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      Liverpool ready to land cut-price January transfer for £35m Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente

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      LIVERPOOL can sign Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente on a cut-price deal in January, according to reports.The Spanish side are said to be open to selling the 27-year-old with Liverpool keen to improve their midfield options.
      Marcos Llorente could be allowed to leave Atletico Madrid with Liverpool keenCredit: Getty
      And Mundo Deportivo claim Llorente could be available for just £35million.
      They add that while Atletico boss Diego Simeone is not desperate to sell the player who is contracted to 2027, the LaLiga giants will listen to any offers.
      Jurgen Klopp remains keen to rejuvenate his midfield options amid doubts over the futures of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
      The likes of Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson have also suffered with fitness issues.
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      And the summer’s late loan signing Arthur Melo has failed to make any impact.
      Llorente has played 12 times for Atleti this season, scoring once.
      And he has struggled to recapture the form of 2020 where he netted twice against Liverpool to knock them out the Champions League.
      But the Reds supposedly remain keen and after Simeone’s men crashed out of Europe this year in the group stage the club may look to cash in.
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      Llorente is one of a number of players Atletico could offload with rumours suggesting Thomas Lemar, Yannick Carrasco, Rodrigo De Paul and Joao Felix could all depart.
      The World Cup could prove a chance for them to impress any potential suitors with Llorente being named in the Spain squad.
      Liverpool’s long-term midfield target remains Jude Bellingham who will not be available until the summer at the earliest.
      Manchester City and Manchester United also remain keen on the teenager and it could take a bid of £130million to buy him. More

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      Barcelona legend Gerard Pique wants football matches to be made shorter to target younger audience

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      BARCELONA legend Gerard Pique has bizarrely agreed with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s claim that football matches are too long.Los Blancos chief Perez made the strange suggestion last year when the European Super League was being proposed.
      Pique has made the rather bizarre claim that football matches are too longCredit: Reuters
      The 75-year-old said the sport should “shorten the length of matches” to try and engage younger audiences.
      And while Pique, 35, has insisted the European Super League is not a viable way of improving football, he has surprisingly agreed with reducing the length of games.
      Speaking to Ibai Llanos on Twitch, he said: “The presentation of the Super League was a big f*** up, above all coming from Florentino.
      “But I agree with him about needing to captivate younger audiences, even if I don’t agree with the Super League.
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      “We have to have shorter, more seductive products. To me, 90 minutes seems a long time.”
      Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus are keen to keep ploughing on with the European Super League plan.
      And last month, the new chief of the failed ESL caused uproar by predicting that it will relaunch in 2024.
      A22 Sports Management, the company that represents the three clubs still keen on a Super League, are planning to revive the competition after appointing Bernd Reichart as their new chief executive.
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      He told the Financial Times: “We want to reach out to stakeholders in the European football community and broaden this vision.
      “Even fans will have a lot of sympathy for the idea. It is a blank slate. Format will never be an obstacle.”
      The original proposal for the 12 clubs would have guaranteed them involvement regardless of their domestic performances – and that “closed shop” approach is something Reichart admits needs changing.
      He added: “There is a reassessment. There is a clearly stated move towards an open format and that permanent membership is off the table.
      “We want to see whether or not there is broader consensus about the problems facing European football.”
      Meanwhile, Pique retired from football earlier this week, finishing his career by getting sent off despite being an unused substitute.
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      Clearly unhappy at some of the decisions referee Jesus Gil Manzano had made, Mundo Deportivo claimed he said: “Did you see the corner you gave against us?
      “You are the referee that has f***ed us over the most by a distance. It is a f***ing disgrace. “F*** your mother.” More

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      Steve McManaman spills beans on Real Madrid Galacticos WhatsApp chat and ‘lonely’ legend in dressing room

