Cardiff and Nantes were unable to reach an amicable conclusion on the financial aspects of the move, so the case came before the players' status committee (PSC) of world governing body FIFA.

The former Arsenal manager was recently reported to be a target for the vacant managerial role at Bayern Munich but they have instead put Hans Dieter Flick in charge.

Although Karim Benzema is looking to switch allegiances after being snubbed for the French national team once again, it appears he won't be going to play for Algeria. 

Mike Riley hopes to use Arsene Wenger's new role to help push through law changes that will improve VAR - although he says the Premier League is still at odds with the rest of the world about how to use it.

Gareth Southgate's England are 5/1 favourites to win Euro 2020 after being paired with Croatia and Czech Republic in Saturday's draw.

Anthony Taylor will take charge of Saturday's Manchester derby at the Etihad stadium despite coming from a town only six miles away from Old Trafford.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been questioned again by Swiss federal prosecutors in a two-year investigation into allegations he bribed a FIFA official.

Van Basten, 55, was working as an analyst for Fox Sports two weekends ago when he was caught on mic saying the German phrase for 'hail victory' that became notorious for its use at Nazi rallies.

Frank Lampard says he will know within 'days' if he can sign players in January as Chelsea wait to hear whether their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has been successful.

CLAIRE BLOOMFIELD IN PARIS: Lyon defender Lucy Bronze has insisted she has her heart set on winning a major tournament with England, not a Ballon d'Or, after finishing second.

Data from world governing body FIFA's International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) has shown that agents' fees have climbed above the half a billion pound mark for the first time this year.

Rushan Abbas is calling for China to be stripped of its 2022 Winter Olympics and 2021 FIFA Club World Cup hosting rights.

Perez is thought to have held discussions with FIFA president Gianni Infantino surrounding the ambitious proposals. His vision is believed to feature two separate leagues with 20 teams in each.

Frank Lampard has been given the go-ahead to launch a January spending spree that will primarily focus on home-grown players after Chelsea's transfer ban was lifted.

Liverpool will play their first match at the FIFA Club World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium instead of at the Education City Stadium, which is not yet ready to host matches.

West Bromwich Albion are still waiting for Barcelona to pay up the £230,000 owed for teenage star Louie Barry - and are planning to raise the issue with FIFA.

Manchester City are considering a bid to sign Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, but face competition from Chelsea who intend to bring their academy graduate back to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues were given the all clear to sign players last week after their FIFA-imposed transfer ban was lifted and it is thought Chilwell is a target, along with England team-mate Jadon Sancho.

Florentino Perez is said to be putting steps in place to create a new competition that would be comprised of two, 20 team leagues but Sir Alex can't understand why Premier League clubs would want to join it.

Women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president on Friday, calling her 'bold' and 'real.'

FIFA has filed civil claims in Swiss courts against ex-president Sepp Blatter and ex-vice president Michel Platini as it pushes a bid to recover the two million Swiss francs 'unduly' paid to Platini in 2011.

Klopp has travelled to Qatar with his strongest squad possible ahead of the semi-final against Monterrey, while the club's youngsters will take to the pitch just 24 hours earlier in the Carabao Cup.

CLAIRE BLOOMFIELD: Colombia's hopes of hosting 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup may be over after the bid they submitted identified harrowing risks to teams, spectators and journalists.

MARTIN SAMUEL IN DOHA, QATAR: Late to the World Cup, late to the European Cup, it is no surprise that the Club World Cup continues to be regarded contemptuously by some back home.

Bento Miguel Martins, 14, thought he was just accompanying his dad, Eduardo Martins, 38, to the airport in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to wave him off for his flight to Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup.

DOMINIC KING: Liverpool once again hauled themselves over the line when it appeared they would take a false step. This team do not trip up, as Roberto Firmino took the Superman role.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has outlined the 'massive differences' between the South American and European outlook on winning the FIFA Club World Cup ahead of Saturday's final.

MARTIN SAMUEL IN DOHA: Liverpool have won the hearts and minds of sceptics by treating the crown of world champions as a prize to be fought for, and treasured after winning Club World Cup.

The Old Trafford-based club released the World Cup winner as the France international was reluctant to sign a new contract. He joined Juventus in the summer of 2012, before United bought him back.

Champions League holders Liverpool overcame Monterrey 2-1 on December 18 thanks to Roberto Firmino's injury-time winner, before they went on to beat Flamengo in the final.

EXCLUSIVE BY SAMI MOKBEL: Andrew Massey, the Reds' current head of medical services, is set to leave Anfield to take up a similar role at world football's governing body FIFA.

Liverpool are appointing Arsenal's lead doctor Gary O'Driscoll as their new head of medical services. He has been the leading candidate to replace Andrew Massey at the club.

EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: The government are 'committed' to backing a British and Irish bid for the 2030 World Cup - even if they have to go up against China.

ADAM SHERGOLD: England memorably won the Under-17 World Cup back in 2017. Some members of that team have already shot to stardom. We take a look at what happened to them.

Emiliano Sala was killed in a plane crash as he returned to Wales from France just two days after his transfer from Nantes to Cardiff was announced on January 19 last year.

Alex is seen in workout gear and rubs her bump for the camera in a new video. The 30-year-old said she plans to play in the 2020 Olympics in July and is still training to some degree.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly the leading candidate to become the new president of Ligue 1 side Rennes and is open to talks with the club's wealthy owners.

EXCLUSIVE: English football's post-Brexit transfer regulations are forcing Premier League clubs to fast-track moves for Europe's best teenagers this summer.

Following requests from a number of Serie A clubs, the country's governing body released a statement in which it said it was open to trialling a system whereby teams could request an on-field review.

Wenger wants a player to be deemed onside if any part of the body which can legitimately score a goal is level or behind the last defender - even if other parts of their body are beyond it. 

International Football Association Board's Lukas Brud has revealed that Wenger's proposed major overhaul of the law is not an option and the offside rule will remain the same.

Valcke has also been charged with accepting bribes over World Cup television rights. Al-Khelaifi is the chairman of beIN Media Group and also on the UEFA executive committee.

UEFA have been left in a potentially embarrassing position after executive committee member and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was charged in connection with a bribery investigation

FIFA announced that its football stakeholders committee had endorsed new regulations which would place limits on the number of international loans permitted of players aged 22 and over.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has spoken in favour of introducing the 'daylight' principle to the offside law to bring extra clarity. There has been a lot of controversy over offsides this season.

It's the acrobatic volley that has left awe-struck football fans picking up their jaws from the floor. Jordan Flores' sublime strike for Dundalk has been given the nod for a FIFA Puskas award.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has called the League Cup 'important' while stressing 'we have to work on a solution' following calls from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to scrap it.

With the suspension of the Premier League and EFL, Orient have taken it upon themselves to start a 128-team FIFA 20 tournament, with clubs including Man City, Brentford and Derby set to take part.

As revealed by Sportsmail earlier this year, Gary O'Driscoll was offered the top medical job at Liverpool after their head doctor Andrew Massey took up a role with FIFA.

With the season possibly extending into July, Sportsmail revealed on Saturday how out-of-contract players are on a collision course with their clubs due to the fact their deals expire on June 30.