Leonardo quits as AC Milan sporting director

Alvaro Arbeloa has vowed that Real Madrid will believe until the last moment that they can snatch the Liga title away from Barcelona.

Madrid will go into next weekend s final round of fixtures one point adrift of Barca and as the only team who can prevent their great rivals from retaining the trophy after a dramatic day on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid were beaten 2-1 at already-relegated Levante, meaning they drop out of the title race, while Madrid edged Valencia 3-2 and Barca thrashed Espanyol 5-0.

Madrid end their league season at Deportivo La Coruna next week, while Barca travel to Granada.

Full-back Arbeloa told Movistar Plus: We lost two league titles in Tenerife [so it is possible for Barca to drop points]. We will believe until the last moment, just li…

Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini has signed a new contract with the Serie A side.

The 27 year old impressed for the Viola last season, as the club managed to secure the important fourth place.

“We would like to announce that Gamberini s contract has been extended until 2013,” a Viola statement reads.

“The player will meet journalists at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this afternoon at 3.30pm.”

Gamberini has been linked with German side Bayern Munich in recent weeks.

Gamberini, who joined Fiorentina from Bologna in 2005, also was a part of the Italian squad for Euro 2008.

The defender made his debut for Italy in a 2-0 win against South Africa in 2007.

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England captain John Terry has said that England are full of confidence before their crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday.

The Chelsea stalwart also said that the disappointments of Euro 2008 should be enough to spur his team on.

England lost twice to Croatia in their qualification campaign.

Terry added that the three points that will go a long way in seeing them qualify for South Africa in 2010 are a distinct possibility.

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Learning of Ryan Mason s premature retirement on Tuesday due to a head injury suffered in January 2017 was heart-breaking for Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.

Mason clashed heads with Cahill in a match at Stamford Bridge early last year and fractured his skull in the incident.

The midfielder was initially expected to return to football, but recent scans showed the injury to be even more significant than originally feared.

As a result, Mason announced his retirement on Tuesday at the age of 26 to an outpouring of tributes and well wishes from across English football.

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte said in his pre-match news conference ahead of Friday s match with Mason s former club Hull City that Cahill should not be blamed, but the centre-back cannot help feel…

PSV have completed the permanent signing of striker Luuk de Jong from Borussia Monchengladbach.

De Jong moves to the Philips Stadion on a five-year contract following an unsuccessful spell with Gladbach.

The Netherlands international joined Gladbach in 2012 following a prolific stint with Twente, but struggled to find form at Borussia Park.

The 23-year-old netted just eight times for Gladbach in two years with the Bundesliga side.

A loan to Premier League outfit Newcastle United could not revive his fortunes, De Jong failing to score in a four-month spell at St James Park in the second half of last season.

It had been rumoured that De Jong could join elder brother Siem at Newcastle after the attacking midfielder made the move to Tyneside from Dutc…

Having already opened his Newcastle United goalscoring account, Siem de Jong has targeted a goal in his first Premier League match.

De Jong scored in his first appearance for Newcastle on Tuesday, hitting the back of the net in his new club s 2-1 friendly loss to Oldham Athletic and, although Alan Pardew s men will start their Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City, the Dutch forward is not worried.

In his previous two fixtures against City, De Jong while playing for former club Ajax scored three goals in the UEFA Champions League and the 25-year-old hopes to continue that form on August 17 at St James Park.

I played against Man City a couple of years ago in the Champions League and scored three goals in the two games, he told The Northern Ech…

Dusan Vlahovic expressed his delight at the opportunity to play with Angel Di Maria, as the two combined to inspire Juventus to a 3-0 win against Sassuolo.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star opened the deadlock with a bouncing volley and teed up Vlahovic in the second half, which came either side of the Serbian winning and converting a penalty.

Sterner tests will await for Juventus this season, particularly when their Champions League campaign begins next month, but the performance from the two attackers will provide encouragement after last season s frustrations.

Di Maria s creativity is likely to add further opportunities for Vlahovic to extend his excellent record for Juventus, and he took the opportunity after the win to praise his new teammate.

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Robert Firmino and Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool ended a five-game winless run away from home in the Premier League with an emphatic 7-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Jurgen Klopp s champions had drawn four and lost one of their top-flight games on the road following a 2-0 win at Chelsea on September 20, but a return to winning ways away from Anfield was never in doubt after Takumi Minamino s opener after 125 seconds. 

They followed that up with fine goals from Sadio Mane and Firmino before half-time, while Jordan Henderson, Firmino and a brace from substitute Salah sealed a stunning victory in the second period. 

The dominant win stretched Liverpool s lead at the summit to six points, although Tottenham could reduce that back to thre…

Dick Advocaat has confirmed that he is in talks with Fenerbahce after quitting his role as assistant coach to the Netherlands national team.

The 68-year-old was appointed to work with head coach Danny Blind in May, having left his post as Sunderland manager in October 2015.

However, despite a World Cup qualifier with Sweden less than a month away, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) announced on Monday that Advocaat was stepping down.

The former PSV and Zenit boss later told Voetbal International: At this moment, I am in talks with Fenerbahce, that s right.

Blind expressed his surprise at Advocaat s decision but called for focus ahead of their friendly match with Greece on September 1, before the qualifiers for Russia 2018 against Sweden and Bel…

Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas is not convinced that Celta Vigo have the financial strength to lure Mathieu Valbuena to Galicia after reports linked the Frenchman with a move.

The France international joined Lyon in August 2015 after a season in Russia with Dinamo Moscow, helping the club to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 last term.

Celta have reportedly been mulling over a move for the 31-year-old after seeing Nolito depart for Manchester City.

But Aulas has debunked such speculation, claiming he has had no contact with the LaLiga club and suggested they would not be able to afford him anyway.

He told beIN Sports: I have no information about this and it surprises me a lot because Mathieu is very motivated and we will need him.

If there is an…