*Juventus Interested in Boateng and Lovren*

Juventus are interested in Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng as a replacement for the injured Giorgio Chiellini, according to Sky in Germany.

Chiellini faces several months on the sidelines after suffering ACL damage during a training session this week, and could be seen on crutches during Juve's 4-3 win over Napoli on Saturday.

According to Sky in Germany, the Serie A champions have started talks with Boateng over a potential transfer ahead of the European transfer deadline on Monday.

Juventus are also looking at Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren as well as their former player Medhi Benatia, now at Qatari side Al-Duhail, as other possible options for defensive back-up.

Icardi Lawyer Warns Inter Over Lawsuit

Mauro Icardi's lawyer has hit out at Inter for allegedly discriminating against the striker, saying he is "suffering psychologically" from his ongoing exclusion from the team.

Icardi has taken legal action against the Serie A side, demanding they let him return to training and pay him €1.5 million in compensation.

The 26-year-old does not appear to be part of new coach Antonio Conte's plans, while his shirt number has been given to new striker Romelu Lukaku. Furthermore, Icardi has been excluded from training.

The Argentina international's lawyer, Giuseppe Di Carlo, says Inter have been treating him unfairly and says they will take them to court unless he is welcomed back.

“At the beginning of August I sent a warning to the club for Icardi to be fully reintegrated to training," he told Corriere dello Sport.

“In response, I received a formal note from the company stating that he is already in the group, but it is well known he isn't doing the technical-tactical exercises. He is unilaterally considered to be for sale despite a contract until June 2021 and his declared will to respect it.

“This is an established practice by other clubs too, but I wonder: is it right? This arbitration can become a question of law for the future. We aim to show that a footballer can't be treated like that.

“In my opinion there is no way we can get a resolution, but we want equal treatment with the other Inter players. Now let's see what kind of response there will be. If Icardi leaves, we will drop the case. Otherwise..."

*Kane Equals North London Derby Record*

Harry Kane has scored his 10th goal in the North London derby, equalling the record for most scored in matches between Arsenal and Tottenham.

The England international was the benificary as team-mate Son Hueng-min was fouled in the area by Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka late in the first half with Spurs already leading 1-0.

Kane stepped up to take the penalty and slammed home a confident finish, sending Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno the wrong way much to the disappointment of the Gunners faithful at the Emirates Stadium.

In doing so, Kane brought himself level with the Emmanuel Adebayor and Bobby Smith with 10 each in fixtures between the two London rivals.

The late Smith starred for Spurs between 1955 and 1964, scoring 176 times in 271 games for the club.

Adebayor is among the few people to have scored for both sides of the derby, netting eight times for Arsenal and twice for Spurs.

*Solskjaer James an Example for Everyone at Man Utd

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised the impact young winger Daniel James has had since signing for the club following another goalscoring performance.

The Wales international was on target again for Manchester United in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton - his third goal of the season from just four appearances.

However, the Red Devils did not emerge from the south coast with all three points thanks to Jannik Vestergaard’s second-half header, which guaranteed the Saints a share of the spoils.

Speaking after the game, Solskjaer was quick to praise the contribution of James since joining from Swansea City this summer.

“He’s come in and made an impact ever since day one in training - [today] he made a recovery run, won the ball, went forward,” the Red Devils manager said in his post-match press conference.

“I think he’s an example for everyone. He’s our top scorer, that comes from his personality, his habits. He’s humble, he works hard and he knows he can improve.

“He knows he could have scored a few more [against Southampton] and we’ll work with him to get his quality even higher, better and then we’ll have a top, top player.”

*Kane Equals North London Derby Record*

Harry Kane has scored his 10th goal in the North London derby, equalling the record for most scored in matches between Arsenal and Tottenham.

The England international was the benificary as team-mate Son Hueng-min was fouled in the area by Gunners midfielder Granit Xhaka late in the first half with Spurs already leading 1-0.

Kane stepped up to take the penalty and slammed home a confident finish, sending Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno the wrong way much to the disappointment of the Gunners faithful at the Emirates Stadium.

In doing so, Kane brought himself level with the Emmanuel Adebayor and Bobby Smith with 10 each in fixtures between the two London rivals.

