Football

Champions League group stage: Barcelona paired with Juventus, Man United face PSG & draw in full

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will face off for the first time since the latter’s move to Turin from Real Madrid two years ago

Barcelona will face Juventus in the group stage of the Champions League after they were paired together in Group G in the draw, which took place in Geneva on Thursday.

The heavyweight fixture will see Cristiano Ronaldo come up against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi for the first time since his move to Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018.

The two men, who have shared 11 of the last 12 Ballon d’Or awards between them, enjoyed a historic rivalry in La Liga, and will resume hostilities in Europe’s elite competition next month.

Barca and Juve have been joined in Group G by Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros, the Hungarian outfit who beat Celtic en-route to qualifying for the main draw for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile, Manchester United‘s return to the Champions League has been marked with a draw against last year’s Champions League finalists PSG, RB Leipzig and Istanbul Basaksehir in Group H.

Reigning champions Bayern Munich will play Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Lokomotiv Moscow in Group A for a place in the knockout stages, having got their hands on the trophy for the sixth time by beating PSG 1-0 in Lisbon on August 23.

Group D will see 2018 winners Liverpool, who suffered a surprise early exit at the hands of Atletico last term, square off against Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland.

13-time winners Real Madrid have been dealt a tough hand in Group B alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Manchester City were handed a more favourable draw against Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille in Group C, as they bid to win the competition for the first time in their history once again.

The last English side to qualify from the Premier League were Chelsea, who will play Europa League winners Sevilla, Krasnodar and Rennes, who will be making their first appearance on Europe’s biggest stage, in Group E.

In Group F, Zenit St Petersburg, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Club Brugge will do battle, with the 2020-21 edition of the Champions League set to kick off on October 20/21, with fixtures continuing through to early December to decide who will reach the last 16 stage.

Football

The Four Players Who Have Scored Over 100 Goals In Two Different Leagues In The 21st Century

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Former Paris Saint-Germain teammates Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani are amongst the four players to have scored over 100 goals in two different leagues this century.

A Reddit user compiled the data and only took into account players who scored over 100 goals in their domestic leagues, not counting those bagged in the Champions League.

Ibrahimovic, 38, has smashed pass the 100-goal mark in both Italy’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1.

The Swedish striker, who is currently in his second spell at AC Milan, has also played for Juventus and Inter Milan in the Italian league.

Ibrahimovic has managed to accumulate 134 goals in Serie A, while the former Manchester United star scored 113 league goals with PSG.

Cavani, who is currently a free agent after leaving PSG in the summer, scored 138 league goals during his seven years with the French club.

The 33-year-old Uruguayan striker played for Italian sides Palermo and Napoli and notched up 112 league goals before leaving for PSG in 2013.

Joining Ibrahimovic and Cavani on the list are Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuain and Tigres striker Andre-Pierre Gignac.

Posted below are the 100-plus goals each player scored and which leagues they did them in as well.

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Serie A (134) & Ligue 1 (113)
  • Edinson Cavani: Ligue 1 (138) & Serie A (112)
  • Gonzalo Higuain: Serie A (125) & La Liga (107)
  • Andre-Pierre Gignac: Liga MX (120) & Ligue 1 (103)

Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez are amongst the players to have scored 100 goals or more in at least one league, though neither player has hit that same milestone in another league yet.

Posted below are the players who have scored at least 100 goals in one league, but are still short of reaching that feat in another.

  • Luis Suarez: La Liga (146), Eredivisie (91) & Premier League (69)
  • Fernando Torres: La Liga (103) & Premier League (85)
  • Cristiano Ronaldo: La Liga (311), Premier League (84) & Serie A (55)
  • Andriy Shevchenko: Serie A (127) & Ukrainian Premier League (83)
  • Robbie Keane: Premier League (125) & MLS (83)
  • Klaas-Jan Huntelaar: Eredivisie (148) & Bundesliga (82)
  • Roy Makaay: La Liga (100), Bundesliga (78) & Eredivisie (78)
  • David Villa: La Liga (185) & MLS (77)
  • Sergio Aguero: Premier League (180) & La Liga (74)

Football

Jadon Sancho: Manchester United expected to make bid for Borussia Dortmund winger this week

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Manchester United are expected to make an official bid for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho this week.

