London (AFP) – Frank Lampard says he swapped the relative comfort of the pundit's chair for the fraught job of manager because he missed the "bug" as he prepares for his first competitive game at the helm of Derby County. Lampard has worked primarily in the media since retiring from playing in 2017 following a […]

Rome (AFP) – Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain on Thursday moved to AC Milan in a three-player swap deal between the seven-time European champions and Juventus that will see Leonardo Bonucci return to Turin after just a season away. Milan signed 30-year-old Higuain on a one-year loan deal worth a reported 18 million euros ($21 million) […]

Berlin (AFP) – Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka says his goal this season is simply to hold down a midfield berth at Bayern Munich in the face of star-studded competition. The 23-year-old is seen as a future Germany star and after leaving Schalke on a free transfer, Goretzka hopes to make his mark under new Bayern […]

Lisbon (AFP) – Veteran Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who has a year left on his Porto contract, said on Thursday that he wants to "finish his career " with the club. "I would like to finish my career with FC Porto and go to the end of my contract," the 37-year-old former Real Madrid goalkeeper […]

Berlin (AFP) – Thomas Mueller says the Germans' shock early exit from the World Cup will provide "huge motivation" when he starts the new season with both Germany and Bayern Munich. Mueller, 28, was one of several 2014 World Cup winners who played poorly in Russia as previous holders Germany crashed out after the group […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle United announced they had completed the signing of Japan forward Yoshinori Muto from Bundesliga club Mainz after he was granted a work permit on Thursday. Muto, who underwent a medical and agreed personal terms with the Magpies last week, has joined the Premier League club on a four-year deal. The transfer […]

London (AFP) – Frank Lampard is targeting promotion to the Premier League for Derby County in his first season as a manager. Lampard's first competitive game in charge sees the Rams kick off the new Championship season against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Friday. After a glittering playing career that included three Premier League […]

London (AFP) – Geraint Thomas thinks life has been "insane" since he stood in the yellow jersey and proudly held aloft the Welsh flag on the podium in Paris as Tour de France champion — but the madness may just be beginning. The likeable softly-spoken 32-year-old, who lives in Monaco, will have to get used […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund appear to have suffered a setback in their quest to sign Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel from Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian in the current transfer window. Dortmund are reportedly eager to activate a 20-million-euro ($23.2m) buy-out clause in Witsel's contract, but Quanjian head coach Paulo Sousa poured cold water on a […]

London (AFP) – Burnley manager Sean Dyche has warned the club risks falling behind their Premier League rivals unless they show more financial ambition. The Clarets finished seventh last season, qualifying for the Europa League, but Dyche has so far been unable to add to his squad in the summer transfer window. "The challenge is […]

London (AFP) – England's Football Association wants Gareth Southgate to stay on as manager beyond Euro 2020 but knows it cannot compete on wages if a Premier League club makes an approach. Southgate took England to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, boosting his stock within the game and ending a run of miserable failures […]

Shenzhen (China) (AFP) – Dozens of screaming fans welcomed Brazil star Neymar on Thursday as he flew in to China to rejoin Paris Saint-Germain after his disappointing World Cup. The world's most expensive player, wearing a canary-yellow hoodie, posed for pictures with airport staff before his noisy welcome in the arrivals hall. Footage on Neymar's […]

Washington (AFP) – Serie A champions Juventus got the best of Major League Soccer's All-Stars in a penalty shootout on Wednesday after an entertaining 1-1 draw in the North American league's mid-season exhibition. Before a crowd of 72,317 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — home of MLS's Atlanta United — Juventus prevailed 5-3 in the shoot-out after […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Brazil's Alexandre Pato scored one of the goals of the season in a losing cause as Shanghai SIPG beat Tianjin Quanjian 4-1 to go second in the Chinese Super League. The 28-year-old former AC Milan starlet bent the ball brilliantly round the Shanghai SIPG wall in the 27th minute to draw Tianjin […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool have spent big in the transfer window in an attempt to close the gap on Premier League champions Manchester City but it has been a summer of intense frustration for Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho. Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola finally landed Leicester's Riyad Mahrez for a club-record fee in an otherwise quiet […]