Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan Swap Deal Almost A Done Deal

I The Chilean is heading to Manchester to complete his medical checks, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in London to finalise his move to the Gunners. Alexis Sanchez has boarded a private jet bound for Manchester as he travels to undergo a medical and finalise his January transfer to United. The Arsenal star was flanked by his best friend, and his agent Fernando Felicevich was also present, with United having made the arrangements to charter the aircraft. Alexis will earn around £14 million a year with United, making him one of the best-paid players in Premier League history, with agent fees expected to reach the £10m mark. The transfer taking the Chilean to Old Trafford will see Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading in the opposite direction and Goal understands the deal will be a straight swap, with no cash incentives involved. Indeed, the former Dortmund winger was spotted in London with his agent Mino Raiola on Saturday, and Goal understands the 29-year-old will also undergo his medical tests with the Gunners on Sunday. Confirmation of the transfer is likely to arrive from both clubs on Monday as one of the most intriguing January deals in Premier League history draws to a conclusion. Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, remained cautious when asked about the possible signing of Alexis in his post-match press conference following the 1-0 win over Burnley on Saturday. The Portuguese told supporters to expect a transfer either "soon or never", adding: "I think it's so close, so close. So close that if it doesn't happen, it's not going to happen. So I am positive. "I know that my people are doing absolutely everything they can - the owners with the green light and Mr [Ed] Woodward working hard. "I think everybody is giving everything they can and I think we're going to be successful." Alexis posted a video on his Instagram account to show that he was boarding the private jet bound for Manchester, with, ironically, 'No Easy Way Out' from the Rocky IV film playing over the top of the short clip. And there was further social media activity, with the 29-year-old forward retweeting an article that disagreed with assertions that the Chilean is a footballing mercenary for leaving Emirates Stadium for Mourinho's United.

As well as signing Mkhitaryan, Arsenal are also hoping to complete a deal for Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January window. The German club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed on Saturday that there had been an approach for the Gabon international, with the Gunners having agreed personal terms with the 28-year-old. Wenger will not, however, be bringing in Bordeaux winger Malcom in the winter window, with the north Londoners having pulled out of the race to sign the Brazilian, at least until the summer.

AF has named Egyptian, Mohamed Salah as the 2017 African Footballer of the Year

AF has named Egyptian, Mohamed Salah as the 2017 African Footballer of the Year while Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala picked the award for the female version. The award gala took place in Ghana inside the beautiful International Conference Centre in Accra with a host of former award winners on parade. The newly elected Liberian president George Weah was represented by his lovely wife and also in attendance was ex-Barcelona winger Emmanuel Amuneke, ‘Prince of Monaco’ Victor Ikpeba and the mercurial Kanu Nwankwo. The event which was sponsored by the Aiteo group was filled with glamour as a fine core of music artistes light up the stage in a well-timed and organised show. Egyptian Mohamed Salah beat Gabon’s Aubameyang and Sadio Mane of Senegal to win the 2017 CAF player of Year which was a career first for the Liverpool flying winger. Salah enjoyed a remarkable 2017 as he powered Egypt to their first World Cup since 1990 when he scored a dramatic stoppage-time penalty against Congo during the qualifiers. The 25-year-old helped AS Roma finish second in the Serie A behind Juventus, scoring 15goals with 11 assists – that earned him a big money move to Liverpool and he has hit the ground running with 17goals in 21 matches in the premier league so far. For the female category, Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala won her third Women’s Player of the Year prize, beating Cameroon’s Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene and Chrestina Kgatlana of South Africa. “It’s been truly an emotional journey through 2017,” an emotional Oshoala said after picking her award. “I must say this is one of the special moment in my career because when I left Arsenal and moved to China a lot of people said that, Asisat your career is going to be gone but I told myself that I can do this and I think I have done that. I want to use this opportunity to encourage all the young girls do not let anyone talk you down, don’t listen to anyone, just follow your heart.”

