Real Madrid are ready to appear at any trial that stems from the complaint filed by Spanish prosecutors against Barcelona.

Last month, broadcaster SER Catalunya alleged Barca had paid €1.4million to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira – the former vice-president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) – between 2016 and 2018.

Newspaper El Pais claimed Negreira's company – DASNIL 95 SL – produced written reports and DVD assessments of referees prior to games.

The public prosecutor's office said on Friday that Spanish prosecutors had filed a complaint against Barca and two of their ex-presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, over the alleged payments. It has been claimed the total payments exceeded €7m, dating back to 2001.

The saga may end up being resolved in court, although that is not certain at this stage. Madrid's board met on Sunday and expressed their "utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts".

A Real Madrid statement read: "In their meeting held today, the Real Madrid CF board of directors have inspected the serious accusations brought by the Barcelona prosecution service against FC Barcelona, two of its former presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and executives Albert Soler and Oscar Grau, on the basis of alleged offences of corruption in sports, among others, all related to the relationship the club maintained with the former vice-president of the CTA, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its utmost concern regarding the gravity of the facts and reiterates its confidence in the legal system. The club has agreed that, in defence of its legitimate rights, it will appear at the trial when the judge opens it up to the affected parties."

Barcelona's current president Joan Laporta used Twitter on Sunday to attempt to reassure fans, writing: "Culers [Barca fans], you can be calm. Barca is innocent of the accusations made against it and is the victim of a campaign, that now involves everyone, to harm its honourability.

"It is no surprise, and we will defend Barca and prove that the club is innocent. Many will be forced to rectify."

Stefano Pioli wants Rafael Leao to lead a Milan resurgence as he warned his team their Champions League run must not come at the expense of a top-four finish.

The Milan head coach said Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not yet ready to start games after making two substitute appearances since returning from major knee surgery.

They cannot therefore look to the inspirational Swedish veteran, but in 23-year-old Portuguese winger Leao they have a proven match-winner and last season's Serie A MVP.

Beaten by Fiorentina in the last round of games, Milan host Salernitana on Monday, and victory would vault them back into the top four.

The Rossoneri were on a high after booking a Champions League quarter-final spot on Wednesday, edging through at Tottenham's expense.

Now Pioli wants them to book another adventure in that competition with a strong finish to their domestic campaign.

"We are aware that we have to focus on the league with attention and determination," Pioli said. "To repeat the feelings we are experiencing in the Champions League, we need to finish in the top four in Serie A, and we are focused on achieving this.

"We need to find the consistency that we have lacked so far. The team is doing well physically, mentally and also tactically. We can still improve a lot and performances like the one in London help us to grow."

Milan drew 0-0 with Tottenham to win through 1-0 on aggregate, and they will learn their next Champions League opponents in Friday's draw.

"Tomorrow we have to be the best Milan possible because it's an important match," Pioli said. "As a team, we must and can improve in our choices.

"Ibra will not start against Salernitana. He is improving his fitness and will be ready to help us.

"Leao is giving us a lot, and he played well in the last few games. We have to serve him better. Rafa is the player with the most freedom of movement, and he has to look for spaces to harm the opponent's defence."

Leao had 11 goals and eight assists in Serie A last term, and he has eight goals and six assists this time around, with ample time to top his 2021-22 totals.

Pioli, quoted on Milan's website, said his Serie A champions of last season need to collectively find some of that Scudetto-winning spark again.

"Compared to last season, we are doing better in Europe, not so much in the league," he said. "The goal is to finish in the Champions League places, and every game will be crucial from now on, because there are fewer and fewer to go.

"Before the quarter-finals, we have four matches – difficult and important ones – to play in Serie A; we cannot look beyond that."

David de Gea appealed for "more consistency" from referees after Manchester United had Casemiro sent off in their 0-0 draw with Southampton.

United failed to get back to winning ways in the Premier League following their 7-0 thrashing by Liverpool last week.

They spent much of a home game with the division's bottom club on the back foot, especially after Casemiro became the first United player to receive two red cards in the same league season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14.

Casemiro was initially booked by Anthony Taylor for his challenge on Carlos Alcaraz, but the referee was instructed by VAR to consult the pitch-side monitor.

Having looked at replays that showed Casemiro going over the top of the ball and sending his studs high into Alcaraz's leg, Taylor changed his decision and showed the Brazil midfielder a red.

United claimed a point despite Southampton attempting 17 shots, with De Gea called into action to preserve their clean sheet on several occasions.

Speaking to Sky Sports, De Gea said: "It should be a game to win today, but the game changed when we lost a man in the team.

