Johnson open to move abroad

Roma have completed the signing of Aleksandar Kolarov from Manchester City for €5million.

The left-back, 31, has signed a three-year contract with the Serie A club that will run until June 30, 2020.

His exit from the Etihad Stadium ends a seven-year association with City for the Serbia international, who won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup in his time in Manchester.

When I came in 2010, honestly, I didn t expect to play so long, Kolarov told City s official website. Today is the day I have to say goodbye. Everything was quick the last couple of days. For me, it s a very sad day.

In every part of the club we have improved not 100 per cent but 200 per cent. Now we are a far better club than what we were when I came. I am proud …

Former Stoke City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen said Jack Butland is reaping the benefits of his apprenticeship away from the club, though is he unsure whether the England international will be prised away from the Britannia.

After spending time on loan at Birmingham City, Barnsley, Leeds United and Derby County in the Championship, Butland is now Stoke s number one keeper following Asmir Begovic s move to Chelsea during the off-season.

Butland, who signed a new four-year deal in March, has been a star performer for Stoke, with his six clean sheets reportedly alerting Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United.

However, the 22-year-old England international has already distanced himself from reports linking him with a move to Anfield.

Sorensen, wh…

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals 

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Desperate to close the gap on the top of the Premier League table, Maurizio Sarri s Chelsea side will travel to Turf Moore on Sunday afternoon.

Burnley

Starting with Sunday s hosts, while Burnley may have recorded their best Premier League finish last season and also managed to book their first taste of Europen football, it has been a sluggish start for Sean Dyche s Clarets. Coming off the back of a 5-0 hammering away at Manchester City last weekend, Burnley also showed signs of a struggle during their 1-1 draw with leading relegation candidates Huddersfield a fortnight ago. Despite impressing with their defensive record last term, Dyche will be desperate to improve on what is becoming an increasingly …

England defender Gary Cahill has reportedly been offered to Serie A powerhouse AC Milan as Blues look to get the 32-year-old off of their books in January.

The experienced Chelsea centre-back has been sitting on the margins of the first-team since the arrival of Maurizio Sarri, with David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger being the Italian’s preferred defense duo.

Cahill moved to Chelsea in January 2012 to win everything he could with the club, including two Premier League titles and a Champions League but is now looking to kick-start his career.

Cahill was linked with Aston Villa where he would follow in John Terry’s footsteps but have it that the experienced defender has been offered to AC Milan in order to help solve their defensive crisis.

The Rossoneri …

Hamburger SV right-back Dennis Diekmeier is said to have alarmed a number of Premier League sides this season, according to Bild.

The 28-year-old German defender’s contract is set to expire next summer and by the looks of it Diekmeier will leave HSV on a free transfer next summer.

Diekmeier is enjoying a brilliant season with Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV. The right-back joined HSV back in 2010 and has yet to score a single goal during the last seven years at the club.

Nevertheless, his contribution in attack has been remarkable this season as Dennis Diekmeier registered three assists in Bundesliga this term.

His personal-best stands at 4, which is the number of assists he provided in the 2012/13 season. By the looks of it, it’s only a matter of tim…

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United require urgent changes if they are to return to the top of the Premier League.

United sit sixth in the Premier League, well behind the top two of Liverpool – who Jose Mourinho s side face on Sunday – and Manchester City.

The Red Devils have not won the league since 2013, and Ferdinand, who claimed 14 trophies during his 12-year spell at Old Trafford, insists that big changes need to be made if United are to challenge for the title over the coming seasons.

The current situation at Manchester United is not good, Ferdinand told reporters in Kenya.

Confidence is low and our league position is not great. Something urgent needs to happen to stop the slide.

Good to pop into the football clinic this mo…

Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu has put the weight of expectation on Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao by claiming there is no pressure on his team heading into the AFC Champions League final.

Olaroiu and Co. will welcome Chinese champions Guangzhou to Al-Rashid Stadium in Dubai for Saturday s opening leg.

Al Ahli are featuring in their maiden Champions League final, having qualified for the knockout round for the first time following group-stage exits in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou, who hoisted the Chinese Super League trophy aloft last week, are set contest a second continental final after winning the 2013 showpiece.

With that in mind, Olaroiu believes his Emirati outfit have nothing to lose against Luiz Felipe Scolari s bi…

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Looking to finish off the job on Wednesday night and book their spot in the final of this year s EFL Cup, Chelsea will make the trip to rivals Tottenham on Wednesday night.

Tottenham

Starting with the hosts, while Tottenham might have managed to extend on their FA Cup adventure over the weekend, Spurs will know that they avoided a major upset on home soil. Having to mount a late comeback after falling 1-0 down to League One relegation scrappers Morecambe, Antonio Conte has been vocal about the level of his squad over the past week. Although the Lilywhites might have found an immediate boost under the former Chelsea boss, they have once again shown some recent signs of an issue. Hit with a deserved 2-0 defeat when they made the trip t…

Nemanja Matic insists reports he had a bad relationship with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho were written by idiots .

Mourinho parted company with Chelsea last week after the Premier League champions lost nine of their opening 16 league matches.

There were persistent rumours of dressing-room unrest throughout a difficult campaign for Chelsea and the club s technical director Michael Emenalo cited a  palpable discord between manager and players as one of the reasons for Mourinho s exit.

Matic is one such player who is rumoured to have fallen out with Mourinho as the Serbia international struggles to replicate the form that made him such a key part of Chelsea s title success last season.

However, Matic says he and Mourinho merely laughed at th…

Lionel Messi and his father Jorge will begin their trial over tax fraud charges on May 31, the Catalan Superior Court of Justice has confirmed.

The Barcelona star and his father have been charged with three counts of tax fraud worth €4.1 million dating back to a period of time between 2007 and 2009 and has had his trial date confirmed as being between May 31 and June 3.

Messi had been set to avoid a trial on the grounds that Jorge Messi was apparently responsible for his son s tax obligations.

However, the state attorney later opted to overrule the advice of prosecutors and ordered both to appear in the Eighth Court of Barcelona.

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