The 24-year-old has struggled for minutes in the early portion of the season and has been linked with a move abroad.

Photo by Getty Images

All the signs point to Dele Alli leaving Tottenham soon, claims former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas.

Alli has fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho in the season’s early stages, failing to even make the bench for wins over Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Southampton before starting and playing an hour in Thursday’s win at Shkendija in the Europa League.

The relationship between Alli and Mourinho has come under heavy scrutiny as the midfielder has been linked with a move away from north London.

PSG and Real Madrid have been mooted as potential destinations, while Ray Parlour believes his former side Arsenal should make a £50 million ($64m) move for the 24-year-old.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Jenas has said that he believes Alli will leave Spurs because his relationship with Mourinho is broken beyond repair.

“I don’t feel like it’s one that can be reconciled, I feel like it’s a parting of the ways,” Jenas said.

Jenas claimed that Alli should be keen to leave in order to get back in Gareth Southgate’s England plans, having been left out of the Three Lions’ Nations League squad for their matches in September.

“Everything Jose does is to get a reaction,” Jenas continued. “I would be concerned if I was Dele. He has always been loved by everyone and every manager.

“No doubt that his form has dipped over the last 18 months, he knows that more than anybody.

“Two weeks ago I would have said, if I was Dele Alli, I would stay and dig in. But all the signs lead to getting him out of there.

“At the end of the season there’s the Euros – he would be desperate to get back in Gareth Southgate’s thoughts. The only way he is going to do that is by playing football and scoring goals again.

“Right now it doesn’t feel like Jose Mourinho or Spurs is the place for him. I’d be looking to move on now.”

Alli and Spurs will face Newcastle on Sunday in Premier League action, having started their domestic campaign with a loss against Everton and a win at Southampton.

Source – Goal.com

The former striker says it would be bad business for his old club to give into BVB’s demands amid the financial uncertainty caused by Covid-19.

Photo by Getty Images

Andy Cole says he understands Manchester United‘s reluctance to spend “crazy money” on Jadon Sancho, with his £109 million ($139m) price tag deemed too high “in this current climate”.

United’s well-documented pursuit of Sancho has been the longest-running transfer story of the summer, and it looks highly likely to rumble on until the market closes on October 5 unless a breakthrough in negotiations is made.

The German outfit have made it clear from the outset that they will not sanction a prized asset’s departure for less than €120m (£110m/$140m), but the Red Devils are not prepared to pay the full amount upfront.

Goal has reported that Sancho has agreed on personal terms with United through his agent, but Dortmund have publicly declared that he will be staying put for at least one more season on several occasions.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has only been able to add one other player to his ranks so far this summer, with Donny van de Beek moving to Old Trafford from Ajax for £35 million ($45m).

And  Cole has told Goal that the Red Devils are now having to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City for new signings – a tall order given the recent success of the club’s two major rivals.

The former England striker has now warned that the Red Devils would be unwise to fork out large transfer fees due to the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis, which has seen top clubs across Europe, including Real Madrid, tighten the purse strings.

Asked whether United should meet Dortmund’s valuation of Sancho, the treble winner told the PA Agency : “That is big money, crazy money.

“You don’t know when punters are going to be allowed back into the stadiums. Every club must be losing absolute fortunes.

“When you look at a team like Real Madrid spending no money, what does that tell you? They’ve done no business, so you know something is wrong with football.

“Looking at it from outside, I think Man United are saying ‘we are not going to spend money willy-nilly. If the right individual comes in at the right price, yeah, we’ll do it’. But £109m, in this current climate?”

Cole does acknowledge that Solskjaer’s squad is still in need of some surgery, with it his belief that two key positions must be strengthened to close the gap on Liverpool and City.

“I know they’re trying to bring in players that are going to improve the squad, and rightly so,” he said.

“Centre-half, centre-forward – I look at those two positions. They are two paramount positions in your team. The midfield area for me is now sorted, there is enough creativity in there to play as well as any midfield in the Premier League, so I think those [other] areas [need strengthening].”

Cole also discussed the development of academy graduate Mason Greenwood, who made headlines recently for being sent home from England’s national team squad after breaching coronavirus social distancing protocols in Iceland.

The 18-year-old scored 17 goals in all competitions during a breakout 2019-20 campaign, and a club legend wants to see the striker offered greater protection as he matures and hones his craft.

“He has a big future in the game for me,” Cole added. “And if we’re prepared just to let him play and stop talking about his misfortunes, I think we’ll get the best out of him.

“Because when we continue to speak about his misfortunes, I think that is when he could have a few problems, worrying about the perception of him.”

Source – Goal.com

Frank de Boer, who won 112 caps and played at two World Cups for the Netherlands, has been appointed his country’s national team coach.

Frank de Boer was at Atlanta United before leaving in July after 18 months in charge

The 50-year-old replaces Ronald Koeman, who left last month to take over as Barcelona head coach, and has signed a two-year contract up to the 2022 World Cup.

Former defender De Boer, who also played for Barcelona and Ajax, won a record four successive Dutch league titles as coach of Ajax between 2011 and 2014.

