Raphael Varane confirmed players in the France camp are concerned after Paul Pogba s brother was charged and detained over an alleged extortion attempt against the midfielder.

Pogba is absent from the France squad at present due to injury, and his chances of playing at the World Cup hang in the balance.

However, it has been off-field matters that have grabbed the attention recently regarding the Juventus player.

An investigation was opened in August into allegations Pogba was the target of an extortion plot by brother Mathias and childhood friends demanding a €13million sum.

Mathias, who is a free agent after a spell with French fourth-tier side Belfort came to an end in April, threatened to share explosive revelations in a video posted on social medi…

German newspaper that Werder Bremen have completed the signing of Argentine forward Franco Di Santo from Wigan.

The highly rated footballer has been on the lookout for a new club after his deal at DW Stadium expired in June and he has now put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Bundesliga side.

Di Santo arrives at Weserstadion as a replacement for controversial striker Marko Arnautovic, who is heavily linked with a move away from the club.

The 25-year-old has spent last five years in English Premier League, having joined Chelsea from Audax Italiano.

After making just eight substitute appearances for the Blues, the Argentine joined Blackburn on loan before he was sold to Wigan in the summer of 2010.

He has since managed to prove his wo…

Fulham have signed William Kvist on loan from Stuttgart, with the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

The Denmark midfielder will spend the remainder of the Premier League campaign at Craven Cottage.

Fulham then have the opportunity to secure the services of Kvist for the long term when his loan runs out.

A former team-mate of Fulham s Brede Hangeland at FC Copenhagen, Kvist joined Stuttgart in 2011.

He told his new club s official website: I m very pleased to have got the deal done and I m looking forward to contributing.

Of course I ve heard a lot of good things from Brede and it s been a target of mine to come here, so I m delighted really.

The Premier League is the biggest league in the world. I’ve played in the Bundeslig…

Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City would be reluctant to switch the October meeting with Tottenham to a home fixture as their Premier League counterparts face potential stadium limbo.

City are due travel to face Spurs on October 28 – a game that was initially scheduled to take place at the north London club s new stadium.

But delays in completing the facility on the site of White Hart Lane have led to Tottenham extending their arrangement with Wembley to stage matches versus Liverpool and Cardiff City, along with Saturday s meeting against Fulham.

Spurs derby against Chelsea on November 24 is listed on their official website as a game that will take place at their new home, although City s visit is slated as TBC .

The situation is further complica…

Kashima Antlers cruised into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League as a 3-0 win at Tianjin Quanjian secured a 5-0 aggregate thumping.

The J.League side prevailed 2-0 on home soil late last month and when Serginho, who netted the second in that victory, scored the opener in Tuesday s return leg in the 13th minute, the tie was as good as over.

The Brazilian met captain Yasushi Endo s right-wing corner inside the six-yard box, beating Tianjin goalkeeper Zhang Lu s weak attempted punch to nod into the unguarded goal.

With any hope the home fans had of staging a comeback seemingly sucked out of the Macau Olympic Stadium, Kashima capitalised on the misery and doubled their lead in the 27th minute, Hiroki Abe sweeping home Atsuto Uchida s cut-back with the aid…

Bukayo Saka is targeting his first Arsenal hat-trick after the in-form winger scored braces in back-to-back emphatic away wins for Mikel Arteta’s title challengers.

The 22-year-old and his team-mates are in electric form and followed up last weekend’s 6-0 win at West Ham by battering Burnley 5-0 on Saturday.

Saka scored a spot-kick and a goal from an open play in each of those emphatic triumphs but the academy graduate’s wait for a first Arsenal hat-trick goes on.

“I’m really pleased,” Saka said after the Gunners’ Turf Moor triumph. “I’m enjoying my football, but obviously I need to keep focused.

“But yeah, of course I’m happy to score two, two weeks in a row and hopefully the third one will come soon.

“It’s coming. It’…

Brazilian footballing legend Pele s war of words with Argentina coach Diego Maradona continued on Thursday as he said the latter was not a good coach because of the troubled private life he had led.

Pele, who earlier during the World Cup finals said that Maradona had only taken the Argentinian coaching job because he needed the money, said Maradona s previous troubles which included treatment for a cocaine addiction could only have a bad effect on the team.

Argentina who have won all four of their matches at the World Cup finals thusfar face an impressive German side in Saturday s quarter-final in Cape Town.

He (Maradona) is not a good coach, because he had a bizarre lifestyle which cannot go down well with his team, three-time World Cup winner Pele told German…

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has hinted that he will throw young striker Connor Wickham in at the deep end against Liverpool.

Poyet s men face a stiff task to claim a result at Anfield on Wednesday, with Liverpool seeking a seventh successive Premier League victory to move within one point of leaders Chelsea.

Brendan Rodgers side have scored 24 goals during their current winning streak and will be high on confidence after thrashing Cardiff City 6-3.

The 20-year-old Wickham was recalled from a loan spell at Leeds United on Monday and will be rushed straight into Sunderland s squad.

Sunderland will be without Fabio Borini – ineligible under the terms of his loan from Liverpool – while Steven Fletcher is battling an ankle injury.

Wickham has made just nine…

The Football Association have refuted claims from Hull City owner Assem Allam that the club s name has been changed to Hull City Tigers.

The Premier League team s supremo announced in August that he planned to drop AFC from the club s moniker, as well as the word City as it was a lousy identity .

Hull City Tigers is currently the name of the club s holding company, but a change to the club s name would require ratification from the Premier League and FA.

However, English football s governing body have no knowledge of any change to the club s name, and confirmed Hull are currently unable to even apply for a change.

An FA spokesman told Perform: We haven t received an application for a name change from Hull City and the process cannot start until the New Year.

…

Eden Hazard has backed Chelsea team-mate N Golo Kante to win the PFA Players Player of the Year award.

Hazard and Kante are among six nominees for the prize, with both having starred in Chelsea s hunt for the league title.

And although Hazard who has netted 14 goals and accumulated five assists in the league this term is the favourite to come out on top, he is hopeful that it will be Kante, who has been imperious since joining Chelsea from champions Leicester City in the off-season.

I hope it will be him, Hazard told Telefoot.

It would change it from being the guy who always scores, which is always decisive.

He is less decisive on the field than a forward. But he won [the league title] last year too, it would reward the two good seasons he h…