There is uncertainty at Paris Saint-Germain due to fears over further financial fair play sanctions, leading to speculation of numerous players being sold or offloaded.

L'Equipe claimed earlier this week that PSG had put on hold contract negotiations with Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi.

Messi is contracted with PSG until the end of this season, although he reportedly had come to a verbal agreement with the club in December.

Back in September, the Ligue 1 leaders were hit with a €10million fine for FFP violations after the 2020-21 season with a further €45m suspended for any future infringements.

TOP STORY – MESSI'S OFFER TO ECLIPSE RONALDO'S RECORD

Marca reports Lionel Messi is set to receive a world-record €220million (£193m) per year offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club.

Messi's contemporary rival Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in January in a deal worth €200m, the highest football salary in history.

The Mirror claims the unnamed club is Al Hilal. The Argentinian has constantly been linked with the MLS too.

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–  Barcelona head coach Xavi has been in touch with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan about a move, with his contract running out at the end of this season, claims AS.

– Calciomercato claims Marco Verratti is weighing up a move away from Paris Saint-Germain following recent criticism. Verratti penned a contract extension until 2026 recently.

– Manchester United are pondering tabling a £105m offer for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, per Sport Bild.

– Mundo Deportivo claims Manchester United are interested in Barcelona's Franck Kessie as a midfield partner for Casemiro, while Tottenham and Chelsea are also circling for him.

– Arsenal are interested in Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard who may be available for a cut price with his current deal due to expire in 2024, reports Fichajes.

– Paul Pogba is eager to remain at Juventus despite battling injuries throughout this season, claims 90min.

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered his first Saudi Pro League defeat on Thursday as Al Ittihad claimed a 1-0 win to replace Al Nassr at the top of the table.

Al Nassr had not lost any of their five league games since Ronaldo's debut on February 3, drawing his first match before racking up four successive wins.

But that run came to an end against their title rivals at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Romarinho got the only goal of the game in the 80th minute, rounding off a devastating counter-attack.

The forward brilliantly brought down Ahmed Sharahili's right-wing delivery on the edge of the box, his first touch taking a defender out of the game before a cool finish sparked jubilant celebrations.

Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia tried to focus on the positives, however.

"We are disappointed because we did not deserve to lose," he said

"Al Ittihad scored a goal the way they like, on the counter-attack. The league is still long. We are now behind Al Ittihad by a point.

"I am happy with my team. We played in a difficult stadium in front of a strong audience, and yet we played with a wonderful personality."

Erik ten Hag did not lose sleep over his decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire to the bench for Manchester United's clash with Liverpool back in August.

After starting their Premier League campaign with successive defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford – the second of those losses a 4-0 reverse – United kick-started their season by beating Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford.

United have only got better since under Ten Hag, who claimed his first trophy as Red Devils boss last week when his side saw off Newcastle United 2-0 in the EFL Cup final.

They head into Sunday's meeting with Liverpool at Anfield in third place, 10 points ahead of their sixth-placed hosts.

Ten Hag made two big calls by leaving Ronaldo and club captain Maguire out of his side in the reverse fixture, but he has no regrets over that decision, and suggested that would be the case even if the result had been different.

"I have to see and to face the consequences of it. The impact from the decisions, not only on the short term but on the longer term, of course," he said in a press conference.

"I think you always have to think statistically and [consider] what is the consequence in the longer term. I am aware of it but that's my job and that's the responsibility I have to take.

"I had reasons, they were obvious. And I knew also the consequence and also when it was a negative outcome from that game, which always is possible in football.

"But I'm not worrying. I sleep well, also on those nights, and I have to take decisions in respect of the team and the club. That is my job and that is the responsibility I have to take and I have to stand for those decisions."

Ten Hag's decision paid off, though while Maguire – who turned 30 on Sunday – has remained at Old Trafford as a bit-part player, Ronaldo left the club in November after an inflammatory interview in which he criticised United's manager.

While Ronaldo has departed, his former Real Madrid club-mate Casemiro has been an emphatic success since his arrival.

"I had a player in Ajax who set such standards, but definitely Casemiro in this team, he is such a leader and he is so important for us," Ten Hag replied when asked if he had ever coached a player like Casemiro.

"Not only with his performances, skills, like scoring a goal, or his header, or like linking up or intercepting balls. Organisation, the mentality, the culture, and we are so happy that we signed him.