The late Smith starred for Spurs between 1955 and 1964, scoring 176 times in 271 games for the club.

Adebayor is among the few people to have scored for both sides of the derby, netting eight times for Arsenal and twice for Spurs.

Arsenal Stage Comeback to Hold Spurs in Riveting Derby

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the goals as Arsenal battled back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Tottenham in a pulsating north London derby on Sunday.

Arsenal coach Unai Emery was starting Lacazette, Aubameyang and record signing Nicolas Pepe all at once for the first time, and the former pair proved vital in bailing out the Gunners' haplessness at the back.

Christian Eriksen – restored to the starting XI after being benched – fittingly put Spurs in front early on after a rapid breakaway and Harry Kane made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, but Lacazette restored some Arsenal hope when thrashing home just before the interval.

That goal inspired a marked improvement from the Gunners in the second half and, although Kane hit the woodwork, Arsenal levelled through Aubameyang to seal a hard-fought point, meaning Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino remains without an away north London derby win in the Premier League.

Higuain Confirms 🇦🇷Argentina Retirement😟*

Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain has confirmed that he will be no longer available for international selection after being cast out in the wilderness following Argentina's World Cup failure.

Higuain has endured a fractious relationship with the national team in recent years, with costly mistakes in the 2014 World Cup final and 2015 Copa America decider constantly used to question his talents.

His last goal for Argentina came in October 2016, in a World Cup qualifying draw against Peru, and he failed to find the net in Russia as the Albiceleste crashed out in the last 16 to eventual winners France.

The former Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan striker has since been overlooked by new coach Lionel Scaloni, with the likes of Mauro Icardi, Lautaro Martinez and Superliga pair Dario Benedetto and Matias Suarez all preferred to him in recent call-ups.

And at 31, Higuain has decided the time is right to call an end to his Albiceleste career.

*'Zidane Never Left Madrid' 🔈: Casemiro*

Zinedine Zidane "never left" Real Madrid according to Casemiro, who lauded the Frenchman after his reappointment.

Zidane quit Madrid after guiding the European giants to a third successive Champions League title last season, however, he returned this month.

Madrid turned to Zidane following the sacking of head coach Santiago Solari amid the club's La Liga struggles and Champions League last-16 exit.

"Our coach is an icon of the club. Not only as a player but also as a coach," Madrid midfielder Casemiro told Marca .

"Zidane has shown that he is more than a coach. For the team, Zidane never left - he left his way of playing. He surely suffered with us at this time and that's why he returned. Zidane hadn't left."

Zidane won his first match back prior to the international break – a 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu.

*Motta Slams😡 PSG for Poor Long-Term Planning*

Thiago Motta has slammed Paris Saint-Germain for their failure to line up replacements for him and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a timely manner.

Motta played 166 times for the French giants before retiring at the end of the 2018 season, and says the club were alerted to his plans in plenty of time to secure a replacement.

But with no alternative brought in last summer and the plight of Adrien Rabiot having left the club short on central midfield options, Motta has hit out at their lack of planning.

"It was something you had to think about and plan on beforehand,” he told RMC. “The club knew I was going to retire, it had to be organized, whether it was regarding my departure or any another player, but that comes from the organization and the ability to project ahead in the future of the club.”

The 36-year-old says the same issue also popped up in Unai Emery’s first season in charge at PSG during the 2016-17 season.

*Solskjaer Wants Carrick & Phelan to Stay🙏*

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no intention of changing his backroom staff after being appointed Manchester United manager on a permanent basis.

Solskjaer retained the services of first-team coaches Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna following the Portuguese's dismissal and brought back Alex Ferguson's long-time assistant Mike Phelan.

The club has not announced if Carrick, McKenna and Phelan will form part of Solskjaer's permanent team, but the Norwegian is in no doubt that he wants them to continue alongside him.

"Mike is a key part of the set-up and they are talking to each other," he told a media conference.

"Of course, I've voiced my opinion and the set-up we have now, I really hope that's going to continue. The staff we have work so well together, which is key to getting results.

"I'm not looking to make any changes there and they've not knocked on my door and said they don't want to continue, so hopefully we'll have the same set."