"We tried our best to score, but it was difficult. They had some chances, but in the end we showed good team spirit. We have to take the point and keep going.

"I think Casemiro was unlucky. He tried to touch the ball and his foot came up high. I think the referees need to show more consistency. Sometimes they show a red card, and sometimes they don't."

Casemiro is now set to miss the next four domestic games for United. He will be unavailable for the FA Cup quarter-final with Fulham as well as Premier League clashes with Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton.

"It's going to be tough, he's a big player," De Gea said. "We will miss him for four games, but we have a big squad. We have players coming from the bench who do well. We will keep working hard."

Martin Odegaard declared Gabriel Jesus' long-awaited return from injury was "a massive boost" for Arsenal following their 3-0 win over Fulham.

The Premier League leaders took a step closer to the title, regaining their five-point lead at the top thanks to first-half goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Odegaard at Craven Cottage.

Mikel Arteta also welcomed Jesus back for his first Arsenal appearance since the win at Wolves in November, the Brazil international appearing as a late substitute for the impressive Leandro Trossard, who chalked up three assists.

Captain Odegaard was delighted to see his team-mate back in action, but insists the Gunners are not getting carried away despite moving within 10 wins of Premier League glory.

"It's a massive boost," he told Sky Sports about Jesus' return. "He's been out for a while now.

"We know what he’ll give to the team and we are excited to have him back."

Odegaard added: "We did really well from the start. We controlled the game and scored some good goals in the first half. The second half was a bit different, but very good.

"[We have the] same focus. We've said all season we’ll take it game by game. We'll do the same things, keep working hard and see where it takes us."

Odegaard also praised the performance of January arrival Trossard, after the former Brighton and Hove Albion man became the first player in Premier League history to register a hat-trick of first-half assists away from home.

"He has brought some amazing things to the team," Odegaard said. 

"I love playing with him. He's good to find the right pass and we're really happy to have him on the team."

Trossard himself could find few faults with the performance.

He said: "When we win, we're always happy. We knew it would be a tough game. We did really well and kept a clean sheet as well.

"[It was] a perfect win for us. I'm really happy with it [the hat-trick of assists], I always try to contribute and today it went my way. I'm just really happy we won, now there are 11 finals to go for us."

Arsenal became the first side in the history of English league football to win five successive away London derbies without conceding a single goal, while Arteta chalked up his 100th win in charge of the Gunners.

"I'm really happy to win and get three points away from home, especially with a clean sheet," the Spaniard said. 

"It's great to see the goals distributed through the team. Leandro laid on three assists and could also have scored too.

"Every time we put the ball in the net, it's great. We practice lots of things and we scored beautiful goals."

Lois Openda scored a hat-trick in Lens' 4-0 win at Clermont on Sunday in just four minutes and 30 seconds, the fastest in Ligue 1 since 1967.

The 23-year-old grabbed his first goal in the 30th minute at the Stade Gabriel Montpied after racing onto a lofted pass from the left from Angelo Fulgini before putting the ball through the legs of Clermont goalkeeper Mory Diaw.

In the 34th minute he took advantage of a defensive error from the hosts as he finished off a neat square pass from Adrien Thomasson, before completing his hat-trick just 66 seconds later when Mateusz Wieteska underhit a backpass, allowing Openda to round Diaw and finish.

The Belgian striker also managed to add an assist in the second half as he pulled the ball back from the right for substitute Alexis Claude-Maurice to make it 4-0 to the visitors.

Openda's treble was just the second this century to be achieved in under five minutes, beating Matt Moussilou's for Lille against Istres in April 2005 by four seconds.

According to Opta, he is only the third Ligue 1 player to score a hat-trick inside five minutes in the last 75 years, along with Moussilou and Michel Margottin for Angers against Rouen in February 1967. The exact hat-trick time for Margottin in that match 56 years ago was not recorded.

Only Manchester City's Erling Haaland has scored more hat-tricks this season in the top five European leagues (four) than Openda, whose treble against Clermont was his second of the season after also hitting three goals against Toulouse in October.

Manchester United failed to bounce back from their historic defeat to Liverpool as Casemiro was sent off in a 0-0 draw with Premier League strugglers Southampton.

United suffered the largest loss in the history of their great rivalry with Liverpool last Sunday, going down 7-0 on Merseyside.

Seven days on, Erik ten Hag's men were again disappointing, and Casemiro's red card for a bad foul on Carlos Alcaraz allowed the relegation-threatened visitors to dominate.

Southampton failed to take their chances, however, left to settle for a well-earned point that keeps them bottom of the table but only two points adrift of safety.