"I think when you go to recruitment, we were looking for players with character, with personality and it was not only about signing a player – there are a lot of players in the world that have great skills. We are looking for players who have character. Players who have personality, who have leadership, who take responsibility, who are resilient."

Indeed, there has been no surprise for Ten Hag when it comes to Casemiro's quality.

He said: "I knew what a magnificent player he was. Just look through his profile. You see all the cups he won and that's not [a] coincidence.

"You have players who win, and win always, and players who lose and always lose. Of course, you have to do your research and find that type who will win and who are cooperative in the dressing room to be humble but when they are on the pitch they take responsibility and you can sit on the bench and you are composed."

Cristiano Ronaldo has pledged his Player of the Month Award in the Saudi Pro League will be "the first of many" after winning the accolade with Al Nassr.

The Portugal forward, who made the move to the competition following his exit from Manchester United in November, made a quiet start to life with the club in January.

But following his first full month with Rudi Garcia's side, in which he scored two hat-tricks and totalled eight goals in four appearances, he looks to have fully settled into life with them.

Ahead of Al Nassr's 3-1 win against Al Batin on Friday, Ronaldo was presented with the monthly award, and promised it would not be the last one he claimed on social media.

"Happy to win the February Player of the Month Award for the Saudi League," he wrote. "Hopefully the first of many! Proud to be part of this team."

Ronaldo's first strike for the club came with a point-clinching penalty in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Al Fateh on February 3, before he scored all four goals in their 4-0 win over Al Wehda six days later.

Though he drew a blank in their 2-1 win over Al Taawoun, he set up both of his side's goals, supplying assists for Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Abdullah Madu on February 17.

The 38-year-old capped his excellent month with another hat-trick, this time in a 3-0 victory against Damac on February 25, to help keep Al Nassr in the thick of the title race.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr scored three goals in injury time to earn a stunning 3-1 win over Al Batin and move top of the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

Ronaldo's side were 1-0 down and looked to be on their way to a first defeat in five matches against an Al Batin team sat bottom of the league and with just one win all season.

But Abdulrahman Ghareeb levelled in the 93rd minute, before Mohammed Al Fatil dramatically put Al Nassr ahead in the 12th minute of additional time.

The points were made safe two minutes later, as Ghareeb set up Mohammed Maran to add a third and move Al Nassr to the top of the table.

Despite his team's spectacular comeback, Ronaldo failed to register a goal involvement for the first time in five matches.

It was not for the want of trying though, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had a team-high seven shots, though he hit the target just once.

Ronaldo picked up the league's player of the month award before kick-off, after scoring eight goals and adding two assists during February as his team went unbeaten.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr scored three goals in injury time to earn a stunning 3-1 win over Al Batin and move top of the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

Ronaldo's side were 1-0 down and looked to be on their way to a first defeat in five matches against an Al Batin team sat bottom of the league and with just one win all season.

But Abdulrahman Ghareeb levelled in the 93rd minute, before Mohammed Al Fatil dramatically put Al Nassr ahead in the 12th minute of additional time.

The points were made safe two minutes later, as Ghareeb set up Mohammed Maran to add a third and move Al Nassr to the top of the table.

Despite his team's spectacular comeback, Ronaldo failed to register a goal involvement for the first time in five matches.

It was not for the want of trying though, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had a team-high seven shots, though he hit the target just once.

Ronaldo picked up the league's player of the month award before kick-off, after scoring eight goals and adding two assists during February as his team went unbeaten.

Marcus Rashford's remarkable resurgence on the pitch is completely unrelated to the Manchester United departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, according to club great Andrew Cole.

Rashford scored United's second in Sunday's 2-0 EFL Cup final win over Newcastle United, as the Red Devils ended a trophy drought that stretched back almost six years.

That was his 25th goal of the season across all competitions, already three more than his previous best return for a full campaign, and United still have at least 17 matches to play in 2022-23.

Rashford has looked more confident and threatening all season, but his form has hit new heights since the World Cup – in that time, his 17 goals (all competitions) is five more than any other player from the top five leagues, and he is one of only two (Victor Osimhen, 11) to reach double figures for non-penalty (np) goals (16).

Those come from a np-xG (expected goals) of just 8.0, meaning he is scoring twice as many goals as the average player would expect given the quality of his chances.

Rashford's positive 8.0 np-xG differential since the World Cup considerably exceeds that of every other player from the top five leagues, with James Ward Prowse second on 4.3 (six np goals, 1.7 np-xG).

