Sports

Cesc Fabregas will captain Chelsea for their FA Cup third-round tie against Nottingham Forest in what could be his final game for the club.

Fabregas, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of the season, is reportedly close to joining Monaco and bringing his four-and-a-half year spell at Chelsea to a close.

The 31-year-old cost Chelsea £27million when he arrived from Barcelona in June 2014 and the former Arsenal playmaker helped the Blues to the Premier League title and the League Cup in his first season back in English football. 

Another league title followed in 2016-17 the third of Fabregas career but he has made just six Premier League appearances this season under Maurizio Sarri.

Today’s captain!

— Chelsea FC (@Chels…

Arjen Robben is a perfect example of how older players can continue improving, says Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer.

The Netherlands international has made 119 Bundesliga appearances since arriving at the Allianz Arena in 2009, winning three domestic crowns and a UEFA Champions League title in the process.

Sammer claims Robben, 30, keeps getting better and has urged others to follow his lead.

Arjen is a perfect example of how an older player can still learn and develop, and refuse to be satisfied with what he s already achieved, he told Bayern s official website.  He invests 100 per cent in every training session.

In the past he often tried to pull tricks on his body, but that s not on. He s learned to stay more calm and relaxed and …

Ivan Rakitic insists he wants to stay at Barcelona and potentially extend his contract, despite reports linking him with Chelsea.

The 30-year-old has been a huge success since joining from Sevilla in 2014, winning 12 major trophies, including the treble of LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Champions League in 2014-15.

However, with Frenkie de Jong set to arrive from Ajax in July in an €86million deal, Rakitic has been tipped for a possible move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Barca are thought to be eager to reduce their wage bill, as well as recoup some funds from transfers, and Rakitic, along with Philippe Coutinho and Malcom, is one of the players said to be facing a fight for his future.

But the Croatia star has no intention of leaving Barca, t…

Bolton Wanderers defender Stephen Darby has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, leading to his retirement from football. The 29 year old has requested for privacy so that he can adjust ahead of what is sure to be the toughest battle of his life, with tributes pouring in from every corner of the football world since the news was announced. MND is a vicious disease that many are already well aware of, and all we can do now is pray for Stephen as he begins this journey.

Darby began his career with Liverpool around ten years ago, and since then he s played for a handful of clubs across English football. The outpouring of love and affection showed towards Stephen draws comparisons to Carl Ikeme, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last year.

Stephen Darby signed for Cham…

Chelsea have made a £35m approach for Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to the Daily Star.

The twenty-three year old is entering the final year of his current deal with the Gunners, who are yet to offer him an extension that meets his vast wage demands.

Blues’ boss Antonio Conte is an admirer of the England international and is keen to add him to his squad as he prepares for a return to the Champions League.

Liverpool have also been monitoring the situation but appear reluctant to pay more than the £25m that was initially offered by the champions.

Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to the Emirates Stadium from Southampton in the summer of 2011 and has since racked up almost two hundred appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty goals.<…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no concerns about Manchester United s return to Old Trafford for another big match against Manchester City, despite their humiliating defeat to Liverpool in their previous home game.

United were hammered 5-0 by Liverpool last month, their largest ever home defeat in that famous fixture.

After a 3-0 win at Tottenham and a 2-2 draw with Atalanta, Solskjaer s side are back on home turf for the visit of rivals City.

City have matched Liverpool with a record seven away wins at Old Trafford, but Solskjaer is not concerned a result he described as his darkest day last time out will still be on his players minds.

We ve moved on from that one, he said during a news conference. Of course, it s going to be in the history books, but we …

Seattle Sounders made league history after the MLS champions humiliated San Jose Earthquakes 7-1.

The Sounders became the quickest team to score five goals in an MLS game, requiring just 33 minutes to achieve the feat against the Earthquakes on Thursday.

Seattle – whose six-goal margin of victory is the largest in club history – also tied the record for the most goals scored before half-time in MLS, following in the footsteps of Dallas (2017) and Chicago Fire (2019).

The Sounders fell just one goal short of the all-time MLS record for most goals scored in a match, held by LA Galaxy (1998), as they moved back to the top of the Western Conference.

5 scored 5 goals in the first half against San Jose, tying the record for goals before halftime. Flying. …

Barcelona equalled Bayern Munich s record of 29 successive home games without defeat in the Champions League following their draw against Tottenham.

Tuesday s 1-1 stalemate at Camp Nou extended Barca s undefeated streak on home soil in Europe – a run dating back to September 2013 with 26 wins and three draws.

Bundesliga giants Bayern set the record in a sequence that spanned 1998 to 2002 at their former stadium, Olympiastadion.

Already guaranteed a spot in the competition s last 16, Lionel Messi and Barca shared the spoils against visitors Tottenham on the sixth and final matchday in Group B.

Ousmane Dembele s stunning opener was cancelled out by Spurs forward Lucas Moura with five minutes remaining as Barca recorded a lower possession figure (48.8 per…

Jose Mourinho insisted he won everything he possibly could at Manchester United as the Tottenham head coach prepares to face his former club.

Mourinho and Tottenham will travel to Old Trafford to meet United in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Portuguese boss spent two and a half seasons in charge of United before he was sacked in December 2018 and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Mourinho, who was appointed by Spurs in November last year, did not deliver Premier League glory following a runners-up finish in 2017-18 but won the Europa League (2016-17), EFL Cup (2016-17) and Community Shield (2016) during his time in Manchester.

Bear with us, it s been a while

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

The fans, they know that I gave every…

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has been banned for three Copa del Rey matches after being sent off during his side s quarter-final exit at the hands of Sevilla on Tuesday.

The Argentine was sent from the dugout shortly after Sevilla scored their third goal in the 3-1 victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan that gave them a 5-2 aggregate triumph.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation s Competition Committee has given Simeone a one-match ban for his dismissal and increased the suspension by a further two games after he applauded the officials as he departed the touchline.

The suspension only applies to Copa matches, meaning it will carry over into next season. He will be free to take his place in the technical area for Sunday s LaLiga meeting with Las Palmas…