Piers Morgan has slammed Arsenal coach, Mikel Arteta’s decision to allow star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave the club for Barcelona after they fell out earlier this year. This comes as Barcelona is planning to sell the Gabonese striker this summer after just six-month stint at the Spanish club. Reports suggest that Chelsea is interested in Aubameyang’s services, with Thomas Tuchel having worked with the 33-year-old during their time at Borussia Dortmund.
Morgan also replied to another tweet suggesting the player’s time-keeping shouldn’t be an issue.
Romelu Lukaku has opened up on his difficult season at Chelsea as he vows to show his critics what he is ‘capable of’ while on loan at Inter Milan.
The Belgian striker has returned to the Serie A giants on loan, just one year after leaving them for Chelsea for a massive £97.5million fee and failing to replicate his fine form.
Speaking to DAZN, as per Football Italia, Lukaku revealed he wanted ‘revenge’ at Chelsea after leaving as a youngster, and didn’t become the ‘hero’ at Stamford Bridge like he had expected. He said:
‘The season at Chelsea gave me extra motivation to do even better than before. I think in one year everyone has forgotten about the things I am capable of doing on the pitch. ‘That is a kind of anger that I have inside me. That now the team has it too, which didn’t win last year, all together we hope to do better and bring something home.’ When asked what went wrong at Stamford Bridge, he responded:
‘So many things. I think before, when I left, I wanted to take revenge at Chelsea because when I was young it was my team for 11 years. I had the opportunity to go back there and thought I would be a hero, but that wasn’t the case. ‘In March, when I heard there was an opportunity to come back here, slowly I didn’t say anything, but toward the end of the season we did a very good job with the club and I was able to come back here. ‘I make reflections only at the end of the season, so after the last game I put myself to think what my situation was. ‘I saw that as a player with Inter I did well, the season at Chelsea for me was difficult. I had no doubts, that’s why I made the decision to come back here.’ Lukaku was at Chelsea from 2011 to 2014, before he joined Everton following loan spells at the Merseyside club and West Brom. After that he had a difficult spell at Manchester United, before returning to his best form during a two-year stint at Inter Milan.
In his second season at the San Siro, Lukaku fired the club to the title, scoring 24 league goals in 36 Serie A matches. He then made a club-record move to Chelsea, where he scored just 15 goals in 44 appearances.
Lukaku also told DAZN that he doesn’t care about being the top scorer in Serie A and his main focus is to lead the club back to the title after they missed out to city rivals AC Milan last season.
A Sierra Leonian footballer missed his wedding day in order to finalise a transfer to a new team and instead sent his brother to represent him.
Mohamed Buya Turay signed for the Swedish outfit after a spell playing in the Chinese Super League both Hebei China Fortune and Henan Songshan Longmen.
His wedding was set for July 21 but Swedish club Malmo wanted the 27-year-old to join up with them as soon as possible. So Turay missed the ceremony and travelled to Sweden to be unveiled as a Malmo player on July 22. It has now been revealed that his brother switched places with him at the wedding to walk the aisle alongside bride, Suad Baydoun.
Turay told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: ‘We got married on July 21 in Sierra Leone. But I was not there because Malmo asked me to arrive earlier.’ Turay who had posed for pictures with his wife in their wedding outfits before he left for Sweden and posted them on Twitter.
‘We took the picture beforehand, so it looks like I was there, but I was not. My brother got to represent me at the actual wedding,’ he said on Twitter.
Turay, who signed for Malmo after spending two seasons in China’s top flight, played against Luxembourg’s Diddeleng on Thursday in a 3-0 win in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie. He has not been reunited with his wife since the marriage but promised they would honeymoon together – eventually.
‘First, we are going to win the league, and then I will go on a honeymoon,’ Turay said with a smile.
Despite winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup and earning a whooping £180,000, Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed he still lives with his parents and helps with chores at home.