This is a far cry from Rashford's form last season when his goals frequency of 0.27 per 90 minutes was the worst of his United career – the 0.78 goals every 90 minutes this term is comfortably his best such return.

Given the biggest upturn in Rashford's form has come since the World Cup, some have speculated whether Ronaldo's exit – which was confirmed during Qatar 2022 – has had something to do with it.

But Cole, a treble winner with United in 1999, refuses to accept that, convinced there is a simpler explanation.

He told Stats Perform: "I'm an individual. I'm not going to get involved in the Ronaldo thing because he left. Ronaldo wasn't there 18 months ago when Marcus Rashford was struggling.

"So, because Ronaldo's left now, all of a sudden [there's a perception] it's because he's left. It doesn't make sense for me. When Ronaldo wasn't at the club, Marcus found himself in a bit of form that he couldn't get himself out of, so I'm not having that.

"The [Erik] Ten Hag effect, I think. No doubt, the manager will be believing in him, telling him how good he is. But ultimately, as individuals, he could have taken his eye off the ball a little bit with what he was doing off the field.

"It could have been a little bit of that as well, but to see him in this really fit form now, the way he's playing, I think it's testament to him. For me, personally, it doesn't really matter what anyone else does with you.

"Monday to Friday, once you cross the white line, it's you as an individual, and also Monday to Friday, someone's telling you how great you are.

"If you don't believe how great you are, once you cross the white line, it makes no difference what anyone else tells you because you've got to tell yourself that.

"I'm looking at him now, he seems to be telling himself, 'I'm at that level that I want to be at'. That's why he's playing so well."

But with spells of such form from one individual come questions of dependency, or over reliance.

Since the World Cup, no team across the top five leagues has scored more than United (43), while their average of 2.3 every game sees them rank sixth, which again is commendable given the top five have all played at least six games less than Ten Hag's side.

However, no other United player has scored more than seven goals (all competitions) this season. While Ten Hag has received due praise for inspiring a huge improvement around the club, it is difficult to imagine them being on their current trajectory without Rashford's form.

And Rashford's numbers since the World Cup represent something of an anomaly – relying on him to score double his xG for the rest of the season would be unfair and unlikely.

This concern is not lost on Cole, who during the 1998-99 treble-winning season was one of five United players to score at least 10 goals.

"Do we need that depth? Of course we do, if we look at all the top teams in Europe, they have that depth," he continued.

"And yeah, I would say if [Rashford] did pick up an injury, which naturally I don't want, you're going to turn around say, 'where are the goals going to come from?'

"Because they're not really being spread around the team. Marcus has got a majority of them. Yeah, you might get sporadic [contributions]: Antony might get one in four games or whatever; Casemiro scored [on Sunday]; [Jadon] Sancho is getting himself back and is getting a goal every now and then.

"But if you're going to be challenging for major honours, you've got to have goals coming from all areas, and at this moment time Manchester United are relying on Marcus because he's in that form.

"No doubt they'll look to address that problem [a lack of goals elsewhere] in the summer."

Marcus Thuram will leave Borussia Moenchengladbach at the end of this season when his contract expires.

As a result, the 25-year-old French forward is garnering plenty of interest from top European clubs.

Thuram has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season for Gladbach, having been part of France's 2022 World Cup squad.

TOP STORY – THURAM OFFERED TO BARCELONA

Marcus Thuram's agent has offered the French forward to Barcelona as an off-season signing, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Thuram has interest from Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Inter.

Barcelona's economic challenges mean they have prioritised signing players on free transfers in recent times with Thuram offering that plus flexibility in attack.

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– Fichajes claims Cristiano Ronaldo wants Sergio Ramos to join him at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, with the defender's contract with PSG to expire at the end of this season. Ramos will leave it late to make a decision, holding out hope for a PSG extension.

– Liverpool will battle Bayern Munich in the off-season for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, reports Calciomercatoweb.

– Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all interested in Inter's Marcelo Brozovic, with the Serie A club open to selling him, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

– Manchester United are weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, reports Football Insider. Fabrizio Romano claims numerous top clubs are interested in the Dutch defender.

– La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Liverpool are tracking Inter's Nicolo Barella as they look to bolster their midfield options.

– West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Brentford are all circling for Milan forward Olivier Giroud,  who is open to a return to England, claims The Sun.