United have not given up on trying to sign the 20-year-old England international, despite missing the August 10 deadline the Bundesliga club set for the deal to be completed.

The Dortmund hierarchy have stated on several occasions – before and after the deadline – that if it was not met Sancho would remain at the club, but rumblings have continued over United submitting a bid before the international transfer window closes on October 5.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dortmund captain Marco Reus told Sky in Germany that Sancho is staying for one more year. Asked if Sancho had made the right call to stay and had the potential to be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, Reus said: “For us players, that was great news.

“We all were happy that he will be with us for one more year because he delivers assists and goals, so we get points.

“If he gets as big as (Lionel) Messi or Ronaldo, we will see. He needs time, experience and it will be important how he manages the times when things don’t go so well. But he has the confidence and the quality.”

Football

Guardiola: Dias will be an incredible player for Man City for six or seven years

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The Spanish boss heaped praise on his new signing after taking down Burnley in the Carabao Cup

Pep Guardiola says that he believes Ruben Dias can be a key figure for Manchester City for “six or seven years” after sealing a deal for the Portuguese defender.

Manchester City completed a £62 million ($79m) move for the defender on Tuesday, with Dias signing a six-year deal with Guardiola’s side.

Part of that cost was offset by a move for Nicolas Otamendi, who completed a move in the opposite direction to Benfica in a deal worth £14m ($17m).

Dias heads to Manchester having already won 19 caps for Portugal and emerging as a star as part of the Benfica set-up.

And Guardiola says that he believes that Dias can be a mainstay for City for years to come as the defender should jump right into matches with his new club.

“I have to thank Nicolas Otamendi, part of the incredible success we have had in recent years,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “The season we won the league with 100 points he was incredible.

“He played with a broken ankle, with 20 stitches, he had a great mentality so I wish him and his family all the best. He will be one of the things I will always remember about this club.

“We know Ruben Dias’s personality and I am sure he will be an incredible player for the next six or seven years.

“We’re very happy to have him. Our back four are now a young team. We start training tomorrow and get going as quick as possible.”

Manchester City cruised past Burnley on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup, winning 3-0 behind a brace from Raheem Sterling and a goal from summer signing Ferran Torres.

Guardiola was full of praise for the Spanish star, and his side in general, as City now look ahead to a must-watch clash with free-flowing Leeds this weekend.

“[It was] important we didn’t concede and the team was good in general. We are still far away from our best because we’re not training much. We have a lot of players out, six because of Covid and four injuries,” Guardiola said.

“But step by step when we have all the squad we will get better. I hope we won’t be far away from the people up front but we are in the quarter-finals of this competition again so it’s good.

“When you lose a game the most important thing is the next one. Firstly, because if you lose in this competition, you’re out. Secondly because we have just two games before the international break and some players need to play, we didn’t have a pre-season so that’s important we have to give them minutes.

“Ferran Torres needs to improve some things, because we haven’t trained much or spoke much. He has the skills, he’s young, he’s aggressive he can play on both sides, he’s so clever it’s not cross to cross he is always watching what’s happening.”

Football

Zidane unsure how long ‘upset’ Hazard will be sidelined after latest Real Madrid setback

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The Belgian star is struggling physically and mentally after another blow

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane is unsure how long Eden Hazard will be sidelined, but said the attacker was “upset” after another injury setback.

Hazard, 29, is enduring a torrid run in Madrid, and is yet to make an appearance this season, with doubts now over whether he’ll fit for El Clasico later this month.

The Belgium international was ready to return from an ankle problem, but suffered a muscle injury that saw him miss Wednesday’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Real Valladolid.

Zidane is unsure how long Hazard, signed from Chelsea last year, will be unavailable.

“I can’t tell you how long it’ll be. He picked up a bit of a knock in training before the game,” he told a news conference.

“It looked like a muscle spasm but in the end it turned out to be a bit more than that. It’s something muscular. It’s nothing to do with the injury he’s had and these things happen.

“He’s been out for a long time. I don’t think this one will be long but I can’t tell you exactly.”