Aged 23, Trent Alexander-Arnold has developed into one of Europe’s elite right-backs, and is arguably the best in the world at his position.
According to the player, being around family has helped him remain level-headed, knowing fully well many athletes in his position might prefer spending their wealth on cars, houses or entertainment.
He says the habits he learns helps keep his life “clean and healthy.”
“I always think young players rush things,” he told CNN Senior Sport Analyst Darren Lewis.
“You start getting paid some money and young players always think the first thing is to move out, get a new car, stuff like that.
And then the environment is just not the same. You’re living at home. You’ve got your parents to keep you in line and make sure things are clean and tidy, the dishes aren’t stacking up and you’re going home to a nice, clean environment and things like that.
“Whereas living at home (on your own), breakfast and dinner, you just think: ‘I’ll do that later.’ And then you come in from training and then you’re just not in a clean, nice environment. So I’ve never felt a rush to leave home. I’ve always had the right messages.
I’ve just always enjoyed having family around me. And they’ve kept my feet on the ground and pushed me to the levels that I’ve got so far. So I don’t think there’s any rush for me to make a decision.”
In his 161 appearances in the Premier League, he’s scored 10 goals, provided 45 assists and has a remarkable record of winning 114 games and only losing 19 times.But despite that record, such has been the brilliance of Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool’s trophy winning has been halted.
Liverpool left it late to secure a 3-1 win over Manchester City in the 100th Community Shield at the King Power Stadium.
New boy Julian Alvarez had initially cancelled out a stunning opener from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez struck in the dying embers in front of the Reds faithful.
Liverpool looked the much fresher of the two sides in the early exchanges, and it only took 21 minutes for their dominance to pay off courtesy of Alexander-Arnold’s sublime first-time finish into the far corner from a good 20 yards.
With Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher sidelined, Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper was called into action to save from Erling Braut Haaland before the Norwegian’s acrobatic attempt from close range failed to come off.
Fans got to see a glimpse of Nunez and Alvarez on the King Power turf in the second half, and Liverpool fans wanted a penalty when the former went over following a challenge from Ederson, who got just enough of the ball.
However, it was City’s South American who would have the bigger impact, as Alvarez followed up on Phil Foden’s saved effort to poke home a 70th-minute equaliser, which was initially disallowed before a lengthy VAR check allowed those in sky blue to celebrate.10 minutes later, Liverpool fans were the ones demanding the intervention of VAR after Nunez’s header struck Ruben Dias on the arm, and Craig Pawson awarded a penalty after checking the monitor. Salah stepped up and found the bottom corner to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead, despite Ederson going the right way.
Nunez missed a good chance to make it three for Liverpool in the 87th minute after heading wide from James Milner’s cross, but the Uruguay international made no mistake in second-half injury time, as his diving header nestled into the back of the net to wrap up an emphatic Liverpool win.
The new strikers were taking centre stage all afternoon, and there was time for Haaland to crash a late effort against the bar from only a few yards out before the celebrations started for Liverpool.
Barcelona president, Joan Laporta has vowed to do all he can to re-sign Lionel Messi next summer when the PSG star’s contract expires.
The Argentine playmaker, 35, exited the Nou Camp to join the French giants on a free transfer in 2021, ending his 21-year Barcelona career.
Laporta, who admitted he feels ‘indebted’ to the Argentine superstar, is set to do everything to bring him back to the Catalan club next year.
‘I would like him to end his career in a Barca shirt, and be applauded at all the stadiums.
‘I feel partially responsible for how things ended, and I feel that this is a temporary end and that we will make this dream a reality. At least that is the dream.’
Recall it was a bitter end for Messi after he submitted a transfer request via burofax after Barca were thumped 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League back in 2020.
The playmaker almost made a U-turn to remain at the club, but the ongoing financial problems worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic prevented Barcelona from offering Messi a new deal, paving the way for him to join PSG.