United initially looked in the mood to set things right after their Anfield humbling and Marcus Rashford was denied by Gavin Bazunu after a fine give and go with Bruno Fernandes. 

But Fernandes would spend much of the rest of the first half aiming protestations at referee Anthony Taylor as United struggled to exert control on the game.

They were grateful to David de Gea for turning over Theo Walcott's close-range header but then had to face up to playing with 10 men as Casemiro was shown a straight red after Taylor went to the VAR monitor following a high challenge on Alcaraz.

Raphael Varane nearly bundled home at the far post from a Fernandes free-kick soon after, with United subsequently seeing two penalty appeals correctly waved away at the end of a frustrating 45 minutes for the hosts.

Southampton twice went agonisingly close to capitalising on their one-player advantage after the restart.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was forced to clear off the line after Scott McTominay deflected a Kyle Walker-Peters cross towards goal. James Ward-Prowse then clipped the top of the crossbar as he narrowly missed out matching David Beckham's Premier League record for goals from free-kicks.

Walcott was again thwarted by De Gea after going through one on one with the United goalkeeper on the counter, before Bazunu produced heroics at the other end to turn Fernandes' curling effort against the inside of the post.

Walker-Peters saw a swerving effort clatter the left-hand post with De Gea well beaten, with fortune favouring a United side that is now 16 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Leandro Trossard played a starring role as Premier League leaders Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the summit with a 3-0 victory over Fulham.

The Belgium international claimed a hat-trick of assists at Craven Cottage, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all profiting.

Mikel Arteta's side subsequently became the first side in the history of English league football to win five successive away London derbies without conceding a single goal.

Arsenal, who welcomed Gabriel Jesus back from injury, also made it five straight Premier League victories in all as they took another step towards the title.

The Gunners thought they had taken the lead when Antonee Robinson put through his own net in the 16th minute, but the VAR ruled Martinelli had strayed offside before Bernd Leno parried his shot against the Fulham defender. 

However, Arsenal broke through five minutes later as Gabriel, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture in August, climbed to head in Trossard's corner.  

Trossard was the provider again when his cross was nodded in by Martinelli at the far post after 26 minutes, while Odegaard tucked away another precise centre from the former Brighton and Hove Albion man in first-half stoppage time.

Fulham were far more positive after the break. Bobby De Cordova-Reid drew a smart reflex save from Aaron Ramsdale, while Aleksandar Mitrovic's header hit the crossbar.

But Arsenal stood firm to deny their opponents a potential route back into the contest and went close to increasing their margin of victory through Odegaard and the returning Jesus.

Paul Pogba was not included in Juventus' squad for Sunday's Serie A meeting with Sampdoria in another setback for the midfielder.

The France international has had a torrid time of things since returning to Juve from Manchester United last July, appearing for just 34 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Pogba appeared to have put his injury issues behind him when featuring in back-to-back games against Torino and Roma, but he was dropped for Thursday's match with Freiburg.

That was down to Pogba turning up late for a team meeting ahead of the Europa League tie, but Massimiliano Allegri said on Saturday he would be involved against Sampdoria.

However, the 29-year-old was not included on the 21-man squad list published by Juve on Sunday, with reports suggesting he sustained another muscular injury in training.

Angel Di Maria, Federico Chiesa, Alex Sandro, Arkadiusz Milik and the suspended Moise Kean were the other notable absentees from the Bianconeri squad.

Allegri said on the eve of the game that goalkeeper Mattia Perin and forward Dusan Vlahovic would both start against Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium.

Juve's loss to Roma last time out ended a four-game winning run in the Italian top flight, but a home match against bottom side Samp provided a chance to respond.

The Bianconeri had won their past seven home league meetings against Sampdoria, who went into Sunday's game with just two wins in 25 Serie A matches this season.

Gabriel Jesus was included in Arsenal's squad for the first time since November for Sunday's Premier League meeting with London rivals Fulham.

Arsenal made the short trip to Craven Cottage with the aim of restoring their five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the division.

Manager Mikel Arteta said ahead of the game he had yet to make a decision on whether Jesus would be involved, having only returned to full training this week.

But the Brazil international, whose most recent club appearance came in a 2-0 win at Wolves on November 12, was named among Arsenal's substitutes.

Jesus had scored five goals in 14 Premier League appearances for Arsenal prior to sustaining a knee injury which required surgery while away on World Cup duty.

Leandro Trossard was deemed fit enough to start against Fulham after missing the 2-2 Europa League last-16 first-leg draw with Sporting CP in midweek.

Arteta made five changes in all from that match, with captain Martin Odegaard also returning after recovering from illness.

Eighth-place Fulham, who were seeking a first win over Arsenal in 10 league meetings, made two changes for the contest.

