 3-1 to Gamba Osaka after a 1-1 draw, leaving the German coach s future at the club in doubt.

Urawa s 2-1 loss to Shimizu S-Pulse in the J-League on Sunday apparently sealed his fate.

The club, in fourth place on 53 points four points behind leaders …

Leicester City 1-2 Man United: Five things we learned from the Community Shield clash

Lingard s goal a moment to remember / Image via Skysports.com

Jose Mourinho won his first trophy as Manchester United boss as the Portuguese tactician led his team to a 2-1 victory over Premier League champions Leicester City in this year’s edition of the Community Shield.

As Red Devils’ fans take joy and pride in their team’s first piece of silverware in the new season, we take a look at the 5 key points in the game:

Manchester United still have a long way to go

After a couple of years in the gutter, a worldwide recognised sports brand Manchester United have set their sights on returning to the top.

Jose Mourinho’s arrival was the first sign of the things to come, while the arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and tod…

Cristiano Ronaldo was my idol – Real Madrid new boy Jovic

Luka Jovic used to sleep in a Real Madrid shirt and says Cristiano Ronaldo was his idol.

Jovic has signed a six-year deal with Los Blancos, who paid Eintracht Frankfurt a reported €60million.

The Serbia striker becomes part of Madrid s rebuild in Zinedine Zidane s second spell at the club.

Eden Hazard, Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes are also arriving after Madrid s disappointing 2018-19 campaign.

But Jovic revealed it was Ronaldo, who left Madrid for Juventus last year, who was his idol.

Ronaldo, definitely, as a kid, Jovic said when asked who his favourite Madrid player was.

Right now I don t pick one player out, as we re all team-mates now.

I know last season was not the best season at Real Madrid, but hopefully next year w…

La Liga Preview: Barcelona v Malaga

Barcelona will bid an emotional farewell to defender Eric Abidal after their clash with Malaga at Camp Nou on Saturday.

The 33-year-old joined Barca from Lyon in 2007, and has endured a tumultuous couple of years as health scares threatened to end his career prematurely.

The Frenchman was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in March 2011, and he underwent surgery to remove it before recovering to play a full game in Barca s 3-1 win over Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final that year.

In March last year it was announced Abidal would need to undergo a liver transplant, which took place in April, and again the gritty defender fought back to play again, making his comeback in March.

Now Barca have announced they will not offer Abidal a new co…

Bayern Munich v Wolfsburg: Badstuber wary of tough opening

Holger Badstuber knows that Bayern Munich are in for a tough test on Friday when they begin their Bundesliga title defence at home to Wolfsburg.

Pep Guardiola s men raced to a second successive title in record time last season and were confirmed as champions with seven matches remaining.

Bayern eventually finished 19 points clear of nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund, having scored 94 goals and conceding just 23, winning 29 of their 34 matches in total.

Before starting in Bayern s 4-1 DFB Pokal win over Preussen Munster on Sunday, Badstuber s last competitive appearance for the club came back in December 2012, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a league clash with Dortmund.

Friday s opponents Wolfsburg finished fifth at the end of last seas…

Torres treats Turkey with respect

Spain striker Fernando Torres has predicted a tough night ahead as the UEFA EURO 2008 winners travel to Istanbul take on Turkey in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier for the second part of their double-header.

It s necessary to approach every game with humility and especially so against Turkey as they have a great team, the Liverpool FC player said. On Saturday they made life difficult for us and on Wednesday they will make it even more so. If we do win we ll have taken a huge step towards the finals and with it the incentive to continue breaking records, Torres concluded.

Experience vital as Bayern hunt new coach

In the hunt to replace sacked Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted on Sunday experience and personality would be key attributes for potential candidates.

When one looks at the current trend in Europe, it s notable that many of the successful coaches are personalities with a huge amount of experience and of advancing age, Rummenigge told Sunday s edition of Die Welt.

Klinsmann was sacked last Monday as Bayern head coach after just ten months in charge following a string of poor results with Jupp Heynckes appointed as caretaker coach for the rest of the season.

Dutch coaches Louis van Gaal, Frank Rijkaard and Martin Jol have all been linked to the vacant job at the defending Bundesliga champions, as well as German Foo…