Barcelona have stepped up their search for a new talisman to lead the line next season, identifying Chelsea's Joao Pedro as a priority target to replace Robert Lewandowski. The Catalan giants are preparing for life without their veteran Polish striker, who is reportedly closing in on a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

The battle for Julian Alvarez from Atlético Madrid is heating up, with another top club now entering the fray.

Contrary to rumours linking him with Bayern Munich or Liverpool, Yan Diomande has suddenly begun discussing two other leading European clubs.

Chelsea are making significant progress in their pursuit of Xabi Alonso, though the Spaniard is reportedly demanding firm guarantees before committing to the hot seat at Stamford Bridge. The former Liverpool midfielder has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Liam Rosenior, but he remains cautious following a difficult stint in the Spanish capital.

Former Leeds United manager David O'Leary has made the stunning claim that he was "one of the chosen ones" recommended by Sir Alex Ferguson to take the reins at Old Trafford. The revelation comes over two decades after Ferguson famously performed a U-turn on his initial plans to retire at the end of the 2001-02 season.

Former Liverpool and Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence following a legal dispute over unpaid child support. The 45-year-old was found guilty of failing to meet financial obligations to his ex-wife, Valerie Bishop, dating back to March 2024.

Wolves won't be in the Premier League next season - but Matheus Mane really should be. The 18-year-old has arguably been the one ray of optimism amid the gloom surrounding a team that's been pretty much doomed to relegation since Christmas. Indeed, one could easily argue that when it comes to Wolves' 2025-26 campaign, there was a before Mane, and and after Mane.

At just 17 years of age, Vasilije Kostov is rewriting the record books at the highest level of Serbian football. The latest jewel to emerge from Red Star Belgrade's famed academy, the attacking midfielder is defying all logic as he puts Europe's elite on red alert with a stellar individual campaign for his country's biggest club.

Be it double World Cup finalist Ruud Krol, the marauding Ronald Koeman, total football icon Ruud Gullit or serial winner Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch have a fine tradition of producing defenders who have made their mark on the game. And there is a new kid on the block that every top club wants to get their hands on: step forward FC Twente's teenage star centre-back Ruud Nijstad.

Wondering where to watch FC Barcelona live in La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey or the Supercopa? You'll find the answer here.

Here you can find out where to watch Manchester City live and in full colour in the Premier League, the Champions League and the domestic cup competitions.

This season, Bayer Leverkusen are competing in three competitions. SPOX tells you where you can watch their Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal matches live.

Michel Platini is undoubtedly one of the greatest footballers of all time. Playmaker, assister, goal-scorer: Platini was a complete player, capable of leaving an indelible mark on world football between the late 1970s and mid-1980s. He was the perfect No.10, embodying the true essence of the shirt number both then and now.

Modernising the role of a full-back 30 years ago, Roberto Carlos undoubtedly set the benchmark. A tactical genius and a physical specimen, the Real Madrid and Brazil legend won countless trophies at club and international level, contributing bucket loads of goals and assists. No one in the past, present or future can ever claim to be his equal - he was that good.

One of the best midfielders of his era, perhaps the greatest crosser of a football ever and a free-kick taker to rival the best the game has ever produced, David Beckham was a special player to say the least. And yet due to his off-field impact, one of the sport's great champions of the past 30 years is generally forgotten when it comes to referencing the true legends of the game.

On the pitch, Didier Drogba was a firebrand; off it, a peacemaker. The long-serving Chelsea striker played a pivotal role in the peace process in the Ivory Coast. Part 12 of our Rebel United series.

GOAL's Rebel United series focuses on players who prefer to swim against the tide, players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic – an icon who not only disrupted the system, but also subjugated it...

Teddy Sheringham. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. "Football, bloody hell!" The 1999 Champions League final is one of the greatest dramas in the history of Bayern Munich. The German giants led for a long time in Barcelona before Manchester United snatched the trophy they thought was theirs in stoppage time. But according to one member of the Bayern team, he actually won that final. "Actually, I'm a Champions League winner," claims the latest member of GOAL's Rebel United, Mario Basler.

Gift Orban may only be 23 years of age, but he has already spent time in five different European countries while scoring at a rate of a goal every other game. A move to an elite club likely awaits for a player who went through plenty of hardship as a child, with Orban easily one of the continent's biggest Hidden Gems...

Real Madrid have paid a heavy price for failing to replace Toni Kroos following his retirement in 2024, but then doing so was always going to be a tough task. For starters, the ex-Germany international ranks as one of the finest deep-lying playmakers of the modern era.