Emre Can launched into a scathing attack on the performance of the referee after Borussia Dortmund were knocked out of the Champions League following a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea. 

Graham Potter's side faced a tough task after losing the first leg 1-0 in Germany, but Raheem Sterling's first-half goal and a Kai Havertz penalty secured a 2-1 aggregate win for the Blues.  

Havertz's penalty was the subject of much controversy after the forward was allowed to retake the spot-kick following encroachment from Salih Ozcan during his first missed attempt, a decision that left Can furious.

"The referee was to blame," the Dortmund midfielder told Prime Video.  

"I don't understand the second penalty. How can you give it? I don't give a damn who ran into the penalty area before. He hits the post, finished."

Speaking further on the performance of Danny Makkelie, he said: "The referee was arrogant throughout the game. I wanted to talk to him normally at half-time, that's where it starts. 

"We're playing here at Stamford Bridge. Maybe the referee is afraid of the fans. UEFA should send another referee. That's just not possible." 

Dortmund had won 10 consecutive games prior to this second-leg encounter, with defeat on Tuesday their first of 2023 and seeing them fail to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League in back-to-back seasons.  

Despite the narrow loss, Can was pleased with his side's performance, suggesting Dortmund were not to blame for the defeat.

He said: "We played a decent game. I am proud to be part of this team. We need not be ashamed. We didn't embarrass ourselves. In the end, we lost undeservedly, also because of the officials."

Mason Mount's future at Chelsea remains uncertain, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.

Mount has rebuffed multiple contract offers from the Blues, prompting speculation he could move on.

Chelsea are determined to hang on to the 24-year-old but if they cannot, the optimal time to sell may be at the end of this season.

TOP STORY – MAGPIES TO RIVAL REDS IN MOUNT RACE

Newcastle United will join the pursuit to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount at the end of this season, claims the Daily Mail.

Liverpool have been linked with Mount given his contract status, but the Magpies could rival that interest given their deep pockets.

Financial Fair Play rules may limit Newcastle's ability to land Mount having spent £165million this season on Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman and others.

ROUND-UP

– The Sun claims Arsenal's top two priorities for the off-season are signing Napoli forward Victor Osimhen and West Ham United's Declan Rice. The Nigerian, who has interest from Manchester United too, wants to play in the Premier League one day.

– Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all retain interest in Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo despite penning a new deal until 2027 last week, claims Football Insider. According to the report, Brighton's asking price is upwards of £90m.

– Footmercato reports Real Madrid head of recruitment Juni Calafat met with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham at a London hotel on Tuesday, as numerous clubs circle for the England international.

– Liverpool sent scouts to watch coveted Benfica defender Antonio Silva and midfielder Florentino Luis last Friday, claims 90min. Real Madrid have been linked with Silva, while Tottenham have a reported interest in the pair.

– Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham are all proactively keeping tabs on Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot's situation and availability, claims 90min.

– Bayern Munich will not sign Joao Cancelo permanently after this season, instead letting him return to Manchester City upon the conclusion of his loan spell, according to Calciomercato.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter praised the atmosphere as he hailed a "special night" at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in their Champions League last-16 second leg.

Heading into the game 1-0 down from the first leg in Germany, Chelsea started well and scored either side of half-time through Raheem Sterling and a retaken Kai Havertz penalty.

Dortmund arrived on the back of winning 10 games in a row, but had no answer to a Chelsea team seemingly buoyed by the weekend's victory against Leeds United, which was only their second in 12 games prior to Tuesday. 

"Really pleased. Fantastic atmosphere, fantastic evening," Potter said at his post-match press conference. "The players and supporters were tremendous. We had to be against a team that have 10 wins on the bounce. It was a special night."

The Premier League side were without the injured Thiago Silva and unregistered Benoit Badiashile, with Marc Cucurella coming into the back three, and Potter was impressed with the Spaniard, who has faced criticism from fans for recent performances.