Full Details List Of 2017 FIFA Award Winners

The 2017 Best FIFA Football Awards have been unvieled on Monday in London. As widely anticipated cristiano Ronaldo won Lionel Mercy and Neymar to win the Best FIFA Men Player award. A total of Nine awards were presented at the ceremony in various football categories. See below the full list of winners at the 2017 FIFA Best FIFA award. The Best FIFA Men’s Player Cristiano Ronaldo The Best FIFA Women’s Player Lieke Martens The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Zinedine Zidane The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Sarina Wiegman The Best FIFA Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon The FIFA Puskás Award Olivier Giroud The FIFA Fan Award Celtic The FIFA Fair Play Award Francis Kone The Best FIFPro XI: Buffon (Juventus), Dani Alves (PSG), Leonardo Bonucci (AC Milan), Sergio Ramos, Marcelo (Real Madrid), Luka Modric, Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Andreas Iniesta (Barcelona), Neymar (PSG), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid).

THE BLUES HAS AGREE £35MILLION FEE TO SIGN ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

The Blues have agreed a fee for the midfielder, who is expected to undergo a medical and join up before the transfer window closes on Thursday night Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the clubs agree a fee of £35million for his transfer to Stamford Bridge. The England international will now begin talks over a new five year contract with Chelsea before making the switch across London to join up with the Premier League champions. Pending a medical at St George's Park, the 24-year-old is expected to become Chelsea's fifth first-team signing of the summer after the club previously brought in Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata. Chelsea are keen on strengthening their English core after fielding no players from the country in the last two fixtures. Oxlade-Chamberlain's move has allowed Chelsea to release Jeremie Boga, who has renewed his contract but gone on a season-long loan to Birmingham City. Arsenal had offered a new contract to Oxlade-Chamberlain but he rejected all his club's offers with only one-year remaining on his current deal. Arsene Wenger's side have decided to cash in on the midfielder, rather than lose him for free next summer.

Oxlade-Chamberlain could be the first of several big names to arrive at Chelsea with the club also in talks with Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater. Ashley Cole was the last player to move from Arsenal to Stamford Bridge over 11 years ago.

Afrobasket championship 2017: D’Tigress crown champions

Nigeria’s female basketball team D’Tigress are champions of Africa for the third time after defeating Senegal in the final of the Afrobasket championship. D’Tigress who were unbeaten throughout the tournament defeated Senegal 65 to 48 at the Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga, Mali on Sunday. The game was a repeat of the 2005 final when Nigeria defeated the Lionesses 64-57 for their second African title.

D’Tigress had also defeated Senegal in their last group stage game. Owing to their incredible form and winning streak, D’Tigress are now among the teams to watch out for in Spain at the world championship in 2018.

Ousmane Dembele has finally sign for barcelona

Barcelona have announced the signing of Ousmane Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105m (£97m), plus a potential €42m (£38m) in add-ons. The 20-year-old forward has agreed a five-year contract with a €400m buyout clause, and will wear the No11 shirt vacated by Neymar. Fleet-footed winger Ousmane Dembele has finally been granted his dream move to Barcelona as Borussia Dortmund pocket a massive transfer fee for the precocious French talent. Having forced Dortmund’s hand by going on strike and refusing to train, the German club were left with little choice but to suspend the temperamental 20-year-old and eventually sell him to the Spanish giants. The 105 million euros ($125 million) set to be forked out by Barcelona, not including potential add-ons, on Friday dwarfs the 15m euros Dortmund paid Rennes for Dembele in July 2016. The high-profile move on a five-year deal means Dembele will fill the boots of his idol, Neymar, as Barcelona look to bolster their attack after the Brazilian’s record move to Paris Saint-Germain. Dembele joined Rennes’ academy when he was 13 and having made his first team debut in November 2015, his silky skills combined with sudden bursts of pace and lethal crosses quickly dazzled defences. Barely into his teenage years at the time, Dembele said his inspirations were Lionel Messi and Neymar – the former will be his new team-mate and the latter is the man he is replacing. “They’re great players. I try to follow their games and copy what they do in training,” said a youthful Dembele while still at Rennes. The 2015/16 season saw Dembele make his breakthrough, scoring 12 times in 26 games for Rennes in the French league and setting up five goals. – Ronaldo comparison – In March 2016, he scored a hat-trick in the derby against Nantes in a 4-1 win just a couple months shy of his 18th birthday. The French club’s then sports director Mikael Silvestre compared Dembele to Cristiano Ronaldo. “I saw Cristiano Ronaldo arrive at the same age at Manchester United and Ousmane has the same characteristics which remind me of young Cristiano,” said Silvestre. “A talent like Dembele doesn’t come along every season. You are lucky if you have one every 10 years.” Dortmund beat off reported interest from Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich to sign Dembele.

