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Everton captain Seamus Coleman has a “thirst to keep playing” amid suggestions over a potential retirement says manager Sean Dyche.

The 35-year-old right-back has only a few weeks remaining on his Everton contract and is yet to sign a new deal. Everton intend to offer Coleman a new one-year contract, with discussions over an extension ongoing.

The Republic of Ireland international has made 11 appearances in all competitions this season, and his manager believes that the defender is not considering calling time on his playing career.

Dyche said: “He (Coleman) has been great. It is ongoing. I’ve already spoken to him about his view and at this stage, I know he will need to reflect on where he is at but I think his thirst is to keep playing. We will be looking into that.

“I don’t think there is any reason to wonder about his last game at this stage and those are his words, not mine. He has made it clear at this stage that his mindset is to keep playing.”

Coleman joined Everton from League of Ireland club, Sligo Rovers in 2009. During his 15 years at Goodison Park, he has made 420 appearances, scoring 28 goals and providing 29 assists.

When asked if he could see Coleman becoming a coach at the club, Dyche said: “I think he is learning to have that in him. He has absorbed a lot from a lot of different experiences.

“For a player that has been here so long, the good side of having different managers is that you can learn a lot. The varying styles and different ways of working. I think he is like that.

“I think he will absorb that and he certainly knows the club like the back of his hand.”

“Yes, I could see him in the future (becoming a coach at Everton), but these players are different now. It’s if he chooses to.

“Players at this level, you’ve had so many years at a club like this, it is a different thing. These players have a choice now whether they want to or not.”

Dyche also said that Everton will need to be “open-minded” over contractual situations this summer with Ashley Young, Andre Gomes, and Idrissa Gueye all out of contract in June. Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma’s loans are also set to expire.

Everton, who are 15th in the Premier League 11 points clear of the relegation zone, are next in action against already-relegated Sheffield United at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti says “something magical” happened as Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League final.

Madrid scored twice late on through substitute Joselu to win 2-1 (agg 4-3) and book their spot to face Borussia Dortmund in next month’s showpiece event at Wembley Stadium.

“It happened again,” Ancelotti said. “There are players who don't stop fighting. It's something magical. We had good control of the game.

“Thank the club. The players have done something that nobody expected, me neither.

“Reaching the final is a success. We're going to have a great time here as we reach the final. There is a happiness that is contagious in this atmosphere and with these players.”

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Our experts break down another extraordinary Champions League night at the Bernabeu

A leading Premier League figure has won a High Court anonymity order as he fights allegations he sexually abused a teenage girl.

The man is being sued by a woman who says she was 15 when the offences allegedly took place in the 1990s.

Daniel Taylor has more

Unai Emery says he “doesn’t know” whether Emi Martinez will be fit to face Olympiacos in Aston Villa’s Conference League semi-final second leg tomorrow.

Martinez, 31, missed Villa’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion through injury, having been suspended for last week’s 4-2 first-leg loss against Olympiacos.

Sweden international Robin Olsen has stepped up in Martinez’s absence, first replacing the Argentinian at half-time of the 2-2 draw with Chelsea last month. Olsen came under fire after Villa’s home defeat in the first leg but earned praise despite Sunday’s result against Brighton.

Asked whether Martinez was fit again, Emery replied:” I don’t know.”

“He’s with us today,” the Spaniard added. “But I don’t want to give information to you, he was injured last week after the match against Chelsea. 10 days.

“Tomorrow, I will speak with him and the doctor to see if he is 100 per cent fit to play, but I believe in Olsen and I’m building the team not just with the players in the starting XI.

“If we did that we would be dead now because we’ve had a lot of players injured. Tomorrow if Martinez is available 100 per cent he will play but if not then Olsen will play.”

St. Louis City have had preliminary conversations with free-agent-to-be Marco Reus, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.

The process, though, is very early and the 34-year-old is considering a wide range of options as to where to continue his career.

Reus will leave Borussia Dortmund when his contract expires at the end of June and has also been linked with clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

He remains close friends with St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki, who spent seven years at Dortmund before joining the MLS side in 2022.

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Sky Sports will show live games during the 3pm blackout on the opening weekend of the English Football League (EFL) as part of a new TV deal.

The broadcaster announced on Wednesday that every game from all three EFL divisions will be shown on the opening weekend of the 2024-25 season — including those matches scheduled to take place at 3pm on Saturday.

Matches kicking off at 3pm on Saturday are not allowed to be shown by domestic broadcasters under Article 48 of UEFA’s statutes, which allows its member nations to select a two-and-a-half-hour weekend slot where live football is banned from screens.

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Andy Madley has been selected as referee for the men's FA Cup final.

Madley will take charge of the game between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 25.

He will be assisted by Harry Lennard and Nick Hopton with Michael Oliver, Peter Bankes and Stuart Burt as video assistant referees.

