Rome (AFP) – Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic revealed on Saturday that he is battling leukaemia after being diagnosed with the disease a day before pre-season training with the Serie A club was set to begin. Bologna's head of football operations Walter Sabatini confirmed Mihajlovic will stay in his job while he battles the blood disease, […]

Rome (AFP) – Greece international Kostas Manolas has signed for Napoli from rivals Roma, the Serie A club announced on Saturday. Napoli posted a picture of the 28-year-old on their Twitter account, with the message "Welcome Manolas!" shortly after club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had tweeted "Welcome Kostas!" in Italian. The centre-back spent five years […]

Paris (AFP) – Matthijs de Ligt is closing in on a move to Juventus after Ajax announced on Saturday that the rising star will skip the Dutch champions pre-season training camp due to his expected departure. In a statement, Ajax named a 28-man squad travelling to the camp in Bramberg in Austria on Saturday afternoon, […]

Perth (Australia) (AFP) – Wantaway star Paul Pogba overcame a turbulent week and helped a lacklustre Manchester United post a 2-0 friendly victory over Perth Glory on Saturday. An under-pressure United struggled in their pre-season opener against a weakened Perth Glory, who won Australia's A-League Premiers Plate last season. After a scoreless opening half, manager […]

Cairo (AFP) – Coach Aliou Cisse acknowledged Saturday the "hardest is yet to come" for a Senegal side trying to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. The Teranga Lions are the highest-ranked African nation, at 22nd in the world, and Cisse is bidding to lead his country a step further than […]

Cairo (AFP) – Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi said his players are "two very difficult steps" away from writing history as they prepare to face Nigeria in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals. The Desert Foxes are through to the last four of the tournament for the first time since 2010 and have looked the strongest […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid will challenge the amount Barcelona paid to acquite Antoine Griezmann's transfer, Spanish media reported on Saturday. Sports daily AS said Atletico will go to FIFA, the governing body of world football, to argue that Barcelona owe more than the 120 million euros ($135 million) release clause deposited by a lawyer […]

Cairo (AFP) – Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr admitted he expects a far tougher challenge against Algeria in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals than during qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. The Super Eagles finished top of a section including 2017 African champions Cameroon and Algeria on the road to Russia last year, defeating the […]

Cairo (AFP) – He was young enough to participate at this year's Under-20 World Cup, but Samuel Chukwueze is assuming a far greater role as a future Nigeria lynchpin with his country attempting to capture a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title. At 20 years and 49 days, Chukwueze became the youngest scorer at this […]

Cairo (AFP) – Senegal star Sadio Mane says helping Liverpool win the Champions League was special, but his "absolute dream" is parading the Africa Cup of Nations trophy through the streets of Dakar. The west African team known as the Teranga Lions are two victories away from fulfilling the dream of their 27-year-old talisman, starting […]

Paris (AFP) – Inter Milan signed Italy international Nicolo Barella from Cagliari on Friday, the Serie A giants announced. The 22-year-old has joined on an initial season-long loan, with an obligation to then buy on a five-year contract. According to media reports, Inter will pay 10 million euros ($11.27 million) for the loan, and then […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Friday for 120 million euros ($135 million), sparking a furious reaction from Atletico Madrid over the amount the La Liga champions paid for the World Cup winner. In a statement, Barca revealed they had paid the 120 million euros to activate the Frenchman's release […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus have signed Genoa's Cristian Romero for 26 million euros ($29.3m), but the centre-back will stay with his current club for another season, the Serie A champions announced on Friday. "Juventus and the player have signed a 5-year contract of employment until 30 June 2024," a statement said. "Juventus has reached an […]

Madrid (AFP) – The president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) blasted on Friday La Liga's decision to continue to schedule games on Mondays for the coming season despite being barred from doing so. "The RFEF DOES NOT AUTHORISE @LaLiga on Fridays (without agreement) or Mondays," Luis Rubiales said on Twitter. "We maintain our position: […]

Madrid (AFP) – Antoine Griezmann is likely to win the titles at Barcelona so far lacking in his club career but leaving Atletico Madrid brings few other guarantees, even for one of the world's most talented players. Griezmann's long-anticipated move to the only team that finished above Atletico last season was confirmed on Friday, his […]