"I think he got man of the match, didn't he?" Potter asked. "I'm delighted for him. When you're having a bad time like we have, you accept the criticism. Marc has dealt with it well. We've tried to shield him a bit and pick the moment. With Benoit not available, he gave us the left foot and balance in a back-three and thankfully he delivered a top performance."

It made it back-to-back wins for Chelsea for the first time since October, and Potter addressed the recent dip in form and fan reaction directed at him.

"I think the supporters have been really fair with us," he said. "Supporters care, so when the results aren't what they want, they feel pain. They need to articulate that pain somehow, to get rid of it.

"They've been really supportive, they really have. They've stuck with the team and helped us on the pitch. You always need a bit of luck. I would say before the World Cup, we had nine players out. If you have all these players out, and tonight [Dortmund] had some players missing and that goes in our favour. I'm not going to complain about that at all."

He later added: "Inevitably, in life, you're going to have bad times and good times. I don't see any other way to look at it. It's how you react to the bad times, get some perspective and analyse it in the correct way. Things are never bad forever but it felt like that sometimes."

Potter was also asked if he had spoken to owner Todd Boehly, who was in attendance, to which he quipped: "Yeah I have, yeah. We're still here, I'm still here."

Jude Bellingham labelled the refereeing in Borussia Dortmund's Champions League defeat at Chelsea a "joke", though he warned he would not talk himself into another fine.

Dortmund took a 1-0 lead to Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Tuesday after Karim Adeyemi's goal at Signal Iduna Park gave them the advantage in the round of 16 tie.

But Raheem Sterling equalised on aggregate in the 43rd minute, before Marius Wolf was adjudged to have handled Ben Chilwell's cross in the Dortmund box from close range shortly after the break.

Kai Havertz hit the post with his initial penalty, but a retake was ordered after a Dortmund player allegedly encroached, with Havertz making no mistake with the second spot-kick by sending Alexander Meyer the wrong way as Chelsea held on to dump Dortmund out.

Bellingham, who was fined €40,000 (£35,665) by the German Football Association (DFB) in 2021 for criticising referee Felix Zwayer, was unhappy with both the decision to award a penalty and the ruling of a retake, blaming Havertz's run-up for his team-mates edging into the area.

"From where I was it looked like he was pretty close and I'm not sure what more he can do with his hands," Bellingham told BT Sport. "It's a yard or two away.

"I don't want to get in trouble, I've paid enough to them lot.

"That in itself was disappointing, and then the fact they've had a retake I think is a joke. For every penalty, especially when you have such a slow run-up, there's going to be people encroaching into the box by a yard or so.

"But that's the game I suppose, he's made a decision and we have to live with it."

Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic was keen to focus on his team's shortcomings rather than blame the referee, though he also felt it was a tight call that went against his side.

"I'm responsible for the performance of our team and my performance," Terzic said. "I don't want to talk about the referee.

"It's now the third time your [media] colleagues are asking me the question. I think it was a tight call and a harsh decision but that's how it goes."

Despite the defeat, Terzic was proud of his players and pointed to Chelsea's huge spending in the transfer market as evidence of his team competing at the top level.

"Fair play to Chelsea and congratulations," Terzic added. "It was two very tight games and in the end, inches decide whether you go to the next round or not.

"We have enough quality in the team and that's the good thing. These two games, this is what we want. We don't want to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market, we want to compete with Chelsea on the matchday and I think we did it twice."

Chelsea completed a turnaround at Stamford Bridge to seal their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday in the last-16 second leg, and 2-1 on aggregate.

After some near misses in the first half, Raheem Sterling gave the hosts the lead in the 43rd minute, before a retaken Kai Havertz penalty eight minutes into the second half sealed it.

Jude Bellingham missed an excellent opportunity to score for the visitors shortly after Havertz's penalty as the Bundesliga side toiled in west London after losing Julian Brandt to what appeared to be a hamstring injury early on.

It was Dortmund's first defeat since club competitions stopped prior to the World Cup, having won 10 in a row heading into this game, and was Chelsea's second win in a week as Graham Potter looks to turn their fortunes around.

Havertz almost put the hosts ahead just before the half-hour mark but his shot towards the near post from the edge of the box struck the inside of the woodwork, with the ball going across the goal but not in.

