List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

The summer transfer market remains busy with plenty of deals and speculation. Here, the PA news agency rounds up some of the latest business and stories. Top story Arsenal’s pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice continues to command the most headlines. After having two bids rebuffed for the England midfielder, the Gunners’ third offer of £100million plus £5m in add-ons was reportedly accepted on Wednesday. Manchester City had been interested but, after having a £90m bid rejected, decided not to match Arsenal’s proposition. Done deals Tottenham completed the signing of James Maddison from Leicester for an initial £40m on Wednesday. The 26-year-old England international has signed a five-year deal and becomes new manager Ange Postecoglou’s third new recruit. Kai Havertz has crossed London to join Arsenal from Chelsea in a £65m deal and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has also left Stamford Bridge to sign for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. Deals closing in Arsenal are shaping up to be one of the biggest movers in the summer window as they also close on the signing of Ajax defender Jurrien Timber. Chelsea are also reportedly in “advanced talks” over Santos winger Angelo Gabriel. Other gossip Chelsea’s interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo has now apparently been matched by Manchester United. This adds a layer of intrigue to United’s pursuit of Chelsea’s Mason Mount. Caicedo has emerged as a potential United target after they were knocked back by the Blues over Mount, so it will be interesting to see if this changes the picture. Meanwhile, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga, who has a £34m buyout clause, is being looked at by Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. Fulham and Nottingham Forest are potential destinations for another Chelsea player, Callum Hudson-Odoi. Liverpool are also being linked with RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and the German side’s centre-back Josko Gvardiol is another potential target for champions City. Unlikely move The future of Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane remains the subject of considerable speculation as Bayern Munich apparently prepare a second bid, but the prospect of this move happening still seems remote. Bayern’s first offer of £60m was rejected out of hand and the feeling is the Germans would have to up it considerably just to get Spurs to the table. Even then, there has been no indication that Kane would be interested in such a switch. No move It was inevitable there would be some interest in Jamie Vardy following Leicester’s relegation but the 36-year-old apparently has no interest in joining Saudi Arabian side Khaleej FC. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On This Day 2009 – Wimbledon centre-court roof closed mid-match for first time Day two of second Ashes Test – England need wickets as Steve Smith nears century Inter Miami appoint Lionel Messi’s former boss Gerardo Martino as head coach

What the papers say West Ham are reportedly interested in three players this summer to help fill the void left by Declan Rice’s expected departure, with the club said to be targeting England international Harry Maguire. The Mirror says the club are also interested in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana and Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria. Bayern Munich are set to up their offer for Tottenham striker Harry Kane after their initial deal of £60million was rejected by the club, the Sun reports. The new bid is reportedly worth £80million. Wolves have accepted a deal worth £7.5million from Leicester for defender Conor Coady, the Daily Express says. The Nottingham Post says Chelsea are willing to let 22-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi leave the club for £15million, with Nottingham Forest interested in signing the young forward. Social media round-up Players to watch Moises Caicedo: Brighton are reportedly set to receive an offer from Manchester United for the Ecuadorian after contact was made earlier in the week, according to Sky Sports. Dominik Szoboszlai: The Athletic says Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig’s Hungarian midfielder who has a release clause worth £70million. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

UNC football recruiting rumors: Tar Heels losing battle for 4-star to South CarolinaThings have gone quite well for UNC football recruiting under Mack Brown as a whole and that doesn't appear to be changing. Unfortunately, though, one of the top in-state targets that the veteran head coach is...

England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley hailed the cutting edge shown by his side in the opening minutes of their 2-0 victory over Germany in the European Under-21 Championship. The Young Lions hit the front after just four minutes when Cameron Archer latched onto a threaded pass from Jacob Ramsey before slotting the ball past Noah Atubolu, and they made it 2-0 with 21 minutes on the clock as Harvey Elliott scored a superb solo effort. England secured a quarter-final date with Portugal on Sunday by topping the group with three straight 2-0 wins over their group-stage opponents, while holders Germany were sent crashing out. Carsley told UEFA.com: “We were fortunate to take our chances. Germany had some really good chances but didn’t take them. We’re really happy with the result but more importantly the performance. “We thought it was a really difficult game. We knew preparing for the game that it was going to be a tough one. “We were lucky enough to play Germany in one of the international windows in a friendly. We knew the quality that they had. Tactically they’re very difficult to break down and you’ve seen that in the game today.” England have yet to concede a goal in the tournament having kept three straight clean sheets, and Carsley praised the performance of his defensive unit. He continued: “We talk about the whole team defending, as opposed to just the defence. “I thought Levi (Colwill) and Taylor (Harwood-Bellis) as well as Jarrad (Branthwaite) and Charlie (Cresswell) have done outstandingly at centre-back, and obviously James (Trafford) in goal. “As a whole, we’ve defended really well from full-back areas, with midfielders and forwards. It was really pleasing to see, right at the end of the game, players making blocks on the edge of the box and blocking crosses. It’s good to see.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Tottenham have completed the signing of James Maddison from Leicester. Spurs entered advanced talks with the recently relegated Foxes earlier this week and have secured the services of the England international in a deal worth £40million plus add-ons. Maddison has agreed a five-year deal with the club and becomes new boss Ange Postecoglou’s third arrival of the summer. The transfer of Maddison will represent a major coup for Spurs, who have been long-term admirers of the 26-year-old. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a “long-term contract” and have reportedly moved closer to sealing a deal for West Ham captain Declan Rice. Havertz joins after three years with the Blues, during which he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final. The news regarding the 24-year-old Germany international comes as it was reported that Arsenal had also agreed a £105million fee with West Ham for Rice. Havertz said on Arsenal’s official website: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things. “The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently. “The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Arsenal have completed the signing of Kai Havertz, landing the German international on a permanent deal from Chelsea. Last season’s Premier League runners-up are also looking to add Declan Rice to their squad and have made a bid which, if successful, will be a British transfer record. And the England man, along now with Havertz, will form part of a new-look midfield for the Gunners with manager Mikel Arteta keen to add a new dimension to the centre of the park. More to follow...

