Inter Miami head coach Phil Neville shot down rumours claiming the MLS side are trying to sign Real Madrid star Marcelo.

Marcelo is out of contract in 2022 but the 33-year-old Madrid left-back is facing an uncertain future with the LaLiga giants due his form and advancing years.

Inter Miami, who are co-owned by former Madrid star David Beckham, have emerged as an option for Marcelo – ex-Los Blancos forward Gonzalo Higuain and World Cup-winning midfielder Blaise Matuidi headline the squad.

Current Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, is also reportedly on Inter Miami's radar.

However, Neville poured cold water over the speculation linking Brazilian veteran Marcelo with Inter Miami.

"I don't need another left-back," ex-Manchester United utility Neville told reporters. "I've got more left-backs than yellow taxis, you know what I mean. We could do with a few more positions but no. 

"I think it shows the level of the club and interest in the club, yes. But ultimately, I think what I want for us is pure stability. So when they have all these stars that are being linked with Inter Miami it's brilliant, shows that the people do want to come to Inter Miami. 

"But ultimately, I want us to have stability here, I want players to be here for a long time. You think about every time somebody gets mentioned, somebody in this football club, somebody in this team, in my team will feel, even if it's point one percent unnerved by it, that's not good for us, it is not good for the player.

"What I would say is, and me and Chris Henderson talk about this all the time, is that the most successful teams, you think about the Seattle team, Chris Scott first and experienced of it, stability is the key. The great team that I played in Manchester United, you had the core of a team that was together for four or five years before Sir Alex [Ferguson] rebuilt it.

"Yes, you sprinkle around the edges and you tweak here and there you introduce new players around the edges, but you're gonna have eight, nine players that are going to be here for the next three or four years to get that stability and I'm talking about the DP [designated] players as well they need stability. You know the worst thing that can happen is them reading the newspaper every single day thinking about who's coming to the club.

"We believe in the players that we've got, we've, the ownership have invested so much money in this football team. And now I think stability is the only way we'll get success that's what the best team in this league have had that's what the best teams in football, have had success on, stability.

"We're never going to stop you guys speculating and, you know, an agent's putting in players because this is a place that a lot of players will want to come, but ultimately I'm happy with the squad that I've got, I want stability around this place."

Marcelo has called Madrid home since 2007, winning five LaLiga titles and four Champions League trophies among other honours.

Meanwhile, Inter Miami – into their second MLS season and first under Neville – have won two of their opening six matches to sit seventh in the 14-team Eastern Conference.

Colombia will not co-host next month's Copa America alongside Argentina amid safety concerns in the country, CONMEBOL announced.

South American nation Colombia is currently in its fourth week of violent anti-government protests and growing safety concerns, along with increased worries over the spread of coronavirus, has forced the governing body to act.

The Colombian cities of Cali, Medellin and the capital Bogota had all been due to host matches, including games in the knockout phase, while Barranquilla was originally slated to host the final.

Colombia had asked for the tournament, which is due to be played between June 13 and July 10 after it was postponed last year due to COVID-19, to be rescheduled in November or December.

But CONMEBOL rejected that request in a statement released on Thursday, with the reallocation of games that were due to be staged in Colombia set to be announced.

"For reasons related to the international competition calendar and the logistics of the tournament, it is impossible to transfer the 2021 Copa America to the month of November," the statement read.

"CONMEBOL appreciates the enthusiasm and commitment of the president of the Republic of Colombia, Ivan Duque, and his collaborators, as well as the President of the Colombian Football Federation, Ramon Jesurun, and his team.

"Certainly, in the future, new joint projects will emerge for the growth of Colombian and South American football.

"CONMEBOL guarantees the holding of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 and will inform in the coming days the reallocation of the games that should be played in Colombia."

Australia and Qatar, who were both due to participate in the tournament as invited guests, have already withdrawn.

Brazil are defending champions and have been drawn in Group B alongside Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia are in Group A.

