REAL MADRID are reportedly preparing a move for Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes.

The 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder moved to St. James’ Park for £35 million in January 2022 and has become one of Europe’s most sought-after players.

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The former Lyon ace has scored 13 goals and assisted a further 13 in 96 appearances for the Magpies.

And we revealed earlier this month how Guimaraes is now attracting interest from a host of teams across the continent.

He is under contract with Newcastle until 2028, after signing an extension earlier this season.

However, that deal reportedly includes a £100 million release clause, at the star’s own insistence.

Now talkSPORT claims Eddie Howe and the Toon are “bracing for Real Madrid to ramp up interest this summer”.

They claim the LaLiga giants had him under surveillance during last week’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester City.

Guimaraes is also said to have a “burning desire” to play regularly in the Champions League.

He did achieve that on Tyneside before the theory group stage was abandoned this season, but Newcastle will need a miraculous turn of results to qualify for it again next season.

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The Magpies are also looking at the prospect of having to offload a star to help them stay on the right side of the Premier League’s spending rules.

And any figure they receive near his release clause would result in a huge return on the Samba ace.

Newcastle are currently 10th in the Premier League and of all the cup competitions, something Guimaraes admitted left him “disappointed” when quizzed about the campaign this week.

Speaking ahead of Brazil’s match against England at Wembley, he said: “This season we have struggled.

“I think we have had a lot of problems with injuries and suspensions, but this is part of the process. When I signed for the club I knew this would happen.

“Things happened too quickly. During my two years at the club we reached a final. Unfortunately we didn’t win, but we got there after 20 years, which was huge for the club.”

When asked whether Newcastle had to sell to comply with PSR rules, Guimaraes said: “I don’t know. I’m not involved in that.

“We never know what will happen, but I am happy at the club. Of course I’m disappointed with our season, but I think we still have a chance to finish at least seventh in the Europa League or Conference League.

“But I can’t say much about the club staff. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but what I can say is that I am so grateful to Newcastle.”

DANI Alves saw his football career crumble after he was found guilty of rape.

But events saw the shamed star win his fight to appeal his four-and-a-half year prison sentence from the comfort of his own home rather than a prison cell.

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What was Dani Alves accused of?

Dani Alves was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub on New Year’s Eve in December 2022.

The victim claimed the former Barcelona defender raped her in a bathroom.

Alves was first arrested in January 2023 and immediately detained as he awaited trial.

Shortly after his arrest, Alves said in a Spanish TV interview: “I don’t know who this lady is.

“I don’t know her name, I don’t know her, I’ve never seen her in my life.”

However, in a June 2023 interview with Mayka Navarro, he asked his wife for forgiveness.

Alves said: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.

“I have already done that here in prison, but I have to do it publicly because the story is public, the offense I caused her is public and she deserves that public apology.”

Alves continued: “I went into the bathroom of the nightclub behind her.

‘I didn’t even lock the door. The door was open all the time. She could have left at any time because I spent pretty much all my time there sitting on the toilet seat.”

When was Alves found guilty?

In February 2024, Alves was found guilty of raping the woman on New Year’s Eve 2023.

Prosecutors were told by the victim that she danced with Alves and willingly entered the nightclub bathroom, but when she later wanted to, he would not let her leave.

She said he then beat her and forced her to have sexual relations against her will.

The court ordered him to pay £130,000 (150,000 euros) to the victim.

When was Dani Alves released?

Following his conviction, Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence for Alves, while lawyers representing his accuser wanted 12 years.

While his defense asked for his acquittal or, if found guilty, a one-year prison sentence plus £43,000 (50,000 euros) compensation for the victim.

However, a turn of events in March 2024 revealed that he would be released from prison after just four weeks after appealing.

A court in Barcelona ruled that Alves could be released after paying a bail of one million euros.

The decision can still be appealed.

Is Dani Alves retired?

After his conviction, Barcelona stripped Alves of his legend status.

At the time of his arrest, Alves was under contract with Mexican football club UNAM Pumas, which has since fired him.

However, he has not yet spoken about his future as a footballer.

