Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund reportedly agreed in January 2013 that Robert Lewandowski wouldn't be sold to Real Madrid.

Dortmund agreed to allow Lewandowski to eventually go to Bayern on a free transfer under the condition that Marco Reus wouldn't be pursued as well.

Reus has a €30 million buyout clause in his contract.

Dortmund’s Hans-Joachim Watzke and Bayern’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agreed to the deal, but Rummenigge has since spoken openly about buying Reus.

Steven Gerrard was left out of the first XI in Liverpool's narrow 1-0 win over Stoke City.

There have been reports of a rift between Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers.

“Just to set the record straight media talk of a fall out between us 2 is NONSENSE ..have a nice Sunday,” he wrote on Instagram, accompanying a picture of him and Rodgers in training.

Gerrard entered the game as a late substitute. 

Rodgers had preferred Lucas Leiva in the anchor midfield position that Gerrard has recently occupied as he sought to help plug holes in a leaky defence, as well as handing a rest to his captain who had been a virtual ever-present.

A Deportivo La Coruña supporter has died after he was injured when dozens of rival fans clashed near the stadium before the club’s La Liga match at Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

The 43-year-old fan had to be fished out of the freezing Manzanares river near Atlético’s Vicente Calderón stadium and suffered cardiac arrest, hypothermia and head injuries, emergency services said.

Hospital sources later said he had died shortly after 2:00 PM local time after failing to respond to efforts to revive him. Eleven other people were treated for mostly minor injuries, including one female police officer with a fractured hand.

Atlético and Spain’s professional football league (LFP) condemned the troublemakers and the LFP said it had wanted to suspend the game.

Spanish media reported they had been unable to do so as it had not been possible to contact the Spanish football federation in time.

“I want to say that this has nothing to do with football,” Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said in an interview with Spanish television after champions Atlético won the match 2-0.

“These are radical groups who meet up and these are the consequences,” Cerezo added. “I repeat that neither Atlético nor Deportivo have anything to do with these incidents, they are organised by radical groups who have their histories and their accounts to settle.”

Southampton finished eighth in the Premier League last season and faced a summer in which they lost five starters and their manager.

But Saints kept its top striker, best defender and their captain while having a payroll estimated to be roughly a third of the front-runners.

The club is currently second in the Premier League.

“This summer was as uncomfortable as I’ve ever been as a leader,” said Ralph Krueger, the club’s chairman. “There is not a person inside this club that will honestly tell you they didn’t have a day, or a lot of days, where they weren’t afraid or that it wasn’t difficult. It was. It absolutely was. But we stuck with our plan. And it is working.”

The Southampton Way, as it is known, revolves around “breaking mythologies,” Reed said. The top priority for the club remains developing talent, something its academy had done historically — Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all came out of Southampton’s youth teams — but with a greater focus and purpose.

The on-field tactics of manager Ronald Koeman match Southampton's larger off-field model.

“We keep the way of playing the same, whether we play away or at home, whether against Liverpool or Manchester City,” Koeman said. “It doesn’t matter. We are who we are.”

The 20 teams of the English Premier League spent a combined €144 million on agents' fees during the last two transfer windows.

League leaders Chelsea spent the most with an outlay of €21 million, with Liverpool not far behind on €18 million.

Jose Mourinho's side have brought in Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Salah, Kurt Zouma, Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, Mario Pasalic, Filipe Luis, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy in the past year.

Luis Enrique doesn't believe Barcelona needs to sign a replacement for Thomas Vermaelen, who could miss the rest of the season.

“Injuries are a normal part of football and it’s a process the players go through. This has been the case with Thomas since his arrival at the club. The team is fine, we have to support the player and as time passes quickly, he’ll soon be with us. In principal, there’s no intention to sign a reinforcement, although the plans of the club are another matter. We don’t have any doubts that in the future, Vermaelen has a lot to offer us.”

Brendan Rodgers remains confident that Liverpool is capable of finishing the Premier League season in the top-4.

"I have an inherent belief that we can still make the top four - absolutely," he told reporters. "I know what we are all capable of here. For whatever reason, it hasn't happened for us yet but I said to the players the other night our standards will go up after the game against Ludogorets [a 2-2 draw].

"Thankfully no matter how we have been, we are still within touching distance and that is the initial aim. Fourth and then moving forward. If that is the aim - and we are only five points off it - then that gives me belief we have every chance of doing it."

Thierry Henry admits to being heartbroken when he left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007 on a €24 million deal.

"They adopted me and I am at home there," he told L'Equipe. "My home sweet home is London. My club is Arsenal.

“When I put on the red and white jersey, it has the same effect that the France jersey has. It's like when Clark Kent becomes Superman. I become someone different, someone stronger.

“When I left the club, a part of me died. I cried and that is not something I've ever done often, even as a kid.”

Henry quashed any suggestion that Arsene Wenger lacked ambition when he allowed him to leave, but he aired his hope that Gunners fans understood his decision to leave.

“I am a competitor,” he added. “But if I am to come back, I had to leave, no? The fans maybe understood that I am transparent, that I have never been a 'character'. Maybe they respect this.

“In England, at least in London, I think that people most love the player that was.”

A banner displayed in Arsenal's supporters section at West Brom read: "Arsene, thanks for the memories but it's time to go."

Asked about the banner at his postmatch news conference, Arsene Wenger said: "I don't comment on that."

When asked once more, he replied: "Do I need to say it again? I don't comment on your question."

"The job of every person who has responsibilities is to prepare the future always," he said later.

Carlos Vela had a hat-trick in the home game of Real Sociedad under David Moyes.

“We’ve had a special talent in Carlos tonight," said Moyes. "Without a doubt, he was a player that made the difference throughout and had a great game. His performance was decisive and its helped us get the win here.”