Bayern Munich want Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger

Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano may be fierce in the heat of battle, but Julian Nagelsmann says his centre-back is so peaceful he would hesitate to swat a fly.

Both Upamecano and Nagelsmann joined the Bayern ranks in the close season, leaving RB Leipzig to join the nine-in-a-row Bundesliga champions.

On Wednesday, Bayern take on Benfica in the third round of Champions League group games, looking to extend a dazzling start that has seen them beat Barcelona 3-0 and score a thumping 5-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev.

Manuel Neuer is in line for a 100th appearance in the competition with the Bavarians, which would make him the fourth player for the German giants to reach the landmark.

In front of Neuer, Upamecano is establishing himself as a fixture at the …

Whoever is left to line up for Liverpool on Sunday, they will have the chance to set a new club record against Leicester City.

The Reds have not lost at home in the Premier League since April 23, 2017. Back then, Donald Trump was settling into life as the 45th president of the United States, Brexit negotiations were still weeks away from formally opening and Antonio Conte s Chelsea were running away in the title race.

While much has changed since then, Liverpool being unbeaten at home in top-flight action has remained a constant. The current stretch of 63 games without defeat matches a club record, set between February 1978 and December 1980. Now they want to take the record outright.

A Crystal Palace team inspired by ex-Reds striker Chri…

A former Premier League player arrested on suspicion of child sex offences in 2021 will face no further action, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.

The player – who has since left the Premier League club he represented at the time of his arrest – was released on bail after being interviewed by officers in 2021.

On Friday, GMP said the evidence available did not meet the necessary threshold for prosecution.

The 33-year-old man who was arrested in connection with an investigation opened in June 2021 will face no further action, a police statement read.

The investigation team and Crown Prosecution Service have been working together and reached the decision that the evidence available at this time does not reach the threshold set out on the …

Sebastien Haller broke a Champions League record held by Erling Haaland when he gave Ajax the lead against Sporting CP on Tuesday, matching another feat previously only ever achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Ivory Coast international, who joined in January from West Ham, had difficulty in coming about goals during an 18-month Premier League stint.

His Champions League form has been stellar, though, and the penalty he converted against Sporting was his 10th goal of this season s group stage.

It made him the quickest player to reach double figures in a Champions League career, doing so in just six games. Norwegian star Haaland previously held that record, having got there in seven appearances.

Haller also became the first player to score in each of his …

Inter defender Federico Dimarco has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until June 2026.

The full-back s previous deal was due to expire at the end of next season.

The former Italy youth international first joined the club at the age of seven, but made just two senior appearances and spent time on loan at Ascoli and Empoli before departing for Swiss side Sion in 2017.

However, Dimarco returned to San Siro a year later as Inter exercised a buy-back option, with further loan stints following at Parma and Hellas Verona.

A lifelong Inter fan, Dimarco has impressed new head coach Simone Inzaghi this season and made 24 appearances for the Nerazzurri in all competitions, scoring two goals.

| NEW DEAL signs on till 2026

— I…

Cristiano Ronaldo says he has no intention to retire from international football yet, but does not expect it to be a difficult decision when the time comes.

The 39-year-old holds the record for the most caps and goals of any player in men s international football, netting 130 times in 212 games.

However, Ronaldo s future was called into question after an unconvincing Euro 2024 campaign in which he failed to hit the back of the net in five appearances.

The tournament in Germany was the sixth major finals Ronaldo has featured in, a record, and he became the first European player in history to make 50 appearances at major tournaments.

When the time comes, I ll move on, he said. It won t be a difficult decision to make.

If I feel like I m no longer …

The January transfer window gives clubs an opportunity to reshape their squad for the second half of the season or for players to take on fresh challenges. Here, the PA news agency looks at who is making some of the headlines.

Manchester United

After performing way below expectations during the first half of the campaign, the need for a squad refresh at Old Trafford is clear. Primarily, Erik Ten Hag would seem to require a forward to give the attack more of a cutting edge and a defender, where he has not settled on a preferred centre-back pairing. New faces would also give the place a lift in general but some players may need to be moved on first. The futures of Rafael Varane and Casemiro are uncertain while Anthony Martial is again being linked with a move away. Outcast Jadon …

Julian Nagelsmann has given his approval to RB Leipzig s choice of Jesse Marsch as his successor and future Bundesliga rival.

American coach Marsch will arrive from Salzburg, close affiliates of the German side, at the end of the season to take over from Bayern Munich-bound Nagelsmann.

The 47-year-old has spent two years as Salzburg boss and previously worked as an assistant coach with Leipzig so knows the club well.

Marsch was also head coach of New York Red Bulls from 2015 to 2018, and Nagelsmann sees him as an easy fit at Leipzig.

I m very happy that RB Leipzig have been able to quickly find a successor in Jesse Marsch, Nagelsmann said. It was important to me that the club find a good coach and that they wouldn t have to deal with too much uncertaint…

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank says that Ivan Toney will not be leaving the Bees on transfer deadline day.

England striker Toney has been linked with Premier League rivals such as Arsenal and Chelsea in the January window.

The 27-year-old has scored 34 goals in 68 top-flight games for Brentford and Frank insists Toney will stay put after a month of speculation.

“This will be breaking news, OK – but Ivan will stay,” Frank said at his press conference previewing Monday’s clash with Manchester City.

Composed finishing from

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC)

Elsewhere, there were few big early moves from top-flight clubs – although Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Newcastle all completed deals to strengthen their squads.