Manchester City Chase Gabriel Jesus, Ivan Rakitic To Quit Barcelona?

Manchester City are in talks to sign Brazilian sensation Gabriel Jesus, a source in South America has told ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke. City are hoping to beat a host of top clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid,Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to bring the Palmeiras forward to the Premier League.

Jesus is regarded as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from Brazil in recent years and has been likened to Brazil star Neymar for his style of play. The 19-year-old was named Best Newcomer in the Brazilian championship this year and he has scored 26 goals in 67 games for Palmeiras. City are prepared to steal a march on their rivals for Jesus by offering Palmeiras a fee in the region of €32 million as well as allowing the player to stay on loan until the conclusion of the Brazilian championship in December.

Meanwhile, is Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic set to leave the Camp Nou? Following Andre Gomes' arrival, the Croatian midfielder's agent tweeted "It's time to go."

Rio Olympics 2016: Russia Set To Be Banned From The Olympics

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 Russian athletes attempted to overturn the suspension, implemented by the body that governs world athletics.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has ruled it can stand.

A handful of Russian athletes could still compete as neutrals at the Rio Games, which start on 5 August.

"It's sad but rules are rules," said Olympic 100m and 200m champion Usain Bolt, who is targeting more gold medals in Rio.

He said it was important to send a strong message to the dopers.

"Doping violations in track and field is getting really bad," said the Jamaican, 29. "If you cheat or go or against the rules, this will scare a lot of people."

However, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva - one of the 68 to appeal to Cas - said the ruling was "a blatant political order".

The 2012 gold medallist, 34, told the Tass news agency: "Thank you all for this funeral for athletics."

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said it was "pleased Cas has supported its position", adding that the judgement had "created a level playing field for athletes".

IAAF president Lord Coe added: "This is not a day for triumphant statements. I didn't come into this sport to stop athletes from competing.

"Beyond Rio, the IAAF taskforce will continue to work with Russia to establish a clean safe environment for its athletes so that its federation and team can return to international recognition and competition."

Separately, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Rio Games following a second report into state-sponsored doping.

The Beckhams All Set To Relocate To Their Renovated £30million Town Home

It's an exciting time for David and Victoria Beckham, who are preparing to move into their dream home with their four children. After a number of years living in a rented property in Holland Park, the couple have started to move furniture and other possessions into their newly-renovated town house just across the street.

David and Victoria bought the property back in September 2013 and have spent an estimated £5million doing it up. With work almost complete on their family home, a convoy of vans have been spotted outside both properties this week, helping to relocate possessions and deliver new items of furniture to the Beckhams' town house.

Luckily the family have been absent for much of the move. David, 41, arrived in LA with his two youngest children, Harper, six, and Cruz, 11, earlier this month, while Brooklyn, 17, has been spending time in New York with his girlfriend Chloe Moretz. Then, on Saturday, Victoria, 42, and 13-year-old Romeo touched down in California to join David, Harper and Cruz and make the most of some family time together now that school has finished.

David and Victoria have put a great deal of thought into creating their perfect home. Once work has finished on the five-storey Holland Park house, the Beckhams will have use of six bedrooms, a gym, a study, and office, a playroom and a large drawing room.

According to building plans, the renovation has also included the enlargement of the lower ground floor wine cellar and the installation of a family cinema room.

Helping to oversee the renovations on their London property is top designer Rose Uniacke. Known for her cool, calm and collected luxe designs, Rose has been tasked with creating the perfect interior throughout the whole house, and has no doubt been working closely with stylish Victoria to ensure she constructs the perfect setting for her famous clients.

Sam Allardyce to be confirmed as new England manager – live!

LONDON (Reuters) - Sam Allardyce moved a step closer to becoming England manager on Thursday after English FA chairman Greg Dyke said a three-man selection panel will recommend him for the job.

Sunderland boss Allardyce is set to replace Roy Hodgson, who stepped down as England manager following their embarrassing European Championship exit to Iceland in the last 16 last month.

"Clearly the three-man group are convinced he (Allardyce) is the right man," Dyke told Sky Sports. "I'd go along with that as well.

"You'd have to ask them but as far as I understand it that's the discussion. We appointed a three-man committee to go out and look at the candidates and they've come back with a decision about who they think is the best man."

The three-man selection group is made up of FA chief executive Martin Glenn, FA technical director Dan Ashworth and FA vice-chairman David Gill.