Hazard has struggled to impress since arriving at Madrid, where he scored one goal and provided three assists in 16 La Liga appearances last season.

Zidane said the former Lille star was disappointed after his latest injury but stressed the importance of keeping it in perspective.

“He’s upset because he was all right. We talked about it at the press conference before the match, but he’s had a setback and these things can happen,” he said.

“He’s not happy, he knows that it’s not a big thing and we have to take it easy with him. It’s a question of little time, I’m sure.”

After earning seven points from their opening three La Liga games, Madrid visit Levante on Sunday.

Hazard’s team-mate Thibaut Courtois sympathised with the Belgian star post-match and is hopeful he can bounce back quickly. 

“Hazard is a little sad, he was training very well, it’s a little setback. It’s not the ankle,” Courtois said. “I hope he’s back soon. Hazard was looking forward to playing again.”

Football

‘You’d go to war for Messi’ – De Paul praises Argentina star’s leadership

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The Barcelona star is a source of great inspiration for his international team-mates

Rodrigo De Paul has admitted he’d go to war for Argentina captain Lionel Messi and revealed a lighter side to the Barcelona star. 

Messi was first named captain of his nation in 2011 and has also been handed the armband at Camp Nou. 

De Paul, who earned his first international cap in 2018 and plays at club level for Udinese, has emerged as a regular for Argentina over the past year and has clearly savoured playing alongside Messi.

While the six-time Ballon d’Or winner could overawe his team-mates, De Paul stressed Messi’s openness has made him an ideal leader. 

“You look up to him obviously, but when you start sharing things with him, he is so transparent that instead of telling him what you think of him, you feel more like asking him about his little kids or of reminding him of the time he took you out with his studs up in a Valencia-Barcelona game,” De Paul told FIFA.com.

“When he becomes your captain, you’d go to war for him if he asked you to.

“The key thing is that everyone knows what they’re expected to do, nobody is trying to hog the headlines. The only untouchable one is Leo. The rest of us contribute by doing whatever is asked of us.”

While Messi has become an important leader for Argentina, he’s still up for a few jokes with De Paul, who has been dubbed the team’s biggest joker. 

“That’s what they say, but sometimes I’ll just throw an idea out and some others will quickly run with it…Tucu Pereyra, Leo Paredes…Even Messi himself will join in – I’m not the only one,” he said. 

De Paul was also quick to defend Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, who has often been criticised by fans and pundits for his bold team selection.

“He may lack experience as a head coach, but he has 30 years’ experience of the dressing room,” De Paul said.

“He understands how groups work, knows his trade, came up through the national youth teams, played at a World Cup.

“I don’t know how many people would have had the determination to implement the changes he made or to call up players not among the top teams in world football.” 

Football

Lionel Messi Beats Cristiano Ronaldo In Top 50 Athletes List

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Lionel Messi has been named No 1 in SportsPro’s 2020 list of the World’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes, with his rival Cristiano Ronaldo finishing in second spot.

The two lead the field globally, ahead of NBA star LeBron James and India cricket captain Virat Kohli, but it’s a shock to see the Barcelona player placed ahead of his rival at Juventus.

CR7 has often been listed as the world’s most marketable athlete and is the planet’s most followed person on Instagram (238 million compared to Messi’s 167 million).

But Messi is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and SportsPro’s study allowed for factors such as “social following, content engagement, fanbase growth over time, media value, and the performance of branded versus organic content.”

There is an argument that because Ronaldo is seen to work with a greater number of sponsors and brands than Messi, the Argentine might be perceived as therefore more valuable to those he does choose to endorse.

SportsPro admitted it was “narrow” between the pair, who are undoubtedly the two most high-profile sportspeople on the planet. And there can be little argument with their putting the face of the NBA James in third, while Kohli – a sporting idol across India – is in fourth.

The top five is rounded out by the highest-placed female athlete: Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019.

Football players dominate the list with three more in the top 10 alone: Brazil superstar Neymar (sixth), Liverpool’s Mo Salah (ninth) and Ronaldo’s teammate at Juventus, Paulo Dybala (10th).

In a surprise, the highest combat sports athlete is not Conor McGregor but his UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, who takes seventh spot. Perhaps there is a feeling ‘The Notorious’ has damaged his standing with his outside the Octagon antics.

