Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus became the club's first player in over five years to register five direct goal involvements in a single Bundesliga game, as he starred in Sunday's drubbing of Borussia Monchengladbach.

With leaders Bayern Munich having beat Greuther Furth 4-1 earlier on, Dortmund responded with a 6-0 thrashing of coach Marco Rose's former team at Signal Iduna Park.

It ensured BVB kept within six points of the champions, while also saw them get back on track after Thursday's humbling Europa League defeat to Rangers.

Reus, who had just one shot and failed to create a chance against Rangers, was the star of the show, scoring twice and assisting three other goals against his former team.

The Germany forward, who scored 36 Bundesliga goals for Gladbach before joining Dortmund in 2012, opened the scoring from close range in the 26th minute, before playing in Donyell Malen for BVB's second.

Reus laid it off for Marius Wolf to score two minutes after coming on midway through the second half, before then crossing in for teenager Youssoufa Moukoko to tap home.

The 32-year-old's second goal arrived in the 81st minute, as he finished coolly after latching onto Mats Hummels throughball. Reus could have had a hat-trick when Dortmund were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, but it was Emre Can who stepped up to convert it.

Reus' display marked the first time a Dortmund player has been involved in five goals in a league match since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did so against Hertha Berlin in November 2016.

It was the 100th Bundesliga meeting between the two sides, with Gladbach having gone into the match on the back of two wins over Dortmund from their last two encounters.

Erling Haaland will not return for Borussia Dortmund this weekend, with Marco Rose calling on the other attackers to start pulling their weight. 

Dortmund have been without Haaland for their past three matches after the striker sustained a muscular injury in the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim on January 22. 

In his absence, BVB suffered heavy 5-2 and 4-2 losses to Bayer Leverkusen and Rangers respectively either side of a 3-0 win at Union Berlin. 

Rose revealed Haaland would not be ready to feature against the coach's former club Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Sunday. 

He laid down the gauntlet to the other attackers in the team, despite Dortmund having scored 57 goals - of which Haaland has contributed 16 - after 22 games this season. The only time they have managed more at the same point in a Bundesliga campaign was when they had 63 in 2019-20. 

"Erling is not ready for the game. He has participated in parts of training, but he is not yet fully operational," Rose told a news conference on Saturday. 

"Others have to step into the breach. It's not about wanting to sugarcoat anything. 

"We're now introducing Donny [Donyell] Malen to the Bundesliga and Dortmund. He's felt like he's taken one-to-two steps back in the last two games. Before that, I publicly praised him for his development here. 

"If Erling isn't there, others have to pull on the chains and prepare the gates. I have to say this, too; we won 3-0 in Berlin a few days ago. We kept a clean sheet after a long time." 

Gladbach will be aiming to make it three straight Bundesliga wins over Dortmund for the first time since 1981, but they have only triumphed once away to BVB in their past 16 attempts in all competitions. 

BVB will be without defender Manuel Akanji due to a muscle tear sustained in the defeat to Rangers, while Marius Wolf is a doubt and Thomas Meunier will not play. 

Paul Pogba's future with Manchester United remains up in the air.

Pogba is out of contract at the end of this season and deferred contract talks with United.

The midfielder is reportedly open to offers with Pogba's agent Mino Raiola shopping him around.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE ENTER POGBA PURSUIT

Newcastle United have entered the race to sign Manchester United's Pogba, reports Fichajes.

The Magpies are hoping to land the 28-year-old France international on a free transfer, although it is unclear if he would entertain the move to a club that is currently battling relegation, albeit Newcastle will hope that will be different next season.

Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Juventus have also been linked with Pogba, who could also opt to stay at Old Trafford.

ROUND-UP

- Tottenham's Harry Kane will not decide on his future until the end of the season, after trying to join Manchester City last year, reports The Standard. Kane is currently not interested in discussing a contract extension with Spurs.

- Madrid have tabled a final offer for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland claims Sport. Haaland has been pursued by several top clubs including PSG, Barcelona, United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

- Marca claims that Barcelona will swoop for Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen should he become a free agent this upcoming off-season.

- The Daily Star claims that Donny van de Beek will push for a permanent move away from Manchester United to Everton if his loan spell goes well.

- Milan are interested in Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn, reports Calciomercato.

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels expressed his dismay at the manner in which his team were beaten by Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off at Signal Iduna Park on Thursday.

The Bundesliga outfit lost 4-2 to the champions of Scotland, finding themselves 4-1 down after 54 minutes before Raphael Guerreiro fired a late goal back to add to Jude Bellingham's earlier effort.

