Park Ji-sung announces retirement

Nantes president Waldemar Kita is hoping to retain Filip Djordjevic after his contract expires at the end of the season.

The striker, who has been with the club since 2008, has been in impressive form this term, netting eight goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances.

The Serbia international s future is in some doubt as his excellent performances have reportedly attracted interest from across Europe.

However, Kita is confident the club s latest contract offer will persuade the 26-year-old to stay.

I ve made contract offers to him for the last month and it s down to him to respond, he told L Equipe. It s impossible that he s already reached an agreement with another club as he would have told me about it.

If he uses logical reasoning then he ll sign for us without he…

Market: Over 1.5 goals

Odds: 4/7 @

In what could prove to be a crucial showdown at the foot of the Serie B standings, Londrina will welcome Ituano to the Estadio do Cafe late on Thursday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Londrina might have opened up the 2023 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine promotion charge, the Sharks are in the midst of a major Serie B struggle. Last seen over the weekend putting in another nightmare display as they slumped to a 3-1 drumming at the hands of Ceara, Eduardo Souza’s men are now sat seven points adrift in the drop zone and tipped as a leading relegation contender. Despite claiming a much-needed 2-0 victory against Vitoria last month, it appears that was nothing more than a minor boost for the second-tier…

Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams says he would relish the opportunity to become head coach at Brondby.

The 49-year-old, who is set to step down as sporting director of Azerbaijani side Gabala in May, has been in regular talks with Brondby owner Jan Bech Andersen.

While he is unsure over his prospects at landing the role, Adams has made it clear that he would jump at the chance to take charge of the 10-time Danish champions.

He is a great guy and I really like him and his vision for the club, he told newspaper BT. Brondby is a fantastic football club, probably the biggest and best in Denmark. So of course I m interested in the coaching job.

We talk regularly. Whether that leads to a coaching job or just a great friendship I don t know.

Adams,…

Eintracht Braunschweig head coach Torsten Lieberknecht has signed a contract extension that runs until the summer of 2017.

Lieberknecht, who has been in charge of Braunschweig since 2008, oversaw notable success last season as the club ended their 28-year wait for a return to Germany s top flight.

The club have struggled to adapt and lie bottom of the table this term with 15 points from 22 matches.

However, sporting director Marc Arnold has labelled Lieberknecht s performances as outstanding and the latter is delighted to be staying put.

I am pleased with this great vote of confidence, he said. I identify myself with this incredible club.

I want to establish the club in the next few years in the game.

Braunschweig host Borussia Monchengladbach this w…

Sadio Mane will undergo a Liverpool medical on Monday ahead of a big-money transfer from Southampton.

Omnisport understands the 24-year-old winger will complete a transfer for a fee in the region of £34million this week, as long as there are no issues with his medical.

Senegal international Mane will follow in the footsteps of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne in swapping St Mary s Stadium for Anfield, while former Reds striker Rickie Lambert was also brought in from Southampton.

With additional incentives potentially increasing the fee, Mane could eventually become most expensive player in Liverpool s history, eclipsing the £35m sum paid for Andy Carroll from Newcastle United in 2011.

Jurgen Klopp has already added defender Joel Matip, mid…

Gerardo Martino has urged Barcelona to repeat their midweek performance to avoid back-to-back league losses for the first time since 2009.

The Spanish champions were beaten 1-0 by Athletic Bilbao in their last La Liga outing and face a Villarreal side on Saturday undefeated in their previous four top-flight matches.

Following a 6-1 thrashing of Celtic in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Martino is eager for his Barca side to continue their momentum.

I hope we see the same Barca who played so well against Celtic, he said on Friday.

Every La Liga game is important from here on, any error can be paid for very expensively. We are looking for a very high level of play again, against a team with a lot of quality.

Villarreal are among the sides who have pla…

Former Real Madrid and Spain captain Fernando Hierro is linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after being appointed their new sporting director on Tuesday.

The Saudi Pro League club have tried to bring Hierro in previously but finally swayed him with their latest offer.

Hierro has previously worked as the sporting director of Malaga, the Spanish national side, and Mexican side Guadalajara, who announced the Spaniard had left his role after two years in a club statement last week.

Hierro reportedly has a good relationship with fellow former Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who is rumoured to be signing a new contract with the club.

The first day for our sporting director Fernando Hierro

And his message to AlNassr Fans

— AlNassr FC…

Leicester City boss Claude Puel admits he is unsure if striker Jamie Vardy requires surgery on a troublesome groin injury.

Vardy scored in Leicester s Premier League defeat of Watford on Saturday but has been playing through the pain.

The former England striker is a doubt for Wednesday s trip to Fulham, which is a reunion with former Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri, who won the 2015-16 title at the club.

And Puel is unsure whether Vardy will be able to take his place in the Leicester squad as they seek to extend a five-match unbeaten run in the league.

I will see tomorrow, Puel told reporters on Monday. I cannot say which players have a problem but I do not know at the moment my starting players in two days.

We will see. I don t know for the mome…

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal fans will not mourn the departure of Alexis Sanchez as much as they did when Robin van Persie was sold to Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Van Persie angered supporters when he swapped Arsenal for United in 2012 and Chile international forward Sanchez is tipped to follow the same path.

Soon-to-be free agent Sanchez – out of contract at the end of the season – is reportedly nearing a move to Old Trafford, with United playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan set to go the opposite way.

I would say that our fans today know that Sanchez will not extend his contract, and they have accepted that idea, Wenger said.

And the fact that it will not be one-way traffic, it will be other-way traffic as well [with Mkhitaryan], so that ma…

Two goals from Wilfried Bony helped Stoke City to their third Premier League victory in a row as they beat Swansea City 3-1 at the bet365 Stadium.

The Ivory Coast striker gave the home side the lead after only three minutes, turning in when Joe Allen miscued a shot across the box after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

Wayne Routledge levelled matters five minutes later as he headed in Gylfi Sigurdsson s cross, and fortune seemed to be on the visitors side as Stoke hit the woodwork three times before the break through the recalled Charlie Adam and Marko Arnautovic.

But Bob Bradley s side handed their hosts the lead again 10 minutes into the second half, when Alfie Mawson in only his second Premier League appearance touched Ramadan Sobhi s effort into his o…