David de Gea is finally set to seal his summer move to Real Madrid after Manchester United accepted a €40 million (£29m) offer for the goalkeeper and, with personal terms agreed weeks ago, a deal could be announced on Sunday.
With De Gea set to join Real Madrid, United are hopeful of signing Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen as his replacement.
Kevin de Bruyne has completed a medical of a £51 million move from Wolfsburg to Manchester City, with an official announcement expected on Sunday.
Kevin De Bruyne coming out of Manchester Hospital
De Bruyne’s switch to the Etihad was reportedly almost scuppered by a German car company, who wanted to see the player move to Bayern Munich.
New Manchester City signing De Bruyne
Bayern Munich have joined Paris St-Germain in trying to sign Everton defender Seamus Coleman, 26, and are preparing an £18 million bid to follow up on interest dating back to January.
Arsenal will make an attempt to sign Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, 28, from Paris St-Germain before the transfer deadline.
Arsene Wenger has been so impressed by Riyad Mahrez’s early season form for Leicester, Arsenal are mulling over a bid for the 24-year-old before the summer transfer deadline
Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has hired former Bayern Munich doctor Fredi Binder to fly over to England once per week to help him in his battle to regain full fitness.
United have rejected an offer from Tottenham to take out-of-favour striker Javier Hernandez to White Hart Lane. Louis van Gaal has told the striker he can leave Old Trafford, with Bayer Leverkusen the most likely destination.
Besiktas have pulled out of a deal to sign Victor Valdes from Manchester United. The Turkish side have decided to strengthen other areas ofb the squad first.
Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has played down the possibility of signing Inter Milan’s 28-year-old left-back Yuto Nagatomo.
Wolfsburg are busily reinvesting their incoming windfall from selling Kevin De Bruyne and are set to sign Dante from Bayern Munich. The clubs have agreed a €4.5 million fee and the Brazilian centre-back will undergo a medical on Sunday.
Leicester City are also rumoured to be close to securing a deal for Dante.
Meanwhile, United are unlikely to make a late move for Dante, despite showing interest earlier in the summer, as Louis van Gaal has concerns over the player’s fitness.
Liverpool youngster Samed Yesil will spend the season on loan at Swiss outfit FC Lucerne, according to the Liverpool Echo. The 21-year-old has made just two senior appearances for the Reds since arriving in 2011.
Daniel Sturridge has pencilled in a home game against Crystal Palace on November 8 as his return after recovering from hip surgery.
Inter Milan are ready to secure a £6m a four-year deal to take 24-year-old striker Fabio Borini from Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Watford owner Gino Pozzo is pushing to bring in Borini on loan from Liverpool but wants to convince the Reds to pay a third of his obstructive £55,000-per-week wages.
Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk is set to join Southampton in an £11.5 million deal after the Scottish champions signed Manchester United’s Tyler Blackett on loan as his replacement.
Victor Wanyama has again told Southampton that he wants to leave the club, with the club aware of the midfielder’s unhappiness at St Mary’s for over a year.
Wanyama has been left out of Southampton’s squad to face Norwich as he looks to engineer a move to Tottenham. The Kenyan has told Saints he wants to leave and Spurs will make a big effort to try and sign him over the next 48 hours.
West Ham are considering a move for Hull City striker Nikica Jelavic, 30, with Slaven Bilic keen to add at least more striker to his ranks after injuries to Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll and concerns over completing a deal for Emmanuel Adebayor.
A West Ham fan has had the scoreline and scorers of his side’s 3-0 win at Liverpool tattooed on to his arm to fulfil a bet.
Tunisian centre-back Aymen Abdennour, 26, has signed for Valencia from Monaco, despite a late approach from Chelsea.
Dynamo Kiev striker Dieumerci Mbokani, 29, is set to join Norwich City on a season-long loan move.
Emanuele Giaccherini is set to leave Sunderland for a loan spell with Bologna. The 30-year-old is due in Italy on Sunderland to join the newly promoted Serie A side.
Rapid Vienna forward Robert Beric will travel to Saint-Etienne on Saturday to undergo a medical and complete a move to the Ligue 1 outfit for an initial €5.5 million, which could rise to €1.5m in performance-related add-ons.
Swansea City are prepared to play hardball with Michu, who is free to leave but wants his £40,000 wages matched, and could let the Spaniard rot in the reserves for the final year of his contract.
Crystal Palace are bracing themselves for a late push to sign Yannick Bolasie from Tottenham, though negotiations have stalled due to the winger’s compassionate leave.
Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood has injured his hamstring – by kicking a bunch of water bottles. Newcastle United boss Steve McClaren says referees might be “too busy watching Match of the Day instead of assessing their own game” after his side’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal.
England manager Roy Hodgson will retain Jamie Vardy despite a racism controversy and call up Swansea City’s Jonjo Shelvey for Euro 2016 qualifiers against Switzerland and San Marino.
Northern Echo reporter Richard Mason made an impact on Twitter by posting a picture of a man using a computer game controller in the press area at St James’ Park, during Newcastle United’s defeat by Arsenal.
Chelsea are thought to be ready to break the British transfer record to land Paul Pogba, but now it seems that Juventus will reject any and all offers for the Frenchman. The Old Lady plan to keep him for another year even if €150m is offered.
Wolfsburg have joined Juventus in the race to sign Julian Draxler. The Serie A champions had been close to signing the playmaker, but die Wolfe have made a late move as they seek a replacement for Manchester City-bound Kevin De Bruyne.
Juventus fear they have lost out on Julian Draxler to Wolfsburg and are lining up an alternative. The Old Lady had made the German their No.1 target but will now attempt to sign Tottenham’s Erik Lamela on loan with the option to buy.
Lazar Markovic is a step closer to finalising his loan move from Liverpool to Fenerbahce after completing his medical with the Turkish outfit.
West Brom are closing in on a deal for Chelsea winger Victor Moses. The £10m-rated Nigeria international had been heavily linked with West Ham but Tony Pulis has gazuped the Hammers, while he is also keen on QPR attacker Matt Phillips.
Neymar says he wants to stay at Barcelona “no matter how many million pound offers come from England” amid reports Manchester United want him.
Paris St Germain have offered Dutch international Gregory Van der Wiel to Everton in a £20million part-exchange deal for Seamus Coleman
Fifa agent Wagner Riberio has claimed that Fenerbahce offered €20 million for Santos’ Gabriel Barbosa.
Michel Platini has announced he will step down as UEFA president in 2019 if he fails to win FIFA’s top job in next year’s election.
Atletico Madrid sealed the dual signings of Colombian striker Rafael Santos Borre and Argentine midfielder Matias Kranevitter on Friday.
Santos Borre, 19, completed a €5 million move, signing a six-year deal that will see him stay at the Colombian club Deportivo Cali on loan for the 2015-16 season.While, Kranevitter, 22, signed a five-year contract after an €8m fee was agreed. He will stay at River Plate on loan until January.
Manchester United will offer Real Madrid £65m plus goalkeeper David De Gea, 24, in exchange for Gareth Bale in a last-ditch bid to lure the 26-year-old Wales forward to Old Trafford.
Louis van Gaal admits he does not yet know whether Sergio Romero is up to the job of being Manchester United’s No.1 on a long-term basis.
Paul Pogba has told Chelsea he wants to be paid £318,000-a-week. The Blues have lodged a £73 million bid with Juventus for the midfielder, but will need to make him the club’s highest paid player in order to land him ahead of Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are confident of completing a deal for Guangzhou Evergrande defender Zhang Linpeng, 26, although the China international will be loaned out for the rest of the season.
But, Jose Mourinho said “I don’t speak about players from other teams” after being questioned about John Stones, Paul Pogba and Zhang Linpeng.
The Blues are exploring deals for Zenit centre-back Ezequiel Garay and Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour after giving up on John Stones. Everton insist the young defender will not be sold, leaving the Blues rushing to find a new target.
Manchester City are set to complete the £55m signing of Kevin de Bruyne over the weekend with the 24-year-old midfielder having sat out German side Wolfsburg’s 3-0 win over Schalke on Friday.
The agent of Alexandre Pato is in London to discuss a transfer to a European club. Tottenham, who have struggled to agree a fee for another striker target, Saido Berahino, are the main club interested in signing the Brazilian.
Everton full-back Seamus Coleman is open to moving to Paris Saint-Germain after the French champions made a surprise move for the defender. PSG’s initial £20m bid was rejected, though, and the Irishman will not try to force through a move. Everton told PSG that not even a bid of £50m will persuade them to sell 26-year-old right-back.
The Toffees are in talks with Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski. The Poland international is not getting regular playing time under Thomas Tuchel at the moment and could be willing to move.
West Brom have reportedly agreed a fee for Manchester United centre-back Jonny Evans, who is now set for a medical at The Hawthorns.
Celtic have agreed a deal to sign Manchester United defender Tyler Blackett on a season-long loan. The 21-year-old, not in the first-team reckoning under Louis van Gaal, is expected to replace Virgil van Dijk and can seal a permanent move for £4m.
Aston Villa are poised to sign defender Joleon Lescott, 33, from West Brom for £2m next week.
The Villans are preparing to make a bid for Club Brugge midfielder Victor Vazquez after he impressed against Manchester United in the Champions League.
Sunderland are set to miss out on Fenerbahce striker Moussa Sow, 29, to UAE side Al Ahli.
Black Cats boss Dick Advocaat has ended his interest in 27-year-old Napoli midfielder Jonathan de Guzman. Advocaat will risk the wrath of Sunderland supporters with a move for ex-Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan, 33, who is a free agent after being released by West Ham.
Advocaat insists he has no plans to walk away from Sunderland and intends to once again ensure they preserve their Premier League status.
Adrian Ramos is set to leave Borussia Dortmund for Sunderland. The Black Cats have offered a three-year contract.
Juventus is selling youngster Kingsley Coman to Bayern as the Serie A outfit make room for key target Julian Draxler before the summer transfers deadline.
Beşiktas board member Erdan Torunogulları has travelled to England to wrap up a deal for Victor Valdes, with the Manchester United goalkeeper having already agreed personal terms.