Anthony Joshua comes in at 31st, just ahead of his would-be heavyweight opponent Tyson Fury in 32nd (oddly, Mexican multi-weight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is absent altogether). However the highest British athlete overall is Lewis Hamilton, the Formula 1 ace who is in 21st place.

As usual, there’s a desire to show a variety of sports and to include some new names, which arguably skews the rankings (are there really 34 more marketable athletes on the planet than Roger Federer, who comes in at 35th?). But there’s plenty of interesting choices.

SportsPro’s full top 50 is below.

50. Russell Westbrook (Basketball)

49. Mikaela Shiffrin (Skiing)

48. Ashleigh Barty (Tennis)

47. Dorothea Wierer (Biathlon)

46. Katelyn Ohashi (Gymnastics)

45. Katrin Davidsdottir (Crossfit)

44. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball)

43. Zion Williamson (Basketball)

42. Anthony Davis (Basketball)

41. Carissa Moore (Surfing)

40. Bethany Hamilton (Surfing)

39. Dele Alli (Soccer)

38. Kelia Termini (Surfing)

37. Charles Leclerc (Motorsport)

36. Luka Doncic (Basketball)

35. Roger Federer (Tennis)

34. Son Heung-min (Soccer)

33. Naomi Osaka (Tennis)

32. Tyson Fury (Boxing)

31. Anthony Joshua (Boxing)

30. Tom Brady (US Football)

29. Anna Gasser (Snowboarding)

28. Rafael Nadal (Tennis)

27. Sky Brown (Skateboarding)

26. Patrick Mahomes (US Football)

25. Megan Rapinoe (Soccer)

24. Jorge Masvidal (MMA)

23. Virgil van Dijk (Soccer)

22. Dina Asher-Smith (Athletics)

21. Lewis Hamilton (Motorsport)

20. Robert Lewandowski (Soccer)

19. Paul Pogba (Soccer)

18. Coco Gauff (Tennis)

17. Alex Morgan (Soccer)

16. Erling Haaland (Soccer)

15. Kylian Mbappe (Soccer)

14. Simone Biles (Gymnastics)

13. Steph Curry (Basketball)

12. Ryan Garcia (Boxing)

11. Eden Hazard (Soccer)

10. Paulo Dybala (Soccer)

9. Mohamed Salah (Soccer)

8. Rohit Sharma (Cricket)

7. Khabib Nurmagomedov (MMA)

6. Neymar Jr (Soccer)

5. Bianca Andreescu (Tennis)

4. Virat Kohli (Cricket)

3. LeBron James (Baskeball)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer)

1. Lionel Messi (Soccer)

Football

Juve work in progress, says Pirlo after Roma draw

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Pirlo was a surprising choice to succeed sacked coach Maurizio Sarri in August, as he had no previous coaching experience and had been appointed as the club’s Under-23 coach just a week earlier.

The Italian champions failed to impress in the capital and had a Cristiano Ronaldo double to thank as they came from behind twice, the second time while down to 10 men after Adrien Rabiot was shown a second yellow card.

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo was disappointed by his side’s performance in Sunday’s 2-2 Serie A draw at AS Roma but explained that his side was still a “work in progress”.

The Italian champions failed to impress in the capital and had a Cristiano Ronaldo double to thank as they came from behind twice, the second time while down to 10 men after Adrien Rabiot was shown a second yellow card.ADVERTISINGAds by Teads

“It was a step backwards, but as a team we are a work in progress,” Pirlo told Sky Italia. “We haven’t had the chance to try much out in pre-season because there were practically no friendly matches.”

Pirlo was a surprising choice to succeed sacked coach Maurizio Sarri in August, as he had no previous coaching experience and had been appointed as the club’s Under-23 coach just a week earlier.

He oversaw an impressive 3-0 win against Sampdoria on his debut last weekend, but pointed out that new signings like striker Alvaro Morata and midfielder Arthur Melo are yet to be fully integrated.

“In the end it was one point gained,” he said. “Morata arrived two days ago, Arthur hasn’t played for six months and needs to adapt to Italian football, even though he did well when he came on.”