Messi notched 670 goals and 302 assists in 776 games during his two-decade spell with the LaLiga giants.
Nigeria and Benin Republic are likely co-host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick, has said.
Guinea has been awarded the hosting rights for 2025 but Africa’s football ruling body, CAF may likely strip Guinea of the hosting right of the biennial African football showpiece.
According to Pinnick, CAF is on course to withdraw the hosting right from the West African country and Nigeria is working on a bid with Benin Republic.
“We are putting a bid together for a co-hosting of the tournament with the Benin Republic,” Pinnick told Complete sports.
“The Minister of Sports has given his endorsement on the bidding.
“It is high time Nigeria hosted an international tournament because there are many advantages attached to hosting of such competitions.
“There are many countries bidding for the competition; we are confident of getting the nod from Caf.
“We are working with the ministry of sports to ensure that Nigeria gets the hosting right.”
Since the inception of AFCON, Nigeria have hosted the rest of the continent on two occasions.
The first time was in 1980 while the second time was in 2000 when the country co-hosted with Ghana .
Erik ten Hag has said he cannot keep waiting for Cristiano Ronaldo to return to Manchester United and wants a new striker ahead of the new season.
Ronaldo still hasn’t reported back for pre-season after asking to leave Old Trafford and being given compassionate leave for a family issue.
by Taboola.
Ten Hag is now linked with a £68million raid on his old club Ajax for winger Antony, and it’s understood that one of the Brazilian’s representatives, Junior Pedroso, was in Manchester for talks on Thursday.
It is the same as last week,’ said Ten Hag when asked about the situation with Ronaldo and whether he is concerned that the Portugal star is running out of time to be fit.
Asked about the importance of signing another forward, Ten Hag said: ‘I think it’s vital if you want to get success, the season is really long.
‘That is a reason, but also the number of games. You need more options in offence. But we also have still time to fill that in.
We signed (Christian) Eriksen for the midfield, we are really happy with that. I am really happy with the performance of the midfield and offence at this moment.
‘But I also know this season, a lot of games, World Cup, so we need more options.
‘We have a good team, we need a good squad to get the right results at the end of the season.’
United have been using Anthony Martial on tour in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mason Greenwood. They have scored 11 goals in the wins over Liverpool, Melbourne, and Crystal Palace.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Pinnick, has condemned the use of laser lights on the Super Falcons during their defeat to host Morocco in the semi-final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, July 18.
Morocan fans directed the beaming laser lights towards the eyes of the Falcons players to disrupt their play during panlty shootout at the full-packed Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
Despite the ugly scenario, the nine-time champions were reduced to 10 women after midfielder Halimat Ayinde and Rasheedat Ajibade were red-carded during the clash.
In a statement by the NFF media team, Pinnick while hailing the Falcons for their gallant display despite all odds also condemned the laser lights directed at the players.
“Of course, we would have been happy to be in the final and chase a 10th title. But I am happy with the performance of the team and the way and manner they approached the game despite all sorts of setbacks and intimidation,” Pinnick said.
“To play 50 minutes of a game with only nine players is not an easy task. The Super Falcons gave their all and were truly fabulous. They had the ‘Nigeria spirit’ in them and showed a sense of patriotism, were dogged, and refused to give up. Penalties are forever a lottery, so it could have gone either way. I commend the team for the outing.
“Our girls did a massive job on a night they were not only depleted but challenged by laser lights trained on their eyes by the crowd. I am enamoured by their resilience and tenacity.”
Inter Miami president, Jorge Mas has confirmed that he and co-owner David Beckham wants to bring Lionel Messi to the club.
Messi is entering his second season with Paris Saint-Germain, but the two club owners are ‘very optimistic’ that a deal can be done in the future.
The former Barcelona striker has just turned 35 but Mas still believes he is the best player on the planet and hopes to convince him to join one day.