Dynamo Kiev’s Younes Belhanda is edging closer to a loan move to Lyon, with the Ligue 1 side able to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.
Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo is set to join Leicester City after a £3 million fee with agreed, with the Japan international flying to England to undergo a medical.
Mark Hughes has revealed he would like Jonathan Walters “to stay” at Stoke after the club rejected a new £2million bid from Norwich.
Bournemouth are hoping to sign Jonathan de Guzman from Napoli in a deal worth £5m. The midfielder has turned down the chance to move to Sunderland on loan.
Watford are hoping to make a late move for Liverpool’s Lazar Markovic. The Hornets are hoping to beat Fenerbahce to the winger.
Watford have also joined the race to sign Liverpool striker Fabio Borini who is set to leave Anfield before the close of the transfer window.
Ipswich Town youngster Harry Clarke has been snapped up by Arsene Wenger and joins the club’s academy.
England manager Roy Hodgson is poised to recall Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw, 20, for the Euro 2016 qualifier double-header with San Marino and Switzerland.
Newcastle are still keen on Wolves striker Benik Afobe, 22, after they dropped their interest in 26-year-old QPR forward Charlie Austin.
It has been a fantastic start to the season at the sky blue half of Manchester. Teams have been beaten convincingly and there is a swagger about the City side which has made them odds on favourite to win the title. With UEFA failing to follow through the Financial Fair Play effectively, City have gone on to make some stellar signings and Kevin De Bruyne is expected to join soon.
Watford have had 3 draws so far and making it 4 will be seen as a huge achievement against a side that easily dispatched Chelsea. Manchester City’s assault on the title is led by Sergio Aguero. The Argentine has continued from where he stopped and Pellegrini will know that keeping him fit will probably be the single most important factor in their bid to reclaim a title they lost to Chelsea last season.
The stats do not favour the newly promoted side. City boasts an impressive home record with 14 victories in their last 18 league games while Watford have just won 3 of their last 39 Premier League away games.
Team News
Manchester City
Pablo Zabaleta, Fernando and Gael Clichy remain sideline due to injuries. Bony could miss out as well due to a gashed leg. New signing Nicolas Otamendi could make his debut today
Watford
Quique Sanchez Flores will definitely name a very different side from the one that lost in midweek to Preston. Miguel Britos is suspended following a red card on his debut on Tuesday. Joel Ekstrand remains injured.
Jose Mourinho goes into his 200th Premier League game in charge of Chelsea looking to continue his impressive record at the bridge. The Portugese manager has suffered just one home defeat in his first 99 games at Stanford Bridge, winning 76 of those games. After Pedro’s impressive introduction to English football, the doom and gloom of their start to the season can be finally laid to rest against Crystal Palace with another win.
Palace has started the season strongly with 2 wins in 3. Regardless of the result today, they will be encouraged that they have picked up at least 6 points and would have played 2 of last season’s top 4 sides. Pardew’s team have been particularly difficult to beat away from home winning seven of the last nine, with one of two defeats coming at Chelsea.
Their record at Chelsea has been far from perfect having won just twice in their last 21 visits. The last win recorded away at Chelsea was in March 1982. To change this trend, they will look to Zaha, Sako and Bolasie to trouble a Chelsea defence that has looked uncharacteristically leaky this season. The absence of Terry and the unconvincing form of Ivanovic means this may be a far from straight forward for Chelsea
Teams News
Chelsea
Chelsea captain is suspended so Gary Cahill is expected to start alongside Kurt Zouma. Baba Rahman could make his debut while Victor Moses and Oscar are doubts for the game as a result of injuries.
Crystal Palace
Mile Jedinak is ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained in the midweek League Cup win over Shresbury. Yannick Bolasie will also take part following the death of his father.
Arsenal has had a poor start to the season considering the optimism generated by their strong pre season. Against Liverpool, the Gunners were denied by some poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping. Doubts may exist about Olivier Giroud’s ability to lead a title charge, but there is no denying the fact that he has a tremendous record against the Magpies. He has scored 8 goals in 6 appearances against the team from Tyneside.
Steve McClaren’s side produced a heroic display against Manchester United and the manager will expect the same level of commitment. Florian Thauvin has a bright start to life in English football. AT Old Trafford, he looked comfortable before putting Northampton to the sword with a hat trick of assist and one in a convincing 4-1 win.
The likes of Thauvin, Mitrovic and Wijnaldum will look to capitalise on any uncertainty in the Arsenal defence where Chambers and Gabriel may continue in the continued absence of Per Mertesacker and if Koscielny fails a late fitness test.
The records do favour Arsenal though who have picked up 7 wins against Newcastle in 9 meetings, with the other two ending in draws. Newcastle’s home ground is not exactly a fortress. The club has only won 2 in 11 games played at ST. James Park. The Gunners have also had a lot of joy on the road where they have picked up 19 points out of the last 21 available.
Teams News
Newcastle United
Sissoko remains a doubt with a groin problem while RIviere and Marveaux are definitely ruled out with knee and groin injuries. Siem De Jong is also available after having a difficult last season which was disrupted by injuries. He completed 90 minutes in midweek in the Carling cup and even scored in a convincing Newcastle win.
Arsenal
Arsenal will definitely be without Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Thomas Rosicky who are all ruled out with injuries. Koscielny may miss out with a back problem while Mertesacker is unexpected to recover from illness in time for the early kick off. Gabriel and Chambers are expected to deputize for the pair.
Manchester United will sell David de Gea at the end of the transfer window if they receive a bid from Real Madrid of £33 million. Madrid are confident of landing the goalkeeper on deadline day.
United have offered Lazio £29 million for star man Felipe Anderson. The deal for the Brazilian attacking-midfielder will also include add-ons, while Lazio’s elimination from the Champions League is a factor.
Manchester City are close to signing Kevin De Bruyne and have made an “astonishing” salary offer to, Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs has revealed. He said: “He’s had an astonishing, astonishing offer from City and we can’t compete with that. We had to take it seriously and that is the way we react with our players and finally we decided to start negotiations with City.
Kevin de Bruyne will earn £200,000 per week when he completes his move to Manchester City from Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg have joined Juventus in the race for Julian Draxler. The Bundesliga side are looking for a midfielder to replace Kevin De Bruyne who is set to join Manchester City.
Milan striker Alessandro Matri is closing in on a move to West Ham. Slaven Bilic is on the hunt for a striker and sees the 31-year-old as a viable option this summer.
Hammers striker Andy Carroll, 26, has missed out on a move to Sevilla in La Liga.
Joey Barton, who is a free agent after his release from QPR at the end of last season, is set to discuss a move to Championship side Burnley.
Ola Toivonen
Dick Advocaat is hoping to complete the signing of Napoli midfielder Jonathan De Guzman after signing Rennes forward Ola Toivonen.
Ola Toivonen has been included in the Sunderland squad to face Aston Villa after signing on a season-long loan from French side Rennes.
Sunderland’s 32-year-old forward Jermain Defoe believes he deserves an England call-up – two years after last playing for his country.
Liverpool and Serbia winger Lazar Markovic, 21, a £20m signing from Benfica last summer, is joining Fenerbahce on a season-long loan.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has revealed he is a fan of pop star Taylor Swift. “Just took my girls to watch Miss Taylor Swift . So talented she put on a incredible show #1989tour little cameos from Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake. Bonus,” wrote the LA Galaxy midfielder on Instagram.
Manchester United winger Memphis Depay, on learning his new club would face his former team PSV Eindhoven in the group stages of the Champions League, tweeted:Well well @PSV, guess we’ll see each other soon.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi ‘photobombed’ rival and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo at the Champions League group stage draw.
Thiago Alcantara has signed a new four-year contract with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Yaya Toure is considering whether to retire from international football and has asked to be omitted from Ivory Coast’s squad for September’s clash with Sierra Leone.
Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer tweeted a photograph after meeting Tottenham forward Harry Kane and his father Pat. “Had a word about his goal celebration. Looking forward to seeing the next one,” wrote Shearer.
Tottenham have signed South Korea forward Son Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £22million fee on a five-year contract.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says trying to sign the right striker is very much like chasing the woman you love.
Norwich City striker Lewis Grabban, 27, is seeking advice from the Professional Footballers’ Association after being suspended by the Premier League club.
Tottenham fans are being offered the chance to swap a Spurs top from the last two seasons with the name of a recently sold player on the back – including Gareth Bale – in exchange for this season’s new shirt.
Louis van Gaal is keen to bring fellow Dutchman Arjen Robben to Old Trafford from Bayern Munich. The winger would cost £73 million and would blow the remainder of the Red Devils’ summer budget.
China defender Zhang Linpeng, dubbed the ‘Chinese Sergio Ramos’, has revealed Chelsea are interested in signing him.
Zhang Linpeng
Wolfsburg have an agreement with Bayern Munich centre-back Dante. The Brazilian is allowed to leave the Bavarians this summer.
Ivan Perisic has told Wolfsburg he wants to leave for Inter. Meanwhile the VfL is in advanced talks to sign Anderlecht’s young midfielder Denis Praet.
Everton expect to complete the signings of Ramiro Funes Mori and Leandro Rodriguez on Friday, manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed.
Portuguese midfielder Rony Lopes is close to joining Monaco from Manchester City, with the midfielder believing he will not be given first-team opportunities at the Etihad Stadium.
Monaco are close to signing Brazilian defender Felipe Macedo from Goias for a fee of around €2.5 millions.
Winger Filip Kostic has told VfB Stuttgart he wants to leave the club in the next days. Schalke, Wolfsburg and HSV are interested in the 22-year-old, though Stuttgart are reluctact to sell him.
Roma are keen to add another midfielder to their squad and have identified Malaga’s Sergi Darder. The Spanish outfit want €10 million to sell the former Espanyol player. Inter’s Saphir Taider is also a target.
Southampton failed to make it to the group stage of the Europa League after suffering a 1-0 defeat to FC Midtjylland, and an aggregate 2-1 score.
Borussia Dortmund cruised into the Europa League Group stage with a convincing 7-2 win over Odd and an impressive aggregate score of 11-5.