The Frenchman announced his arrival with an audacious goal on Dortmund’s tour of China, before the 2016/17 season, when the then 19-year-old made a mockery of the United defence to fire home in a 3-0 win. Despite the trauma of the April bomb attack on the Dortmund team bus, Dembele kept his composure to score when the Champions League quarter-final first leg was replayed a day later, resulting in a 3-2 defeat to Monaco. Arguably his best and most important goal for Dortmund was his left-footed strike to seal a 3-2 victory at Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the German Cup. In May’s final in Berlin, he gave Dortmund an early lead before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a second in a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt as Dembele claimed the only title of his career so far. Dortmund were able to hang onto Aubameyang, who attracted a reported offer of 80m euros from China’s Tianjin Quanjian after scoring 31 league goals last season to dethrone Robert Lewandowski as the Bundesliga’s top scorer. But despite having a contract until 2021, Borussia were effectively powerless to dampen Dembele’s dreams once Barcelona came calling.

Dembele set to join Barcelona for £150m

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund following talks in Monaco, according to sources. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu is understood to have concluded talks on a five-year contract for the forward on the Mediterranean coast on Thursday. Barcelona are unlikely to confirm the deal until it is signed but Sky Sports News have been told the move is agreed in principle and could be worth as much as £150m. Dembele has been a primary target for the Catalan side this summer, along with Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho, as Barcelona look to bring in reinforcements following Neymar's £198m move to Paris Saint-Germain. Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said last week Dortmund would not wait until the last few days of the transfer window for a deal to be agreed, insisting the 20-year-old would be staying at the club if their asking price was not met. Dembele joined Dortmund from French Ligue 1 club Rennes last summer. He scored six goals and contributed 13 assists in 32 Bundesliga matches during his first season at the Westfalenstadion. The collapse of Barcelona's approach for Philippe Coutinho then prompted the Catalans to step up their chase for Dembele in recent days. Liverpool refused to negotiate for their star playmaker, who like Dembele declined to commit his future to the club once speculation began. But with the news that Dortmund's young star will be moving, Liverpool fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Coutinho looks set to remain at Anfield.

Dembele appeared a total of 50 times for BVB, scoring 10 goals in all competitions. The last few weeks have been fraught with tension at the club, however, with the star picking up an internal suspension and facing fierce criticism for his conduct during the transfer saga. He now becomes Barca's fourth signing of the current window, after Marlon, Paulinho and Gerard Deulofeu.