When asked about bringing Messi to the club, Mas said: ‘Well, look, both David Beckham and I aspire to bring the best players in the world here to Miami, not only because of the project we are creating.
‘We want to be the point of reference for soccer in the United States, but when you talk about the best players in the world, Leo is obviously the best player on the planet.
‘Hopefully, the conditions will be met for him to be there, playing with the United States Inter Miami jersey. We aspire to that.
‘I hope the circumstances are given. We have nothing guaranteed, there is no agreement, but I am a very optimistic man and I hope that in the future Leo Messi can be part of our project.’
He added: ‘There are a lot of Catalans here: there is Xavi Asensi, Víctor Oliver, who has just arrived here from Barcelona to bring up topics for the future.
‘We are going to build a new stadium… I was with Laporta last night for a long time. And nothing, it is an honour to see clubs of the category of Barcelona here and it is what I aspire to, that Inter Miami has close relations with this type of club.’
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday, commended the “resilience and professionalism” displayed by Nigeria’s Super Falcons against the Moroccan female national football team in the second semi-final of the African Women’s Cup of Nations.
This is according to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled ‘Thanks for the gallant display, President Buhari to Super Falcons.’
According to Adesina, President Buhari is encouraged by the doggedness, resilience and professionalism of the girls, who despite playing with two players down before a home crowd showed their quality and class.
‘‘Although many will be disappointed with the Moroccan victory on penalties, there are many positive outcomes for the Nigerian team to take home and prepare better for the next tournament,’’ the President said.
He also believes that great things are expected from this team and like all Nigerians; he will be cheering them on at future outings.
The Super Falcons, who were on their way to clinching the African title for the 11th time, lost to their host, Morocco, in a penalty knockout that ended 5-4.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a shock return to LaLiga to join his former club’s rival Atletico Madrid.
Spanish outlet Diario AS have published a sensational report that the player could be on his way to city rivals Atletico Madrid in what would be a dagger to the hearts of all Los Blancos fans.
Ronaldo, 37, has already made it clear that he wants to leave Manchester United this summer.
According to the report, Ronaldo’s representatives have made contact with Diego Simeone’s side and persuaded the Argentine manager to make a move for the player.
Ronaldo who scored 311 goals in 292 games for Real Madrid including claming victory over Atletico in two Champions League finals in three years, is hated by Atleti fans, and a move would surely create friction with the fanbase.
This comes Portuguese legend took to Instagram to deny rumours of a return to Sporting, after a photo was posted by Sport TV Portugal claiming his car was spotted at the club’s stadium.
But Ronaldo was straight to the point with his response to the claims, simply commenting: ‘Fake’.
AC Milan footballer, Tiemoue Bakayoko was stopped at gunpoint by police in Italy in a terrifying ordeal that turned out to a case of mistaken identity.
The departing Chelsea midfielder, who was on loan at AC Milan last season, was reportedly pulled over by cops in Milan.
A video shared online, captured the terrifying moment a policeman, pushed the startled footballer, who made 14 Serie A appearances for the triumphant Rossoneri last season, up against a police car.
He then appear to empty Bakayoko’s pockets as two other armed cops, pointed their guns at the player’s car.
Shocking footage of Milan’s Bakayoko in Milan’s downtown held at gunpoint by police cause taken for someone else.
Check when one of cop goes telling to the colleague searching him that it’s not the suspect but a Milan player, and the cop saying “WHO?!?” pic.twitter.com/B0PTYiXnc5
As soon the police discovered they had the wrong person, they quickly brought their weapons down and consoled the midfielder with a gentle pat on the back.
The 27-year-old signed for Chelsea in a big-money move in 2017, arriving at Stamford Bridge from Monaco for £40m.
In his first season, he made 43 appearances across all competitions, but has not played for Chelsea since the 2017-18 season. Since then, he has spent loan spells at AC Milan, Monaco, Napoli and then again at AC Milan, where he won the Serie A title in the last campaign.
