Prosecutors have asked for charges of fraud and corruption to be brought against Neymar, Barcelona and Santos in relation to the Brazil international s move to Camp Nou.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and predecessor Sandro Rosell have also been named in the case, which has been raised by Brazilian investment company DIS.

National Court judge Jose de la Mata initially threw out the case in July over a lack of evidence, but that decision was overturned last month, and the prosecution has now called for the charges to be processed.

DIS claim they are due a 40 per cent cut of the fee that Barcelona paid to sign Neymar from Santos in 2013 something they say they have not received in full, given the secrecy over the full cost of the transfer.

Barca i…

More than 50 arrests have been made in relation to a match-fixing probe involving the lower tiers of the Italian football league.

Anti-mafia prosecutors in the southern Italian town of Catanzaro have questioned mopre than 70 people in their investigation.

A police statement said investigations have led to inquiries involving players, coaches and directors from more than 30 clubs nationwide.

The statement added that dozens of matches have been fixed in the Lega Pro leagues and Serie D.

It was not made clear if the investigation relates to the Calcioscommesse match-fixing investigation that started in 2011, in which matches in Serie B and the Lega Pro were under scrutiny.

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Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has praised Ross Barkley for the improvements he has made to the defensive side of his game.

Barkley arrived at Stamford Bridge in January 2018 from Everton but was restricted to only a handful of appearances in his first campaign due to a series of injuries.

He has been in fine form this season, though, making 40 appearances across all competitions for Sarri s side and demonstrated his progress on Monday, scoring twice in England s 5-1 Euro 2020 qualifying win over Montenegro.

And now Sarri has hailed the 25-year-old for taking steps to become a more rounded midfielder.

He has improved a lot tactically, he told a media conference ahead of Chelsea s visit to Cardiff City on Sunday. Also, physically, I think.

For…

A 2-0 win over Porto in the Champions League quarter-final first leg certainly has Liverpool in a decent position, though against better teams such a relaxed attitude has the potential to see their chances go up in flames.

Liverpool s run to last season s Champions League final was largely as unexpected as it was spectacular, and it came amid serious domestic pressure.

The Reds only managed to qualify for the competition again on the last day of the Premier League campaign, a situation Jurgen Klopp described as proper pressure before Tuesday s win over Porto.

If you are not for sure in the Champions League, it changes everything, Klopp said on Monday, in the knowledge Liverpool have already secured elite European football in 2019-20 after beating Southampton at …

England boss Sarina Wiegman lauded the Lionesses’ adaptability after a system shake-up sparked a thumping 6-1 victory over China at the Women’s World Cup.

The Lionesses had not scored more than once in their opening two matches but came alive on a crisp night in front of 13,497 at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium to seal top spot in Group D.

Wiegman took a gamble as she swapped England’s usual 4-3-3 for a 3-5-2 formation, and she was rewarded with goals from five different players including a brace from Chelsea prodigy Lauren James, who also picked up three assists.

Safely through to the knockout stage… TOGETHER!

— Lionesses (@Lionesses)

“I think we are growing into this tournament,” said Wiegman, whose side will travel back to their…

Cedric Bakambu looks set to join Beijing Guoan after the Chinese Super League club met his reported €40million release clause, Villarreal coach Javier Calleja has confirmed.

The 26-year-old striker has been in excellent form for Villarreal this season, scoring nine goals in 15 LaLiga appearances.

Reports began to circulate on Tuesday that Guoan had tabled a €40m offer, which Villarreal would have to reluctantly accept as it is understood to be the value of the release clause in his contract.

Speaking to reporters, Calleja said: It s not the best thing that could have happened to us.

But a lot of clubs have expressed an interest and, in this case, a club came along who were willing to pay our player s buy-out fee. and when that situation arises, there…

Manchester City are hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new deal over the coming weeks to end a lengthy period of uncertainty over the midfielder s future.

Gundogan, who featured as a second-half substitute and scored in Sunday s shoot-out as Manchester City beat Liverpool in the Community Shield on penalties, is out of contract at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Germany international was Pep Guardiola s first signing at City in 2016, although a cruciate knee ligament injury curtailed his debut season at the Etihad Stadium before the turn of the year.

He has since proved a valuable member of the squad that won back-to-back Premier League titles and a domestic treble last term, even if not always a guaranteed starter.

Talks over a contract extension…

Eden Hazard must score more goals to be considered on a similar level to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, says Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte.

Belgium international Hazard was the star of Chelsea s 2014-15 and 2016-17 Premier League title wins and is again performing impressively this time around.

The 26-year-old s father cast doubt on his future by claiming in an interview with Le Soir that the playmaker rejected a chance to extend his Stamford Bridge deal beyond 2020 in order to encourage interest from Real Madrid.

Emulating the exploits of Madrid s five-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo and his Barcelona counterpart Messi is something a player of Hazard s considerable talents can plausibly aspire towards more than most, but Conte sees room for improvement f…

According to , Adama Traore wants to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers in the January transfer window amid interest from Premier League rivals Leeds United. It has been reported that Leeds, who won automatic promotion from the Championship at the end of last season, are keen on signing the winger, with the club’s director of football having worked with the 24-year-old at Middlesbrough.

Wolves are reportedly open to selling the winger this month and will let him go for less than £50 million. A deal between Leeds could be possible if the Wanderers are willing to take staggered payments for the former Barcelona and Aston Villa winger.

According to , Traore has made 10 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for Wolves so far this season. During the 201…

It was three years of living intensely blue and white with a new family that I built, and that will be remembered for the rest of my life!, Felipe wrote via his official Instagram account.

I just have to thank all the staff of the club, the board, the president, the coaches and team-mates with whom I lived in this period.

I have a great affection for all the fans who are here and those who wait for hours at the door of the training ground or stadium. My thanks for the recognition and for everything you do for me!

Porto made me feel at home and live great emotions, with achievements, goals, the Champions League, a lot of overcoming and delivering on the field.

It became the club that I represented the most in my professional career and I was able to …