Marco Rose's men were all over the place at the back, with a James Tavernier penalty and Alfredo Morelos' goal giving them a 2-0 half-time lead, before John Lundstram made it three and a Dan-Axel Zagadou own goal restored the three-goal cushion after Bellingham briefly reduced the deficit.

Hummels was far from happy after the game, lamenting the way he and his team-mates conceded the goals, having shipped five in their previous home game against Bayer Leverkusen, which ended in a 5-2 defeat.

The 2014 World Cup winner said to RTL after the defeat: "If you look at the Leverkusen game, we conceded four goals after unnecessarily losing the ball. That happened with the first, second and fourth goals here. I think we know what our problem is. The coach mentions it often enough.

"We're playing an awful lot of nonsensical football, a lot of illogical football and making our opponents so strong.

"Our football is also too complicated. If we play this way, we'll sometimes win and sometimes lose but over the piece, we won't have success."

This was the first time Dortmund have conceded four goals at home in a European game since their 8-4 win against Legia Warsaw in the Champions League in 2016.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst was understandably beaming with pride after a famous European night for his team, though he acknowledged that there is plenty of work still to be done in next Thursday's second leg at Ibrox.

"It's a very good result for us against a quality team, a big team in Europe," he said. "We wanted to take a result back with us to Glasgow to get a good game next week.

"I think we achieved that with the two goal difference we take back and I'm really proud of the performance the players have shown.

"We also know we're only halfway and there's still one game to be played but to come here and score four away goals in Europe is a very good achievement, so I'm more than happy with the result, and especially the performance."

An incredible performance from Rangers ensured they take a 4-2 lead into the second leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off against Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga side were without star striker Erling Haaland at Signal Iduna Park, but it was their defence that let them down as goals from James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and John Lundstram along with a Dan-Axel Zagadou own goal put Rangers in control.

This was the first meeting between the two teams since the last 32 of the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup, in which Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst played – and the Dutchman could only be delighted with the display of his side.

Meanwhile, Marco Rose was left scratching his head at the insipid showing from Dortmund, although goals from Jude Bellingham and Raphael Guerreiro ensured the tie is not over quite yet.

Zagadou had a golden chance to open the scoring for Dortmund when he completely misjudged a free header from a corner, and things got worse for the defender nine minutes before the break as a Rangers corner struck him on the arm and, after a quick VAR check, a penalty was awarded.

Tavernier sent Gregor Kobel the wrong way from the spot, and a tremendous first half for the Scottish champions improved further following another corner, which Joe Aribo flicked on for Morelos to tap in unmarked.

The second half began just as well for Van Bronckhorst's side when Kent set up Lundstram to fire past Kobel with a neat finish from the edge of the box, although Bellingham immediately pulled a goal back with an equally accurate effort from similar distance.

That did not mark the start of a comeback, though, as Rangers made it four when Zagadou deflected in Morelos' shot, with the VAR overturning an initial decision to rule the goal out for offside.

Guerreiro responded again for Dortmund with a neat finish with eight minutes to go, but the hosts could not make a further dent in the deficit ahead of the return leg at Ibrox.

Cristiano Ronaldo ended a run of six matches without scoring in Tuesday's win over Brighton and Hove Albion, but the Manchester United forward's future remains uncertain.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's second spell at Old Trafford has not gone quite to plan and a number of European clubs are said to be circling should he depart.

If reports are accurate, it may well be that a reunion with former boss Jose Mourinho is on the cards for Ronaldo in the coming months.

TOP STORY – ROMA IN FOR RONALDO

Roma are one of three clubs currently in the running to sign Ronaldo should he depart United in the next transfer window, according to The Sun.

Giallorossi boss Mourinho previously managed Ronaldo at Real Madrid and is eager to bolster his squad with a superstar signing.

However, it is not known if the 37-year-old would welcome a return to Serie A, where he previously spent three seasons playing for Juventus ahead of rejoining United.

European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are reported to be the other two sides to have expressed an interest in Ronaldo.

ROUND-UP

- Fabrizio Romano claims Chelsea are now solely focused on signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla after being told that top defensive target Marquinhos will not be sold by PSG.

- According to The Sun, Armando Broja's form on loan with Southampton has seen the Chelsea youngster's name added to Bayern and Borussia Dortmund's list of targets.

- Manchester City have bid £5.5million (€6.5m) for Atletico Mineiro's teenage winger Savio, suggests The Guardian, with the intention of then loaning him out to PSV.

