Football
Juan Mata set for Manchester United contract extension
Getty Images Spanish international Juan Mata looks set to be offered a shock contract extension at Manchester United. The 32-year old has seen his first team role steadily reduced under boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the former Chelsea star only making four Premier League starts in 2020/21. However, Solskjaer is keen to retain his experience at Old Trafford and the club will enter into talks over a new deal this summer. According to reports from the Daily Star, Mata’s current contract ends in July, but United will activate their rolling option to extend it by a further 12 months ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. Solskjaer is unlikely to offer anything more than an additional year to the ex Valencia schemer with Mata rumoured to be open to staying in England for another season. He has been li...
Manchester City start ‘initial enquiries’ for Romelu Lukaku deal
Manchester City have reportedly made ‘initial enquiries’ over the potential summer signing of Inter striker Romelu Lukaku. City have often played without a recognised centre forward this season, with their options thinning even further following the departure of Sergio Agüero. According to Corriere dello Sport, Pep Guardiola wants to recruit a striker despite saying otherwise in recent press conferences and is willing to spend big. Their main target is Borussia Dortmund frontman Erling Haaland although his price could be excessive, with Guardiola also sharing a difficult relationship with agent Mino Raiola. Lukaku has enjoyed a prolific season in Serie A – scoring 20 goals and assisting eight in 27 appearances – with Inter currently eight points clear at the top. The Nerrazzuri are, howeve...
Manchester United boss rules out suggestions of move for Kun Aguero
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out suggestions that Sergio Aguero could cross the Manchester divide by joining Man Utd. The Manchester City legend has confirmed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season after a decade of success at the Etihad, winning four league titles, five league cups and an FA Cup, as well as establishing himself as the club’s record goalscorer. He does of course still have the chance to add four more winners medals to his collection before the end of the season as City chase an unprecedented quadruple of honours this campaign. However, with Aguero set to finish his career away from the Etihad, attentions have understandably turned to where he will be moving to, with a whole host of top European sides looking to bolster their attacking lineups. Barcelon...
Manchester City close in on Premier League title with Leicester win
Manchester City took another significant step towards the Premier League title with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City. The visitors dominated from the off and thought they were ahead on five minutes. Fernandinho rifled a 35-yard strike into the bottom corner, but Sergio Aguero – who was appearing for the first time since his impending summer departure from City was announced – was deemed to be offside. Kevin de Bruyne then hit the crossbar with a stunning free kick before Leicester’s best moment saw Jamie Vardy’s strike ruled out for offside on the stroke of half time. The pattern of Man City dominance continued after the break and they deservedly took the lead on 58 minutes when Benjamin Mendy showed great composure to cut inside and place a low shot into the far corner. Gabriel Jesus made ...
Leicester boss declares Manchester City as champions-elect
Leicester City boss, Brendan Rodgers, has declared Manchester City as champions-elect. Leicester beat Manchester City 5-2 back in September, but City have since built a 14-point cushion at the top of the table and Rodgers is sure his side will be playing the champions this weekend. “I don’t think there’s any doubt they will go on and win the league,” he said. “We, of course, want to make it as difficult as possible but their level of consistency over a long period this season sees them out in front and if they go on and win it, they’ll be very deserving. “But all the teams they have to play want to make sure they have to fight for it and they have to earn it.” Leicester sit third, 15 points adrift of City but more importantly seven better off than fifth-placed West Ham in the battle for Ch...
Napoli trio test negative for coronavirus
Napoli can breathe a sigh of relief as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo Insigne’s swab tests came back negative. Serie A clubs are concerned as four staff members of Italy national team tested positive for COVID, the FIGC announced on Wednesday after the Azzurri’s 2-0 win over Lithuania. However, according to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli’s Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo have not contracted the virus as their swab tests came back negative. The trio returned to Naples in the morning and can now join their teammates in Castelvolturno for today’s training session. The Azzurri will face Crotone on Saturday and travel to Turin on Wednesday to play the rescheduled fixture from matchday 3 against Juventus. The Old Lady’s defender Leonardo Bonucci tested po...