During his time on the pitch, he won six La Liga titles, two Ligue 1 titles and Serie A.

Alves also won the UEFA Champions League three times while playing for Barcelona in 2009, 2011 and 2015.

MANCHESTER UNITED are willing to sell Mason Greenwood but Barcelona are not interested in a deal, transfer reports say.

Greenwood has been on loan to Getafe this season and has been in good form with eight goals in 27 games.

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His performances attracted interest from the likes of Barca, who have been linked with a summer swoop for the ex-England international.

According to Fabrizio Romano for Caught offsideUnited’s directors and Barça chief Deco did meet for talks.

But it is claimed the Spanish giants have no plans for Greenwood at the moment.

However, United are said to be willing to let Greenwood go for good if the right offer is made.

And the club is actively looking for ways to relieve the attacker.

A police investigation into 22-year-old Greenwood was launched in January 2022.

But the charges of attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behavior were later dropped.

United still made the decision to send the striker on loan to Spain, although new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe controversially left the door open for a return.

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He said in February: “We will make a decision. I don’t know if he (Greenwood) could have a future.

“All I can do is talk about the principle of how we will approach such decisions.

“Is he the right type of footballer? Are we happy with that? Is he a good person or not?

“He (Greenwood) is a Manchester United footballer and we are responsible for the football.

“So the answer is that it’s pretty clear that we have to make a decision.

“No decision has been made. He is of course on loan, but he is not the only one.

“We have one or two footballers that we have to deal with and make a decision on, so we will do that.

“The process will be: understand the facts, not the hype and then try to come to a fair decision based on values ​​– which basically comes down to whether he is a good guy or not.

“Could he play well for Manchester United and would we feel comfortable with that and the fans would feel comfortable with that?

“I can talk about the principle. This principle is the most important because we will have to deal with other issues in the future.

“You are dealing with young people who have not always been raised in the best circumstances, who have a lot of money and do not always receive the guidance they should receive.

“What we need to do when dealing with these kinds of problems is to understand the real effects, not the hype.

“Then we have to make a fair decision in the light of the club’s values. That’s what we have to do and that’s how we deal with it.”

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PEP GUARDIOLA admits he has a huge headache over how to stop Jude Bellingham.

Manchester City and Real Madrid will face each other for the third year in a row, this time in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

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But this time City have to deal with Bellingham. Asked about the Three Lions star, Guardiola said: “The impact has been huge.

“It’s a different team than last season. His influence is clear, we have to try to discover what he does and keep it under control.”

The Euro heavyweights have met in the semi-finals the past two years.

Madrid went on to win the competition in 2022, with City lifting the trophy for the first time last season.

Bellingham, however, brings a new dimension: the England ace has scored 20 goals in 31 games for Madrid since joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

The first leg will take place on April 9 at the Santiago Bernabeu, the same evening that Arsenal host Bayern Munich.

The return matches are on April 17. And there is no delay for the winners: they will play against each other in the semi-finals!

While Guardiola’s men are defending champions, the City boss knows they are still rookies compared to their Spanish rivals.

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Real have won the Champions League in five of the past ten seasons.

Guardiola added: “It seems a bit of a tradition to play against the kings of the competition three years in a row.

“Now that they have won 14 Champions Leagues, there is no need to say how Real Madrid are performing in this competition.

“It’s a bit new for us. For Real Madrid it is not special to play the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

“Over the last few years we have been consistent – ​​often semi-finals, finals, now quarter-finals again – and we are getting into this routine in the latter stages.

“And when you play the latter stages, you are playing against the best teams in Europe, Real Madrid are right there.

“This one is special and makes you feel like you are going to Europe and playing your best football. It is so nice.”

In the other half of the draw, Jadon Sancho’s Borussia Dortmund put Atletico Madrid into the quarter-finals, while Paris Saint-Germain took on Barcelona.

INTER MILAN striker Marcus Thuram narrowly avoided a red card against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday after grabbing Stefan Savic’s genitals.

With an aggregate score of 2-2, the Champions League last-16 match went to extra time.

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And just 10 minutes after the restart, Atletico defender Savic was shocked by his opponent.