England Under-21s made it three wins from three and dumped Germany out of the European Under-21 Championship with a 2-0 win in their final group game in Batumi. Two goals in the opening 21 minutes from Cameron Archer and Harvey Elliott were enough to secure another three points as England topped Group C with maximum points while holders Germany were sent crashing out without a win to their name. England made an explosive start and hit the front after just four minutes when Jacob Ramsey’s clever through ball found Archer and he calmly tucked the ball past Noah Atubolu to make it 1-0. The Young Lions nearly doubled their advantage six minutes later when the ball fell to Ramsey inside the area but his low drive went wide of the far post. Lee Carsley’s side did make it two in the 21st minute thanks to a wonderful solo effort from Elliott. The Liverpool midfielder collected the ball inside his own half, drove at the German defence into the penalty area before coolly slotting home to make it 2-0. Germany needed to win to have any chance of qualifying and their first chance came on the half-hour mark but Brentford forward Kevin Schade’s shot from inside the area found the hands of James Trafford. Schade was Germany’s main threat and he had another chance to pull one back just before half-time when he sprinted down the right-hand side but saw his effort tipped away by the keeper. Germany may have been facing an early exit but they posed little threat in the second half as England continued to probe, with half-chances falling to Cole Palmer after Elliott had forced a great save from Atubolu. James Garner came close to a third with 15 minutes to go after some neat link-up play but the Everton midfielder could not steer his effort on target from close range. Germany’s best chance of the game came three minutes from time when Finn Ole Becker’s powerful deflected effort was palmed away by Trafford, who secured another clean sheet alongside three straight 2-0 wins. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has been hit with a 10-day suspension for the start of the Serie A season over comments he made about a referee. Mourinho has been sanctioned by the national federal court of Italy’s football federation, the FIGC, after describing official Daniele Chiffi as “the worst referee (he) had ever seen” after Roma’s match against Monza on May 3. The Portuguese, who has also managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, will not be allowed to appear on the touchline or in the club’s dressing room on matchdays during the first 10 days of the new domestic campaign. He has also been fined 50,000 euros (just over £43,000). Last week Mourinho was banned for four matches by UEFA for abusing English referee Anthony Taylor at the Europa League final on May 31. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Former Scotland striker David Goodwillie has vowed to “finally speak my truth” after his latest attempt to return to football was kiboshed following another public backlash. Australian second-tier side FC Sorrento announced on Wednesday that they had recruited the 34-year-old, who was ruled by a judge at a civil court case in 2017 to have raped a woman in 2011. After the news of Goodwillie’s impending arrival was not well-received on social media, however, the Perth-based club released another statement just hours later revealing they had cancelled the former Dundee United, Blackburn, Aberdeen and Plymouth player’s contract. It is his third deal in 18 months to collapse after moves to Scottish Championship side Raith and English non-league outfit Radcliffe were also quashed following ferocious criticism of their decision to sign him. Goodwillie subsequently opened a Twitter account and shared a post on Wednesday afternoon in which he declared that he owes it to his wife and children to speak out in the face of “misinformation” about his situation. “Due to recent events, I feel it’s only right to myself, and finally speak my truth,” it read. “For the past year I have actively tried to speak with the tabloids/news/interviewers anyone that would listen and had the same outcome, they weren’t willing to give me a platform to tell my side, I was told they would come across hypocritical. “I’m going to take the next few days and write everything down and share it with whoever wants to hear what I have to say. “I owe it to my wife and children, a lot has been said that is misinformation, I have been silenced for long enough, there will nothing off the table, and after that if anyone has any questions on what I have to say, I will try and answer them all in time.” Goodwillie and fellow footballer David Robertson were deemed by a judge at a civil court in January 2017 to have raped a 30-year-old woman at a property in Armadale, West Lothian, after a night out in nearby Bathgate in January 2011. Criminal charges against Goodwillie were dropped in 2011 due to lack of evidence. Goodwillie was playing for English club Plymouth at the time of the civil court judgement and left “by mutual consent” just days after the ruling. Two months later, in March 2017, he signed for Clyde despite fierce criticism of the Bully Wee’s decision to give him a deal. He played for the Cumbernauld-based club for almost five years, becoming club captain and scoring 109 goals in more than 170 appearances, before Raith moved to sign him in February last year. Following widespread opposition to the move, Goodwillie was released from his contract without playing a match. A year later, there was a similar situation when Northern Premier League side Radcliffe responded to criticism by cancelling Goodwillie’s contract a day after he scored a hat-trick on his debut against Belper Town. And now Sorrento have followed suit. On Wednesday morning, they revealed the signing of the Scottish forward along with two other new recruits. “SFC are pleased to announce we have added three players to our mid season first team. Clay Gibbs, David Goodwillie & Callum Dobbs have all joined!” read the initial statement from the Perth-based club. Sorrento head coach Steven McGarry, who played in Scotland when Goodwillie was beginning his career more than a decade ago, added: “With David, we get a player with real quality and experience. “He’s played in the top leagues in England and Scotland while also representing Scotland at international level so he’s a massive addition to the club.” But just hours later, Sorrento deleted their initial post and released another statement. “Sorrento Football Club has rescinded its contract with David Goodwillie,” it read. “David was scheduled to arrive in Perth within the next week to commence playing with the Club for the remainder of the 2023 NPLM season. “The arrangement was non-commercial in nature. The Club has informed David of its decision and apologises to anyone in our football and broader community that may have been caused offence by his signing.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live UEFA to prevent clubs spreading cost of transfers with lengthy contracts Jonny Bairstow steals the show at Lord’s – Wednesday’s sporting social Everton to consult with fans about potential midseason stadium switch in 2024-25

