The Italian forward Mario Balotelli is nearing the end of his French fairytale.

The striker has endured a difficult time at Nice this season following a series of rows and breakdowns with Patrick Vieira and is set to end his stay prematurely, six months before the end of his contract.

Balotelli has been negotiating with Olympique Marseille but the talks did not go as planned and former Inter Milan and AC Milan star seems to be heading back home.

The Italian press report that Mario Balotelli has been offered to the likes of Sampdoria, Bologna, Parma and Sassuolo.

Rai Sport and Tuttosport are both suggesting that Mino Raiola is doing rounds with Serie A mid-table sides, offering Balotelli’s services to various clubs in hopes of finding a side that would …

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Arsenal host London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday with the hosts having won just one of the last seven League meetings in north London.

Arsenal

Starting with Saturday s hosts, coming off the back of a 1-0 loss away at West Ham last weekend, Unai Emery will certainly know that he is out of the honeymoon period in North London. Now on a run of form that has seen them record just one Premier League win in their last four attempts, the Gunners now find themselves sat level on points with a resurgent Manchester United. Now looking for just their second top-flight win of the New Year, it will be Arsenal s defensive issues giving the former PSG boss the biggest headache. The hosts have not recorded a clean…

Bournemouth have sacked Gary O’Neil less than seven months after he was appointed as the club’s permanent head coach.

O’Neil guided the Cherries to Premier League safety last season following the dismissal of Scott Parker at the end of August.

According to a club statement, the appointment of a new head coach will be announced imminently.

We can confirm that we’ve parted company with head coach Gary O Neil.

We’d like to place on record our thanks to Gary and wish him all the best for the future.

— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth)

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley said: “Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for.

“This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great considerati…

Mikel Arteta acknowledged Gabriel Jesus would be disappointed with a profligate showing as Arsenal were held at Southampton on Sunday.

The Gunners were in the ascendancy at St Mary s as Granit Xhaka opened the scoring in the 11th minute, finding the net in consecutive games for just the second time in his Arsenal career.

Jesus twice could have extended Arsenal s lead in the first half, blasting narrowly wide before being denied by Gavin Bazunu when through one-on-one.

The Brazil forward was also thwarted by a last-ditch Mohamed Elyounoussi block after the interval; the Saints midfielder teed up Stuart Armstrong shortly after as the home side battled to a 1-1 draw.

Arsenal manager Arteta suggested Jesus, who attempted a game-high four shots without beating…

British newspaper the Daily Mail have reported that Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has turned down a lucrative offer from Juventus.

The Serie A outfit were said to have offered Tevez, 27, a deal worth 20 million pounds a year.

But in the strongest indication yet he will remain at Eastlands, the Argentinean ace equal top scorer this season in the English Premier League with 21 goals has rejected the offer.

Tevez joined City in July 2009 from rivals Manchester United and despite speculation over his future this term, he led them to third place in the league and automatic Champions League qualification.

City also claimed the FA Cup earlier this month with a 1-0 win over Stoke at Wembley to win their first major trophy since the league cup in 1976.

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Timo Werner is keen to upgrade his current loan spell to a permanent transfer from RB Leipzig to Tottenham Hotspur, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Since arriving to North London during the winter transfer window, Werner has scored two goals and contributed as many assists in eighth matches for Ange Postecoglou s side. He apparently feels very good where he is and has no wish to return to his parent club.

A potential permanent exit of the 28-year-old attacker would suit Leipzig as well, as head coach Marco Rose has no place for him in his plans. And with two years left on his contract, this summer is probably the best moment for the Bundesliga side to cash in on his services.

On the other hand, the option to buy which Spurs have in their…

Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is hopeful Greece can again prove a surprise package at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Greece begin only their third World Cup campaign against Colombia on Saturday, having qualified for the competition via the UEFA play-offs.

They secured their first win on the global stage in South Africa four years ago while they were crowned winners at UEFA Euro 2004.

Tasked with getting out of a group that also includes Japan and Ivory Coast, Sokratis is eager for Fernando Santos men to create another chapter in Greek football history.

Our national team has had some big successes, particularly in big tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Cup, he told FIFA.com.

I have fond memories of that tournament (2010). It was my fi…

Former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has warned the country could struggle at the FIFA World Cup if Cristiano Ronaldo is not on top form.

Ronaldo featured in Portugal s opener as they were comfortably dispatched 4-0 by Germany with the Real Madrid star having struggled with injuries in recent months.

Reports suggest Ronaldo is still suffering with a knee problem, casting doubt over his future participation, and Queiroz feels Portugal will suffer without him at his best.

The pair exchanged frank views about Portugal s exit in 2010 when Queiroz was in charge and the current Iran boss says Ronaldo needs to perform in Brazil.

The story of the world s great teams is always made by great players and stars. By this I mean that Portugal cannot think of having success wi…

There have been three seasons, 85 goals and eight trophies, but Neymar s contract extension with Barcelona may well provide him with a new lease of life at Camp Nou.

After months of speculation and protracted negotiations, Brazil captain Neymar was finally tied down to a new five-year contract on Friday, ending reports of an impending exit to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United or even Barca s fierce rivals Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old only had two seasons left to run on the initial deal he signed upon moving from Santos in 2013, with his staggering impact since arriving key to earning a new contract.

Neymar struck 39 times, including efforts in the Champions League and Copa del Rey finals, as Barca secured a treble in Luis Enrique s first season …

Barcelona have expressed their relief to see the end of Neymar s legal battle in Spain after the Spanish High Court threw out a case that alleged fraud in his transfer from Santos.

Brazilian investment fund DIS claimed they suffered financial damage when Barca allegedly withheld the true value of the player s transfer in 2013, but the high court threw out the case on Friday.

Club spokesman Josep Vives held a news conference with Barcelona director of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti, and described the case as a chapter that has caused a lot of headaches … but everything is now over.

This decision, along with the agreement in accordance passed by the Board of Directors, brings the Neymar case to a definitive end.

Vives added: We knew that following the…