Zinedine Zidane should be spared any blame if Real Madrid fail to win LaLiga this season, according to the club's former goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Madrid are two points behind leaders and city rivals Atletico ahead of the final round of fixtures.

Atleti travel to relegation-threatened Real Valladolid while Madrid are at home to seventh-placed Villarreal.

If Atleti are crowned LaLiga champions it means Madrid will end the season without a major trophy, and there has been speculation in Spain that Zidane will quit as head coach.

Casillas, however, claimed his former Madrid team-mate should not be vilified if they end up without any silverware this season, given his previous achievements.

Zidane has twice won LaLiga and landed a hat-trick of Champions League titles as Madrid boss in addition to winning the Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup all on two occasions.

"Zidane can't be criticised for anything," Casillas, who made 510 LaLiga appearances for Madrid, told Radio Marca.

"What he has achieved is incredible, and is only in the reach of very few or even a single person.

"I would have preferred Real Madrid to be sat in first, but I hope that Real Valladolid can help us win this weekend. I wish everyone luck, but let's see if we have a little more ourselves and we can win LaLiga."

Mathieu Valbuena revealed he was not consulted by Didier Deschamps over the surprise recall of Karim Benzema to the France squad.

Real Madrid striker Benzema is due to stand trial in October regarding an allegation of complicity in the attempted blackmail of former France team-mate Valbuena over a sex tape.

The 33-year-old Benzema strenuously denies putting pressure on Valbuena to pay the alleged blackmailers, who were said to be threatening to release a video featuring the former Marseille and Lyon player.

Since the claims of blackmail emerged in late 2015, Benzema was dropped from the France squad and looked to have no future with Les Bleus, at least until his case was heard in court.

However, a surprise recall came on Tuesday when Benzema was selected for France's Euro 2020 squad, and he looks set for a key role in the team during that tournament.

Valbuena told RMC Sport: "Did the coach call me? No, and I don't expect anything from anyone. When you're at the top, everyone is talking about you; when you disappear a little from the radars, you expect nothing from anyone.

"I make my life, I enjoy myself on the pitch. I expect nothing from Didier or anyone else. If you want to know if he called me, I say no."

Now with Greek club Olympiacos, Valbuena, 36, also last played for France in 2015.

The 52-cap midfielder said he understood why Benzema was being brought back into Deschamps' squad.

"If he can bring more to the France team, so much the better for the Blues," Valbuena said.

"It will play out on the pitch. For me, Didier Deschamps comes out the winner in all cases. If the France team works, we will say that he had to adapt despite a difficult context.

"If France performs less, we will not blame him. That's what he knows how to do well, he knows how to make his squads. In attack, he has no guarantees, he made his choices. I think he will come out a winner either way."

Benzema scored a brace in a friendly against Armenia on his last appearance for France in October 2015.

His form for Real Madrid has often been exceptional in the years since, landing him three Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles during his absence from the France squad.

Gianluigi Buffon has hailed Juventus' supporters for the "infinite affection" they have shown him as the goalkeeper prepares for the curtain to come down on his career with the Turin club.

Buffon re-joined Juve two years ago having spent 2018-19 at Paris Saint-Germain, but over the course of his second spell he has been second choice to Wojciech Szczesny.

The 43-year-old, who won 176 caps for Italy between 1997 and 2018, recently announced he will leave the Bianconeri at the end of the season but has not yet decided if he will continue playing or retire.

The veteran keeper could make his final appearance for Juventus in Sunday's Serie A clash with Bologna, with Andrea Pirlo's side battling to finish in the top four and secure Champions League football next season.

Buffon joined Juventus from Parma in 2001 and has won 10 Serie A titles, making more appearances in Italy's top-flight (657) than any other player.

He claimed his fifth Coppa Italia winner's medal after Juve's 2-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday and posted an emotional tribute to Juve fans on Instagram.

"You were the frame within which I painted my Bianconeri history," Buffon said of the fans.