On Sunday, French publication Foot Mercato reported that Bakayoko is finally leaving after agreeing a deal with the Ligue 1 club, Marseille.
Portuguese tactician, Jose Mourinho has revealed his new tattoo.
The former Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Inter Milan and current Roma coach won a historic European triumph with Roma last season and by doing that became the first manager to win all three UEFA competitions after guiding Roma to the first ever Europa Conference League last season.
Mourinho established himself as a European specialist when he won the UEFA Cup and Champions League in back-to-back seasons with Porto.
He then moved to Chelsea, where despite his dominance of English football, he failed to bring a European Cup to Stamford Bridge. However, after moving to Inter Milan, he quickly turned them into European champions, beating Bayern Munich in the 2010 final.
His time with Real Madrid ended without adding honours in UEFA competitions, before he won the Europa League with Manchester United in 2016/17. And in just his first season in Roma, Mourinho was back in the winners’ circle, completing the collection – becoming the first manager to achieve the feat.
The 59-year-old has now told followers on his Instagram that the passion of the Roma supporters has made him decide to honour his latest victory, with an image of all three trophies with the badges of the teams he won them with.
“This is my tattoo,” Mourinho posted on Instagram alongside an image of the design. “The joy of the Roman people led me to do it.
“Then I thought about something special, something that would honour all the clubs where I won European competitions. At the same time, I wanted a unique tattoo, one that, so far, I am the only one who can have it.
“Alberto showed me some proposals, I just changed a few details. Here is my tattoo.”
Mourinho was visibly emotional after his current club won the final in Tirana, admitting that it was special to win another trophy with what he claimed was a team not expected to compete for honours.
“The great thing about my career is that, aside from the Europa League with Manchester United, doing it with Porto, Inter and Roma is very, very, very special,” Mourinho said.
“It is one thing to win when everyone expects it, when you made the investments to win, but it’s quite another to win when something feels immortal, that feels truly special.
“This remains in the history of Roma, but also mine. I was told only I, Sir Alex (Ferguson) and Giovanni Trapattoni won trophies in three different decades. It makes me feel a little old, but it’s nice for my career.”
Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford got on the scoresheet as Manchester United rallied from a goal down to beat Melbourne Victory 4-1 Friday and hand manager Erik ten Hag his second win since taking over.
It followed their 4-0 thumping of Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday when Jadon Sancho, Fred, Martial and Facundo Pellistri were on target.
A well-organised Victory were no walkover and shocked the English giants in front of 74,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a goal on the break in the fifth minute.
United clawed back with goals on the cusp of half-time from Scott McTominay and Martial before Rashford made it 3-1 with 12 minutes left and a Victory own goal capped the deserved win.
“It was good that we were able to recover,” said ten Hag. “It’s pre-season and we wanted to see how the team reacts.
“We went 1-0 behind but we stayed composed and finally just before half-time we scored twice.
“Their defence was really compact and it was difficult to create chances,” he added. “But a couple of times we got behind the defensive line and it was justified that we scored.”
United used 22 players against Liverpool and while Ten Hag largely stuck with the same starting line-up he switched it up at the break with 10 changes.
Captain and centre-back Harry Maguire started for the first time under the Dutchman after missing the Liverpool clash, slotting in alongside Victor Lindelof with Raphael Varane absent from the matchday squad.
David de Gea was also missing after picking up what appeared to be a muscle strain in Bangkok. With Dean Henderson on loan, it was left to back-up keeper Tom Heaton to play the full 90 minutes.
In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Martial again led the line flanked by Jadon Sancho and Antony Elanga.
But they were stunned by a quick counter-attack when Victory broke from their own penalty area with a pass down the right flank behind Luke Shaw finding Ben Folami.
With United wide open in defence, Folami squared the ball to Chris Ikonomidis who calmly tucked the ball past Heaton.
United slowed the pace and began to find rhythm with McTominay going close and Bruno Fernandes only denied by a great save from Melbourne keeper Paul Izzo.
