Rome (AFP) – Serie A has lost two of its biggest names this summer in Romelu Lukaku and Italy's goalkeeping hero Gianluigi Donnarumma, but some exciting talent has been on the move to Italy's top flight as the new season prepares to kick off. AFP Sport picks out five signings to watch in Serie A […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi's sixth goal in as many games for Celtic helped the Scottish giants to a 2-0 Europa League play-off first-leg victory at home to AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday. Furuhashi put the Glasgow club ahead early on after good work by Tom Rogic, and James Forrest scored a deflected second-half […]

Paris (AFP) – Benfica moved towards a place in the Champions League group stage by beating PSV Eindhoven 2-1 in their play-off round first leg on Wednesday, despite a brilliant goal from the Dutch side's winger Cody Gakpo in Lisbon. Two-time European champions Benfica, who lost to PSV in the 1988 final, are looking to […]

Rome (AFP) – Jose Mourinho said he was "calm" ahead of his first competitive game as Roma coach, insisting that taking charge of a team for the 996th time in his career poses little anxiety. "It's true that this will be my first official match with this club, but it will be my 996th match […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy's Euro 2020 winner Manuel Locatelli has joined Juventus on a two-year loan deal from Sassuolo, the Serie A giants announced on Wednesday. Midfielder Locatelli scored twice in five games as the Azzurri lifted the European Championship trophy in July. Juve will have to sign Locatelli permanently in 2023 for 37.5 million […]

Lionel Messi's move to Paris Saint Germain rocked the sports world. A sad, but necessary, move to try to reduce Barcelona's dire situation of being $1.5 billion debt. Paris came to a standstill to welcome the Argentine. FC Barcelona did not have the winger as a first-team player for the first time in 16 years. […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal are on the verge of a permanent deal for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard, according to reports on Wednesday. Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan for the second half of last season after failing to break into the Real Madrid team. The 22-year-old scored just two goals in 20 appearances for the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga history is set to be made Friday as two Americans face off as head coaches for the first time in Germany's top flight when Jesse Marsch's RB Leipzig host Pellegrino Matarazzo's VfB Stuttgart. "I hope it's a big deal in America," Leipzig coach Marsch said Wednesday. "It was unimaginable a few […]

London (AFP) – Romelu Lukaku is in line to make his second Chelsea debut against Arsenal on Sunday after the club record signing revealed he has been given the number nine shirt. Belgium striker Lukaku rejoined Chelsea in a £98 million ($135 million) move from Inter Milan last week. The 28-year-old missed Chelsea's win over […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane was left out of the squad that travelled to Portugal on Wednesday for a Europa Conference League play-off amid continuing speculation over the England captain's future. Manchester City are keen to sign Kane and were reported to have tabled a bid of £100 million ($139 million) in […]

Rome (AFP) – Italy's Euro 2020 winner Manuel Locatelli arrived in Turin on Wednesday before his move Sassuolo to Juventus, the club reported. Midfielder Locatelli, 23, scored twice in five games as the Azzurri lifted the European Championship in July and underwent a medical at Juve, who posted images on club's social media platforms. According […]

Dortmund (Germany) (AFP) – Julian Nagelsmann joked that he wants to hoard titles like a 'hamster' after winning his first trophy at Bayern Munich with his debut victory as head coach of the Bundesliga giants. Bayern swept aside league rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Tuesday to win the German Super Cup with Robert Lewandowski scoring […]

London (AFP) – Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez says it never crossed his mind his career was over despite fracturing his skull in a horrific clash of heads with Arsenal's David Luiz nine months ago. The 30-year-old Mexican international completed a remarkable recovery in playing the whole of Wolves's 1-0 defeat by Leicester in their […]

London (AFP) – Fulham remained top of the early English Championship table after a 2-1 win at London rivals Millwall on Tuesday. On a good night for travelling teams in the second tier — five of the seven matches were won by the visiting club — Fulham, newly relegated from the Premier League — enjoyed […]

Yaounde (AFP) – Algeria will face the Ivory Coast, the only team they failed to defeat in winning the last Africa Cup of Nations, when Cameroon host the 2021 edition between January 9 and February 6 2022. The teams drew 1-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals and the Desert Foxes advanced by winning a […]