"In 20 years you never abandoned me, you always supported and encouraged me. Together we sank and together we were reborn.

"Together we experienced infinite joy and together we experienced profound disappointment.

"A simple thank you would never be sufficient to repay the infinite affection you showed me uninterrupted for 20 years."

After a 14-month hiatus, football resumes in the land of wood and water with the Jamaica Premier League is set to kick off spectator free on Saturday, June 26, with the final scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 2021.

Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association of Jamaica, Chris Williams, made the announcement earlier today during a Zoom press conference and which was attended by the main stakeholders including Jamaica Football Federation President Michael Ricketts, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports Olivia Grange as well representatives of team sponsors, presenting sponsors Digicel and broadcast partners Sportsmax Ltd.

Williams revealed that a total of 66 matches are expected to be played during the preliminary round of the competition where each of the 12 teams will play each other once. Matches will be played in double-headers on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. 

At the end of the round, the teams will be separated into two tiers. The bottom six teams will play each other in a round-robin format for points that will determine rank.

Meanwhile, the top two teams will automatically advance to the semi-finals while the remaining four will play for the remaining two spots.

The semi-finals will take over two legs with the team with the better aggregate advancing to the finals.

No team will face relegation this season.

Four venues have been approved for matches with the National Stadium and Sabina Park being the preferred venues. Should there be a scheduling conflict, Williams explained, Stadium East and the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus will be used to stage matches.

In relation to player and personnel safety, players and support staff will be tested for the Covid-19 virus in the days leading up to matches.

Minister Grange revealed that there is a plan is to have all players vaccinated.

Further announcements are planned to unveil team sponsors and uniforms as well as the fixture schedule.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has undergone treatment on a knee injury, Barcelona have announced.

The Germany international has had what Barcelona described as a "therapeutic procedure" on the patellar tendon of his right knee.

Ter Stegen announced on May 17 that he would miss the Euro 2020 finals in order to make a full recovery.

His decision came after Barca's shock home defeat to Celta Vigo meant they could no longer win the LaLiga title.

"I have decided together with the medical team of the club that I will do a complementary intervention on my knee," Ter Stegen said via an Instagram post.

"I'm sad that I will miss Euro 2020 this summer with Germany. For the first time in many years I will be a fan at home supporting my country, I hope we win it!

"After the summer break, when we are back on the pitch I hope to be able to play with fans [in attendance] once again, I miss it!

"Thank you for your support throughout a difficult season and stay healthy!"

Earlier, Barca also announced midfielder Pedri will miss the final match of the season against Eibar on Saturday after being given permission to start his holidays early.

The 18-year-old has played 52 times in all competitions under Ronald Koeman this season, making him the second-youngest in history to reach a half-century of appearances for the club, behind only Bojan Krkic.

Since 2013-14, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic have been the only two other players to have appeared in 50 games in their first campaign at Barca.

Pedri has played in all 37 of Barca's previous league games this season, starting 28 times.

Harry Kane looks set to be the centre of rumours and speculation this off-season after reportedly informing Tottenham he wants to leave the club.

The England international forward, who has scored 22 league goals this season, is contracted for another three years at Tottenham.

However Kane has not hidden his desire to win silverware, which has gone unfulfilled at Spurs.

TOP STORY – SKY BLUE PREFERENCE FOR KANE

Harry Kane has nominated Manchester City as his preferred destination and believes he has a verbal agreement with Tottenham to allow him to leave, claims The Times.

It is understood that Kane was convinced to remain with Spurs last year but as part of that he struck an agreement with chairman Daniel Levy to allow him to depart upon interest from City.

Kane will make renewed efforts to convince Levy and the Tottenham hierarchy to sell him this off-season. Spurs lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Wednesday, and they may well miss out on Europe altogether.

ROUND-UP

- Manchester United are willing to offer up Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard as part of a move for Kane , claims Football Insider.