Stroke of luck
They kept pressing but it took a stroke of luck to level the scores in the 43rd minute with McTominay’s shot taking a massive deflection.
A rattled Victory conceded another two minutes later with the lively Martial having a simple tap in after Elanga flicked on Diego Dalot’s cross.
Ten Hag shuffled his pack for the second half with Heaton the only survivor and Rashford taking the captain’s armband.
Fleet-footed Zidane Iqbal looked sharp and dangerous as United starved Victory of the ball and their fresher legs caused problems.
But the chances were few until Rashford stepped up in the 78th minute with a lovely finish after a penetrating ball through from Eric Bailly before the own goal sealed Victory’s misery.
Local fans did have something to cheer about when former Manchester United star Nani made his debut with three minutes left after being signed by the Australian side this week.
United also face Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Australia before their Premier League campaign begins on August 7.
Frenkie de Jong has cast fresh doubt over a move to Manchester United by telling Barcelona teammates there is no chance he will leave.
United looked to have finally made the breakthrough in their long-standing pursuit of the Dutch midfielder when the two clubs agreed a deal worth up to £72million earlier this week.
But it appears that De Jong still has some lingering doubts over a move to Old Trafford with the 25-year-old believed to be settled in Catalonia.
Reports have also surfaced that the midfielder has instructed his agent to inform United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough to turn their attention elsewhere.
Despite De Jong’s reluctance to leave the Nou Camp, Barca have their sights set on his departure to enable the club to register their new signings and comply with financial fair play.
Barcelona officials met with De Jong on Thursday to inform him of the club’s position and the need for him to accept United’s proposal to help ease the financial burden.
But De Jong is standing his ground and remaining defiant with Spanish newspaper Sport reporting the Dutchman told his team-mates: “It is impossible for me to leave. How am I going to leave Barca?”
It appears that even the lure of working with his former boss at Ajax Erik ten Hag is not enough for the midfielder to uproot and move to the north west of England.
A reunion for De Jong and Ten Hag is on the cards but the midfielder appears reluctant to move to Manchester UnitedDe Jong joined Barcelona in 2019 but now the Catalan giants need to offload the Dutchman to balance the clubs finances
De Jong and his girlfriend recently bought a house and enjoy life in Barcelona while the midfielder still feels he can contribute to the Catalan giants on the pitch.
It appears that the saga will continue to rumble on with the club and player on different pages relating to his future.
United may have to show a little more patience if they are to finally land their target.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Lisando Martinez from Ajax in a deal worth €55m.
The Argentina international has been the subject of much speculation over the last month or two with Arsenal originally looking like favourites to complete his signature.
However, United have been leading the race to sign him for a while and have now got their man according to Fabrizio Romano.
There’s a ‘full agreement in place between United and Ajax for a package up to €55m’ with the ‘documents now approved’.
The defender will sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford with new United boss Erik ten Hag, who worked with Lisandro at Ajax, said to be a ‘big factor’ in the deal.
Former Red Devils defender Jaap Stam recently outlined why Martinez would be a good signing for Man Utd this summer.
“Whether Martinez is worth €50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal. Especially in England,” Stam told Algemeen Dagblad.
“I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with.”
Stam added: “You can clearly see that Ten Hag’s approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent’s half. Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. [Tyrell] Malacia has that and Martinez certainly.
“Back in the day, defenders in England couldn’t be big enough. Two metres was good, also to be able to head away a lot of balls. Now most clubs and coaches want to play football. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to defend.
“There are many fast attackers who are merciless on the counter. Therefore, what’s important is that a defender has cleverness. Quickly read where the ball goes, a little nudge or push. Then you don’t even have to get into duels. Martinez has also developed that.
“Martinez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more he has such players, the more Ten Hag can keep the ball and the less he encounters counters. What is also important for this, certainly in the strongest competition in the world, is communication, and therefore who he will be linked to at the heart of the defence.
