Rumours linking Neymar to Barcelona refuse to subside.

Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222million transfer in 2017, but the Brazilian star wants to move back to Camp Nou.

Barca are desperate to make it happen by any means necessary.

TOP STORY – BARCA TO INVOKE CLAUSE IN NEYMAR PURSUIT

Barcelona are plotting an audacious plan to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, according to ESPN.

The report says LaLiga champions could invoke a little-known FIFA clause – Article 17 – in order to lure Neymar back to Camp Nou.

Article 17 states that players can leave their contracts without just cause once the three-year protection period ends.

ROUND-UP

 Marc-Andre ter …

Watford s Gerard Deulofeu has revealed his desire to play for one of top European clubs, according to the Guardian. He has, however, also said that he has full respect for the role he currently plays at the Vicarage Road.

The winger started his professional career with Barcelona s B side back in 2010/11 and made his first-team debut the following season. But with the Catalans boasting players that they did at the time, he was never going to break through and establish himself as a regular member of the team. He spent 2013/14 at Everton and 2014/15 at Sevilla on loan, before signing for the Toffees permanently in 2015. The second part of 2016/17 he spent in Italy playing for AC Milan, and the following summer Barcelona exercised their buy-back clause and brought him back to Camp…

Oakland Athletics executive vice-president Billy Beane has acquired a five-per-cent stake in Eredivise side AZ.

Beane has acted in an advisory role for AZ since 2015 and has now further strengthened his ties with the club.

He is also part of a consortium that purchased EFL side Barnsley in 2017 but is better known for his Moneyball philosophy that helped the A s unearth undervalued talent and overcome higher-spending rivals in MLB.

I am honored to formalise my role with AZ and take this next step in being part of the future of the club, he told the Dutch outfit s official website. 

Working alongside [general manager] Robert Eenhoorn and the rest of the group here over the last five years has been an incredible experience for me and this agreement ensur…

Naby Keita scored on his first Premier League start of the season as Liverpool consolidated their position at the top of table with a comfortable 3-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had given Jurgen Klopp s side the lead with his first league goal since January 2018 before Keita added a second just before half-time.

Mohamed Salah made it three shortly after the break, and the Reds kept a rare clean sheet, ending a run of 13 matches in all competitions without one.

Liverpool moved 11 points ahead of second-placed Leicester City, who play on Sunday, and 14 clear of champions Manchester City ahead of their derby clash with Manchester United later in the day.

A commanding victory

Next up,

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) …

Rewind to June 2018 and Atletico Madrid s future looked secure. Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez had just signed new contracts.

The landscape has drastically changed since then. Star full-back Lucas will join German giants Bayern Munich, while talisman Griezmann – reportedly a target for Barcelona – has announced his intention to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.

News of Griezmann s imminent departure comes after captain Diego Godin revealed he will call time on his Atletico career amid links to Serie A side Inter.

With Griezmann, Godin and Lucas leaving, and doubts over Rodri, Saul Niguez, Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Juanfran in Madrid, are Diego Simeone s Atletico – who are set to finish second in LaLiga after a run to the Champions League last 16 and …

With the Premier League making its return from an enforced break, we have a stacked schedule from across the footballing globe. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday September 17th
BST 17:30 Tottenham vs Leicester

After getting hit with a last-gasp 2-0 defeat away at Sporting Lisbon while on Champions League duties earlier in the week, Tottenham will be seeking an immediate response here. However, while Antonio Conte s men might have seen their 13-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end out in Portugal a few days ago, Saturday s hosts are enjoying an early-season domestic purple patch. Last seen on Premier League action picking up a 2-1 victory against top-fli…

Jack Grealish was delighted to finally get off the mark in an England shirt after adding the final goal in Saturday s 5-0 win at Andorra.

A reshuffled England side were comfortable throughout as they closed on World Cup qualification, recording their sixth win in seven matches in this campaign.

The Three Lions were two up by half-time through Ben Chilwell and Bukayo Saka, the latter assisted by the outstanding Phil Foden. It was the first time two England players aged 21 or under had combined for a World Cup qualifying goal since Steven Gerrard s assist for Michael Owen against Germany in 2001.

Tammy Abraham got in on the act after half-time, before Grealish made a significant impact from the bench.

In 17 minutes, the £100million man won a penalty, which…

Jose Mourinho has given his full backing to great professional Steven Bergwijn after the forward was subjected to abusive messages on social media in the wake of Tottenham s 2-1 loss to Liverpool.

Netherlands international Bergwijn missed a couple of promising opportunities in Wednesday s top-of-the-table showdown at Anfield as Spurs relinquished control of first place in the Premier League.

He had just 26 touches of the ball during his 76 minutes on the field fewer than any other player to have started the match and attempted 11 passes, which was one fewer than fellow winger Lucas Moura, who was brought on in the second half.

Bergwijn had to limit the amount of comments on his Instagram account because of a number of negative comments but the Dutchman has the su…

Lucas Hernandez was back in Bayern Munich training on Monday for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the World Cup.

The versatile defender suffered the injury early on in France s Qatar 2022 opener against Australia in November.

He went down clutching his right knee after being turned by Matthew Leckie in the build-up to the Socceroos opening goal.

France subsequently confirmed he ruptured his ACL, leading to fears that Hernandez s season – not just his World Cup – was over.

But his chances of being involved in Bayern s run-in have improved significantly after the club confirmed he was once again training with the ball on Monday.

Nevertheless, it would seem unlikely for Hernandez to be back in match contention du…

Mehdi Taremi believes Iran s players struggled to focus on football during Monday s 6-2 defeat to England amid a crackdown on protests in their home country.

Taremi became the first Iran player to score a World Cup double at the Khalifa International Stadium last time out, but his efforts were not enough to deny England their biggest win in a World Cup or European Championships opener.

The game was played out in a highly charged atmosphere, with Iran s players refusing to sing their national anthem in an apparent display of solidarity with anti-government protesters in the country.

Human rights groups say more than 400 people have lost their lives amid the repression of protests in Iran, which began following the September death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woma…