- The Red Devils are also ready to make a move for Southampton forward Danny Ings as they look to strength their front line reports The Telegraph.

- Another United target, Jadon Sancho , is being pursued by Chelsea , who have launched an £80m bid for the Borussia Dortmund talent according to The Sun.

- The list of suitors for United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is long according to Sky Sports, with Tottenham, Chelsea, Dortmund and Milan among those interested.

- Gazzetta dello Sport reports that veteran Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud could be set to link up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Milan .

- Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has attracted interest from Qatari club Al Duhail according to Sky Sport Italia.

Kylian Mbappe is delighted to get the chance to play alongside Karim Benzema at Euro 2020, declaring there are not many better players than the Real Madrid forward.

Benzema, 33, earned his first France call-up in over five years on Tuesday when he was included in Didier Deschamps' squad for the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

Mbappe, meanwhile, continued his excellent season with a brilliant display in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Monaco in the Coupe de France final on Wednesday, teeing up Mauro Icardi's opener and scoring himself late on.

It was the eighth direct goal involvement of Mbappe's Coupe de France campaign (five games), topping his previous best of seven in the competition, set in 2017-18.

Yet the main focus in the post-match news conference was on Benzema's return to Les Bleus' squad.

"I'm very happy. I've always said that I wanted to play with great players," said Mbappe.

"Benzema, I didn't [play with him]. There is not many [players] above him in the world. He will bring us a lot.

"He played at Madrid for 10 years, the pressure, he knows, he has the experience and the talent above all. The big players adapt. I'm sure he will adapt very quickly."

Mbappe was also asked if he would be in place to help PSG push on for a 15th Coupe de France trophy next season.

"We must take advantage of this title," he answered with a smile, deflecting the question somewhat. 

"Look at all the people who are happy! This is most important. And I am the happiest!"

PSG have won two trophies this season under Mauricio Pochettino, and the Ligue 1 title race is going down to the wire. Should they beat Brest on Sunday, and Lille drop points against Angers, the capital club will snatch the top-flight crown.

"We work every day to have this type of emotion, reward and recognition," Mbappe added.

"It's the work of a whole group, a whole staff, who work every day for us, for the club. The supporters, the title is for them too.

"When you play for Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best clubs in the world, the biggest in the country, every title counts."

Monaco boss Niko Kovac, meanwhile, said there was one major difference between the teams at Stade de France.

"The difference tonight is Mbappe," he said.

"He is one of the best players in the world, if not the best at the moment. All the clubs are fighting to have him. We had him, we no longer have him."

Andrea Pirlo wants to remain as Juventus head coach next season, but accepts the decision could be taken out of his hands. 

Pirlo has endured a challenging first season in charge of the Bianconeri, but he steered them to a record-extending 14th Coppa Italia title with a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday.

Federico Chiesa scored the decisive goal 17 minutes from full-time after Ruslan Malinovskiy had earlier cancelled out Dejan Kulusevski's fine strike. 

The triumph meant Pirlo became the fourth Juve boss to win the Coppa Italia as both a player and a coach, after Luis Monti, Carlo Parola and Dino Zoff.

Juve need to beat Bologna on the final day of the season on Sunday and hope one of Napoli or Milan slip up in their respective games against Hellas Verona and Atalanta to qualify for next season's Champions League. 

While Pirlo accepts it has been a difficult season, he insists he has no intention of stepping down from his role at the end of the campaign. 

"We wouldn't be here talking about fifth place and a premature Champions League exit if it had been a totally positive season," he told RAI Sport. "There were ups and downs, these two trophies [Juve also won the Supercoppa Italiana] cannot cancel that out.

"For my first season, I have learned a great deal and then found these satisfactions that are very gratifying.

"Of course I would confirm myself in this role. I've loved football since I was a child and will continue to love it. The club will decide, but I love coaching. I love this club, and we'll see what is decided. I would like to continue."

Pirlo also revealed Chiesa was almost denied his moment of glory, with Paulo Dybala poised to replace him. 

