Inter want Cagliari hotshot

France coach Didier Deschamps insists he has no regrets over his decision to leave Samir Nasri out of his FIFA World Cup squad.

The Manchester City midfielder was among the more high-profile players to be left out of the French party, although his omission was not altogether unexpected.

Nasri, handed a three-match ban by the French Football Federation for an outburst at journalists during Euro 2012, said he was mentally prepared for the snub, with Deschamps stating he did not see the 26-year-old as a first-team player for France .

While Deschamps acknowledged Nasri had been in fine form for his club helping City clinch the Premier League title he hinted other reasons were behind his absence.

I watched his matches (for City). He has a level of performance for hi…

Antonio Conte hit back at criticism of his Inter side and claimed mistakes from officials also contributed to their Champions League exit after a goalless draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Nerazzurri crashed out of Europe on a wet Wednesday at San Siro as Real Madrid and Borussia Monchengladbach advanced to the round of 16 following a 2-0 win for Zinedine Zidane s side.

Lautaro Martínez hit the crossbar early on and missed several other chances, while Alexis Sanchez s powerful stoppage-time header struck Romelu Lukaku when it may have been heading for the back of the net.

That summed up Inter s night, which ended with them finishing bottom of Group B and Shakhtar having to settle for a Europa League spot.

It is the first time the Serie A side have come …

Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag insisted his defence was not to blame for their opening-day defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford.

The Seagulls found themselves 2-0 up at half-time after Pascal Gross scored a first-half brace.

Ten Hag had opted to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench due to a lack of fitness, but brought him on in the second period to positive effect and an Alexis Mac Allister own goal set up a tense finish.

Brighton held on though for their first ever away win at Old Trafford, condemning Ten Hag to defeat in his first competitive game in charge of the Red Devils.

However, the former Ajax boss refused to blame his backline for the defeat, telling reporters:  It wasn t the defending. We defend as a team and we made …

French international midfielder and Leicester City enforcer N’Golo Kante is on his way to Chelsea Football Club, according to reports from .

French media outlet report that Paris Saint-Germain have turned their focus away from the 25-year-ols with the arrival of Unai Emery adding that Premier League giants Chelsea have emerged as firm favourites to land the tireless midfielder.

Blues have apparently agreed a fee believed to be in excess of €35 million, which is a significantly improved offer compared to Leicester City’s initial asking price of €26 million for the French international.

Antonio Konte has identified the French midfielder as his top summer target and a five-year deal is already in place for N’Golo Kante.

The French international ha…

Uruguayan side Plaza Colonia completed a Leicester City-like triumph after claiming their first ever top-flight championship on Sunday.

A 2-1 win over second-placed Penarol saw Colonia move five points above the Uruguayan giants with one game left in the season. 

Miguel Murillo cancelled out Nicolas Milesi s first-minute opener for Colonia, before Alejandro Villoldo sealed the historic win with a 79th-minute penalty.

Dale Campeón !!!

— Club Plaza Colonia (@PlazaColonia)

Colonia were bottom of the Uruguayan second division in October 2014 before an 18-match unbeaten run saw them claim promotion to the top flight. 

After finishing 13th in the Apertura, Colonia went on to upstage giants Penarol and Nacional on their way to the Claus…

La Liga club Sevilla have confirmed the signing of Lens midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia for an undisclosed fee.

The 19-year-old midfielder landed in Seville on Tuesday and underwent a medical before signing a five-year contract with the Spanish side.

Kondobgia, an Under-19 international for France, has caught the eye of a number of clubs across Europe since breaking into Lens first team in 2010.

Juventus, AC Milan, Napoli and Inter were all said to be interested in the midfielder, who made 39 appearances for the Ligue 2 side.

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The outcome of an anticipated titanic battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk is likely to have a huge say in whether Portugal or Netherlands win the inaugural Nations League.

A stunning hat-trick from Ronaldo saw hosts Portugal to a 3-1 semi-final win over Switzerland, while Van Dijk played with typical composure in a game otherwise laced with defensive errors in Guimaraes – the Netherlands coming from behind to beat England 3-1 in extra time.

Van Dijk was named the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Player of the Year on account of his imperious form for Liverpool and scooped man-of-the-match honours as Jurgen Klopp s side won the Champions League final against Tottenham last weekend.

As such there is an increasing clamour for the 27-year…

Jurgen Klopp acknowledged Liverpool have a tough Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid, but he pointed out opposite number Diego Simeone would be disappointed to face the holders.

Liverpool topped their group ahead of Napoli and their bid for a second consecutive European crown takes them back to the Wanda Metropolitano the scene of last season s final to face dangerous LaLiga giants Atleti.

Klopp suggested he anticipated a return to Madrid, while recognition of a testing fixture was tempered by the strength of a last-16 draw containing only clubs from Europe s top five leagues.

It s an interesting draw, Klopp told his club s official website. Before the draw, I actually thought it would be Madrid either one of the two clubs and that s the way it is.

Eden Hazard said he aimed to increase his Premier League scoring power this season, after being named the PFA Players Player of the Year.

The Belgium international, 24, was crowned the best player in the English top flight by his peers, and was one of six Chelsea players in the Premier League team of the year.

Hazard said his personal success he has scored 13 goals in 33 games  has helped contribute to putting Chelsea on the brink of re-claiming the league crown.

He remains one behind his 2013-14 tally of 14 league goals in 35 appearances.

We are almost champions, maybe this is the key, the midfielder said, according to the Daily Mail. 

Last season we finished third and this season we have an opportunity to win the league. This has changed fro…

Few subjects illuminate Jose Mourinho as much as his admiration for Alex Ferguson.

When the Scot called time on his hugely successful dynasty at Manchester United in 2013, it was widely accepted that the modern game would never again witness a manager with such an all-consuming influence at a football club.

This fact remains, but the clinical control with which Chelsea have dominated England s top flight on their way to a fourth Premier League title means it is hard to imagine a coach who commands the levels of authority and respect that Mourinho does at Stamford Bridge.

The Portuguese spoke of owner Roman Abramovich hugging players in the Chelsea dressing room after they carried out their manager s arch-pragmatism to the letter in last weekend s much-discusse…