Next Generation is a series focusing on the young players tipped to establish themselves as the elite in the 2020s.
Rayan Cherki is Lyon s latest academy prodigy and has set his sights firmly on the top, openly admitting last week that he aspires to one day play for Real Madrid.
He is the 16-year-old who has already made 12 senior appearances for Lyon and been tipped to emulate Kylian Mbappe as the next big thing to come out of Ligue 1.
Madrid are not alone in showing an interest in the teenage midfielder, though, with Manchester United and Liverpool also among those to have been linked.
Able to play on either flank or through the middle and capable of embarrassing defenders with his trickery, Cherki is very much a player with the world at his feet.
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Cesc Fabregas stopped short of confirming his move away from Chelsea but admitted everyone knows the situation amid reports linking him with a transfer to Monaco.
The World Cup-winning midfielder left the Stamford Bridge pitch in tears after the Blues 2-0 FA Cup third round victory over Nottingham Forest, in which he captained the side but also missed a first-half penalty.
He was given a standing ovation when replaced by N Golo Kante in the 85th minute and the Spaniard indicated in a post-match interview that reports of his imminent departure were true.
The occasion got the better of me, Fabregas told BBC Sport.
I didn t expect all of this to happen today. I can t say anything out of respect for Chelsea but everyone knows the situation.
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Former San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh was officially introduced in his new role at the University of Michigan on Tuesday.
After trying to lure Michigan alum Les Miles away from LSU in 2007 and 2010, the Wolverines finally landed their Michigan Man in Harbaugh to serve as football head coach.
The introduction got off to a rough start when Harbaugh tripped on his way into the press conference.
Anybody see me trip in the way in? A lesser athlete would ve gone down, Harbaugh said.
He then went on to explain how happy he is to be back in Ann Arbor.
I have dreamed about that since I was a young lad, [since I was] nine, 10 years old [I have] dreamed about coaching Michigan. Now it s time to live that, Harbaugh added.
Harbaugh repla…
According to a report from Sport, Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic is said to be a big transfer target for Chelsea in the summer. Maurizio Sarri is said to be interested in bringing the 30 year old to Stamford Bridge in the summer, as the Blues gear up for a potential title push next season. Chelsea are currently embroiled in a battle with several other sides in the race to finish in the top four, whereas Rakitic is part of a Barcelona side that are leading the way in La Liga. The Croatian international, who was first called up to the senior team back in 2007, has been at the Nou Camp since 2014 when he made the jump over from Sevilla. In that time he’s been able to cement himself as a consistent force in the middle of the park for the Spanish champions, although it’s believed tha…
Frank Lampard has been fined £2,000 after the Derby County manager was hit with an improper conduct charge from the Football Association (FA).
Lampard was sent off during Derby s Championship defeat to Rotherham United on Saturday, the first time the former England midfielder has been dismissed since taking his maiden managerial job.
The former England international accepted the charge and the FA confirmed a standard penalty had been handed out to Lampard, who left his technical area during the game.
Speaking ahead of Derby s Championship game against Blackburn Rovers, Lampard called for consistency in the way managers are punished.
Derby County manager Frank Lampard has been fined £2,000 after he admitted an FA misconduct charge and accepted the standa…
Manchester United have opened contract talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to the Mail Online.
The thirty-five year old is currently undergoing surgery on a knee ligament injury that ended his season in April, and he is expected to be out of action for the rest of 2017.
However, United are keen to secure his services with the club competing on four fronts this season.
AC Milan, who had the Sweden international on their books for 2011/12 campaign have also been monitoring the situation as have a number of sides in the MLS.
Ibrahimovic made forty-six appearances for the Red Devils last season in all competitions, scoring twenty-eight goals and helped the side to success in the EFL Cup and the Europa League.
He has eleven league champion…
Kevin De Bruyne has been backed to roar back to form by Belgium boss Roberto Martinez as the Manchester City playmaker looks to come through a sticky patch.
Ahead of Saturday s derby against Manchester United, De Bruyne is looking to improve on his unusually quiet start to the season.
In 13 appearances across all competitions, he has managed three goals but just one assist and has played a full 90 minutes only three times, with Pep Guardiola suggesting his chief creator is feeling a little fatigued.
Martinez has selected De Bruyne in his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Wales later this month, and quelled concerns about the 30-year-old s performance levels.
He pointed to City s EFL Cup penalty shoot-out loss to West Ham, and the Premier…
Marcelo Bielsa s Leeds United head to Anfield on Saturday to meet champions Liverpool in their first Premier League game since 2004.
The Reds have won all but two of their 28 home league matches since the end of 2018, their last defeat on home soil coming against Crystal Palace on April 23, 2017. By anyone s standards, that is an extraordinary run of form.
Of course, this is no ordinary Leeds. Bielsa s men finished 10 points clear at the top of the Championship last season and ended 2019-20 winning six games in a row, scoring 17 times and conceding just twice.
But are they a team well placed to end Liverpool s stunning home run? Opta advanced metrics paint an intriguing picture
ARE LIVERPOOL IN DECLINE?
It sounds a foolish question to ask of t…
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde hopes Ousmane Dembele continues to give the club joy after his solo effort in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Dembele s discipline has been in the spotlight since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 but the Barcelona forward dazzled with a stunning goal in Tuesday s 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
The 21-year-old France international opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he robbed and stormed past Kyle Walker-Peters on the halfway line before evading Harry Winks and slotting past Hugo Lloris.
Valverde was pleased with Dembele post-match, telling reporters: He has made a great goal, within reach of players with his talent.
We are happy with him and we said that throughout the season things happen that we try to …
Napoli have opened talks with Chelsea over the possibility of signing Tiemoue Bakayoko, according to .
Having invested heavily into their team this summer, Chelsea are now desperate to offload players who either don t have a place in Frank Lampard s plans or simply aren t happy with being there just for squad depth. Apart from Bakayoko, they are reportedly close to agreeing a deal which would see winger Callum Hudson-Odoi finally join Bayern Munich with the Bundesliga champions keen on his services for a long time.
As for Bakayoko, he failed to justify the £40 million spent on his signature in 2017, and was consequently sent out on loans for the last two seasons, first to AC Milan, and then AS Monaco. Milan are apparently keen to bring the 26-year-old midfielder back, …