NIGERIA
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Katsina United head coach, Usman Abdallah has praised EFCC team despite his team losing to their opponent on Monday.
The Changi Boys lost two-one to EFCC in the matchday two encounter of the Nigeria National League playoffs at the Eket Township Stadium.
Katsina United will lock horns against Kano Pillars in the final group game of the promotion playoffs in Asaba.
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Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen who plays for Napoli, says he intends to stay with the Serie A champions by insisting there is “no better place to be than the team.
The Super Eagles star scored thirty-one goals in thirty-nine appearances last season as Napoli clinched the Scudetto for the first time in thirty-three years.
Osimhen has been attracting interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Napoli will demand over one hundred million for the player, who was named Serie A Striker of the Year.
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Milan are ready to sign Samuel Chukwueze and will contact Villarreal to start negotiations in the coming days.
The Rossoneri are looking to bolster Stefano Pioli’s frontline this summer and want to bring in a new right winger capable of adding an extra layer to the attack.
Chukwueze is Milan’s top target for this, with the club believing that he has all the qualities needed to make a difference: pace, power, creativity and finishing.
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ENGLAND
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Chelsea have been “the greatest team in England” over the last 10 to 15 years.
According to new manager Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues have won 21 trophies since 2004, including five Premier Leagues and two Champions Leagues.
But they sacked two managers last season and finished 12th.
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Arsenal are set to complete the transfers of Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber by the end of the week.
The Gunners’ pending deal with West Ham over the one hundred and five million pounds transfer of Declan Rice is ninety-five per cent’ complete.
However there is a verbal agreement in place with Ajax for the capture of defender Timber in a deal worth an initial forty million pounds.
Medicals have been scheduled for both players in the coming days amid the expectation their signings can be formally completed by the weekend.
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Nuno Tavares is eager to stay at Arsenal despite his future at the club being uncertain.
According to his agent, the left-back joined the Gunners from Benfica in 2021 but following an inconsistent first season at the club he was loaned out to Marseille.
Tavares, who does not currently have a squad number at Arsenal, has two years remaining on his contract at the club.
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Christian Pulisic has informed Chelsea that he will not be joining Lyon irrespective of their offer.
The USA international has set his mind on joining AC Milan who made a written offer of twelve million pounds plus bonuses for the player.
The offer is understood to be comparable with that of Lyon’s who proposed around twenty-one million pounds including bonuses and a sell-on.
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Mason Mount and his entourage have arrived at Manchester United after a sixty million pounds fee was agreed with Chelsea.
The England midfielder appeared at United’s Carrington training facility with the Red Devils at last set to secure the Chelsea star’s services.
Erik ten Hag’s side were rebuffed several times in their approach for Mount this summer, but at last had a fee agreed at the fifth time of asking.
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Liverpool midfielder, Thiago Alcantara has removed ‘Liverpool FC’ from his bio on Instagram, sparking concern amongst supporters about his future at the club.
The midfielder has been a Liverpool player for almost three years following his move from Bayern Munich, and there have been suggestions that he will depart when his contract expires next summer.
However, some Liverpool fans now fear that Thiago will be departing the club sooner.
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Newcastle United have signed AC Milan and Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Tonali signed a five-year contract, becoming Eddie Howe’s first signing of the summer as his side prepares for Champions League football.
The reported fifty-five million pounds fee would make him the most expensive Italian footballer of all time.
Tonali helped Milan win Serie A in 2021-22 and was part of the side which reached last season’s Champions League semi-finals.
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Brighton have signed Netherlands Under-twenty-one goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht for sixteen point three million pounds.
The Dutch stopper signed a five-year contract until June 2028.
He started last season playing for Anderlecht’s reserve side but ended the campaign as their number one.
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Former England and Liverpool midfielder, Steven Gerrard has been named manager of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.
Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked as Aston Villa manager in October last year.
The former England midfielder’s move to Saudi Arabia follows a summer of heavy investment by Pro League clubs as several top European players have joined Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.
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Manchester United legend, David Beckham has opened up on his heartbreak that followed him out of the door at the team after he left for Real Madrid twenty years ago.
The global football icon has carved out a career that places him amongst the sporting and celebrity elite, but behind the riches and luxurious lifestyle, there is regret.
Beckham born in London was adopted by Manchester when he moved to the northern industrial city from Tottenham’s youth programme in 1991 and became part of the club’s fabled Class of 92′.
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Crystal Palace are targeting a top-half finish in the Premier League next season after the club confirmed Roy Hodgson had extended his stay as first-team manager.
Hodgson guided Palace to English top-flight safety after being brought in to replace Patrick Vieira midway through last season and will keep his position as head coach for the new campaign.
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New Leicester City boss, Enzo Maresca has vowed to follow Pep Guardiola’s lead at Leicester this season but warned he cannot turn them into Manchester City overnight.
The Italian accepted the job of leading the relegated Foxes back to the Premier League days after playing his part in helping City win an historic Treble last term.
This will be his first senior managerial role in English football and Maresca has set his sights high.
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Leeds United midfielder, Brenden Aaronson is set to leave the West Yorkshire club and join Bundesliga side 1. FC Union Berlin on loan.
Aaronson, who joined the Whites last summer, will be returning to play top flight football in the same league as his brother, Paxten Aaronson of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Union Berlin will be playing in the Champions League next season after finishing fourth in the Bundesliga.