Cristiano Ronaldo outclassed another Saudi Pro League defence as his second hat-trick in three games earned Al Nassr a 3-0 win over Damak on Saturday.

The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward had his treble by half-time, following up his four-goal haul two weeks previously against Al Wehda.

Ronaldo's first against Damak was an 18th-minute penalty, awarded after a handball by Farouk Chafai, while his second was a fierce left-footed strike from 20 yards five minutes later as defenders stood off.

The hat-trick was sealed in the 44th minute after a fast break out of defence, with Abdulrahman Ghareeb driving down the left before feeding a pass through to Ayman Yahya.

Yahya might have shot but elected to lay the ball off for 38-year-old Ronaldo to smash home from 10 yards.

Ronaldo hit 44 hat-tricks in his legendary Madrid career, becoming the Spanish giants' record scorer, while he also netted three across two spells with United, and added three trebles during a three-year stint at Juventus.

Liverpool reportedly view Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham as their ideal central midfield pairing of the future.

Liverpool's interest in 19-year-old Bellingham has been well-documented, and they are believed to be one of the front-runners to secure his services, along with Real Madrid.

Gravenberch, 20, arrived at Bayern prior to the season from Ajax for an €18.5million fee, but he has made only one start this Bundesliga campaign, along with 12 appearances as a substitute.

Liverpool are due for a midfield overhaul this off-season with 33-year-old Jordan Henderson and 32-year-old Thiago reaching their primes, and the club appear to be preparing for an injection of youth.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL ENVISION GRAVENBERCH AS KEY COG OF FUTURE MIDFIELD

According to Sport 1, Liverpool are "closely following" Gravenberch's situation in Munich, and have begun gathering background information about the young Netherlands international.

The report claims that Bayern are not looking to ship him off after just one season, but Gravenberch himself may indicate he wants out if his playing time situation does not start trending in the right direction.

With his contract tying him to the Bundesliga side until 2027, Gravenberch has no leverage to force his way to the Premier League, but that will not stop Liverpool from dreaming about potentially moving forward with Gravenberch, Bellingham and breakout talent Stefan Bajcetic all aged under 21.

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– Planeta Real Madrid is reporting Paris Saint-Germain will look to secure Vinicius Junior if Kylian Mbappe leaves for the Spanish capital.

– According to The Mirror, Sergio Aguero claims Lionel Messi is strongly considering a move back to childhood club Newell's Old Boys.

– Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix would like to make his move to Chelsea permanent, per Fichajes.

– Marca is reporting Cristiano Ronaldo's team Al Nassr have been sounding out Sergio Ramos' interest in a move to Saudi Arabia.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, after rejecting an advance from Newcastle United, Flamengo have handed 18-year-old midfielder Matheus Franca a new contract that includes a €200m release clause.

Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has reportedly caught the attention of LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bajcetic, 18, scored his first Premier League goal in a short substitute appearance against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and after impressing in a pair of January FA Cup starts, he forced his way into the first team.

He has started their past four Premier League fixtures as well as Tuesday's Champions League Final rematch against Madrid, indicating a rapid rise in the eyes of Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard left Celta Vigo in 2020 to head to the Premier League, but his home country could soon come calling to bring him back.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL TEEN CAPTURES IMAGINATION OF EUROPE'S ELITE

According to Fichajes, both Barcelona and Madrid "have been closely following his evolution", and they believe Bajcetic possesses the qualities necessary to perform at the highest level.

Barcelona reportedly view him as "an ideal piece to form a future midfield with Pedri and Gavi", while Madrid would like him to be the successor to ageing veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

His contract ties him to Anfield until 2027, but the Spanish giants could try to test his transfer value as soon as this off-season.

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– The Daily Mail is reporting Aston Villa will listen to offers for 30-year-old goalkeeper and World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez after the season with the hope that a significant transfer fee could fund a mini-rebuild.

– Leicester City will look to sell James Maddison at the end of the season if they can not convince him to sign a new contract, with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham named as interested parties, per Football Insider.

– According to The Telegraph, 31-year-old midfielder N'Golo Kante will sign a new contract to remain at Chelsea.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting Inter will look to move on from wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens at the end of the season, with Dumfries a potential piece in a swap deal for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku.

– According to the Evening Standard, Saudi Arabian clubs – including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr – are circling 30-year-old Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha with the belief he would be open to a Middle East move for the right price.

Ruud Gullit has been "pleasantly surprised" by Erik ten Hag's early success as Manchester United manager and believes the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo was key.