Pirlo was questioned about Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan side, who appear to be the most likely challengers to Juventus in their quest for a 10th consecutive Serie A title.

“They are certainly stronger than they were last year and have strengthened,” he said. “I don’t know if they are therefore better than us. We will certainly be battling it out until the end.”

Football

Cristiano Ronaldo Stat Proves He’s Become A Better Goal Scorer Since Turning 30

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Cristiano Ronaldo is aging like a fine wine as his current goal stat shows that he has become a better goal scorer as time passes.

The Juventus superstar is continuing where he left off earlier this year as stats from Pro Football DB revealed that Ronaldo’s goal average has increased after turning 30 years old.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner tallied a total of 463 goals in 718 matches before turning 30 with an average of 0.64. Since then, “CR7” has become more efficient on the pitch and scored 279 goals in 299 matches to improve his average to 0.93.

At 35, Ronaldo has reaped the record books last season for the Old Lady. One of his latest accolades came in the derby against Torino on July 4. Ronaldo netted a free-kick goal, and in the process, set a new Serie A record. The phenomenal goal saw Ronaldo becoming the first player in 60 years to hit 25 goals for Juventus in a single Serie A season.

He followed it up by completing 50 career Serie A goals with his brace against Lazio on July 20, making him the first player in history to score 50 goals in Italy, England, Spain and the Champions League.

In the final match of Week 2 of the current Serie A season, Ronaldo once again proved that age is just a number with his sensational giant leap to score an equalizer against AS Roma Sunday. The 35-year-old came to the rescue after Adrien Rabiot was sent off, reducing Juve’s squad to just 10 men.

Ronaldo’s first goal came from the penalty spot after Lorenzo Pellegrini blocked his attempted shot with an extended arm. The second, however, saved the reigning Serie A champion from suffering its first loss of the season as Ronaldo soared for the ball and hung in the air to guide Danilo’s cross past Roma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.

The goal was indeed a thing of beauty as the Juventus talisman managed to hit the back of the net after hitting the ball using his head.

Despite scoring a highlight-worthy goal, Ronaldo admitted that the team endured a difficult match. He also lauded newly-appointed Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo for building camaraderie in the team.

“It was an important point, it was a difficult game, we went twice behind, we were ten. We are at the beginning of the championship, with a new coach, with new ideas, we have to work but I see a great future for this team,” Ronaldo told Sky Sports after the match.

“With Pirlo, the team works harder and is happier,” he added. “The Italian league has so many strong teams, there is Inter, there is Milan, it is more difficult this year.”

Football

The incredible story of Ronaldo’s training regime that left a PL coach in shock

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Former Newcastle Jets manager Scott Miller has recalled how he was left in awe by Cristiano Ronaldo’s insane regime on a visit to Real Madrid’s training ground once.

Miller, who is a coach in the NPL in Melbourne, used to be involved in a coaching capacity at Premier League side Fulham and was asked to join new signing Mahamadou Diarra in Spain to do some training while the Malian player was at the west London club.

He retold the story to Adam Peacock on the Fox Football Podcast about how an early-morning arrival one day meant he managed to run into the former Real Madrid icon and see his dedication to his fitness first hand.

“I remember I went to Real Madrid years ago with a player called Mahamadou Diarra,” he said. “He was a Galactico and an amazing player and we signed him at Fulham.

“He had to go to Spain for a few weeks so I joined him, on one of those ‘I’ll help you’ trips. All expenses paid, we trained three or four times a day and ate beautiful food at night. If you’re sitting at a dining table with a Galactico of Real Madrid, you feel like a rockstar, so it wasn’t a bad couple of weeks.

“We trained at Real Madrid’s training ground every day because he’s a God there. And the first day, we get picked up and driven there in this car and the driveway to the training ground is quite long.

“I see this stick figure miles away, this tiny little figure training. Bang! Hitting these balls. I said ‘who’s that?’ and he says ‘it’s Cristiano’ and I said ‘who?’ and he said ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’.

“I looked at my watch and it was like 7.15 in the morning. I said ‘what’s he doing?’, because in Europe training usually starts at 10.30am, players in for 8.30/9am, training at 10.30am. It’s basically a part-time job – the best job in the world starting at 10.30am.

