Long-serving
Liverpool boss refuses to confirm Gini Wijnaldum’s departure
Jurgen Klopp refused to confirm whether Gini Wijnaldum is set to play his final game for Liverpool this weekend, but insisted the midfielder’s commitment to the Reds cannot be questioned. Wijnaldum’s contract at Anfield expires next month, and there is no sign of the 30-year-old agreeing a renewal. Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been strongly linked with the Dutch international, who is likely to captain the Reds on Sunday in their crunch clash with Crystal Palace at home. Klopp refused to be drawn on Wijnaldum’s future at a press conference at Kirkby on Friday, telling reporters: “There’s nothing to say in this moment. We have a game to play. We will see after the final whistle on Sunday.” Later, though, he was asked whether the idea of such an influential player – Wijnaldum has made 50 ...
Florentino Perez: Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ruled out a return to Santiago Bernabeu for Cristiano Ronaldo and claims to have had no contact with Paris Saint-Germain regarding a move for Kylian Mbappe. Movement in the Spanish capital is being mooted ahead of the summer transfer window, with Perez – who is famed for his ‘Galactico’ recruitment model – being re-elected to remain at the helm of the Liga giants. It has been suggested that efforts will be made to re-sign a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, with Ronaldo having left Real for Juventus as the club’s all-time leading scorer in 2018, but no bid is being lined up to land the 36-year-old Portuguese. Perez has told El Chiringuito: “Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid. “It does not make sense, he has a contract with Juventus. I...
Polls open in Congo as main opposition party boycotts election
Polls have opened in the Republic of Congo’s presidential election that is boycotted by the main opposition party and attacked by critics as tilted toward veteran leader Denis Sassou Nguesso. Voting centres opened at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) and will close at 17:00 (16:00 GMT). More than 2.5 million voters have registered to take part in the election which Nguesso, 77, is widely expected to win against six contenders. The list of contenders is led by economist and 2016 presidential runner-up Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who was hospitalised on Saturday. Kolelas’ campaign did not say what illness had struck the 60-year-old but a family member told the Associated Press he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. Nguesso, a former paratrooper, first rose to power in 1979 and has since accumulated 36 years...
