Real Madrid eye Napoli striker Victor Osimhen

Lionel Messi could be on the brink of a seismic transfer away from Barcelona.

The 33-year-old has informed the club he wants to leave in a move that has stunned the football world.

Remarkably, he could walk away for nothing and would evidently have a free pick for his next destination.

In his long-running battle with Cristiano Ronaldo for GOAT status, Messi is often criticised for not having plied his trade outside of his Camp Nou comfort zone.

But could leaving the Catalan giants tarnish Messi s legacy? We look at how other legends who moved late in their careers have fared.

634 Lionel Messi is the s Top Scorer ever (634 goals) only Xavi Hernández (767 games) has played more games than the Argentinian (731) for Barça in all competitions. In…

Paul Pogba feels he has been judged differently due to the size of the fee that took him back to Manchester United, admitting he was surprised by the response.

World Cup winner Pogba has split opinions since returning to Old Trafford, where he previously starred for the United academy, in an £89million move from Juventus in 2016.

The deal broke the world transfer record at the time and the 26-year-old felt there was huge scrutiny regarding his performances as a result.

The likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have since moved for greater sums, yet Pogba does not believe the reaction has been the same because of their goalscoring exploits.

Because it was the biggest transfer in history at the time, you get judged differently, he told the LifeTimes podcast. …

McDiarmid Park has been lined up for Wednesday’s cinch Premiership encounter between Dundee and Rangers if Dens Park fails a pitch inspection on Tuesday.

The Scottish Professional Football League is eager for the game to be played before the post-split fixtures begin even though Dundee clinched the final place in the top six with a draw at Aberdeen on Saturday.

The match has been postponed twice because of a waterlogged surface. The game was initially called off last month 90 minutes before kick-off and last Wednesday saw the fifth postponement at Dens Park this season.

In a statement, the league announced its contingency measures.

“The SPFL has appointed an experienced pitch consultancy, which is regularly used by UEFA and other sporting bodies, to r…

Atletico Madrid s Diego wants to play his way into the plans of Brazil coach Mano Menezes after a three-year absence from the national team.

Diego, 27, has impressed since moving to Spain at the start of the 2011/12 season in a loan deal from Wolfsburg, and has been a regular member of the Atletico side that has reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

He has not featured for Brazil during Menezes tenure, and indeed has not played an international match since 2009.

Speaking on Tuesday, the midfielder said his goal was to break into the Brazil squad again, and was confident of renewing his international career.

It is always a challenge, but Atletico Madrid are having a great season and I am completely focused. I am sure that, if I continue playing a…

Colombian defender Ivan Ramiro Cordoba has announced that he plans to leave Inter at the end of the season.

The veteran defender has been nothing more than a bit-part player at Giuseppe Meazza over the last few years and he feels the time has come to leave the club where he spent last 13 years.

The Colombian has written an open letter to the fans that was published on club’s official website.

“Dear fans, tomorrow on the occasion of the derby it will be my last game as a player at San Siro,” the letter read.

“I chose to tell you this after talking with President Massimo Moratti, the directors and the coach.

“Right now I am, as are all of you, concentrated on the game, but there will certainly be the time and place in the next few weeks t…

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Looking to spring a real upset on Saturday lunchtime, Brighton will welcome Manchester United to an empty Amex this weekend.

Brighton

Starting with the hosts, while on paper Brighton might have opened the New Year with a 3-1 defeat against Champions League outfit Chelsea, they asked a string of questions at the Amex and the mood in their camp appears to be at a real high. Really appearing to find their feet under Graham Potter, the South Coast outfit once again put in an eye-catching display while on EFL Cup duties in midweek. Along with picking up their first Premier League victory of the 2020/2021 campaign thanks to a very impressive 3-0 romp away at St. James Park last weekend, the one-time Swansea boss saw his side land a 2-0 vic…