Ronaldo wins UEFA Player of the Year

Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the UEFA Player of the Year after he helped Real Madrid win the Champions League for a second successive time last season. Ronaldo was shortlisted along with Gianluigi Buffon and Lionel Messi for the award, which was created in 2011. It was presented to the Portugal international at the Champions League group stage draw on Thursday. Ronaldo's outstanding performances helped Los Blancos to become the first club to retain the Champions League trophy. He scored five goals in the quarterfinal victory over Bayern Munich, with a hat trick in the second leg at the Bernabeu. Another treble followed in the first leg of the semifinal against Atletico Madrid, and two more goals came in the final success over Juventus. Barcelona's Messi scored 54 goals for his club, but they had only the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey to show for their efforts. Buffon, 39, was the losing goalkeeper as Madrid beat Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff, but helped his club to an Italian Double. The shortlist was selected using votes collected from the 80 coaches of teams in the group stage of either the Champions League or Europa League and 55 journalists put forward by the European Sports Media (ESM) group. In addition to Ronaldo's honour, Lieke Martens was named UEFA Women's Player of the Year after leading the Netherlands to the 2017 Women's Euro title this summer on home soil. The 24-year-old Martens, who plays her club football at Barcelona, scored three goals and was named player of the tournament at the Euro. "This is so amazing," she said upon receiving the award. "It's a big honour. I'm really proud, but I couldn't achieve this without my teammates. I'm speechless!" Francesco Totti was the recipient of the President's Award, which recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities. The Roma legend, who spent his entire career at the Rome club before retiring at the conclusion of last season, became the third Italian to be given the honour, joining AC Milan legends Gianni Rivera and Paolo Maldini. "I am honoured -- wearing a single shirt my entire career was my dream, and I managed to do it," he said.

Uefa champion league draw

Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham in a difficult group following the draw ceremony in Monaco on Thursday. Barcelona did not get an easy pass, either, as they were drawn against Juventus, Olympiakos and Sporting CP in Group D. Aside from Spurs, English teams received slightly easier draws, with Chelsea's matchup with Atletico Madrid among the more challenging matchups, while Liverpool will face Sevilla. Manchester United will face Benfica, FC Basel and CSKA Moscow in Group A, while Manchester City get Shakhtar Donetsk, Napoli and Feyenoord in Group F. Teams were drawn into eight groups of four. Clubs from the same national association -- as well as Russian and Ukrainian clubs -- could not be drawn together. The first group games will be played on Sept. 12-13. Group A: Benfica, Manchester United, FC Basel, CSKA Moscow. Group B: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Anderlecht, Celtic Group C: Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Roma, FK Qarabag Group D: Juventus, Barcelona, Olympiakos, Sporting CP Group E: Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Liverpool, NK Maribor Group F: Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City, Napoli, Feyenoord Group G: Monaco, FC Porto, Besiktas, RB Leipzig Group H: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham, APOEL Nicosia

Dortmund finished top of their group above Madrid last year, but new coach Peter Bosz still said Real were the most difficult challenge his side could have been drawn against in Group H. "Real Madrid are the first team that could defend the Champions League title," he said after the draw. "I also saw their [recent Super Cup] matches against Barcelona, and I have to say: That is the absolute top level in football right now. "For me, it'll be the first time at the Bernabeu, though for most BVB fans it will be a well-known feeling. Against Tottenham, a very strong team, I already played successfully with Feyenoord. And Nicosia rounds off an overall tough group. We're accepting the challenge." Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sky Germany that the club would look to the experience of finishing at the top of an equally tough group in 2012, when BVB went unbeaten against Real Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City before reaching the final. "No doubt about it. This is the most difficult group," he said. "But we've had that in 2012. We got through a group with Real and Manchester City. Heroes are born in those groups. Sure, we always get Real, and we played Tottenham in Europa League. But we can't pick the teams." Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno shrugged off the notion that his club were the favourites to advance, saying "we'll have to be at our best in order to qualify." "There're a lot of teams that start today with that [favourites] tag," he said. "We're the champions from the last two seasons, we have a great team and a winning spirit. But this competition takes you to the limit in all aspects. "It depends on a lot of factors and we must think about making it through the group stage. Hopefully we're in the draw for the last 16 as winners of our group." Tottenham will go up against their former stars Gareth Bale and Luka Modric when they host Real Madrid at Wembley this year, and Spurs forward Harry Kane called the matchups "a good draw." "You expect to play the best in Europe in the Champions League, and it's exciting for us. We look forward to these games," Kane said. "You want to test yourself against the best, and Real Madrid are the best at the moment. "It will be interesting to see where we're at and a great test for us against Borussia Dortmund and APOEL as well. I remember the game against Real Madrid at the Lane in 2011. I'm sure Wembley will be packed for the matches, and we can't wait to get started."