But three subsequent jobs outside the Netherlands proved disappointing. He was fired by Inter Milan after 85 days in charge in 2016 and the next year lasted 10 weeks at Crystal Palace.

His last position was at Atlanta United in Major League Soccer where he led the club to cup success before leaving in July after 18 months in charge.

Ronald Koeman left the Netherlands to become the new head coach of Barcelona

De Boer will be thrust quickly into his new job with a friendly against Mexico and two Nations League games early next month. The Netherlands host the Mexicans in Amsterdam on October 7 before travelling to Bosnia on October 11 and Italy on October 14.

Source – Sky Sports

The Spanish side received a massive offer for the centre-back but have refused to sell him just yet.

Photo by Getty/Goal

Atletico Madrid rejected a £78 million (€85m/$99m) offer from Manchester City for defender Jose Gimenez, the La Liga club’s president Enrique Cerezo confirmed.

Gimenez, 25, has been linked with a move to City and AS reported earlier this month that Atletico had turned down a big-money offer from the Premier League club.

Cerezo confirmed the La Liga giants had received the offer from City, but wanted to keep the defender – who tested positive for coronavirus on Monday – at the Wanda Metropolitano.

“We did receive the offer,” he told El Transistor. “But Gimenez is a magnificent player and we are interested in having magnificent players in the team.”

Gimenez joined Atletico Madrid in 2013 from Uruguayan club Danubio and has gone on to become a first-team regular under Diego Simeone.

South American football expert Tim Vickery recently expressed his belief that Gimenez could prove to be a shrewd albeit expensive buy for Pep Guardiola’s side.

“Gimenez is one of the best young centre-backs around. He is a baby-faced assassin. Only 25, and he looks younger, but he has already played two World Cups and he is as hard as nails and he can play as well,” Vickery told Sky Sports.

“He has perhaps never operated in a team that is as attack-minded as Man City. Both with Atletico Madrid and Uruguay he is with more reactive teams so this would be a challenge for him but there aren’t many better young centre-backs around in the world.

“I think it would be a costly piece of business for Man City, but a very good one.”

After finishing third in La Liga last season, Atletico – who have agreed a deal to sign Barcelona star Luis Suarez – begin their new campaign at home to Granada on Sunday.

Barcelona are ready to consider bids from Man Utd for their forward Ousmane Dembele, according to reports in Spain.

Jadon Sancho has been consistently linked with a move to Man Utd, however that deal seems to have reached an impasses with the Red Devils now looking for alternative options in the transfer market.

One name that has emerged as a possible option is Dembele, who has struggled with injury issues at Barcelona following his €105m move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017.

On Tuesday, the Daily Record claimed that Man Utd have proposed a season-long loan deal for the Frenchman, while the Catalan giants want him to leave permanently.

The report added that the Red Devils have ‘progressed talks’ over a deal for Dembele with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward speaking to Barcelona chiefs about the viability of a move.

And now AS (via Sport Witness), who touch on the Daily Record‘s report, claims that – after failing to land Ansu Fati or Gareth Bale – United will pursue their ‘plan D’ option of Dembele.

And Barcelona would consider offers from the Red Devils if the ‘proposal is real’ due to his poor displays and injury record.

On a different note, Sport Witness say that another Spanish publication, Mundo Deportivo, reckons that Ronald Koeman is ready to give Dembele more playing time and that the Dutchman wants him to stay.

Source – Football365.com

The Uruguayan departs Camp Nou after six seasons in which he tallied 198 goals in 283 games for the club.

Photo by Getty

Barcelona have confirmed that Luis Suarez has joined Atletico Madrid after the two Spanish sides came to terms on a deal for the Uruguayan star.

Atleti will pay Barca €6 million (£5.5m/$7m) to acquire the striker, who departs Camp Nou after six seasons with the club.

Suarez had been heavily linked with Juventus in recent weeks as the Italian champions have been in the hunt for a striker, but the Bianconeri moved on to other targets after Suarez was forced to go through a lengthy process of acquiring Italian citizenship.

Instead, he’ll head to Atleti after a stay with Barca that saw him claim 13 trophies while becoming the club’s third-highest all-time goalscorer, only topped by Cesar and Leo Messi.

“FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Luis Suarez. The Madrid club will pay FC Barcelona €6 million in variables,” the Catalan club announced.

“FC Barcelona would like to publicly express their gratitude to Luis Suarez for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future.”

Suarez originally made the move to Barcelona in 2014, having emerged as a superstar during his time with Liverpool.

He went on to score 198 goals in 283 games for the Blaugrana, earning the Golden Shoe as Europe’s top scorer after scoring 59 total goals in 2015-16.

While at Barca, Suarez won four La Liga titles and a Champions League, as he famously scored against Juventus to secure that European title for Barca.

He’ll now join Diego Simeone’s Atletico outfit, giving the club an option up top following the departure of Alvaro Morata, who recently joined Juventus on an initial 12-month loan deal with an option to buy for €45m (£40m/$52m).

Suarez scored 21 goals in 36 games for Barca last season as he battled injury midway through Barca’s campaign in what turned out to be his least-prolific season at the Camp Nou.

