Eriksen’s Tottenham deal is up in the summer and the playmaker has repeatedly turned down approaches to extend it.
With Manchester United reportedly unwilling to discuss any move for Eriksen before the summer, Sky Sport Italia report the player’s agent is heading to Milan to meet with Inter chiefs.
Carlo Ancelotti has told Everton he wants a new first-choice goalkeeper throwing Jordan Pickford’s future at Goodison Park into doubt, reports The Sun.
The Italian is ready to rip through Everton’s squad in the wake of being outplayed by Liverpool’s kids in last weekend’s Merseyside derby.
Barcelona took a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in December, with Luis Suarez assisting Lionel Messi’s winner.
Ernesto Valverde’s side have drawn three of their last four games, however, keeping just one clean sheet.
Atletico Madrid have won their last four outings, conceding just twice in the process.
Both sides will be well rested for this semi-final first leg but there is no question which team approaches the game in better shape, with Villa without four important, first team regulars.
Leicester ran out convincing winners when the sides met at Villa Park but Dean Smith will no doubt attempt to set his side up in a more defensive structure with the aim of leaving themselves a fighting chance at home.
Nevertheless, the hosts’ firepower should prove too much once more, so inflicting a blow themselves must also be high on the visitors’ list of priorities.
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Fabio Capello has slammed Bayern Munich’s players and accused them of forcing Carlo Ancelotti out of the club following his sacking back in September.
Bayern coasted to the league title in Ancelotti’s first season in charge, but his tenure was blighted by rumours Die Roten’s key players were unhappy with his methods.
An inauspicious start to this campaign culminated in a woeful showing in a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and spelled the end of Ancelotti’s reign.
Veteran coach Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern to the treble in 2012-13, returned to the Allianz Arena to take over until the end of the season and the club have lost just once in all competitions under his leadership.
Capello suggested that it is no coincidence and believes Bayern’s squad simply did not want to play under his compatriot.
“Heynckes is back on the bench and everyone wonders how he managed to get the team under control immediately. I think it was the players who took everything in hand,” he told Sky Germany.
“The coach can do a lot of things, but if the players do not want to give that little extra, which they did not give to Ancelotti, you will not get an olive branch.
“They fought him, they wanted him to fly out. And to show that Heynckes is the right one, they give everything.”
Bayern are 11 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga at the mid-season break and resume their domestic campaign at Bayer Leverkusen on January 12.
Manchester United and Barcelona have been warned they could need to splash up to €200 million to buy Antoine Griezmann this summer.
Atletico reported Barcelona to FIFA last week over their alleged transfer pursuit of the France star after Camp Nou director Guillermo Amor said it was possible Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu “had a meeting with Griezmann’s family”.
The 26-year-old forward was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United before the start of this season but opted to stay with Atletico.
Head coach Diego Simeone recently stoked speculation by saying he would not stand in Griezmann’s way should he desire a new challenge, but Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has sounded a more combative tone.
“Atletico doesn’t want to sell Griezmann either now or in the summer,” he told Mega. “For us he is a very important player, who has grown a lot and we have grown up with him.
“Our intention is to keep growing all together. Last summer we made an effort beyond the possibilities of the club and we’ll do it again next summer.
“Griezmann departure isn’t in our hands, but until summer is impossible to leave us.”
Atletico will be able to pair Diego Costa with Griezmann in attack in the new year, when their FIFA player registration ban is lifted.
Gil Marin conceded putting together that all-star forward line has been no easy task, making him keen to renegotiate Griezmann’s contract, which runs until 2022 and contains a release clause of €200m until July next year when it will become €100m.
“It’s been hard for us to get Griezmann and Diego Costa together and I think it’s going to be very good for Atletico,” Gil Marin added.
“Until July 1, Griezmann’s release clause is €200m.”
Atletico lie second in La Liga but defeat to Espanyol in the final game before the mid-season break means they are now nine points behind Barca at the summit.
Former Brazil international Denilson was given a telling off by a referee in a charity game – after making a romantic gesture to a female official.
