SC Heerenveen manager Marco van Basten has put Iceland international striker Alfred Finnbogason in the same category of strikers as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jon Dahl Tomasson, .

Finnbogason, 24, is reportedly attracting interest from a number of clubs in the English Premier League, including the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Sunderland and West Ham United.

Furthermore, reports in Italy have suggested that Marco van Basten has alerted Serie A giants AC Milan about Finnbogason.

The agent of Finnbogason has recently confirmed English interest in his client, while insisting Heerenveen have not held talks with any other clubs regarding the future of the Iceland international.

The 24-year-old, who is currently valued at arou…

Real Madrid swept aside already relegated Granada in LaLiga on Saturday but Los Blancos attacker Brahim Diaz says all focus is on lifting the Champions League.

Diaz was twice on target as Madrid eased to a 4-0 away victory, with Fran Garcia and Arda Guler also finding the net for Carlo Ancelotti s side.

Madrid had already been crowned LaLiga champions last weekend before edging through their Champions League semi-final clash with Bayern Munich in midweek.

The Spanish giants meet Borussia Dortmund in UEFA s showpiece at Wembley Stadium on June 1 – and the Champions League trophy was on Diaz s mind after defeating Granada.

We all wanted to show that we want to get maximum points in the league. I m very happy with the goals, Diaz told RMTV.

I rea…

AS Roma the right move for El Shaarawy? / Image via zimbio.com

Not long ago considered the next big thing in the Italian football, Stefan El Shaarawy has not lived up to the expectations.

The Italian football player, who began his career in Genoa, was signed by AC Milan in 2011 following a successful loan at Padova.

The Serie A top scorer with 14 goals at the halfway mark in the 2012/13 season will have injuries to blame for lack of football and lack of goals at the delicate moment of his developing days as a professional football player.

El Shaarawy’s career was plagued by injuries which kept him out for almost entire 2013/14 season. A foot injury and an unsuccessful surgery left him in despair, sidelined for much of last season.

His loan to M…

Olivier Giroud believes spending time playing in the lower divisions in France helped mould him into a tougher player.

The Arsenal striker featured in the second and third tiers in his native country for Grenoble, Istres and Tours, finally moving into the top-flight with a transfer to Montpellier in 2010.

Giroud was the highest-scoring player in Ligue 1 with 21 goals as the Herault club claimed the domestic title in 2011-12.

The 29-year-old thinks having to work his way up to the top level of European football, rather than graduating from France s famed Clairefontaine academy like many of his international team-mates, has made him more resilient.

I definitely feel tougher because the beginning of my career was different to than if I played for Marseill…

For the first time since 2012, Real Madrid are champions of Spain.

Zinedine Zidane s men clinched the Liga title on the final day with 2-0 over Malaga at La Rosaleda.

Madrid claimed the trophy despite taking just one point from their two Clasico encounters with Barcelona.

Here we look at five reasons why Los Blancos emerged victorious in the title race.

Zidane making the most of his squad

Zidane has succeeded this season while doing what had previously been considered unthinkable, resting Ronaldo. 

The Frenchman has played Ronaldo for just 2,544 minutes this season – compared to 3,183 in 2015-16, and the result has enabled the Portugal superstar to perform when it matters most.

Meanwhile, Marco Asensio and Lucas V…

Former Manchester United full-back Rafael believes Romelu Lukaku has the potential to be an exceptional player for Jose Mourinho s side.

United finalised a reported £75million deal for Lukaku on July 10 and the 24-year-old has enjoyed an encouraging pre-season, scoring against Real Salt Lake, Manchester City and Valerenga.

Rafael, who won three Premier League titles in a successful seven-year spell at Old Trafford, recalls Lukaku scoring a hat-trick for West Brom in a 5-5 draw with United in 2013 in Alex Ferguson s final game in charge of the club.

And the 27-year-old Lyon defender thinks Lukaku will prove to be an excellent signing for his old club if he can build on the performances he has shown in England s top flight.

I ve seen Lukaku play at Everto…

According to Sky Sports sources, Newcastle United have agreed to a fee of around £9.5 million for Mainz striker Yoshinori Muto. The 26-year-old has been with the German club since 2015, and in that time, he s made quite the impression. He really burst onto the scene in the public limelight during this summer s FIFA World Cup, where he was a part of the Japan squad that made it all the way to the Round of 16.

Newcastle have been progressively improving their squad throughout the summer whilst also trying to keep hold of manager Rafa Benitez, who has been said to be on the verge of leaving the club on several different occasions. Their main priority in the upcoming season, however, will likely be to solidify their position as a top-flight club as they attempt to avoid what would…

With all eyes now focused on the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, each team will go to battle over the next month looking to be crowned World Champions. With an action-packed month of football, we have found a number of interesting bets that can help boost your weekend World Cup acca.

Saturday 16th June

11:00 BST France vs Australia 

For Didier Deschamps France side, entering this summers finals as an overwhelming favorite to top Group D, The Blues will be looking to make a statement against Australia on Saturday morning. Unbeaten in their last 12, Deschamps side have scored at least two in nine of those 12 and while France arguably possesses the best-attacking lineup in the tournament and have the likes of Antoine Griezmann, The Blues will be hoping for PSG tali…

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli is hoping to sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window following confirmation Simon Kjaer will miss the remainder of the season.

Kjaer injured his left knee during the early stages of Milan s 3-0 win against Genoa on Wednesday and was taken off on a stretcher.

Milan announced on their official website that the Denmark international underwent surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament on Friday and is expected to sit out the next six months. 

Speaking earlier in the day ahead of Saturday s clash with Salernitana, head coach Stefano Pioli confirmed Milan would look to bring in cover should Kjaer s injury be long term.

It s clear that I believe an intervention will be needed if that s the case, Pioli said. But we w…

17:30 West Ham vs Wolves

While Wolves might have been disappointed to have entered the enforced break with a 0-0 stalemate against Brighton, Saturday s guests mark their return still sat in pole position to secure another top-six finish. Still firing in the Europa League, Nuno Espírito Santo s men were previously enjoying a five-match Premier League unbeaten run and the mood in their camp appeared to be on the rise. Hoping that the red-hot Diogo Jota can carry on from where he left off back in March after bagging six goals in his last five matchups across all competitions, Wolves had also continued to gain a reputation for their rugged displays at the other end of the pitch. Including snatching a point away at Old Trafford prior to the break, the Oranges had recorded a clean sh…