- Juan Mata will depart United as a free agent at the end of the campaign, claims Nicolo Schira. The midfielder may look to see out his career in his Spanish homeland.

- Ralf Rangnick is eager for United to bring in Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, according to ESPN. Madrid, Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal have also been linked.

It's November 25, 2020. A young German winger stands on the touchline anxiously waiting to step on to the Allianz Arena pitch for his Champions League debut in his hometown.

But as he waits to be allowed on, there are people watching both on television and in the largely empty stands who know this isn't how it should've been.

Rather than wearing the all-red of Bayern Munich, Karim Adeyemi jogs on in the all-black of Salzburg with the Austrian champions 3-0 down.

A technically gifted and rapid forward, Adeyemi has long been considered one of Germany's most promising young players, having cost Salzburg a reported €3million when he was 16.

Adeyemi had left Bayern six years earlier. It's a detail that has dominated much of his early professional career, with questions about why he left never far away.

Now 20, Adeyemi has previously spoken at length about his attitude as a kid, how learning wasn't much to his liking and distraction was a regular nuisance to him. These factors certainly didn't help at Bayern.

Neither, Adeyemi alleged in the past, did the club, who he said showed little support to players who strayed from "the plan". The collective, rather than individualistic talents, was prioritised.

He and Bayern were simply not a good match at the time. He left Die Roten and, while such a disappointment might've been enough to derail other ordinary kids, Adeyemi has since proven he is rather extraordinary.

A move to a smaller local club, Unterhaching, soon followed. It was there that, according to youth coach Marc Unterberger, Adeyemi was able to develop with a greater degree of individual emphasis and that eventually translated into him becoming a better asset for the team as a whole.

"He had his own thoughts on how to deal with things," Unterberger told Stats Perform in 2021. "We never wanted to change him completely, and I think we succeeded quite well. Karim is a really great guy and a great person.

"Until the time Karim came to us, we had never had such an exceptional player in our youth division.

"Of course, as a young person, you benefit from being accepted for who you are, but I would like to make it very clear that there was no situation within the team in which Karim behaved in such a way that we as a club were forced to act.

"On the contrary, over time he developed more and more towards putting himself at the service of the team. He was easily distracted, that's right, but let's be honest, something like this is normal when young people develop."

Unterberger arguably knows Adeyemi better than any other coach, given he was there for the youngster's entire six-year stay at Unterhaching.

"I can still remember it very well, the first time I saw him play in an Under-11 tournament," he recalled.

"Back then he was still playing for TSV Forstenried. My first thought was: 'We absolutely need this player'. Fortunately, it worked out later!"

That might be something of an understatement in reality. The €3m fee that Unterhaching received made him the most expensive Under-18 German player ever at the time, while 2019 saw him win the Fritz-Walter Gold Medal, an award handed out to Germany's best youth player. Previous winners include Timo Werner, Emre Can and Mario Gotze.

But most importantly, that move proved an unequivocal success for the player, as did his next.

Adeyemi confirmed to Stats Perform last year that he rejected the chance to join Chelsea from Unterhaching in his teens, instead opting to move just over the border to Salzburg. Had he gone to London, maybe he would've broken into their first-team – but it's probably just as likely that he'd have been lost among the Blues' army of loan players.

That's not to say loans can't work. Adeyemi's Salzburg career was carefully mapped out for him even before he joined, and that included an initial 18-month stint with Liefering, who essentially act as a B team. A haul of 15 goals and eight assists in the second tier provided strong evidence the teenager was ready for the step up in 2020.

His introduction to top-tier football wasn't quite so explosive, only having a hand in goals in six of his first 29 Austrian Bundesliga matches, but a key factor here was the need to remain patient – only nine of those 29 games were as a starter.

It wasn't until the final three months of 2020-21 that Adeyemi began to nail down a starting role, with seven of his 11 starts coming between mid-February and the end of May. This period also yielded six of his seven league goals.

This proved the final push he needed – with Patson Daka leaving for Leicester City, Adeyemi went from being the forwards' supporting act to the leading man in attack.

As you'd expect, this led to a bit of a change in his role, but there's no doubt he's thriving, securing his first senior international cap in September and finding himself linked heavily with Borussia Dortmund.

Sure, chance creation frequency is down (2.7 per 90, to 1.6), but the pay-off in terms of his effectiveness in front of goal is more than worth it.