Chelsea and other European clubs will no longer be able to spread a transfer fee across more than five years of a player’s initial contract after UEFA closed a loophole in its regulations. The Blues have signed a number of players on lengthy deals over the last two transfer windows, including handing eight-and-a-half-year contracts to Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk in January. The transfer fees are then spread evenly over the course of that contract, meaning the longer it is, the smaller the annual payments recorded on the club’s accounts. For instance, a £100million fee would be amortised at £20million a year with a five-year contract, but at only £12.5m a year if a deal was eight years. There is still nothing in the rules – which come into force from July 1 – preventing a club from spreading the cost by extending a contract, but for amortisation purposes that extension itself could not be for more than five years either. Clubs can still sign players to longer contracts if their national associations allow it, but the cost of the transfer fee must be amortised over the first five years unless the contract is extended. UEFA said the new regulations would not apply to deals already done, but would “ensure equal treatment of all clubs and improve financial sustainability”. European football’s governing body has also moved to prevent clubs colluding to inflate the value of players for accounting purposes. This follows the capital gains scandal involving clubs in Italy, which led to the entire Juventus board resigning in November last year. Clubs must assess whether a transaction counts as a straight swap, in which case it must be accounted for in line with international standards. International Accounting Standard (IAS) 38 states that if it is not possible to calculate the fair value of a player, profit on a sale cannot be recognised. UEFA confirmed Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium would host the 2025 Women’s Champions League final, and announced plans for a minimum standards framework for women’s national teams to ensure equality of player welfare standards and travel and training conditions. UEFA said the detail would be announced in due course. The 2024 and 2025 Europa Conference League finals are set to be staged in Athens and Wroclaw in Poland respectively. The Athens venue is a new arena, so will be assessed during AEK Athens’ European competition matches and Greece’s Euro qualifiers before being confirmed officially in December. Europe’s third-tier men’s club competition will be rebranded as the UEFA Conference League from 2024-25, dropping the word ‘Europa’ from its title following research among fans and commercial partners to further distinguish it from the Europa League. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jonny Bairstow steals the show at Lord’s – Wednesday’s sporting social Everton to consult with fans about potential midseason stadium switch in 2024-25 Josh Tongue enjoys taste of Ashes but Australia in control at Lord’s

Liverpool forward Fabio Carvalho is set to complete a loan move to RB Leipzig but the prospect of midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai swiftly moving in the opposite direction is currently unlikely. The Bundesliga club have been pursuing Carvalho for some time and it is understood they initially wanted an option to buy permanently. However, Jurgen Klopp was not prepared to countenance that but he does want the 20-year-old to gain more first-team experience after he made just 21 appearances, most of them as substitute, in his first season after joining from Fulham. Completely separate to the Carvalho deal, the PA news agency understands Liverpool have had a meeting with Hungary international Szoboszlai’s representatives but as yet he remains one of many options Klopp is hoping to bring in to reinforce his midfield. It is understood the 22-year-old has a buyout clause in the region of 70million euros (£60.5million) which expires on Friday but Liverpool have not made any move in relation to that, although that does not rule out them subsequently trying to negotiate a lower fee with Leipzig. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live