Roman Abramovich has spoken optimistically about the chances that Eden Hazard will return to his club. According to outlet El Nacional, the Belgian winger will try to rejoin Chelsea by the start of next season.

There are high hopes of the deal going through with Abramovich ‘increasingly convinced’ of the star’s return to Stamford Bridge.

Hazard left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 for a price of around €100 million with plans of becoming the new Ronaldo figure at the club. Injuries and what seems to be a lack of motivation have really hampered his chances at the club.

In his first two seasons at the club, he could not manage more than 15 starts in the league, only getting 4 goals and five assists in total. This year has not started much better with him picking up a muscle injury on international duty.

Even if he is not sold for much, the club will want him off their wage bill. Hazard’s highly lucrative deal will last for another two years so it is best that they sell him now.

"When I am finished here in Madrid, I will come back to Chelsea. They are doing well, they are young.

I do my job here and I return."

– Eden Hazard in 2019 pic.twitter.com/DXDZfID7H9

— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) October 11, 2021

How would the deal work out?

If the deal happened, Madrid will want Chelsea to part with a reported €40 million. This would be a €60 million profit for the Blues but is it still worth their money.

There is another option on the cards for the London club. Rumors have circulated that Real Madrid would be interested in a swap deal where right-back Reece James would move to Spain.

This option would help the Galacticos with their defensive options. Their main starter Dani Carvajal has been hit with spells of injuries in recent years. James would be a great steal for the club if he can get over the language barrier.

Although the move is unlikely, it is of much interest and debate amongst the Chelsea fans.

Eden Hazard in his prime was just unplayable pic.twitter.com/ANv0Hh9Ius

— CFC-Blues (@CFCBlues_com) October 12, 2021

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Premier League and international club news, click here.

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Kearney shot even on Thursday and did enough to stay below the cut on Friday and ensure himself two more rounds of golf.

He proved that he is deservedly the highest-ranked Irish golfer competing this weekend.

The two-time Irish PGA Championship winner is far from the lead at the Cazoo Open but has given himself a chance to lower his scores and end the weekend on a positive note.

The 71-par course claimed many casualties at the end of Round 2 on Friday.

The latest leg of the European tour has proved tough for Irish golfers with the three other Irish competitors and a Nothern Irish golfer all failing to make the cut in the tournament backed by Gareth Bale.

Gavin Moynihan endured a torrid second round to send himself home after a poor two rounds.

Moynihan shot three-over-par to add to his woes from Round 1 which saw him in need of a much-improved Friday to get to the next two rounds, but that was not to be as he posted a worse round to miss the cut by two strokes.

Amateur golfer James Sugrue’s two rounds followed a similar pattern to that of Moynihan’s with the pair both finishing Round 1 with a score of 73.

Sugrue could not salvage his weekend and plummeted further down the leaderboard with a 75-score round sealing the Mallow native’s fate with a final score of six-over.

Northern Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin also had a troublesome four-over-par round (For Sharvin it was Round 1) but posted a slight, if ineffective improvement in Round 2, ending his time in Newport with a round of 74.

Paul Dunne, who is currently 70th in the 2021 European Tour rankings had the worst weekend out of all Irish and Northern Irish golfers.

Dunne made it five missed cuts in a row after a six-over-par round two saw his hopes for extra rounds of golf go up in flames.

The poor performances are disappointing for fans from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland but, with Kearney still playing, there will be hopes for a good weekend from the Dubliner.

Niall Kearney will tee-off on Saturday at 6:16 am on Tee 11, accompanied by Bryce Easton and Steven Brown.

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It’s a David vs Goliath tale about the opera of football, the city of Limerick and a game that few remember but three men can never forget.

The documentary is set to have its world premiere online at Galway Film Fleadh 2021 from July 20th – July 25th. 

The short film is directed by award-winning filmmaker Cian O Connor and is funded by Limerick Arts Bursary.

The film features interviews with Limerick legends like Des Kennedy and Kevin Fitzpatrick as well as local fans such as Gary Spain – the historian of Limerick soccer, and publican, JJ O Dea.

The aim of the film according to director Cian O Connor, “was to not only tell the great story of this famous match but also to shine a light on that team and the golden era of Limerick soccer”.

The film according to Cian also aims to capture the spirit of the city of Limerick and its people. 

Limerick FC played Real Madrid on the 17th of September 1980 in what today would be known as the UEFA Champions League.

The match was played in Lansdowne Road much to the disappointment of local Limerick fans.

The game itself was a thriller with a goal by Des Kennedy and an excellent showing by the Limerick team. 

The film will screen online at the prestigious Galway Film Fleadh from the dates mentioned above.