His 14 goals is a league high, while only Kelvin Yeboah (11.2) – who has since joined Genoa – can better Adeyemi's 10.1 non-penalty expected goals (np-xG). Though on a per-90-minute basis, Adeyemi ranks first in the division with 0.72 np-xG (minimum 650 minutes played).

But it would be doing Adeyemi a huge disservice to give the impression he's 'just' some poacher. He's an immensely exciting player characterised by his explosive pace, low centre of gravity and silky ability on the ball. Yeboah (21) is the sole forward with more carries leading to shots and chances created than Adeyemi (21), though the Ghanaian's total comes from nearly 300 minutes more on the pitch.

It's a similar story in the Champions League. His carries led to a combined total of eight shots and chances created in the group stage – the only Opta-defined strikers to better that were Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo (both nine) and Arnaut Danjuma (14).

Even if it's reductive to just look at that metric, there's no doubt his performances have translated to European football's biggest stage – Sevilla's Diego Carlos will have been hoping to never see the youngster again after terrorising the Brazilian in the group.

Adeyemi's displays were a major factor in Salzburg reaching the knockouts of the Champions League for the first time in their history.

It would be a truly inspirational tale were it to be him, the young Bavarian cast-off, who plotted Bayern's downfall this time.

The pursuit of 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland is well known.

Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have all been linked with Haaland.

The race is set to heat up, with Haaland reportedly holding a €75 million (£68m) release clause in his Dortmund contract which triggers at the end of the current season.

TOP STORY – MAN CITY LEAD THE WAY IN HAALAND RACE

Football Insider reports that Man City are in the box seat to sign Haaland in a major development with his father Alf-Inge Haaland's connection with the club.

Alf-Inge played with City from 2000 to 2003 and is telling Erling to join the club ahead of other suitors.

City's Abu Dhabi owners are set to launch a concerted pursuit for the Norwegian and will be able to meet his release clause.

Madrid 's bid to sign Haaland may be aided by Adidas, who are associated with the club and looking to bring him on board, after his deal with Nike expired at the end of January.

ROUND-UP

- ESPN reports that Lyon are preparing a significant offer for Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Lacazette joined the Gunners from Lyon in 2017.

- El Nacional claims that Madrid are open to selling Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who is being targeted by PSG. Casemiro is a regular but his sale may open up funds for moves for Kylian Mbappe and Haaland.

- Franck Kessie will depart Milan when his contract expires at the end of this season, reports Calciomercato, with Barcelona entering the race to sign the midfielder, and Tottenham also interested.

- Sport claims that Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta already has an agreement in principle to join Barcelona on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.

- Edinson Cavani will exit Manchester United at the end of his contract in June, with Spain his preferred destination rather than returning to South America according to Fabrizio Romano.

Julian Nagelsmann will be "sad" to see Niklas Sule leave Bayern Munich but reiterated that the centre-back remains a crucial player for the remainder of the season.

It was confirmed last month that Sule would not be signing a new contract with Bayern. His current deal expires at the end of 2021-22.

And despite links to several Premier League and LaLiga clubs, it was revealed on Monday that Sule had agreed to join Bayern's Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund at the end of the campaign.

That decision was questioned by Bayern chairman Herbert Hainer earlier this week, as he queried why Sule would take what he views as a step down rather than go for a potentially more lucrative move to England or Spain.

Nagelsmann, however, has maintained his balanced view of the situation, having recently defended Sule following criticism from Bayern great Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"I don't judge it at all because it's not my decision, it's not my life," he told a news conference ahead of Bayern's game with Bochum. 

"Of course I'm sad because I've been with him for a long time. These are normal processes in football, that players leave us on a free transfer.

"But we still have to get along and make it clear that Niklas is still our player until June 30, and we want the title with greed.

"I can understand that fans are frustrated. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose."

Sule joined Bayern from Hoffenheim in 2017 and has made 159 appearances for the club, winning four Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal crowns, as well as the 2019-20 Champions League.

This season, he has played in 19 Bundesliga games, making 21 interceptions and winning 31 aerial duels.

Asked if Tanguy Nianzou, a 19-year-old who joined Bayern from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, may step up to replace Sule next season, Nagelsmann replied: "Tanguy is a talent, but he's getting to an age when he has to play consistently. 

"There are moments when he plays outstandingly, then there are moments when he plays hair-raising bad passes. That's certainly due to the lack of rhythm.

"The coach has to take responsibility for that, but that creates a vicious cycle, you don't get any game practice and therefore no consistency.

"He has a very great asset and that is his aggression and his unconditional will to defend. Now he has to work on his consistency."

