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​The Derbi barceloní is famed for its ferocity between two clubs that are separated by just three miles, but a recent reserve game between the two Catalan clubs was marred by Barcelona ultras who took their passions beyond acceptable boundaries by making vile chants towards the Espanyol supporters and players.

In a shocking video published on Deportes Cuatro and reported by ​Marca, the away fans can initially be heard singing ‘Death to Espanyol’ during the encounter on Saturday.

However, the Blaugrana faithful did not stop there. In exceptionally poor taste, some fans escalated to insulting the late former Espanyol defender Daniel Jarque, who died in 2009 at the age of 26 from a heart attack.

“If Dani Jarque scores a goal, it would be a ghost goal,” they sang. The final egregious act was the Nazi ‘Sieg Heil’ chants that can also be heard.

The game itself finished 2-0 to ​Barcelona B, with Ronald Araujo and Alex Collado scoring the goals.

This is not the first incident of offensive chanting between these two sides in the last seven days. During the first team game the same day, the Espanyol fans could be heard targeting ​Gerard Piqué with chants.

“Piqué you bastard, Shakira has a d***, your son is [Mubarak] Wakaso’s and you’re gay,” was allegedly the chant from the stands. During the game, Piqué went over to the referee Carlos del Cerro Grande to complain, but no action was taken at the time with no record of the abuse in the referee’s match report.

Subsequently, the chants have been noted by ​La Liga and it has been widely reported that they will be passed onto the Competition Committee and the Anti-Violence Commission. This could lead to a fine – not anything new for Espanyol, who received a €24,000 punishment for similar offensive chants in 2016.

La Liga is yet to comment on these chants from Estadi Johan Cruyff on Saturday.

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​It’s the end for New Balance on Merseyside. 

After months of will-they-won’t-they, Liverpool have announced that Nike will become the club’s official kit provider beginning in the 2020/21 season.

As official kit supplier – commencing June 1, 2020 – the agreement will see Nike outfitting the men’s, women’s and academy squads, as well as coaching staff and Liverpool Football Club Foundation; basically, everyone’s getting kitted out.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Nike, one of the world’s leading brands,” said Billy Hogan, Chief Commercial Officer of Liverpool Football Club.

“We welcome them to the Liverpool FC family and expect them to be an incredible partner for the club, both at home and in the city of Liverpool, and also globally as we continue to expand our fan base.”

It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing up to this point for Nike and Liverpool. Back in October Liverpool won a High Court battle over their multimillion-pound sponsorship deal with New Balance.

The club was sued over its alleged refusal to honour the terms of its reported £40m-a-year deal with the company, which expires in May 2020. 

Under the terms of their previous deal, New Balance were apparently entitled to renew its sponsorship if it could match the terms of any competitor’s offer. But the current European champions argued that New Balance couldn’t match Nike’s offer in relation to the marketing and distribution of Liverpool products.

After lengthy discussions at London’s Commercial Court, Nike were found to be victorious and were able to proceed.

“Liverpool Football Club has such a proud heritage and strong identity,” said Bert Hoyt, VP, GM Nike EMEA.

“The partnership with Liverpool underscores our leadership in global football, and with the club’s passionate world-wide fan base and strong legacy of success, they have a very bright future ahead. We look forward to partnering with them to serve players and supporters with Nike innovation and design.”

Everything seems to be coming up Liverpool right now. Bring on the new kits.

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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal overcame a bright Leeds United side 1-0 on Monday evening to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup. 

In the first half, the Championship side dominated proceedings, having 15 shots on goal. They forced Emiliano Martinez into a number of smart stops, while the away side also hit the bar. However, Reiss Nelson’s second half strike was enough to help Arteta’s side book their place in the next round of the competition. 

15 – Leeds attempted 15 shots in the opening 45 minutes against Arsenal, the joint most shots the Gunners have faced in the first half of a game this season (also facing 15 in the first half against Liverpool in the Premier League back in August). Lethargic. #FACup #ARSLEE pic.twitter.com/HKiGaWfhok

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 6, 2020

This result means that the north London side have won back to back matches in all competitions for the first time since October, when they managed to beat Standard Liège and ​Bournemouth. Moreover, this was also the first time they were able to keep clean sheets in two consecutive matches since those clashes with Standard and the Cherries.

