Liverpool defender a January target for Serie A giants Roma
1 Mamadou Sakho Roma are targeting a January swoop for Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho, according to reports in Italy.The Frenchman has been struggling with a knee injury since the beginning of November but returned to training this week ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Watford on Sunday.According to Corriere dello Sport, Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini has been in contact with Liverpool to enquire over Sakho’s availability.The report also suggests Sakho is considering his future at Anfield and would be open to a move to Italy.It is understood that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is unconvinced about Sakho’s ability to operate as one of the club’s first-choice centre-backs but wants to keep hold of him for the time being following the horrific injury suffered by Dejan Lovren on Sunday.
1 Tyson Fury is aiming to become heavyweight champion of the world once more
Manchester United face competition from Paris Saint-Germain in their attempts to sign Felipe Anderson from Lazio.United are expected to table an offer of around £33m next month which may be enough to persuade Lazio to sell.However, according to La Repubblica, PSG are also hot on Anderson’s trail and could trump United’s offer should they lose Ezequiel Lavezzi.Despite Anderson’s dip in form this season, United remain keen on the 22-year-old and the Brazilian is understood to be open to a move away from Lazio after falling out of favour with manager Stefano Pioli. Felipe Anderson 1
1 Watford are hoping to complete a deal for Rennes star Abdoulaye Doucoure today, according to reports in France.The Hornets have been tracking the midfielder since the summer and almost snapped him up back in August of last year.That transfer fell through, though, and it was thought the 23-year-old would stay in France until the end of the season.However, according to Canal+, Watford are hopeful of signing Doucoure before the transfer window slams shut today.The Premier League club are expected to splash out £7m for Frenchman, who has earned rave reviews in Ligue 1 this season.Leicester and Newcastle had also expressed an interest in Doucoure but the pair appear to have missed out. Abdoulaye Doucoure 
Steven Fletcher performed his initiation song for new club Marseille recently. Footage emerged of the Sunderland loanee showcasing his musical ability in front of his new team-mates. His chosen song? The theme tune for the hit sitcom starring Will Smith – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.We are not convinced his audience know the hit but they seemed to enjoy it – see above!
Lazio have contacted Galatasaray over a summer move for former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski.The Germany international spent three years in north London, scoring 31 goals in 82 appearances.?However, the 30-year-old sold last summer after Galatasaray completed a deal which could cost up to £10m.Since making the move, Podolski has been im impressive form and has struck 11 goals so far this season.According to Corriere della Sera, that has sparked interest from Lazio and they have enquired over the German’s availability.The Italian club have been dependent on fellow German, Miroslav Klose, in recent seasons but he is expected to leave in the summer.As a result, Lazio are now lining up Podolski as the man to fill the 37-year-old’s boots. 1 Lukas Podolski 
1 Marcus Rashford will make his Premier League debut for Manchester United Manchester United and Arsenal go head-to-head in the Premier League, kick off at 14:05 GMT, and it’s live on talkSPORT. After Leicester City’s late victory over Norwich City on Saturday, the Gunners will be desperate not to drop any points at Old Trafford to close the gap on Claudio Ranieiri’s title-leading side.Meanwhile, the Red Devils are looking to reduce their six-point deficit on the top four.And, as ever, there has been much speculation – particularly with regards to United – on who will be named in the starting line up.Louis van Gaal had 14 players missing mid-week, including David De Gea, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial.Arsenal, meanwhile, have recently welcomed back Danny Welbeck and Francis Coquelin, but will be without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who suffered a knee injury in the Champions League defeat to Barcelona.And the line ups have now been confirmed – take a look below.Manchester United XI: De Gea; Varela, Carrick, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Herrera; Lingard, Mata, Memphis; RashfordSubs: Romero, McNair, Riley, Fosu-Mensah, Weir, Januzaj, A. PereiraArsenal XI: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Walcott, Ozil, Alexis, WelbeckSubs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Elneny, Campbell, Iwobi, Giroud
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREChargers go winless in AFC West with season-ending loss in Kansas CityThe survivor was hospitalized in nearby Marshfield, said Police Chief John Dennee. A Crandon police officer who fired back was treated for minor injuries and released. Gary Bradley, mayor of the city of about 2,000, said earlier Sunday that the suspect had been brought down by a sniper, but Van Cleve would not confirm that officers shot the suspect. It wasn’t immediately clear what the gunman’s motive was, but the mother of a 14-year-old victim said the suspect may have been a jealous boyfriend. The shooting occurred in a white, two-story duplex about a block from downtown Crandon. Three of the victims were Crandon High School students, said schools Superintendent Richard Peters. The other three had graduated from the high school within the past three years. The sheriff did not release the deputy’s name, but Peters identified him