Rome (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku said on Friday that having the chance to play for Antonio Conte drove him to join Inter Milan, hailing the Italian as the world's best coach after arriving from Manchester United. Asked by club media how the arrival of former Italy boss Conte at Inter this summer had influenced his […]

London (AFP) – Ilkay Gundogan, Pep Guardiola's first signing as Manchester City manager in 2016, signed a three year contract extension with the Premier League champions on Friday the club announced. The 28-year-old German international midfielder — who was entering the final year of his present contract and will now be tied to the club […]

Seoul (AFP) – South Korean police raided a sports agency as part of a fraud inquiry after Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo sat out a friendly in Seoul, enraging thousands of fans. Police said the raid, which followed a criminal complaint, was intended to investigate whether whether the agency lied by claiming Ronaldo was guaranteed to […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Odion Ighalo will be sanctioned by his Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua after the Nigerian striker angered fans with his social media posts while out injured. The 30-year-old former Watford star has not played for Shenhua for three months because of injury, the Africa Cup of Nations, then a reported knee problem. Ighalo […]

Berlin (AFP) – Niko Kovac's Bayern Munich launch their 2019/20 season as German Cup title holders in the first round this weekend, but the traditional season curtain-raiser will be overshadowed this year by a string of scandals rocking football in Germany. While coaching prodigies Julian Nagelsmann and David Wagner make their dugout debuts for RB […]

London (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne can't wait to play a key role in Manchester City's bid for a third successive Premier League title as the Belgian star finally returns to peak form and fitness. Pep Guardiola's side start their title defence at West Ham on Saturday with De Bruyne providing a reassuring presence for […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Prosecutors in Brazil said Thursday they agree with a police finding that there is not enough evidence to prove rape allegations against Neymar and have asked a judge to close the case. "What happened between four walls is impossible to know, we have her word against his," prosecutor Flavia Merlini told […]

London (AFP) – Everton sealed the deadline-day signing of Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi on Thursday for a reported fee of £28 million ($40 million), completing a busy transfer window for the club. Nigeria international Iwobi penned a five-year deal which was only announced more than four hours after the transfer deadline of 1700 local time […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal significantly bolstered their defence in the final hours of the Premier League transfer window by completing the signings of Kieran Tierney and David Luiz on Thursday. Scotland international Tierney had been a target all summer for the Gunners and agreement of the payment structure of his £25 million ($30 million) move […]

London (AFP) – Premier League clubs splashed out well over £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the transfer market arms race ahead of the start of the new season on Friday. The vast majority of that sum was again spent by 'top six' powerhouses Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, but some have […]

Madrid (AFP) – Giovani Lo Celso, the "little monkey" to his team-mates and once the "ruby of Argentinian football", became on Thursday the next great hope for Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino. Only a few years ago, a pale-faced teenager from Rosario with a wand of a left foot was being circled as the most exciting […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham made the headlines on a busy final day of the Premier League transfer window with deals for Giovani lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon, while Arsenal strengthened their defence with the signing of Kieran Tierney. Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku's prolonged transfer to Inter Milan was also completed after the clubs reportedly […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur completed a double transfer deadline day swoop to sign Argentine international midfielder Giovani lo Celso and left-back Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham on Thursday. The arrivals of Lo Celso and Sessegnon follow the club record signing of French international midfielder Tanguy Ndombele and add some much-needed depth to Mauricio Pochettino's squad […]

Paris (AFP) – Monaco open the new Ligue 1 season on Friday looking to re-establish themselves as a force in France, while opponents Lyon try to maintain their status despite the loss of star player Nabil Fekir. With Paris Saint-Germain strengthening their squad and Neymar staying put for now, there is little doubt about the […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City winger Leroy Sane will undergo surgery and faces a long spell on the sidelines after suffering cruciate ligament damage, the Premier League champions confirmed on Thursday. Sane, 23, was taken off clutching his knee during City's Community Shield win over Liverpool last Sunday. "Manchester City FC can confirm […]