Tom Ritchie

Sergio Aguero has claimed Lionel Messi could return to Barcelona before the end of his playing career. A former teammate of the eight-time Ballon d'Or at international level, Aguero also said he hopes Messi could "play forever" and that he backs the GOAT to have an impact for defending champions Argentina at next summer's World Cup in North America.

Nicolas Jackson will return to Stamford Bridge at the end of his loan spell at Bayern Munich, as it is impossible for the Chelsea striker to reach the requisite number of appearances to trigger the obligation to buy clause in his deal. The 24-year-old joined the German champions this summer on a year-long loan, after forcing his way out of the west London club.

Wrexham are renewing their interest in West Ham's Andy Irving, just months after the midfielder rejected the advances of Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. The Red Dragons saw a £3.5m deal for the 25-year-old fall through late in the summer transfer window, as Irving opted to remain in east London and fight for first team opportunities with the Premier League outfit.

Eight Young Boys fans have been arrested for their part in crowd trouble during the Swiss side's 2-1 Europa League defeat at Aston Villa on Thrusday. West Midlands Police released a statement on Friday morning, saying that two of the supporters had been arrested "on suspicion of affray and assaulting a police officer", a further six men were detained at Birmingham airport on suspicion of the same offence.

Ex-England, Chelsea and Manchester City winger Sean Wright-Phillips has given his verdict on Liverpool's struggles this season, claiming it was a mistake to allow Luis Diaz leave for Bayern Munich without a like-for-like replacement. The Colombian completed a £65.5m ($87m) transfer to the Bavarian giants in the summer, with the Reds acquiring central attackers in Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.

Manchester City star Phil Foden has sparked wedding rumours after being spotted ring shopping with girlfriend Rebecca Cooke. The pair were reported to have become engaged after returning from a romantic holiday earlier this year; Cooke was spotted wearing an engagement ring while the pair entered the jewellers in the affluent Cheshire town of Wilmslow.

Mikel Arteta has shared his belief that Chelsea deserve to be in the Premier League title race, ahead of Arsenal's showdown with the Blues on Sunday. The Spanish manager reiterated his admiration for Enzo Maresca's side, sharing that he enjoys watching them play in his pre-match press conference. The Gunners head to Stamford Bridge with a six point lead over the London rivals.

Wayne Rooney has attributed his decision to having a vasectomy to his hatred of CBeebies star Mr Tumble. The former Manchester United and England captain made the quip on the most recent episode of his podcast, as he shared all four his children were fans of the entertainer. Rooney got the snip back in 2018, after the birth of his and wife Colleen's youngest child Cass.

Dietmar Hamann has said Liverpool boss Arne Slot has "lost control of his team", and that the Dutchman's "end" is near. The Champions League winning midfielder suggested Reds fans will be longing for the sensational return of Jurgen Klopp, after Slot's side fell to their ninth defeat in 12 games with a chastening 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Arsenal's Eberechi Eze has revealed the inner workings of his relationship with former Crystal Place team-mates Michael Olise and Jean-Phillippe Mateta on the latest episode of the Beast Mode On podcast. The 27-year-old spoke of the almost-immediate friendship he struck up with Olise, and the similarities he shares with the driven and determined Mateta.

Nacho Monreal has sung the praises of Myles Lewis-Skelly, saying the youngster will "make a lot of appearances as an Arsenal player" amid talk he could leave the club. There has been mounting speculation that the 19-year-old will seek a move away from north London in search of more game time ahead of next summer's World Cup. Lewis-Skelly was omitted from Thomas Tuchel's most recent England squad.

Eberechi Eze opened up to Adebayo Akinfenwa on the latest episode of the 'Beast Mode on Podcast', telling his former teammate that he deserved to be released as an academy player. Eze was first let go from Arsenal's youth setup as a 13-year-old, and failed to secure a professional contract with Millwall at the end of his scholarship with the south London club.

Harvey Barnes is open to switching his international allegiance from England to Scotland. The Newcastle United winger was capped for the Three Lions in 2020, however, he remains eligible for Steve Clarke's World Cup qualifiers through his Scottish grandparents. Barnes sole England appearance came in a friendly against Wales, meaning he can represent the Tartan Army under FIFA rules.

Florian Wirtz's tough start to life in England has taken another turn, as Liverpool boss Arne Slot confirmed his playmaker will miss the Reds' Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Dutch coach said the £116 million man has picked up a "muscle issue", but did not provide a timeline on his recovery. The injury comes after Wirtz impressed for Germany over the international break.

Manchester United are tracking the progress of Elliot Anderson, as they weigh up a move for Nottingham Forest's £100m-rated midfielder in the summer. The Red Devils are unlikely to push for a deal in January, as they look to replace Casemiro, who is out of contract at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has also been linked with his former club Newcastle and reigning champions Liverpool.

Sonia Bompastor has claimed the eight-minute delay caused by a technical fault during Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Barcelona was "not good enough". The French manager fumed during her post-match press conference, claiming the problem caused her side to lose momentum, and that she believed the VAR was not used to rule out Catarina Macario's disallowed winner.

Regis Le Bris has responded to mounting speculation linking Sunderland with the signing of Marseille's Matteo Guendouzi. While the Black Cats boss did not commit to an approach for the ex-Arsenal midfielder in the January transfer window, he spoke positively of their relationship. Le Bris was managing Lorient's B team as Guendouzi was coming through the ranks at the French club.

Stunning first-half goals from Casemiro and Estevao capped a rampant display from Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil side in a 2-0 win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium. The Chelsea youngster opened the scoring with a curled effort, before the veteran midfielder doubled the lead with a delectable touch and finish. However, there was bad news for the Gunners fans in attendance, as Gabriel limped off on the hour with what looked like a serious injury.