Marcelo: Real Madrid have extended the contract of Brazilian left-back Marcelo for two further seasons, the Spanish giants announced yesterday. The move sees Marcelo tied down to the Bernabeu stadium until 2020. A statement from Real Madrid read: “Real Madrid announces it has extended the contract of Marcelo until June 30, 2020, for the next five seasons.”
Friendly: England will play Germany in a friendly international in Berlin on March 26 next year, the Football Association announced. Roy Hodgson’s side will visit the Olympic Stadium over the Easter period, with the kick-off time still to be confirmed. The match is expected to form part of the two countries’ preparations for the European Championships with both sides expected to qualify for France next summer.
Balakov: Litex Lovech’s early Europa League exit has cost Krasimir Balakov his job as coach of the four-times Bulgarian champions. Litex were knocked out of the competition by unfancied Lithuanian side FK Jelgava on the away-goals rule after both legs produced a 3-3 aggregate score. “It was not easy to take this decision but in the end the results are more important than anything else,” Balakov told the media .
Luna: Aston Villa have confirmed the departure of defender Antonio Luna to Spanish club Eibar. Luna joined from Sevilla in a £2million deal in June 2013 but he made only 17 starts for Villa and was loaned to Italian club Verona last season before moving to Serie B club Spezia for the second half of the campaign.
Transfer boost: Derby have £250,000 to spend on new players during the summer transfer window after winning the Sky Bet Transfer Fund. The Championship club was chosen at random from 10 Football League clubs, with Peterborough, Carlisle, Ipswich, Cardiff, Rotherham, Coventry, Newport, Bolton and Southend also in the draw. The Rams scooped the prize courtesy of fan Richard Jones and he wins a prize of £5,000 for himself as well as the club award.
Gyan: Asamoah Gyan has penned a two-year deal with Shanghai SIPG and is set to be unveiled by the Chinese Super League side early next week, the Ghana skipper said. The 29-year-old striker confirmed on his official website that he had signed a contract, which has an option for a renewal, after completing a routine medical.