Ezequiel Lavezzi says there is no point hiding that champions Paris Saint-Germain have no real rivals in Ligue 1.

Bankrolled by the Qatar Sports Investment group since 2011, PSG have won the last three titles and claimed the domestic treble for the first time under Laurent Blanc last season.

Having built a 13-point lead at the top of the table after taking 12 wins and two draws from their first 14 games, the capital club are once again pulling clear in the title race, and Lavezzi claims it is a challenge for the squad to remain motivated despite their dominance.

There s no point hiding that PSG are too strong for the other clubs, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.  Our challenge is to find the stimulus to work hard, and in this sense I think the team is doing a g…

Ligue 1 big guns Marseille and Lyon have been showing interest in Fiorentina playmaker Jordan Veretout, one of his agents has revealed.

The 25-year-old joined Viola in a €7 million deal last summer after a disappointing spell with Aston Villa, and he has enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in Serie A.

Veretout made the headlines by bagging a hat-trick in Fiorentina’s 4-3 loss to Lazio, taking his goal tally to 8 this season.

French giants Marseille and Lyon have clearly taken notice, although the Frenchman is unlikely to leave Viola for another year or so, according to his agent.

“I think that Veretout will stay at Fiorentina for at least one more season,” Oscar Damiani told Radio Monte Carlo.

“Afterwards, if a serious offer arrives, Fi…

Phil Foden is disappointed not to have made more starts in an up and down World Cup for the England attacking midfielder and hopes to play a big part against Senegal.

Foden made his first start of the tournament in a 3-0 win over Wales on Tuesday that sealed the Three Lions place in the round of 16.

Gareth Southgate is facing a tough selection for the showdown with the Africa Cup of Nations champions at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, with Foden waiting to discover if he will keep his place in the team.

It has been a mixed World Cup for the Manchester City star, who hopes the best is yet to come

It has been up and down, he told BBC TV. [I am] disappointed not to start more games, but it is part of the tournament. I am a team player and when I get the opportun…

Neymar was one of the stars of the show as Brazil won the Confederations Cup

Last night Brazil defeated Spain 3-0 in the Confederations Cup final. In truth, the Selecao were the better team from the off and took just 95 seconds to take the lead.

The victory will have come as a shock to the system to world champions Spain.

Shock

Spain have not suffered a competition defeat in three years, having claimed victory in Euro 2008 and World 2010 in South Africa.

However, the world champions just never really got started and Vicente Del Bosque’s team never recovered from conceding the early goal.

Determined

The Brazilians, roared on by a manic home crowd put in a determined display and straight from the start never allowed the Spanish pl…

Kevin-Prince Boateng described scoring on his AC Milan return as perfect after under-fire coach Sinisa Mihajlovic led his side to a 2-0 home win against Fiorentina in Serie A on Sunday.

Mihajlovic was rumoured to be facing the sack had Milan lost, with the team having won only one of their previous five Serie A matches.

But Carlos Bacca eased Milan s nerves with a well-taken fourth-minute goal and Boateng, who this month rejoined the club where he played between 2010 and 2013, came off the bench to seal the victory.

This was a perfect day. There s nothing better than scoring at San Siro, 2010-11 Scudetto winner Boateng told Mediaset Premium.

It was an important game for us, for many reasons. We wanted to win and we did it, so we are very happy. It wasn …

West Ham have tied long-serving defender Winston Reid down to a six-year contract.

The 29-year-old joined the Premier League club from Danish side Midtjylland seven years ago and was voted Hammer of the Year in 2013.

Reid s new contract could take him to the end of his career and the New Zealand international is thrilled to extend his stay at London Stadium.

I am happy here and my family are happy here so it was an easy decision, once we could get it sorted,  Reid said.

Reidy s here until

— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd)

I enjoy being here, it s quite simple really. Generally, people are pretty easy going and it kind of suits me the way people are around here. I m a pretty easy going guy, so I just fit in.

I m really happy…

According to , Manchester United are in talks with France international Anthony Martial over extending his deal with the club. The 22-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season, but the Red Devils can activate a one-year extension if they wish.

United have been criticised in some quarters for opening talks over a new deal, which is quite strange as the club are only moving to protect a valuable asset.

Struggled for game time at United

Martial has struggled to nail down a regular place in the United starting line-up since making a move to Manchester from Monaco in 2015 for a fee that could rise to £58million.

The 22-year-old is highly-rated, but United boss Jose Mourinho seems unconvinced by the youngster s displays. In fact, Martial has started jus…

Rhian Brewster and Caoimhin Kelleher are in line to make their first appearances for Liverpool in the EFL Cup clash with MK Dons, assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders has confirmed.

England Under-21 international Brewster is yet to be selected by Jurgen Klopp in a competitive match though he was on the bench for the Premier League win at Chelsea on Sunday but is now due to get a chance after signing a long-term deal over a year ago.

Brewster helped England win the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and scored eight times during the tournament, netting hat-tricks in the quarter-final and semi-final wins over the United States and Brazil respectively.

He has goals in him, he has technique, good physically, Lijnders told a news conference.

He s a complete striker…

Jadon Sancho should stay at Borussia Dortmund for one or two seasons longer as the club is the right place for his development, says Jorg Heinrich.

Sancho has shot to stardom since leaving Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017, scoring 12 goals and supplying 14 assists in 34 Bundesliga appearances last season.

The England forward has continued to shine in the new campaign with three goals and a league-high five assists to his name despite Dortmund s inconsistent form.

A Premier League return has been mooted for the 19-year-old, with Manchester United among the clubs reportedly interested in signing Sancho.

However, Heinrich, who won two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League as a Dortmund player, believes BVB remains the best club for Sancho.

…

Paul Pogba dreams of playing for Real Madrid and has had no discussions about extending his Manchester United contract.

United shelled out a then-world record £89million to sign Pogba back from Juventus in 2016 but the France international has struggled to match the lofty expectations placed upon him.

The 27-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2018-19 season, scoring 13 goals and supplying nine assists in 35 Premier League appearances – his best return in a single top-flight campaign.

However, he has struggled with injuries since, being involved in four goals (one scored, three assisted) in 19 league appearances since the start of 2019-20.

Pogba expressed a desire for a new challenge ahead of that campaign but a move away from Old Trafford is yet to mate…