List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Arsenal have submitted a British transfer record bid of over £100m for the West Ham captain Declan Rice, according to reports. The Gunners have increased their offer for the England international after Manchester City entered the race for the midfielder. Arsenal’s opening bid for Rice was a £75m payment with £15m in potential add-ons, but West Ham were insistent that their captain would not leave for less than £100m. Manchester City’s offer was closer to West Ham’s valuation but Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners also saw their approach rebuffed by the London club. According to the Athletic, Mikel Arteta’s side have now increased their package to £100m with a further £5m in add-ons, an offer which is set to test West Ham’s resolve and could bring Manchester City back to the table. Arsenal have made Rice their top transfer target this summer with manager Arteta holding long-standing interest in the 24-year-old. The Independent understands that Rice would prefer to stay in London and join Arsenal, but he is also open to a move to Manchester and the chance to play under Guardiola. The Premier League champions have lost captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona on a free transfer and remain interested in Rice, despite Mateo Kovacic signing from Chelsea in a deal that could reach £30m. West Ham have insisted on a package worth at least £100 million for Rice, which would break the record for an English player, held by Jack Grealish after joining City from Aston Villa in 2021. Read More Reuben Loftus-Cheek close to AC Milan move as Chelsea squad overhaul continues Arteta hypes up Arsenal progress despite pain of losing title race Carra hits Glasto and Frankie sings Frank – Friday’s sporting social

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has settled his High Court contract dispute with Everton. The Italian, who spent 18 months at Goodison Park between December 2019 and June 2021, finishing 12th and 10th before returning to the Bernabeu, had lodged a case which court records stated related to “general commercial contracts and arrangements”. Very few details were known about the specifics of the claim but it has now been resolved. “Carlo Ancelotti and Everton Football Club have reached an amicable resolution to their dispute,” said John Mehrzad KC in a statement issued on behalf of the Real Madrid boss. “Carlo has enduring respect and a deep affection for the club’s fans and wishes them and the club the very best for the future.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Manchester City have completed the signing of Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The treble winners have announced the 29-year-old has signed a four-year contract at the Etihad Stadium after the clubs agreed an initial fee of £25million, with a potential extra £5million in add-ons, last week. Kovacic joins Pep Guardiola’s side after five years at Chelsea, where he won the Champions League and Europa League and made 221 appearances. To be joining this squad really is a dream for any footballer Mateo Kovacic He is City’s first signing of the summer and his arrival compensates for the departure of captain Ilkay Gundogan, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer on Monday after seven years at the club. Kovacic said: “This is a brilliant move for me and I cannot wait to get started with City. “Anyone who has watched this team under Pep knows how good they are. For me, they are the best in the world. “The trophies they have won are clear for all to see, but they are also the best footballing side out there. “To be joining this squad really is a dream for any footballer. I still have plenty of learning and developing to do, and I know under Pep’s management I can become a better player, which is really exciting for me. “My plan now is to rest for a few weeks before coming back to Manchester to prepare for the new season. I want to help this club stay at the top and win more trophies.” Kovacic is a four-time Champions League winner having also enjoyed success in Europe’s elite competition three times with Real Madrid before joining the Blues. A versatile player, he began his career with Dinamo Zagreb and has also had a spell at Inter Milan. He has earned 95 caps for his country and will inherit Gundogan’s number eight shirt. City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Mateo is an excellent footballer. “He can play as a ‘six’ or an ‘eight’, has plenty of experience at top-level clubs and he understands the Premier League. “It was a very simple decision to bring him to City because he has the tactical and technical qualities we are looking for in a midfielder. “He is someone we have monitored for a very long time and always we were impressed whenever we watched him. I am delighted he is here. “This is a great signing for this club, and I am very excited to watch what he can do with Pep and the rest of our backroom team.” Kovacic may not be Guardiola’s only midfield reinforcement this summer, with speculation that the champions have had a bid rejected for West Ham’s Declan Rice. The England international is widely expected to leave the London Stadium and has reportedly already been the subject of two failed approaches from Arsenal. It has been claimed City made an offer totalling £90million for the 24-year-old but the Hammers are said to be holding out for a fee of £100million. City have not commented on the reports. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Stokes stands by England’s approach ahead of second Ashes Test Tottenham complete signing of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario Josh Tongue: From retirement talk to Ashes chance, with the help of Botox jabs

Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of Jess Park ahead of the Women’s World Cup. The Aston Villa midfielder will travel to St George’s Park on Tuesday to join up with the squad after Park returned to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury. Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby, with the pair due to remain with the group until their opening match of the tournament against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. The Lionesses face Portugal in a friendly at a sold-out Stadium MK on Saturday before flying to Australia on Wednesday, July 5. There is concern for Alex Greenwood after she went down with an apparent injury during training at St George’s Park. The Manchester City defender was able to walk off the pitch and had an ice pack applied before heading inside for treatment. Sarina Wiegman’s squad play Haiti, Denmark and China in their group phase fixtures, though as one of the tournament favourites and European Championships winners, they will hope to go the distance this summer. Read More England ‘resilience’ can help Lionesses overcome injuries at Women’s World Cup UEFA to close contract loophole allowing clubs to spread cost of transfers Tottenham standing firm on Harry Kane amid interest from Bayern Munich

UEFA is set to close a loophole on Wednesday allowing clubs to spread the cost of big transfer fees over lengthy contracts. Chelsea have caught the eye over the last two transfer windows by signing players on long deals, including £107million January recruit Enzo Fernandez on an eight-and-a-half-year contract. The Blues have done so in order to spread the cost of the transfer fee over a greater period of time and comply with UEFA’s financial regulations, something which is currently permitted. However, it is understood UEFA’s executive committee will update the regulations when it meets on Wednesday. It is expected there will be no limit on the length of a contract, but the cost of any transfer fee will have to be spread over a maximum of five years. The PA news agency understands the Exco will not re-examine UEFA’s policies on multi-club ownership when it meets this week, despite it becoming an increasingly contentious and controversial issue in the game. However, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is meeting this week to examine individual cases where there could be a conflict under existing multi-club ownership rules in its competitions next season. PA understands the CFCB is looking at Brighton and Belgian club Union St Gilloise, who have each qualified for next season’s Europa League and are both owned by Tony Bloom, and also Toulouse and AC Milan, who are owned by US-based investment firm RedBird Capital. A decision from the CFCB is expected towards the end of the week. Away from financial matters, the Exco will decide on which venue will host the 2025 Women’s Champions League final. The Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon is understood to be up against the Vodafone Stadium in Istanbul for the right to host. The 2024 and 2025 Europa Conference League final hosts will also be decided. The OPAP Arena, home to AEK Athens, is expected to host one of them while the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, will stage the other. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Tottenham have no intention of selling Harry Kane this summer, the PA news agency understands. The club’s record goal-scorer is approaching the final 12 months of his contract and reports on Tuesday indicated Bayern Munich had bid 70million euros plus add-ons for the England captain. PA understands Spurs have not received an official offer from the Bundesliga champions and any bid would be immediately rejected. Tottenham’s stance on Kane remains consistent with the last few transfer windows despite continued interest in the 29-year-old, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City in 2021. Kane subsequently stayed with his boyhood team and broke the club’s all-time scoring record in February with the winner against Pep Guardiola’s side. It saw Kane move beyond Jimmy Greaves’ tally of 266 goals for Spurs, which had stood since 1970. The next target in Kane’s sights is Alan Shearer’s record Premier League haul of 260 goals. After a fine individual campaign in which Kane scored 30 goals, despite the north London club finishing eighth and having three head coaches, the forward is now only 48 away from passing Shearer’s tally. Discussions between Spurs and Kane’s camp over a new contract were set to be pushed back until the end of the 2022-23 campaign, but the club are yet to appoint a director of football and Kane’s own season only finished on June 19 following England commitments. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and rapper Stormzy are set to become joint owners of non-League club AFC Croydon. The pair are part of a three-man consortium, along with former Palace head of player care Danny Young, that has agreed a deal to acquire the assets of the south London side, who play in the Combined Counties Football League Premier South Division – the ninth tier of English football. Croydon announced contracts had been exchanged with the existing ownership and the consortium “will own, operate and develop their childhood hometown football club”. A statement added: “Whilst completion is subject to legislative and governance procedures, the three consortium members are excited about developing a community asset in the borough that gave them their own opportunities. “They hope to take the entire community on this exciting journey with them.” Zaha, 30, was born in Ivory Coast but raised in the borough of Croydon. He is already involved in community projects in the area through his own charitable foundation and an Academy. Zaha tweeted: “May the journey begin.” The latest announcement comes at a time of uncertainty of over Zaha’s playing future, with his Palace contract set to expire at the end of this month. The player has been offered a new deal at Selhurst Park but is yet to commit and has been linked with other clubs in the Premier League, elsewhere in Europe and Saudi Arabia. Stormzy, 29, also hails from Croydon and has a long-standing friendship with Zaha.