“So he’s there at 7.15am and I’m thinking ‘what is this? What’s going on?’ And he goes ‘every morning he’ll be there. Every morning’. It’s either in the gym or on the pitch every morning and this was back in 2012 I think.

“He’s obviously conditioned to do that. We would then go and do our gym workout and he would come in and join the rest of the team for breakfast, and he’s already done a session. And that was Ronaldo.

“And we’re talking about COVID and the impacts of training or lack of ability to do it and then I’m looking at one of the best players, if not the best player in the world out there training by himself at 7.15am when he’s got everything in the world that he needs.

“So that to me is inspiration enough and I tell that story to kids and they don’t want to go home. They want to train everyday. Because that’s what it takes.”

Football

Juventus superstar tipped to still be playing at 40

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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most accomplished footballers in the world and the Portuguese attacker is set to keep playing until he is 40, according to his national team manager, Fernando Santos.

The Portuguese attacker has shattered goal records at the different clubs that he has played for and at the age of 35, he is still going very strong at Juventus. He scored 450 goals in 438 games for Real Madrid before moving to Turin and he has already scored 68 goals in 91 matches for the Bianconeri.

He has also netted 101 times for the Portugal national team. After netting twice in Juve’s 2-2 draw against AS Roma the last time, it is clear to see that he will be around for a long time.

Fernando Santos has been the manager of the Portugal national team since 2014 and he has managed the talented frontman since that time.

They won the Euro2016 together as well as the Euro Nations League last year.

Quoted by TuttoJuve, he said: ‘I don’t know if it will happen, because he might feel like he’s no longer at the top physically or technically, but Cristiano Ronaldo can play until he’s 40. He won’t lower his level, he’s going to stop if he finds out. If he understands he can’t be Ronaldo it won’t be Ronalndinho. Of course I’m not talking about the Brazilian.”

Football

Report: Roma step up Smalling talks

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Roma representatives have reportedly travelled to discuss with Manchester United, pushing for Chris Smalling’s return to the Olimpico.

The Giallorossi have, according to SportItalia, accelerated the talks and are hoping to reach an agreement with Manchester United as soon as possible.

La Lupa haven’t met Manchester United’s asking price so far, but interest from other clubs could force them to cough up, as coach Paulo Fonseca wants Smalling back after an impressive stint on loan in 2019-20.

Inter have been linked with the former England international, should Milan Skriniar move this summer.

The transfer market closes on Monday and Roma are hoping to close a deal before other teams join the chase with a concrete offer.

Football

Man City star facing axe as Guardiola hunts reunion with Bayern legend

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Manchester City are reportedly looking to bring in either David Alaba or Nicolas Tagliafico to strengthen their left-back options, but only if Oleksandr Zinchenko leaves the club first.

The Telegraph reports that Pep Guardiola is keen for Zinchenko, 23, to move on so that he can launch a bid for his new defensive targets. Indeed the move would come after City’s £65.2 million capture of Portuguese centre-half Ruben Dias.

Manchester City have now spent around £126million on players this transfer window having previously attained the services of Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake. Now Guardiola is facing a race against time to bring in his fourth signing ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

Zinchenko has been predominantly used as a back-up to Benjamin Mendy at left-back having turned down offers from numerous clubs, including Spanish outfit Real Betis, to try and fight for his place in the side. Now, however, The Telegraph says that in order for his club to bring in defensive reinforcements, he will have to make an Eithad Stadium exit three years and 68 games on since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven.

The 28-year-old Austrian worked under the City boss when he managed the German giants between 2013 and 2016. He won three of his nine Bundesliga titles during his tenure and also the 2013 Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. The news of Manchester City’s interest in the serial winner comes a month after Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Khan stated he was “optimistic” that Alaba would sign a new deal with the European champions.

Previous reports claimed that rivals Manchester United and Chelsea are also in the market for the Austrian international after rejecting a new deal with Bayern.

Football

Seven biggest transfers which could still happen before next week’s deadline including Jadon Sancho to Man Utd

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TRANSFER Deadline Day does not look like it will dissappoint this year.