Tickets for the online showing can be bought on the Galway Film Fleadh website.

The film will also be going on a national film festival run with showings across the country and a Youtube release set in the near future. 

Click here to get tickets for the Galway Film Fleadh.

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Ethan Mbappé is only 14 years old but signing his first contract will have him stay at the club until 2024.

He is still young but has shown to be a future attacking threat while being a part of the PSG academy team.

Ethan does have another brother that plays football professionally. Jirès Kembo Ekoko is their adoptive older brother and currently plays for DR Congo and Bursaspor in Turkey.

PSG made the announcement, along with fellow youngster Titu Senny Mayulu, in the middle of a heated transfer marketed for brother, Kylian.

Another Mbappe in town.

Kylian Mbappe's brother, Ethan Mbappe, signs a contract with PSG until 2024 pic.twitter.com/tPvQ7qopkN

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 25, 2021

What does this mean for Kylian Mbappé?

It is clear that PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has chosen to use Mbappé’s family to convince him to stay in Paris longer.

The 22-year-old signed four years ago by PSG for an estimated €180 million. He is now heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid who are looking to start a new Galacticos era.

Since joining the Paris club, he has won three league titles, a World Cup and made it to the finals of the Champions League. He has reached the new heights in his young career but is he ready for his next step?

The signing of his younger brother, Ethan may make the Frenchman want to stay in Paris to spend more time and take care of his sibling.

The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has been going on for more than two years and is reaching its boiling point. It would be hard for the youngster and PSG to say no if Madrid offer around €200 million for his signature.

Only time will tell if PSG’s sneaky plan to convince Mbappé to stay has actually worked.

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Earlier this month, Carlo Ancelotti made a shock return to Madrid after only one full year in Everton and is now looking to bring some players with him.

Ancelotti will need to break the bank to reunite with Richarlison, according to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central.

Everton's players were in “complete shock” when they found out manager Carlo Ancelotti was returning to Real Madrid. Richarlison and James Rodriguez are both now considering their future at the club. [The Athletic] pic.twitter.com/pJ8lvuYbrX

— PF | Transfer News (@PurelyFootball) June 5, 2021

Is Richarlison worth it?

The 24-year-old has made a big mark in Merseyside since signing from Watford in 2018.

Last season, the forward scored 12 goals and got three assists in all competitions.

Although, Everton had a disappointing finish to the season dropping to 10^th in the league.

The Brazilian also showed his fiery side picking up five yellows and one red card last season.

Could it happen?

Richarlison is only believed to have a market value of €62 million but Everton will want more to compensate for their loses.

Ancelotti is also known for reuniting with old players, bringing James Rodriguez with him to both Bayern Munich and Everton.

The move would also allow the forward to link up with fellow countrymen Vinicius Jr, Militao and Casemiro in Madrid.

According to many reports, Carlo Ancelotti wants to sign Richarlison for Real Madrid.

Imagine Real Madrid's attacking trio with:

Vinícius Júnior (20) – Left Winger.
Richarlison Andrade (24) – Centre Forward.
Rodrygo Goes (20) – Right Winger. pic.twitter.com/FdbfgkcF50

— Pro Future Stars (@ProFutureStars1) June 4, 2021

Real Madrid would probably be prioritizing a big move for the likes of Kylain Mbappe or Erling Haaland.

Richarlison is currently on international duty with Brazil for the Copa America.

Brazil will begin the competition against Venezuela at 22:00 on Sunday 13^th of June.

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Football clubs are businesses, that’s a fact. The owners of these clubs strive to maintain a profitable model while competing at a top level year after year. However, without fans, none of this would be possible. This makes it all the more frustrating when you consider that fans are routinely pushed aside when it comes to interests regarding the football clubs they support.

The last few years have seen unprecedented levels of greed from many football club owners, particularly those competing in the top 5 European leagues. This has resulted in plans for a so-called “European Super League”, a competition which contains 12 of Europe’s top clubs, has no promotion or relegation and was formulated purely to protect the financial interests of the club’s involved.

Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the clubs in question.

Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all rejected/opposed invitations to the competition.

“The club wants to implement the planned reform of the UEFA Champions League. The plans to found a Super League have been rejected… Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund had 100% identical views,” expressed Dortmund in an official statement made earlier today.

UEFA also completely oppose the plans put in place, even going as far to say that heavy sanctions will be imposed on clubs and players who take part in the competition.

“We are all united against this nonsense of a project… The players that will play in the closed league will be banned from playing in the World Cup and Euros,” confirmed UEFA president Alex Ceferin.