Marco Reus scored a hat trick and Shinji Kagawa a brace. Henrik Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Guendogan completed the rout.
Ajax and Jablonec played to a 0-0 draw. The Dutch side won the 1st Leg 1-0, advancing by a 1-0 aggregate score.
French side Bordeaux advanced despite losing 2-1 to Kairat Almaty. Enzo Crivelli’s goal was enough to see them progress on away goal rule, after an aggregate score of 2-2.
Away goal rule as proved vital for Spanish side Athletic Bilboa, who defeated Zilina 1-0 and advanced on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate.
Despite losing 3-1 on the night, Norweigan club Molde eliminated Belgian giants Standard Liege on away goals.
Turkish side Fenerbahce cruised past Atromitos 3-0 to advance 4-0 on aggregate. Brazilian Fernandao scored a brace.
AZ Alkmaar scored two late goals to erase a first-leg deficit and defeat FC Astra 2-0, advancing 4-3 on aggregate.
Ligue 1 club St Etienne held on for a 1-0 win over Moldovan club Milsami.
Rubin Kazan progressed after a slim 1-0 victory over Rabotnicki, and a 2-1 aggregate.
AZ Alkmaar scored two late goals to erase a first-leg deficit and defeat FC Astra 2-0, advancing 4-3 on aggregate.
They will be joined by the 10 clubs that crashed out of the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers and teams that had automatic qualification.
Argentine and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the 2014-15 season after defeating his Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the award a year ago.Messi received the accolade after Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw was made
The four-time FIFA world player of the year scored 58 goals in all competitions and provided 31 assists last season, as he helped Barcelona to a Treble, clinching the La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Lionel Messi won the inaugral award in 2011 and is now the first player ever to win the “Best player in Europe award ” two times.
Ronaldo scored 61 goals, but Real Madrid failed to win any major trophies.
Suarez, who scored the decisive second goal in the 3-1 final win over Juventus, reached the shortlist despite starting his season in late-October. The Uruguay forward served a FIFA ban for biting at the 2014 World Cup.
Celia Sasic- 2015 Female Best Player In Europe
Germany striker Celia Sasic won the Best Women’s Player in Europe award, which is a fitting way to end her career after the 27-year-old announced her retirement last month.
Sasic topped the vote ahead of German team-mate Dzsenifer Marozsan and France’s Amandine Henry.
Barcelona will hope to retain to their title, while Real Madrid will be hoping for an 11th European success. Premier league leaders Manchester City and Arsenal have trick fixtures.
Manchester City who have had tough draws in the last four seasons of the Champions League, were selected in Group D with last season’s finalists Juventus, Europa League winners Sevilla, and Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach.
Manchester United return after last year’s absence, and have a relatively easy group consisting of PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and German side Wolfsburg.
Chelsea are in Group G and Jose Mourinho will have a reunion with former side Porto, whom he took to Champions League glory in 2003.Mourinho has won neither of his two trips to his old club.The Group also have Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Arsenal also face a tough task in Group F against Bayern Munich. The Gunners have being knocked out by Bayern in two out of the last three UEFA Champions League seasons.They have easy with the other two opponents ; Greek side Olympiacos – who are in the middle of a match-fixing scandal – and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.
Real Madrid are up against PSG Group A, and are joined Shakhtar Donetsk and Malmo.Real bid to win an 11th European Cup.While, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who began his career at Malmo, will get the chance to return to Sweden and his boyhood club.
Holders Barcelona are in Group E along with Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov from Belarus, as they seek to retain the trophy they won in Berlin in June.
Kazakhastani Champions and Champions League debutant Astana, are in Group C, along side Benfica, Atlético, Galatasaray.
2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage draw
Group A:
Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmö
Group B:
PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moskva, Wolfsburg
Group C:
Benfica, Atlético, Galatasaray, Astana
Group D:
Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Group E:
Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov
Group F:
Bayern München, Arsenal, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb
Wayne Rooney hit back at his critics after his hat-trick against Club Brugge – and says he offers a lot to Manchester United even when not scoring.
Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs insists there is still no agreement with Manchester City over the signing of Kevin De Bruyne.
But, City are confident they have finally agreed a deal to sign the Belgium midfielder from Wolfsburg for an initial £54m.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side plan to offer De Bruyne a contract until 2021 worth £15m per year, almost £300,000 a week.
And are are set to make an announcement in the next 24 hours to confirm the deal.
Sevilla have completed the free transfer signing of striker Fernando Llorente from Juventus.
Chelsea believe they can complete the biggest spending spree in British football by signing Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, 22, and Everton centre-back John Stones, 21, in the next few days.
But, Roberto Martinez has warned Chelsea “money cannot buy everything” after an “exceptional” display from John Stones in Everton’s win at Barnsley.
Mario Balotelli has completed his loan move to AC Milan and put his lack of goals for Liverpool down in part to Brendan Rodgers’ formation.
Balotelli posted a farewell message to Liverpool fans on his Facebook account following the completion of his season-long loan switch to AC Milan.
Louis van Gaal felt Ander Herrera improved after switching to No.10 in Manchester United’s “relatively easy” 4-0 win at Club Brugge.
Arsene Wenger says he is ‘always confident of a last-minute solution’ despite admitting Arsenal are not currently close to making any signings.
Besiktas have turned their attention to Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel after a move for Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva stalled on loan with the Reds now keen to keep the Brazilian.
Mikel is one of the Blues’ longest-serving players but has made only one substitute appearance in the Premier League so far this season and could find his first-team opportunities restricted even more if Jose Mourinho gets his way.
Kevin Nolan has had his West Ham contract terminated by mutual consent after four years with the club.
The 33-year-old scored 31 goals in his 157 games with the Hammers after joining them from Newcastle United in the summer of 2011.
Barcelona will sit down with advisors of Brazil forward Neymar, 23, before the end of the year to discuss a new five-year contract that will see his buyout clause increase to £182m.
Juventus have bid for 27-year-old Barcelona midfielder Alex Song, whose move to the Hammers is in doubt.
Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale has tweeted a picture of his injured toe, suggesting it was “feeling better” and that he is “looking forward to the weekend”, when they face Real Betis.
Manchester United have told potential suitors for Jonny Evans that they must pay £12m to sign the 27-year-old Northern Ireland defender, who is in the last year of his deal.
West Brom have told Spurs they will not sell England Under-21 international Berahino unless their £25m asking price is met.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have reservations about making a third bid for the 22-year-old West Brom forward.
Bayern remain keen on Juventus youngster Kingsley Coman and are ready to offer €20m (£14.6m). Juventus are considering selling in order to fund moves for Julian Draxler and Axel Witsel.
Kevin Kampl is set to leave Borussia Dortmund after less than a year and join Bayer Leverkusen. The 24-year-old worked with Bayer manager Roger Schmidt at RB Salzburg.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could leave FC Bayern on loan with AC Milan interested. However, Schalke 04 are also keen on the Danish
Southampton are set to offer Celtic £8m for Virgil van Dijk and are hopeful they can complete a deal for the defender in the next 48 hours.
West Ham are set to miss out on Juventus striker Simone Zaza. The Serie A side want him to gain playing time elsewhere and have pulled out of a deal with the Hammers.
Sunderland are hoping to sign Napoli midfielder Jonathan de Guzman, 27, and Rennes striker Ola Toivonen, 29, before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Leicester City are in negotiations with Birmingham City over a deal for 19-year-old winger Demarai Gray and have submitted a bid to activate his £4.7m release clause.
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has retweeted the thanks he received from a fan,to whom he handed his boot as a memento following the Toffees’ 5-3 Capital One Cup win at Barnsley.
Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan tweeted that he jovially failed to persuade Chelsea defender John Terry to leave Stamford Bridge for the Gunners.
Wayne opened his 2015/2016 season account with a hattrick, sending Manchester United to the Champions League group stages as United beat Club Brugge 4-0 in Belgium to advance 7-1 on aggregate.
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Lazio 3-0 and advance 3-1 on aggregate. Goalscorers were Hakan Calhanoglu, Admir Mehmedi and Karim Bellarabi.
FC Astana became the first Kazakhstani club to qualify for the group stage as their 1-1 draw with APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus saw them win 2-1 on aggregate.
CSKA Moscow, who were 2-1 down from the first leg in Portugal, defeated Sporting 3-1 to advance 4-3 on aggregate in Russia. A brace from Seydou Doumbia and Ahmed Musa’s winner saw them overturn their 1st leg deficit.
BATE Borisov advanced to the group stage despite losing 2-1 to Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. With the tie finishing 2-2, progressed on away goals, Igor Stasevich providing the crucial strike for the Belarusians before Maksim Zhavnerchik’s own-goal and substitute Ivan Saponjic’s stoppage-time effort.
They are joined by Dinamo Zagreb who defeated Skenderbeu 6-2 on aggregate, Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated on away goal rule (3-3 aggregate), Malmoe FF defeated Celtic (4-3 aggregate), Valencia defeated Monaco (4-3 aggregate), and Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Rapid Wien (3-2 aggregate)
DRAW
There is a high probabilty that a Premier League side could be facing Barcelona, as teams from the same country cannot be drawn against each other. Barca can only be drawn against either Arsenal, City, United, Leverkusen or Porto from pot 2.
There is the chance of a “super group”. Barcelona could be drawn together with Manchester United, Roma and Wolfsburg. Or perhaps Chelsea could be handed Real Madrid, Roma and Wolfsburg (ESPN)
POTS
Pot 1: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg, PSV Eindhoven
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, FC Porto, Arsenal, Manchester United, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, Lyon, Dynamo Kiev, Olympiakos, CSKA Moscow, Galatasaray, AS Roma
Pot 4: BATE Borisov, Borussia Monchengladbach, Vfl Wolfsburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Gent, Malmo, FK Astana
Louis van Gaal has €100 million (£73.5 million) to spend on a superstar signing. The Manchester United boss will not make do with only Wayne Rooney up front and still has a huge transfer kitty to plunder after missing out on Pedro and others.