The Montenegro international tried to get close to his man just before a throw-in, but Thuram retaliated by grabbing his genitals.

Savic immediately went down in pain before VAR reviewed the incident, but the Inter Milan striker avoided a penalty.

Fans on social media compared it to when Vinnie Jones did the same to Paul Gascoigne in 1988.

One person took to X to write: “Thuram doing a ‘Vinnie Jones’ .”

Another commented: “Thuram channels his inner Vinnie Jones.”

A third wrote: “Marcus Thuram just went full Vinnie Jones on Savic .”

While a fourth added: “WTF, Thuram just went full Vinnie Jones on Savic. And nothing was given. Hilarious.”

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Inter boss Simone Inzaghi quickly replaced Thuram after the incident.

However, the Serie A team lost 3-2 on penalties.

After the match, Savic said: “It’s a dream night for us. If I wasn’t on the pitch, I would have loved to be in the stands to watch this match. It was an incredible match, almost like a final.”

“I’m so happy because we were in a difficult situation and no one believed in us except the fans.

“The boss said before the game that we had to be ready because it was going to be a long night.”

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JUDE BELLINGHAM has seen allegations that he called Mason Greenwood a “rapist” dismissed.

LaLiga has launched an investigation into Bellingham’s apparent defamation of Greenwood during Real Madrid’s match with Getafe last month.

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It came after the Real Madrid and England star landed a blistering tackle on the on-loan Manchester United player and appeared to take a swipe at him.

Getafe asked match referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea to record the incident in his match report, after which it was referred to the Spanish Football Association.

A lip-reading expert was called in by LaLiga to determine whether the 20-year-old used the word unquestionably.

However, Marca now report that the investigation was dismissed after it could not be clearly proven whether Bellingham said “rapist” or “crap.”

Because the use of the word could not be convincingly proven, the case was dismissed.

Greenwood, 22, was loaned out to Getafe in September, seven months after charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control were dropped.

A source exclusively told The Sun last month how Greenwood wanted to drop the case against Bellingham.

They said: ‘Mason has told them he does not want Jude to be punished and has asked them to drop the case.

“He doesn’t want bad publicity and wants to continue playing football.

“He was very upset at the time because he didn’t expect this from someone like Jude.

‘But he knows there’s a good chance he’ll always have one goal for things like that, so he’s accepted that he needs a thick skin.

Greenwood has settled in Spain with his partner and baby after scoring eight goals with five assists in 26 games.

JUDE BELLINGHAM was involved in a rare gesture at the end of Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig yesterday.

The draw was enough to send Madrid through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after they won the first leg 1-0.

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After the final whistle, Bellingham ran towards RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose.

They exchanged a hug before Bellingham gave the manager his jersey as a memento of the match.

The two worked together during Bellingham’s time at Dortmund, with Rose leaving the club in 2022.

The midfielder followed Rose out of Dortmund a year later when he moved to Real Madrid for £115 million last summer.

Fans on both boys.”

Another wrote: “What Bellingham did with his old coach is like a bromance!”

A third wrote: “I love the bond between the two of them.”

While a fourth said: “Memories.”

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Rose’s team led Madrid closely despite being unpleasant at the Bernabeu.

After acquitting themselves well in the first leg and narrowly losing, Leipzig created the majority of the chances during the match in Spain.

But it was Madrid who opened the scoring through Vinicius in the 65th minute against the rules.

Leipzig equalized in the 68th minute through Willi Orban, but could not find a second that would have taken the match to extra time.

JUDE BELLINGHAM shook off his La Liga ban to help Real Madrid reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The English superstar conjured up a super assist for Vinicius Junior after the hour.

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And although Leipzig immediately hit back through captain Willi Orban, it proved enough to go ahead after Real won the first leg 1-0 in Germany.

Bellingham will now have to sit out Madrid’s next two league games against Celta Vigo and Osasuna due to a two-match ban for his X-rated reaction in Valencia on Saturday.

According to the referee’s official match report, the 20-year-old repeatedly aggressively shouted “it’s a goal” after his last-gasp winner was ruled out in the 2-2 draw.