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      STEVE MCMANAMAN has revealed that he is part of a WhatsApp group where Real Madrid’s legendary Galacticos still chat.The former England attacker, 50, left boyhood club Liverpool for the Bernabeu on a Bosman back in 1999 and went on to enjoy huge success in Spain.
      Steve McManaman won the Champions League twice at Real MadridCredit: Reuters
      He revealed that he is still in a Whatsapp group with old team-mates such as Zinedine ZidaneCredit: Reuters
      His four years at Madrid coincided with president Florentino Perez’s Galacticos era as he embarked on a spree of signing football’s most-glamourous names.
      That led to McManaman sharing the pitch with iconic names such as Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, as well as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo.
      They lifted both LaLiga and the Champions League twice during McManaman’s time there – and he still keeps in touch with his old team-mates to this day.
      Speaking on the “Quickly Kevin, Will He Score? The 90s Football Show podcast”, he said: “There is a WhatsApp group, yeah. [With] everyone really.
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      “And a lot of the players I didn’t play with – a lot of the old players, if that makes sense.
      “I still play in the old boys, the veterans games, the legends games, whatever you want to call it. I still go over to play.
      “I still go over to Madrid a lot. I’m a LaLiga ambassador so I go over and see a lot of my ex-teammates.”
      He continued: “I was speaking to Luis (Figo) the other day – I still speak to him a lot, he still lives in Madrid so when I’m in Madrid I catch up with a lot of people. But yeah, there’s a lot of players in the WhatsApp group.”
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      When asked who were the jokers in the group, McManaman replied: “They were all great, to be very honest. The more professional these players are, the more relaxed they are, I always feel, because they’re so confident in what they do.
      “People used to say to me, ‘Oh, what’s he like? Were there any egos? What was he like?’ And I used to just go, ‘They were brilliant’.
      “Luis was fantastic, Zizou (Zidane) was amazing – he was quiet because when he entered the dressing room he only spoke French and Italian, so he was sort of the lonely person trying to seek solace in a French speaking player.
      “When Ronaldo came in he was, of course, a bundle of energy, a breath of fresh air, always with a smile on his face. He’s a fantastic character. But the most important thing, there were no egos. Everyone got on really well.
      “And they all knew that we’ll have a laugh and a joke but as soon as we cross over the white line, it’s business, and that was the attitude that they all had.”
      McManaman left Madrid in 2003 to return to England with Manchester City but retired two years later.
      Fellow Englishman Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate would later join Madrid during that era – but it was David Beckham’s stint there that made the most headlines.
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      Golden Balls, who won the title in his four seasons in Spain, was previously hailed as the only Englishman who could have played for Brazil by former Madrid pal Ronaldo Nazario.
      Beckham also left Spanish-speaking members of the Madrid squad jealous thanks to being part of the Brazilian clique at the club, according to Robinho. More

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      Gerard Pique SENT OFF in last ever Barcelona game without making it onto the pitch – as Lewandowski gets red for elbow

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      GERARD PIQUE was sent off in his final Barcelona game… despite not even making it onto the pitch.The Spaniard penned an emotional farewell to Barcelona fans after announcing his retirement last week.
      Gerard Pique was seen remonstrating with the referee at half-timeCredit: Twitter
      Gerard Pique was sent off in his final game for BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      Robert Lewandowski was given his marching ordersCredit: Reuters
      But his time at the club has ended in controversy after he got sent off in the tunnel at half-time of Barcelona’s game against Osasuna.
      Pique, who was named among the substitutes, was furious with a decision to send off Robert Lewandowski during the first half and had a heated conversation with the ref which continued into the tunnel.
      He was then sent off for his remonstrating – denying him the chance to make his last ever Barcelona appearance.
      According to referee Jesus Gil Manzano’s report, Pique said: ”You are the referee who has most screwed Barcelona by some distance.
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      “You are a f***ing disgrace.”
      The match official has previously sent off Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in his career.
      Team-mate Lewandowski was shown a red card after 31 minutes following a shocking elbow as he challenged for a header.
      The Pole was motoring forward to challenge Osasuna’s David Garcia in an aerial duel.
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      But amazingly, having already been yellow carded, Lewandowski kept his eyes on the player and not the ball as he leapt high into the air.
      He then received his marching orders just after the half hour mark.
      Barcelona went into the break a goal down thanks to Garcia’s 11th minute strike for Osasuna.
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      But despite being down to 10-men and not having Pique to call upon, Barcelona managed to win the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Pedri and Raphinha.
      Pique and Xavi were in tears as the former Manchester United star received an incredible ovation in his last ever game at the Nou Camp at the weekend.
      He played 85 minutes of the game and walked onto the pitch with his sons Milan and Sasha who were mascots for their dad’s big day. More

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      Shakira & Gerard Pique speak out in joint statement after custody deal paves way for her move to Miami with sons, 9 & 7

