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Highly rated midfielder Lars Bender has signed a new contract until June 2017 with Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga outfit announced on their officials website.

The 22-year-old had more than two years left on his five-year deal with die Werkself, but he was rewarded with a new and improved contract.

Bayer Leverkusen managing director Wolfgang Holzhauser expects coach Robin Dutt to build his team around the promising midfielder.

Lars Bender is an exemplary professional and he has great potential. He’s already a top performer and leading player at Bayer 04 at a young age,” Holzhauser said to club’s official website.

The player himself was delighted at signing a new deal with the Bay Arena outfit.

“I’m happy and satisfied. Bayer 04 Leverk…

Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard were on target as Chelsea laid down a marker in the Premier League title race by producing a superb second-half comeback to win 3-1 at Manchester City, who ended the match with nine men.

Leaders Chelsea travelled to the Etihad Stadium having won seven consecutive matches, during which time they had conceded just one goal.

Antonio Conte s men were staring down the barrel of a first defeat since September, though, when Gary Cahill diverted Jesus Navas cross into his own goal on the stroke of half-time.

But a thrilling encounter turned when Kevin De Bruyne smashed the crossbar with the goal unguarded, with Costa levelling soon after.

Cesc Fabregas, starting a league match for just the second time this season in the abs…

Market: Paysandu draw no net

Odds: 21/20 @

Hoping to extend their buffer in the play-off spot this weekend, Paysandu will make the trip to a struggling AE Altos for Serie C showdown on Sunday night.

Starting with the hosts, while AE Altos might have just about clung to their Serie C status last season, it is no secret that the Alligators are free-falling their way out of Brazil’s third-tier this time around. In the midst of an extended crisis, Jerson Testoni’s men sit rock-bottom of the table and three points adrift of clawing their way out of the drop zone. Signing off July with another worrying performance as they slumped to a routine 2-0 loss away at Volta Redonda, the Greens are without a win from any of their last 10 straight appearances a run that stem…

Swindon Town interim chairman Jeremy Wray has denied his club are close to signing Socceroos forward Harry Kewell.

Kewell has moved back to the United Kingdom so to be with his wife and her sick mother and needs a new club after a season in the A-League with Melbourne Victory.

British media reported on Sunday that Swindon manager Paolo di Canio was keen to recruit Kewell but Wray has ruled out any bid for the 33-year-old Australian.

There is nothing at all in it, no association at all, Wray said on Monday.

I have seen the rumours but there is nothing in them, the first I saw about it was in the media.

While Australian media picked up the story on Monday, the chances of Kewell joining Swindon always looked slim.

Di Canio s recruitment f…

Brazil and Real Madrid playmaker Kaka is being linked with a move away from the Bernabeu, but according to Sky reports Los Blancos won’t sell him for less than £40million.

That asking price is ridiculous for a player who is 30 years of age.

Wasted

Since his move to Real in 2009 Kaka has struggled to reproduce the form which made him a world star at AC Milan in Serie A.

Injuries and lack of form have meant that he has struggled to cement his place in Los Blancos’ starting 11.

Last season he was a bit-part player as his club made La Liga history, although he did make 26 appearances. A lot of those appearances were from the substitutes bench, as he competed with German midfielder Mesut Ozil for the role of midfield playmaker.

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Former Arsenal defender Armand Traore could finally be offered an escape route from Queens Park Rangers, .

The 26-year-old hasn t made a single appearance for QPR since April and it is clear that he will be leaving at the earliest opportunity.

With his current deal due to expire at the end of the season, the Loftus Road outfit will attempt to earn some money in the process, although a nominal fee is the best they can hope for at the moment.

Namely, L Equipe has learned that Armand Traore is in advanced talks with Ligue 1 giants Lille and is almost certain to join les Dogues in January.

The full-back and his representatives have held negotiations with both sporting director Jean-Michel Vandamme and coach Herve Renard, and it would appear as though an agre…

Avram Grant could be taking charge of Ghana for the last time when they play Burkina Faso in the Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off in Port-Gentil on Saturday.

The former Chelsea boss has strongly hinted this tournament would be his last in charge of the Black Stars with his contract nearing expiry and he may not even get the chance to decide for himself due to criticism he is receiving in Ghana.

The likely end of Grant s tenure comes after he failed to end their 35-year wait for AFCON glory following the 2-0 semi-final defeat to Cameroon, two years on from their heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast in the final.

I am more than unhappy, said Grant. We wanted so much to be in the final. 

We did everything to be there and in the …

Juventus veteran Gianluigi Buffon is still haunted by Paris Saint-Germain s Champions League defeat to Manchester United in 2018-19.

United recorded a famous comeback in their Champions League last-16 tie in March last year, winning 3-1 at Parc des Princes to progress on away goals.

PSG had taken control of the tie with a 2-0 first-leg victory at Old Trafford and were expected to progress comfortably, particularly given the Red Devils were missing nine senior players through injury and Paul Pogba due to suspension.

United took the lead after 111 seconds through Romelu Lukaku and, after Juan Bernat equalised, Lukaku made it 2-1 when goalkeeper Buffon parried a Marcus Rashford shot into his path.

Rashford proved the match-winner in the 94th minute, converti…

Wolves substitute Sasa Kalajdzic scored a late winner two minutes after coming off the bench as Everton manager Sean Dyche’s decision to turn to some new faces produced a depressingly-familiar outcome.

The Toffees dominated this Premier League match – having 15 shots – but remain goalless and pointless in the 270 minutes they have played so far this season as the visitors scored with their only effort on target in the 87th minute.

Fans streaming out of Goodison had seen it all before as recently as a fortnight ago when a similar performance against Fulham also saw them lose 1-0 as they endured their worst start to a season since 1990-91.

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Instant impact from the striker. He s picked out in the middle of the box and makes absolutely no mis…

Cote d Ivoire international defender Kolo Toure has revealed he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, .

Toure, 32, joined Manchester City from Arsenal for £16million in July 2009.

The 32-year-old has become a squad player this term following the arrival of Serbia international centre-back Matija Nastasić from ACF Fiorentina in the summer.

Toure, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, has not been offered a new deal by City.

I have been here for nearly four years, and two fantastic years when I have been playing a lot and I hear my songs with Yaya and I will miss those things, for me my family is here, my kids are at school and they like the area but in two months nothing has come from the club and I am thi…