Rangers complete Barton signing

Claudio Ranieri has reiterated that he will be in charge of Ligue 1 club Monaco next season, despite rumours to the contrary.

Ranieri, who took over in May 2012 with the club in Ligue 2, has led Monaco to promotion and then a UEFA Champions League berth in their first season back in the top flight.

Monaco sit second in Ligue 1 and eight points adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who will win the title with victory over Rennes or if Ranieri s men fail to beat Guingamp on Wednesday.

Despite Monaco s strong performances this term, reports have indicated that Ranieri is set to be dismissed by club owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, with French football legend Zinedine Zidane touted as a potential replacement.

The Italian has previously rejected those suggestions and, althou…

Milan in Benatia talks

French newspaper that AC Milan have opened talks to sign Udinese defender Mehdi Benatia.

The highly rated defender is currently with the national team, preparing for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but his representatives are holding negotiations with interested clubs.

AC Milan appear to be leading the race for the experienced centre-back, but Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen.

The Rossoneri are hoping to purchase the player’s contract this January and then loan him to Udinese until the end of the season.

However, should Milan officials fail to raise enough money for an assault on the Algerian, they will wait until next summer before making an official bid.

Benatia, 25, has a contract until June 2017 a…

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has won the Premier League s Playmaker Award.

The Belgium international – who came off the substitutes bench in his side s 0-0 draw with Leicester City on Sunday – has been given the award for his 15 Premier League assists this season.

That total put him one ahead of Bournemouth s Ryan Fraser.

Hazard has been heavily linked with a move to LaLiga giants Real Madrid during the off-season after another glittering campaign for the Blues, which has seen him plunder 19 goals in all competitions so far.

King of the creators

Congratulations to winner of the Playmaker Award for 2018/19

— Premier League (@premierleague)

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri insists he wants the 28-year-old to remain at Stamford …

Wayne Rooney has cranked up the pressure on Italy by claiming England have moved ahead of Cesare Prandelli s men.

England are set to meet Italy in their FIFA World Cup opener in Group D on Saturday, in a match that could have a big impact on who qualifies for the knockout stages.

The two sides met in the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2012, with Italy emerging as winners on penalties on that occasion having largely dominated the game.

However, Manchester United striker Rooney believes that Roy Hodgson s young squad has improved significantly since then.

I think we ve moved ahead of Italy, he said at a press conference. We have a youthful squad so it will be interesting to see how we have progressed.

Much talk has surrounded England s ability to shackle Andrea …

Julian Alvarez was backed to become one of the world s most-feared strikers after extending his Manchester City contract on Thursday.

The Argentina World Cup winner committed to a one-year extension, meaning he is signed up to City through to the end of the 2027-28 season.

Former River Plate frontman Alvarez has managed 10 goals in 33 games for City to date, starting 14 times and scoring at a rate of one strike every 160.1 minutes.

He is operating in the shadows of Erling Haaland, as the Norwegian enjoys a record-breaking first season in England.

However, City are confident 23-year-old Alvarez is already capable of causing his own damage at the highest level in the club game, and are optimistic he will only improve over the next five years.

Signed…

Wolfsburg have completed the signing of Borja Mayoral from Real Madrid on a one-year loan deal, with the intention to extend his temporary stay at the Bundesliga club with one additional season.

The 19-year-old forward already confirmed earlier this week that he would continue his career at Wolfsburg and the striker has now put pen to paper.

Mayoral will join his team-mates at their training camp in Bad Ragaz on Saturday and will be unveiled on Sunday.

We have been keeping a close eye on Borja for quite some time and are very happy that he has decided to join Wolfsburg, sporting director Klaus Allofs said.

He is still at the start of his career and can take the next step here at Wolfsburg. It s part of our strategy to not only bring through our own youn…

Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fernandinho has talked up a potential summer move to Manchester City, .

Fernandinho, 28, is a transfer target for Manchester City ahead of the summer transfer window, according to the club s manager Roberto Mancini.

The 28-year-old was previously linked with a January move to Manchester, but no deal materialised.

Earlier this week, Shakhtar manager Mircea Lucescu revealed City must meet the outrageous £42.5 million release clause in the Brazil international s current contract in order to secure the player s services.

However, according to reports, the English Premier League moneybags are only willing to spend £20 million to bring Fernandinho to the Etihad Stadium in the summer.

I believe my chances of ma…

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard does not foresee another push for the Premier League to introduce five substitutes after the suggestion was again voted down.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been leading the campaign for teams to be allowed to make up to five changes in matches, owing to the congested nature of the season.

Premier League sides were allowed five substitutes when the competition restarted in June but voted to return to three subs for 2020-21.

Opposition has come from clubs with smaller squads, who claim being able to use five changes only benefits the bigger teams and, on Thursday, the proposal was turned down again, though nine players can now be named on the bench.

The Premier League is the only major European competition not to allow…

Atletico Madrid and France star Antoine Griezmann believes he deserves to win the Best Player in Europe Award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Griezmann enjoyed an excellent campaign in 2015-16, scoring 22 LaLiga goals before starring at Euro 2016, winning the Golden Boot with six.

The star 25-year-old forward said his performances were worthy of the prize, despite Ronaldo netting 35 times in the league and leading Portugal to European glory.

I am proud to be a finalist, that means I am on the right track and have to continue that way, Griezmann told 24sata.

I don t want to sound arrogant, but I deserve this award because I ve had a great season with both club and the national team.

It has been unforgettable season, first in the Cham…

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio is ready to move star striker Stephane Sessegnon away from the Stadium of Light, according to .

The Italian is willing to part company with the Benin international if the price is right, with a figure of £8m being reported.

With £9m expected from Liverpool for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, as well as a fee of £4m mooted for Hull City and Stoke City target Lee Cattermole, Di Canio is set to have the funds available to continue recruiting his new look squad.

Marseille, and Chinese sides Tianjin Teda and Shanghai Shenhua have inquired about Sessegnon, who has scored seventeen goals in eighty-three appearances since arriving at the Stadium of Light back in 2011.

Meanwhile, David Vaughn has drawn interest from Crystal P…