Liverpool agreed to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona

Barcelona have an agreement in principle to sign Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for a base fee of €90 million (£81.6m) with bonuses that could bring the deal to €120m (£108.8m), sources close to the Catalan club told ESPN Deportes' Jordi Blanco. A delegation from Barcelona headed up by chief executive Oscar Grau travelled to Liverpool on Monday night to finalise the negotiation. The Brazilian midfielder told Liverpool earlier in the day that he wanted to leave and join Barcelona, sources close to the player have told ESPN Brasil. Liverpool reportedly rejected a an €80m (£72m) offer from Barcelona last month, while manager Jurgen Klopp said last week that the Catalan side can "save their energy" in their pursuit of Coutinho. But ESPN Brasil's sources said the deal was set to go through after the player spoke to Klopp about his desire to leave. The move is Barcelona's first since the club earned €222m by selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain this week. The move is being led by Coutinho's agents Kia Joorabchian and Sam Kohansal, who also hope to negotiate a move for Paulinho to join Barca from Guangzhou Evergrande in the coming days.

Earlier, former Liverpool captain and manager Graeme Souness said the Premier League club would struggle to keep hold of Coutinho as it is hard for a player to turn down Barcelona. "I don't think you can [keep him]," Souness told Sky Sports, which reported on Monday that Coutinho wanted to leave Liverpool. "The chance to play for a team that would suit his style of play, I don't think he can say no to it, as hard as that is for Liverpool to accept. "Ultimately if he wants to go he will go, as much as the club won't want him to. He's on a contract but if the big players want to go these days then they get their own way." Fellow former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher says his old club may be able to hang on to Coutinho for now, but face a battle in keeping him away from Barca further down the line. "I don't think he will go. But he will want to go and wear that shirt," he told Sky Sports. "Who wouldn't want to go? It's Barcelona. "I'm sure whether it's this summer or next summer Philippe Coutinho will want to wear that shirt and go to Barcelona. There's nothing wrong with it. That's football."

MAN UTD. BATTLE REAL MADRID FOR SUPER CUP

Their Premier League campaign may kick-off on Sunday but Manchester United's season properly begins on Tuesday. The Red Devils face Real Madrid in a glamour tie as they compete for the UEFA Super Cup in Skopje, Macedonia. Jose Mourinho and his Old Trafford stars where seen carried on a shuttle bus from Manchester airport to their actual aircraft on Monday morning. The annual clash between the winners of the Europa League and Champions League pits Jose Mourinho’s men against Zinedine Zidane’s side at the 33,460-capacity Philip II Arena. United new boy Nemanja Matic is in contention for a starting place having impressed in the first half of their 2-1 win over Sampdoria last Wednesday.

Fellow summer signings Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku are also in line to make their competitive debuts. Defensive duo Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are suspended but Mourinho otherwise has no absences to overcome, besides the long-term injured players Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young. Bailly took to Instagram on Monday inside their plane to post a selfie with Antonio Valencia, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial with the caption: 'Macedonia, here we come!' Upon landing in Skojpe, Mourinho will hold a press conference before taking his squad for training. Speaking after their win over Sampdoria, the Portuguese manager said: 'Pre-season was good. I’m never tired to repeat how well organised it was. 'Everybody played, we tried many different things and didn’t care about the results – we cared about our evolution. On top of it, we had small injuries but not big ones so everybody is ready. 'Now it's the serious stuff with the Super Cup and the first Premier League match.' This is the second time in a few weeks that United and Real will have gone head-to-head with the former triumphing on penalties during their pre-season encounter in America.

