London (AFP) – Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wants a move back to Spain for family reasons, his agent said, following reports linking him with a move to Real Madrid. The Belgian is due to return to Chelsea training over the next few days after helping his country finish third at the World Cup and being […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City take on Chelsea in Sunday's Community Shield — the traditional curtainraiser to the English season — but the Wembley showpiece will offer few clues as to the destination of the Premier League title. The glorified friendly between the league champions and the FA Cup winners has been a notoriously poor […]

London (AFP) – Former Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard enjoyed a winning start to his managerial career on Friday when Derby County sealed a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph at Reading with a last-minute goal. Tom Lawrence headed in the winner in the fourth minute of injury time from a cross by Mason Bennett just as […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona announced Friday that they had reached an agreement with Bayern Munich to sign Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal in a deal reportedly worth 30 million euros ($35 million). "FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich have reached an agreement for the transfer of player Arturo Vidal," said Barcelona on their website. "The agreement […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Well-travelled former Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o is leaving Turkish top flight side Konyaspor after only half a season at the Anatolian team, the club said Friday. Konyaspor said in a statement that Eto'o, 37, was leaving the club by mutual consent after talks over his future. "We thank Samuel Eto'o for […]

Nairobi (AFP) – Kenyan champions Gor Mahia are scheduled to play nine matches in the next three weeks as they look to defend their league title and reach the CAF Confederation Cup knockout phase. Unbeaten in the Kenyan top flight, Gor have to play seven league matches and two Confederation Cup ties against Rwanda's Rayon […]

Riyadh (AFP) – Nigeria forward Ahmed Musa has left Premier League side Leicester for Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club announced on Friday. The 25-year-old was Leicester's record signing when he joined the then-English champions for £16 million from CSKA Moscow in 2016, but struggled to make an impact and spent last season back on loan […]

London (AFP) – Alex Iwobi has signed a new long-term deal at Arsenal, the Premier League club announced on Friday. Arsenal did not specify the length of the deal for the 22-year-old Nigeria international, who came through the ranks with the Gunners, but reports said it would run until 2023. Midfielder Iwobi scored three goals […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said Friday he will only dip into the transfer market for a "special" talent after a relatively quiet summer of business for the Premier League champions. City's only high-profile signing so far has been Riyad Mahrez from Leicester in a club-record £60 million ($78 million) deal but […]

Rome (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain said Friday that the only person at Chelsea who wanted to sign him was the Blues' new coach Maurizio Sarri, after arriving at AC Milan in a three-player swap deal. Higuain had been heavily linked to the Premier League club before making the switch from Italian champions Juventus to their […]

Berlin (AFP) – Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal is reportedly on the verge of signing for Barcelona after briefly leaving the Bayern Munich training camp on Friday. The 31-year-old midfielder was whisked away from Bayern's pre-season base on Friday morning with the club's director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic, reportedly to finalise details. He returned for afternoon […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany stars Manuel Neuer and Thomas Mueller have denied that Mesut Ozil was the victim of racism within the German FA (DFB), but admitted the fiasco has taken a toll on the players. Ozil retired from international football last month amid the furore sparked in May when he and fellow midfielder Ilkay […]

London (AFP) – New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri said Friday he is "very confident" Willian will stay at the club but expressed doubt over the future of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois ahead of the Community Shield clash against Manchester City. Chelsea are in Sunday's season curtain-raiser against the Premier League champions after they won the FA […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Steven Gerrard refused to be drawn on a potential Rangers title challenge on Friday, saying the club are under enough pressure already as fans' hopes grow that they can depose Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. The appointment of the former Liverpool and England skipper and the team's unbeaten start to their Europa League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany captain Manuel Neuer has denied that Mesut Ozil was the victim of racism within the German FA (DFB), but admitted the fiasco has taken a toll on the players. Ozil quit international football last month amid the furore over his meeting and photo opportunity in May with Turkish president Recep Tayyip […]