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      SHAKIRA and Gerard Pique have confirmed they have signed a child custody agreement that will avoid them warring in court.The 45-year-old Colombian pop star will relocate to Florida with sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven, early in the New Year after reaching a deal with the recently retired footballer.
      Shakira and Gerard Pique with their sons Milan and SashaCredit: Instagram
      Pique played his final game for Barcelona on Saturday as he said an emotional goodbye to fansCredit: Rex
      Shakira released a new song last month which some fans have seen as a reference to PiqueCredit: AFP
      Pique broke down in tears on Saturday at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium during an emotional farewell speech after retiring from football.
      The couple released a statement – signed ‘Shakira and Gerard’ – yesterday afternoon following a marathon 12-hour meeting with their lawyers which ended in the early hours.
      “We have signed an agreement that guarantees the welfare of our children and that will be ratified in court as part of a mere formal procedure,” they said.
      “Our sole objective is to provide them with the upmost security and protection, and we trust that their privacy will be respected.
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      “We appreciate the interest shown and hope that the children can continue with their lives with the necessary privacy in a safe and calm environment.”
      Shakira’s wish to move to the city where she used to live and part of her family are based is understood to have been the principal sticking point in the couple’s previous failure to strike an out-of-court settlement. 
      The summit meeting ended with a deal lifting the main stumbling block in the couple’s ongoing attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement.
      The talks happened on Monday afternoon at their former family home in Esplugues de Llobregat on the outskirts of Barcelona. 
      It didn’t finish until the early hours of Tuesday morning according to local press.
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      The negotiations were described as “intense” by respected Catalan daily El Periodico.
      Rival La Vanguardia, which also reported on the agreement “after 12 hours of negotiation” added: “Milan and Sasha will go with Shakira to Miami.
      “The children will spend Christmas in Barcelona but as soon as 2023 begins, the footballer will say goodbye and assume a painful sacrifice so that the youngsters don’t experience an even more traumatic separation between their parents.
      “He will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see them whenever he wants. The costs will be borne by both of them.”
      The pair announced they had split in May following unconfirmed claims Pique was cheating on his long-term partner with a younger woman.
      Shakira’s split from Pique after a relationship lasting 11 years had become the soap opera of the summer in Spain and elsewhere as their chosen careers took a back seat to lurid reports about their private life.
      On Saturday Pique was filmed kissing and cuddling his new girlfriend Clara Chia in the stands at Barcelona’s stadium after his emotional farewell tribute.
      Read More on The Sun
      The pair hugged each other and locked lips as they chatted with friends.
      Shakira appeared to hit out at her ex in a new song she released last month called Monotonia with references to the “narcissism” and “cold as Christmas” attitude of a man she is breaking up with. More

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      Nine stars who played for Man Utd and Barcelona, from four-time Champions League winner to winger who flopped at BOTH

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      MANCHESTER UNITED and Barcelona will be no strangers when they take each other on in the Europa League.The Reds Devils will play the La Liga giants in February next year in the tournament’s preliminary round.
      FC Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay is one of nine stars that also played for Manchester UnitedCredit: EPA
      The two clubs have locked horns on 13 occasions, with United only winning three of them.
      The pair have enjoyed having some of the best players to ever grace the game, and at times, these players have played for both.
      Nine players have played for both clubs with varying levels of success.
      Zlatan Ibrahimovic
      The Swedish striker played for Barcelona between 2009 and 2011 but struggled to hit his best form and returned to Serie A.
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      He later joined United in 2016 following his exit from PSG and enjoyed a successful spell at Old Trafford as he won the Europa League and EFL Cup.
      Gerard Pique
      The recently retired long-standing Barcelona defender spent four years at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2008 in which he made 12 appearances in the Premier League.
      Pique returned to Barcelona and would go on to win pretty much everything possible in his career at the domestic and international levels.
      Alexis Sanchez
      The Chilean was a star in Catalonia during his three-year stint between 2011 and 2014 and got even better when he moved to the Premier League.
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      However for United fans this was to Arsenal and when he did eventually move to their club, he was a tremendous failure for two years.
      Memphis Depay
      Another winger that failed to cut the cloth at United, the dutchman was signed as one of the most promising youngsters in Europe from PSV but failed to consistently perform.
      Depay would rebuild his reputation in France with Lyon before moving to Barcelona on a free transfer in 2021.
      He has done well at the Nou Camp but has not become a regular starter under manager Xavi.
      Laurent Blanc
      The former France defender spent a single season at Barcelona in 1996 and would later move to Manchester United in the final years of his career.
      Blanc spent two seasons with the Red Devils between 2001 and 2003 before retiring from playing.
      Victor Valdes
      The Spanish shot-stopper is a legendary figure at the Nou Camp as he won everything possible as well as appearing over 500 times for the club.
      He joined United in 2015 after his contract expired, but failed to dislodge David De Gea in goal and only played twice in the Premier League before leaving the club in 2016.
      Henrik Larsson
      Another Swedish striker, Larsson had a mixed spell at Barcelona as he only scored 13 La Liga goals in 40 appearances and would leave the club to rejoin Swedish side Helsingborg.
      He would then move to the Red Devils on loan in January 2007, a spell in which he would score three times in 13 appearances in all competitions.
      Jordi Cruyff
      The former attacking midfielder is the son of iconic player Johan Cruyff and spent two years with Barcelona between 1994 and 1996.
      He then left the club for Old Trafford where he would spend the next three years of his career before a loan spell to Celta Vigo in 1999.
      Mark Hughes
      The current Bradford City manager spent two years away from Manchester United between 1986 and 1988, the first was at Barcelona and then the second was a loan spell at Bayern Munich.
      He returned to United in 1988 and would go on to play there for seven more years before leaving for Chelsea. More

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      Shakira set to move to Miami with two children after thrashing out agreement with Barcelona legend