Manchester United are still on the lookout for a striker while Chelsea hope to offload a number of players.

The transfer window will officially close on Monday October 5 at 11pm. But top-flight clubs will be able to do domestic transfers up until October 16. Premier League teams will be able to do business with EFL teams during that period – but not foreign clubs. As we prepare for the end of the transfer window, SunSport have pulled together a list of the seven biggest transfers that could still go through.

Jadon Sancho – £108m

The 20-year-old has been Manchester United’s top target for the entire summer. Solskjaer made a huge £91.3million bid for Sancho this week – but it was rejected. Dortmund are refusing to do business for any less than their £108m valuation. But Solskjaer remains confident a deal can be completed before the deadline.

Houssem Aouar – £45m

Lyon refused to entertain Arsenal’s initial bid of £32m for the playmaker. The Gunners returned with a ‘timid’ £34.5m offer – but that was also swiftly rejected. The French club value him £54m, but reports claim they will entertain offers around £45m. Aouar, 22, is believed to be keen on a move to the Emirates if the two clubs agree on a fee.

Milan Skriniar – £45m

Tottenham and Fulham are set to battle it out for Inter Milan centre-back Skriniar. Spurs are reportedly prepared to offer between £30m and £35m for the 25-year-old. But the Italian side are holding out for a fee of around £45m. Should Fulham land a deal for upwards of £30m, it would smash through their transfer record of £27m.

Declan Rice – £40m

SunSport exclusively revealed this week that Chelsea still believe they will sign Rice. West Ham have insisted throughout the summer that the midfielder is not up for sale. But the Blues are expected to make a bid in excess of £40million before the deadline. The 21-year-old, who was released by the Blues at the age of 14, is said to be pushing for a move to Stamford Bridge.

Kurt Zouma – £36m

Chelsea are hoping to offload the centre-back, 25, before the transfer window closes. He still has three years remaining on his deal, but the club are keen to recoup some of the £220million they have spent this summer.

Zouma will be allowed to leave if the club’s £36million valuation of him is met. Everton, who he played for on loan in 2018-19, and Leicester could make their move.

Edinson Cavani – Free agent

The 33-year-old is a free agent after he was released by Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.

Manchester United have been linked to him as Solskjaer continues his hunt for a new striker. Cavani has scored 341 goals and made 65 assists during his illustrious career. There has been reports linking United to Luka Jovic instead – but the Glazers want Cavani.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Loan

Aston Villa are in pole position to sign Loftus-Cheek on a season-long loan. But a deadline day battle could commence as West ham and Southampton are also interested.

Frank Lampard has confirmed he is open to sending the 24-year-old out on loan – but believes he has a future at the club. Loftus-Cheek has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge after spending a year out with an Achilles problem.

Football

Zinedine Zidane refuses to rule out Luka Jovic move amid Manchester United speculation

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Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has refused to rule out the possibility of Luka Jovic leaving the club on loan before the transfer deadline, with Manchester United eyeing a last-ditch move for the striker. Jovic has fallen some way short of expectations after joining Madrid for a fee of €60million (£55m) ahead of the 2019/20 campaign and the 22-year-old is looking for a temporary escape route out of the Bernabeu in order to guarantee regular playing time.

United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add a centre-forward to his squad for the new campaign and talks have taken place with free agent Edinson Cavani and Jovic over the last few days.

Jovic is said to be seduced by the prospect of a switch to Old Trafford and discussions are progressing well, with a loan agreement appearing to suit all parties and United prepared to pay the attacker’s €8million (£7.3m) salary.

Football

‘It’s up to Barcelona & Dembele’ – Koeman responds amid Man Utd links

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Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has issued a response to the rumours linking Ousmane Dembele with a move to Manchester United.

United are reportedly in talks to sign Dembele on a season-long loan, and hope to finalise a deal before the transfer window slams shut on October 5.

Koeman addressed the speculation over the Frenchman’s future at a press conference on Tuesday, telling reporters: “The first thing to say is that it is up to the club and to the player.

“But he is with us and as we’ve seen in recent weeks I am counting on him….he has to wait to play but he is training well, getting fitter.