Nianzou has made just 21 appearances for Bayern so far, with just four of those being starts.

Things have not quite gone to plan for Cristiano Ronaldo in his second coming at Manchester United.

The Red Devils are out of both domestic cup competitions and sit well off the pace of Premier League leaders Manchester City, making an unlikely Champions League triumph their remaining hope for silverware this season.

Ronaldo is enduring a five-game goal drought and, according to a report, he could choose to end his second United spell after only one season.

TOP STORY – RONALDO WANTS MENDES TALKS OVER FUTURE

Cristiano Ronaldo will speak with his agent after growing disillusioned with life at Manchester United, according to the Daily Star.

The forward is hoping to speak with Jorge Mendes when he is back in Portugal for March's World Cup play-off against Turkey about his options after the end of the season.

Ronaldo, whose contract runs until the end of 2022-23, wants to see who will be appointed as United's next permanent manager – but he is not in favour of giving the job to interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

ROUND-UP

- Paul Pogba is also looking to leave Manchester United this year when his contract expires, but he will have to accept a pay cut to get a move abroad that he wants, the Mirror says.

- A possible replacement for Pogba could be Youri Tielemans. Het Nieuwsblad reports Leicester City have dropped their asking price for the midfielder, who is wanted by United and Arsenal.

- Real Madrid rejected the idea of signing Dusan Vlahovic, now at Juventus, because they are putting everything into getting Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, says Cadena Ser.

- However, AS reports Madrid are still seriously interested in Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, which could scupper Robert Lewandowski's hopes of moving to the Spanish capital.

- Juve defender Matthijs de Ligt is flattered by interest from Chelsea and Barcelona, Sport Mediaset claims.

- Barca are also desperate to sign Haaland and will therefore prioritise cut-price deals for defenders, says ESPN. Chelsea trio Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Marcos Alonso are on their shortlist.

Manchester United remain on the lookout for a full-time manager, three months on from sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ralf Rangnick has taken interim charge until at least the end of the campaign, but some mixed results have hampered his hopes of landing the job permanently.

A number of names have been linked with one of football's most prestigious positions, though one candidate is seemingly favoured by the players.

TOP STORY – UNITED STARS FAVOUR POCH APPOINTMENT

Mauricio Pochettino remains the favourite to succeed Solskjaer as United's next permanent boss and, according to The Express, that is an appointment that will go down well.

The Red Devils' first-team stars are said to have made clear that Pochettino, who is under pressure a year into his time with Paris Saint-Germain, is their preferred option.

Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag is another candidate to lead United forward from next season, but there are concerns over his lack of experience in English football.

ROUND-UP

- While there is uncertainty over who will be in charge at United next season, the Premier League heavyweights are pushing ahead with transfer plans. Sport1 reports that Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji is one of those being targeted.

- Memphis Depay could be on his way out of Barcelona less than a year after arriving at Camp Nou. Sport claims that Barca have other attacking options in mind, with Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland still on their radar.

- Inter remain in talks with Ivan Perisic over a new contract at San Siro. According to Nicolo Schira, the Croatia international is close to putting pen to paper on an extension that will run through until July 2024.

- Calciomercato reports that Milan are planning talks with the representatives of Lille centre-back Sven Botman. The highly rated defender has been touted as a target for numerous clubs across Europe, most notably Newcastle United.

- Chelsea have not given up hope of tying Antonio Rudiger down to a new deal, according to Goal. It is claimed that the Germany international has been offered close to £200,000 a week to turn down interest from Real Madrid and PSG.

Erling Haaland's future remains in the balance after Borussia Dortmund head coach Marco Rose declared "everything is on the table".

The prolific striker's reported €75million release clause kicks in at the end of this season, putting a host of Europe's leading clubs on high alert.

With the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City all credited with interest in the Norway international, Rose knows Dortmund have a battle on their hands to keep hold of their star man.

But the 21-year-old is yet to declare his intentions and Rose has not given up hope of retaining Haaland's services.

"I'm in contact with Erling every day and also have a feeling for this player and this person," he told Bild.

"Everything is on the table internally, everyone is honest with each other. He'll make a decision at some point and the club will prepare well for it.

"We all want him to stay for sure."

Haaland is one of the most sought-after talents in world football after scoring 80 goals in 79 appearances for Dortmund since joining the club in January 2020.

His 80 strikes have come from an expected goals (xG) return of 64, meaning he has scored 16 goals more than expected given the likelihood of the shot going in.