NEYMAR JR BECOME PSG PLAYER

The Ligue 1 giants have more than doubled the previous mark for a transfer set by Paul Pogba and Manchester United as they welcome the Brazilian. Paris Saint-Germain have smashed the world transfer record by completing the €222 million signing of Neymar from Barcelona on a five-year contract. The Brazilian had been continually linked with a move away from Camp Nou over the summer, and had declined to clarify his own future as the PSG rumours grew stronger. And after weeks of denials, mixed messages and reports, he has finally been confirmed as the Ligue 1 club's latest signing on Thursday night. "Paris Saint-Germain are very pleased to announce the arrival of Neymar Jr," the Parisiens said in a statement on their official website "The Brazilian attacker signed a five-year contract in the presence of club and player representatives. Neymar Jr is now tied to the club of the capital until June 30, 2022." Earlier on Thursday, La Liga attempted to derail the deal by refusing to accept the €222m payment from Neymar's lawyer, but his representatives paid direct to Barcelona instead. In the late afternoon Barcelona confirmed they had accepted the bid and a transfer of a player they bought four years ago looked certain. The fee, equivalent to Neymar's buyout clause, shatters the existing record of €105m, set last year by Paul Pogba. PSG's new star went for over double the price paid out by Manchester United for the ex-Juventus midfielder, setting a new precedent in world football. Neymar emerged as a teenage wonderkid at Santos, winning the Copa Libertadores in 2011 before switching Brazil for Catalunya.

After moving to Camp Nou in 2013 the Brazilian hit 105 goals in 186 games for Barca, forming part of the formidable MSN forward line alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Having gone trophyless in his debut season Neymar celebrated the treble in 2014-15, adding a further Liga and two Copa del Rey trophies in the following two campaigns as well as a host of other team and individual titles.

Neymar becomes PSG player soonest as he take medical

Barcelona forward Neymar will have his medical in Doha on Tuesday prior to completing a world record €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain, Al Watan reports. The attacker has long been associated with the Ligue 1 club, who could complete the deal before their opening match of the season against Amiens on Saturday. The French club Paris Saint-Germain expressed confidence in the completion of the century deal with the transfer of Brazilian star Neymar Dasilva from Barcelona to the French capital starting from the next season 2017/2018. The home country has indicated in the past that the player will arrive Doha during the next few hours to end negotiations with the President of the club Khulaifi, and to conduct medical examinations at the Sports Medicine Hospital of Aspetar orthopedic surgery to be then the official announcement of the deal. "The Neymar deal is going well, I'm sure," he said, referring to the suspension of the deal.

Liverpool are expected to sign Virgil van Dijk by the end of the transfer window

Liverpool are expected to sign Virgil van Dijk by the end of the transfer window, according to Sky Sports. The Reds publicly ended their chase for the defender last month after Southampton complained of an illegal approach. Liverpool's position has not changed since they issue a statement last month, which read: "Liverpool would like to put on record our regret over recent media speculation regarding Southampton Football Club and player transfers between the two clubs. "We apologise to the owner, board of directors and fans of Southampton for any misunderstanding regarding Virgil van Dijk. We respect Southampton's position and can confirm we have ended any interest in the player." We understand Van Dijk still wants to move to Liverpool. He has not gone on a Southampton training camp in France. There is no suggestion that Liverpool have done anything wrong since they apologised and ended their interest, while Southampton's position remains that Van Dijk is not for sale. Chelsea and Manchester City are also interested in the player.

Barcelona have a deal with Liverpool midfielder Coutinho

Barcelona have agreed a deal with Liverpool midfielder Coutinho, according to reports in Mundo Deportivo via RAC1. The Spanish side have come to terms with the player, though will still have to negotiate with the Premier League club, who have already rejected a €75 million offer. The Barça team would already have a pact with the Brazilian player and now will negotiate with Liverpool the price of the transfer The club has accelerated in the last hours of negotiations to include Philippe Coutinho this summer to strengthen the staff of Ernesto Valverde to the point that already have a closed Brazilian midfielder for calling at the Camp Nou agreement. This has been reported 'RAC1', adding that the '10' Liverpool has everything agreed with the club and baroque only need to negotiate the amount of transfer that would perceive the set of Anfield. At first, it was speculated that Liverpool would have rejected an offer close to 75 million euros , so that the final price of the operation could exceed 80 'kilos. As we have informed from MD, a Barça emissary is already in England to begin negotiations and it is expected that in the next few hours new representatives of the Barça club will travel to speed up the procedures. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp acknowledged he has no intention of giving up one of his stars but could look favorably on the Brazilian's departure to tackle the additions of Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk .

Bayern boss says €222m for Neymar is sign of weakness

The Brazil international has been tipped for a record move to the French capital, but the Bayern chief believes it means they have failed elsewhere Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness feels it is an admission of failure for a club to spend big in the transfer market, as Paris Saint-Germain continue to be linked with an extraordinary €222 million swoop to sign Neymar from Barcelona. The Ligue 1 giants are ready to smash the world transfer record by meeting the enormous release clause in the Brazil international's contract, although Barca defender Gerard Pique suggested via a Tweet on Sunday that the 25-year-old has been convinced to remain at Camp Nou. The attacker is yet to confirm his future has been decided, though, and Hoeness believes such a transfer would be a bad sign. "This is a sign of weakness," he said of the outlays being made across Europe. "If I have to spend a lot of money to achieve nothing, it is more of a sign that I have not worked as well somewhere else. And that's why I cannot be interested in spending so much. "Not the most expensive transfer is the best, but the one who does the most. "I think that is why, in this shark basin - €100m, €200m - we must find our own way." Bayern parted with a Bundesliga record fee of €41.5m to capture Corentin Tolisso from Lyon and brought in Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim for a reported €20m. But they have also snared potential bargains in the form of Serge Gnabry, a cut-price arrival from Werder Bremen, James Rodriguez, signed on loan from Real Madrid, and free transfer Sebastian Rudy, as the team prepares to try and secure a sixth successive Bundesliga title. RB Leipzig sprung a surprise to finish second to Bayern last season, but Hoeness expects a more predictable rival to vie for the championship in 2017-18. "Leipzig will play a good season again, but the first challenger will surely be Borussia Dortmund," he said. Bayern were without a sporting director in coach Carlo Ancelotti's first campaign in charge last term, after failing to replace Matthias Sammer, who stepped down in July 2016. According to Hoeness, though, they are now close to making an appointment. "We will announce a sporting director within the next six weeks," he said.

The Brazil international has been tipped for a record move to the French capital, but the Bayern chief believes it means they have failed elsewhere Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness feels it is an admission of failure for a club to spend big in the transfer market, as Paris Saint-Germain continue to be linked with an extraordinary €222 million swoop to sign Neymar from Barcelona. The Ligue 1 giants are ready to smash the world transfer record by meeting the enormous release clause in the Brazil international's contract, although Barca defender Gerard Pique suggested via a Tweet on Sunday that the 25-year-old has been convinced to remain at Camp Nou. The attacker is yet to confirm his future has been decided, though, and Hoeness believes such a transfer would be a bad sign. "This is a sign of weakness," he said of the outlays being made across Europe. "If I have to spend a lot of money to achieve nothing, it is more of a sign that I have not worked as well somewhere else. And that's why I cannot be interested in spending so much. "Not the most expensive transfer is the best, but the one who does the most. "I think that is why, in this shark basin - €100m, €200m - we must find our own way." Bayern parted with a Bundesliga record fee of €41.5m to capture Corentin Tolisso from Lyon and brought in Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim for a reported €20m. But they have also snared potential bargains in the form of Serge Gnabry, a cut-price arrival from Werder Bremen, James Rodriguez, signed on loan from Real Madrid, and free transfer Sebastian Rudy, as the team prepares to try and secure a sixth successive Bundesliga title. RB Leipzig sprung a surprise to finish second to Bayern last season, but Hoeness expects a more predictable rival to vie for the championship in 2017-18. "Leipzig will play a good season again, but the first challenger will surely be Borussia Dortmund," he said. Bayern were without a sporting director in coach Carlo Ancelotti's first campaign in charge last term, after failing to replace Matthias Sammer, who stepped down in July 2016. According to Hoeness, though, they are now close to making an appointment. "We will announce a sporting director within the next six weeks," he said.

