Bayern Munich scraped past Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday.
A summary of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
Chelsea have topped the spending list with Manchester United not far behind, but West Ham United's business epitomises the TV riches which give all Premier League clubs spending power that only the elite teams in Spain or Germany can dream of.
Manchester United signed Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax Amsterdam on a five-year contract, the English Premier League club said on Wednesday.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Bayer Leverkusen crushed hosts VfL Bochum 5-0 to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches.
The German Football League decided last week to resume the first and second divisions from May 16 after a two-month suspension, with teams undergoing a seven-day isolation period after testing for the new coronavirus.
Torn muscle sidelines Robben for rest of the season; Lewandowski breaks jaw
Barcelona are keen to sign the Brazilian playmaker, who joined Liverpool from Inter Milan for 8.5 million pounds ($11.03 million) in 2013, and have already had an initial bid worth 80 million euros rejected by Liverpool last month.
He also hopes to play some part in a friendly against the club's Under-19 side.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The result also ensured an unhappy start for Hoffenheim's unorthodox five-man coaching team who replaced Alfred Schreuder after his sacking on Tuesday. The hosts remain seventh on 43 points as they chase a Europa League qualifying spot.
Ghana had always been expected to struggle at this World Cup after an unconvincing qualifying campaign in which a Nigerian goalkeeping howler saw them win a fortunate place in Qatar.
Cologne, looking for their fourth straight league win, thought they had wrapped up the match played without spectators after early goals in each half.
There will be plenty of tension in the air in North London on Wednesday when out-of-sorts Arsenal face Borussia Dortmund seeking to qualify from the Champions League group stage for the 15th successive season.
Regional leaders in Bavaria and North Rhine Westphalia said on Monday that any league resumption would be without fans and that there would be no action before May 9.
The 30-year-old leaves Anfield after 269 appearances, having scored 120 goals in all competitions, a stellar return that helped the club to the Champions League title in 2018-19 and the Premier League crown a season later.
The Bavarians are on 73 points with RB Leipzig in second place on 63 after they were held to a goalless draw by Ingolstadt earlier in the day.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is loving his duel with Leicester City forward and England team mate Jamie Vardy for the Premier League golden boot this season.
German fans have finally got their wish for a more exciting Bundesliga season and the title race will really hot up when leaders Bayern Munich lock horns with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Bayern's shock 2-1 defeat by Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena in midweek means a home victory for second-placed Dortmund at the weekend would lift them within two points of the Bavarians with nine matches to go. Such is the worldwide interest in the top of the table clash, it will be broadcast to 208 countries. "Everyone wanted more suspense in the Bundesliga. Now you have it so all is well," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. "We are not perfect. Sometimes you have to lose to understand what you need to do in order to become an even better team." Bayern, who are chasing a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga crown, had an 11-point lead earlier in the season. The defeat by Mainz and a 2-2 draw at Juventus in their Champions League last-16 first leg, after leading 2-0, have raised alarm bells among the supporters. "The results against Juve and Mainz were not good but our performances were," said Guardiola who is leaving at the end of the season to join Manchester City.
'We tried to keep him, but there is nothing we can do'
Aubameyang joined Arsenal from German club Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of around 58 million pounds ($79 million) as former manager Arsene Wenger's last signing.
Champions Bayern Munich needed an 88th-minute winner by Joshua Kimmich to beat Hamburg SV 1-0 on Saturday and protect their three-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga. Strugglers Hamburg had battled hard to protect a goalless draw and end a three-game losing run, with goalkeeper Rene Adler making a string of key saves before Kimmichdrilled in a Franck Ribery cutback at the far post. The result lifted Bayern to 15 points, three ahead of Borussia Dortmund, who beat Freiburg 3-1 on Friday.
Several records and milestones were set after Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in the Champions League final on Saturday. With the victory Real became the first team to win three straight titles in the Champions League era.
Lionel Messi scored twice to earn Barcelona a 2-0 derby win over Espanyol and send them 13 points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday.
Bayern Munich slumped to their first defeat for three months when the Bundesliga leaders suffered a shock 2-1 reverse at home to Mainz 05 on Wednesday.
Germany's defensive midfielder Sami Khedira has been offered to Manchester United at 2,00,000 pounds-a-week by Real Madrid, as he will be out of contract in the summer and the top Premier League clubs have been alerted about the same.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Lukaku, who was signed for around 80 million euros (71.2 million pounds) from Manchester United in the close season, is the club's leading goalscorer in Serie A alongside midfielder Stefano Sensi, with three goals.
Liverpool's Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho is on the verge of signing for La Liga leaders Barcelona in a club-record deal, according to Spanish media reports.
Barcelona lost for the second straight La Liga game in a 1-0 home reverse against Celta Vigo but there was no such trouble for Manchester City, who beat 10-man Manchester United 1-0 thanks to Sergio Aguero.
A solid defence helped Schalke 04 secure a 1-0 win at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday that lifted them above their rivals into third spot in the Bundesliga in the battle for Champions League places.
Tuchel has agreed an 18-month contract with the option of another year, the west London club announced.
Played behind closed doors, the result lifted Hertha one place up to 10th on 34 points from 27 games while promoted Union, who won the reverse fixture in November 1-0 thanks to a late penalty, stayed 12th on 30 points.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Five-time European champions Liverpool are in the quarter-finals of this year's competition
Arsenal have signed forward Nicolas Pepe from French club Lille for a club-record fee, the Premier League side said on Thursday.
Liverpool's new striker Darwin Nunez scored a late goal on his debut as they drew first blood in this season's rivalry with Manchester City after a 3-1 win in Saturday's Community Shield.
Giroud, at 36, brings experience and guile to France's attack, while Mbappe, 23, is blessed with pace
Paris St Germain will look at playing Champions League home matches in another country after the French government on Tuesday decided to end the 2019-20 domestic season, the Ligue 1 club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Tuesday.
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