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      Pau Torres ‘proud’ of Man Utd and Arsenal transfer interest after impressing at Villarreal but not thinking about future

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      VILLARREAL star Pau Torres admits he’s ‘proud’ to be linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.But the Spain star insists he is not thinking about his future with the Europa League final in sight.
      Man Utd and Arsenal target Pau Torres is pleased to be linked with some of Europe’s top clubsCredit: Getty
      Torres, 24, is believed to be a target for United and Arsenal after some stellar performances this term.
      He has become a mainstay in Villarreal’s side, clocking up 70 appearances in the last two years.
      And Torres has also forced his way into Spain’s starting XI, winning six caps in 2020 after only making his debut a year earlier.
      He now has a host of teams interested, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City also said to be keeping tabs.
      And Torres, who has a £43million release clause, has revealed he’s delighted to be linked with some of Europe’s finest.
      But he remains fully focused on leading Villarreal to Europa League glory, starting with Thursday’s semi-final first-leg tie against Arsenal.
      Torres told Sport: “It’s a pride to see that your work is reflected in these kind of things that are talked about.
      “But I face it with a lot of calm, I’m in a great club like Villarreal, and from the tranquility, I work every day.
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      “I’m not thinking about (leaving) either, there’s still a long way to go and my short-term objectives are the European semi-final and then to be available for the national team.”
      Should Torres go to United, he would need to battle Eric Bailly for a place in the team.
      The Ivorian has penned a new long-term contract and will be sticking with the Red Devils until 2024.
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      Premier League clubs set to take back crown as top European nation for first time in nine years after recent dominance

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      ENGLISH football is poised to reclaim the title of best in Europe – after NINE years.And if either Chelsea or Arsenal beat their Spanish opponents this week, England will be confirmed in top spot – even if all four remaining Prem clubs go out at the semi-final stage.
      Premier League clubs are on course to reclaim top spot in the European tableCredit: Getty
      The exploits of the Prem’s Euro battlers have seen England’s five-year Uefa coefficient score rise to 98.283 points.
      Two points are earned for every win and one for each draw in European competition, divided between the number of teams who have qualified – seven in the case of England – to provide an average score for each country.
      England started the season in second place behind Spain, who have been top of the Euro table since 2012.
      But while English clubs have accrued 22.071 points so far, Spain have gathered just 18.642, for a total of 96.997.
      With only Real Madrid and Villarreal left of LaLiga’s initial seven sides, Spain’s maximum possible final total is 98.711.
      England will be assured of topping that if Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United pick up just three draws, or a win and a draw, in their combined eight matches across both legs of the semi-finals.
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      But a win for either Chelsea against Real on Tuesday, or the Gunners against Unai Emery’s side on Thursday, will ensure England cannot be overtaken.
      The Prem last stood on top of the pile after Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2012.
      English football was at the head of the standings from the end of the 2007-08 season – when Chelsea met United in the Moscow Champions League final – for five years.
      But Spain then took over, with England actually falling below Germany and into third place in 2015-16 and then again the following campaign.
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      LaLiga’s crazy title race takes new twist with just three points between top four – and 20 between fourth and fifth

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      ATLETICO MADRID’S quest to win a first LaLiga title since 2014 has taken another major blow after they lost 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.Diego Simeone’s side were ten points clear at the top in January with a game in hand, but their lead has been cut to just two points.
      Barcelona’s destiny is in their own hands as they have the chance to leapfrog Atletico Madrid on Thursday
      Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday to deal them a huge blow of winning the league
      Their shocking form has seen them lose two out of their last five games, with just five wins from their last 11 fixtures.
      Just three points separate the top four, with Real Madrid and Barcelona both two points behind Atletico, with Sevilla closely behind.
      Incredibly, the gap between fourth-placed Sevilla and Real Sociedad in fifth is a whopping 20 points, though the Basque side do have a game in hand.
      More crucially, Ronald Koeman’s Barca have a game in hand, and they will leapfrog Atletico at the top should they beat Granada on Thursday.
      After a slow start, the Catalan giants have been in imperious form – winning eight out of their last nine contests, including Sunday’s 2-1 win against Villarreal.
      In that time they have even won the Copa del Rey, where Lionel Messi’s double inspired them to a 4-0 victory against Bilbao.
      Last season’s champions Real could only draw against Real Betis on Saturday – their second goalless stalemate in a week.
      And they could be knocked out of the top three when they face Sevilla on May 9, with Marcelino’s side showing no signs of slowing down.
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      Barcelona have won eight out of their last nine Spanish top-flight matchesCredit: Rex

