Schalke keen to keep Huntelaar

Inter have completed the signing of Barcelona midfielder Rafinha on loan until the end of season, the clubs have confirmed.

The Brazil international could make the move to Serie A permanent, with Inter possessing an option to purchase him before the end of his loan in a €35million deal that could rise by a further €3m.

It has been reported the fee will become will become mandatory if Inter qualify for the Champions League this season, in which case Rafinha will sign a three-year contract starting from July.

The 24-year-old is eager to join a club where he will play regular first-team football, having seen injuries restrict his involvement at Camp Nou in recent years.

I m really happy, it s a great feeling to be here, Rafinha told Inter TV.

O…

Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk was left to reflect on a tournament of unfulfilled promise as his side crashed out of Euro 2012.

The Dutch, who came into the tournament regarded as one of the favourites, finished bottom of Group B after falling to Portugal 2-1 in their final group game.

Despite losing to both Denmark and Germany, the Netherlands went into their final encounter with Portugal knowing a win would give them a fighting chance of qualification.

Yet two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo soon dashed any hopes van Marwijk s men had of reaching the quarter finals.

I can t deny that this is a major deception for us, Van Marwijk told NOS.

In all the three games we started well, but we couldn t hold it, just like today. We came up front w…

Daryl Dike and Benji Michel each netted a brace for Orlando City in a 5-0 rout of San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday. 

The comfortable win moved the Lions clear of Philadelphia to sit alone in second place behind New England Revolution in Major League Soccer s Eastern Conference. 

Nani opened the scoring from the spot in the seventh minute and the Orlando native Michel followed with his first goal of the season after 16 minutes. 

The USA international Dike put the game out of reach, netting in the 31st and 49th minutes with Nani assisting on both goals. 

Stunt on them |

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC)

Dike was making his first start since returning to Orlando City from a loan to Barnsley, where the 21-year-old scored nine goals …

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 100th Juventus appearance with a brace in Sunday s 3-1 Serie A win over Genoa and he now has sights on reaching a century of goals.

Juve were by no means outstanding at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris and looked to be slumping to a sixth draw in 11 Serie A games this season until the latter stages.

Defensive mistakes led to Juve winning two penalties in the final 12 minutes, and Ronaldo repeated the feat of his spot-kick double against Barcelona in midweek by confidently dispatching another pair in Genoa to take his overall club total to 77 goals.

Not only was Ronaldo making his 100th Juve appearance, he also became the first player to reach 400 wins across Europe s top five leagues this century.

400 become the first player to …

No Neymar, title holders Chile struggling and doubts over Luis Suarez s fitness. Will captain Lionel Messi have a better opportunity to leave his legacy on Argentina and international football?

As the forthcoming Copa America Centenario gets set to kick off on Friday, there are absolutely no doubts about Messi s standing in the modern game, at club level at least.

The record-breaking five-time Ballon d Or winner has collected 28 trophies during his time with Barcelona, while his overall count stands at 30 thanks to Olympic gold and a successful World Youth Championship in 2005 which is one clear of football great Pele following the Catalan club s Copa del Rey triumph in May.

Leo
Copa del Rey 
UCL 
La Liga 
Spanish Super Cup 
European Super Cup 
Club …

Laurent Koscielny says the France players will be unaffected by external factors as they prepare to try and win Euro 2016 on home soil.

Former France international Eric Cantona caused an unwanted stir when he suggested the exclusion of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa from the squad by head coach Didier Deschamps was racially motivated.

Deschamps rejected the claims and has threatened to sue Cantona, in a flare-up of the animosity that has simmered between the two men since their time together in the national team during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Benzema was not considered by Deschamps under orders from the French Football Federation due to his alleged involvement in an attempt to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

An impressive season w…

David Moyes believes Jarrod Bowen should be back in the England squad this week after his fifth goal of the season helped sink Sheffield United 2-0.

Gareth Southgate names his next squad on Thursday ahead of a friendly against Australia and the Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy.

Bowen, who earned four caps last year, was overlooked for the September internationals but Moyes feels his current form makes him hard to ignore.

“I would say Jarrod is as close now as he has ever been,” said Moyes.

“He’s in really good form, quick, sharp and looks like he can do a lot of things.

“I’m not going to pick the England team, but to play for England you have to be able to score in big games. Jarrod’s doing great for us.”

Bowen grabbed his go…

Prediction: Armenia to win 2-0

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Latvia and Armenia will lock horns with each other in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group D this week. The match between Dainis Kazakevičs’s side and Oleksandr Petrakov’s team will be held at Skonto Stadium in Riga and will kick off at 5pm UK time on Thursday.

Latvia

Latvia are one of the smallest footballing nations in Europe and do not tend to do well. Not one expects them to go qualify for any major international competitions or even come close to qualifying.

Dainis Kazakevičs’s side are not going to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2024 finals. Latvia are at the foot of UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group D with no point from five matches. Latvia have lost all five of their qualifiers.

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Hernan Crespo believes truly important player Paulo Dybala can force his way back into Jorge Sampaoli s plans and earn a place in Argentina s World Cup squad.

Juventus forward Dybala was among the surprise omissions from the Argentina squad for March friendlies against Italy and Spain, with Inter captain Mauro Icardi also missing out.

Sampaoli has suggested it is not too late for both strikers to seal a spot on the plane to Russia although there is fierce competition, with Argentina boasting strong forward options including Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Dybala s Juve team-mate Gonzalo Higuain.

Dybala has hit 17 Serie A goals in a season disrupted by injury and a loss of form, but former Argentina striker Crespo believes the 24-year-old has what it takes to make…

Luka Jovic is adamant playing in the European Under-21 Championship with Serbia will not impact negatively on his pre-season preparations for new club Real Madrid.

Jovic enjoyed a stellar campaign on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt from Benfica in 2018-19, scoring 27 goals across all competitions as the German side finished seventh in the Bundesliga and reached the Europa League semi-finals.

The striker s form attracted interest from a host of major European clubs, but Madrid were the ones to take the plunge, shelling out a reported €60million on the 21-year-old less than two months after Frankfurt triggered their apparent €7m purchase option on him.

Jovic is one of the most notable stars at the European Under-21 Championship in Italy, which began on Sunday.