Denilson, 40, was flagged offside by lineswoman Eircles Artuzi when he was through on goal attempting to chip the opposing goalkeeper.
But rather than show dissent towards Ms Artuzi, who has become something of a celebrity in Brazil because of her looks, Denilson proceeded to do the polar opposite.
He instead made a heart gesture with his fingers and aimed it at the direction of the official.
While TV cameras couldn’t exactly pick up what Denilson did, eyewitnesses claimed he clearly made the heart-shaped symbol in Ms Artuzi’s direction.
The actions didn’t go unnoticed, however, as the referee, who was also a woman, spotted Denilson’s geature and immediately ran towards him to tell him off.
Denilson ended his competitive playing career back in 2010.
He became the world’s most expensive footballer in 1998 when he signed for Real Betis for £21.5million – a club he stayed at for seven years.
Denilson’s most famous on-pitch achievement was being part of the victorious Brazil squad at the 2002 World Cup.
Arsene Wenger says convincing Jack Wilshere to extend his Arsenal contract is a matter of getting the finances right for both parties.
Wilshere’s deal expires at the end of the season but, in contrast to team-mates Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, he has made clear his desire to remain at the club.
However despite both Wenger and Wilshere being keen to extend the midfielder’s 16-year spell at the Gunners there has been no progress on talks that the Arsenal manager had been promising would take place throughout the past year.
Wenger admitted he still has not spoken to the 25-year-old but insists that, if the price is right, Wilshere will stay.
“I will sit down with him, yes,” Wenger said. “I believe that, if we can meet a point of agreement financially, he will want to stay.”
Speaking to Standard Sport last month Wilshere insisted he wanted to stay, though the likes of West Ham stand ready to steal him away should he fail to reach an agreement with Arsenal.
“I’ve been here 10 years, I love this club and feel like I have a special relationship with the fans,” Wilshere told Standard Sport. “Of course I want to stay.”
Brazil legend Ronaldo’s incredible exploits at the 2002 World Cup may have inspired a generation of youngsters to try to copy his silky football skills, but Neymar tried to emulate his hero in a different way.
The former Real Madrid and Inter star guided the Selecao to a fifth world title in the tournament in South Korea and Japan with eight goals, further enhancing his stature as one of the best players to play the game.
And while he was famous for his majestic dribbling and finishing abilities, the striker’s bizarre hairstyle at the tournament als
Having shaved off all but the front of his hair, it was a look that was not expected to catch on, but for a youngster like Neymar, it was a must-have.
The current Brazil hero revealed to his former Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique that he was so in awe of the two-time Ballon d’Or winner that he had to get his hair cut the same way.
Reflecting on his early World Cup memories while being interviewed by the Spain defender for The Players’ Tribune , he said: “Although I was two years old, I think my first memory was on the TV. Watching on TV and Romario scoring the goals, the one Romario scored against Holland. Bebeto crosses and he takes it first time and it’s a Golazo.
“That’s the first and the second is from 2002. I watched the whole tournament. And remember everything. I remember Ronaldo. The haircut of Ronaldo was good. I had it.”
The excited Pique then replied: “Oh man, I would love to see that. Do you have a photo?”
But the 25-year-old disappoints, adding: “No, I don’t have one but I’ll search for it. My mum has one for sure.
“All of us [had that hair cut], we were all looking like Ronaldo.”
Juventus have upped the stakes in an effort to persuade Liverpool to sell Emre Can to them next month by offering Marko Pjaca in part exchange.
The Old Lady want to send the Croatian winger to Anfield on loan, report Tuttosport.
The Germany international has refused to sign a new contract and can pen a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs next month to join on a free transfer next summer.
Jurgen Klopp may still harbour hope of an extension for his compatriot, though failure to show signs of a compromise may push the Reds into negotiating to receive something, rather than losing the player for nothing.
Pjaca, who was a Manchester United target before joining Juve from Dinamo Zagreb, could prove to be a nice consolation.
Liverpool are fourth in the Premier League table with a slim, one-point advantage over Tottenham in the battle to finish inside the top four.