Ten Hag left Ajax to take the United job prior to this season, only for the Premier League giants to endure a difficult start to the campaign.

Their fortunes have since turned around dramatically, however. United are third in the Premier League, still in the FA Cup and Europa League and through to the EFL Cup final.

The Red Devils will play that final against Newcastle United on Sunday, a repeat of the 1999 FA Cup final in which Gullit was the Magpies' manager.

Victory in that game would give Ten Hag silverware to go with the clear progress United have made, but Gullit has already been suitably impressed by his fellow Dutchman and his handling of Ronaldo.

The United great pushed for a move away from the club, which was finally granted during the World Cup break after he took part in an interview criticising Ten Hag and others at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo is now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, while Ten Hag's United are flying high.

"I am pleasantly surprised," Gullit told Marca. "The Dutch league is not the same as the English one, but Ten Hag has a philosophy that sticks.

"In addition, he managed well in the Cristiano case. Ronaldo didn't want to play, he wanted to leave, and he made the decision not to play.

"That gave the team the feeling that 'hey, with this guy, if you do well, you play'.

"Now, they compete well, young players are involved and they feel they have a chance. Even [Harry] Maguire is fine."

Gullit added of the Ronaldo saga: "The situation was handled like this, and now he is in a place where he is happy. Ronaldo is happy, and so is Ten Hag."

Al Nassr went top of the Saudi Pro League after Cristiano Ronaldo set up both of their goals in a 2-1 win over Al Taawoun.

It was confirmed this week that the Saudi champions will feature in the Club World Cup later this year as the host nation representative.

Ronaldo will surely be desperate to feature in FIFA's flagship club competition and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner followed up his four-goal showing against Al Wehda with another match-winning turn on Friday.

Having teed up Abdulrahman Ghareeb's 17th-minute opener, Ronaldo supplied his second assist of the game to set up Abdullah Madu for Al Nassr's winner with 12 minutes of normal time remaining.

Ronaldo's first assist was a wonderful, first-time, sweeping pass into the path of Ghareeb, who still had work to do to shrug off his marker and beat Al Taawoun's goalkeeper.

The 38-year-old Ronaldo might not have known too much about his touch for the winner as he, perhaps unintentionally, cushioned a team-mate's shot back for Madu to drill into a gaping net, with the VAR awarding the goal after Ronaldo was initially flagged for offside.

The victory took Al Nassr back above Al Ittihad on goal difference.

"Top of the league and three important points," Ronaldo tweeted after the match. "Great team work!"

Karim Benzema has surpassed Raul as Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer in LaLiga.

Benzema moved onto 229 LaLiga goals, from 428 appearances in the competition, as he slotted in from the penalty spot to nose Carlo Ancelotti's side into a 2-0 lead against Elche on Wednesday.

Marcos Asensio's superb goal gave Los Blancos an early lead at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Benzema doubling their advantage just past the half-hour mark after Enzo Roco had handled in Elche's box.

Benzema subsequently scored his 230th LaLiga goal before half-time, converting his second spot-kick of the match.

Madrid great Raul took 550 matches to net his 228 LaLiga goals, meaning Benzema has overtaken him in 122 fewer games.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Madrid's record goalscorer, stands way clear of Benzema on 311 goals from just 292 LaLiga appearances.

Benzema was already Madrid's second-highest goalscorer across all competitions, having surpassed Raul last year in that regard.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have all been named on FIFA's FIFPro Men's Team of the Year 26-player shortlist for 2022.

Ronaldo's inclusion was arguably the major surprise after a difficult back half to the year where he was dropped by both Manchester United and Portugal, ultimately parting ways with the Red Devils in November.

The Portuguese star has made the Team of the Year, along with Messi, every year since 2007, but will face stiff competition among the forwards alongside Erling Haaland, Mbappe, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski and reigning Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema.

Last year, four forwards were named in the final XI; Ronaldo, Haaland, Lewandowski and Messi.

World Cup stars Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez are named in the shortlist for the first time in midfield, alongside Casemiro, Kevin de Bruyne, Gavi, Luka Modric, Pedri and Federico Valverde.

The defenders nominated are Joao Cancelo, Virgil van Dijk, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Alphonso Davies, Josko Gvardiol, Achraf Hakimi and Theo Hernandez.

The goalkeepers in contention are Alisson Becker, Thibaut Courtois and Emiliano Martinez.