Liverpool Target Georginio Wijnaldum Plays In Newcastle Friendly

The Dutch midfielder has been linked with a move to Merseyside this week, with some reports having suggested a move was close, but others insisting the relegated Magpies want £27 million for the top goalscorer last season.

Newcastle were in action at Doncaster Rovers on Wednesday evening and Wijnaldum was originally left out of Rafa Benitez‘s squad – heightening speculation of an imminent move to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old though, was later added to the subs list and appeared for the final 11 minutes, replacing Jonjo Shelvey as Rafa Benitez’s side came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2.

Speaking after their game, Benitez said: “I can’t really say anything other than that we will have to wait to see what happens.

“He is still our player and that means he has to be ready for us.

“If something happens (with Liverpool), we will know in some days.

“But until something changes, we will continue training and working with him, and we will continue playing him in the games.”

Benitez was seemingly keen on a reunion with Reds’ midfielder Lucas Leiva, but the 29-year-old Brazilian limped out of Liverpool’s friendly at Huddersfield with a hamstring injury, which could scupper that potential move.

Jurgen Klopp has been to get his new signings – five so far – added to the squad early in pre-season, and will be wanting the Wijnaldum chase to allow for him to join the squad in America over the next 12 days.

CONFIRMED: Liverpool Sign Augsburg Centre-Back Ragnar Klavan

Liverpool have signed a consummate professional in defender Ragnar Klavan, Estonia boss Magnus Pehrsson has told ESPN FC.

Klavan, 30, joined the Reds on Wednesday from Bundesliga side Augsburg for €5 million plus add-ons to provide much-needed depth in the heart of Liverpool's defence.

Liverpool manager Klopp is likely to favour Dejan Lovren, fellow new signing Joel Matip, Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez in that position, but with the latter two missing the start of the season with injury, the Estonia captain could be required immediately, and Pehrsson is confident he can make the step up.

"I think he has most of what you ask from a central defender -- he is calm with the ball, he can build up well, he's fast, he's good in the air, he can tackle," Estonia boss Pehrsson told ESPN FC. "I think he's a complete defender."

With Kolo Toure departing the club this summer after his contract expired, Klavan is seen as the ideal replacement for the Ivorian, who was a popular figure around the Liverpool dressing room.

"From the players I have worked with in my career, he's the most professional I have worked with, in terms of taking care of himself and really trying develop himself day by day," the Swedish boss, who took charge of the Estonian national side in 2013, said.

"He's a real role model. This is my third year with him now and I don't see any difference at all. I think he has developed in these three years. He has always been a good athlete -- he is strong and fast. By playing more at a good level in the Bundesliga, I think he has developed with his positioning on the pitch, and that together with being a fast player, I see him carrying on six, seven years without any problems.

"He does most of the things you like players to do. He's always doing preparation in the gym before training sessions, he takes care of himself afterwards, very aware of what he eats and how to recover between games. I know he's been working to train his brain on how to stay focused on the task during the games.

"His motto since he became a professional player in Estonia is that he should never reject anything, and he really takes advantage of the talent he has."

The three-time Estonia Player of the Year is captain of his country, and evidently prefers to let his attitude do the talking.

"I'd say that he's not really a vocal leader," Pehrsson added. "He's a leader in Estonia because he's a great role model in how he trains, how he plays, how he takes care of himself. He's more a leader by action than by words, I'd say.

"With the national team, he is sharp and focused when we are training. He is doing his work. He is always very concerned how to deliver what's asked from him in his position. You always get what you want."

Klavan's move to the Premier League sees him achieve a long-held ambition to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Mart Poom -- the former Derby County, Sunderland and Arsenal goalkeeper -- and Pehrsson is confident that the defender will be a success at Anfield.

"It's fantastic," Pehrsson said. "He said to me, and also mentioned in the media, that the next step after the Bundesliga was he really wanted to come to the Premier League. Now he is there with one of the biggest clubs in the world really. It's fantastic for him and now it's up to him to show that he belongs there -- I'm positive he will.

"With stronger players, it's more demanding to play in the Premier League than Bundesliga but, on the other hand, you can say that the Bundesliga is more about transition and so on. I think it will take some time adapt to the Premier League. But if you look at his qualities, then I'm pretty sure that he will do well in a team like Liverpool that likes possession and be calm with the ball to build up -- he can do that very well."

Ronaldo, Messi and Bale Set to Fight it Out as UEFA's Best Player in Europe Shortlist is Announced

UEFA have announced their 10-man shortlist for the best player in Europe awards, containing some of the world's elite footballers all competing to be crowned as the winner.