as Tyler Peterson, also a graduate of the 300-student high school. By Robert Imrie THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CRANDON, Wis. – An off-duty sheriff’s deputy went on a shooting rampage at a home in northern Wisconsin early Sunday, killing three high school students and three recent graduates before authorities fatally shot him, officials said. Another victim was in critical condition. The suspect was 20 years old and worked full time as a Forest County deputy sheriff and part time as a Crandon police officer, Sheriff Keith Van Cleve said. The deputy was not working at the time of the shooting, he said. “There is probably nobody in Crandon who is not affected by this,” Peters said, adding that students would be especially affected. “They are going to wake up in shock and disbelief and a lot of pain.” One of the dead was 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl, said her mother, Jenny Stahl, 39. She said her daughter called her Saturday night and asked whether she could sleep over at a friend’s house. Jenny Stahl agreed. “I’m waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream,” the weeping mother said. “All I heard it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out.” Karly Johnson, 16, said that she knew the gunman and that he had helped her in a tech education class. “He graduated with my brother,” she said. “He was nice. He was an average guy. Normal. You wouldn’t think he could do that.” The sheriff said he would meet with state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen this morning to discuss the case. Dennee said the state Department of Criminal Investigation will handle the case because the suspect was a deputy and officer. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREChargers go winless in AFC West with season-ending loss in Kansas CityRechnitzer’s lawyer, Michael M. Marzban, filed court papers asking Combs to produce photos of rings he wore that night so they could be examined to see if they contributed to his client’s alleged injuries. “Needless to say, Combs does not wear simple rings,” Marzban’s motion states. “The rings he wore when he struck (Rechnitzer) are important and critical to the bio-mechanics of this case.” In his lawsuit, Rechnitzer claims he stopped to use the restroom, then went to the parking lot to meet his companions and was assaulted without provocation by Combs, who was talking with Rechnitzer’s girlfriend. Combs also allegedly pushed Rechnitzer’s girlfriend and tried to spit on another female member of the plaintiff’s group. As he left, Combs stuck half of his body out of a car window and stared at Rechnitzer in a threatening her to party with them, the lawsuit alleges. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs does not have to turn over photos of some of his “bling-bling” for inspection by a man who claims the rapper assaulted him after a post-Oscar soiree at a Hollywood hotel, a judge said today. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert L. Hess ruled that the photographs of the rings were not essential to Gerald Rechnitzer’s case. He also denied Rechnitzer’s request for answers to additional written questions posed to Combs. Rechnitzer alleges the assault occurred between 2 and 2:30 in the morning last Feb. 25 as he was leaving Teddy’s, a nightclub within the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel where he had spent time with his girlfriend and other friends. According to the plaintiff’s lawsuit, filed March 2, Combs was upset that Rechnitzer’s girlfriend declined to leave the hotel with him. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREGame Center: Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 10 a.m.“In Afghanistan a handful of allies are paying the price and bearing the burdens,” he told a conference of army leaders from 38 European nations organized by the chief of U.S. Army Europe. “The failure to meet commitments puts the Afghan mission – and with it, the credibility of NATO – at real risk,” he added in remarks that were notably critical of European governments that have been close security, political and economic partners of the United States for more than five decades. He also said restrictions that some allies put on how and where their troops can operate in Afghanistan have unfairly burdened other coalition partners and “done real harm” to the overall war effort. The United States has 26,000 troops in Afghanistan and the non-U.S. total is 23,000. For the past year, NATO has had overall command of the forces, other than 13,000 U.S. troops doing counterterrorism missions. In that period, violence led by the Taliban has increased, although Gates said NATO should take credit for blunting a spring offensive by the Taliban, especially in the south. Gates spoke hours after leaving a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, where U.S.-led efforts to provide sufficient troops for the Afghanistan mission was a central topic. His audience in Heidelberg included army chiefs from most NATO countries, plus their counterparts from other European nations. It was the first time an American secretary of defense had addressed the group, known as the Conference of European Armies. It also was the first time since the annual gatherings began in 1991 that reporters were allowed to cover part of the proceedings.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! WAR: Defensesecretary questions NATO allies on their unwillingness to provide enough troops. By Robert Burns THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HEIDELBERG, Germany – Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday questioned the commitment of some NATO allies to winning in Afghanistan, saying the outcome there is at “real risk” because some European nations are unwilling to provide enough troops and resources to the mission. 