Shinji Kagawa believes the immediate impact made by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool proves his greatness as a manager.

The 26-year-old spent two seasons under the German at Borussia Dortmund, having been signed by him from Cerezo Osaka before moving to Manchester United in 2012.

Kagawa returned to spend a final year under Klopp in 2014 at Dortmund – now managed by Thomas Tuchel – and he has been impressed from afar with his former boss early work at Anfield after replacing Brendan Rodgers.

I am interested in how much and how quickly Klopp, the manager that I know, can change the team at Liverpool, the Japan international told Omnisport.

He is a great coach and the results prove it, so I hope it will continue for him and I am interested in how much…

Marco Verratti has reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over a new, long-term contract.

Manchester United and Real Madrid have been linked with moves for Verratti, who joined PSG from Pescara in 2012 and has since blossomed into one of Europe s top-rated playmakers.

The 23-year-old s existing contract is due to expire in June 2019 but his agent has revealed it is only a matter of time before he will ink a renewal.

We have agreed terms over a new deal, Donato Di Campli told Corriere dello Sport.

It is only a matter of putting it down on paper. Marco will stay with PSG for a long time, at least until 2020.

This is already the fourth time he has signed a contract renewal [since joining PSG]. He now has to show again that he is worth his w…

Steven Gerrard has agreed to extend his contract as Glasgow Rangers manager, according to Sky Sports.

Apparently, negotiations over the extension were over very quickly and the new deal is set to keep the former Liverpool captain at the Ibrox until the summer of 2024, two years longer than the current one.

There was talk recently about Gerrard s potential return to Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp eventually leaves the club, sparked by the German himself revealing that the club legend would be his own preferred choice to replace him in the Anfield dugout. For his part, Gerrard responded by stating that he, as a Liverpool fan at the moment, would love Klopp to stay where he is for a long time yet, implying that it was far too early to discuss such possibilities.

Gerra…

Murmurs about Pep Guardiola s potential departure from Manchester City are not going away.

Recent reports have suggested the successful Catalan could look to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

It now appears Guardiola has the power to make that happen.

TOP STORY – GUARDIOLA S ESCAPE ROUTE

An exit clause in the contract Guardiola signed last year gives the two-time Premier League winner the chance to leave City at the conclusion of the campaign, reports the Daily Mail.

Guardiola s deal, which he renewed in May 2018, runs through to 2021, but it seems he will have a decision to make when the club s title defence comes to a close.

City have formulated contingency plans, according to the report, and are known to be…

The 2011 Brazilian Campeonato Paulista kicks off on January 15 with no shortage of teams in contention for the Sao Paulo state championship title.

Santos, Sao Paulo, Corinthians and Palmeiras are among the favourites but all four have had to deal with big-name departures in the off-season.

Title holders Santos again look strong and will be hoping to reproduce the same attacking football that plundered a staggering 72 goals last time around.

Dorival Junior has left as coach of the club after he fell out with the board over talented youngster Neymar.

His replacement, Adilson Batista, still has Neymar in his squad but will have to do without Robinho, who left for AC Milan in the off-season.

Alan Patrick, Ze Eduardo, Paulo Henrique Lima and the retu…

Girona lost further ground in the LaLiga title race as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Getafe at the Estadio Coliseum.

Jesus Santiago rounded off a well-worked move in the 33rd minute to score the only goal of the game for Getafe, who moved into the top half of the table with victory.

Leading scorer Artem Dovbyk missed a handful of chances in the second half for Girona and defeats means the Catalan surprise packages are now 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid following their win at Osasuna on Saturday.

Getafe had their hearts in their mouths in the 11th minute when the referee was sent to the VAR screen after Omar Alderete pulled Cristian Portu back on the last line of defence, but a yellow card was deemed sufficient punishment.

GETAFE.

— LALI…

Diego Costa has been included in Spain s FIFA World Cup squad after overcoming a hamstring injury ahead of the Brazil showpiece.

Costa had been set to represent his adopted nation in his homeland after a drawn-out tussle between Spain and Brazil over who he would play for.

The Atletico Madrid man played two friendlies for Brazil in March 2013, but made his Spain bow against Italy in February this year after making his decision.

And he will have the chance to do so after winning his race against time to recover from a hamstring injury.

The striker was withdrawn in the final game of his side s La Liga campaign as they drew with Barcelona to win the league.

Having been involved in a race against time to be fit for the UEFA Champions League final against Real,…

Midfielder Alberto Aquilani is not on his way to Serie A champions AC Milan, according to his agent.

The Italian has been linked with a move to the San Siro after Juventus, the club where he has spent the last 12 months on loan from Liverpool, are yet to confirm if they will sign the 26-year-old on a permanent deal.

Juventus apparently baulked at Liverpool s reported 14 million pound asking price for Aquilani, opening the door for Milan, who are searching for a replacement for veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

But Aquilani s agent Franco Zavaglia told Gazzetta dello Sport there has been no contact from the Serie A champions about acquiring Aquilani s services.

I can say that I am not aware of any interest from AC Milan, Zavaglia said.

They are j…

Sergio Aguero admits it is a relief to have Lionel Messi back as Argentina prepare for a crucial World Cup qualifier with Chile in Santiago.

The captain was forced to sit out the opening four rounds of South American qualifying as a result of the knee injury he sustained with Barcelona.

Manchester City star Aguero was himself sidelined for the previous two games a 1-1 draw with Brazil and 1-0 victory over Colombia which saw Argentina kick-start their campaign to reach the 2018 finals in Russia after earlier losing to Ecuador and drawing with Paraguay.

And Aguero has welcomed the return of the Ballon d Or holder to the ranks as Argentina look for a win which would see them climb above Chile in the standings.

It s a relief that Leo is with us, he tol…

Manchester United are ready to reignite their interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, .

The Germany international, who has been out injured since the opening day of last season, was a target for Premier League side eighteen months ago, and they are again monitoring his situation as he nears a first team comeback.

United have also been linked with moves for Roma’s Kevin Strootman and Arturo Vidal of Juventus, but see Gundogan as a more affordable alternative.

Prior to his injury, the 23 year old had racked up eighty-four appearances and scored ten goals in all completions since moving to Dortmund from Nurnberg in 2011.

He was part of the squad that won the double in 2012, and came runners-up in the Champions League final the followi…