Things turned sour as Chelsea began a dreadful defence of their top-flight crown. Costa scored just four times in all competitions before Mourinho got the sack in December 2015, a drop in form that saw him and team-mates Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas branded rats by one Chelsea supporter with a shoddily written banner. It was an opinion that gained traction as Costa s goal return steadily improved after Mourinho s exit.

This season has not always been rosy either. While his 20-goal haul and link-up play with Pedro and Hazard in Antonio Conte s much-lauded 3-4-3 has been key to the Premier League trophy s return to Stamford Bridge, there were signs of discontent in January when he was dropped from the team to face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

A training groun…

Barcelona are interested in signing Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg, according to . It has been reported that Spanish and European giants Barcelona want to sign a new striker in the summer of 2022 and have identified the 19-year-old as a potential target.

Adeyemi has scored eight goals in 10 Austrian Bundesliga appearances so far this season. The 19-year-old Germany international striker has found the back of the net three times in three Champions League matches for RB Salzburg so far this campaign.

Barcelona signed Sergio Aguero in the summer transfer window, but the former Manchester City striker is in his early 30s now. Adeyemi is only 19 and has a bright future ahead of him. Signing the Germany international next summer would make Barcelona a better and more potent t…

Sergio Ramos vowed to return to Real Madrid in some capacity one day during an emotional farewell speech following confirmation of his impending departure.

Madrid announced on Wednesday that the club was to host a farewell news conference and ceremony the following day, with Ramos future finally resolved.

The 35-year-old s contract was due to expire at the end of June and speculation had long been stirring about what would come next for Ramos, with 2020-21 a difficult one for him due to injuries and illness.

For several weeks there had been rumours suggesting Ramos had decided to leave, with Madrid unwilling to meet his contract demands.

And although the two parties will part ways, a tearful Ramos reflected on a remarkable 16-year spell at the Santiago Be…

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho s inflammatory post-match accusations could be subjected to action by Barcelona.

Mourinho was left enraged following Pepe s sending off in the 61st minute in Wednesday s Champions League semi-final first leg, which also led to his dismissal to the stands and an ensuing 2-0 defeat to Barcelona at the Bernabeu.

Reigning Spanish champions Barcelona take a healthy advantage heading into the return fixture against their arch rivals at Camp Nou next Tuesday.

And the Catalan club is now deliberating whether it can refer Mourinho s stinging post-match statement, in which he declared Barcelona constantly received favourable refereeing decisions to the UEFA Disciplinary Commission.

A statement on the club s official site read: Barca�…

Napoli have dismissed the idea they could offer Cristiano Ronaldo refuge in January as the Serie A leaders insist they don t have to fix anything .

Sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli indicated the prospect of any major incomings or outgoings was remote, given Napoli are confident they have a strong group with the right balance.

He added that to fly with the fantasy would not be Napoli s style this season, as they seek a first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season, when Diego Maradona was at the club.

Ronaldo could leave Manchester United in mid-season if a deal can be found that suits all parties.

His refusal to play as a substitute and early exit from the stadium last week against Tottenham led to United briefly banishing him from first-team duties, althou…

Corinthians will entice Manchester City with a bonus clause in an improved bid for Carlos Tevez, according to a report in Lancenet.

An initial bid of 40 million Euros for the Argentine international was rejected by City earlier this week.

However, Brazilian Serie A side Corinthians, where Tevez played from 2003 to 2006, have made another push for the 27-year-old s signature.

Brazilian football publication Lancenet reports that on top of the 40 million Euro transfer fee, a bonus clause has been added to the proposal which will see City receive an unspecified fee if Tevez’s stint at the club proves successful in terms of results, marketing and shirt sales.

Corinthians have given City a deadline of Sunday to answer to their offer as the Brazilian transfer…

A Melvin Platje brace guided NEC Nijmegen to a 2-0 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie on Monday.

It was NEC manager Alex Pastoor s first game in charge against his old club, which he guided to promotion from the Eerste Divisie in the 2009/10 season.

Dutch striker Platje opened the scoring in the 70th minute, before adding another nine minutes later to help NEC record their first win of the campaign and move into fifth on the table.

The loss leaves Excelsior bottom in the league standings, with John Lammers side yet to earn a point after two fixtures.

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Former Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli believes the decision to sign Jordan Henderson may have cost him his job.

Comolli officially left Anfield by mutual consent in 2012 citing family reasons, although rumours suggested he was shown the door over failings in the transfer market.

The Frenchman now claims he was sacked and feels the initial negative reaction to the signing of Henderson now Liverpool vice-captain was behind his dismissal.

When we signed Jordan Henderson, he got so much criticism, I got so much criticism, he said at the Web Summit in Dublin.

I was never told why I was sacked but I was led to believe it was because we signed Jordan Henderson, and the owners were convinced he was not good enough.

Henderson reportedly c…

Borussia Dortmund were rocked by the news that Mats Hummels wants to leave the club for rivals Bayern Munich ahead of Saturday s Bundesliga encounter with Wolfsburg.

Dortmund still have a small chance to catch Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table trailing the leaders by seven points with three games to go but the German title will be the last thing on their mind following Hummels announcement.

Thomas Tuchel s men s will be keen to end the Bundesliga season on a high, though, and prepare in the best way possible for the upcoming DFB-Pokal final against Bayern.

They are unbeaten in the Bundesliga since the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cologne in December, winning 11 of their 14 matches since.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ilkay Gundogan are expected to retur…

Chicago’s Daily Herald is reporting that former Hamburger SV striker Maximilian Beister has been on trial with Chicago Fire.

The 26-year-old has struggled for playing time since leaving the Red Shorts in 2015, enjoying somewhat disappointing spells with Mainz, 1860 Munich and Melbourne Victory.

He has been a free agent since his contract at Mainz expired in June and is now fighting for a chance to sign for the MLS outfit.

Chicago Fire enjoyed a bright start to the new season, climbing to fourth in the Eastern Conference, but a four-match losing run is threatening to ruin their campaign.

Head coach Veljko Paunovic has two very good forwards in Nemanja Nikolic and David Accam, but he clearly plans to further reinforce his front line.

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