HOW FOOTBALLERS HAVE REACTED TO THE PLAN

The majority of football fans are completely against the formation of the European Super League and that extends to current and ex-pros, as well.

Several pundits made their opinions on the project clear yesterday, including Gary Neville who made a passionate argument against the formation of the competition.

“I’m disgusted, absolutely disgusted. I’m disgusted with Manchester United and Liverpool the most,” said Neville while appearing on Sky Sports yesterday.

“Liverpool say they’re the people’s club. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, the fans’ club. Manchester United, 100 years, born from workers around here, and they’re breaking into a league without competition. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

Paris Saint-Germain footballer Ander Herrera was one of the first current pros to chime in with their opinion. He released a statement earlier today expressing concerns over the league.

pic.twitter.com/C9zV59zJxH

— Ander Herrera (@AnderHerrera) APRIL 19, 2021

A number of footballers have since followed Herrera in publicly stating their opposition to the plan.

Kids grow up dreaming to win the World Cup and the Champions League – not any Super League. The enjoyment of big games is that they only happen once or twice a year, not every week. Really hard to understand for all football fans out there…

— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) April 19, 2021

‘Dreams can’t be bought’

Bruno Fernandes shared this post from Portugal team-mate Daniel Podence on his Instagram story pic.twitter.com/aIHhUHZ53i

— Goal (@goal) April 19, 2021

pic.twitter.com/A8WIIUCHrH

— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) April 20, 2021

| "I don't like it and I hope it doesn't happen."

James Milner speaks out against the proposed breakaway European Super League…#MNF pic.twitter.com/NkMmNJhiyA

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 19, 2021

Jordan Henderson has called a meeting of all the Premier League captains in response to the Super League announcement, reports @MikeKeegan_DM pic.twitter.com/Q2YkUCuIrV

— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 20, 2021

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The Champions League semi-finalists have been fully confirmed today after Manchester City and Real Madrid managed to overcome their opponents over two legs. They’ll be joined by Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, who achieved the same feat yesterday.

Manchester City were tasked with defeating Borussia Dortmund over two legs to get to the semi-finals and they managed it in the end, despite a shaky start which seen them go down 1-0 (2-2 on aggregate). They eventually managed to win the tie 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) with goals from Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden.

The other English side playing tonight, Liverpool, couldn’t quite achieve qualification like their neighbours. It was a scoreless draw between themselves and Real Madrid tonight, but the latter’s 3-1 victory in the first was enough to propel them into the semis.

Chelsea managed to beat Porto over two legs last night while Paris Saint-Germain went through on away goals against Bayern Munich, despite losing 1-0 on the night.

The fixtures and dates for the semi-final ties have already been confirmed. Chelsea will take on Real Madrid while Manchester City will face Paris Saint-Germain, meaning there’s every possibility we could see an all-English final. The semi-finals will be played between the 27th April and 5th May.

The final will then be played on Saturday 29th May at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

The 2020/21 semi-finals are set

Who will reach the final in Istanbul#UCL pic.twitter.com/W7KUOm1uah

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) APRIL 14, 2021

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The Champions League recommenced tonight with two blockbuster games to kick off the quarter-finals, namely Manchester City vs Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid vs Liverpool.

Although it’s “only” the first leg and there’s much to be played for yet, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund suffered major setbacks tonight, losing their ties. However, they did both manage to score an away goal which could prove crucial going into the second leg next week.

Liverpool will be the more red-faced of the two, having been outclassed for much of the game against a superior Real Madrid team – on the night, anyways.

Madrid struck first through Vinicius Junior in the 27^th minute. Toni Kroos played a fantastic lobbed pass over the top of the Liverpool defence which the aforementioned Vinicius Junior controlled expertly on his chest before finishing neatly past Alisson on the half volley. Nat Phillips and Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory for the goal, failing to track the Real Madrid man’s movement and run which resulted in the goal.

Minutes later, Alexander-Arnold was at fault again for the second Real Madrid goal. He attempted to head back to Alisson from a hopeful Real Madrid through ball over the top but instead, he inadvertently passed straight into the path of Marco Asensio who proceeded to calmly chip over the keeper and finish easily into the net. In truth, they deserved nothing less having controlled the game up to that point.

There was a glimmer of hope for Liverpool shortly after the second half kicked-off as Mohamed Salah pulled one back in the 51^st minute after a good team move.

That hope was short lived, though. Real Madrid got their third in the 65^th minute, Vinicius Junior the goalscorer yet again. Luke Modric provided the assist with a short pass into the feet of the Brazilian who finished into the bottom right corner.

Vinicius Junior and the experienced midfield of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric were too much to handle for Liverpool on the night as they fell to a 3-1 loss.