It was Sterling who broke the deadlock before half-time though as Chelsea put the Germans under concerted pressure, with the former Manchester City man getting a big slice of luck as he fluffed his first effort from Ben Chilwell's cross back into his own path, before slamming his second high into the roof of the net.

Chelsea had a penalty early in the second half after Marius Wolf was judged to have handled a Chilwell cross, with Havertz hitting the post with his first spot-kick, before being handed a second chance after a Dortmund player allegedly encroached, which he scored after sending Alexander Meyer the wrong way.

Bellingham skewed a shot wide under pressure from Kalidou Koulibaly as Dortmund failed to find a way back into it against a spirited Chelsea side.

Emre Can may not have seen Liverpool's demolition of Manchester United but felt the impact of his former side's resounding triumph.

The Reds' 7-0 blitz of their fierce rivals at Anfield on Sunday sent shock waves across Europe that echoed through former players.

Borussia Dortmund man Can was among those to take note of the drubbing despite being unable to watch the historic Premier League clash.

"I didn't see the game, I was not at home. But the reaction was amazing when I saw the result," he said ahead of Dortmund's Champions League clash against Chelsea on Tuesday.

"Of course, I'm always looking out for Liverpool, it's special to win against Man United 7-0. I imagine in the city it is a lot of fun now."

Another former Liverpool man took to social media to hail the result, Alberto Moreno posting "WHAT. A. SUNDAY" on Twitter alongside a heart emoji.

Some were closer to the action, former captain Steven Gerrard in attendance alongside the club's all-time record scorer Ian Rush – who shared a TikTok video of the triumphant celebrations on Merseyside.

Edin Terzic called on Jude Bellingham to stand up and lead Borussia Dortmund in their "brutally difficult" Champions League task at Chelsea on Tuesday.

Dortmund head to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their European last-16 clash with a 1-0 lead after Karim Adeyemi's second-half strike proved the difference in the first meeting.

Another heavyweight clash will provide Bellingham with a further chance to prove his worth on the biggest stage, having already impressed for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

The teenage midfielder remains a reported target of Liverpool and Real Madrid, as well as a host of Europe's elite, yet Bellingham's primary task will be helping Dortmund past Chelsea first.

Dortmund coach Terzic said at Monday's pre-match press conference: "Everyone knows his potential. He also had the opportunity to choose the Premier League when he came to us.

"But he chose Dortmund. He helps us and we help him. We're happy to have him with us, he's a leader of ours. We need a good performance from him."

Bellingham leads Dortmund's scoring charts with four goals in the Champions League this term, including a strike away at Manchester City in the group stages.

The 19-year-old could become the first Englishman in the history of the competition to score away from home against two different English sides.

However, Terzic acknowledged it will take a gutsy performance to overcome Chelsea despite Dortmund heading to England on a 10-match winning streak since the start of 2023.

"I don't think the form will decide tomorrow. It's a knockout game. We have a narrow lead," he added. "We are warned enough, we know what quality they have.

"We all know that sometimes 2-0 is not enough to go through. In the first leg, Chelsea didn't get the result they deserved, they caught us off guard a couple of times but didn't score.

"Then it becomes very dangerous. They showed that [in the Premier League] against Tottenham, against Leeds [United] and Southampton. It's going to be a brutally difficult task for us."

Chelsea had eight shots on target in the first leg, their highest number in a Champions League clash without scoring since Opta data began in 2003.

Graham Potter's side may have deserved more from the opening clash but Dortmund had Gregor Kobel's seven saves to thank – the most he has made in a single match in the competition.

Kobel has been out with a thigh injury and missed Friday's 2-1 Bundesliga victory over RB Leipzig, with Terzic refusing to make an early call on the goalkeeper's fitness for Chelsea.

"We will minimise the risk," Terzic said, before keeping his cards close to his chest and adding: "He has felt better every day."

