Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen is confident that Steve Sidwell will sign a new contract as he has a desire to remain at Craven Cottage.

The 31-year-old midfielder s deal is due to expire at the end of the season, leaving him free to discuss a move elsewhere.

But Meulensteen is confident that the former Chelsea, Reading and Aston Villa midfielder will agree terms to extend his stay at the London club.

I know that they re still in talks, he said. It s clear that Steve would love to stay here.

He s doing very well here so I hope we come to a suitable solution.

Sidwell has spent the past three years at Fulham, having originally agreed a six-month deal in January 2011.

The combative midfielder has been one of the standout performers for the Premier …

Alisson hopes he can prove to be a value-for-money purchase at Liverpool – just like superstar forward Mohamed Salah.

The Brazil goalkeeper made the same switch Salah completed a year ago when he moved from Roma to Anfield for £65million last month.

That deal made the 25-year-old the most expensive goalkeeper in history, although Kepa Arrizabalaga took that weighty distinction off his hands when he joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71.6m this week.

Salah cost the Reds £36.9m – a fee that raised eyebrows at the time but is now considered a major bargain given the Egypt international s stunning 44-goal campaign in 2017-18.

Yes, it was a big deal for Roma, they had a record fee and they were happy, Alisson said, as quoted by The Mirror.

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West Bromwich are hoping to beat Aston Villa in the race to sign young Coventry City defender Sam McCallum, reports Football Insider. The Premiere League club scouts are expected to make several trips to Coventry’s St. Andrew’s Stadium this season.

Before joining Coventry in August 2018 the 19-year-old played for non-league club Herne Bay. However, the left-back quickly became a regular in the Under-23 team and before long coach Mark Robins put him into the first team, where McCallum debuted in the EFL Trophy in November 2018. The teenager played seven League One matches last season and has so far participated in five on his club’s games this season.

According to the local news outlet Coventry Live, Leeds United also have their eyes on the young footballer, who ma…

(GSM) Burnley attacker Martin Paterson has signed a new three-year deal at Turf Moor.

The 23-year-old, who joined Burnley from Scunthorpe in 2008 for £1million, had a further two years remaining on his current deal and will stay at the club until the summer of 2013.

I have a lot to thank the club for because they have looked after me, said Paterson.

I am really confident about the future of the club, he said.

I believe that next year, if we are at it and concentrate, it s going to go really well.

I think sometimes loyalty is a dying thing in football, but the club has shown that me and I will continue to return it as long as they look after me.

I wanted to be a part of that, so I made it clear to the manager at the end of the seaso…

Mohamed Salah scored on his Premier League return as Liverpool eased to a 4-1 win at Brentford.

Coming off the bench for his first appearance since injuring a hamstring on duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, he netted his side’s third goal moments after making a brilliant assist for Alexis Mac Allister to make it 2-0.

Darwin Nunez had opened the scoring with a superbly-taken chip to cap a wonderful counter attack in the first half as Jurgen Klopp’s league leaders ensure they would finish the weekend still on top.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Ivan Toney continued his goalscoring form since returning from his gambling ban to briefly give Brentford hope at 3-1.

It was a fleeting moment of optimism, quickly extinguished when substi…

Wolfsberger and Inter Baku will both look to build on first-leg leads in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round and secure glamour ties with top continental opposition in the next phase.

Austrian side Wolfsberger are ahead 1-0 from their first fixture at Shakhtyor, and know that they will face Borussia Dortmund in coach Thomas Tuchel s first competitive game in charge by closing things out against their Belarusian opponents.

Azerbaijani team Inter Baku hold a 2-1 advantage over FH of Iceland, with 2012 Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao awaiting the winner.

Meanwhile, Inverness Caledonian Thistle can set up an all-British tie with West Ham, who lead Birkirkara 1-0 from the first leg, providing the Scottish club can turn around a 1-0 deficit against A…

David Moyes insists he would relish the opportunity to manage Manchester United again despite enduring a torrid 10-month reign at Old Trafford.

Moyes signed a six-year contract to replaced Alex Ferguson with the then-Premier League champions in 2013 but he only lasted until the following April having overseen the bulk of a fitful campaign where United slumped to a seventh-place finish.

Speaking to the Clare Balding Show, Moyes – who parted company with Spanish Liga side Real Sociedad earlier this season – explained that he expected to be given time to implement his own vision at Old Trafford and that he would not alter the approach he took.

Would I take the job again? Of course I would because there are very few managers in the world who wouldn t want to ma…

Jurgen Klopp dubbed the German media s reaction to the country s dismal World Cup performance crazy and called for the nation to give Joachim Low s players a chance to redeem themselves.

Germany played out a goalless draw with France in the opening match of their Nations League campaign on Thursday their first outing since being knocked out at the group stage in Russia.

Defeats to South Korea and Mexico, either side of a dramatic victory over Sweden, condemned Die Mannschaft to their worst performance at a World Cup in 80 years but Klopp condemned the reaction of the public and the media since then.

Asked whether he felt criticism of the team was fair, he told reporters: No.

And if I was a follower of the German national team I wouldn t say anything. Bec…

Pep Guardiola has moved to clarify reports Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has a €250million release clause in his contract with the Premier League champions.

De Bruyne extended his terms at the Etihad Stadium last season, penning a bumper deal that runs until June 2023.

In an interview with former Real Madrid forward Jorge Valdano, head coach and sporting director for Movistar+ in Spain, Guardiola discussed the Belgium midfielder s valuation on the back of inspiring City to Premier League and EFL Cup glory in 2017-18.

He s an incredible boy. The clause is €250m. I m sorry, he s not for sale, he was quoted as saying.

Speaking at a news conference to preview Saturday s Premier League game against Fulham, Guardiola explained he was simply stating …

Barcelona moved up to second in LaLiga as they cruised past Getafe with a convincing 4-0 home win.

Raphinha opened the scoring before Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez got in on the act in the second half.

FULL TIME!!!!

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

Mallorca held Alaves to a 1-1 draw after Matija Nastasic’s close-range strike in the 88th minute drew the visitors level.

Almeria frustrated Atletico Madrid with a 2-2 draw.

Luka Romero’s brace put the hosts in front following Angel Correa’s opener. Rodrigo De Paul snatched an equaliser but Diego Simeone’s side could not find a winner late on.

Harry Kane scored a brace to help Bayern Munich back to winning ways as they beat RB Leipzig 2-1 in the Bundesliga.

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