No player from the Bundesliga, Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A or Ligue 1 boasts such a large xG differential.

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe remain arguably the two most sought-after players in world football.

The pair, who boast 43 goals in 50 games between them this season, have inevitably been linked with an array of Europe's top clubs ahead of the next transfer window.

And it may well be that one replaces the other at PSG in the coming months.

TOP STORY – HAALAND AMONG PSG TARGETS

L'Equipe reports that Haaland is one of a handful of players being eyed up by PSG, who are growing increasingly concerned that Mbappe will join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

However, the Ligue 1 giants are said to have made tying down Mbappe to fresh terms their main priority between now and the end of the season.

Should the World Cup winner depart, PSG would then have to see off competition from the likes of Madrid, Barcelona and several Premier League teams for Haaland's signature.

ROUND-UP

- Harry Kane failed in his attempt to force through a move from Tottenham last year, but Fabrizio Romano claims the striker is now happy to stay under Antonio Conte.

- After further enhancing his reputation by firing Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations glory, Goal reports that Sadio Mane is open to leaving Liverpool ahead of next season.

- According to Fabrizio Romano, Madrid are eager to finalise terms with Luka Modric over a new deal that will run through for an additional season until the end of 2022-23.

- Ajax are prepared to tempt Barcelona into allowing Sergino Dest to return to the club by offering Nicolas Tagliafico in exchange. That is according to reports from Spain.

- Calciomercato reports that Milan are close to agreeing a four-year extension for full-back Theo Hernandez, who is currently due to be out of contract in July 2024.

Bayern Munich chairman Herbert Hainer has questioned Niklas Sule's decision to leave the club at the end of his contract to join Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund announced on Monday a pre-agreement is in place with the Germany defender, who will join the club from Bayern at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old has agreed to a four-year deal at Signal Iduna Park, having decided against extending his Bayern contract, which expires at the end of 2021-22.

However, Hainer has questioned Sule's decision to choose Bundesliga rivals rather than potentially more lucrative offers from the Premier League and LaLiga.

"He was already being discussed at Dortmund and there was speculation – in addition to Real Madrid, Manchester City and a few others – but I hadn't thought that it would be his first choice," Hainer told Bild.

"It will be exciting to see him on the other side. But it's not new to us either. We also gave Mats Hummels to Dortmund.

"I don't know what salary Niklas Sule gets at Borussia Dortmund. But I don't think it's a sporting climb.

"Niklas is a very good player who has become a regular in the national team in the last five years. I'm assuming that he'll really give it his all over the next three months so that he can still clinch the titles that we have ahead of us."

Sule joined Bayern from Hoffenheim in 2017 and has made 159 appearances for the club, winning four Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal crowns, as well as the 2019-20 Champions League.

However, when it emerged he would not be signing a new contract, former Bayern star and chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge claimed the centre-back "never really asserted himself in his position" while at the club.

Sule's agent, Volker Struth, recently said his client "didn’t feel fully valued" by the German champions.

"I can only speak of myself and the people I am with every day," Hainer said in response to those comments.

"We all appreciated him and know what we had and still have in him. You have to ask him yourself what exactly he means by that."

Karim Benzema leads the LaLiga scoring charts this term with 17 goals.

But Real Madrid are set to revamp their attacking options if transfer speculation is true.

Benzema turned 34 in December and is contracted until 2023.

TOP STORY – BENZEMA CONCERN ON MADRID FUTURE

Madrid top scorer Benzema has requested a meeting with president Florentino Perez over concerns on his future with Erling Haaland's potential addition, reports Onze.

Los Blancos are set to be bolstered by forwardKylian Mbappe's arrival in the off-season to form an attacking trio alongside Benzema and Vinicius Junior.

But Haaland's potential move from Borussia Dortmund has left Benzema fearing he may lose his spot.

ROUND-UP 

- Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is being lined up by Bayern Munich as their ideal replacement for Niklas Sule, claims Fichajes. Sule has confirmed his exit to Borussia Dortmund for next season.

- Juventus have a new plan ahead of fresh contract talks with Paulo Dybala, according to Calciomercato. Dybala is unsigned beyond this season.

- Manchester United and Brazilian giants Flamengo have agreed to a £12m fee for the permanent sale of Andreas Pereira, reports Universo.

- Atletico Madrid, who are looking to replace the departed Kieran Trippier, are set to make a €30m offer for Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash, claims Mundo Deportivo.

- Calciomercato reports that Milan still have an eye on Club Brugge's Dutch talent Noa Lang.