United will make a last big attempt to sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid in the final week of the transfer window and hope to resolve the David De Gea situation at the same time
Juventus are keen to add attacking players to their squad and are keen to bring Benfica’s Nicolas Gaitan to the club despite interest from Manchester United.
Real Sociedad have completed the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi, who has been linked with Liverpool.
Heung-Min Son is flying into London to undergo a medical with Tottenham. Bayer Leverkusen have agreed to sell the South Korean for €30m (£21.9m), with Spurs switching targets after struggling to agree a fee for Saido Berahino.
Having missed out on Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Arsenal are set to raid Paris Saint-Germain for both Edinson Cavani and Adrien Rabiot before the end of the transfer window. Arsene Wenger is still keen on signing a new striker.
Grzegorz Krychowiak has confirmed he will not be leaving Sevilla this summer despite reports linking him with a move to Arsenal.
PSG boss Laurent Blanc has confirmed the club are preparing to complete the signing of Monaco defender Layvin Kurzawa and revealed his delight at the move.
Hector Bellerin says he “doesn’t believe” in second-season syndrome after breaking into the Arsenal first team last season.
Roma have completed the signing of Lucas Digne from Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan.
Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny is a doubt for the club’s trip to Newcastle United
Monaco have agreed a deal to sign Fabio Coentrao on loan from Real Madrid, the Ligue 1 side have announced.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are considering a move forBorussia Dortmund’s Jakub Blaszczykowski, with the Poland international having fallen down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel and now surplus to requirements.
Enner Valencia has criticised West Ham’s treatment of his injury and claims the club have failed to support him through his recovery. The striker was carried off with a knee injury during a Europa League qualifier against Astra Giurgiu in July, but a month on, the Ecuador international says he still has not received a diagnosis from the West Ham medical team and admits he is considering seeking treatment “behind their backs”.
Victor Valdes is leaving Manchester United for Besiktas on a free transfer.
Southampton have told midfielder Victor Wanyama that he will not be allowed to leave the club in this transfer window amid continued speculation that he is a target for Tottenham and Arsenal
Liverpool have told Besiktas they want to keep midfielder Lucas Leiva after his recall on Monday night.
Mario Balotelli will reportedly have a good behaviour clause in his AC Milan contract based on the rules abided by those who serve in the Italian air force.
Marco Materazzi believes Mario Balotelli will thrive at AC Milan under the leadership of Sinisa Mihajlovic, insisting he will have a better relationship with the Serbian than he had with Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool
Harry Redknapp believes Saido Berahino will join Tottenham, but insisted West Brom hold the trump cards.
Mimi ad Ekpe Ita went head to head on Friday to give their take on what the results would be at the end of the third match day of the Premier League. The results are out. Who fared better?
Result: Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle
Mimi: Manchester United 2-1 Newcastle
Ekpe: Manchester United 1 – 0 Newcastle
Verdict: both score zero point for predicting a Man United win.
Result: Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa
Mimi: Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa
Ekpe: Crystal Palace 2-1 Aston Villa
Verdict: Mimi and Ekpe get 3 points for predicting the EXACT score line and result.
Result: Leicester 1-1 Tottenham
Mimi: Leicester 2-2 Tottenham
Ekpe: Leicester 2 – 2 Tottenham
Verdict: Both participant get 1 point for predicting that the game will end in a draw. Result: Norwich 1-1 Stoke
Mimi: Norwich 1 -1 Stoke
Ekpe: Norwich 0 -1 Stoke City
Verdict: It’s Mimi again. She gets 3 points for predicting the EXACT score line and result. Ekpe gets zero for predicting a Stoke victory.
Result: Sunderland 1-1 Swansea
Mimi: Sunderland 0-2 Swansea
Ekpe: Sunderland 1 – 3 Swansea
Verdict: Mimi and Ekpe get no point for predicting a Swansea win.
Result: West Ham 3-4 Bournemouth
Mimi: West Ham 2-1 Bournemouth
Ekpe: West Ham 3 – 0 Bournemouth
Verdict: Both get zero point for failing to predict the game will end in a Bournemouth win.
Result: West Brom 2-3 Chelsea
Mimi: West Brom 1-2 Chelsea
Ekpe: West Brom 0 -2 Chelsea
Verdict: Both get 1 point for predicting a Chelsea victory.
Result: Everton 0-2 Man City
Mimi: Everton 2-3 Manchester City
Ekpe: Everton 1 -3 Manchester City
Verdict: Ekpe and Mimi get 1 point for predicting a Manchester City win.
Result: Watford 0-0 Southampton
Mimi: Watford 1-2 Southampton
Ekpe: Watford 2-1 Southampton
Verdict: Both get zero point for not predicting a draw between the two sides.
Result: Arsenal 0-0 Liverpool
Mimi: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
Ekpe: Arsenal 0 -1 Liverpool
Verdict: Both get zero point for failing to predict a draw.
Final Score: Mimi 9-6 Ekpe
Rules.
Every correct score line gets 3 points for that game (that is if the game ends exactly as was predicted.)
A correct result (win, draw or loss) will score 1 point if the score line does not end exactly as predicted.
Tottenham will host Arsenal in the third round of the Capital One Cup. It will be the third time in 10 years the north London rivals will meet in the competition. Arsenal won the two-legged semi-final in 2007, with Spurs gaining revenge at the same stage in 2008 beating Arsenal 5-1 on aggregate and eventually winning the competition that year. The two teams last met in the competition in 2011, when Arsenal won 4-1 after extra time in the third round, on their way to the final, where they lost to 2-1 to Birmingham.
Spurs lost to Chelsea in last season’s final. Holders Chelsea will be travelling to Walsall.
Birmingham City who won Gillingham 2-0 in the second round on Tuesday night, have the chance to knock-out their second city rivals and five time champions Aston Villa, who needed extra-time to beat Notts County 5-3.
Preston North End will be hoping to knockout another newly-promoted Premier League side Bournemouth after upsetting Watford on Tuesday.
Carlisle, who upset QPR at Loftus Road with a 2-1 win on Tuesday, head to Liverpool in the third round.
Manchester United will be hosting in-form Championship side Ipswich who were 4-1 winners at Doncaster in the second round.
Struggling premier league side Sunderland needed a Jermain Defoe hat-trick to earn a nervy 6-3 win over Exeter and will be hosting Premier League leaders Manchester City in the third round.
Everton will travel to Reading if they win at Barnsley on Wednesday night.
Championship sides Middlesbrough and Wolves were drawn together.
Middlesbrough v Wolves
Norwich v West Brom
Hull City v Swansea
Leicester City v West Ham
Aston Villa v Birmingham City
Tottenham v Arsenal
Manchester United v Ipswich Town
Liverpool v Carlisle
Crystal Palace v Charlton
Fulham v Stoke City
Sunderland v Manchester City
Newcastle v Sheffield Wednesday
Reading v Barnsley or Everton
Preston v Bournemouth
Walsall v Chelsea
MK Dons v Southampton
Ties to be played in the week commencing September 21
Louis van Gaal has revealed he intends to use Marouane Fellaini in a number nine or 10 position this season.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has dismissed talk that 23-year-old Brazil forward Neymar, a reported Manchester United target, could be sold.
Liverpool flop Mario Balotelli said he has always had AC Milan in his heart after passing a medical ahead of rejoining the Serie A side.
Liverpool made a “major mistake” in signing Italy striker Mario Balotelli, says former Reds defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
Chelsea winger Marko Marin is to finally leave the club on a permanent deal and sign for Trabzonspor in Turkey.
Turkish club Besiktas claim they have agreed to sign Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes, 33, from Manchester United.
Chelsea will make a fourth and final offer worth £40m for Everton defender John Stones after the 21-year-old England international handed in a transfer request.
Zenit St Petersburg will resist any attempt by Chelsea to sign Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay if they pursue the 28-year-old as an alternative to Stones.
Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, 37, faces a fine for missing media duties after making his MLS debut for Montreal Impact.
Everton have bid £5m for Tottenham’s Argentina defender Federico Fazio, 28, after Stones asked to leave Goodison Park.
Barcelona could beat Arsenal and Everton to the signing of Dynamo Kiev’s Ukraine winger Andriy Yarmolenko, 25.
Everton have turned their attention to Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard after failing in their bid to sign Andriy Yarmolenko.
Arsenal are close to completing a deal to sign Dynamo Moscow striker Aleksandr Kokorin after failing to bring Karim Benzema to the Emirates Stadium Wenger will wrap up a £16 million deal for Sevilla destroyer Grzegorz Krychowiak. Arsenal are in the market for a holding midfielder and have been tracking the Poland international all summer.
Juventus have given up on signing Julian Draxler and are now looking to sign Manchester City’s Samir Nasri, though they can only currently afford to take him on a season-long loan deal.
City defender Jason Denayer, 20, is deciding whether to join Galatasaray or Marseille on a season-long loan.
Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Manchester City target Kevin De Bruyne, though they do not want him to leave Wolfsburg until 2016, when he would move to the French capital for €80 million.
United have joined rivals City and German champions Bayern Munich in the race to sign Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne. Having missed out on Pedro to Chelsea, Louis van Gaal still has money to burn and wants the Belgian star.
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel wants to sign Mainz defender Jo Hoo Park. Mainz believe the transfer request is too close to the deadline and are demanding €5 million, but BVB feel that is too much.
Tottenham will make an improved offer of £23m plus add-ons for West Brom’s 22-year-old striker Saido Berahino after having two previous bids rejected.
West Brom will move for QPR striker Charlie Austin, 26, if they do finally allow Berahino to leave The Hawthorns.
Spurs are considering a move for Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi, 25, who is not wanted at the Bernabeu.
Manchester United have held talks over a £10.9 million deal for Alexandre Pato, who looks set to join an English club before the transfer window closes. Chelsea, Stoke City and Sunderland are also linked with the forward.
United have reignited their interest in Borussia Dortmund midfield Ilkay Gundogan, but have been rebuffed by the German side. Louis van Gaal is still keen to add reinforcements in midfield but BVB have rejected their new bid.
Marseille are reportedly set to announce the loan signing of Real Madrid youngster Lucas Silva, who has attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal and Southampton this summer.
