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      Liverpool ‘to turn transfer attentions to Schalke defender Ozan Kabak, 20, to replace long-term injured Van Dijk’

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      LIVERPOOL are considering signing Schalke defender Ozan Kabak to replace injured Virgil van Dijk, according to reports.
      The Dutch star’s season was ended by Jordan Pickford’s horror tackle during Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

      Liverpool are eyeing a move for Schalke defender Ozan KabakCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The Bundesliga star is being considered to cover for injured Virgil van DijkCredit: AFP or licensors

      And the Reds are now on the hunt for cover.
      Van Dijk required knee surgery which will keep him out for the rest of the campaign.
      And 20-year-old Kabak is being eyed as a replacement, according to Sport Media Set.

      Schalke reportedly want £27.1million for the Turkish international, who would be able to move in January.
      And Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is said to be ‘aiming for the signing’.
      However, several other top European clubs are said to be in for the talented youngster.
      AC Milan were keen on landing the Bundesliga ace during the summer and are said to be concerned by Liverpool’s reported interest.

      Schalke only signed Kabak last summer in a £13.5m deal from Stuttgart.

      Van Dijk was clattered by Jordan Pickford during the Merseyside derbyCredit: PA:Press Association

      And he has a contract with the German side until 2024.
      Liverpool have been linked with a few defenders since Van Dijk’s long-term absence was confirmed.
      But having starred at centre-back in their 1-0 Champions League win at Ajax on Wednesday, Brazilian midfielder Fabinho reckons he has what it takes to fill in for the Dutchman.
      He said: “It is not easy but I have got to do a little of what Virgil always does – to talk to the team and try to be a leader.

      How Virgil van Dijk compares to the rest of the PL’s defenders
      “First of all, he is the best defender in the world right now. Most of all, he is a leader in the team and in the dressing room.
      “The manager said to me I have to talk more to try and organise the team.
      “Tactically, at centre back, I have to always be ready for the long balls. I must try to organise the team. Sometimes I have to get the second balls and be ready to press.
      “Of course, I am not Virgil but I will do my best and it was very important for me and the team to keep a clean sheet against Ajax.”

      How Liverpool have fared with and without Van Dijk since his debut in 2018 up to his injury against Everton

      Jurgen Klopp reveals winger Sadio Mane has dead leg after Ajax win More

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      Mario Gotze in best shape of his career after shedding half a stone thanks to personal trainer and yoga sessions

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      MARIO GOTZE is in the best shape of his professional career thanks to yoga and personal training sessions, according to reports.
      The former Bayern Munich star left Borussia Dortmund in July and signed for PSV Eindhoven this month and he used the downtime to transform himself .

      Mario Gotze is in the best shape of his careerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The German has been working out with a personal trainerCredit: Instagram @mariogotze

      And the PSV Eindhoven midfielder has fallen in love with yogaCredit: Instagram @mariogotze

      Gotze, 28, is tipping the scales at 10st 12lbs but has never weighed less than 11st in his entire career, according to Bild.
      The 5ft 9in German international was without a club between July and October.
      But he used the time to good effect by training up to twice a day, six days a week.

      Gotze welcomed a personal trainer to his house in Dortmund where he underwent technical, athletic and exercise ball workouts.
      Pictures posted to his social media also show the pint-size playmaker kick-boxing in his garden.
      Korean yoga instructor Young-Sun Cho, 37, was brought on board and Gotze is said to have fallen in love with the practice.
      Cho’s Instagram page features several shots of the pair mid yoga session in a variety of classic poses.

      Gotze was included in SunSport’s best freebie XI this summer alongside Daniel Sturridge and Jack Wilshere.

      But PSV eventually swooped to land him on a two-year deal and he scored just nine minutes into his debut against PEC Zwolle on Sunday.
      Germany’s 2014 World Cup final goalscoring hero came through the ranks at Dortmund and had two spells at the club either side of a stint at Bayern.
      The attacking midfielder said: “I had a lot of offers this summer but I am a man of feeling and make my own decisions.
      “I feel I am ready for a very different challenge and I am confident that this should be a very comfortable transition for me.”
      Gotze made 21 appearances for Dortmund last season, bagging three goals.
      But after he returned from Bayern in 2016, his second spell was blighted by illness and injury.
      The 63-cap German was diagnosed with Myopathy in 2017, a disease which causes muscle weakness and fatigue.
      And he even played with a cast on his arm after suffering a hairline fracture and ligament wrist injury in 2019.

      Man City star Phil Foden nearly falls into BT Sport pundits as he shows off his skills ahead of Porto match More

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      Man Utd and Chelsea in Denis Zakaria transfer battle as duo fight for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder

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      BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH midfielder Denis Zakaria is reportedly at the centre of a transfer battle between Manchester United and Chelsea.
      The 23-year-old – who still has two years left on his contract with the Bundesliga side – has been out with a knee injury since March.

      Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in signing midfielder Denis ZakariaCredit: 2020 Borussia Moenchengladbach

      But that hasn’t stopped both the Red Devils and the Blues to eye up a move for the Swiss international, who could be allowed to leave next summer.

      According to Bild, the two Premier League clubs are vying to bring the former Young Boys star to England.
      United are in need for a defensive midfielder to replace the ageing Nemanja Matic, who turned 32 in August.
      Meanwhile Frank Lampard is looking for alternatives to West Ham’s Declan Rice having failed to prise him away from the London Stadium.

      But the two teams could still miss out on Zakaria, with it claimed that Bayern Munich are also keen to snap him up.
      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is known to be a fan of the player, with United heavily linked with a move to sign him last season.
      Liverpool have also been credited with an interest in the £37million-rated maestro.
      Zakaria spoke earlier in the year about how flattering it was to be linked with moves to Europe’s biggest clubs.

      Speaking in March, he said: “[The interest] spurs me on and gives me strength to improve further.
      “The fact that other clubs are dealing with me shows that I perform well.
      “But I only concentrate on Borussia. We can achieve great things this season.” More

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      Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram has to Google HIMSELF to prove who he is for stadium ID check

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      BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH star Marcus Thuram was forced to Google HIMSELF in order to prove who he was for a stadium ID check.
      The 23-year-old Bundesliga ace was embarrassingly made to use the internet to bypass tight San Siro security.

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      Marcus Thuram tries to show San Siro security who he isCredit: Twitter @borussia_en

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      The Borussia Monchengladbach ace resorted to Googling himselfCredit: Twitter @borussia_en

      Thuram – son of French World Cup winner Lilian – arrived at the stadium to field questions from the press.
      Monchengladbach open their Champions League campaign away against Inter Milan tonight.
      And the club’s official Twitter account tweeted about the exchange with photos of Thuram searching his own name online, before later deleting the post.
      The mix-up is likely to have been caused by the fact Thuram was sporting a face mask amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

      In a moment of inspiration, the forward pulled down his mask so the guard on duty could match his face to the images Google pulled up.
      Fortunately, Thuram was eventually allowed in to take his place alongside boss Marco Rose for the press conference.
      Ahead of a potential Champions League debut, Thuram said: “Wednesday evening will be a dream come true for me.
      “Playing in the Champions League, playing in such a stadium, against a top team is what you live for as a professional footballer.”

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      Thuram did eventually make it to the press conference alongside boss Marco RoseCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Former top Premier League referee Howard Webb suffered a similar mishap when trying to enter a bar in the US last year.
      The 2010 World Cup final ref had to show bouncers his Wikipedia page to gain entry.
      Webb was at the time aged 48 – 27 years ABOVE the legal drinking age of 21.

      This week it’s France icon Lilian Thuram who won the World Cup and Euro’s with the national side More

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      Serge Gnabry tests positive for coronavirus on eve of Bayern Munich’s Champions League opener vs Atletico Madrid

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      SERGE Gnabry has tested positive for coronavirus on the eve of Bayern Munich’s Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid.
      The club’s Twitter page announced the German had caught the virus.

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      Serge Gnabry has tested positive for Covid-19 a little over 24 hours before Bayern’s first Champions League gameCredit: AFP or licensors

      Bayern say he is doing well and is self-isolating.
      The club conducted tests after a training session on Monday.
      Gnabry trained with his team-mates, so it is unclear whether more positive cases may arise.
      No other positive cases have been announced since the news of Gnabry’s positive test broke.

      German outlet Bild report that the club will release another statement later in the evening.
      The positive result comes just a day before the defending champions open thier campaign against Atletico Madrid.
      Leroy Sane is also injured, leaving manager Hansi Flick with limited options of who to play out wide.

      Inside Bayern Munich’s Champions League celebrations as Davies pulls out dodgy dance moves and Wags party night away More

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      Eto’o blasts ‘disrespectful’ France Football for listing him in 10 top best right-wingers ever with Messi and Beckham

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      SAMUEL ETO’O has hit out at ‘disrespectful’ France Football for naming him in their top ten right-wingers of all time.
      The legendary Cameroonian striker played the majority of his iconic career up-front and he is not happy being labelled a right-winger alongside David Beckham and Lionel Messi.

      Samuel Eto’o was fuming over his inclusion as a right winger in France Football’s nominees for greatest footballers of all time

      France Football run the historic Ballon d’Or award but bizarrely cancelled it this year because of coronavirus.
      And in its place they are attempting to collate the best XI players of all time.
      The formation is a 3-4-3 with a pool of iconic final nominees for the panel of 170 international journalists to choose from.