FT: @realmadriden 3-1 @LFC
@vinijr 27′, 65′, @marcoasensio10 36′; Salah 51′#Emirates | #UCL pic.twitter.com/qCrqKT0EWL

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) APRIL 6, 2021

Dortmund, on the other hand, could perhaps count themselves unlucky not to come away with at least a draw.

The German side started the match well, matching City for possession and even conjuring up a couple of half chances. However, City’s quality showed in the 19^th minute as their talisman Kevin De Bruyne found the net after a quick, fluid team move.

In a highly controversial twist, Dortmund were denied what seemed an obvious goal in the 38^th minute. Talented teenager Jude Bellingham raced forward and stole the ball from City goalkeeper Ederson’s feet after a heavy touch before tapping into an empty net. The referee, though, had blew the whistle before the ball found its way into the net, indicating Bellingham fouled Ederson in the process. Replays showed that Bellingham got to the ball ahead of Ederson and the former may have actually been fouled rather than the latter. Ederson’s extravagant reaction may have been the deciding factor in disallowing the goal as he immediately fell to the ground in reaction to mask his mistake.

The first half ended 1-0 to Manchester City to the misfortune of Borussia Dortmund.

Erling Haaland – who was quiet for most of the game – had a fantastic opportunity to level the scoreline shortly after the second half commenced as he was played through with a ball over the top. He showed his immense strength as he bullied Ruben Dias onto the ground to open up space for a shot. Haaland though, had unbalanced himself in the process of shoving Dias out of the way and failed to get a proper connection on the ball. Ederson dealt with his shot easily in the end.

Although Haaland would fail to score on the night, he was heavily involved in Dortmund’s equaliser in the 84^th minute, as was Jude Bellingham. The latter played a good ball into Haaland’s feet who was occupying a deeper position than usual. He then spotted the run of Marco Reus who was making a run off Kyle Walker’s shoulder and played a pinpoint first time pass into his path. Reus then closed in on goal and made no mistake as he finished past Ederson with aplomb.

City weren’t finished that easily, though. Phil Foden, who missed a handful of good chances throughout the game, scored a late winner after Gundogan provided the lay-off in the 6-yard box.

The match finished 2-1 to Manchester City after a hard-fought contest.

FULL TIME | After all that, we’re taking a lead to Germany!

2-1 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/e4BKlmsDqp

— Manchester City (@ManCity) APRIL 6, 2021

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22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Martin Ødegaard is set to complete a loan deal to Arsenal until the end of the season, according to reports.

Ødegaard arrived in London last night and it is understood that the necessary paperwork has been completed. The deal will be officially confirmed shortly.

Ødegaard arrives at Arsenal having struggled for game-time at Real Madrid this season, despite impressing whenever he has played.

He had a stellar campaign on loan at Real Sociedad in 2019/20 but that wasn’t enough to secure a starting place in a highly competitive Madrid side.

The Norwegian joined Real Madrid in 2015 after impressing in the Norwegian domestic league. Since then, he’s found it difficult to break into the first-team. In fact, he’s played just 8 league games in 6 years.

He has relied on loan moves up to this point for his development, spending the previous 3 seasons on loan in the Netherlands and Spain.

A loan to Arsenal would be beneficial to both parties.

Arsenal are in desperate need of a creative playmaker and Ødegaard fits that bill. On the other hand, Ødegaard would be gaining experience while playing regular football in a quality team.

Ajax and Real Sociedad were also reportedly interested, but it appears that Arsenal have won the race.

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La Liga was suspended on 12 March last due to coronavirus but permission was granted earlier this week for group training of up to 10 players to begin.

The Spanish government has given the green light for the return of professional sport – including #LaLigaSantander and #LaLigaSmartBank – as of June 8th, following guidelines from the Ministry of Health.#BackToWin pic.twitter.com/OjjV61pnBf

— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) May 23, 2020

“Spain has done what it needed to do and now new horizons can open for everyone. The time has come to recover many of our daily activities. From 8 June, LaLiga will be able to return,” the country’s Prime Minister said earlier today, adding, “Spanish football has a huge following but it will not be the only recreation activity that will return.”

Current La Liga champions Barcelona lead great rivals Real Madrid by two points with 11 round of the competition yet to play.

Spain follows Germany in announcing a return to league action, with the German Bundesliga having started last weekend.

Spain’s neighbours, Portugal, will see action recommence in their Primeira Liga on 3rd June, England’s Premier League has mentioned June 12th or 19th as possible starting dates, while Italy’s Serie A looks set to begin on June 15th.

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