Roma director Walter Sabatini is in London to close a deal with Aston Villa for midfielder Adem Ljajic’s proposed move to the Premier League.
West Ham want to sign a striker by this weekend and will make a decision on either Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor or Juventus’s Simone Zaza.
The Hammers are set to make a second bid of €8 million for Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz having already had a €5m offer rejected by the Turkish outfit.
Tottenham are keen on signing Saint-Etienne midfielder Jeremy Clement. Spurs hope to add a new defensive midfielder to their ranks but the Ligue 1 side will not let the former Rangers man leave without signing a replacement first.
Spurs winger Erik Lamela, 23, is in talks with Serie A side Inter Milan, according to the Argentine’s father.
Nicolas Gaitan has rejected a move to Al-Ahli in favour of a transfer to Manchester United
David Moyes is hopeful of closing a deal for Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi despite the interest of Southampton and Tottenham.
Tottenham are ready to loan out forgotten defender DeAndre Yedin
Southampton target Virgil van Dijk says he will consider offers from other clubs after Celtic failed to make the Champions League proper.
Kenny Jackett revealed after Wolves’ 2-1 Capital One Cup win over Barnet that the club have rejected another bid from Norwich for Benik Afobe. Norwich will have to pay £14 million if they want to sign Afobe this transfer window.
Norwich boss Alex Neil refused to confirm reports that Bournemouth target Lewis Grabban stormed out of the team hotel on Tuesday night.
Watford have opened talks with French club Rennes over a £8m move for their 22-year-old midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, star of Gladiator, has ruled out a takeover bid for Championship side Leeds United – the team he supports – in a series of tweets.
Leeds United are looking to sign Leicester City defender Liam Moore, with Uwe Rosler watching the centre-back play in Tuesday’s 4-1 victory against Bury
Former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, 35, will be a future manager at Anfield, according to his LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena.
League Cup ties should go straight to penalties instead of extra time, says Cardiff manager Russell Slade. The Bluebirds lost 2-1 against MK Dons after 120 minutes on Tuesday.
Dwight Gayle is keen on a move from Crystal Palace to Norwich, but the Canaries are baulking at the £10m price tag
Charlton could move for former Liverpool and Stoke winger Jermaine Pennant
Juan Cuadrado welcomed by Juve fans as he touched down in Italy
Manchester United will continue their pursuit of Neymar and are hoping to negotiate a £240 million deal for the Brazilian. Neymar has a £130m buyout clause, while United expect to pay him £75m over five years.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have told United that 26-year-old Wales winger Gareth Bale is not for sale for any price.
Just 24 hours after helping Chelsea earn their first Premier League win of the season at West Brom on Sunday, £21m debutant Pedro returned to Barcelona to say goodbye to his former team-mates.
Pedro has reiterated he joined Chelsea rather than Manchester United or Manchester City because the Blues acted “quickest” in securing his signature.
Juventus appear to be moving closer to the expected signing of Chelsea’s Juan Cuadrado after releasing pictures of the winger being welcomed in Italy.
AC Milan are reported to have agreed a deal with Liverpool to sign Italy striker Mario Balotelli on loan – without having to pay a fee.
Jose Mourinho has doubts over Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic as a partnership and wants to bring Paul Pogba to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will pursue the Frenchman until deadline day, hoping to secure a £70m deal.
Chelsea’s Victor Moses tracked by West Ham
Chelsea winger Victor Moses, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj are all on West Ham boss Slaven Bilic’s wanted list as he looks to add width to his squad before the end of the transfer window.
West Ham are in negotiations with Chelsea over the £7 million transfer of wideman Victor Moses. The Blues’ acquisition of Pedro has pushed Moses down the pecking order and he has been made available for transfer.
The Hammers loan move for Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, is back on with Tottenham ready to subsidise the Togo striker’s £100,000-a-week wages.
Arsenal are looking into a deal for PSG forward Edinson Cavani, following the breakdown in a move for Karim Benzema. The Gunners want to make a marquee signing before Tuesday’s deadline.
West Brom are targeting Manchester United’s Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans, 27, in their sights as defender Joleon Lescott, 33, is told he can leave The Hawthorns.
The Baggies have rejected a transfer request from Tottenham target Saido Berahino.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are set to up their bid for Berahino. The forward saw a transfer request rejected on Monday but Spurs hope their revised bid will be accepted by the Baggies.
Inter Milan are poised to sign Erik Lamela on loan for the season. The deal will include an option to buy the Tottenham attacker.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, has splashed out £12m on a New York apartment which inspired the erotic book Fifty Shades Of Grey.
Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, 26, has ruled out replacing 24-year-old Spain international David De Gea at Manchester United.
Liverpool have now had three major decisions go in their favour this season after Aaron Ramsey’s goal for Arsenal was incorrectly disallowed.
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe, 32, is looking for a £60,000 a year executive personal assistant to look after him and his family. Tasks would include choosing his suits, doing the dry cleaning and stocking the fridge.
Dick Advocaat’s future as Sunderland boss is in doubt after he criticised owner Ellis Short and revealed he is not happy at the Stadium of Light.
Manchester City are finalising a deal for Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. Manuel Pellegrini’s side could complete the £50.4m deal on Tuesday.
However, Bayern Munich have joined the race to sign De Bruyne and have offered Wolfsburg the chance of keeping the midfielder until next summer. Bayern will not make a formal move until the end of this season.
De Bruyne prefers a move to Bayern over City. The Premier League leaders have offered the Belgian a €20m-a-year contract but he would rather join Die Roten- even though they will NOT bid this summer.
Mario Balotelli will have a medical with AC Milan on Tuesday ahead of a moving to San Siro on a season-long loan. Milan will pay half his £80,000-a-week wages with Liverpool paying the rest.
Liverpool are preparing a £15m bid for Asier Illarramendi after the midfielder was told by Rafael Benitez he can leave Real Madrid.
Neymar has told Manchester United he is open to a move to Old Trafford. The Red Devils are keen to sign the Brazilian but acknowledge they may have to wait until next summer to do so.
Arsenal are preparing an £18 million offer for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender. Arsene Wenger watched the German in his side’s Champions League defeat to Lazio and wants him to compete with Francis Coquelin for a starting role.
Wenger believes Liverpool will regret selling winger Raheem Sterling, 20, to Manchester City.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema expected to stay at the Bernabeu despite interest from Arsenal. The player is happy in Spain and Florentino Perez has no desire to sell.
Meanwhile, Edinson Cavani is determined to push through a move to Arsenal. The Uruguayan is unhappy at PSG and is hoping to complete a medical in the coming days.
Juventus are considering a move for AC Milan’s midfielder Riccardo Montolivo to replace Andreas Pirlo in midfield
Juventus’ general manager Beppe Marotta has confirmed Juan Cuadrado will be arriving on a season-long loan from Chelsea on Monday.
Barcelona have announced that Dani Alves has suffered a groin strain but Sergio Busquets escaped any significant damage to his ankle during Sunday’s victory at Athletic Bilbao.
Jose Mourinho said Pedro’s debut for the club in the win at West Brom was good but “wasn’t quite Maradona”.
Chelsea have been scouting Hajduk and Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic. Scouts from the club watched the 25-year-old in actio on Sunday against Osijek (3:0).
PSG have turned their attention to Fabio Coentrao as they look for a replacement for Roma-bound Lucas Digne. Having struggled to agree a fee with Monaco for Layvin Kurzawa, they now want the Portuguese on loan instead.
Crystal Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye believes “certain players” at Paris Saint-Germain did not want him to join the club when he arrived from Newcastle last year and insists he has made the right choice by returning to the Premier League this summer.
Inter want Wolfsburg’s Ivan Perisic but are yet to agree a fee with the Bundesliga side. The Italians’ latest offer is €22 million, paid in two installments (the first being €10m), and the Croatian attacker is keen on a move to San Siro.
Tottenham have agreed a deal for Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie. Talks are underway between both clubs with the 26-year-old set to move to White Hart Lane.
Everton are hoping to sign Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj before the close of the transfer window.
The Toffees believe they can sign the youngster on loan for the rest of the season. West Brom striker Saido Berahino is closing in on a move to Tottenham after being left out of West Brom’s squad to face Chelsea on Sunday.
West Brom manager Tony Pulis says 15 clubs are interested in signing striker Saido Berahino
The Baggies will allow defender Joleon Lescott to leave the club when they sign another defender.
West Ham have made an audacious move to sign Juventus forward Simone Zaza. The agent of the Italian striker is in London to discuss a possible switch, with the Hammers hoping to land him on loan with the option to buy at the end of the season.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville says John Terry, 34, needs to stay at Chelsea and accept a reduced role rather than leave the club in the same manner Steven Gerrard, 35, departed from Liverpool.
Bournemouth and Sunderland are both keen to sign Jonathan De Guzman from Napoli. The midfielder has a buy-out clause of £4.4m, but could be signed initially.
Norwich have made a bid for Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray. Bournemouth have already made an offer for the 31-year-old.
Leeds are hoping to complete the signing of Watford striker Fernando Forestieri, 25, this week after agreeing a fee of around £3m.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes has warned Norwich target Jonathan Walters, 31, that the Potters may keep the forward until his contract runs out next summer.
Actor David Hasselhoff seems to be a fan of Yaya Toure judging by a tweet from the Manchester City midfielder following the side’s win over Everton on Sunday.
Mario Balotelli is poised to head back to Serie A and re-join AC Milan on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool
Manchester United must pay a world record £137.8m, the official buy-out clause, if they are to sign Neymar from Barcelona. However, the Catalan giants insist the Brazilian is not for sale.
Neymar’s agent Pini Zahavi was at Old Trafford for Saturday’s game with Newcastle – enhancing rumours the Barcelona forward could sign for Manchester United, but he has dismissed speculation linking the Barcelona forward with a move to United.
However, Neymar appears to have dealt a blow to United by agreeing to sign a new contract at Barcelona
David De Gea’s relationship with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has broken down completely.
Chelsea are hoping to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in a £70m deal before the close of the transfer window but will not include Oscar or Willian as part of the deal.