Chelsea must produce another Champions League fightback to avoid being knocked out by Borussia Dortmund and Benfica will be expected to advance to the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Dortmund start the second leg at Stamford Bridge riding on the crest of a wave following 10 consecutive victories, sitting level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga after beating RB Leipzig 2-1.

Karim Adeyemi's goal gave Edin Terzic's side a 1-0 win over Chelsea and they have a great record in the competition after winning the first leg of knockout stage ties.

The Blues eased the pressure on head coach Graham Potter by beating Leeds United 1-0 on Saturday and have progressed more often than not after losing a first leg in Europe's premier club competition.

Benfica hold a 2-0 lead over Club Brugge heading into the second leg at Estadio da Luz and Joao Mario will attempt to extend his impressive scoring run in the competition.

Stats Perform pick out the standout Opta data to preview the two matches on Tuesday.

Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund may need the slender advantage they gained in the first leg, given they have lost five consecutive away games against English sides in the Champions League since beating Arsenal 2-1 in October 2013.

Chelsea lost the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie for the eighth time in Dortmund, but on the previous seven occasions that has happened they have gone on to progress four times.

That said, of the previous six ties in which Dortmund have won the first leg they have finished off the job to advance – Paris Saint-Germain being the only team to mount a second-leg fightback and knock them out at this stage in 2020.

The Bundesliga title contenders will be looking to win both legs of a Champions League knockout tie for the first time since the 1996-97 season, when they beat both Auxerre and Manchester United twice en route to lifting the trophy for the only time.

Benfica v Club Brugge

Brugge have it all to do when they face Benfica, who are unbeaten in their 10 previous home games against Belgian sides in the Champions League with eight wins and two draws.

Only one of the 45 teams to have won a first leg away from home in a Champions League knockout tie by at least two goals has failed to make it through, when PSG were dumped out by Manchester United in 2019.

Benfica have won three consecutive games in this competition, their best since reeling off six in a row back in the 1989-90 campaign.

Brugge have not scored in their past four Champions League games, which represents their longest drought in the competition.

They will have to keep a close eye on Joao Mario, who will attempt to become the first player to score in five consecutive games in either the European Cup or Champions League since the great Eusebio netted in seven on the spin between May 1963 and September 1964.

Graham Potter knows Chelsea's Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund can be "a special night" after they finally returned to winning ways.

The Blues will welcome the Bundesliga side to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for the second leg of their last-16 tie as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit.

Chelsea head into the match on the back of a first win in seven games after a 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday, handing them a much-needed boost to their flagging season.

Potter, who has been in need of positive results to ease the pressure on his position, is looking forward to the chance to back it up with success in Europe.

"I agree it's a big game, an exciting game," he said. "[It is] a chance to go through to the last eight of the Champions League. It'll be a special night.

"Our thoughts are on being positive and trying to win the game. It's a good challenge for us, a big challenge for us. We're excited for it and looking forward to it."

Having lost the first leg in Dortmund 1-0 thanks to a Karim Adeyemi goal, Chelsea are prepared for another close-quarters scrap in London this week.

Potter further revealed Kai Havertz would be the team's designated penalty taker in the absence of Jorginho, but otherwise delivered mixed team news.

"Reece [James], we'll make a decision on tomorrow," he added. "Christian Pulisic is in the squad, but it is too soon for N'Golo [Kante] but he's looking good [to return soon].

"It's a complex one because he has had a long time out. It'll be a case of how we get him back up to speed to play Premier League or Champions League football."

One player Potter was questioned on was Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix, who has made a slow start to his Chelsea career.

But the Portuguese's star power and potential remains enough for his boss, who added: "His quality is clear. He makes things happen from an attacking perspective.

"[He] has hit the bar twice and had other chances. The fact he can play in many positions is good. We've used him more centrally, but he can play anywhere in the attacking phase of the game."

Ruben Loftus-Cheek says Chelsea owe Graham Potter a victory in their crunch Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Chelsea snapped a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues had won only one game in their previous 11 before that match, in which Loftus-Cheek filled in at right-wing-back in the absence of Reece James.

Now, Potter's team trail Dortmund 1-0 heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday, but with home advantage on their side, Chelsea want to repay their head coach's hard work.