Bellingham was also fined £513, but Real boss Carlo Ancelotti confirmed before the Leipzig match that the club will appeal his ‘unfair’ punishment.

To be fair, Wednesday wasn’t a great day for Ancelotti, who became embroiled in a tax fraud scandal that could theoretically land him in jail.

At least his side managed to get over the line in these final sixteen seconds of the second leg, although they shut it down in a toothless first half.

Bellingham cut an isolated figure as Ancelotti unnecessarily opted for an extra midfielder and only Vinicius Jnr as a persistent attacker.

Leipzig should have capitalized, but were unable to capitalize on any of the many chances, with striker Lois Openda missing a hatful.

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Real’s unimpressed fans whistled in anger at half-time, with Ancelotti realizing his mistake and bringing on Rodrygo for Edouard Camavinga.

Openda had an open goal in sight shortly after half-time, albeit from a tight angle, after Real stopper Andriy Lunin was completely wrong when rushing out, but the Belgian could not convert.

The hosts finally had a shot on target in the 63rd minute when substitute Rodyrgo lashed towards the near post but was denied by former Hereford keeper Peter Gulacsi.

And two minutes later, almost inevitably, they had their opener.

Toni Kroos won possession and passed it to Bellingham, who ran upfield and played a beautiful pass for Vinicius to fire home.

At first glance, that seemed to be it. But Leizpig immediately leveled when Orban headed in David Raum’s cross three minutes later.

The visitors also had more opportunities through Openda and Orban, but were unable to take advantage of them. Dani Olmo hit the crossbar in injury time.

Real were nervous but pulled through – although Bellingham and Co will know they were extremely lucky not to crash.

Real midfielder Kroos said: “The result is one thing, how you play is another.

At half-time we had a good feeling about the result, but not about the way we played.

“The second half was a little better, but still not so good that you would say we clearly deserve to be in the next round. We didn’t do that well, but in the end we are in the quarter.” finals.”

Real’s ex-Chelsea defender Toni Rudiger was equally honest: “We suffered a lot. They played well and we played poorly. Simple.

“We were sloppy, we were slow, zero intensity. We did not rise to the challenges and in the Champions League you can be punished for that.

“We are not celebrating this match because it was not a good performance, but in the end we are done.

And boss Ancelotti admitted: “It was a poorly played match, with little intensity and little focus.

“The mental aspect made the difference, it influenced us enormously.”

Asked about tax evasion allegations, he added: “We are talking about something that happened in 2015 because they think I lived here.

“I have already paid the fine. I am convinced that I am innocent. We will see what the judge decides.”

Meanwhile, Leipzig was left with what could have happened as Orban said: “We had so many great opportunities that you have to make the most of.”

DOCTORS will check whether Mouctar Diakhaby can “walk again” after suffering a “very rare” injury that could end his career.

The 27-year-old was taken off with a horrific leg injury during Valencia’s 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Saturday.

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Diakhaby died after an accidental collision with Vinicius Jr.

And players on both sides were left almost in tears, with some burying their heads in their hands.

It has now emerged that Diakhaby dislocated his right knee, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, his posterior cruciate ligament and several others.

In conversation with SER Derportivos Valencia, via Marcaa Spanish doctor has now explained the next steps for Diakhaby.

He thinks the Valencia defender will be out of action for at least a year.

But first, the doctors caring for the ace will have to make sure he can walk again, as there is a risk that the loosened bone will also rupture an artery.

Dr. Enrique Gastaldi claims Diakhaby’s knee injury is the worst a footballer can suffer.

The centre-back will require multiple operations at the very least, which will see him sidelined for the next twelve months at best.

And even if everything goes according to plan, there is a good chance that Diakhaby will never play football again.

Dr. Gastaldi said: “It’s terrifying. The dislocation affected the anterior cruciate ligament and the posterior cruciate ligament.

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“It’s a very rare injury. It is the most serious knee a player can have. He probably tore four or five ligaments, it’s a bizarre injury.