      But having whittled each position down to a list of ten, France Football’s editorial staff have come in for some flack from ex-Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter Milan star Eto’o.
      Having seen himself included as a right-winger, Eto’o tweeted: “Thank you but I played one or two seasons on the right yet I have 25 years of career as a centre-forward.
      “The lack of respect @FranceFootball.
      “WHATEVER!”

      Eto’o was joined on the list by nine other iconic superstars of the ages.

      Beckham and Messi lined up next to Manchester United legend George Best, Liverpool hero Kevin Keegan and Brazilian icons from the 50s, 60s and 70s Garrincha and Jairzinho.
      Stanley Matthews completed the list of historic names with his career that spanned from 1932-1965.
      Before more modern stars from the early 90s and beyond were included.
      Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Holland magician Arjen Robben and Portuguese poster boy Luis Figo completed the list.
      Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski was in line to scoop this year’s Ballon d’Or after leading his team to an incredible Bundesliga and Champions League double.

      Patrice Evra eats cooked chicken in bizarre ‘upgrade’ to infamous video of Man Utd legend licking raw meat More

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      Man Utd transfer blow as Erling Haaland ‘prefers Real Madrid move’ from Dortmund with release clause activating in 2022

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      BORUSSIA DORTMUND striker Erling Haaland reportedly favours a move to Real Madrid ahead of Manchester United.
      The 20-year-old has continued his goalscoring exploits this season having banged in five goals in six games for the Bundesliga outfit.

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      Erling Haaland has no shortage of suitors should he decide to leave Borussia DortmundCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      And according to ABC, the ex-Red Bull Salzburg star is prioritising a move to the Bernabeu when he eventually departs Germany.

      They state that he is keen to play alongside Norwegian compatriot Martin Odegaard at Los Blancos.
      Relations between BVB and Real are understood to be excellent, with Dortmund signing Achraf Hakimi and Reinier Jesus on loan in recent campaigns.
      Haaland is believed to have a £65million release clause in his contract which will be active in 2022.

      United have retained their interest in the player having lost out to Dortmund in January when they brought him in from Austria.
      And they are also facing competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea in the race to secure Haaland’s services.
      But it is Real that are in pole position to sign him, as they look to partner him alongside Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe.
      The LaLiga champions are desperate to land both strikers as well as Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga in a £261m splurge.

      Despite many labelling Haaland as the complete striker, the player himself has insisted he must be more clinical in front of goal.
      Haaland fired in 44 goals last season for Dortmund and Salzburg, though he has stressed he should have scored half a century.
      Speaking to local Dortmund newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten, Haaland said: “My finishing needs to improve, I need to be more clinical, more ruthless.
      “I also need to get better in linking up with my team-mates. I know that.
      “I watch replays of my goals quite a lot, I’m constantly trying to learn more about goalscoring.
      “I don’t only watch the goals I score, I watch other players’ as well – how and where do they score, what’s their position before the ball arrives, how do they move?
      “I analyse all these little details that could help me to score more goals. So I’ve watched all 44 of my goals from last season quite a lot.
      “I actually think about all the chances I missed, I could easily have scored over 50 goals last season.”

      Erling Haaland will be the best striker in the world More

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      Man Utd given Sancho hope as Dortmund will ‘never say player is unsellable’ but Woodward told he ‘misjudged situation’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have been given hope of signing Jadon Sancho next year.
      United were found wanting in their pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund star this summer, after failing to pay the German outfit’s £108million asking price.

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      Man Utd could return for Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho next summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has hinted United may have a chance of landing their man if they renew their interest at the end of the season.
      Watzke said: “In this industry, you can never say that a player is completely unsellable.
      “I heard and read everywhere in the spring that Sancho was gone.

      “But he’s here. We had an agreement with him.”

      Dortmund had originally set an August 10 deadline for any team wanting to match Sancho’s price tag, but United thought the Black and Yellows would soften their stance if a suitable offer arrived.
      Despite Dortmund maintaining Sancho would remain at the Westfalenstadion for the 2020-21 season, the Red Devils reportedly prepared a £91m offer including add-ons for the 20-year-old in the last few days of the transfer window.
      Chief executive Ed Woodward was informed the bid would be swiftly rejected and United were left scrambling to find an alternative to Sancho on deadline day, with a loan move for Barcelona outcast Ousmane Dembele ultimately falling through.
      Without mentioning Woodward and United by name, Watzke said: “[They] misjudged the situation.

      “We had a clear line and will continue to do so next summer.”
      United did manage to secure the signings of teenage forwards Facundo Pellistri and Amad Traore, as well as veteran striker Edinson Cavani, on deadline day but will likely have to wait until next summer to prise Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
      However, reports say they could face competition from the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich for the England international. More