NSF: Borno to participate in 13 sports – official
Borno is to participate in 13 sports in the coming National Sports Festival (NSF) scheduled for April 2 in Benin. The Information Officer of Borno Sports Council, Mr Ibrahim Tukur, made this known on Wednesday in an interview with newsmen in Maiduguri. Tukur said the sports comprised football, handball, badminton, tennis, cycling, volleyball, taekwondo, wrestling, Kunfu, Karate and traditional sports like langa, local wrestling and dambe. Tukur said that the state is sending a contingent of 150 people, including sportsmen and officials. “In compliance with directive, samples have just been taken from all those going to for the Festival including the Commissioner for Sports for COVID-19 test,” Tukur said. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are look...
AFCONQ: CAF confirms new date for Sierra Leone vs Benin clash
The Confederation of African Football has announced the postponed Africa Cup of Nations qualification encounter between Sierra Leone and Benin Republic will now take place during the June international window. The Group L fixture initially billed for Tuesday, March 30, at the National Stadium, Freetown did not take place owing to a Covid-19 controversy. However, both teams will now square up against one another in three months’ time – a game that will determine the last team to secure a place for Cameroon 2022. “The Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee has decided to postpone the above-mentioned match to the next Fifa international window scheduled for June 2021. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding,” a post from Benin Football Federation Facebook page read....
AFCONQ: Super Eagles beat Crocodiles to end campaign unbeaten
Nigeria ended the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 3-0 victory over Lesotho at Teslim Balogun Stadium. Victor Osimhen, Oghenekaro Etebo and Paul Onuachu strikes helped the Super Eagles to end the Afcon campaign unbeaten and finished at the top of the Group L table with 14 points. Nigeria headed into the encounter, having already secured their place at the biennial tournament, scheduled for Cameroon. Coach Gernot Rohr made a few changes to the team that started their 1-0 victory over the Republic of Benin at Stade Charles de Gaulle on Friday. The German tactician started Francis Uzoho Etebo and Tyronne Ebuehi who did not feature against the Squirrels in Porto Novo. Iwobi also returned to the starting XI after missing his side’s last outing as he tested positive for Covid-19 befo...
Mo Salah dreams of future La Liga action
Mohamed Salah has hinted his future could lie in Spanish football amid continued speculation the forward could leave Liverpool. The Premier League’s joint-top scorer this season is under contract at Anfield until 2023 but has been linked with a move elsewhere, with Barcelona and Real Madrid often touted as potential destinations for Salah if he were to depart Merseyside. Last year, the forward described the Spanish sides as two “great” clubs, but Jurgen Klopp later played down any transfer talk surrounding the Egypt international. Liverpool play Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in April as the two sides meet for the first time since 2018’s final in Kiev which finished 3-1 to the Spanish side and ahead of the games, Salah refused to rule out a future move to La Liga...
Ronaldo de Lima: I won’t own Real Valladolid forever
Brazilian great Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima has said his ownership of Real Valladolid won’t last forever. However, Ronaldo insists he still has big ambitions for the Primera club. He said, “I’m not going to stay here forever, because I have other things for the future on my mind. “But it’s too early to talk about that. I want to make this club much better and bigger than when I arrived. “After that, we will see, now we have to keep working and keep the club in the Primera Division.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and he...
Arsenal star’s mum dies after coronavirus battle
Arsenal star Lucas Torreira’s mum has died after a battle with Covid-19, as reported by Uruguayan daily Ovacion. Viviana Di Pascua, 53, was recently admitted to intensive care after contracting the coronavirus in Uruguay. Torreira, who is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, was given special permission by the La Liga club to fly home to Frey Bentos to be by her side. But Viviana’s situation worsened and on Tuesday her death was announced. Gunners midfielder Torreira contracted Covid-19 himself back in November 2020 following international duty. Torreira was the national team’s twelfth individual among players and staff to receive a positive result at the time. The 25-year-old was forced to miss two weeks of football, including a La Liga clash with Barcelona. A statement read at the time:...