The big news was the absence of ex-Arsenal man Willian from their squad, with Bobby De Cordova-Reid coming into the XI. Tosin Adarabioyo replaced Issa Diop in the other change.

Manor Solomon, who had scored in each of his past five appearances in all competitions, retained his place in the starting line-up.

Arsenal had won all four of their away London derbies in the league this season prior to facing Fulham, doing so by an aggregate 8-0 scoreline.

Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; De-Cordova Reid, Pereira, Solomon; Mitrovic.

Subs: Rodak, Wickens, Wilson, James, Vinicius, Diop, Francois, Harris, Robinson. 

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.

Subs: Turner, Tierney, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson.

Sadio Mane hopes Joao Cancelo will sign permanently for Bayern Munich after the previously out-of-favour full-back shone against Augsburg.

Cancelo, long seen as a key man at Manchester City, lost his place in Pep Guardiola's team and joined Bayern on loan in January.

The Portugal international started four consecutive games at Bayern, providing assists in each of his first two appearances, although he was substituted in all four.

After Cancelo was withdrawn at half-time of the Champions League first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, he lost his place in the side and only returned to the XI on Saturday.

There had been reports of Cancelo's discontent prior to the Augsburg match, but he completed the 90 minutes, scored one goal and created another.

No player made more tackles, and the mood music around Cancelo appeared to change afterwards, returning focus to the possibility of a transfer at the end of the season.

"What a player," forward Mane told Sport1. "We saw again that Joao is one of the best in the world.

"So good, really, we are very happy that he plays with us.

"I would love to see him with us next season. That's the kind of player we need, for sure."

That is a decision that will rest with the Bayern hierarchy, but Cancelo's performance also looked to have won over sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

"He is a sensational player," Salihamidzic told reporters. "He's trained really well in the last week and found that desire and greed again.

"Hardly any other player in Europe is that good in small spaces."

Manchester United's players will wear black armbands in Sunday's Premier League game with Southampton following the death of fan representative Ian Stirling.

Stirling, one of United's most prominent supporters, died from a stroke at the age of 57.

He was a founding member of United's Fans' Advisory Board and was a central figure in a number of campaigns, including against the club's Glazer family owners.

United confirmed on their official website that they will pay respect to Stirling during the match with Southampton at Old Trafford by sporting black armbands.

United chief executive Richard Arnold said: "This is truly devastating news for all of us at the club who knew and worked with Ian. 

"He was a towering figure within our fan community, loved and respected in equal measure. 

"Ian was a relentless and unflinching advocate for the interests of fans, particularly match-goers, and we highly-valued the plain-speaking advice he provided.

"We send our sincere condolences to his wife, Lynn, daughter Lucy, and other loved ones."

Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 exit has prompted speculation about a squad overhaul.

Neymar's future in the French capital is in doubt, while pressure has ramped up on head coach Christophe Galtier.

PSG will be an interesting watch during the next transfer window as they show their hand on their future direction.

TOP STORY – PSG PLOT MOVES FOR SILVA AND DEMBELE

Paris Saint-Germain are plotting off-season moves to sign Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele , according to Diario Sport.

The Parisiens are monitoring Dembele's status at the Blaugrana with only one year left on his contract, with a €50million release clause.

Barcelona have been linked with Silva but may struggle to facilitate that deal given €65m asking price, with PSG better placed to table that figure.

The report claims PSG's move for Dembele hinges on Neymar and whether he stays in Paris.

  
ROUND-UP

– AS reports Real Madrid are still angling to sign PSG's Kylian Mbappe after a long courtship. The report claims Los Blancos want to sign him as a free agent when his contract expires in 2024 and have prioritised him over Man City's Erling Haaland .

– Tottenham are ready to launch a move to sign Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on a cut-price deal, according to The Sun. The report claims Pickford has a clause in his new Everton deal, signed last month, if they are relegated although the Toffees are understood to want around £35m.

– PSG are planning a bid for Villarreal defender Pau Torres in the next transfer window, reports The Mirror. Manchester United opted against signing him last year.

– Barcelona 's top priority in the off-season is to sign Athletic Bilbao defender Inigo Martinez , according to Sport.

– Calciomercato claims Milan have cooled their interest in Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita as his wage demands are beyond what they can offer.

– Bayern Munich continue to monitor the status of Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic , reports Calciomercato.

Expansion team St Louis City made it three wins from three games to open their debut MLS campaign triumphing 2-1 away to Portland Timbers on Saturday.

The Missouri outfit became only the second expansion team in MLS history to start 3-0-0, with goals from Jared Stroud and Kyle Hiebert completing another comeback win.