The Gunners went into Monday’s clash full of confidence, having defeated ​Manchester United 2-0 in their last match. It was a hugely impressive display to earn Arteta his first win as Arsenal head coach. First half goals from Nicolas Pepe and Sokratis were enough to see them pick up all three points, but they could have further added to their lead before half time. 

However, the players looked tired and were overrun in the opening 45 minutes against Leeds on Monday. Arteta was left frustrated, with his side unable to get a foothold in the game. Nonetheless, following an improved second half showing, they were eventually able to overcome their Championship opponents​. 

After the match, Arteta revealed his anger over his side’s first half performance, ​saying: “I wasn’t happy at all. The first 30 to 35 minutes, how we started the game, how we approached the game…I tried to convince them before the game of what to expect of that team. They battered every team in the Championship, every three days.” 

​Arsenal now face a trip to take on Bournemouth in the next round of the FA Cup. As for the league, they travel to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday. 

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Manchester City officials are prepared to spend heavily this summer to try and re-establish their dominance in English football, with Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly one of their top targets.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost star defender Aymeric Laporte to a serious knee injury back in August, and having declined to sign a replacement for Vincent Kompany, John Stones’ injury problems and Nicolas Otamendi’s deficiencies, City have found themselves short at the back.​

Reluctant to ever let his side end up in a similar situation again, 90min has learned that Guardiola has made it clear to ​City executives that he wants a new elite centre-back at the club before the start of next season.

With that said, next summer City are prepared to activate Koulibaly’s release clause, which is believed to stand at around £100m, and club officials are determined that they will not be beaten in the race for the ​Napoli man’s signature.

They will face competition from both ​Chelsea and ​Tottenham Hotspur for the 28-year-old, but City are prepared to fight their way to the front of the queue.

The ​Premier League trio will also butt heads in their respective pursuits of ​Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell. 90min reported back in November that ​Guardiola had grown frustrated with current option Benjamin Mendy, with Chilwell his preferred replacement.

Both Koulibaly and Chilwell are expected to cost more than City’s current transfer record – the £62.8m signing of Rodri from ​Atlético Madrid – and could even total a combined £200m if City choose to pursue both.

City’s hierarchy are aware that such a spending spree is necessary to avoid falling further behind league champions-elect ​Liverpool, who already sit 14 points clear of the Cityzens with a game in hand.

City are desperate to move back to the peak of English football once more, or at least close the gap on their rivals next season, and they see a huge summer spending spree as the only way to do so.

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For more from Tom Gott, follow him on Twitter!

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Lionel Messi sent Neymar a WhatsApp message begging him to return to Barcelona following defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League last season, according to France Football.

The 27-year-old left Catalonia for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017, joining for a world record £200m fee, but has found his spell difficult in the French capital. Last summer’s headlines were dominated by the player’s personal discontent and he made his feelings public that he wanted out in the summer.

The Catalans’ director of football Eric Abidal also confirmed in November last year that bringing Neymar back to the club remains an option, but Neymar is believed to be more settled at present.

He has been linked with a move back to Barcelona, but back in May Messi is said to have set the ball rolling over a potential future transfer – telling the player that he was ready to leave Barcelona in 2021 and that he wanted to play together before Neymar took the mantle.

It’s reported that he said via WhatsApp: “Only together can we win the Champions League. I want you to come back. In two years, I’m leaving, and you’ll be alone, you’ll take my place.”

Despite his wishes to leave, Neymar was forced to stay in Paris after a series of meetings with members of the PSG hierarchy.

The last meeting, held on 27 August in Boulogne-Billancourt, involved representatives from the Parisiens and Barcelona, while super-agent Pini Zahavi was also present as the two club’s looked to reach an agreement for Neymar’s sale. 

Even though PSG sporting director Leonardo claimed that the club are ready to sell the 27-year-old, the club’s general manager, Jean-Claude Blanc, maintained his stance that the player was not for sale – a misunderstanding that ultimately led to Neymar staying at the Parc des Princes for at least another year. 

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