Ben McAleer

Cole Palmer is believed to be 'untouchable' amid reports that the attacker is homesick and is hoping to leave Chelsea. A boyhood Manchester United fan, Palmer has been linked with a move to Old Trafford and a return to Manchester having left City for the Blues in 2023. Since making the move to Stamford Bridge, he has gone on to become a key player for the west London side.

Barcelona supremo Joan Laporta has been criticised by presidential rivals over his decision to call elections before the end of the season. The Catalan giants are owned by their members, meaning they have the chance to vote in a new club president every five years. Laporta was sworn in back in 2021, and had to call an election before the end of June.

Wayne Rooney watched on incognito as his son, Kai, made his first Old Trafford appearance for Manchester United. The Red Devils' Under-18s took on Derby in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup at the Theatre of Dreams on Friday night and claimed a 2-1 win to book their place in the next round. Darren Fletcher's side are one of the favourites to go the distance in the competition this season.

Ethan Nwaneri has revealed which Arsenal player told him to join Marseille. The teenager has arrived in the south of France to complete his loan move to the Ligue 1 giants for the second half of the season in a bid to garner regular minutes. Nwaneri has struggled for action under Mikel Arteta having dropped down the pecking order for the north London side.

Newcastle made light work of PSV on Wednesday as goals from Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes wrapped up a 3-0 victory at St. James' Park. The Magpies needed a win to keep their Champions League last-16 hopes alive heading into the final league phase matchday, and duly delivered on a huge night on Tyneside.

A jobs website has remarkably listed a Saudi Pro League playing position to give successful applicants the chance to potentially play against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez. The league, which has shot to prominence since Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr in 2023, has publicly advertised for a defensive midfielder role.

Manchester United legend Paul Parker has taken aim at defensive pair Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, telling the duo 'it's time to move on'. Centre-back Maguire made his first league start since their 2-2 draw with Tottenham in November in Saturday's 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City as the towering centre-back partnered Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the defence, while left-back Shaw returned to his natural position.

Former Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko needs to match Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 'aura', according to ex-forward Louis Saha. Sesko made the move to Old Trafford over the summer, joining United from German giants RB Leipzig for £74m as the Premier League powerhouse overhauled their frontline in the off-season. However, the young frontman has struggled to live up to his price tag.

Lamine Yamal was again the star of the show for Barcelona at the Anoeta on Sunday night but it was all for nothing as the La Liga leaders fell to a 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad. The Barca teen shone down the right but was unable to inspire the Blaugrana to victory, with Hansi Flick's men now just a point clear of arch rivals Real Madrid at the summit.

Arne Slot reportedly still has the backing of Liverpool owners FSG despite a downturn in results. The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday afternoon, which extended their winless run to four matches. The pressure continues to mount on Slot, with the defending Premier League champions now 14 points off league leaders Arsenal.

Shaqueel van Persie, the son of legendary Dutch striker Robin van Persie, scored his first professional goals as Feyenoord played out a seven-goal thriller with Rotterdam rivals Sparta on Sunday. Van Persie junior made just his third career appearance as he replaced Casper Tengstedt midway through the second half in the Rotterdam Derby, and almost salvaged a draw for his team.

Unai Emery has explained why Jadon Sancho was not included in Aston Villa's squad to face Everton on Sunday evening. Sancho joined the Villans on loan from Manchester United in September but has struggled for regular game time at Villa Park. Indeed, he has started just two league matches this season, with the majority of his minutes coming in the Europa League.

Patrice Evra has called out Manchester City star Rayan Cherki for "not respecting" Manchester United following Saturday's derby clash at Old Trafford. In their first game under Michael Carrick, United eased to a 2-0 home win over the Cityzens to further derail their rivals' Premier League title bid. Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu both netted in the second half to wrap up the victory.

Chelsea have taken a major step forward in their bid to sign Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, having agreed personal terms with the defender. Jacquet is reportedly close to joining the Blues, who are looking to bring in a new centre-back during the January transfer window. The 20-year-old has also been linked with Liverpool, but Chelsea are now in pole position to secure his signature.

Niclas Fullkrug's nightmare start to life in Italy continued last week after the striker had €500k worth of valuables stolen from his hotel room. The German moved to the Rossoneri on loan for the rest of the season at the start of January, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Premier League side West Ham.

Arsenal dominated Aston Villa in their Women's FA Cup fourth round meeting at Meadow Park on Sunday afternoon as they progressed with a 2-0 win over the Midlands side. It took until the second half for the Gunners to find the breakthrough, but the result was never really in doubt once they went ahead shortly after the interval.

Alvaro Arbeloa has hit out at Real Madrid fans for chanting against club president Florentino Perez in the team's 2-0 home win over Levante. Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio saw Arbeloa mark his first home game as Real Madrid boss with victory, having succeeded Xabi Alonso in the Spanish capital last week.

Sadio Mane has been urged to reverse his retirement decision ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday. Mane will captain Senegal against tournament hosts Morocco tonight as the Lions of Teranga seek to win the competition for just the second time in their history, and the ex-Liverpool man has been vital in their pursuit of glory.