*Slavia Prague Hit With Stadium Closure🚫 for Chelsea Clash😳*

UEFA has hit Slavia Prague with a partial stadium closure for their Europa League quarter-final clash against Chelsea next month.

The punishment comes after a series of incidents in their round-of-32 tie against Genk on February 14, including setting off fireworks, throwing objects, crowd disturbances and blocked stairways.

UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has ordered the closure of a number of sections in the Sinobo Stadium for the first leg against Maurizio Sarri's side on April 11, while fining the club €32,000.

Genk were fined €20,000 after their supporters also set off fireworks and threw objects.

Chelsea have been punished following a pitch invasion in their Europa League tie with Malmo on February 21. The Blues have been handed a €5,000 fine, while their Swedish opponents have been fined €12,500 as a result of their fans setting off fireworks.

*Pique🔈: Messi One of the Biggest Trolls I Know😂*

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said superstar team-mate Lionel Messi is one of the "biggest trolls" he knows.

Argentina and Barca's all-time leading goalscorer to go with his five Ballons d'Or and other honours, Messi is perceived to be a shy character.

However, Pique – who is often outspoken – made a revelation about the Barcelona captain.

"Messi has very ironic humour, he's one of the biggest trolls [I know]," Pique said on Movistar+ show 'La Resistencia'.

The defender has stepped away from duty with the Spanish national side and has claimed that his time away from La Roja has helped his performances at the club level .

Messi has enjoyed another fine season for La Liga champions Barca as they prepare to return to action following the international break.

Conte blasts Chelsea player unrest rumours in fiery press conference*

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has attacked rumours that his Premier League title champions have turned against him this season.

UK newspaper The Sun claimed that players had been texting former Chelsea No.2 Steve Holland to suggest that they no longer had a healthy relationship with Conte, although the story has been been pulled from its website.

Holland left his role in the summer to be England assistant coach working under Gareth Southgate and the reports had claimed that Chelsea players felt overworked in training in 2017-18. He is thought to have sent text messages to Conte and others at Chelsea to say that the story was untrue, while Conte publicly fumed at the rumours in Friday's press conference.

“Around us there is a lot of bullsh*t," he told reporters ahead of Chelsea's clash with Bournemouth on Saturday. "I see the past it happened the same with a lot of managers [at Chelsea].

"A lot of bullsh*t. They try to create problems between me, the club and the players. If someone is happy to continue to write this I answer very well in the past. I am answering very well about these different issues."

Football Manager 2018: Neymar, Messi & the most expensive players in the game

The beta for Football Manager 2018 went live on Thursday night, giving football fans their first chance to test out the newest version of the game and take charge of their favourite team.

Virtual managers will be looking to strengthen their teams as soon as they start up the game, but many of the world's biggest and best names may be a little out of their price range at the beginning.

Following his €222 million transfer from Barcelona to PSG, Brazil forward Neymar is the joint most expensive player in FM2018, with a market value of €95m. However, even if you do have that much to spend in your initial wage budget, it is unlikely that the Ligue 1 giants will be willing to sell their new superstar.

Here are the most expensive players:

🔰Neymar (PSG) - €95m

🔰Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - €95m

🔰Kevin de Bruyne (Man City) - €87m

🔰Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) - €84m

🔰Sergio Aguero (Man City) - €82m

🔰Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) - €82m

🔰Antoine Griezmann (Atletico) - €81m

🔰Isco (Real Madrid) - €78m

🔰Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - €78m

Tottenham 2 West Ham 3: Stunning comeback sees Hammers reach last eight

West Ham produced the most unlikely of second-half comebacks to beat Tottenham 3-2 at Wembley and book their place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

A dominant Spurs, without the rested Harry Kane, raced in to a two-goal half-time lead thanks to strikes from Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli to seemingly leave Slaven Bilic's position hanging by a thread.

Bilic's players, though, produced a stirring second-half fightback, scoring three times in a stunning 15-minute spell to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Two quick-fire goals from Andre Ayew pulled the Hammers level before Angelo Ogbonna crashed a header in to seal a memorable win that provides their under-fire manager with a timely boost.

Bilic will now go into the Saturday's pivotal away clash with Crystal Palace full of confidence, while Tottenham will need to pick themselves up for a mouth-watering clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford, with one of their routes to silverware now gone.