Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will still be in charge of Bayer Leverkusen next season.

The former Liverpool midfielder had been linked to the vacant head coach role at Tottenham during the past month.

Alonso has impressed in his first senior managerial position after he guided Leverkusen out of relegation trouble in the Bundesliga and into the Europa League semi-finals since his appointment in October.

With Julian Nagelsmann no longer a contender for the role at Spurs and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany signing a new deal earlier this month, Alonso remained one of the bookkeepers’ favourites to replace Antonio Conte.

: „We are happy to reach the semifinals, but we want more!“

I I I

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en)

Bu…

Brahim Diaz provided a stunning response to the challenge of deputising for the injured Jude Bellingham by firing Real Madrid to a 1-0 Champions League victory at RB Leipzig.

Diaz’s superb 48th-minute solo effort secured a last-16 win at the Red Bull Arena to put the Spanish side in the driving seat ahead of the second leg at the Bernabeu, although he later limped off in a fresh blow for boss Carlo Ancelotti.

His intervention could hardly have been better timed with 20-goal England international Bellingham facing two to three weeks on the sidelines with a sprained ankle and the 14-time European champions misfiring for long periods in his absence.

0-1 49

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

Indeed, had Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko made th…

Bastia have secured the return of Guinea international Sadio Diallo from Ligue 1 rivals Rennes.

The attacking midfielder has spent the last two season on loan at Lorient, having left Bastia for Rennes in 2012.

Diallo arrives on a three-year contract after passing a medical.

The 24-year-old helped Bastia climb from the third tier to the top flight during his previous spell at the club.

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Liverpool F.C. manager Brendan Rodgers is hoping that qualifying for the UEFA Champions League will help the club attract world-class talent from abroad.

The Merseysiders (17-5-5), six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 11 points ahead of current champions Manchester United, are the odds-0n favourites to claim the final Champions League place.

Liverpool were unable to lure any top recruits to Anfield last summer and failed to secure the signing of Ukraine international winger Yevhen Konoplyanka from FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on deadline day last month.

Securing a place in next season s Champions League would certainly help boost the Reds chances of bringing in top-class players in the summer.

For this season, Rodgers believes it i…

Gareth Bale wants to leave Real Madrid, according to .

The Welshman and his potential departure from the Spanish capital has been the subject of speculation for several years now. He has often been at odds with head coach Zinedine Zidane, even during the Frenchman s first stint in charge of the team. Bale often spoke about being ready for new challenges , most notably after the 2018 Champions League triumph, but hasn t been able to secure employment elsewhere. The situation was similar this summer too, when Real were reportedly very keen on parting ways with him, but his huge wages proved a stumbling block for any potential suitor.

As the transfer window slammed shut at the start of September, the 30-year-old winger was forced to buckle down and work hard to try and cha…

Former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado insisted Luka Jovic is a great striker,  who needs time to settle in at the La Liga giant.

Jovic is still searching for his first goal for Madrid since arriving from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in a reported €60million deal.

The 21-year-old Serbia international arrived in the offseason after scored 27 goals in 2018-19. However, he is yet to open his Madrid account and has not found the back of the net since a Euro 2020 qualifier in June.

Salgado, who won four LaLiga titles and two Champions League trophies during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, was asked about Jovic and he told Omnisport: He s a young player. If Real Madrid signed him, is due to something. He has been a great player Eintracht Frankfurt…

What the papers say

Paris St Germain and Liverpool are both interested in England defender Levi Colwill, but Chelsea are not keen on seeing the 20-year-old leave the Blues, says the Evening Standard.

West Ham are eyeing striker Dominic Solanke, who currently plays for Bournemouth, the Daily Telegraph writes.

As per the Daily Telegraph, Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel is eager to return to England when he wraps up at the German club at the end of the season.

Social media round-up

Bad news for Manchester United as Luke Shaw will be absent for a few months with a muscular injury, club confirms.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano)

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Mounting a stellar comeback on Saturday evening, Real Madrid drew a line under their four-match losing run away from the Bernabeu as they claimed a 2-1 victory against Sevilla.

While Rafa Mir might have handed Los Nervionenses a stunning lead after just three minutes, Carlo Ancelotti’s makeshift squad certainly came roaring back as Brazilian international Rodrygo bagged a classy brace on either side of the half-time break.

Although Los Blancos might have endured a torrid run since returning from the World Cup’s festive interval, the now-former Spanish champions would have simply been relieved to have claimed an away day boost this weekend.

Losing each of their last four away appearances across all competitions before making the trip to Andalusia, Sevilla wil…

Jan Wouters is to leave his role as head coach of Utrecht at the end of the season, the Dutch club have announced.

The 53-year-old was promoted to his current position in 2011, after previously serving as the assistant to previous incumbents Ton du Chatinier and Erwin Koeman.

Wouters guided Utrecht to a fifth-placed finish in the Eredivisie last season and a place in Europe.

However, the club were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League in the second qualifying round by Luxembourg minnows Differdange and have subsequently failed to match last season s standards.

Speaking to the club s official website, Wouters said: I ve been evaluating (the situation) and I think it s time for a new phase in my career.

I want to experience the next step in my career. I can …

Torino defender Danilo D Ambrosio is all but certain to leave the club in the transfer window, according to president Urbano Cairo.

The 25-year-old moved to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino in 2010, but has been linked with a host of Italian clubs as well as Premier League side Aston Villa.

The full-back has also been involved in protracted contract negotiations, with his deal due to expire in June 2014, and Cairo revealed talks over a new agreement have failed due to interest from elsewhere.

It looked like we were heading for a simple one-year renewal, he told Tuttosport.

Then things went cold and, in March, the player told me that he didn t want to renew. He changed his mind in October and we agreed terms.

We shook hands with the promise that we would spea…