List of All Articles with Tag 'a'

Rodrygo Goes has revealed the details of his move to Real Madrid, admitting he turned down the opportunity to join Barcelona in favour of a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Midfielder Romeo Lavia will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of his move to Chelsea, while Hakim Ziyech is close to exiting Stamford Bridge. The Blues agreed an initial £53million fee to sign Lavia from Southampton on Tuesday, which could rise to £58m in add-ons, the PA news agency understands. Lavia is now in London to go through his medical tests but Ziyech will be the latest player to go through the exit door at Chelsea after an agreement in principle was reached with Galatasaray for his transfer. It has been a whirlwind few days for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, with the British record capture of Moises Caicedo from Brighton completed on Monday. Caicedo’s transfer could eventually total £115m and a day later the Blues closed in on the signings of Lavia and Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. After Lavia made it known to Southampton on Monday that he favoured a move to west London, Chelsea and the recently-relegated Saints reached an agreement for his transfer on Tuesday night. Lavia will sign for an initial £53m with Southampton able to receive a further £5m in add-ons. The spending under owner Todd Boehly shows no sign of slowing down though, with Olise’s £35m release clause activated on Tuesday, PA understands. It allows Chelsea to now negotiate personal terms with the highly-rated Crystal Palace winger. Olise is currently out injured with a hamstring issue and his current club Palace are reported to be unhappy with Chelsea’s conduct during their pursuit of the France Under-21 international. PA understands Chelsea are comfortable they have done nothing untoward and Olise is expected to finalise his move this week. Ziyech should leave after Chelsea and Galatasaray reached an agreement for his transfer on Wednesday, but the Morocco forward still has a medical to complete after moves to Paris St Germain and Al Nassr collapsed earlier this year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Chelsea are set to take their spending under Todd Boehly to a whopping £1billion if they can get deals for Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise over the line. The American has splashed the cash since taking over at Stamford Bridge, backing Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino heavily in the transfer market. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the biggest deals. Moses Caicedo (£115million) The Blues beat off competition from Liverpool for the signature of the highly-rated Brighton midfielder, who is the third most expensive under-21 player in the world behind Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix. They paid £100m up front, but that could rise to £115m depending on certain criteria. Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m) Chelsea smashed the British transfer record when they signed the World Cup winner from Benfica in the January transfer window for an outright £106m, surpassing Jack Grealish’s fee for his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City. Mykhailo Mudryk (£88.5m) The Ukraine star cost £62million up front when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but that fee could rise to £88.5m with possible add-ons. Wesley Fofana (£75m) Chelsea were after defensive reinforcements when they signed Wesley Fofana from Leicester. The France international cost £70million, with a possible further £5m to be paid to the Foxes in add-ons. Marc Cucurella (£63m) Chelsea have looked to Brighton on a number of occasions and, a few months before Graham Potter made the move from the Amex, the Blues signed left-back Cucurella for £56m, with a further £7m due in extras. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Romeo Lavia to have Chelsea medical as Hakim Ziyech nears Stamford Bridge exit Alex Cuthbert and Johnny Williams handed Wales starts against South Africa Ben Stokes comes out of ODI retirement ahead of World Cup bid

Harry Maguire’s £30 million move to West Ham is off, with the England defender now likely to stay at Manchester United. The two clubs had agreed a fee for the centre back, who had been stripped of the Man United captaincy this summer. But Maguire would have had to take a substantial cut in his wages to leave Old Trafford, with his Man United salary going up this summer after Erik ten Hag’s team qualified for the Champions League, and no pay-off was agreed. Ten Hag has always said that he regards Maguire as a valuable member of his squad and wanted the former Leicester, Hull and Sheffield United player to stay and fight for his place. He was on the bench for Monday’s 1-0 win over Wolves, though Ten Hag brought on Victor Lindelof ahead of him. Man United were also concerned that Maguire’s departure this late in the window would not have given them much time to find a replacement, though Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard would have been one contender. West Ham, who have signed midfielders Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse with the proceeds of Declan Rice’s £105million sale to Arsenal, are now expected to switch their attention to other defensive targets. The former Man United midfielder Jesse Lingard, who had a successful loan spell under David Moyes in 2021/22, is also training with West Ham and available on a free transfer after leaving Nottingham Forest. Read More Football rumours: Crystal Palace unhappy with Chelsea over bid for Michael Olise Harry Maguire looking set to remain with Manchester United Harry Maguire’s move to West Ham in doubt

Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure. Jurgen Klopp has insisted on a number six to bolster his squad after missing out on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, with Romeo Lavia set to follow the Ecuadorian to Stamford Bridge. The Anfield club have had to search for alternative options, with Doucoure likely to be cheaper than both previous targets. Doucoure’s final price could come in at under £60 million, although Palace are wary of losing too many players this summer. The Malian midfielder is understood to be keen to move to Anfield, and personal terms would not be an issue. Liverpool are also looking at Fulham's Joao Paulinha and Nice's Khephren Thuram but the 23-year-old Doucoure is seen as a more viable option to do right now. Klopp is keen to “reload” in the coming weeks as the Reds revamp their squad and starting options. The German said: “We don’t have to always say ‘Milner would have said that and Henderson would have said that and Firmino would have smiled here.’ We should not do it like that. That makes no sense. “We have this kind of new start with this Liverpool reloaded, it’s an exciting thing. Everybody was asking for changes, rightly so, because we were together for a long time. “It’s a new chance for everybody, everybody has to step up. We all share responsibility and it’s not that we should give ourselves too much time to grow into it, let’s do it. “Let’s take the responsibility and go from there and don’t try to be like somebody. Be the best version of yourself and then you have a good chance to help the team in the best possible way.” Read More Big-spending Chelsea close to completing deals for Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise Moises Caicedo completes Chelsea’s dream midfield — but £115m deal could haunt them Chelsea-Liverpool chaos was the perfect result for one team: Brighton

England face hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals as the Lionesses come up against not just the Matildas but an entire nation in Sydney, with a place against Spain in Sunday’s final up for grabs. The stage for the latest chapter of England and Australia’s historic rivalry could not be bigger as both teams aim to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final, with the hosts gripped by Matildas fever and set for their biggest sporting occasion since the 2000 Olympic Games. The Lionesses rode the wave of home support as they won the Euros last summer but will now look to spoil the party as Sarina Wiegman’s side look to make history of their own. England have overcome several challenges to reach the semi-finals now faced with their biggest yet as they take on a near-80,000 capacity crowd at Stadium Australia. Follow LIVE: England face Australia in World Cup semi-final clash Tensions are set to be high as the Lionesses face the Matildas, although players from both sides played down the traditional rivalry that is played out across sports like cricket and netball. I wouldn’t say this is a major rivalry in football,” England midfielder Keira Walsh argued ahead of the match. “They are a great team and it is a semi-final. Whoever you’re playing it is going to be an intense game. So for us that is one of the last things we’re thinking of.” Who is the referee for England vs Australia? England’s semi-final with Australia will be refereed by American Tori Penso, who is one of the leading officials in the game. Penso regularly takes charge of Major League Soccer matches in the United States after becoming the first woman to referee in the US top-flight in 20 years when she officiated a game between D.C. United and Nashville in September 2020. The World Cup semi-final will be Penso’s fourth match of the tournament. Penso, who has been a Fifa-rated referee since 2021, took charge of Germany’s 6-0 win over Morocco and Switzerland’s 0-0 draw with New Zealand in the group stages, as well as France’s 4-0 win against Morocco in the last-16. Penso only gave out two yellow cards across her first three games at the tournament. When is England vs Australia? The Women’s World Cup semi-final will kick off at 11am UK time (BST) on Wednesday 16 August, and will be played at the Stadium Australia, Sydney. How can I watch it? England vs Australia will be shown live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, with coverage getting underway from 10am. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today England and Australia’s old rivalry on a new stage for World Cup semi-final Who and when do England play next? Lionesses’ route to the World Cup final

Man City have received an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr for Aymeric Laporte, but he wants to consider his options first with Aston Villa still interested.

Starter, the sports-apparel brand that was popular in the 1990s, is plotting a comeback for its old-school styles

David Raya has explained his decision to sign for Arsenal on loan from Brentford, stating that he "couldn't say no" to the move.

Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to assess striker options on the transfer market following the sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, with Gent's Gift Orban and Brighton's Evan Ferguson among their targets.

Watch live as supporters arrive at Stadium Australia for the Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England. A place in the showpiece final is up for grabs, in what could be one of the biggest football matches of the year so far. For Australia, they will hope star striker Sam Kerr will be fit enough to feature from the start. She picked up an injury ahead of the tournament and has been limited to appearing as a substitute so far. England boss Sarina Wiegman, though, believes simply nullifying the threat posed by Kerr will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final. The Australia captain is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf. European champions England take on the Matildas at 11am BST in Sydney, where the majority of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts. Read More ‘Mystic meerkats’ predict winner of England vs Australia World Cup semi-final England forward Rachel Daly among six World Cup stars shortlisted for PFA award England vs Australia: Key stats ahead of crunch World Cup semi-final

England face hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals as the Lionesses come up against not just the Matildas but an entire nation in Sydney. The stage for the latest chapter of England and Australia’s historic rivalry could not be bigger as both teams aim to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final, with the hosts gripped by Matildas fever and set for their biggest sporting occasion since the 2000 Olympic Games. The Lionesses rode the wave of home support as they won the Euros last summer but will now look to spoil the party as Sarina Wiegman’s side attempt to make history of their own. England have overcome several challenges to reach the semi-finals and are now faced with their biggest yet as they take on a near-80,000 capacity crowd at Stadium Australia. A place against Spain in Sunday’s final is up for grabs, with ‘La Roja’ defeating Sweden 2-1 yesterday. Follow live updates from England vs Australia in the semi-finals and get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Read More How to watch England vs Australia: TV channel and kick-off time for Women’s World Cup semi-final England and Australia’s old rivalry has new stage as World Cup arrives at its biggest moment The Lionesses will need to beat an entire nation in the grip of World Cup fever