      Sevilla – who edged a 2-1 win against Granada over the weekend – have picked up 22 points out of the last 24 on offer.
      The title could be decided on May 8, when Barcelona welcome Atletico to the Nou Camp.
      And Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez will be looking to haunt their former employers with both men in great form.
      Suarez, 34, has banged in 19 goals in 27 LaLiga games for Atletico this term, while Barca’s Griezmann has chipped in with 13 strikes and nine assists in 2021 so far.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Referee orders players back from dressing room after blowing whistle a minute early in Sevilla’s win over Granada More

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      Referee orders players back from dressing room after blowing whistle a minute early in Sevilla’s win over Granada

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      SEVILLA’S clash with Granada ended in farcical fashion after the players were forced back out from the dressing-room after a refereeing howler.The hilariously bad error from the official took place during the LaLiga clash on Sunday.
      Sevilla and Granada’s stars were forced to get changed again and come back from the dressing-room after the ref blew early for full timeCredit: AFP
      Sevilla beat their rivals 2-1 to stay firmly in the four-way title race.
      But the game ended in comical circumstances when the official mistakenly blew for full-time early.
      Four minutes had been signalled to be added on, but he whistled after only three had been played.
      Ivan Rakitic slotted in a penalty after 16 minutes to give the hosts the lead.
      Argentine midfielder Lucas Ocampo then doubled Sevilla’s lead early after the break by combining with compatriot Papu Gomez.
      Granada’s Roberto Soldado then converted a penalty in the 90th minute as the drama was about to unfold.
      The ex-Tottenham forward and his team-mates thought they had four minutes of added time to find an equaliser, only for ref Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea to call time after three.
      Knowing the official had dropped a clanger, furious Granada players instantly surrounded the official.
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      Most of Sevilla’s players had already left the pitch and were back in the changing room.
      However, after a few minutes the ref amazingly ordered the Sevilla team to return to the pitch, after many of them had taken off their kit.
      Despite the hilarious scenes, they did manage to see out the extra 60 seconds to record a fifth consecutive league victory which took them to 70 points after 33 games 
      They remain in fourth spot just one point behind both Barcelona, who are third with a game in hand, and second-placed Real Madrid.
      Sevilla are three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
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      Florentino Perez warns Big Six ‘can’t leave’ European Super League and says hated competition ‘still exists’

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      FLORENTINO PEREZ has warned the Premier League so-called ‘Big Six’ they cannot leave the European Super League.And the Real Madrid chief continues to insist the widely-hated new breakaway franchise division ‘still exists’.
      Florentino Perez insists the European Super League clubs cannot leave because they are legally boundCredit: Reuters

      Perez, 74, is the chairman and primary driving force behind the controversial ESL which publicised its plans last Sunday night.
      Within 48 hours, though, after a furious backlash from players, managers, pundits and fans, all six of the English rebels had made dramatic U-turns and signalled they were pulling out.
      However, the self-proclaimed ‘saviour of football’ Perez reiterated to AS that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and the two Manchester clubs are legally tied into the plans and the ESL will go ahead in some format.
      He said: “I’m not going to explain now what a binding contract is… But come on, the clubs can’t leave. 
      “Some of them, because of pressure, have had to say that they’re leaving.
      “But this project or one like it will go forward, and I hope it’s soon.
      “The Super League still exists, and the members are still in it.
      “Now we have given ourselves some weeks to think, while we face the violence that some people, who don’t want to lose their privileges, have used to manipulate our project.”
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      MORE ON SUPER LEAGUE OUTRAGE

      Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan also withdrew – as did American investors JP Morgan who were planning to stump up an initial £3.5billion for the closed-shop competition.
      The bankrollers admitted they ‘misjudged’ the situation on Friday.
      A statement from a JP Morgan spokesperson read: “We clearly misjudged how this deal would be viewed by the wider football community and how it might impact them in the future. We will learn from this.”
      But Perez incredibly denied they had pulled out as well.
      He added: “That’s not true, they haven’t [withdrawn] either. 
      “They’ve taken some time for reflection, like the 12 clubs, and if we have to change something, we’ll change it.”

