Arsenal continued their preparations for the new Premier League season with a convincing 4-1 triumph over Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners a comfortable advantage at half-time, with Kai Havertz adding a fourth in the second half.

Substitute Adam Hlozek would take the shine off an otherwise impressive performance from Mikel Arteta s side late on, but Arsenal were worthy winners at the Emirates.

A frantic start to proceedings saw Zinchenko give the hosts the lead in the eighth minute as he rifled home Havertz s cutback from the edge of the area.

Matej Kovar was picking the ball out of his net again less than a minute later, as Leverkusen were caught playing out from the back …

Reported Tottenham target Alexander Nubel has told Schalke he will not renew his contract, which is due to expire at the end of the season.

Schalke had been locked in negotiations to keep the club captain at the Veltins-Arena amid rumours Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is keen to bring the 23-year-old to the Premier League.

Nubel, who has been dubbed in some quarters as the new Manuel Neuer, made the switch to Schalke from Paderborn in 2015 but has told the club he is to seek pastures new.

Schalke sports director Jochen Schneider told the club s official website: Following all the discussions that we have had with Alexander Nubel and his agent in recent months, we aren t surprised by his decision and of course respect it.

Confirmed: Alexander will leave FC Sch…

Argentina s impressive 3-0 Finalissima win over Italy saw La Albiceleste set a national new record of 32 matches unbeaten.

Lionel Scaloni s men were sensational at Wembley, producing a dominant and rampant performance that could have seen them claim an even more one-sided victory.

Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala got the goals, while Lionel Messi pulled the strings as Argentina made something of a statement less than six months before the World Cup.

Argentina s last defeat was a 2-0 loss to bitter rivals Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2019 Copa America, but they got their revenge in the final last year, beating the Selecao 1-0 at the Maracana to clinch their first title in 28 years.

Their 32 games unbeaten is a new record for official …

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes Liverpool s mindset has been key to their Premier League dominance so far this season.

Jurgen Klopp s men are eight points clear at the top through 14 games, having won 13 and drawn one.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 26, said Liverpool s belief made everything else easier, as they prepare for the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Wednesday.

The mindset that I m in when we go into a game is that I m going into it with the mindset that we re going to win. I think that s how we all feel, the midfielder told UK media, via The Telegraph.

We re going into the games expecting ourselves to win and anything else we re disappointed.

last year

Unbelievable scenes from Divock Origi with THAT late derby winner

— Liver…

Jose Mourinho could make a sensational return to Real Madrid due to his strong relationship with club president Florentino Perez, according to Predrag Mijatovic.

Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United on Tuesday following a 3-1 defeat at rivals Liverpool that left them 19 points behind Jurgen Klopp s Premier League leaders.

The Portuguese has been replaced on an interim basis by former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has left Molde on a temporary basis to take over at Old Trafford until the end of the season.

Mourinho s next step will be highly anticipated as, despite his recent struggles at United, he has won two Champions Leagues as well as league titles in Portugal, Italy, Spain and England.

A return to Madrid has been suggested with the …

Chelsea will make late checks on the fitness of N Golo Kante and Kai Havertz for their pivotal match against Aston Villa.

The Blues are one point clear of Liverpool and Leicester City going into the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.

Only two of those teams will be able to secure a top-four finish, but Chelsea s fate is in their own hands when they travel to Villa.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel confirmed defender Andreas Christensen will return after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury.

Kante left the field in Tuesday s 2-1 win over Leicester with a hamstring problem of his own and is less certain to play.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)

A test will also be conducted on Havertz, with the upcoming Cham…

Ciro Immobile tied Gonzalo Higuain s record for most goals in a Serie A season, while his tally of 36 also means he finishes as the European Golden Shoe winner for 2019-20.

Lazio s prized asset was on target in a 3-1 defeat to Napoli as Simone Inzaghi s side ended their domestic campaign in fourth, with their title challenge falling apart upon Serie A s resumption following the coronavirus-enforced break.

Immobile s return matches that achieved by Higuain in the 2015-16 campaign when the Argentine striker was playing for Napoli.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed his most prolific campaign in front of goal and was all but guaranteed to finish as Serie A s top scorer when Juventus opted to rest Cristiano Ronaldo for their own finale against Roma.

36 Ciro has sc…

Real Madrid asked former head coach Zinedine Zidane to return but the Champions League-winning boss said not now , according to former president Ramon Calderon.

Santiago Solari is facing an uncertain future after Madrid s season hit a new low following their humiliating Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Ajax on Tuesday.

Three-time reigning champions Madrid were routed 4-1 by Ajax at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the LaLiga giants were eliminated 5-3 on aggregate in stunning scenes.

With Madrid 12 points off the pace in LaLiga and already out of the Copa del Rey, Jose Mourinho has been tipped to arrive for a second spell in the Spanish capital, where he won the league in 2011-12.

Calderon, however, claimed Madrid president Florentino Perez conta…

Aston Villa have confirmed an agreement has been reached with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of Leon Bailey.

Villa are at the centre of one of the transfer window s biggest stories, with captain Jack Grealish reportedly the subject of a £100million bid from Premier League champions Manchester City.

However, while it remains to be seen where Grealish – who is rumoured to have been offered a new contract by Villa – will play in 2021-22, Dean Smith is set to bolster his attack with the addition of Bailey.

A Jamaica international, Bailey scored 15 goals and provided 10 assists for Bundesliga side Leverkusen across 40 appearances in all competitions last term.

Versatile and with a wicked turn of pace, the 23-year-old, who joined Leverkusen from Belgia…

According to a recent report from Marca, Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez is on the verge of joining Premier League side Everton.

The report indicates that there is an offer on the table of between €25 million and €30 million with the Toffees splashing the cash in the name of giving themselves a chance of European qualification this season.

Carlo Ancelotti clearly isn’t messing around at Goodison Park, and while there will be a lot of competition for places in the top six, he knows that he has the kind of influence that could completely turn the club on its head.

Rodriguez has rarely been viewed as a success story ever since his phenomenal stint in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with his Real tenure never really living up to the expectations put in front of him.<…