Author: Adejuyigbe Francis

Fiorentina midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat, has agreed on personal terms with Premier League giants Manchester United, snubbing a potential move to Liverpool. Amrabat is set to leave Fiorentina, with the Serie A side desperately needing to balance the books this summer. Fiorentina attempted to sell Amrabat to Barcelona in January and will accept bids in the region of £25million for the Moroccan international this time around. Man United are aware of Fiorentina’s need to sell the player and have therefore focused on other areas of the squad, such as goalkeeper and striker, before moving for Amrabat. However, according to Corriere della…

Chelsea have rejected a bid from West Ham for England midfielder Conor Gallagher worth a reported £40m. Gallagher, 23, has two years left on his contract and is currently on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA. The Chelsea academy graduate enjoyed a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2021-22, winning player of the season and making his England debut. He made his Chelsea debut last season and went on to score three goals in 45 appearances. Chelsea’s ownership group has been trying to avoid letting players enter the last two years of their contracts, a situation that played…

Nottingham Forest have signed Sweden forward Anthony Elanga from Manchester United on a five-year deal. The 21-year-old moves on from Old Trafford, with Forest believed to have paid United a fee of £15m. Elanga had been with United since he was 12 and achieved a first-team breakthrough in 2021, reaching 55 appearances before Forest stepped in. He said: “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a proud moment, not only for me, but for my family as well.” Elanga added: “It’s a big step and I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the Forest fans at the City…

Former winners Norway are fighting to stay in the Women’s World Cup after a draw against Switzerland left them bottom of Group A with one game to go. After being on the receiving end of a shock defeat by co-hosts New Zealand on the opening day, Hege Riise’s side needed to respond but failed to score for the second straight game. They lost star player Ada Hegerberg, who was named on the team sheet, moments before kick-off, the six-time Champions League winner walking down the tunnel amid reports she suffered a groin injury in the warm-up in Hamilton. This was…

Rivers United have been drawn in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup. The Port Harcourt club earned the slot following their impressive performance in Africa’s second tier club competition last season. Rivers United were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Tanzania’s Simba SC last term. Stanley Eguma’s side will face the winner of the tie between Etoile Filante of Burkina Faso and Senegal ‘s Ziguinchor for a slot in the group stage. Bendel Insurance, Nigeria ‘s other representatives in the competition face a tough hurdle in their bid to make it to the group stage. The Benin…

Nigerian champions, Enyimba will face Ahli Benghazi of Libya in the first round of the CAF Champions League. The draw ceremony for the 2023/24 edition of Africa’s biggest club competition took place at the CAF headquarters on Tuesday afternoon. Enyimba will travel away for the first leg which is scheduled for between August 18-20. The reverse fixture will hold in Aba a week later. The winner of the contest will face either Coton Sport Garoua of Cameroon or Cote d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosa in the next round. Enyimba are two time winners of the CAF Champions League. Nigeria’s other representatives in…

Cancer survivor Linda Caicedo scored on her debut at the Women’s World Cup as Colombia beat South Korea 2-0 in Sydney on Tuesday. The Real Madrid forward, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15, fired in her country’s second goal of the match before racing toward Colombia’s fans in celebration. The 18-year-old Caicedo, who is an inspirational figure on and off the field, further enhanced her reputation as one of soccer’s rising stars with her goal and performance as Colombia made a winning start to the tournament. “Well, I am extremely happy, but this has to do with the collective work of everyone,” Caicedo said. “The…

While reflecting on South Korea’s disappointing Women’s World Cup defeat by Colombia, manager Colin Bell wryly remarked: “At least we made one bit of history today.” He was speaking about Casey Phair, who became the youngest player at a World Cup, male or female. Aged 16 years 26 days, the forward was introduced in the 77th minute from the substitutes’ bench in South Korea’s 2-0 loss to Colombia at Sydney Football Stadium. She beat the youngest player record held by Nigeria’s Ifeanyi Chiejine, who was 16 years 34 days when she played at the 1999 World Cup. The men’s record at a…

New Zealand missed a golden opportunity to edge closer to the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup as the Philippines upset them in Wellington. It was a famous victory for the Philippines, the first by one of the eight debutants at the tournament, and they celebrated passionately at full-time. Co-hosts New Zealand shocked Norway on the opening day and knew another victory could have sealed their place in the last 16, but they could not find a breakthrough on a frustrating evening. Instead, it was the Philippines’ Sarina Bolden who sprinted away in celebration in the 24th minute after…

The Super Falcons of Nigeria will welcome Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimat Ayinde back for their Group B game against Australia on Thursday. The duo missed Nigeria’s first game at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup against Canada last Friday due to suspension. Ajibade and Ayinde were made to serve a two-match ban after they were sent off in the Super Falcons semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco at the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. FIFA in a statement released on Monday, stated that the two players are cleared to face the co-hosts. The Super Falcons will, however, be without Deborah…

Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal have permission to speak to Kylian Mbappe after making a world record £259m bid for the Paris St-Germain forward. The 24-year-old France captain, who has a year left on his contract, has refused to sign an extension at the French champions and was not selected for their pre-season tour to Japan. PSG want to sell Mbappe now rather than see him leave for free next summer. Neymar’s £200m move from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 is the current record. PSG activated Brazil forward Neymar’s release clause to make him the most expensive player in the world.…

Ary Borges scored the first hat-trick of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup as Brazil cruised to victory over Panama. The winger netted a double in the first half and set up Bia Zaneratto shortly after the interval with a backheel, before heading home the fourth goal. It means Brazil maintain their perfect record of winning all nine of their opening games at Women’s World Cups. They are well placed to qualify from Group F, after France were held by Jamaica. Both of Brazil’s goals in the opening 45 minutes came in similar fashion – perfectly clipped crosses from the left…