The Brazil international has been tipped for a record move to the French capital, but the Bayern chief believes it means they have failed elsewhere Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness feels it is an admission of failure for a club to spend big in the transfer market, as Paris Saint-Germain continue to be linked with an extraordinary €222 million swoop to sign Neymar from Barcelona. The Ligue 1 giants are ready to smash the world transfer record by meeting the enormous release clause in the Brazil international's contract, although Barca defender Gerard Pique suggested via a Tweet on Sunday that the 25-year-old has been convinced to remain at Camp Nou. The attacker is yet to confirm his future has been decided, though, and Hoeness believes such a transfer would be a bad sign. "This is a sign of weakness," he said of the outlays being made across Europe. "If I have to spend a lot of money to achieve nothing, it is more of a sign that I have not worked as well somewhere else. And that's why I cannot be interested in spending so much. "Not the most expensive transfer is the best, but the one who does the most. "I think that is why, in this shark basin - €100m, €200m - we must find our own way." Bayern parted with a Bundesliga record fee of €41.5m to capture Corentin Tolisso from Lyon and brought in Niklas Sule from Hoffenheim for a reported €20m. But they have also snared potential bargains in the form of Serge Gnabry, a cut-price arrival from Werder Bremen, James Rodriguez, signed on loan from Real Madrid, and free transfer Sebastian Rudy, as the team prepares to try and secure a sixth successive Bundesliga title. RB Leipzig sprung a surprise to finish second to Bayern last season, but Hoeness expects a more predictable rival to vie for the championship in 2017-18. "Leipzig will play a good season again, but the first challenger will surely be Borussia Dortmund," he said. Bayern were without a sporting director in coach Carlo Ancelotti's first campaign in charge last term, after failing to replace Matthias Sammer, who stepped down in July 2016. According to Hoeness, though, they are now close to making an appointment. "We will announce a sporting director within the next six weeks," he said.

Jose Mourinho has confirmed more signing for Manchester United

The Red Devils' quest to strengthen their squad may have begun to stutter but the Portuguese manager remains hopeful of making two signings Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed he wants to add a midfielder and winger to his squad. Though Mourinho would not divulge the names of his targets, Inter's Ivan Perisic and Nemanja Matic of Chelsea are thought to be at the top of his wishlist. United have signed Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku so far in the transfer window, while Mourinho has previously suggested he may be forced to settle for just one more addition. By comparison, Manchester City have spent an estimated £200million on six players, while Chelsea (four) and Liverpool (three) have recruited more fresh talent than United so far, but Mourinho remains calm about the situation. "I don't know [the current situation], honestly I don't know, Ed [Woodward] is in control," the United boss told a media conference on Tuesday. "He did Lindelof and Lukaku, he knows that I would like two more players but he also knows that I have balance, I depend on the situation, the market, and if my club is unable to do two players and just one, I accept that as a consequence of the market now. "Our relationship is good and I just wait for good news, and he knows good news is to have the players, maybe just the [one] player as soon as possible because to work together with the team is really important. "But I'm calm, I like my players, I like my squad, I trust them, so I'm calm and that's important." He added: "I would like one player [to be] a midfield player, [that] would give me more options to the balance and the team. "Another one an attacking player, especially that can play through the wings to give me more attacking options but I never speak about players that belong to other teams. "I don't like if any manager comes and would say he would like one of my players, that's not correct. I would like two more players but probably I only get one."

Costa ban from training

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has refused to consider including Diego Costa in first-team training. The Daily Mail reports Costa will not play for Conte again and has even been barred the player, from practising with his team-mates. The 28-year-old is also not on the pre-season tour of China and Singapore, having been allowed to extend his summer break, in the hope a transfer deal can be struck. Atletico Madrid is believed to be the only club keen on the Spain striker, but a deal is complicated, because Diego Simeone’s team are serving a transfer ban until the end of the year. The two clubs have also been wrangling over the fee and the details of how and when payments would be made.