Gary Neville will join the cast of the BBC programme Dragons’ Den when the series returns to screens next year. The former Manchester United and England defender will appear as a guest on the panel alongside fashion and retail entrepreneur Emma Grede. In addition to his regular role as a Sky Sports pundit, Neville has built a portfolio of business interests including a hotel and other property developments since his retirement from football. Neville said: “I am excited to join the Dragons, and to meet the entrepreneurs brave enough to face us in the Den. “I hope my personal journey shows that you can take the experiences you’ve had in one part of your career and use them to do something entirely different and make it a success.” Neville and Grede will sit alongside the regular panel of Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett, running the rule over entrepreneurs seeking investment in their business ideas.

England reached a Women’s World Cup semi-final for the first time on this day in 2015 after holding on to beat tournament hosts Canada 2-1 in Vancouver. Early goals from Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze set the Lionesses up for a historic win, but they were forced to dig deep after Christine Sinclair pulled one back for Canada just before half-time. It was the first time a senior England side – men or women – had reached the World Cup’s last four since 1990. The Lionesses had won a World Cup knockout game for the first time by defeating Norway 2-1 in the last-16 and followed it up against the Canadians in front of a crowd of 54,027 at BC Place. Taylor gave England an 11th-minute lead when she pounced on Canada skipper Lauren Sesselmann’s slip and raced on to drill a low angled finish into the bottom corner. The Lionesses extended their lead three minutes later. Fara Williams’ diagonal free-kick into the penalty area picked out Bronze and the full-back’s header bounced down over the line after hitting the crossbar. Canada lifted the home support by reducing the deficit three minutes before the interval when England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley failed to hold on to Ashley Lawrence’s cross and Sinclair turned home the rebound. Taylor was denied a second goal after the restart as her goal-bound curling effort forced a brilliant save from Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod. England’s World Cup dream was halted in agonising fashion in their semi-final, as defender Laura Bassett’s stoppage-time own goal clinched a 2-1 win for Japan, who went on to lose 5-2 to the United States in the final. The Lionesses secured a third-place finish after beating fellow semi-final losers Germany 1-0 after extra-time thanks to Williams’ 108th-minute penalty. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Nick Saban plans to coach at Alabama and terrorize SEC fanbases until his time is up.Nick Saban is not done coaching yet, so quit askin'!Although he is on the wrong side of 70, Saban ain't done winnin' yet. In fact, he's just getting started! While many of the sport'...

Craig Brown, the former Scotland manager who led the country to their last men’s World Cup in 1998, has died at the age of 82. Brown died peacefully on Monday following a short illness, a statement from his family said. Brown also took charge of Scotland at Euro 96 and managed at Aberdeen, Preston North End and Motherwell before retiring in 2013. A statement from Aberdeen read: "Everyone at Aberdeen FC is heartbroken by the loss of our beloved former manager, director and club ambassador, Craig Brown. "A dear friend to us all, Craig will be sorely missed and our love and condolences are with his family at this terribly sad time." More follows

Celtic are continuing to pursue targets in Asia following the departure of Ange Postecoglou but a move for South Korean midfielder Yang Hyun-jun appears to be in the balance. Yang has been quoted in the South Korean media as saying that he wants to sign for Celtic this summer but his club, Gangwon, would rather wait until the end of their season, which finishes in October. Gangwon sit 11th in the 12-team K-League 1 and would face a relegation play-off if they remain there. The player’s representatives earlier claimed Yang had been promised he would get the chance to move if a European club came in for him and was frustrated at the club’s stance. Celtic have achieved success over the past two seasons by recruiting in Asia, with Kyogo Furuhashi named PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers’ player of the year last term. The striker was joined by several Japanese colleagues including Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Tomoki Iwata after Postecoglou arrived from Yokahama F Marinos two years ago. Celtic also signed South Korea striker Oh Hyeon-gyu in January. New manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to continue the successful recruitment tactic along with the club’s head of scouting and recruitment, Mark Lawwell. Quoted in several newspapers, Rodgers said: “Over the course of our discussions I’ve seen the market we’re in and how well the recruitment has gone. “Mark Lawwell has this pipeline of players that are available and I think what he’s done since he’s come in has been really impressive – and the markets he’s been able to tap into. That will continue. That’s where the club is at. “In terms of recruitment I am the one that knows how I want the team to play and I have to be involved in those discussions. And I will be. Some of those markets haven’t been as readily available to some clubs, that’s something Mark has brought with him in his roles. “I’m thinking of the Japanese market, the Korean market, Australia and out into Asia. These were players that were untapped and you’re now seeing other clubs trying to tap into that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live