"We were about to take him off when he scored; that's football for you," he said. "Not everyone has scored a decisive goal in a cup final, so it's great for him."

While Juve largely struggled in the first half at the Mapei Stadium, they were a team reborn in the second period. 

They limited Atalanta – who had Rafael Toloi sent off late on after he had already been substituted – to just a single shot on target after the break, with Pirlo attributing their improved display to a few half-time tweaks. 

"It was a wonderful game with two great teams who fought from start to finish," he added. 

"[Juan] Cuadrado was a little too deep in the first half, but I told him to be more ferocious on [Robin] Gosens and [Weston] McKennie to attack their centre-back. We did it in the second half and it all went much better."

Juventus had more than the obvious reasons to rue the miracles worked by Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini as they were made to dig into dwindling reserves during Wednesday's Coppa Italia final.

Most of the way through their utter dominance of Serie A over the past decade, Juve decided winning alone wasn't enough – certainly not if they were to become a preeminent force in Europe.

They needed a superstar and along came Cristiano Ronaldo. That was half the job and, fittingly considering their marque signing, the other part concerned aesthetics.

Increasingly in the modern game, the way in which a team wins marks them out as great. Massimiliano Allegri was certainly no arch practitioner of catenaccio but he was a coach of substance more than style.

Juve did not want pragmatism, they wanted a philosophy. After all, Gasperini's Atalanta – all intricate whirring parts – were compiled on a shoe string and scoring goals by the bucket load. Why couldn't the grand Old Lady have some of that?

And so, Allegri made way for Maurizio Sarri. A ninth consecutive Scudetto arrived via Sarriball but with little of the desired joy. So off he went and in came club great and coaching rookie Andrea Pirlo.

Charged with improving a bankable winning machine, Pirlo headed to the final in Reggio Emilia with Juve's Champions League qualification hopes now out of their hands. Admittedly, his board don't seem too keen on that competition nowadays.

The Bianconeri tried to match Atalanta stride for stride during the opening stages but they coughed up chances and were fortunate to see the best of those fall to lumbering centre-back Jose Luis Palomino – Gianluigi Buffon's early save so crucial to this 2-1 victory and the goalkeeping great riding off into the sunset with one last piece of silverware.

Duvan Zapata fired into the side-netting and made the first half an utterly torrid experience for Matthijs de Ligt. Juve were snapping into challenges and trying to roll with the punches, but much of the first half looked like a team in the season's latest fashion trying to match a catwalk model stride for stride.

Then a player reared in the Atalanta style opened the scoring. For Juventus.

Dejan Kulusevski moved to Turin from Bergamo, via an electrifying loan spell with Parma, in deal that could be worth €44million to Atalanta.

Whether that is a price worth paying after the Sweden attacker's goal and assist denied them a first major honour for 58 years is a tantalising question, but selling gems like Kulusevski and Manchester United winger Amad Diallo at huge mark ups is a massive reason why Atalanta head into the final weekend in Serie A guaranteed a Champions League spot for a third consecutive campaign.

They are an impeccably run club, and this defeat to a Juve in shambles will truly sting. The build-up to the 31st-minute opener was as chaotic as the club who scored it, but Kulusevski's curled left-footed finish was an utter delight.

The response to that artistic flourish came via the sledgehammer of Ruslan Malinovskiy's left boot after the brilliant Remo Freuler – who completed more passes (55) and gained possession (nine) more times than any of his team-mates – ransacked Adrien Rabiot.

At that point, it felt like there was only one winner, but Juve regrouped, re-established their lead and Atalanta's discipline unravelled.

There will be a lot of guff spoken about Juventus' DNA and such, although this victory owed everything to the younger more recently attached parts to this Frankenstein's monster of a team.

De Ligt came out the other side of his Zapata ordeal and produced a heroic and painful block to deny Cristian Romero when it was still all square, giving the Dutchman a more grizzled contribution to this win than the wonderfully weathered Giorgio Chiellini alongside him.