"We definitely owe it to the manager. He is obviously a fantastic manager, nobody can argue against that after what he has done with Brighton and other things," Loftus-Cheek told reporters.

"It is up to us as well. We have massive respect for the manager, the way he has been sitting in front of the media with us in this poor form, and he has stuck up for us players.

"So we owe it to the manager to perform as best we can on the pitch and turn things around."

Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League, 11 points back from Tottenham in fourth place.

"A team like Chelsea, we can't accept mediocrity. We understand we have been mediocre in this recent run, and we are not just accepting it," Loftus-Cheek continued.

"It might look like that from the outside, but it's not the case. We are hurting from the losses and the draws, because it is not in us as Chelsea players, and we are fighting our hardest to turn it around.

"It is not nice to hear all the criticism coming our way at Chelsea, to the manager, to the players. We had the poor run, so of course you are going to get that.

"We have obviously had a poor run of form, and we needed to turn it around. We may look back at this [Leeds] win as a turning point in weeks to come. You never know.

"We have got this win, and then if we win against Dortmund and then keep winning... we have the quality and the players and the manager to do that.

"We don't expect to stay in that poor run of form, but we have to stick together and come through it."

Edin Terzic praised his team's defensive fortitude after Borussia Dortmund equalled a club record by securing an eighth consecutive Bundesliga victory with a 2-1 win over title rivals RB Leipzig, and a 10th overall.

Dortmund headed into Friday's game second to Bayern Munich only on goal difference after an imperious run of form since the return of domestic football following the Qatar World Cup.

Meanwhile, Leipzig, led by former Dortmund boss Marco Rose, were four points off top spot themselves and looking to move within striking distance of the top two.

After Julian Brandt had seen a goal ruled out for offside for the hosts, captain Marco Reus scored from the spot after being felled by Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to put Dortmund ahead and move into second on the club's all-time goalscoring list.

Emre Can then saw a shot from the edge of the box somehow find its way in to give his team a commanding 2-0 lead at the break.

Leipzig improved after the break though and halved the deficit when Emil Forsberg slid in to turn David Raum's cross into the net, setting up a grandstand finish.

Rose's men piled on the pressure, and an incredible goal-saving block was needed from Nico Schlotterbeck to deny Timo Werner's powerful goal-bound effort in the dying seconds as Dortmund saw the game out for three points to move top, with Bayern not playing until Saturday when they face Stuttgart.

Terzic was delighted after watching his team's last-ditch defending pay off, telling DAZN: "That was an absolutely top game, we're very happy.

"We played very well in the first half, in the second half we defended passionately. We saved it over the line, it wasn't easy to score a goal against us today."

Reus was relieved to pick up a 10th straight win in all competitions despite Dortmund's low-key second-half display, saying: "In the second half we didn't manage to keep the ball, to get more solutions, that wasn't so good anymore. 

"But we're very happy to have won the 10th competitive game in a row. In the end, I'd rather win than play well and lose. It's all about hard work, we've shown that in the past few weeks and today."

Rose was frustrated by the loss after a much-improved performance in the second half, explaining: "The result is difficult to accept, the second half clearly went to us. 

"Dortmund were very efficient. It was a decent game from us at the back, I didn't feel like we were clearly inferior. Over 90 minutes, it's hard to accept losing a game like that."

Rafael Leao's name has long been in the rumour file given his contract status with Milan.

The forward is contracted with the Serie A side until July 2024 but has stalled on an extension, with no agreement on a salary increase.

There was speculation in January that a renewal was close but nothing materialised.

TOP STORY – MILAN'S LEAO BOOST

Rafael Leao would prefer to stay with Milan rather than move elsewhere, amid interest from a host of top clubs, claims Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with the 23-year-old Portugal international.

But it is claimed Milan could renew Leao's deal before the next transfer window, effectively warding off their interest.

ROUND-UP

– Erik ten Hag wants to add at least two major signings at Manchester United in the off-season, with Ajax's Mohammed Kudus and Napoli's Victor Osimhen on their list, claims the Manchester Evening News.

