Milan (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain "betrayed" Napoli by joining rivals Juventus, claimed club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis despite pocketing 90m euros ($98.8m, £75.3m) for the sale of the Argentine striker. In the most unlikely move of the Serie A summer transfer period, Higuain ended his fairytale three-year spell with Napoli on Tuesday when he agreed […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker will be "out a few months" with the knee injury that prevented him from joining the Gunners' North American tour, manager Arsene Wenger said Tuesday. In a press conference looking ahead to Thursday's Major League Soccer All-Star Game in San Jose, where Arsenal will take on a […]

Milan (AFP) – On 36 occasions last season, Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain boosted Napoli dreams of ending a 26-year title drought as he inspired with goalscoring feats in the Scudetto race with Juventus. On Tuesday, Higuain went from hero to zero after completing the world's third most expensive transfer to join Napoli's rivals in a […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazilian international striker Alexandre Pato has joined Spanish club Villarreal from Corinthians, the Sao Paulo outfit announced on Tuesday. No details were given on the transfer fee or length of the contract, although local media reported the Spanish club paid an estimated three million euros ($3.2m) to obtain 60 percent of […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The struggling Seattle Sounders parted ways with Sigi Schmid on Tuesday, bidding farewell to the only coach they've known since their Major League Soccer debut in 2009. The Sounders dropped to ninth — next to last — in the Western Conference after a lackluster 3-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City on […]

Milan (AFP) – Gonzalo Higuain completed a sensational move to Juventus after the Italian champions agreed to pay a 90 million euros ($98.8m) fee, the third highest in history, to wrest the Argentine striker from Napoli on Tuesday. In what is the biggest ever transfer fee recorded between two Serie A clubs, Higuain's move to […]

London (AFP) – England's 1966 World Cup winning captain, the late Bobby Moore, was honoured with a blue plaque installed where he lived on Tuesday. The ceremony for the unveiling of the plaque on Moore's childhood home in east London was attended by family, friends and footballing figures. It comes just days before the 50th […]

If the opening weekend of Spain's La Liga season is any indication, La Liga aims to give the Premier League some tough competition this season in the battle for TV ratings. UPDATE: World Soccer Talk writer Ed Perovic has written a follow-up article to this piece that explains what the schedule for the new La […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Senegal international midfielder Younousse Sankhare has joined Lille on a four-year contract from fellow Ligue 1 side Guingamp, the buying club announced on Tuesday. France-born Sankhare, who started his career with Paris Saint-Germain, spent the past three seasons with Guingamp and scored six goals last year to help the Brittany club […]

London (AFP) – France international defender Mamadou Sakho's future at Liverpool may be in doubt after he came home early from the club's tour of the United States on the orders of manager Jurgen Klopp. The 26-year-old, who missed the Europa League final as he was serving a doping suspension and was then omitted from […]

Melbourne (AFP) – Italian champions Juventus scored two early goals and held off a strong finish from their opponents to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne on Tuesday. The Turin giants, who won a fifth consecutive Serie A championship last season, struck early through Paulo Dybala and Medhi Benatia to […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund have dismissed reports that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are poised to offer at least £58 million (70m euros, $77m) for star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. According to British media, City are in advanced talks with the Gabon international, who scored 39 goals for Dortmund in all competitions last season as they […]

Lyon (AFP) – French club Lyon said Tuesday they had rejected a 35-million-euro (£29 million, $39 million) bid from Arsenal for star striker Alexandre Lacazette. Lyon called the 25-year-old, who has long been linked with a move to the Premier League having scored 48 goals over the last two seasons, "irreplacable" and said he would […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino says he is not interested in the vacant coaching post with his native Argentina because he is happy at Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. The 44-year-old — who turned Spurs into title contenders last season before they faded in the final few weeks and ended up third — said it […]

London (AFP) – New England manager Sam Allardyce admitted Wayne Rooney has a significant part to play in his plans but refused to give assurances about the player’s future as captain. Rooney recently expressed a desire to continue as skipper, despite criticism following England’s disastrous campaign at the 2016 European Championship in France. Manchester United […]