“Think when the knee dislocates, it comes out of place, the bone comes out of place. And that means breaking the ligaments, which are the anterior, posterior, lateral and outer cruciate ligaments.

“And when the bone comes loose, the ligaments have to break. Once the ligaments break, it can cause a complication, namely a vascular injury.

“If the bone comes out, it can tear the artery, vein or nerve. These are very serious injuries from the start.

“With these types of injuries, the first thing I pay attention to is that the patient can walk and that there are no longer any problems. And we’re not talking less than nine to twelve months of sick leave.

“With these types of injuries, there is no need to set deadlines, and the same requires one or two operations.

“If you have a femoral artery injury, your leg will be at risk, but you won’t have any problems walking.”

It’s the final seconds of the NBA Finals. On a one-point game, the clock reads 0.0, but play continues for a few more seconds as the Golden State Warriors drive toward the edge.

The fight in Madison Square Garden is long. The final bell rings in the twelfth round, but the referee does not stop the advance of Oleksandr Usyk, now that the Ukrainian boxer is close to a knockout.

There is one round left in the Formula 1 World Championship and in a winner-takes-all situation, the race director refuses to drop the checkered flag as second place overtakes the leader. Actually, after the controversial end to the 2021 season, maybe that’s not the best example.

Nevertheless, the point still stands. The above circumstances are ridiculous: every major sport has a clear ending, whether it’s an expired game clock, the final pitch or a match point. They are objective and not subjective.

Football is an exception and the final moments of Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw against Valencia on Saturday evening showed the limitations.

This is what happened.

Seven minutes of injury time appeared on the fourth official’s board. This was followed by a two-minute delay when a penalty initially awarded to Real was overturned by VAR. The visiting team were on edge during an emotional evening: winger Vinicius Junior had previously scored two goals in a stadium where he was the victim of racist abuse last season.

The delays saw the match continue into the 99th minute and as Luka Modric approached to take a Madrid corner, referee Jesus Gil Manzano indicated that it would be the last play of the match.

Valencia made the clean sheet, but only as far as the edge of the penalty area. As Madrid winger Brahim Diaz prepared to cross the ball back in, Gil Manzano blew his whistle. Game is over.

Less than a second later, Diaz delivered his cross. The referee’s whistle had not yet registered with the players who were waiting for it. Jude Bellingham, who has scored sixteen goals in La Liga this season, headed in. He and Madrid drove away celebrating and thinking this was the winner, another special moment in his spectacular debut season.

Gil Manzano was determined. No goal. Bellingham rushed to the referee alongside captain Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Jr, Joselu, Andriy Lunin and Antonio Rudiger.

“It’s a damn goal,” Bellingham shouted at Gil Manzano before being sent off. After the match, Carlo Ancelotti supported his player.

“Bellingham didn’t insult the referee, he said in English: ‘It’s fa*****g goal’, that’s what we all thought,” the Madrid manager said. “He came close to the referee, but considering what had happened, that was quite normal.”

Madrid’s official website called it an “unprecedented refereeing decision” – but by the letter of the law they had no case. Gil Manzano had played enough stoppage time and indicated his intention to end the match. The final whistle means the match is over. No ifs, buts or maybes.

The anger stemmed from one of football’s unwritten laws: when a team is attacking, the final whistle should not be blown.

“The ball is in the air – what the hell is that?” Bellingham appeared to say during his protests. On rewatch, Gil Manzano’s first whistle came before the ball was delivered – while the second and third occurred with the ball in the air, but before Bellingham headed it. Only the first whistle is needed to stop the match.

Football regulations are vague about when exactly a referee must blow the whistle. According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the sport’s legislators, the referee “acts as a timekeeper”, “the additional time may be increased but not reduced by the referee”, and “the compensation for lost time shall be at the highest discretion of the referee”.

IFAB Rule 5.2 adds: “The referee must not change a restart decision if he realizes it is incorrect when the referee has signaled the end of the first or second half.”

This woolliness has led to a subjective system. The game has evolved to such an extent that the expectation is that a half should not end with one team on the attack, but without this being codified, referees may interpret this differently – if they recognize it at all.

