Ronaldo move ´mission impossible´, says Mourinho

Veteran Sampdoria forward Fabio Quagliarella has been handed an Italy recall after equalling a Serie A record.

Quagliarella, whose last Italy cap came in 2010, is included in Roberto Mancini s squad for a Coverciano training camp next week.

The 36-year-old has hit 16 goals in 20 appearances this season to top the Serie A scoring charts ahead of Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Quagliarella has found the net in 11 consecutive appearances in the league, levelling the competition record set by Gabriel Batistuta while playing for Fiorentina in 1994.

11 Fabio has scored in 11 consecutive Serie A games played, the joint-longest such run in the history of the competition, equalling Gabriel Omar Batistuta (11 in a row in 1994). Olympus.

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Manchester United have joined the race for Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur, and according to the , they are willing to treble his earnings to convince him to move to Old Trafford.

The Dane is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract, and he has so far refused all offers of a new deal from Spurs. believes this to be a sign of him waiting for Real Madrid to make a move, while reports in England say he wants wages equal to what Harry Kane is earning  £200,000 per week, which is something the club aren t willing to stretch to.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, are chasing Chelsea s Eden Hazard and they re being linked with United s Paul Pogba, which the Mirror see as a possible advantage for United at least when it comes to Eriksen. The 20-time English cha…

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure claims he must win the Champions League again if he is to be happy with his career.

The 34-year-old lifted the trophy with Barcelona in 2009 after a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the final, but he has only gone as far as the last four on one occasion during his eight-year spell with City.

Toure has won two Premier Leagues, two EFL Cups and the FA Cup in England and will go down as one of the finest players in the club s history, while he also claimed the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in 2015.

But the former Monaco man admits his legacy will only be complete if he can conquer Europe before bringing his City career to an end.

I want the Champions League again – so badly, he said, as quoted by The Mirror…

Holders Bayern Munich begin their Champions League defence with the visit of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, in a game that will pit Robert Lewandowski against Luis Suarez.

Liverpool, winners in 2019, travel to Ajax, and Real Madrid host Shakhtar Donetsk, with two of the competition s most successful clubs hoping to avoid some worrying runs of defeats.

Antonio Conte s Inter tackle Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City host Porto, a team who boast a rather unfortunate record when it comes to games on English soil.

Here is some of the key Opta data from day two of matchday one.

1 Robert Lewandowski scored 55 goals for FC Bayern München in 2019-20 – 16 more than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues in all competitions. Clinical.

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Manchester United are top of the Premier League at this stage of the season for the first time since Alex Ferguson s final year in charge.

Few would have predicted such a turn of events when United fell to a tame 1-0 loss against Arsenal at Old Trafford on November 1.

Since then, though, United have gone on an 11-match unbeaten run in the league that contained nine victories, including the 1-0 away win over Burnley on Tuesday.

As a result, they sit three points clear of Premier League champions Liverpool ahead of their huge trip to Anfield on Sunday.

We have used Opta data to look at who has performed best, both for United and across the league, during this resurgent period for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men.

IMPRESSIVE ATTACKING STATS

United …

Andrea Pirlo says Antonio Conte is the person who inspired him to move into coaching and is fully aware of the mind games being used by the Inter boss ahead of Sunday s Derby d Italia.

Midfield great Pirlo worked under Conte for Juventus and Italy during his illustrious playing career before retiring in 2017 and taking up his first managerial role with Juve last August.

Pirlo has made an inconsistent start to life in the Allianz Stadium dugout, but his side have won their last three league games to move to within four points of second-place Inter with a game in hand.

Despite being a further three points behind leaders Milan, Conte suggested ahead of Juve s trip to San Siro that the reigning champions remain the Scudetto favourites given they have won it nine year…

Manchester United and Chelsea are set to do battle for the signing of West Ham star Declan Rice.

Rice, 22, is being touted for a move in the close season, with Chelsea having reportedly led the race for the midfielder s signature.

But United could be ready to fight for the England international.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD TO CHALLENGE CHELSEA FOR RICE

Manchester United are prepared to challenge Chelsea to sign Rice ahead of 2021-22, according to ESPN.

The report says United are eyeing a forward, centre-back and defensive midfielder as priorities at the end of the season.

Rice is contracted at West Ham, where he arrived as a youth player from Chelsea in 2014, until 2024.

ROUND-UP

Eric Garcia looks set to f…

Leeds have announced that former club record signing Rodrigo has joined Qatari side Al-Rayyan.

United splashed out £27million when they signed the Spain forward from Valencia on a four-year deal in 2020 following their return to the Premier League.

The 32-year-old went on to make 97 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 28 goals.

A statement on the Leeds website said: “We thank Rodrigo for his efforts and wish him all the best for the future.”

Rodrigo’s departure to the Qatar Stars League comes as relegated Leeds prepare for next season in the Sky Bet Championship under new manager Daniel Farke.

The summer transfer window has already seen defenders Diego Llorente and Robin Koch and midfielder Brenden Aaronson leave United on…

Gareth Southgate is set to bring up 50 games in charge when England start their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup.

San Marino are the visitors to Wembley Stadium for the milestone match, with Southgate the seventh to make it to a half-century at the helm for England.

His record so far is impressive: 29 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats. He has also introduced some notable names to international football, many of which will form the backbone for the Three Lions in this year s delayed Euro 2020 tournament. 

In total, 42 players have made their senior debuts under the current boss. Plenty have made an impact, though some have fallen by the wayside since getting a taste of the senior team. 

79 Jadon Sancho has been involved in 79 league goals bef…

Gareth Bale s return to English football coincided with a Tottenham implosion against West Ham, as David Moyes  team earned a place in Premier League history. 

From 3-0 behind after 81 minutes, West Ham incredibly scrambled a 3-3 draw from their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

No team in the Premier League had ever previously come from so far back, so late in a game, to avoid defeat. 

Burnley are now the only team without a point in the Premier League after Sheffield United and Fulham both got off the mark in a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane, while Brighton and Hove Albion had 20 times as many shots as Crystal Palace in their Selhurst Park battle but also finished in stalemate. 

Aston Villa, meanwhile, have joined early leaders Everton in sending …