Modric pens new Real deal

Market: Celtic to beat Motherwell

Odds: 

Coming off the back of an historic 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Rangers in the Old Firm derby last weekend, Brendan Rodger s high-flying Celtic still look in pole position to pull of their second treble winning season on the bounce.

For the hosts on Sunday, it has been another season of flirting with midtable for Motherwell. For Steve Robinson s side, The Well will know that they face another tough task at Fir Park. Without a win against the Hoops in their last nine attempts, Robinson s side have lost eight of those matchups, and more worryingly for Motherwell, they have conceded four or more goals in four of those nine matches. While Motherwell may sit comfortably above the drop zone, they still remain some way off th…

Nice expect Mario Balotelli to leave the club when the striker s contract expires at the end of the season.

Balotelli has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season, 14 of which have come in Ligue 1, but Nice are eighth and unlikely to qualify for Europe.

The 27-year-old s agent Mino Raiola has suggested Serie A title contenders Napoli would be ideal for his client, but leaders Juventus have confirmed they are not interested in Balotelli.

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere and coach Lucien Favre have both confirmed Balotelli is not expected to agree a contract renewal to spend a third season at the club.

It s more likely than not that Mario will leave, Favre told Canal+ after Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain beat his side 2-1 on Sunday.

Be…

Claudio Ranieri believes his new four-year contract will allow Leicester City to build on their phenomenal Premier League title triumph – even if he is keen to once again temper expectations at the King Power Stadium.

Ranieri famously played down Leicester s hopes of sealing glory as the 5,000-1 outsiders proved to be immovable frontrunners during an unforgettable 2015-16 campaign.

The 64-year-old will now take the club into the Champions League for the first time and is committed to Leicester s long-term development after tying himself to the club until 2020 on Wednesday.

It [the contract] is important because when we started last season, the project was to build something important. Of course nobody expected the title, he told Sky Sports.

For this r…

European giants Juventus and Liverpool are showing interest in Saint Etienne hotshot Kurt Zouma, reports Le 10 Sport.

The 18-year-old is already considered an important member of the squad at Stade Geoffroy Guichard and his impressive displays in French Ligue 1 did not go unnoticed.

Top European clubs are lining up for his services, with Juventus and Liverpool reportedly leading the chase.

Saint Etienne chiefs are aware they won t be able to keep hold of their prized asset for much longer and they are reportedly willing to listen to offers for the highly rated defender.

Kurt Zouma came through the youth ranks at Saint Etienne and was handed a first team debut during the 2011/2012 season.

He has since made 37 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring 4 goals i…

Niko Kovac will no longer play for the Croatian national team. The captain announced this in an interview with newspaper Sportske Novosti.

The decision has been made. I will never play for Croatia again. It wasn t easy to decide this, because I have achieved a lot with the national team, as a person and as a footballer, the 37-year-old said.

Kovac made his international debut in 1996, but missed the 1998 World Cup as he did not fully recover from an injury. He did however appear in all three 2002 World Cup group matches but failed to help his team to the next round.

Following a similarly unsuccessful Euro 2004, Kovac took over the captain s ribbon. The 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 were both reached, but Croatia again failed to make it to the second round at bot…

Ecuadorian attacking midfielder Luis Bolaños will leave his current side LDU Quito to join Brazilian giants Santos.

This was confirmed by LDU director Esteban Paz in an interview with Ecuador radio station Radio Quito.

Chucho Bolaños, who turns 24 in March, was part of the LDU team that won the Copa Libertadores in 2008 and left another good impression when scoring from a great free kick in the Club World Cup semi final with Pachuca of Mexico.

Spanish side Espanyol launched two attempts to secure the player but failed on both occasions. Santos bid was more successful, as the Brazilians did manage to persuade the Ecuador outfit.

Bolaños has also played in four World Cup qualifiers with the Ecuador national team.

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Manchester City attacker Phil Foden has undergone surgery to remove his appendix.

England confirmed the news on Sunday, ruling Foden out of the Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.

City subsequently announced that Foden would definitely miss next Saturday s crucial Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Foden, who came on as a substitute in England s win over Italy on Thursday but lasted only 12 minutes, had been suffering from acute appendicitis.

No firm timescale has been given for the 22-year-old s return, though the UK National Health Service (NHS) guidance recommends at least a two-week recovery period.

Foden has scored 13 goals and provided five assists in 36 appearances for City this season.

An update from the camp, as has been rule…

Rio Ferdinand says he is interested in discussing a return to Manchester United as the club s first sporting director.

United are reportedly keen to make an appointment to support manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward currently in charge of negotiating transfers.

Former England and United defender Ferdinand is said to be among the contenders for the job and he was seen speaking with former team-mate Edwin van der Sar ahead of Tottenham s Champions League semi-final with Ajax.

Van der Sar has thrived in a similar job with the Eredivisie giants and Ferdinand – a television pundit and ambassador for Euro 2020 – is intrigued by the role, although he wants more clarity over what would be involved.

It all depends on t…

Independiente held on for a 0-0 draw with 10 men against fellow Argentine club Boca Juniors to reach the Copa Sudamericana last 16.

Independiente, the 2010 Copa Sudamericana champions, drew the first-leg 3-3 away at Boca and despite being down to 10 men in the second half of Wednesday s match following Eduardo Tuzzio s dismissal, they managed to see out the scoreless stalemate and advance on the away goals rule.

Americo Gallego s side will now face the winner of Uruguay s Liverpool and Colombia s Envigado in the round of 16.

In other results, Cerro Porteno lost a two-goal lead after Sebastian Taborda was sent off, as they drew 2-2 in their first-leg clash away to Atletico Club Mineros.

Nacional grabbed a crucial 1-0 away win in their first leg against LD…

Sunderland have confirmed winger Ahmed Elmohamady has joined Hull City on loan until the end of the season.

The Egyptian midfielder will link up with former Black Cats boss Steve Bruce at the KC Stadium as he looks to strengthen his squad for their Championship campaign.

It is believed that the deal will include a recall clause that could see the midfielder return to Wearside in January if required.

Elmohamady joined Sunderland on-loan from ENPPI in 2010 before making the switch permanent in 2011 for a fee in the region of two million pounds.

The 24-year-old has made 60 appearances for Sunderland during his two seasons at the club and has scored one goal, netting against West Bromwich Albion in the last campaign.

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