Everton defender John Stones will not hand in a transfer request in order to push through a move to Chelsea. The Blues are expected to return with a fourth bid imminently.
Stones will appeal directly to Everton chairman Bill Kenwright to let him leave Goodison Park and join Jose Mourinho at Chelsea this week
The Toffees are set to complete the signing of Andriy Yarmolenko. Roberto Martinez has convinced the Dynamo Kiev attacker to move to Goodison Park in a £15m deal.
United are ready to rekindle their interest in Lazio attacker Felipe Anderson after missing out on Pedro to Chelsea, sources have told ESPN FC.
Man United and Chelsea have both been offered the chance to sign Brazil striker Alexandre Pato for £11m
Arsenal watched Lars Bender in action in midweek as Bayern Leverkusen took on Lazio in Champions League qualifying. The Gunners are considering an £18m bid.
Wenger believes his side can capitalise on the turnover of talent at Barcelona and Real Madrid, explaining that the competition for places is the reason he was able to sign Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, both 26.
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker, 30, has no plans to move into coaching at the end of his playing career.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is ready to join Arsenal. Los Blancos want £50m for the France international who would seriously consider a move to the Emirates.
Real are not planning to bring in another striker before the transfer window closes at the end of the month and have full confidence in France forward Karim Benzema, Rafa Benitez said on Saturday
Louis van Gaal denied a 0-0 draw against Newcastle proves Manchester United need a new striker, arguing Wayne Rooney’s goal should have stood.
Van Gaal is refusing to take no for an answer and will continue to pursue deals for Gareth Bale and Thomas Muller. The Red Devils think they have a chance of signing the Wales international if he is booed during Real Madrid’s first game.
Eliaquim Mangala was reportedly furious when Man City tried to loan him to Valencia as part of the deal for Nicolas Otamendi
Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama has asked to leave the club. The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to Tottenham.
The Saints have won the race to sign Virgil van Dijk and will pay £10m for Celtic defender Tottenham have approached Alexandre Pato’s representatives over a potential move for the 25-year-old Brazilian striker.
West Ham have turned to France to solve their goalscoring problems and are lining up a move for Toulouse forward Wissam Ben Yedder
Norwich will not take no in their chase for Benik Afobe and will increase their bid to £8m, Newcastle also want the Wolves striker
Gabriel Obertan could be heading back to France, with Caen and Lille chasing the Newcastle winger Aaron Lennon is closing on a £6m move to Everton
Crystal Palace have launched a new bid for striker Charlie Austin. QPR want £15m for the striker but the Eagles are confident a deal can be done.
A Cardiff City fan tried to head a wayward ball that came in his direction during Saturday’s match against Wolves – however he ended up embarrassing himself on live TV.
Blackburn Rovers’ head coach Gary Bowyer is set to become the first managerial casualty of the season.
Aaron Lennon is closing on a £6m move to Everton
Derby want Liverpool’s Joao Teixeira on loan
Watford want £5m for unsettled forward Matej Vydra
Manchester United have been in secret talks to try to buy 23-year-old Barcelona forward Neymar. Talks are believed to have been held whilst Ed Woodward was in Catalunya discussing a move for Pedro.
Chelsea have agreed a £69 million fee with Juventus for Paul Pogba. The French star will now discuss personal terms with the Blues, who have offered Oscar, Willian and Juan Cuadrado in the deal.
The Blues have completed the signing of teenage forward Kenedy from Fluminense.
Pedro’s agent says the negotiation with Chelsea was “like a lightning bolt”, suggesting “maybe Manchester United fell asleep”.
United are demanding that Real Madrid pay £29m for Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea, 24 – or £22m plus 28-year-old Costa Rican Keylor Navas.
Pepe has signed a contract extension at Real Madrid that commits the defender to the Spanish giants until 2017.
Christian Benteke’s controversial winner for Liverpool against Bournemouth on Monday should not have stood, the Premier League has admitted.
Manchester City are expected to announce they have agreed a £50m fee with Wolfsburg for Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 24, over the weekend.
City have made Kevin De Bruyne an astonishing contract offer as they look to lure him away from Wolfsburg. The Premier League leaders will offer him €20 million a year, which works out at £275,000-a-week.
Fresh reports suggest that Wolfsburg and City are still locked in negotiations for Kevin De Bruyne, with the German side demanding €80m (£58m) for the Belgian – €10m more than City have offered. Removal vans have been spotted outside De Bruyne’s house, though.
Borussia Dortmund are trying to sign Manchester United playmaker Adnan Januzaj. The Red Devils will only allow the young Belgian to leave on loan, while Serie A giants Juventus are also interested in bringing him to Turin.
Having fallen down the pecking order at Manchester United, Jonny Evans is keen to leave Old Trafford and would be open to joining Everton. E
vans, 27, is also a target for West Brom after their bid to sign Tottenham’s Federico Fazio, 28, collapsed.
Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund both want 17-year-old winger Rafik Zekhnini, who impressed for Norwegian side Odd in the Europa League against Dortmund.
Arsene Wenger has bemoaned the “shortage” of “top class” strikers in world football, and admits Arsenal are “not close” to any new signings.
Sevilla are close to completing a season-long loan move for Juventus striker Fernando Llorente.
The Spanish side would look to sign Valencia’s Alvaro Negredo if their move for Juventus’ Llorente falls through.
Sevilla have made an approach to sign Andy Carroll on loan, despite the 26-year-old England striker not being fit to play for West Ham.
Carroll is on the verge of returning from injury and posted on Twitter: “It won’t be too long before I’m back in my own dream team!! Counting the days!!!”
West Ham’s youngest-ever player Reece Oxford, 16, received his GCSE results this week.
Marseille are still desperate to strengthen their defence this summer and are on the verge of signing Jason Denayer on loan from Manchester City.
The young Belgian spent last season on loan at Celtic and has fallen down the pecking order after Nicolas Otamendi’s arrival.
Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat says everyone in his squad is for sale, adding: “If the player wants to go, he can go.”
The Black Cats will try to get Sam Allardyce to replace Advocaat if he decides to leave.
Sao Paulo forward Alexandre Pato is interested in moving to the Premier League, with both Stoke City and Sunderland considering bids for the Brazil international.
Liverpool and Genoa are among the clubs who could bid for Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao after the 20-year-old was put up for sale by the Serie A outfit.
Thiago Motta is set to extend his contract for one year, until 2017, with an increase in wages. PSG are expected to announce his new contract next week.
Roma forward Francesco Totti, 38, is set to sign a new one-year contract extension to keep him at the club until his 40s.
Rennes striker Ola Toivonen is set to leave the Brittany club. The 29-year-old will sign a contract with Bundesliga side Mainz.
Rangers are on the verge of announcing the arrival of Arsenal youngster Gedion Zelalem. The teenager will join the Scottish club on a season-long loan deal having now agreed to the move, though won’t be ready for Sunday’s upcoming game.
New signing Mateo Kovacic has not got off to the best start at Real Madrid, as he spoke in Catalan, the language of Barcelona’s region, rather than Spanish at the start of his unveiling.
Everton are set to sign River Plate defender Ramiro Funes Mori, 24 for £6m with the Argentine to have a medical this weekend.
Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama has asked to leave the club. The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to Tottenham.
New Newcastle midfielder Florian Thauvin, 22, has revealed Arsenal once tried to sign the Frenchman.
West Ham want QPR goalkeeper Rob Green, 35, but are not willing to meet his £50,000-a-week wage demands.
Bournemouth have bid about £5m for 31-year-old Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray.
Norwich City have failed in a approach to sign QPR striker Charlie Austin, despite being prepared to offer £14m for the 26-year-old.
Sunderland may have been poor last week, but Norwich must be praised for seizing the opportunity and beating the black Cats with such ruthless efficiency. Goals from Russell Martin, Steve Whittaker and Nathan Redmond led to a 3-1 victory and gave the newly promoted side their first win of the season after they had suffered an opening day defeat to Crystal Palace. There will definitely be some temptation for Norwich manager Alex Neil to select the same starting line-up that beat Sunderland. After all, if it isn’t broken, why change things?
Stoke showed they must be taken seriously after earning a creditable draw at Spurs even though they were 2 goals down at some point in the game. Mark Hughes will hope his side can build on the momentum generated at White Hart Lane. However, their away records haven’t been particularly pleasing to the eye. They have picked up just 3 points from the last 18 points available away from home and have scored 4 goals in those games. The absence of Bojan and Peter Odemwingie would make it even more difficult for those records to be improved upon.
Alex Niel has enjoyed a fantastic start to life at Carrow Road. He has won 18 of the 27 games he has overseen for Norwich, and in that period oversaw the Canaries’ return to the big league. Many of those wins may have come in the Championship, there is no doubt that he is building a stubborn side that could cause problems for many teams on their day. If recent records between the two teams count for anything, Norwich City should feel confident going into this one. They have lost just once in 10 games against Stoke at Carrow Road, winning five of them and drawing four.
Team News
Norwich
Kyle Lafferty, Martin Olsson and Youssef Mulumbu are all unavailable due to injuries.
Stoke City
Xherdan Shaqiri could make his English football debut after serving his one match suspension carried over from the Coppa Italia. Marc Wilson could also make his first appearance of the new season while Bojan will probably not be fit enough to participate following his long-term injury. Ryan Shawcross and Peter Odemwingie are injured.
When the final whistle blew at the Emirates stadium on the opening day of the season, West Ham had just deflated the optimism at Arsenal. Slaven Bilic was getting all the plaudits. However, 2 weeks is a long time in football. They got a taste of their own medicine when Bilic’s men suffered defeat to a determined and efficient Leicester City and their woes compounded when number one goalkeeper, Adrian, was sent off for a challenge on Jamie Verdy.
In the absence of Adrian, Darren Randolph, a free transfer from Birmingham, will be called up to deputise. However, the new signing has had a torrid time in his previous meeting with the Cherries. He has conceded 16 goals in the last 3 games against the opposition.