Kulusevski drew a sharp reaction stop from Pierluigi Gollini and Ronaldo's deft backheel saw Federico Chiesa hit the post.

Ronaldo seemed happy to play second-fiddle to the bright young things alongside him and they combined for glory, Chiesa coming inside menacingly from the left and exchanging passes with Kulusevski to score emphatically.

It was the sort of sleek goal desired to be a feature of the post-Allegri years and this piece of silverware should help a team in transition, even if the evidence of the season as a whole suggests Pirlo is not the man to lead it.

Buffon lovingly strapped his gloves back on to lift the trophy – the 19th major honour of an incredible senior career at club and international level – but this was a night that belonged to the players who will shape Juve's future. It is a future that aspires stylistically to romantics like Gasperini, however little comfort that might provide for him and his beaten players.

Paris Saint-Germain retained their Coupe de France crown as Kylian Mbappe turned in a star display in a 2-0 win over Monaco at the Stade de France.

Without the suspended Neymar, PSG relied on Mbappe in Paris and the former Monaco prodigy delivered with an assist for Mauro Icardi's opener before rounding off the win himself late on.

Trailing from the 19th minute, Monaco huffed and puffed, but the closest Niko Kovac's team came to an equaliser was when Gelson Martins' deflected cross clipped the crossbar.

Monaco's defeat in their first appearance in a Coupe de France final in 11 years was sealed with nine minutes remaining, Mbappe dinking home to seal PSG's 14th triumph in the competition.

Neymar may have been missing for Mauricio Pochettino's side, but PSG's other key man was at the heart of their opener.

Having pounced on Axel Disasi's heavy touch following a goal-kick, Mbappe kept his cool to tee up Icardi for a simple finish into an empty net.

Alessandro Florenzi drew a save out of Radoslaw Majecki as PSG pressed for a second, though Keylor Navas had to smother Kevin Volland's header at the other end.

Wissam Ben Yedder will be at Euro 2020 after another excellent season, but the France forward – and Monaco's talisman – was replaced after an hour without having registered a shot as PSG continued to keep Kovac's men at arm's length.

Fortune was on PSG's side with 20 minutes remaining – Gelson's cross, which took a deflection, hitting the woodwork after looping over Navas.

Krepin Diatta snatched at an effort from inside the area, though Monaco looked short of ideas, and moments after striking the bar with a long-range chip, Mbappe made sure of the win when he raced onto Angel Di Maria's pass and lofted in a neat finish.

Federico Chiesa scored the decisive goal as Juventus sealed a record-extending 14th Coppa Italia title with a 2-1 win over Atalanta on Wednesday. 

It has been a disappointing first season in charge for Andrea Pirlo, with the Bianconeri knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Porto and their hopes of qualifying for next season's competition hanging by a thread ahead of the final round of Serie A fixtures this weekend. 

And they looked set for more despair when Ruslan Malinovskiy cancelled out Dejan Kulusevski's fine strike before half-time. 

Juve stormed back in the second half, though, and sealed victory in their 20th Coppa Italia final thanks to Chiesa's composed finish with 17 minutes remaining.

Atalanta did most of the pressing in the early stages, with Duvan Zapata and Remo Freuler both flashing efforts narrowly wide of Gianluigi Buffon's goal. 

It was Juve who went ahead, though, Kulusevski superbly whipping past Pierluigi Gollini after being picked out on the right-hand side of the penalty area by Weston McKennie. 

Gian Piero Gasperini's side deservedly pulled level four minutes before the interval when Malinovskiy collected Hans Hateboer's pass and lashed a powerful strike past Buffon from just inside the area.

Gollini got down well shortly before the hour mark to paw away Kulusevski's near-post flick, while Chiesa curled against the post after a slick with involving Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chiesa was not to be denied in the 73rd minute, collecting Kulusevski's pass and then sliding home his 13th goal in all competitions this season. 