      However, leaked documents to Der Spiegel revealed the clubs could leave – but would face a £130million bill.
      The 15 proposed clubs were split into three groups with Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid handed the lowest figure.
      Some £116m was promised to each of the quartet for their slice of the grant, 88.5 per cent of which was to be spread across the founders.
      All six English clubs as well as Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich were set to take home £236m each.
      While Barcelona and Real Madrid were both obliged to be awarded an extra £52m, according to the leak.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer was a key part of the ESL plansCredit: Getty – Contributor

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      Lionel Messi installs ‘constellation effect’ pool into his Ibiza hotel so guests can listen to music underwater

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      LIONEL MESSI has renovated his Ibiza hotel to include a “constellation effect” pool that allows guests to listen to music while underwater.The Barcelona star owns three hotels under the MiM Hotels brand, with the other locations in Sitges and Mallorca.
      Lionel Messi’s luxurious hotels have reopened to the public
      A new constellation effect pool offers guests the luxury of listening to music underwater
      Relaxing on the rooftop is another option for hotel guests
      The hotels in Ibiza and Mallorca have reopened after the coronavirus pandemic and have been renovated in an attempt to be more sustainable and to reduce emissions, according to Mundo Deportivo.
      The new-look swimming pool is just one of a number of changes overseen by Messi.
      The Mallorca resort will open with a new facade and a spar that provides a view of the sunset.
      But it is the Ibiza hotel that is likely Messi’s pride and joy with 52 rooms and a mindblowing pool from the future.
      Rooms were priced between £226-£525 prior to the pandemic, but could rise following the renovations.
      The forward also owns an MiM hotel in Sitges, located not far from Barcelona.
      The Argentinian often frequents the £26million hotel when recovering from injury, and The Sun paid it a visit in 2019.
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      A spa with a susnet view is a new addition to the Mallorca hotel
      The 52-room hotel in Ibiza is located along the Figueretas beach

      On pitch rival Cristiano Ronaldo owns his own set of hotels under his CR7 brand but is yet to mark his territory in Ibiza, despite often going to the island on holiday.
      Messi seems to be thriving in his off the pitch business but seems to approach the venture with a similar amount of creativity to what he shows on the pitch.
      If his hotels take off after the pandemic we could well see more investment from the 33-year-old in future.
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      Eden Hazard flies personal barber to Madrid on luxury jet amid strict Covid rules in Spain and England to anger of fans

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      EDEN HAZARD flew in his own personal barber to bag a pristine hair trim amid Spain’s coronavirus lockdown.The European nation has been under a State of Emergency, featuring curfews and strict mobility guidelines, since October.
      Eden Hazard flew in his barber from England to Spain for a trim this week
      The winger arranged for Ahmed Alsanawi to travel over amid the country’s lockdown
      The Real Madrid star arranged for barber to the stars Ahmed Alsanawi to fly in from England.
      The popular hairdresser posted footage of his trip to Instagram, hopping on a luxury flight to link up with the Belgian.
      The trip from London to Madrid is close to 1,000 miles.
      He captioned the clip: “People ask me what I do….. I CUT HAIR period….. It’s a lifestyle.
      “Nice to see my brother is back on and of the pitch [sic].”
      The trip comes at a time when the UK Government ‘advises against all non-essential international travel’.
      Spain’s lockdown guidelines provide ‘some exemptions … such as travel to your place of employment’ and there is no suggestion of either Hazard or Alsanawi breaking rules.
      The country is not on the red list ahead of the announcement of ‘green’ and ‘amber’ travel guidelines.
      Hazard has sat out over a month of action for Real due to a muscle injury and missed Wednesday’s win over Cadiz.
      His team are due to play old side Chelsea next Tuesday.
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      Hazard is back in training with Real Madrid following a muscle injuryCredit: Getty

      Alsanawi is regularly visited in his A STAR barbers by the great and the good of the footballing world.
      Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Tammy Abraham have all featured on his Instagram in recent days.
      In 2017, SunSport revealed Chelsea felt it necessary to ban the barber for their Cobham training ground amid a row over image rights.
      SunSport have contacted Real Madrid and Alsanawi for comment.
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