What does it mean to be on the attack? Are you about to shoot or cross? What if there is a transition option? What if a player runs freely towards goal from behind? Is 60 seconds of patient build-up from the edge of the penalty area, like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, one continuous attack?

Every other part of football is tightly regulated. IFAB’s Rules are a 230-page document. Six of those pages, including diagrams, are devoted to what handball is all about. Why does one of its most important elements – when a game is over – barely deserve a mention?

After posting about this on X, formerly Twitter, some responded that the law was clear: the game is over when the whistle blows. Why then the widespread anger? Others responded by saying this was only a problem because it happened to Bellingham and Real Madrid – but this isn’t the first time this has happened. It was only a matter of time before it happened again in a high-stakes, high-profile match.

Returning to the 1978 World Cup, Wales referee Clive Thomas blew full-time with a Brazilian corner during a group match against Sweden – disallowing a Zico header that would have given Brazil a 2-1 victory. The decision only saw them finish second in their group, putting them into a more difficult group in the second round, from which they failed to qualify for the final.

In January 2021, Paul Tierney blew a handful of seconds at half-time before the allotted one-minute injury time expired. Liverpool, playing against Manchester United in a crucial Premier League match, had the ball behind them halfway through, but Sadio Mane looked through on goal. He wouldn’t have been able to put the ball in the net before the clock struck 46 minutes.

A month later, Craig Pawson refereed Manchester United’s trip to West Bromwich Albion. With the score 1-1 and the clock at 47.07 after two minutes of stoppage time, United broke from their own half – with four attackers against just one West Brom defender. Pawson blew with the ball still 70 yards from the opposition goal and was surrounded by irate United players.

Most egregiously, in November 2017, Spanish second division club Ponferradina thought they had a late winner to lift them out of the relegation zone, but referee Alvaro Lopez Parra blew the whistle when Andy Rodriguez tapped the ball over the opposition goalkeeper.

Gim. Segoviana – Ponferradina (0-0): gol anulado a la Ponfe in the ultima jugada. The ball entra mientras suena el pitido final (via @rtvcyl) pic.twitter.com/zgUlU7z9E8

— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) November 2, 2017

The laws allow for unconscious bias, the possibility of home teams or favorites getting more chances, and inconsistency, where referees interpret what constitutes an attack differently.

Visit referee forums and the same problems arise. Dozens of grassroots officials have stories of being surrounded after blowing for a long time. Their decision is final, but subjective. People disagree.

“It is, believe me, less aggro to address a neutral situation,” one referee wrote, explaining a controversial incident. “But it’s not necessarily always the right thing to do.”

It doesn’t have to be this way.

IFAB’s annual conference took place in Scotland last week. There, football lawmakers discussed permanent and temporary replacements for concussion, accidental handballs and infringement during penalty kicks. What else could they have discussed if it had been on the agenda full-time?

Football has a number of challenges. Due to further interruptions after the 90th minute – injuries, substitutions, celebrations, wasted time – referees cannot simply blow up the second the clock signals the end of allotted stoppage time.

If football had a system where the clock stopped when the ball was out of play, matches would swell to unprecedented lengths; the typical ball-playing time in the Premier League is around 55 minutes.

However, under the current system, teams complain if the whistle is blown while they are on attack. In the midst of this ambiguity, no one is happy.

One simple adjustment could help. During stoppage time, the referee was able to switch to a stopped clock system and inflate exactly to the minute. For example, if a team scores after the referee has indicated that there would be four minutes of stoppage time, the referee could stop time before resuming it when the ball is in play, inflating it at exactly 94:00. Professional stadiums all have clocks that show the exact time so players can stay informed.

It gives objectivity to the law, allows stoppages after the 90th minute and, by only being implemented in stoppage time, means matches will last no more than two hours. It’s not a complete novelty in the sport; Indoor football already has a designated timekeeper and a strict full-time whistle.

Bellingham’s ‘goal’ should not have stood, but the vagueness and limitations of the football laws put referees in a difficult position. The game is difficult enough to control. This is not about changing a rule, but about introducing fundamental clarity.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Dan Goldfarb)