Antonio Conte says Mohamed Salah s extraordinary return in front of goal this season would have been difficult to predict, and insists he was not involved in Chelsea s decision to sell the Egypt star.

Salah failed to shine when he moved to the Blues from Basel in 2014, spending time on loan at Fiorentina and Roma, before signing for the Giallorossi in 2016.

Liverpool parted with a fee that could rise to €50 million to bring the 25-year-old to Merseyside in June.

And he has repaid that outlay by netting an extraordinary 43 goals in all competitions, firing the Reds to the Champions League final in the process.

I think this season for Salah is a fantastic season, Conte said ahead of Chelsea s Premier League match at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

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Liverpool great Craig Johnston said Jurgen Klopp s Reds cannot afford to lose goalscoring sensation Mohamed Salah amid links to Real Madrid.

Salah has enjoyed a breathtaking maiden campaign, the former Roma forward endearing himself to the Anfield faithful with 44 goals in all competitions this season.

The Egyptian star scored a record 32 Premier League goals to scoop the Golden Boot, while he also claimed the PFA Players Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season.

Salah s exploits, however, have not gone unnoticed with European champions Madrid – Liverpool s opponents in Saturday s Champions League final – reportedly interested in the 25-year-old.

Former Liverpool midfielder Johnston, who won five leagu…

Outcast forward Karim Benzema congratulated France on their thrilling World Cup final triumph on Sunday.

Les Bleus won their second title in Moscow as Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe starred and scored in a 4-2 win over Croatia.

However, France were without Benzema, who has not played for his country since 2015, having been investigated in relation to an alleged attempt to blackmail his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

But the Real Madrid star was still among those to revel in France s victory.

He took to Instagram shortly after full-time to post a message: Congratulations, guys! Well done. World champs.

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It was another thrilling weekend of Premier League action, with Liverpool s remarkably bad run continuing and Manchester City s impressive streak coming to an abrupt end.

Most of the weekend s most-notable talking points were reserved for Sunday as Fulham beat the champions, Manchester United came out on top in the derby and Tottenham cruised, partly down to the continued resurgence of Gareth Bale.

City remain top of the table and still look extremely comfortable up there with that 11-point lead, but United staked their claim as the league s second best with their impressive 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

It saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer improve an already fine record against Pep Guardiola, while Liverpool s Anfield loss to Fulham ensured they set an unwanted new re…

Nice have beaten several interested clubs to the signing of Paris Saint-Germain defender Stanley N Soki.

Juventus, Lyon and Newcastle United all reportedly made approaches for the 20-year-old, but Patrick Vieira s men have won the race.

A France Under-21 international, N Soki made his Ligue 1 debut for PSG in 2017 and registered 12 top-flight appearances last season.

The left-back signed his first professional contract in the French capital in September but Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa blocked his path to greater first-team opportunities.

Nice pounced to make him their fourth signing in three days after sealing deals for Kasper Dolberg, Alexis Claude-Maurice and Adam Ounas.

The length of N Soki s contract has not been disclosed.

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With the European Championship qualifiers once against stealing centre stage this weekend, Sunday promises another stacked schedule from across the continent.

With the likes of Holland and Serbia continuing on their respective qualifying adventures, we have found a pair of interesting betting markets that are worth keeping an eye out for.

14:00 Kazakhstan vs Northern Ireland

While Kazakhstan might have opened their qualifying adventure earlier in the year tipped as a landslide underdog in Group H, Sunday’s hosts have gained plenty of praise. Excelling their Nations League romp last year, the Hawks will now be seeking an immediate response here.

Missing out on what they had billed as a golden chance in midweek as they suffered a 1-0 loss against Finla…

While the 2020/21 campaign might be drawing to a close there is still plenty to play for both domestically and in Europe. So, with a hefty Tuesday schedule on the cards, we have taken a look at a handful of helpful tips for those of you looking to stick on a midweek acca.

Tuesday 4th May

BST 17:00 Notts County vs Sutton United

Landing themselves what turned into a routine 3-1 romp at home against Aldershot over the weekend, Sutton will know that they have a real chance to climb to the top of the National League in midweek. Sat just a single point behind Torquay and with their sights set on securing an automatic Football League spot for next season, many have tipped The U s as the leading title contender. Coillecting nine points from their last four fifth-tier …

Swansea City have confirmed the signing of Bolton Wanderers striker David N Gog for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old, whose contract with the Championship club was due to expire at the end of the season, is Michael Laudrup s first signing of the transfer window and has signed a deal to the end of the current campaign.

The former France under-21 international started his career at Paris Saint-Germain but was signed by Liverpool for £1.5million in 2008.

N Gog made 63 league appearances for the Merseyside club, but scored only nine goals and never established himself at Anfield.

He then joined Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £4million in August 2011 but suffered relegation to the Championship with the Lancashire side.

N Gog scored eight goals in 31 league a…

Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Sergei Palkin believes a January move for Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk is 50-50 after holding talks over his potential sale.

The Ukraine international has garnered interest from Europe s top clubs with his impressive Champions League displays, in which he has recorded three goals and two assists in six appearances.

Premier League leaders Arsenal have been closely linked to the 21-year-old, who recently stated he was a fan of head coach Mikel Arteta s style of play and followed their results.

Mudryk was reportedly close to a move away in the most recent transfer window with the likes of Brentford and Everton interested, though the winger ultimately stayed with the 13-time Ukrainian Premier League champions.

But his time with Shakhtar…

Saint Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier has all but confirmed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the current campaign.

With his contract at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard running until June 2015, the highly rated shot-stopper has been linked with quite a few top clubs in recent months.

And it is now becoming clear he will be sold at the end of the season, with the player himself expressing his desire to leave France for Italy or Spain.

“Abroad? Yes, and I have a soft spot for Italy and Spain,” the 27-year-old explained to L Equipe on Sunday.

“I have had a crush on Serie A since 2008, in Messina, a friendly match between Monaco and Juve.

”I loved feeling the pressure of Tifosi behind my back. I had impression the stands would colla…