Towering centre-back Zac McGraw had put Portland ahead in the third minute with a header from Eryk Williamson's set piece.

Stroud netted his second goal of the season on the stroke of half-time for 1-1, lashing in after Rasmum Alm's cross from the right side.

Canadian defender Hiebert came up with the winner in the 75th minute with his header finding its way into the back of the net from Eduard Lowen's free-kick.

St Louis have come from behind to win in all three MLS games to date and are the only team with nine points from three games.

Cincinnati produced a statement win, despite being reduced to 10 men, with a 1-0 victory over Seattle Sounders.

Brenner netted the winner in the 63rd minute, before Nick Hagglund's 80th-minute red card forced Cincy to hang on against the Sounders, who had won their opening two games.

Joaquin Torres came up with a 90th-minute winner with a long-range left-foot strike for last season's MLS Cup runners-up Philadelphia Union as they edged nine-man Chicago Fire 1-0.

New York City secured their first win of the new season after Christopher McVey's 36th-minute own goal in their 1-0 triumph over Inter Miami.

New York Red Bulls' winless start to the new season continued with a 1-1 draw in snowy conditions at Minnesota United, where Andres Reyes headed a 49th-minute leveller for the visitors.

Teenager Caleb Wiley scored a double with an assist as Atlanta United piled on three first-half goals in their 3-0 road victory over Charlotte who have lost three straight to open the new campaign.

Montreal were also left without a point after three games, going down 2-0 at Nashville, while Chris Durkin equalised in the 80th minute as DC United drew 1-1 with Orlando City.

Toronto drew 1-1 at home with Columbus Crew, while Vancouver Whitecaps and Dallas finished with the same scoreline.

Sporting KC and LA Galaxy drew 0-0, Austin won 2-1 at Real Salt Lake and 10-man SJ Earthquakes held on for a 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids after a stunning Cristian Espinoza strike.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has no concerns about a perceived lack of "unity" at the club in the wake of their Champions League elimination.

PSG returned to winning ways on Saturday, beating Brest 2-1 away from home thanks to a late strike from Kylian Mbappe, who equalled Edinson Cavani as the club's all-time leading scorer in Ligue 1 (138).

But the match was still very much being discussed in the context of their European failure, with PSG suffering a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday that saw them knocked out at the last-16 stage.

Since then, talk of internal displeasure has dominated the news agenda around PSG, with Galtier and Luis Campos – the club's football advisor – having their futures called into question.

However, Galtier insists everyone is still on the same page.

"I speak every day with my management team," Galtier told Canal Plus. "Luis is by my side every day; the president [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] is very present.

"We must finish the season, seek the title. We must go and seek this title. There is unity, I've no doubts about unity.

"I am a coach who will fight with the team to claim the 11th title."

Saturday's performance was hardly the emphatic response PSG fans would have likely craved.

PSG looked slow and lethargic for much of the game, and a 1-1 draw would not have been less than they deserved.

Brest appeared good value for a point after Franck Honorat cancelled out Carlos Soler's opener, but the combination of Lionel Messi and Mbappe proved decisive in second-half stoppage time.

Galtier believes the late winner was a just reward.

"It may seem cruel for Brest, but in the match we've had seven very favourable situations," he added.

"Brest scored a good goal in transition, but overall, we deserved to score at least two goals.

"People can say it's a small victory, but I say it's a victory. It's important, three days after the disappointment.

"There's been a general remobilisation. It shouldn't be overlooked in relation to the goal scored in the 92nd minute."

Mikel Arteta told those who criticised Arsenal's celebrations against Bournemouth last week to "go to church" instead of attending football matches.

Arsenal players and staff celebrated Reiss Nelson's 97th-minute winner wildly on the pitch as they recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 at Emirates Stadium.

The Football Association opened an investigation into the fervent scenes after they were mentioned in referee Chris Kavanagh's report, but no further action was taken.

Some pundits, including Gary Neville, have questioned Arsenal's celebrations at times this season, but Arteta has no intention of telling his players to rein it in.

"If you win in football, you celebrate," he said. "If you want passion and emotion, there is nothing better than scoring goals and winning football matches. 

"If not, you go to church. For sure, I won't be telling the players not to celebrate on Sunday."

Arsenal have a two-point lead on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League ahead of their trip to London rivals Fulham on Sunday.

Arteta's side have won four in a row in the league and could be boosted by the return of striker Gabriel Jesus, who has not played since before the World Cup break.

Asked if Jesus could feature against Fulham, having been overlooked for selection against Sporting CP in midweek, Arteta said: "Let's see.

"He really needs to feel confident and ready to go. He has a big say in that."