Romelu Lukaku can turn Timo Werner into the goal machine Chelsea always thought the German would become, according to Thomas Tuchel.

The Blues £97.5million investment in Lukaku, a player they offloaded to Everton for £28m seven years ago, has been one of the most eye-catching transfers of the window.

After starring with Inter and Belgium, Lukaku looks to be in the prime years of his career, ready to transfer his own scoring form from Serie A to the Premier League.

He could make his second Chelsea debut at Arsenal on Sunday, and head coach Tuchel sees Lukaku bringing his influence to bear across the Chelsea frontline, including spurring on Werner to improve on his ho-hum first year in English football.

This can be a big upgrade for him, to have Romelu, …

It appears that, if Lionel Messi has his way, he will be playing for a new club before long.

The Barcelona captain and talisman told his employers he wanted to leave and, although the club won the battle in the previous transfer window, they may end up losing the war.

Messi is now entering the final six months of his contract and, unless a new deal is agreed soon, he could become perhaps the most sensational free transfer of all time in 2021.

Of course, tempting Messi away from Barca is by no means straightforward. His basic salary is said to be roughly €71million and, when you add in bonuses and other possible commitments, that represents a huge outlay on a player who turns 34 next June. Only a handful of clubs are even capable of pulling off such a deal, part…

Harry Kane scored twice to surpass the 400-goal mark for his senior career and guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The Bavarians, who saw Bayer Leverkusen end their 11-year-Bundesliga reign by securing the league crown two weeks ago, have only the Champions League trophy to fight for with departing coach Thomas Tuchel eager to leave on a high note.

Bayern warmed up for Tuesday s semi-final first leg against Real Madrid with three points at the Allianz Arena, denting Eintracht s hopes of European qualification in the process.

They went in front with Kane tapping in after a fine run from Konrad Laimer in the ninth minute, though the Austrian had to be taken off injured later on.

Eintracht levelled in the 23r…

Cristiano Ronaldo was named in Portugal s starting XI for their World Cup opener against Ghana at Stadium 974 in Doha.

After his inflammatory interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual agreement on Tuesday.

That means the 37-year-old is a free agent, and if he needs to remind anyone of his qualities ahead of the January transfer window, he has the chance to do so in Qatar.

Fernando Santos saw no issue in bringing Ronaldo into his team for Portugal s first Group F game on Thursday, with the striker spearheading an attack that also included Porto winger Otavio and Atletico Madrid s Joao Felix.

Ronaldo is aiming to become the first player to score at five different World Cups.

A ! Este é o nosso 11 Inicial para hoje!

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Hamburger SV sporting director Frank Arnesen has revealed that star forward Heung-Min Son will be offered a new deal at Imtech Arena.

The 20-year-old has been in scintillating form this season, which led to clubs like Liverpool and West Ham express interest in his services.

Given that the forward has less than two years left on his deal with the club, Hamburger officials are eager to tie Son to a new long-term deal.

“We should have the issue finished before the end of the season,” sporting director Frank Arnesen . “We will begin talks during the winter break.”

The German club aim to offer the player a new and improved contract that will keep him at the club until June 2016.

The South Korean began his professional career at Hamburg, after …

Argentine giants Velez Sarsfield have admitted they are in contact with Benfica regarding the sale of winger Ivan Bella.

The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form this season and is widely tipped to move to Europe in the near future.

Newcastle are believed to be following the talented midfielder, but Benfica are also reported to be showing interest.

Velez Sarsfield vice-president Julio Baldomar has now confirmed the Portuguese club have made the initial steps in an attempt to sign Ivan Bella.

“Currently, we have not received an official proposal, but we are in constant contact,” Baldomar explained to O Jogo.

“We have talked on several occasions, and if they express desire to buy Ivan, they will certainly communicate it officially.”

Owen Coyle has been ruled out as a potential successor to Eddie Howe by Burnley chief executive Lee Hoos.

Howe left the Clarets to return to Bournemouth earlier this week, and Coyle, recently relieved of his duties at Bolton Wanderers, has been heavily linked with a return to Turf Moor.

The Scottish manager led Burnley to promotion to the Premier League in 2009, but Hoos does not believe Coyle is the right man for the job.

I just couldn t see how that one could happen, Hoos told BBC Radio Lancashire.

Obviously I wasn t there when the whole Owen Coyle saga happened.

But I got enough feedback to know that there was a very bitter aftertaste and I just couldn t see a way back for that one.

It has to be the right person the right man for …

Prolific San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski has comfortably clinched Major League Soccer s Most Valuable Player award.

At the rate Wondolowski scored goals this past season, he was the strong favourite to win the award, and he did that in a landslide vote, capturing the division s top individual honour on Thursday.

Wondolowski s 27-goal season tied Roy Lassiter s single-season MLS mark set in the inaugural 1996 campaign and helped propel the Earthquakes to the Supporters Shield.

Wondolowski, an afterthought pick in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft who was traded from the Houston Dynamo to San Jose in 2009, has led MLS scoring for the past three years (he tied with Dwayne De Rosario last season and missed out on the Golden Boot due to the assists tieb…

Bastian Schweinsteiger expects Bayern Munich to win the Champions League again soon and would like to see Neymar playing for his former club.

Schweinsteiger was part of Bayern s last success in UEFA s elite club competition, when they triumphed over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2013.

Carlo Ancelotti proved unable to do more than retain the Bundesliga title in his first campaign in charge this season, Bayern exiting the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and losing a thrilling DFB-Pokal semi-final to BVB.

But Schweinsteiger, who left for Manchester United in 2015 and is now playing for MLS team Chicago Fire, does not believe there needs to be an overhaul at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern Munich is for me one of the top three…

German forward Marco Reus has moved to reveal that he is perfectly happy at Signal-Iduna Park and has no intention of leaving any time soon.

With quite a few star players leaving the Millionaires in recent years, the 27-year-old was expected to follow suit, as there is a number of high-profile clubs interested in his services.

However, it would appear as though Marco Reus is quite happy to remain at his boyhood club in years to come.

“I was born in Dortmund and I love playing here,” the forward told The Hindu. “All I can say is that I am very happy to be defending the Borussia Dortmund colours.”

Marco Reus has spent 11 years playing for Borussia Dortmund youth sides, but he then began his professional career at Rot Weiss Ahlen and also enjoyed a …