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Liverpool have completed the signing of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton in the first step of Jurgen Klopp’s summer midfield overhaul. The Argentina international has signed a five-year contract at Anfield and is expected to be joined by further arrivals after the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Liverpool had to fight off interest from other clubs for Mac Allister and always intended to get some of their transfers done before pre-season, to give them more time to settle in. They believe the 24-year-old, who scored 10 Premier League goals as he helped Brighton to their highest-ever finish of sixth in the top flight, can occupy any of the three midfield positions in Klopp’s side. The midfielder told Liverpoolfc.com: “It feels amazing. It’s a dream come true, it’s amazing to be here and I can’t wait to get started. “I wanted to be in [from] the first day of pre-season, so it’s good that everything is done. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates. “It was a fantastic year for me – World Cup, what we achieved with Brighton – but now it’s time to think about Liverpool and try to be a better player and a better human being every day. “Since I won the World Cup, I said that I want to win more trophies and I think that this club will help me to do that – that’s the aim and when you are in a big club like this one you have to win trophies. So, that’s what I want. “Since I arrived here, I can see how big this club is – the players we have, the staff, everyone. I’m really pleased and looking forward to playing for this club.” Liverpool had identified Mac Allister as a key target even before the World Cup, where he set up Angel Di Maria’s goal in the final against France, after first tracking him when he was still playing in South America. The deal was the last completed by outgoing director of football Julian Ward, with his successor Jorg Schamdtke now taking the lead in Liverpool’s transfer business, and was aided by the club’s long relationship with his agent Juan Gemelli, who was involved in Philippe Coutinho’s move to Anfield in 2013. Liverpool believe that Mac Allister, like Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk, had to fight his way to the top, rather than being fast-tracked, and have a history of successful signings of players aged between 23 and 25. Read More Supporter arrested at FA Cup final for wearing offensive Hillsborough T-shirt The year that sportswashing won: A season that changed football forever Liverpool appoint former Wolfsburg chief Jorg Schmadtke as sporting director Liverpool on the verge of signing Alexis Mac Allister to fill midfield void Broad brilliance and a statuesque striker – Thursday’s sporting social Liverpool appoint former Wolfsburg chief Jorg Schmadtke as sporting director

'So I have mixed emotions about the skill that Keanu has because he completely dominated me at pool,' said Nicolas Cage

West Ham players serenaded Jarrod Bowen with a NSFW chant about his girlfriend Dani Dyer after the footballer sealed victory with a last-minute goal. Bowen’s 90th-minute goal against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final saw the English side win 2-1, sealing West Ham’s first major trophy in over 40 years. Speaking to West Ham’s website, Bowen described the moment, saying, “It's the best night of my life, for sure”. Amid the chaotic scenes of celebration, players were filmed singing a chant about Bowen and his girlfriend Dyer, who last month gave birth to the couple’s identical twin girls. The crude chant was sung to the tune of the classic Gala track “Freed From Desire”, with the lyrics changed to: “Bowen’s on fire and he’s sh**ging Dani Dyer.” The clip of the chant has gone viral with over a quarter of a million views after being shared on Twitter. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Dyer, a former Love Island star, is also the daughter of Eastenders actor Danny Dyer, who has previously admitted to being “starstruck” when his daughter brought a West Ham player home as a lifelong fan of the club. He has previously mentioned the chant, writing in an Instagram post last year: “@jarrodbowen is on fire….and he’s….cuddling me daughter or something. So proud. What a f**king night. Love to all the West Ham family.” Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, Dyer also said: “There is a chant, which I think is quite sweet... there’s romance to it. When he scores, and he does score a lot, it goes like this, ‘Bowen's on fire and he’s sh**ging Dani Dyer’. “I’ve been over there singing it, jumping around. Is that wrong? I think Dani was a little bit freaked out by it but I said there was something quite sweet about it.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Italian side. Strengths Dogged defence Inter’s progression to this weekend’s showcase at the Ataturk Stadium owes a lot to a stingy defence. Simone Inzaghi’s combative team emerged from a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona. They have also kept a tournament-high eight clean sheets in their 12 matches, including five from six in the knockout stages, with goalkeeper Andre Onana a star performer. Lautaro Martinez Argentinian World Cup winner Martinez has once again been a potent threat up front for Inter this season. The 25-year-old, who is supported by the experienced pair of former City striker Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, has been prolific over the past four years. Ahead of the semi-final, he urged his club-mates to harness the unity which led to his country triumphing in Qatar and that could again serve them well. Underdog status Inzaghi revealed his remit was to reach the last 16 of the Champions League when he was appointed in the summer of 2021. He satisfied that target last term before exceeding expectations this time around. He knows City will be overwhelming favourites and under greater pressure to deliver, and he has shown he can use such situations to his advantage. Weaknesses Inconsistency Despite their impressive run in Europe, Inter endured a mixed domestic campaign and the Serie A champions of 2021 were unable to keep pace with runaway winners Napoli. Their final position of third place owed a lot to a late-season charge as well as pressure being eased by Juventus’ 10-point penalty. Inzaghi’s men lost a large percentage of their games – 12 of 38 – but benefitted from keeping draws – just three – to a minimum. Unfamiliar territory As three-time winners, most recently in 2010, Inter have historical pedigree in Europe but their recent big-game experience on this stage is limited. Since Jose Mourinho carried them to glory 13 years ago, they have progressed beyond the group stage just four times. That contrasts starkly with City’s record. The English club have reached the knockout stages in each of the past 10 seasons and progressed to at least the semi-finals in the last three. They were also finalists in 2021. Lack of attacking width? Inzaghi has developed a well-balanced side operating in a 3-5-2 system, bucking modern trends by playing with two strikers. The formation allows the 47-year-old to make the most of his four forwards – Martinez, Lukaku, Joaquin Correa and Dzeko. Yet the reliance on wing-backs alone to provide width in attacking areas can lead to play becoming concentrated in the centre of the pitch and makes it difficult to break down opponents.