"Domestically, it's the biggest game of any referee's career — the one we all dream of when we complete the referee course," Madley said.

"I can only imagine what it will be like to lead the two teams out in front of a sold-out Wembley. To receive this appointment off the back of my hard work this season is truly humbling.

"I've worked with assistant referees Harry Lennard and Nick Hopton all season, so to do this final with them is particularly special, as well as the support of the superb wider team around me.

"We'll prepare for the game as we do week in, week out, in order to deliver a strong team performance on the day."

The napkin upon which Lionel Messi’s first Barcelona agreement was informally written has gone on sale at auction.

Bonhams — a privately owned, London-based international auction house — are running the auction until May 17, with a starting price of £220,000 ($274.55k), on behalf of Argentine player agent Horacio Gaggioli.

The agreement was reached on December 14, 2000, with Barcelona director Carles Rexach desperate for the club to sign Messi, then aged 13.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has spoken of his desire to return to management with the Premier League among the divisions in which he would like to coach.

Van Nistelrooy, 47, was PSV Eindhoven head coach for the 2022-23 season. He won the Dutch Cup at PSV but resigned before the end of the season, citing a lack of support within the club.

The former Manchester United striker, who previously coached PSV youth teams and was twice an assistant coach with the Netherlands international team prior to his first managerial stint at PSV.

"I would really like to work in Spain, and I have had conversations with Spanish clubs," Van Nistelrooy said in an interview with Spanish media outlet Diario AS.

"But also the other leagues in which I have played, I want to coach there too. In the Premier League, and the Bundesliga."

Van Nistelrooy enjoyed a prolific career as a striker with his former clubs including PSV, Real Madrid, Malaga and Hamburg, but he was most prolific at Manchester United, where he scored 150 goals across five seasons.

US-based firm North Sixth Group has agreed to buy National League side Dagenham & Redbridge from a group of investors that included New York Yankees minority owner Peter Freund and former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The London-based side, which finished 15th in the fifth tier of English football this season, was put up for sale by Freund’s group in January, almost six years after they bought the former English Football League club.

One of the first American groups to invest in an English club outside the traditional 92-club professional pyramid, they failed in their goal to return Dagenham & Redbridge to League Two but stabilised the club’s finances and invested in their stadium.

They now pass the baton to North Sixth Group, which is buying the team via its subsidiary called Club Underdog. This means Dagenham & Redbridge will be joining a multi-club group which already includes Italian sides Ascoli and Campobasso, and new US team Brooklyn FC.

The main investors in Club Underdog are North Sixth Group chairman and founder Matt Rizzetta, its CEO Morgan Harris and London-born investor Daniel Hall.

“This is a sort of homecoming for me personally, having been born and raised not far from the Daggers ground,” said Hall. “We believe the Daggers have all the right ingredients to become a fixture in the higher tiers of English football in the future, and we will do everything we can to build our vision step by step as we have done with our other clubs.”

Manchester United stand to receive an additional windfall if Jadon Sancho wins the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga club advanced to the final, which will be held at Wembley on June 1, after beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate and will play either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.

Sancho joined Dortmund on loan in January having been exiled by United manager Erik ten Hag following a public fallout between the pair.

The deal, which was brokered by Matt Hargreaves, United’s director of football negotiations, was valued at a minimum of €3.5million as Dortmund are contributing to Sancho’s salary.

United also stood to receive bonus payments of up to €4m based on the number of appearances he makes and the club’s performance domestically and in Europe.

An additional payment was triggered on Tuesday night for reaching the final and another windfall will be coming United’s way if the German side win the competition.

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Emiliano Buendia has returned to Aston Villa training for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury in August.

The Argentina international damaged his anterior cruciate ligament days before Villa opened up their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United.

The 27-year-old posted pictures of himself taking part in training along with the caption: "It's been a long wait, and at times very hard, but happy to be able to be with my team-mates again 272 days later."

Buendia was a key part of Villa's squad last season, playing all of the club's league matches, scoring five goals and providing two assists.

He became the club's record signing in a £33m move from Norwich City in 2021 and has made 78 appearances in all competitions since then.

Aston Villa take on Olympiacos in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday needing to over-turn a 4-2 deficit from the first leg.

Unai Emery's side — fourth in the Premier League table — are in pole position to claim the final Champions League qualification spot ahead of their remaining games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

Manchester United have been named the world’s most valuable football club, with 20 MLS teams in the global top 50 list.

In figures compiled by Sportico, United are valued at $6.2billion (£4.96bn), with Real Madrid ($6.06bn), Barcelona ($5.28bn), Liverpool ($5.11bn) and Bayern Munich ($4.8bn) completing the top five.

Los Angeles FC ($1.15bn) are the highest-ranked MLS club at 15th, with Atlanta United, Inter Miami, LA Galaxy and New York City FC all in the top 20.

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