55 of UEFA's member association journalists provided a list of their five best-ranked players based in Europe, producing a star studded final 10.

The final will see current winner Lionel Messi looking to hold onto his title with fierce competition from rival Cristiano Ronaldo, fresh from winning the European Championships and Wales hero Gareth Bale. 

Neymar didn't make the cut, nor did any Premier League stars, so here's a look at the final 10-man shortlist...

1. Gareth Bale - Real Madrid & Wales

Gareth Bale finds himself on the shortlist following a spectacular Euro campaign for Wales, after he lead the team to the their first semi-finals ever, after scoring three goals in the group stages.

In addition to that, the world's most expensive player secured 19 La Liga goals including four goals against Real Vallecano to go with his Champions League winners medal this season.

2. Gianluigi Buffon - Juventus & Italy

Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon captained his club to the Serie A title and country to a surprise European quarter-final.

The veteran Italian made a new Serie A record by keeping a clean-sheet for 974 minutes over twelve matches, close to the world record in any top flight, proving he is still going strong at 38.

3. Antione Griezmann - Atletico Madrid & France

​Griezmann lit the European Championships alight to gain his place in this European elite shortlist, after he managed to bring back the Golden Boot with six goals from the Euros.

The Atletico Madrid star played short of 70 games for club and country last season, picking up an incredible 39 goals and only lost both the Champions League and Euro titles narrowly in the finals.

4. Toni Kroos - Real Madrid & Germany

​The star of the German midfield forced his way into the final ten after his impressive Euro performances with his exquisite passing ability.

Real Madrid's midfielder was also part of their Champions League winning squad to cap off an immense season after playing nearly 60 games.

5. Lionel Messi - Barcelona & Argentina

The current holder will look to take his third title after also winning it in 2011 following an impressive season in which he won La Liga.

Lionel Messi continues to perform year after year and has done so again with a total of 47 goals for club and country and only narrowly missed out on the Copa America title (again).​

6. Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich & Germany

​Despite providing little effect for Germany in France, the Bayern star makes the list after another impressive Bundesliga title-winning season in which he scored 20 goals despite playing behind Lewandowski.

Adding to his total of 36 goals last term to see him win the double with Bayern in the Bundesliga and German Cup.

7. Manuel Neuer - Bayern Munich & Germany

​The world's best goalkeeper and third place on the Ballon d'Or list is Manuel Neuer, who kept 20 clean-sheets for Bayern Munich last season as they comfortably won another Bundesliga title.

Germany's shot-stopper also made another four clean-sheets at the Euros, conceding 0.5 goals per game, incredible.

8. Pepe - Real Madrid & Portgual

Pepe had been a rock at the back of the Real Madrid Champions League winning squad all season and continued that in his performances for Portugal at the European Championships, with his defence playing a vital part in them winning the tournament.

His displays saw him make the team of tournament and become one of the standout players despite some of his moments to forget.​

9. Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid & Portugal

​CR7 is a clear favourite to win the title after another glistening season in Madrid, scoring an astounding 51 goals in 48 games to carry Real Madrid to their 11th Champions League win.

That alone is enough to compete for the title, but being arguably the best player to ever play in the Bernabeu, he topped it off with a Euro medal to complete his extensive collection.

10. Luis Suarez - Barcelona & Uruguay

40 La Liga goals was enough to see Barcelona ​striker Luis Suarez seal his place on the shortlist in the season he won La Liga with the Catalan giants.

Suarez bagged 60 goals in all competitions in five less games, 55, although he didn't have the best Copa America campaign as he was benched in an early Uruguayan exit. 

11. Honourable Mentions

​Only ten players could make the final shortlist, but 27 players also received votes, most surprising of which is Will Grigg.

Yes, Will Grigg. The Wigan striker. He somehow ended up finishing joint 25th with the £100m rated Paul Pogba, as well as Giorgio Chiellini, Hugo Lloris and Diego Godin despite not even playing in the European Champions for Northern Ireland.

While Leicester's fairy tale star striker Jamie Vardy only missed out on the top ten finishing 12th, behind team-mate Riyad Mahrez in 11th; with former team-mate N'Golo Kante in 17th place.

West Ham favourite Dimitri Payet made up the 13th spot, while Manchester United's new star striker the Mighty Zlatan ranked 18th.

Whom were all ahead of the 2012 winner Andres Iniesta in joint 19th with the likes of Neymar and Eden Hazard.