“I want to say that I am counting on him.”

Football

Houssem Aouar: What makes Lyon’s Arsenal target such a special player?

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Lyon’s Houssem Aouar has been tipped for a Premier League move for some time, with Arsenal seeing a bid turned down this week. Why is the midfielder in such demand?

Aouar’s performances since his Lyon breakthrough in 2017 have caught the eye either side of the English Channel, with his starring role in the French side’s run to the 2019/20 Champions League semi-finals, beating Juventus and Manchester City along the way, impressing in particular.

Both sides have since been heavily linked with his signature, but this weekend, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas name checked Arsenal as the suitor who had put their money where their mouth is for the 22-year-old, albeit still not enough for him to convince to part ways with one of Lyon’s brightest home-grown talents – yet.

“As far as Aouar is concerned, I think Lyon are prepared to sell him,” Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol told Monday’s Transfer Show. “Arsenal are in a relatively strong position. The president is a very difficult man to negotiate with, and I think it would take at least £50m to get him.

“But people are telling me Lyon need to sell players to raise money, and they have a very good crop of youngsters in their youth system who they think are ready to play in the first team.”

Aouar ‘technically a very fine player’

There are plenty of reasons why the Gunners would go all out to make the creatively minded goal-scoring midfielder one of their own, even though he has not always hit the heights expected at the Groupama Stadium.

“He is technically a very fine player, with an excellent vision of the game,” Gael Berger, a journalist covering Lyon for French station Radio Scoop, told Sky Sports. “He’s always been able to create chances and make good decisions on the ball, as well as provide goals and assists.

Football

Liverpool ‘machine’ will take some stopping after Arsenal, Chelsea wins

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Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Arsenal on Monday Night Football made it nine points from nine to start their Premier League title defence. The early evidence suggests Jurgen Klopp’s side will take some stopping this season…

Liverpool’s chaotic 4-3 win over Leeds on the opening day of the season offered some encouragement to their Premier League rivals. Mohamed Salah looked more lethal than ever, but the solidity that underpinned their title charge was absent. Was it a sign of slipping standards?

It was certainly a tantalising thought for the sides seeking to close the gap to the top of the table in the new campaign, but fast forward two games and their hopes of a Liverpool drop-off look fanciful at best. Two of those sides, first Chelsea and now Arsenal, have found that out for themselves.

On Monday Night Football, Jurgen Klopp’s side followed up last weekend’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge with a similarly impressive show of force at Anfield. Mikel Arteta’s side had beaten them twice in the previous four months. A third consecutive upset, however, never looked likely.

That is not to say there were not awkward moments for them.

Arsenal’s lead, following Alexandre Lacazette’s freakish opening goal, lasted only 147 seconds and it was a minor miracle that they were still in the game at all when Diogo Jota struck Liverpool’s third in the closing stages.

By the end, Jurgen Klopp’s men had attempted 21 shots to Arsenal’s four and the numbers were similar against both Leeds and Chelsea. As well as taking maximum points from their first three games, Liverpool have attempted the most shots in the Premier League and faced the fewest.

Football

Are you crazy?’ – Klopp unhappy with Liverpool applause of Chelsea red card

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The Reds boss wasn’t impressed with the reaction from one of his members of staff after the Blues were reduced to 10 men

Jurgen Klopp reiterated his dislike for any unsportsmanlike behaviour after remonstrating with a member of the Liverpool staff for applauding a red card handed to Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen on Sunday. 

After VAR intervention, an initial yellow card for Christensen was upgraded to red for a poor challenge on Sadio Mane and Klopp was left fuming when someone on the Reds bench began applauding the decision. 

“Are you crazy? We never ever do that, ok?,” Klopp could reportedly be heard shouting from the sidelines. 

Football

Barcelona hands jersey No. 8 to Pjanic

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Miralem Pjanic has chosen the No. 8 jersey at Barca, Diario Sport’s Albert Roge reports. Hilariously, it was Arthur Melo who was carrying this number last season.

Before Arthur, the likes of Andres Iniesta, Hristo Stoichkov, Pep Guardiola and many other Barca greats were wearing this jersey.

Pjanic is yet to make his debut appearance for the Catalans.

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