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      SHAKIRA is set to move to Miami next year with her two children as part of an agreement thrashed out between her and Gerard Pique’s lawyers at a marathon 12-hour meeting.The 45-year-old Colombian pop star will relocate to Florida with sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven, early in the New Year according to Catalan press.
      Pique played his final game for Barcelona on Saturday as he said an emotional goodbye to fansCredit: Rex
      Shakira released a new song last month which some fans have seen as a reference to PiqueCredit: AFP
      Pique, who broke down in tears on Saturday at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium during an emotional farewell speech after retiring from football, is said to have ceded to Shakira’s wishes to avoid an ugly court divorce battle. 
      The summit meeting ended with a deal lifting the main stumbling block in the couple’s ongoing attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement.
      The talks happened on Monday afternoon at their former family home in Esplugues de Llobregat on the outskirts of Barcelona. 
      It didn’t finish until the early hours of this morning/yesterday morning (TUE) according to local press.
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      The negotiations were described as “intense” by respected Catalan daily El Periodico.
      Rival La Vanguardia, which also reported on the agreement “after 12 hours of negotiation” added: “Milan and Sasha will go with Shakira to Miami.
      “The children will spend Christmas in Barcelona but as soon as 2023 begins, the footballer will say goodbye and assume a painful sacrifice so that the youngsters don’t experience an even more traumatic separation between their parents.
      “He will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see them whenever he wants. The costs will be borne by both of them.”
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      Shakira’s split from Pique after a relationship lasting 11 years had become the soap opera of the summer in Spain and elsewhere as their chosen careers took a back seat to lurid reports about their private life.
      On Saturday Pique was filmed kissing and cuddling his new girlfriend Clara Chia in the stands at Barcelona’s stadium after his emotional farewell tribute.
      The pair hugged each other and locked lips as they chatted with friends.
      Shakira appeared to hit out at her ex in a new song she released last month called Monotonia with references to the “narcissism” and “cold as Christmas” attitude of a man she is breaking up with. More

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      Gerard Pique packs on PDA as Barcelona star hugs and kisses new girlfriend 12 years his junior after Shakira split

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      GERARD PIQUE put on a public display of affection by kissing and hugging his new girlfriend after his emotional Barcelona farewell tribute.The 35-year-old dad-of-two, whose two sons also attended the celebration, showed he has nothing to hide now his 11-year relationship with Colombian singer Shakira is over.

      Pique bid farewell to Barca at the weekendCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Pique with new girlfriend ChiaCredit: Twitter/@argentinaminuto
      He locked lips with Clara Chia, 23, and put his arms round her.
      The pair cuddled up to each other as they chatted with friends in the stands at the Camp Nou after Pique played his last game for Barcelona and retired from professional football.
      Spanish sports television network Gol Play filmed the memorable moment and wrote alongside the footage it posted on Twitter Gol Direct: “The first kiss of @gerardpique after the tribute.
      “The centre back shared this special day with his loved ones.”
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      A match commentator said as a cameraman approached Pique and Clara and they realised their romantic scene was being filmed but continued to embrace each other: “Look at this image.
      “Gerard Pique’s first kiss after receiving the tribute from the Camp Nou spectators.
      “Happy, satisfied, accompanied by his family and those who most love him.
      “It’s the last image Gerard Pique has left us with on his day, on the day he said goodbye to his team.”
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      The former Man Utd defender shocked the football world on Thursday by announcing on his Twitter Saturday’s game against Almeria would be his last in a Barcelona shirt and his final game as a professional footballer.
      He made 397 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 29 times, and was capped 102 times for Spain at senior level.
      He said in an emotional message accompanying footage of him gazing over the Catalan capital from a balcony and throwback pictures and video of him as a young child in a Barcelona shirt: “It’s been 25 years since I joined Barca.
      “I left and I came back. Football has given me everything. You, culés, have given me everything.
      “And now that all that kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that now is the time to bring this journey to an end.”
      Confirming he was quitting professional football halfway through the season, he added: “I will become a regular fan, I will support the team, I will pass my love for Barca to my children, like my family did with me.”
      Pique made a tearful speech on the pitch at Camp Nou on Saturday night, saying “I was born here and I will die here” after playing in most of Barcelona’s 2-0 victory before being substituted late on to rapturous applause from home fans.
      The football star’s relationship with Barcelona-born beauty Clara emerged shortly after he and Shakira announced in May they had split after 11 years and two children together.
      His personal life has been under the media spotlight ever since and has been cited as one of the reasons for his shock football retirement decision.
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      Pique and Clara are said to have met at his firm Kosmos where she works.
      Spanish news website Niusdiario reported last week the couple are now living together at Pique’s luxury city centre penthouse apartment in Barcelona and are planning to start a family.
      Pique and Shakira have called time on their 11-year relationshipCredit: Getty More