Arsenal are closing in on £30million-rated Monaco attacker Thomas Lemar as Arsene Wenger looks to boost his attacking options this summer. The Gunners have already secured one signing in the form of Sead Kolisinac and are now growing increasingly confident of tying up their second. Lemar is valued at £30m by Champions League semi-finalists Monaco and talks have begun smoothly between the French side and Arsenal. Arsenal do not expect any major hitches in the discussions and Lemar will add some firepower to a forward line that could only secure a fifth-placed finish last season. Despite the lack of Champions…
Author: David Folami
The Bulls are not prepared to let go of their Guinean star midfielder head of their maiden Champions League season Liverpool’s hunt for RB Leipzig’s midfielder Naby Keita could be coming to a halt according to German football expert Raphael Honigstein. The German pundit suggested that Leipzig’s price tag on the Guinean international, close to £70million, was a hint that the Bundesliga side is not prepared to sell the player. Keita had a breakout season for the German side and was one of their standout players. Despite playing in a deeper role, the 22-year-old Conakry-born notched eight goals and seven…
Saints director Les Reed says the club are willing to reject approaches from Europe’s top teams in order to hold onto the highly-coveted pair. Southampton insist Virgil van Dijk and Cedric Soares are “not for sale” amid reports the club have agreed with new manager Mauricio Pellegrino that they will not allow star players to leave. Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea are being linked with swoops for Van Dijk, while Barcelona, Juventus and Tottenham are among the clubs said to be chasing Cedric. But Les Reed, Southampton’s executive director, insists his club have no plans to sell and hopes to…
The 34-year-old right-back is expected to reunite with Pep Guardiola in the Premier League and the young striker is desperate for it to happen Gabriel Jesus is excited about the prospect of teaming up with Dani Alves at Manchester City because he will help motivate the players. Why Arsenal want to sign Lemar The 34-year-old right-back, who confirmed his departure from Juventus on Tuesday, is set to join City after agreeing a two-year deal, but Chelsea also made an approach. As a move has not been confirmed, his 20-year-old compatriot pleaded with him to join and believes that coach Pep…
Chelsea remain confident of signing Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, despite facing competition from Paris Saint-Germain. Juventus are holding out for a world record fee for a defender of £60 million for Sandro, who Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has made one of his priority targets. Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia is leading the club’s negotiations with Juve, but is unlikely to find the Italians willing to drop the price. Juve’s position over the fee is strengthened by the fact big-spending PSG have also shown an interest in Sandro. Contrary to reports in Italy, Manchester City are not chasing Sandro but Chelsea…
AS Monaco wing-back Fabinho says his next move will be focused on helping him make Brazil’s World Cup squad. Fabinho continues to get Manchester United fans excited just by talking about Jose Mourinho – and other managers. When asked whether he would like to play under Mourinho, Fabinho told ESPN Brasil: “Mourinho, too. He is an excellent manager. No doubt. “I would also like to work with great managers to learn more about football, learn new things. There are great managers in football. “Guardiola, Zidane, who’s doing a great work, Tite, also doing a great job in the national team,…
Benfica are ready to turn to their young star as a replacement for Manchester United target Nelson Semedo. Jose Mourinho has been heavily linked with a move for right-back Semedo after he enjoyed a stellar campaign for the Portuguese side. And the United boss has been handed a welcome boost in his pursuit of Semedo after reports emerge that Pedro Pereira is set to make the step up to the first team following his move from Sampdoria. The 19-year-old spent his youth career with Benfica before leaving for the Italian giants in 2015. But he returned to the Portuguese champions…
It was one of the strangest moments of the oddest period in Chelsea’s modern history. Facing Southampton at Stamford Bridge in October 2015, and having conceded an equaliser just before the break, Jose Mourinho threw on Nemanja Matic for Ramires. After just 27 minutes of the second half, with Chelsea now down 3-1, Matic having been shredded by Sadio Mane, Mourinho hauled the Serbian back off and replaced him with Loic Remy. The crowd booed, Matic and Mourinho ignored one another, and Chelsea slumped to their fourth defeat of the season in just their eighth game. Afterwards Mourinho insisted that…
Manchester United are willing to spend £40million on Radja Nainggolan, according to reports. The midfielder has a contract with Roma until 2020, and the offer of an extension has been made. But according to Gazetta dello Sport, he is reluctant to sign due to interest from United. The report claims Jose Mourinho has contacted the player’s representatives to register his interest, and United are ready to offer between £35m and £40m for his services. Nainggolan posted a photograph on Instagram on Monday with the caption “Thinking about what to do.” Asked about United’s reported interest earlier this month, the Belgian…
Bundesliga runners-up RB Leipzig and Austrian champions Salzburg can both play in the Champions League next season after Uefa said it was satisfied that energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull does not have a controlling influence in both clubs. The club financial control board of European soccer’s governing body said in a statement on Tuesday that “no individual or legal entity” had a decisive influence over more than one of the two clubs. Uefa rules do not allow any two clubs competing in European competition to share the same owner. In cases where that happens, priority is given to a team…
AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has rejected a new deal with the club, was pelted with fake cash and labelled “Dollarumma” by supporters during a match for Italy’s under-21 team on Sunday. The 18-year-old stunned the club by turning down a new contract last Thursday. AC Milan see him as one of the brightest talents to emerge at the club in years and hoped to keep him on a long-term basis. Play had to be briefly halted during the first half of the European under-21 championship match against Denmark, played in the Polish city of Krakow, after supporters behind…
Copa America champions Chile will try to curb Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in Wednesday’s Confederations Cup semifinal with the goal-ace in rich form despite the tax storm brewing in Spain. The 32-year-old converted a penalty in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of New Zealand to claim his 75th international goal. The Real Madrid forward has now scored 16 times in his last 10 games for club and country. Portugal’s captain will face tax evasion charges in a Madrid court next month, but has dazzled on the pitch in Russia, claiming man-of-the-match awards in all three games, netting two goals and providing an…
Serie A runners-up Roma have moved to shore up their defence ahead of next season with the imminent signing of Dutch international defender Rick Karsdorp. Feyenoord full-back Karsdorp, 22, arrived in Rome on Tuesday morning and “will have a medical in the Italian capital, ahead of a proposed move to the Giallorossi from current club Feyenoord,” Roma said in a statement. Roma, who have secured an automatic spot in next season’s Champions League, are hoping to strengthen for a fresh assault on the competition next season. However the capital club, who will be coached by former Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di…
Arsenal forward Takuma Asano will return to VfB Stuttgart for a second successive season on loan, the English Premier League club said on Thursday. The 22-year-old Japan international joined Arsenal in July last year and was loaned out to Stuttgart shortly after for the 2016-17 campaign, where he scored four goals in 26 league appearances as the club won promotion to the top tier. “Takuma Asano has re-joined Bundesliga side Stuttgart on loan for the 2017/18 season,” Arsenal said on their website (www.arsenal.com). “We’d like to wish him all the best for the upcoming campaign.”
Germany are the kings of the penalty shoot-out – but the world champions hope to see off Mexico in Thursday’s Confederations Cup semifinal without needing dreaded spot kicks. The Germans have won all five penalty shoot-outs they have faced since 1976 at either World Cup finals or European championships. Joachim Loew’s team face the Mexicans in Sochi for a place in Sunday’s Confed Cup final in St Petersburg against either Portugal or Chile, who meet later on Wednesday in Kazan’s other semifinal. Having won their Confed Cup group, Germany are on a 13-match unbeaten run, dating back just under a…
Liverpool are unlikely to face disciplinary proceedings from the Premier League after being accused by Southampton of making an illegal approach to sign their defender Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool ended their interest in the Dutch centre back and publicly apologised to Southampton earlier this month after British media reported that the south coast club had complained to the Premier League about their attempt to sign him. Both the Times and the Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday that the league had conducted a preliminary investigation into the dispute and concluded there was not enough evidence to launch formal disciplinary proceedings. The…
Reports linking UCL winner Cristiano Ronaldo with a possible move to Bayern Munich if the Portuguese decided to leave Real Madrid were a hoax, the German champions said on Monday. Bayern President Uli Hoeness has pledged a big-name signing in the close season and Italian media had reported in recent days the German champions were interested in Ronaldo. “We are used to a lot of speculation about possible comings and goings during the transfer period,” said Rummenigge in a club statement with the headline “Hoax of the Day for the Ronaldo rumours”. “As a rule we do not comment on…
Tottenham Hotspur have absolutely no intention of selling Harry Kane this summer and have not quoted Manchester United a price for the striker, sources have said. Reports in the UK media claim United boss Jose Mourinho has told the club to sign Kane and figures of £100 million and £200m have been mentioned for the forward, who captained England this month. But sources close to Spurs are bemused by the speculation and insist that Kane does not have a price-tag because the club would not even consider discussions about selling their star player. The 23-year-old has won the Premier League…
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard says Romelu Lukaku would be the ideal man to replace Diego Costa if the Spain international leaves Stamford Bridge this summer. Costa, 28, said earlier this month that Chelsea boss Antonio Conte had told him he is not in his plans for next season and Lukaku, 24, has been strongly tipped for a return to his former club. Lampard said Lukaku, who scored 25 Premier League goals last season, has progressed significantly at Everton. “What he’s done in the last two or three years is that he’s really developed,” he told L’Equipe. “Chelsea bought him as…
Manchester United are set to sign Northern Ireland under-17 captain Ethan Galbraith. The midfielder, 16, has agreed a three-year contract and could seal his switch to Old Trafford as early as this weekend, according to the Northern Ireland FA. Galbraith will initially join up with Kieran McKenna’s U18 side, where he could play alongside Angel Gomes, who made his first-team debut in May. Jim Magilton, the Irish FA’s elite performance director, said: “We are all delighted that Ethan has signed for Manchester United. “He has been a part of our elite development programme from the beginning, and we have been…