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• Jonathan David names Barcelona as dream club amid Lille uncertainty

  Jonathan David admits it is his dream to play for Barcelona as he prepares to enter the final six months of his Lille contract.

  The Canada international is into his fifth season with the Ligue 1 side but is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

  Lille have attempted to persuade David with a new deal, though he looks set to depart Stade Pierre-Mauroy in 2025 – potentially as early as January if a club is prepared to pay a transfer fee.

  However, while the 24-year-old is seemingly open to a move to Barcelona, he suggested he would prefer to wait until the end of the campaign before taking the next step in his career.

  "Going to a club midseason is never easy," he told The Athletic. "It's not like the beginning of a season where you have a pre-season, you get to know your team-mates, you have time to gel. 

  "In January, things are very hectic. It's about right now. It's tougher."

  "[Barcelona] was always the team I grew up supporting. When you grow up supporting a team, it's your dream to play for them.

  "Some people might say, 'Oh, he's staying at Lille, this is a downgrade, he's not getting better'. But for me, there's always opportunities to get better."

  David has scored 13 goals in 19 games for Lille in all competitions this season, including goals against heavyweight sides Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League.

  Including penalties, eight of those goals have been scored via his stronger right boot, four with his left and one with his head – an area the forward accepts he can still improve.

  "Aerially, I can get better," he said. "Getting that header on target and scoring. 

  "I can get in good positions and win headers but the finishing touch, I'm still missing. With my back to goal, I can also get better."

  David is averaging a goal every 112 minutes across all competitions this season, which compares to one every 139 minutes last season and 131 in 2022-23.

  However, he still has some way to go to match the 18 goals scored in 27 league games for former club Gent in 2019-20.

  "Things are good right now because I'm scoring goals," David said. 

  "But is this the best I've played in my life? Probably not. For me, it was my second year in Belgium. That was the season of my life."

• Vlahovic: 'Easier' to play for Serbia than Juventus

  Dusan Vlahovic says he finds it "easier" to play in Serbia's tactical approach than at Juventus.

  The striker has started all 16 games since Thiago Motta took over this season, scoring nine goals in all competitions, with six of those coming in Serie A.

  His recent form saw him recalled to Serbia's squad for the Nations League matches this international break, and he got an assist for their equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday.

  Overall, Vlahovic has racked up 50 goals at Juve since his move from Fiorentina in January 2022, but he seemingly suggested his game would improve in a different system.

  Motta favours a 4-2-3-1 system, with Vlahovic playing as a lone striker, whereas on international duty, he plays as part of a front two, most recently alongside Aleksandar Mitrovic.

  "It is a bit easier for me when there is another striker because Mitrovic holds up the ball and engages in aerial duels, so I can make more of my own characteristics and qualities," Vlahovic told RSI when asked the differences between playing for Serbia and Juventus.

  "The coach also does not require many defensive duties from me, so that makes it easier too.

  "With my physicality, I can't really run that much and am not as fresh in my finishing when I've been working so hard."

• Juventus and Pogba agree to terminate contract

  Juventus and Paul Pogba have agreed to the mutual termination of the midfielder's contract after he was banned over a failed drugs test.

  The 31-year-old will complete his suspension in March after testing positive for DHEA in September 2023, a banned substance that boosts testosterone levels.

  He was initially banned for four years, only for his punishment to be reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in October.

  Despite that reduction, Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli recently cast doubt on Pogba's chances of representing the Bianconeri again, and he has now been released by the club.

  Pogba had a contract with Juventus to run until June 2026, but he will now train in Miami in the hope of finding a new club before his suspension ends.

  "The club wishes Paul all the best for his professional future," Juventus said in a statement.

  Pogba added in a statement of his own: "It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special moments together.

  "I cherish the memories we made. They live on.

  "Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.

  "I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club."

  Injuries limited Pogba to just 162 minutes in five appearances across the 2022-23 season, his first campaign back in Turin after leaving Manchester United.

  He then played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute before being suspended last season, reportedly agreeing to take a substantial pay cut while ineligible to represent the club.