For Bournemouth, they were praised for their exciting brand of football on their way to winning the Championship last season. In their debut Premier League season, they have been guilty of poor finishing and victims of refereeing mistakes. Against Liverpool, they produced an encouraging display. But a good display was decided by a Christian Benteke goal and two poor refereeing decisions.
Eddie Howe will hope his side’s spirited displays will produce goals and points as they are yet to register a point or goal as they head into the third match-day. The Cherries are expected to take advantage of any nervousness or loss of confidence on the part of West ham.
Teams News
West Ham
Adrian is suspended after been sent in the game against Leicester. In his place, Randolph will make his Premier League debut for the Hammers. Andy Carroll, Zarate and Valencia are all sidelined with injuries. There are doubts over the availability of O’Brien and Oxford and they will be assessed by the medical team to see if they can take some part in the game.
Bournemouth
Eddie Howe has no new injury worries. Harry Arter, however, remains unavailable due to injuries. Tyrone Mings and Sylvain Distin are available and could make their club debut.
It is safe to say that Billy Jones or anyone who will play right back for Sunderland against Swansea will not be looking forward to this game. Jefferson Montero has taken the title of Tormentor-in-chief and has already made Branislav Ivanovic look like a Sunday league footballer. Janmaat was sent off for 2 bookable challenges on the Ecuadorian international. Gary Monk will expect him to carry on from where he stopped.
Sunderland have suffered two back to back defeats this season but what will be more worrying for Dick Advocaat will be the manner of the defeats. The defence has been poor, the experienced players underwhelming and the manager would be expected to shake things up.
Swansea’s season has been the direct opposite. They have played some exhilarating football defeating Newcastle and giving Chelsea a hard time before the Champions held on to draw the opening game. The partnership between Bafetimbi Gomis and Andre Ayew has proven that it could be a very productive one and the striking duo will fancy their chances against a Black cat defence that has been out of sorts since the start of the season. With Montero causing havoc on the left side of attack, it could be a very long day for Sunderland.
Sunderland were well beaten by Leicester and Norwich in the first 2 games, sides that are expected to struggle for safety alongside the black cats. The defence have been the worse culprit having shipped in 7 goals so far this season and 12 in their last 6 home Premier League games. They also have a tendency to never recover after conceding the first goal having not won in the last 17 games in which they conceded first. Swansea will be confident of improving their record against Sunderland which has seen them pick just one win in their 12 top-flight games against Sunderland with the Black Cats keeping 3 clean sheets in the last 4 meetings between the sides.
Team News.
Sunderland
Jordi Gomez will not be involved this weekend as he continues to work his way to full fitness. John O’Shea could be recalled for this one after missing the first 2 games this season. Adam Johnson remains sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Swansea
Ki Sung-Yueng is Swansea’s only fitness doubt for the game. The South Korean midfielder suffered a hamstring injury on the opening day of the season at Chelsea.
Zaha contests with Monreal last weekend. Image: Stuart MacFarlane
After opening day victories, Crystal palace and Aston Villa were brought down to earth after suffering defeats in their second league games. Both sides clash hoping to banish memories of defeats they suffered last weekend. Crystal Palace suffered defeat to Arsenal last weekend after matching the Gunners for long spells, before the superior quality of Arsenal eventually showed. Villa, however, were poor against Man United and never really looked like they were going to get anything from the game.
Crystal Palace enjoyed a fine 2014/2015 season following the appointment of Alan Pardew after he decided to leave Newcastle. Their improved performance and league position was mainly due to their ability to pick points away from home. Last season, the London side claimed only six home wins. They will be aiming to improve on that record and possibly make Selhurst Park a fortress and a much more difficult place to visit this season.
Aston Villa is expected by pundits and analysts to struggle this season following the departure of some key players. Christian Benteke, Fabian Delph and Vlaar have all departed the club while the new signings continue to settle in their new environment. Aston Villa’s recent trips to London do not give too much reason for optimism though. They have only found the back of the net twice in their last 10 visits while Palace have lost just once in the last 6 league meetings between the two sides, claiming 3 wins in those games. Villa opened the season with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth before succumbing to their usual annual defeat to Manchester United. They lacked invention and inspiration at home to United. They will need to produce a better performance against a very difficult Crystal Palace who will fancy their chances against the Birmingham side.
Team News.
Crystal Palace
Bakary Sako could make his debut after missing the Arsenal game. Marouane Chamakh and Julian Speroni remain sidelined due to hamstring and hand injuries respectively.
Aston Villa
Former Barcelona striker Adama Traore is unlikely to start as his manager stated he is short of match fitness. In his absence, Jack Grealish and Carles Gil should be available for selection after recovering from injuries picked up in pre-season.
Harry Kane scores in the last meeting between the sides
If the league had started on April 1 this year, Leicester City would be top of the league. They have carried on their fairytale run which saw them comfortably avoid relegation last season even though they were rooted to the bottom of the table for a very long time. A change of manager has not altered the positive feeling at City and they are one of 4 teams with a 100% record this season. Consecutive victories over Sunderland and West Ham mean that there is genuine optimism that this season will not contain another struggle to avoid relegation.
The Midland club may have lost Estaban Cambiasso on a free transfer but they have moved quickly to bring in experienced and proven Gohkan Inler from Napoli. If he has the same impact the Argentine had, it will prove to be an inspired signing. Spurs on the other hand, have had a disappointing start to the season and will want to get their season up and running. If they fail to get their first win soon, they risk been left behind by those challenging for European places. The London club do have a good record against the Foxes and have taken 10 points from a possible 12 in the last four meetings between them.
In spite of their good fortunes against the Foxes, they will know that all that will count for nothing and their contrasting fortunes this season will give Leicester some confidence going into this game. Spurs squandered a two goal lead last weekend against Stoke in a game they should have won considering they had built up a significant lead. The Foxes will be hoping that the North London Club will visit bearing similar gifts.
Claudio Ranieri has maintained the optimism around the King Power stadium. Another win will go a long way in maintaining that. Their style of play has been brilliant too. They easily dismantled Sunderland on the opening day before beating West Ham without too much discomfort in a game that was expected to be tricky. Spurs will have to be wary of the threat the opposition poses and will look to Harry Kane to continue his impressive goal scoring record against Leicester.
Team News.
Leicester City
Gokhan Inler is in line for his debut while Matty James is ruled out with a knee problem.
Tottenham
Andros Townsend (ankle) remains a doubt for Tottenham while striker Clinton N’Jie who signed from Lyon last weekend could feature for the first time.
Manchester United were dealt two heavy blows in the transfer window when targets Otamendi and Pedro agreed moves to rivals Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. They will however look to put those disappointments behind them when Newcastle United visits. They produced their best display in midweek against Club Brugge, a game which saw Memphis Depay produce his best display in a United shirt.
The Red devils have had a good but unspectacular start to the season but will be encouraged by the fact that they have picked maximum points so far this season. at this stage of the season, winning is the most important thing and not necessarily the performance.
For Newcastle United however, their past away form has been far from impressive and they are on a run of seven consecutive Premier League away defeats and has lost ten of their last thirteen league games, winning one and drawing the other two. McClaren returns to the ground where he spent more than 2 seasons as Alex Ferguson’s right hand man between 1999 and 2001. The highlight of his stint at the club was a European Champions League win. He will be well aware that he needs to get his side firing and quickly too if they are to avoid another relegation battle after they were well beaten by Swansea City last weekend.
If the recent meetings between the clubs are to be considered, Man United will expect to pick up their third consecutive win of the season having won their last three meetings with the Magpies and 25 overall since the inception of the Premier League.
Team News.
Manchester Unted
David De Gea is expected to be excluded as speculations over a probable transfer to Real Madrid refuse to go away. Marouane Fellaini remains suspended while Phil Jones misses out due to illness.
Newcastle United
Florian Thauvin who completed a move from Marseille is in line for a debut but would probably start from the bench. Daryl Janmaat is suspended after picking up a red card last week against Swansea while Moussa Sissoko remains a doubt after limping off at half time with a groin injury
David de Gea’s agent Jorge Mendes is set for talks with Manchester United in a bid to end the transfer stalemate with Real Madrid. Keylor Navas is expected to be part of the deal.
Meanwhile, United are expected to bid more than £20m for Southampton winger Sadio Mane, 23, who is valued at £25m by Ronald Koeman’s men.
United have turned their attentions to Antoine Griezmann after missing out on Pedro. However, the Red Devils man have to stump up £56m to land the Atletico Madrid man.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Rui Faria is equipped to eventually replace him at Stamford Bridge. Everton defender John Stones, 21, will put in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Premier League champions Chelsea.
Stones is part of a potential £100m double deal for the Blues, who are also keen to sign Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba, 22, and is willing to use Juan Cuadrado as part of a possible deal.
Juventus will try to sign Chelsea’s Juan Cuadrado if they fail to land either Julian Draxler or Henrik Mkhitaryan.
Liverpool midfielder Lucas is set to leave Anfield and join Turkish side Besiktas on loan until the end of the season
The Reds are set to battle Juventus for Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Merseysiders are preparing a €21 million offer for the BVB star, who they tried to sign in January, but the German club are ready to resist any bids.
The Mersyside Club have offered Mamadou Sakho a new long-term deal. The defender has been left out of the Reds’ first two games of the season but the club have no plans to sell the France international.
Louis van Gaal is still hoping he can lure Gareth Bale to Manchester United. The United boss has told friends he thinks he can be persuaded to leave Real Madrid.
Pedro’s transfer to Chelsea will help secure the future of his boyhood club Raqui San Isidro, who will receive £320,000.
United’s failure to sign the Spain international prompted a fan to hand manager Louis van Gaal a piece of paper with transfer targets and tactical advice.
Portuguese defender Fabio Coentrao has told Real Madrid he wants to leave the club in order to play first-team football.
Tottenham are expected to make a new £20m for Saido Berahino. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have already have an £18m bid rejected.
Victor Moses, 24, is wanted by Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has revealed the “Zorro” mask he has been wearing in training. Cahill, 29, was punched in the face by goalkeeper Asmir Begovic during the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Brazil international Alex Sandro signed a five-year contract with Juventus on Thursday after the Serie A side agreed a €26 million transfer with Porto.
Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking has admitted that Kevin De Bruyne has been affected by Manchester City’s interest amid reports a transfer is close.
Flamengo have hired Oswaldo de Oliveira to replace Cristovao Borges as coach following the latter’s resignation on Thursday morning.
Yannick Bolasie is stalling on a new long-term contract at Crystal Palace. The 26-year-old is wanted by Tottenham.
Bolasie wants £45,000-a-week which Palace are unwilling to match at the moment.
West Ham are hoping to sign Rob Green from QPR in time to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Hammers are without Adrian who is suspended for three games and must register Green by noon.
Everton are interested in Bayern Munich’s Brazilian defender Dante, 31, who is valued at £6.5m.
Sunderland are interested in Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato, 25, but are yet to make an offer.
Aston Villa have told 30-year-old left-back Kieran Richardson, winger Charles N’Zogbia, 29, and defender Philippe Senderos, 30, they can leave.
Former Southampton defender Francis Benali is concerned by reports linking midfielder Victor Wanyama, 24, with Tottenham.
Mark Hughes is set to hand Xherdan Shaqiri his Stoke debut at Norwich this weekend and has hinted Bojan could make his return in midweek.
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 23, says former Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar was his role model.
Chelsea have signed Spain forward Pedro from Barcelona for £21m. The 28-year-old has agreed a four-year deal.
After missing out on Chelsea’s new signing Pedro, Manchester United are lining up a move for a new forward: Dinamo Moscow’s Aleksandr Kokorin. The Red Devils are in talks with the 24-year-old, who is also wanted by Tottenham.
United are hoping to sign Thomas Muller and Sadio Mane. Louis van Gaal’s side have offered £60m for the Bayern star and £15m for the Southampton winger.
But, United have suffered another blow as Southampton have denied receiving a £17million bid from Man United for Sadio Mane – and insist the winger is “not for sale” anyway.
And Bayern have told United that German World Cup-winning midfielder Muller is not for sale.
Thomas Muller is however keen on a move to Manchester United but must hand in a transfer request to secure a transfer to Old Trafford. The Red Devils are preparing a long-term deal worth £250,000-a-week for the Bayern ace.
With Pedro’s arrival imminent, Chelsea have offered Brazil midfielder Willian, 27, to Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain.
However, a move to Paris is unlikely due to Laurent Blanc’s side already having their quota of non-EU players.
Or Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado could be the man to make way for Pedro in the squad, with Italian club Juventus interested in the 27-year-old.
Telephone conversations with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and midfielder Cesc Fabregas persuaded Barcelona forward Pedro, 28, to snub long-standing interest from Manchester United and move instead to Stamford Bridge.
Fabregas’s partner, Daniella Semaan, sold London to Carolina Martin, Pedro’s wife, to persuade the Spain international to join the Blues.
Besiktas have approached Arsenal star Mesut Ozil about a move to Turkey. The club’s transfer chief met with his representatives last week to enquire as to his availability. Manchester City have signed Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi, 27, on a 5 year deal for £32m after the Argentina defender passed his medical and agreed personal terms.
Real Madrid have accepted a £48m offer for France striker Karim Benzema from Arsenal, according to former QPR forward Rodney Marsh.
But, Arsenal’s No.1 striker target is Edinson Cavani, not Karim Benzema. The Gunners have held talks with the Paris Saint-Germain forward over a move to Emirates Stadium and are also interested in his young PSG team-mate, Adrien Rabiot.
Arsenal want £7 million for Joel Campbell with Palermo keen on the striker but unlikely to pay the asking price
Newcastle have signed Marseille winger Florian Thauvin on a five-year deal for a fee of around £12m, with Remy Cabella heading the other way.
Newcastle have told AC Milan they will have to pay £15.5m to sign Moussa Sissoko. The Serie A side have enquired about the midfielder but are also keen on Bruno Soriano.
West Ham have sealed a deal for Barcelona midfielder Alex Song. The Cameroonian spent last season on loan at the Hammers and is expected to make the switch permanent upon passing a medical.
West Ham have had a £3.5m bid for Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz, 30, rejected by Galatasaray.
Meanwhile, the Hammers have pulled out of a surprise deal to sign Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, from Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea are yet to offer Serbia defender Branislav Ivanovic a contract extension, despite the 31-year-old having just a year left on his deal.
Southampton and Borussia Dortmund are eyeing a loan move for Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj. The 20-year-old wants regular football and could be allowed to leave on a temporary deal.
Paris Saint-Germain are still keen to sign a new left-back, with Lucas Digne set to join Roma.
The French champions want Monaco defender Layvin Kurzawa and have made an initial €18 million offer which has been rejected by their rivals.
Kevin De Bruyne has decided he wants to leave Wolfsburg this summer. The Belgium international wants to join Manchester City, who have been chasing him all summer, and will earn €5 million-per-season more with the Premier League leaders.
Wolfsburg will sell De Bruyne to City if the club meet their asking price of £57m for the Belgium midfielder. Wolfsburg are preparing for a life after Kevin De Bruyne. There are four candidates to replace the midfielder: Isco, Julian Draxler, Dries Mertens and Pedro.
Bayer Leverkusen have opened talks with Bayern Munich over centre-back Dante. The Brazilian defender has fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola recently and the German champions are ready to do a deal at €9 million.
Everton have struck a deal for Dynamo Kiev midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko. The Toffees will pay £17.5 million for the Ukraine international, with a four-year contract on offer.
The Toffees have agreed a £5m fee with River Plate for 24-year-old defender Ramiro Funes Mori, who has one cap for Argentina.
Tottenham are considering a move for Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama. Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bring a defensive midfielder to White Hart Lane.
Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge has completed his rehabilitation programme after hip surgery and may return for Liverpool against Manchester United next month-12th of September.
Liverpool are set to battle Juventus for Borussia Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Merseysiders are preparing a €21 million offer for the BVB star, who they tried to sign in January, but the German club are ready to resist any bids.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has rejected talk of Yannick Bolasie and Glenn Murray leaving Selhurst Park before the window closes.
Ruud Gullit believes Manchester United need to strengthen their frontline this month, claiming Wayne Rooney is “not a real striker”.
Rooney has admitted he played below his usual standards against Aston Villa – and says he understands his responsibilities as a lone striker.
Both Tottenham and Wolfsburg are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Rode before the transfer window closes. But, although he is not first choice, Pep Guardiola still considers the 24-year-old a big part of his plans.
Sunderland are on the verge of landing Napoli’s Jonathan De Guzman on loan. The former Swansea City midfielder prefers a return to the Premier League over a move to Marseille and the Black Cats are expected to pay around €5m for the loan deal.
The Black Cats have been made the odds-on favourites for relegation – by their own shirt sponsor Dafabet.
Stoke are preparing a bid for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk. Mark Hughes’s side face competition for his signature from Southampton and Everton.
Bologna are targeting Emanuele Giaccherini who is set to decide his Sunderland future in the next 48 hours with the Black Cats willing to sell.
Bournemouth look set to miss out on Sunderland defender Jermain Defoe. However, the striker’s price tag and wages make a move unlikely.
Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba has warned Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho a player could die if he tries to stop a doctor going on the pitch.
Raheem Sterling has put his Southport home up for sale – complete with an indoor swimming pool and Michael Jackson themed room.
A New York sandwich shop have come up with a sandwich in tribute of MLS club New York City’s Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, featuring Genoa Salami, fresh mozzarella, fried zucchini and pickled blueberries.
Former QPR midfielder and free agent Joey Barton tweetedabout his future. He said: “Not reached any agreement with anyone. Spoke to several. Long way to go yet. Needs to be the right project. No more time can be wasted.”
Melbourne City have signed 39-year-old Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen on a two-year deal.
Swansea manager Garry Monk says new striker Andre Ayew is not “money-motivated” and that his ambitions are “football-orientated”.
Women’s World Cup winners USA beat Costa Rica 7-2 on Wednesday in an exhibition game that included an 83-minute weather delay.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have said they will not be selling striker Benik Afobe, 22 – despite reports Norwich City have made a “substantial bid” for the English forward.
Manchester United were not gazumped to the signing of Barcelona winger Pedro by Chelsea, rather Louis van Gaal actually pulled the plug on the deal. With the Red Devils dropping their interest, the winger is set to undergo a medical in London.
United have responded to missing out on Pedro by submitting a bid for Southampton winger Sadio Mane.
United are not bringing in any more new players in the summer transfer window is very possible after manager Louis van Gaal ended the club’s interest in Pedro, sources have told ESPN FC.
Manchester City have dispatched officials to meet with their Wolfsburg counterparts as they look to seal a deal that could surpass £50 million.
While, Nicolas Otamendi undergoing his Manchester City medical.
Gokhan Inler says he is “happy and proud” to play for “nice team” Leicester after the midfielder signed from Napoli on a three-year deal.
Liverpool have reportedly rejected offers from Roma and Bayer Leverkusen for Mamadou Sakho, despite the defender’s lack of action so far.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has been banned for four games following his dismissal in the Spanish Super Cup second leg against Athletic Bilbao.
Barca are still mulling over a bid for Monaco centre-back Aymen Abdennour. The Catalans, now without Gerard Pique for four games, want to strengthen their back-line but the French side are demanding €28m for a player also wanted by Roma.
West Ham have ended their interest in Emmanuel Adebayor. The Hammers had re-opened talks with Tottenham after a January loan move fell through, but have decided they cannot afford to stump up the striker’s £110,000-a-week wages.
Kevin-Prince Boateng is set to leave Schalke for Saudi side Al-Ittihad. The 28-year-old midfielder will undergo a medical in Madrid on Wednesday before joining Sulley Muntari in Saudi Arabia.
Roberto Mancini has identified Felipe Melo as the ideal replacement for Mateo Kovacic. Galatasaray value the Brazilian midfielder at £3 million and expect a deal to be struck in the coming days.
Serie A club Palermo are lining up a £7 million bid for Arsenal attacker Joel Campbell. The Costa Rica international, loaned out last season, is not part of Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans and would be open to moving to Italy.
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