MICHY BATSHUAYI has reportedly received permission from Belgium to fly into London and complete a £33.2million move to Chelsea. The 22-year-old looked to be on his way to Crystal Palace after they had a £31.6m bid accepted by Marseille on Monday. But the Blues have swooped in to beat their London rivals to the highly-rated striker. Batshuayi scored 17 goals in Ligue 1 last season and on Sunday he scored in his country’s 4-0 win over Hungary at Euro 2016. French outlet RMC Sport say he will arrive in the capital today to undergo a … [Read more...]

Belgium captain Eden Hazard was a noticeable absentee from Tuesday's training session as his team prepared for its quarterfinal match against Wales at the European Championship. Coach Marc Wilmots said that Hazard, who inspired Belgium to its 4-0 victory over Hungary on Sunday, had a muscle problem. ''Eden felt a slight spasm in the quadriceps at halftime against Hungary,'' Wilmots said. ''He is now following an individual program ... and will be back again the day after tomorrow. He will be 100 percent, no problem.'' Defender Thomas … [Read more...]

Belgium will meet Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals after running out 4-0 winners over Hungary on Sunday. Thibaut Courtois believes Hungary made a "mistake" by coming out to play against Belgium after suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat in their round-of-16 tie at Euro 2016. Belgium ran out big winners in Toulouse on Sunday, with Toby Alderweireld, Michy Batshuayi, Eden Hazard and Yannick Carrasco all finding the net. However, Hungary took the game to Belgium as they pushed for an equaliser up until the last 12 minutes, when Marc Wilmots' … [Read more...]

Antoine Griezmann’s quickfire double was enough to see France progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 with a 2-1 victory over the Republic of Ireland. The formal Chelsea target second-half brace, which came inside three crucial minutes, helped his side avoid an almighty scare as they eventually showed their class at the Stade de Lyon. However, for almost an hour, Ireland, who ended the game down to 10 men after central defender Shane Duffy was dismissed for a professional foul on the Atletico Madrid star, had threatened to gatecrash … [Read more...]

Belgium trampled Hungary 4-0 with their best performance of Euro 2016, firing on all cylinders, getting a world class performance out of their stars, and most importantly, showing that notoriously stubborn manager Marc Wilmots has the ability to learn from his mistakes and do what's best for his team. If they continue to improve at the rate they have so far, they have to be considered one of the favorites to raise the European trophy. Belgium struggled early on in the tournament, slumping to a 2-0 loss against Italy before bouncing back … [Read more...]

Ex Chelsea player Ricardo Quaresma headed in a 117th-minute winner as Portugal reached the Euro 2016 quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Croatia after extra time in Lens. It was the first time either goalkeeper had been remotely threatened by either side who both struggled to create chances and the fact the Portuguese are into the last eight having not yet won a match in 90 minutes speaks volumes about the quality on show. Cristiano Ronaldo cut a peripheral figure throughout until a quick counter-attack immediately after Ivan Perisic … [Read more...]

Cesc Fabregas has warned that England’s decision to quit the European Union will “damage” the Premier League . The Spaniard moved to Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona thanks to an exemption in Fifa regulations that allows transfers to take place within the territory of the EU if the youngster is aged between 16 and 18. Clubs outside the EU are prohibited from signing overseas players under the age of 18, meaning the likes of Fabregas would not be able to move to England at such an early age. Fabregas is also considered a ‘homegrown’ … [Read more...]