Bundesliga side Mainz have announced that they have signed striker Ivan Klasnic on a free transfer.

The Croatian had been a free agent since leaving Bolton in June, and he was linked with Deportivo La Coruna and Liverpool earlier this week.

However, it was Mainz who won the race for the player’s signature, announcing they had signed the player on a one-year deal.

Club’s general manager Christian Heidel admitted Klasnic was not their first choice target.

“He was always our plan B,” Heidel told club’s official website. “After the transfer of Adrian Ramos failed to materialise, we wanted to get this one wrapped up as quickly as possible.

“We were looking for an experienced player who knows the Bundesliga to go with our young attack. Th…

Wolfsburg continued their Bundesliga resurgence by toppling Hoffenheim 3-1, while Werder Bremen overcame strugglers Fortuna Duesseldorf.

Goals from Makoto Hasebe, Bas Dost and Naldo handed the visitors their third win in four games on Sunday.

Wolfsburg had won only one game in eight outings, which included five defeats, under the guidance of former coach Felix Magath but since his departure, the 2008/09 champions have lost just once.

It was the visiting side who came out of the blocks quickest, with a smart Hasebe finish giving them the lead after just seven minutes.

Hoffenheim were dealt a critical blow soon after when Dutch striker Dost grabbed his fifth goal of the season in the 24th minute.

Wolfsburg pressed more and more, and Matthieu Delpi…

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, .

The thirty-four year old is currently without a club since leaving Monaco at the end of the season, after eighteen months with the Ligue One side.

Prior to his move to France, the former Bulgaria international spent eight and half seasons in England in spells with Tottenham Hotspur, United and Fulham racking up two-hundred and twenty-nine Premier League appearances in total, scoring ninety-four goals.

Twenty of those strikes came in the 2010/11 campaign with the Red Devils, and that tally saw him as the division’s top scorer that year along with then teammate Carlos Tevez.

During his time at Old Trafford, he won two league titles and the League Cup, w…

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has hinted at an interest in Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.

The 28-year-old has been frozen out by manager Paul Lambert at Villa Park, failing to make the last two matchday squads, and the new Rs boss has revealed a desire to add a cutting edge to his relegation-threatened team.

Redknapp and Bent fell out with each other while the two were at White Hart Lane, with Redknapp claiming his wife Sandra could have scored a chance missed by the striker in 2009 – but he is now keen to bury the hatchet with the 13-time England international.

We lack a bit of a cutting edge. It’s a lopsided squad, we could do with a couple of front men to give us a chance, Redknapp told reporters.

I like Darren, I have no problems with him. I jus…

Everton have confirmed that winger Aaron Lennon is being treated for a stress-related illness.

The 30-year-old was attended to by police on Eccles Old Road in Salford on Sunday after members of the public became concerned.

Greater Manchester Police said: Police were called at around 4.35pm to reports of a concern for the welfare of a man on Eccles Old Road.

Officers attended and a 30-year-old man was detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act and was taken to hospital for assessment.

Everton later said in a statement: Aaron Lennon is receiving care and treatment for a stress-related illness. The club is supporting him through this and his family has appealed for privacy at this time.

Lennon s representatives, Base Soccer, tweeted on …

Barcelona legend Xavi has urged the Camp Nou hierarchy to make a move for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti.

The Italy international has established himself as a pivotal figure since joining PSG from Pescara in 2012 and has been linked with a move to the Catalan giants on more than one occasion.

He impressed in PSG s 4-0 Champions League win over Barca at the Parc des Princes last month and Xavi has nothing but praise for the gifted midfielder, who has a contract with the Ligue 1 champions until June 2021.

Verratti would be the ideal signing for Barcelona in my opinion, Xavi told Le Parisien ahead of Wednesday s return leg at Camp Nou.

I think Verratti is a bit like me. He always goes in search of the ball quite deep on the pitch and then…

Bayern Munich rising star Jamal Musiala has chosen to play for Germany instead of England at international level.

The 17-year-old could make his senior debut as early as next month, with Germany head coach Joachim Low expected to name a large squad for their three World Cup qualifiers against Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia.

Musiala was born in Germany but moved to England when he was seven when his mother began a degree at Southampton University. He spent eight years in Chelsea s academy and played at youth level for England and Germany before returning to Bayern in 2019.

The 17-year-old has since broken into Hansi Flick s first-team plans and has already made 25 appearances in all competitions this season, mostly as a substitute. He scored in Bayern s 4-…

Chile have announced Reinaldo Rueda s tenure as coach has come to an end following an underwhelming start to World Cup qualification. 

Rueda had been in the post since early 2018, replacing Juan Antonio Pizzi after he failed to lead the team to the 2018 World Cup. 

Chile lost their Copa America crown under Rueda in 2019, having won each of the previous two editions, though they did get to the semi-finals. 

But Rueda s spell in charge has been largely unimpressive, with the team winning just nine of his 27 matches in charge, suffering 10 defeats. 

Rueda leaves Chile having only been able to accumulate four points from as many games at the start of qualification for the 2022 World Cup. 

His final game was the 2-1 defeat away to Venezuela on Nov…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 7/10 @

Looking to extend on their EFL Cup adventure on Tuesday night, Bournemouth will travel to the Liberty when they meet Swansea.

Starting with the hosts, while Swansea might have extended on their EFL Cup run earlier in the month as they cruised their way to a routine 3-0 victory against Northampton, Michael Duff’s side have struggled to find any kind of Championship stability. Last seen over the weekend suffering a second-half collapse away at Preston as they eventually slumped to a 2-1 defeat, the Swans are yet to muster a single win from any of their opening four second-tier appearances. With their downbeat start to the 2023/24 campaign underlined by an action-packed 3-2 defeat against West Brom on August 12th, the form…

According to , Brazilian wonderkid Endrick is close to agreeing a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024, when he turns 18. However, the Palmeiras youngster and his entourage are adamant that a clearly defined development path must be put in place for him, and that includes the 14-time European champions not making a move for Manchester City sensation, Erling Haaland. They believe the two strikers are extremely incompatible to play together, both being very keen on scoring goals.

The 21-year-old Norwegian striker was said to be on the radar of Real Madrid, among other clubs, until he decided to join the Premier League champions from Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season. But even though there is a release clause in his contract at the Etihad, Real currently have no int…