Atalanta battled in the closing stages, but they never really came close to finding a goal that would have forced extra time, with Juve holding on to consign last season’s final defeat to Napoli to history.

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo would welcome Antoine Griezmann back to the club, though he does not expect Barcelona to sell a player who has not hit the expected heights at Camp Nou.

Griezmann joined Barca from their LaLiga rivals in July 2019, a year after a heavily rumoured move had initially appeared set to happen.

Instead, the France international decided to remain in Madrid for one more season, during which he scored 15 league goals. It was his lowest output for a top-flight campaign while at Atleti, who had signed him from Real Sociedad in 2014.

However, linking up with Lionel Messi at Barca has not quite panned out as hoped.

In two years at Barca, the 30-year-old has managed 34 goals in 98 appearances in all competitions. His second season has seen an improvement (19 scored, compared to 15 in the previous term), but he is still more of a peripheral figure than the focal point he once was at his previous club.

While he has started 44 games under Ronald Koeman in 2020-21, Griezmann has been substituted in 27 of them. His conversion rate on chances deemed ‘big’ by Opta (where a player is expected to score) has dipped slightly, yet his 11 open-play goals in LaLiga is actually in line with an xG of 10.5.

Cerezo, however, is in no doubt about the forward’s qualities, even if a return to the Wanda Metropolitano appears highly unlikely.

"He is a magnificent player, but I don't think Barca wants to sell Griezmann,” the Atleti president said while appearing on the El Larguero show on Cadena SER.

"I think any team would be crazy to have Griezmann.

"He had magnificent seasons with us and I think he became a football player at Atletico Madrid.”

A sensational swap deal involving Joao Felix has been rumoured, though Cerezo was quick to shut down the possibility of the Portuguese youngster, who has had his own issues living up to expectations in Madrid, moving on in the next transfer window.

"There's no way he leaves," he said. "He has to adapt, but when he takes off, he'll be one of the most important players on the planet."

So what next for Griezmann? His focus will soon switch to France’s bid for Euro 2020 glory, but is he certain to stay at Barca?

The LaLiga club have been linked with Erling Haaland and soon-to-be free agent Memphis Depay, suggesting a focus on adding attacking options for a new board determined to turn around the team’s fortunes on and off the pitch.

"A cycle has finished and we are working to carry out a renovation," Barca president Joan Laporta said at the Festa de l'Esport Catala on Tuesday.

"We have been eliminated from the Champions League very early and the league has been lost in an incomprehensible way.

"I'm talking about the end of the cycle and renewal because that's what I think needs to be done.”

Heading back to Atleti seems highly unlikely – Barca will not want to make the same mistake twice, having let Luis Suarez head there on the cheap – but Griezmann must wait to see if he will be brushed to one side amid potentially sweeping changes in Barcelona.

Hertha Berlin midfielder Sami Khedira has announced his retirement from football at the end of the 2020-21 season. 

The 34-year-old's last game will be against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

Khedira joined Hertha in February after five-and-a-half years with Serie A giants Juventus, where he won five Scudettos and three Coppa Italia titles. 

Prior to that he enjoyed five seasons at Real Madrid, claiming one LaLiga title and the Champions League in 2013-14. 

He made 77 appearances for Germany and was an important part of the squad that won the 2014 World Cup.

Khedira, who won the Bundesliga with Stuttgart in 2006-07, has made just eight appearances for Hertha this season, with only three of those starts. 

"Exactly 14 years ago to the day I was allowed to celebrate the championship with Stuttgart," he told a media conference.

"That was a wonderful day. Today is one that is very difficult for me personally because my football career will be over on Saturday at around 5:15 pm.

"It's a pretty tough step and it's hard for me to talk about, but it's the right decision. Fifteen years in professional football have left their mark and I have to honestly judge what I can and cannot do.

"First of all, I would like to gain some distance and relax. I will stay with football, in what form remains to be seen."