– Manchester City are weighing up a move for Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to The Telegraph. The Croatian's contract expires in mid-2024. Football Insider reports City are also interested in Chelsea's full-back Ben Chilwell.

– Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig both have an interest in signing Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita, who is out of contract at the end of this season, claims Bild.

– Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement for Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu to join as a free agent in the off-season, reports 90min.

– El Nacional claims Dusan Vlahovic has also spoken to Real Madrid about a potential move to Spain from Juventus.

– Juventus are also keen on signing out-of-favour Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, according to Fichajes.

Chelsea have continued to struggle in recent weeks despite their busy transfer activity during the January window.

The Blues have failed to score in their past three games, all defeats, and won only once in their past 11 games in all competitions.

Chelsea have only scored four goals in those 11 games this calendar year, with the situation putting pressure on new manager Graham Potter.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA TO TURN TO TAMMY

Chelsea could turn to former striker Tammy Abraham from Roma in the off-season, according to Football Insider.

There is a £70.5million (€80m) clause in Abraham's Roma contract that would allow the Blues to bring him back to Stamford Bridge which they intend to trigger, according to the report.

Chelsea have struggled for goals lately and view Abraham as a cheaper alternative to Napoli's Victor Osimhen.

ROUND-UP

– L'Equipe reports Kylian Mbappe will still leave Paris Saint-Germain in the near future even if he extends his contract. Mbappe's deal expires next year, but there is talk that PSG are looking to seal an extension for financial purposes.

– Arsenal have submitted a £35m (€40m) bid to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio, claims Calciomercato. Fichajes says the Gunners are also interested in West Ham's Lucas Paqueta as another midfield option.

– Real Madrid will rival Barcelona and Chelsea in the pursuit to sign Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, reports Corriere dello Sport.

– Barcelona are interested in signing Julian Alvarez from Manchester City on loan, claims Mundo Deportivo, while the English champions have offered him a one-year contract extension until 2028 on improved terms, according to Fabrizio Romano.

– Liverpool's plans to overhaul their midfield next season mean they have Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo in their sights, per Fichajes.

– Football Insider reports Liverpool are also monitoring N'Golo Kante's situation at Chelsea with talks ongoing over a contract extension.

Speculation about Mohamed Salah's future at Liverpool has re-ignited amid the Reds underwhelming campaign.

Liverpool appear destined for a last-16 Champions League exit after losing the first leg 5-2 at home to Real Madrid, while they are down in seventh in the Premier League.

The Reds are nine points outside the top-four league spots to earn Champions League qualification for next term.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL WILLING TO OFFLOAD SALAH

Mohamed Salah is willing to leave Liverpool if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League while the Reds are open to selling him, claims Fichajes.

Football Insider claims Paris Saint-Germain are keen on the Egyptian, who is contracted with Liverpool until mid-2025, and will bid €80 million (£70.6m) for his services.

Liverpool may be open to offers for Salah given their wealth of forward options as Jurgen Klopp looks to revamp his squad, with their intended pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, who is expected to cost more than €110m (£97m).

ROUND-UP

– Inter forward Lautaro Martinez is garnering interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, reports TEAMtalk. The 25-year-old Argentinian is contracted until mid-2026.

– Like Arsenal, Manchester United are weighing up a move for Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, claims AS. The 20-year-old is believed to be priced around £26m (€30m).

– Fabrizio Romano reports Liverpool's Naby Keita may join Barcelona as a free agent at the end of this season, although he clarified "nothing is serious yet".

– Napoli will rival Liverpool in the race to sign Empoli's 19-year-old attacking midfielder Tommaso Baldanzi, claims Calciomercato.

– RMC Sport reports Paris Saint-Germain will not axe head coach Christophe Galtier before the end of the season, following reports of a move for Thomas Tuchel to replace him.

– Liverpool are considering a swap deal for Milan's Rafael Leao involving Luis Diaz, while PSG are in the race for the Portuguese's signature, according to Calciomercato.

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.

ROUND-UP

– 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.