Roma closing in on fullback

Aston Villa defender Nathan Baker is hoping to keep his place in the side by continuing to impress manager Paul Lambert.

The 21-year-old has made his way through the Midlands club s youth system, joining at the age of 13 in 2004 before making his full senior debut in the 2010/11 season.

He is now looking to make his sixth consecutive appearance when Villa travel to Chelsea on Sunday and, having spent time on loan at Lincoln City and Millwall during his career, says he now feels like a top-flight player.

I do feel comfortable in the Premier League now, yes, Baker told the club s website. I ve obviously been out on loan a few times which was great for experience when you are young.

But I m a part of the first-team squad and playing at the moment so hopef…

Members of America s Olympic gold medal-winning women s football team learned on Tuesday what clubs they would be joining in the new Women s Professional Soccer league.

At a ceremony hosted by National Basketball Association All-Star and WPS part-owner Steve Nash, seven teams received three players apiece from the US national team.

Today has been a truly exciting and important day for the league and for the entire sport of women s soccer, said Nash, who is also among a group financially supporting the bid of the Vancouver Whitecaps, a United Soccer League First Division side in its bid to join the MLS.

The number of close games during the Olympics were a fantastic showcase of how the women s level of competition continues to grow globally.

And here i…

Fulham are set to part company with former Norway international John Arne Riise, .

The 32 year old, who has made 75 appearances for the London club since signing from Roma two years ago, will be allowed to leave on a free transfer.
Riise first moved to England in 2001, when Liverpool paid £4m to Monaco for his services.

He spent seven years at Anfield, and was part of the side that beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.

A move to Roma followed, though he returned to the Premier League in 2011 when Martin Jol paid an undisclosed fee to the Serie A side.

He has featured in two of Fulham’s preseason friendlies, sharing left-back duties with Kieran Richardson.

Bundesliga side Werder Bremen are one of a number of overseas clubs s…

West Ham have completed the signing of right-back Ryan Fredericks on a free transfer from newly promoted Fulham.

Fredericks starred as Fulham won the Championship play-offs at the end of the 2017-18 season, but the club failed to agree a new deal with the defender, allowing him to move across London and become Manuel Pellegrini s first signing as Hammers boss.

The 25-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the Premier League side and will officially join his new employers on July 1.

He told West Ham s official website: It s amazing for this deal to finally happen.

I know we ve been speaking about it for a while and trying to get things in place and finally, we ve got it over the line. I m just buzzing to be here.

New challenge. New le…

Johann Gudmundsson hopes Iceland can keep a lid on Lionel Messi in their World Cup opener, after provoking the ire of Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2016.

In their maiden appearance at a major international tournament two years ago, Iceland earned a 1-1 draw from a clash with Ronaldo s eventual champions, drawing a frustrated response from the Real Madrid superstar.

Ronaldo criticised his opponents defensive tactics and dismissed their approach as one of a team with a small mentality .

Now preparing for their first World Cup, Iceland face Argentina and Messi, Ronaldo s long-time rival in the quest to be recognised as the greatest player on the planet.

Gudmundsson and his team-mates take on Jorge Sampaoli s men in their Group D opener on Saturday, and the Burn…

Manchester City won the Community Shield for the second year in a row after a 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat of Liverpool following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

City were the best team in the first 45 minutes even after losing Bayern Munich-linked Leroy Sane to injury, with Raheem Sterling giving them a deserved half-time lead with his first goal against Liverpool in his 11th outing versus his old club.

Jurgen Klopp s side improved after the break, though, and Joel Matip s leveller was just reward for their efforts, as City started to wilt in the warm conditions.

The excellent Claudio Bravo made sure the game went to penalties and proved the hero when he kept out Georginio Wijnaldum s effort, allowing Gabriel Jesus to seal victory.

The blow of losing Sane just 1…

Arsenal are willing to pay €100 million to Premier League rivals West Ham United for Declan Rice, according to . The report has claimed that the Gunners are keen on securing the services of the England international midfielder and are willing to make him their record signing.

Rice can also operate as a defender and is regular for the England national football team as well. The 24-year-old has scored two goals and given two assists in 30 Premier League appearances for West Ham so far this season. Rice scored one goal and gave four assists in 35 Premier League starts for the Hammers last season.

Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League table at the moment with 74 points from 31 matches, as many as four points clear of second-placed and defending champions Manchester…

Captain Yaya Toure has been warned he must improve as the Ivory Coast take on Mali in Group D at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Herve Renard wants to see more from captain Yaya Toure when the Ivory Coast attempt to kick-start their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Mali on Saturday.

The Ivory Coast were one of the pre-tournament favourites for the African showpiece that is being held in Equatorial Guinea.

However, the1992 champions started Group D with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Guinea, Seydou Doumbia s 72nd-minute equaliser sparing the Ivory Coast s blushes.

Coach Renard stated that he felt talismanic skipper Toure appeared jaded in that game and believes the team will struggle if the Manchester City midfielder does not up his performance level.…

Russian newspaper that Napoli and Inter Milan are locked in the battle for Anzhi midfielder Jucilei.

The Brazilian is one of just a handful of high-profile players to have remained in Makhachkala following the serious budget cuts, but everything suggests he will be leaving the club at the earliest opportunity.

According to Izvestia, Napoli are believed to be leading the chase for the 25-year-old, with the Azzurri hoping to sign the player on a six-month loan with an option to buy.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan are prepared to buy the Brazilian outright in the January transfer window, but they will only make their interest concrete if Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir completes the club takeover.

Anzhi will not stand in the midfielder s way should he decide t…

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has reiterated that Wayne Rooney s future at the club is not in doubt.

Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain are widely reported to be preparing a big-money bid for the 27-year-old at the end of the season.
However, Ferguson has insisted that he wishes to retain Rooney s services as he moves into the best years of his career.

He s approaching his peak and has a long-term future at the club, he said.

The former Everton forward was a notable omission from the team which suffered defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in a UEFA Champions League last-16 second-leg meeting at Old Trafford in March.
And, despite scoring 16 goals in 31 appearances this term, Rooney has been largely overshadowed by strike partner Robin van Persie, who has…