“And because Martinez is comfortable on the ball, he can also play as a defensive midfielder. I do not rule out the possibility that Ten Hag will use him there.”
“Questioned by Liverpool fans, ridiculed by Liverpool fans when he made that move. Other sections of the football community questioned whether he was good enough, shouldn’t be held in that esteem, shouldn’t be held in that class,” Ferdinand said on Vibe with Five.
“The kid does it everywhere, he does it in the Champions League, the Premier League. And Chelsea, by the way, what a steal.
“The market and they’ve gone and got him… wow. So the new owners at Chelsea have come in, it’s a fantastic deal on their part, listen they’ve got a ready-made Premier League goal-getter, havoc-causer in the league, simple as that. If he can replicate the form at Man City in a Chelsea shirt… wow. Listen, the Chelsea boys in England they know what they’re getting they know what’s coming through that door.
“They’re not idiots, they know, they’ve done unbelievably well to get him, I just can’t believe other teams he could’ve gone to, he maybe could of but he wanted to go to London.
“But Raheem Sterling, even though you were on the other side of Manchester, I have to salute the way you carried yourself and the way you continue to do so because I know you will. So listen, good luck man and don’t be too successful because I want my boys to come back but I hope you have a good spell there alright, take care.”
SAUDIS MAKE RONALDO OFFER We might be about to discover to discover just how important Champions League football is to Cristiano Ronaldo…
The Portuguese megastar is said to want to leave Manchester United this summer to remain in the European Cup but despite tentative interest from the likes of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Roma, no club has yet come forward with a firm offer.
But, according to AS, one unnamed club from Saudi Arabia has tabled a contract worth a staggering £211million for two years. Apparently, the deal would see United fetch a £25million transfer fee; Ronaldo’s representatives would trouser almost £17million; and the 37-year-old would be paid £2million a week for a couple of seasons in Saudi.
Chelsea are looking to move on from Raphinha as they target Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, according to reports.
Leeds United winger Raphinha has made it clear that he prefers a move to La Liga with Barcelona than staying in the Premier League, despite Chelsea having a £55m bid accepted by the Yorkshire club.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insisted last night that Raphinha was “optimistic” that a deal to Barcelona would go through after Barcelona made an improved “verbal bid” on Sunday night.
Romano added on Twitter that Leeds “are still waiting for Barcelona to submit the official proposal” and that “it’s the final but key step” before they can announce his signing.
And now the Guardian insist that Chelsea ‘have responded’ to news about Raphinha’s imminent move to Barcelona ‘by drawing up new plans in attack’.
Bayern Munich’s Gnabry and AC Milan’s Leao are ‘both of interest to Thomas Tuchel’ with the German targeting ‘an unpredictable, clinical wide player and he is expected to focus on forwards who can play in multiple positions’.
Chelsea are ‘monitoring developments around’ Gnabry – who has just one year left on his contract at the Allianz Arena – and ‘could be a more attainable target than’ Leao.
That is because The Guardian claims that Milan ‘could demand at least £100m’ for the Portugal international after he contributed 11 goals and eight assists in 34 Serie A appearances last term.
Meanwhile, former Premier League striker Noel Whelan thinks Arsenal could swoop for Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante this summer if he isn’t in Tuchel’s plans going forward.
“There’s no doubt that he’s been one of the best defensive midfielders in the world for a long time now,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“He’s been very successful at Chelsea. It’s strange to see him possibly heading towards the exit door when he is still so influential. Any deal can be struck if the money is right and Chelsea are willing to listen to the offer.
“If he’s not firmly in the plans of Tuchel then he is surplus to requirements with 12 months left, just as you’ve got Raheem Sterling leaving Man City.
“There has to be a certain turnaround and Chelsea won’t want to lose out on any potential fee they can get in. If Arsenal can get him in then he could be very influential for them.”
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