A young West Ham fan was in tears after the Hammers won their first piece of silverware since the 1980 FA Cup with their Europa Conference League victory on Thursday, 8 June. The London side secured their first European trophy since 1965 after Jarred Bowen slotted past Pietro Terracciano to earn the Hammers a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in Prague. “I just can’t believe West Ham have won something, we’ve won more titles than Spurs,” the young Hammers fan said. His reaction won the praise of Twitter users, with one commenting: “What an amazing memory for him to have. Bless him.”

A young fan struggling to hold back his emotions is going viral for his lovely response to West Ham's Europa Conference League victory. The boy, thought to be around nine years old, struggled to get his words out as he explained how much it meant. "Come on you Irons. West Ham are the best club in the world!", he cried, calling it the 'best day of his life'. It's not his first brush with fame either - just months ago, the same boy blew up online for his hilarious review of West Ham's Conference League clash with AZ Alkmaar. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points ahead of the game. City’s holy grail Winning the Champions League has been City’s top objective since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 and, after a number of near-misses, it now feels tantalisingly within reach. Beating Inter Milan would complete a mission for the club’s hierarchy, as it would for Pep Guardiola, the man they hired to deliver it. Despite City’s near-dominance of the domestic scene in recent years, and the regularity with which they have reached the Champions League’s latter stages, Guardiola has admitted the club need to win it to truly underline their greatness. On a personal level too, Guardiola has been the greatest coach of his generation but it has now been 12 years since the second of his two triumphs with a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona and it is an itch he needs to scratch. Treble bid Victory would not only fulfil a long-held ambition for City, but complete a glorious treble, earning them a place in the history books alongside arch-rivals Manchester United as only the second side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. United achieved the feat in 1999, at a time when City were fighting for promotion from the third tier. How their fans are enjoying the change in circumstances 24 years on. Tactics and form City will head into this game against the side that finished third in Serie A as overwhelming favourites. After an inconsistent spell either side of the World Cup, they hit form in the spring to reel in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and power into two major finals. Their level of performance has arguably been better than anything they have produced before under Guardiola, with some particularly outstanding displays in key games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking and getting things wrong tactically in the key matches, but there seems little reason to deviate now from what has worked well this season. No injury worries City would appear to have a clean bill of health. There were concerns when Kyle Walker did not appear at an open training session on Tuesday, having been substituted late in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but the player allayed any worries, saying he would not miss the Champions League final “for anything”. Guardiola is therefore unlikely to stray much from the side which started against Arsenal and both legs against Madrid, which was: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, Grealish, Silva, De Bruyne, Haaland. Inter’s plan Inter will be determined not to make up the numbers but manager Simone Inzaghi probably recognises City are likely to dominate possession, putting his side’s notably tough defence to the test. The Italians will hope to soak up the pressure and catch City on the counter, looking to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku to take any chances that come their way. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Caitlin Foord signs new Arsenal contract How do the current Man City side compare to Man Utd’s treble winners of 1999? Chelsea’s owners pledge to improve and say they are optimistic over future