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Brentford have agreed a twenty-three million pounds deal to sign defender Nathan Collins from fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Republic of Ireland international only moved to Wolves from Burnley for twenty point five million pounds last summer.
He had only spent one season at Burnley too after joining them from Stoke City in the summer of 2021.
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Newcastle United are back on the trail of Leicester City’s coveted winger Harvey Barnes.
Barnes is set to leave Leicester following their relegation zone but where he ends up is not yet known with several Premier League sides interested.
West Ham, Aston Villa and Tottenham have all enquired about the England international.
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Bournemouth are in talks over a move for Hungary international left-back Milos Kerkez.
Kerkez is valued at over twenty million pounds by his club AZ Alkmaar who regard him as one of the most talented full-backs in Europe.
Newcastle United, Leicester City and Leeds United have all checked on the teenager over the past year, as Borussia Dortmund but Bournemouth have opened discussions over a possible deal.
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Liverpool are preparing an opening offer for Southampton midfielder, Romeo Lavia who has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Arsenal.
Saints value the Belgian defensive midfielder, at around fifty million pounds.
Lavia came through the academy ranks at Anderlecht and Manchester City before signing for Southampton last summer.
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Manchester United have rejected an attempt from Borussia Dortmund to resign Jadon Sancho on loan.
Sancho joined United from Dortmund two years ago for a fee of seventy-three million pounds.
The winger struggled for consistency during his time at Old Trafford.
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OTHER SPORTS
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In Tennis; Novak Djokovic dried the court with his towel and urged the crowd to “blow” in a farcical rain delay as his Wimbledon title defence began with a win.
Djokovic beat Argentina’s Pedro Cachin 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-4) on Centre Court.
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American teenager Coco Gauff was the first big-name casualty at Wimbledon after losing a high-quality match against qualifier Sofia Kenin.
Seventh seed Gauff lost 6-4 2-6 6-4 in the first round to compatriot Kenin, who has dropped down the rankings since winning the 2020 Australian Open.
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Britain’s Jodie Burrage fought back tears after reaching the Wimbledon second round for the first time in her injury-ravaged career.
Wildcard Burrage, 24, beat American Caty McNally 6-1 6-4 in her “biggest battle” yet.
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American veteran Venus Williams says a dramatic fall that ruined her hopes of a notable Wimbledon win was “painful” and has left her “in shock”.
Williams, 43, slipped early in the first-round match against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, leading to fears she might have to retire injured.
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In Cricket; England head coach Brendon McCullum has warned Australia that his side have been galvanised by Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal on day five of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
Believing the ball to be dead and the over to have concluded, Bairstow left his ground as wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw at the stumps and was given out.
Australia went on to win by 43 runs and now lead the five-Test series 2-0.
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In Rugby; Former Scotland scrum-half Greig Oliver has died, aged 58, following a paragliding accident in South Africa.
Oliver, from Hawick, was capped three times by his country from 1987 to 1991.
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OTHER LEAGUES
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Roma have reportedly been fined for failing to reach a capital gains target required by UEFA.
Italian publication CalcioMercato.com claimed that Jose Mourinho’s side were unable to hit the twenty-four million pounds mark in capital gains by the deadline of thirtieth June.
It was said the Giallorossi fell less than two million pounds short of their target, so will have to pay a four point three million pounds penalty to UEFA.
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Inter Miami CF president, Jorge Mas says bringing Lionel Messi to the Major League Soccer club took three years of discussions.
Messi, Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winner, confirmed this month that he will join Inter Miami as a free agent following his two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi, who is now on vacation, is likely to sign a contract extension with Inter Miami until December 2025, with a 2026 option year.
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that the club will continue to pay ‘outstanding payments’ to Lionel Messi until 2025.
Messi, who spent the vast majority of his illustrious career at Barcelona, left in 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Laporta stated that Barcelona still owe the Argentina star the deferral of the wage bill that was agreed with the previous board.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have announced that Nike will be their new kit manufacturer in a flexing of their commercial muscles with CR7 onboard.
The superstar has a lifetime deal with Nike and is on a one hundred and forty-seven million pounds, ten year deal with the American giants.
It follows Al-Hilal switching out their in-house brand, Mouj, for worldwide sportswear name Puma on a five-year contract as the Saudi pro league’s international fame skyrockets.
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RB Leipzig’s sports director, Max Eberl, says Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol has told the team he wants to move to Manchester City.
Eberl added that talks between the clubs are taking place for the centre-back.
Reports suggest Gvardiol could cost in the region of eighty-six million pounds, which would make him the most expensive defender in football history.
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Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr have signed Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan for a reported eighteen million euros.
Brozovic attracted interest from La Liga champions Barcelona, but the Catalan club were unwilling to match Al-Nassr’s offer.
The midfielder started the Champions League final in June, in which Inter were defeated one-nil by Manchester City.
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French Ligue 2 club, Girondis Bordeaux have expressed their willingness to retain Super Eagles forward, Josh Maja ahead of next season’s campaign.
The Nigerian international joined the club from Sunderland in January 2019, where he netted sixteen goals in thirty-eight league games for Bordeaux last season.
His contract having expired last week, Club president Gerard Lopez said they are ready to offer him another contract.
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Former Portugal international, Deco says his country would have the 2022 World Cup if they had Lionel Messi at their disposal.
Deco, who made seventy-five appearances for A Selecao, said while Portugal have many good players, they did not have Messi.
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