Madrid (AFP) – Refusing to be drawn on whether the club might yet lure Kylian Mbappe from PSG, Carlo Ancelotti insisted Friday Real Madrid have plenty of young talent coming through. With French World Cup winner Mbappe out of contract next year, Real are widely believed to be ready to pounce should the striker decide […]

London (AFP) – Leicester reinforced their defence ahead of the new Premier League season with the signing of Danish international Jannik Vestergaard from Southampton on Friday. The 29-year-old moves to the King Power Stadium for a reported fee of £15 million ($21 million) and has agreed a deal until 2024. "It's a special club that […]

London (AFP) – Newcastle secured the signing of Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock on Friday on a permanent deal after an impressive loan spell on Tyneside last season. Willock, 21, scored eight goals for the Magpies in just 14 Premier League appearances, including matching Newcastle legend Alan Shearer's record of scoring in seven consecutive games to […]

London (AFP) – Patrick Vieira says his young, fresher-looking Crystal Palace side will play "good football" while retaining some of the club's traditional values such as "commitment and hard work." The 1998 World Cup winner and Arsenal legend faces a tough first challenge as Palace manager against Champions League holders Chelsea on Saturday. The 45-year-old […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino on Friday hailed superstar arrival Lionel Messi as an "incredible" talent who will lift his team to new heights this season. "I see him as happy with incredible energy," Pochettino said after overseeing training at the club's Saint-Germain-en-Laye base west of Paris. Messi, 34, met his […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane trained with Tottenham Hotspur on Friday with club manager Nuno Espirito Santo saying he would decide on Saturday whether the England captain played against Manchester City who have said they would like to buy him. City manager Pep Guardiola revealed last week that the champions were interested in acquiring the […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel expects club-record signing Romelu Lukaku to have a "huge impact" at Stamford Bridge but played down suggestions his side are now favourites to win the Premier League title. Lukaku rejoined the Blues on Thursday costing a reported fee of £97 million ($135 million) from Inter Milan. The Belgian […]

London (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United's headline signing Jadon Sancho will play a role in Saturday's opening Premier League match with Leeds United but Raphael Varane will be absent due to his deal not being completed. England midfielder Sancho — a £73 million ($100 million) signing from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund — […]

Paris (AFP) – Several top European leagues on Friday said they regretted FIFA's decision to extend the window for scheduling September and October World Cup qualifiers in Latin America as incompatible. "FIFA has decided to impose the worst possible option with practically no notice," complained the World Association of Professional Football Leagues (WAPFL), which represents […]

Paris (AFP) – Former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is expected to make his debut for new club Paris Saint-German in September when he has fully recovered from a calf injury, the Ligue 1 giants said on Friday. The Spanish defender is only likely to take the field "after the international break", probably for the […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool will fight "for everything" this season but manager Jurgen Klopp expects it to be a really tough battle between several clubs as his side bids to regain the Premier League title that Manchester City reclaimed last term. Whilst new signings, unlike their main rivals, have been kept to a minimum — […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa are ambitious and had no option but to accept Manchester City's £100 million ($138 million) bid for playmaker and captain Jack Grealish said manager Dean Smith on Friday. Smith speaking ahead of Villa's opening Premier League game with Watford cited the arrivals of England striker Danny Ings and Argentine Emiliano […]

London (AFP) – Virgil van Dijk gave a timely boost to Liverpool on the eve of their first Premier League match of the season with newly-promoted Norwich City by signing a new long-term contract, the club announced on Friday. The 30-year-old Dutch international central defender's new deal is reported to tie him to the club […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Japan will grant asylum to a footballer from Myanmar's national team who raised an anti-coup salute during a match outside Tokyo and refused to fly home, reports said Friday. Substitute goalkeeper Pyae Lyan Aung raised the three-finger salute as the national anthem played before a World Cup qualifier against Japan in May. […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi's arrival at Paris Saint-Germain has left the club with the most frightening front line in the sport, but now coach Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure to deliver the glory on the pitch that their Qatari owners covet more than anything. That means winning the Champions League, a competition in which […]