After arriving in August, new Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman told Suarez he would not be in his plans for the upcoming season, sealing the 33-year-old’s fate at Camp Nou.

Now with Atletico, Suarez could be ready in time for this weekend’s match against Granada with the club then set to visit Huesca next Wednesday.

Source – Goal.com

The club’s 0-0 draw with Hellas Verona has been turned into a 3-0 loss due to an administrative mistake.

Photo by Getty

Roma have been punished with a 3-0 defeat for fielding an ineligible player against Hellas Verona in their Serie A opener on Saturday.

Lega Serie A announced on Tuesday that Roma used a player over the age of 22 who had not been registered on their 25-man list with the league.

Guinea midfielder Amadou Diawara turned 23 in July but was mistakenly included in the under-22 section of the club’s squad for the season. Under-22 players don’t count towards the total of 25, meaning an extra player could be included in the squad.

The game at the Marc’Antonio Bentegodi finished goalless but Roma will return to zero points for the season following their sanction.

“Roma have employed a player not registered in the 25-man squad communicated by certified email on September 14, 2020, despite having become over 22,” a Lega Serie A statement read.

“[Serie A] resolves to sanction Roma with the sporting punishment of the loss of the game with a 0-3 score.”

Verona head coach Ivan Juric was also fined €5,000 for giving his team instructions from the stands while serving a touchline ban.

According to Sky Sports Italia, Roma will appeal the decision.

Sky reported that Roma have admitted the error but argued that when their squad list was submitted, the system should have signalled an error given Diawara’s age. If so, the league may be able to confirm whether an alert was sent or not.

Roma’s season has already started with plenty of uncertainty as the club look to finalise their squad with the season now underway.

Edin Dzeko appeared to be on his way to Juventus but that deal is in doubt due to complications over Roma’s move for their preferred replacement, Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik.

In the meantime, Dzeko’s move could be off with Juve now having signed Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid.

Cengiz Under has left to join Leicester on loan, while Roma did manage to recently bring in defender Marash Kumbulla from Hellas Verona.

Roma will host Juventus on Sunday after the defending champions began life under Andrea Pirlo with a 3-0 win against Sampdoria at the weekend.

Source – Goal.com

The 33-year-old striker appears set to join Diego Simeone’s men after a proposed transfer to Juventus did not materialise.

Photo by Getty

Luis Suarez is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid after the striker’s representatives made a breakthrough in talks with Barcelona on Tuesday.

Sources have confirmed to Goal that an agreement was reached after discussions between Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Suarez’s team.

Suarez will receive a settlement from Barcelona after the final year of his contract at Camp Nou is terminated

Luis Suarez is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid after the striker’s representatives made a breakthrough in talks with Barcelona on Tuesday.

Sources have confirmed to Goal that an agreement was reached after discussions between Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Suarez’s team.

Suarez will receive a settlement from Barcelona after the final year of his contract at Camp Nou is terminated

That will free the 33-year-old to join Diego Simeone’s men on a two-year contract, which will be worth €9 million (£8m/$11m) per season and include a number of incentives.

The Uruguayan is set to travel to Madrid to undergo a medical in the coming days and could even be in line to make his Atletico debut in Sunday’s La Liga opener against Granada.

Suarez’s move to Atletico appeared to be in some doubt after Bartomeu initially decided that he was unwilling to allow the striker to join one of his side’s chief rivals. 

However, the Blaugrana president has softened his stance and everything now appears in place for the forward to move to the Spanish capital.

Suarez has looked destined to leave Barcelona following the arrival of new head coach Ronald Koeman, who told the Uruguayan that he was not in his plans moving forward.

The veteran forward initially looked to be joining Juventus and even reached an agreement with the Serie A champions over a contract, subsequently travelling to Italy for a language exam in order to get a passport.

On Sunday, though, Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici confirmed that a deal for Suarez was off, and there are now questions over irregularities in Suarez’s language exam.

Juventus did eventually manage to sign a new striker, landing Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid on Tuesday on an initial 12-month loan deal, with the option for a second season and a permanent move for €45m (£40m/$52m).

Morata’s departure will open up more minutes for Suarez, who leaves Barcelona having established himself as one of the club’s all-time great strikers.

In his six seasons as a Barca player, the Uruguayan scored 198 goals and leaves as the club’s third all-time top scorer, behind only Lionel Messi and Cesar.

Source – Goal.com

Alex Telles is hopeful of sealing a move to Manchester United from Porto this week and becoming Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s second signing of the window. Negotiations for the 27-year-old Brazil left-back, who has a release clause of €40m (£36.7m), are advanced.

Alex Telles celebrates after scoring one of two penalties for Porto against Braga on Saturday. He set up the team’s other goal in a 3-1 win. Photograph: Manuel Fernando Araujo/EPA

United are attempting to drive down his price to a maximum of €25m because Telles is in the final year of his contract. The player’s salary at United would be about £75,000 a week.

Telles, who won his sole Brazil cap against Panama last year, would provide competition for Luke Shaw and pose a greater goalscoring threat than the England international. Last season Telles, who takes penalties, scored 11 times in the Primeira Liga and made eight assists. In Porto’s opening-day 3-1 win over Braga on Saturday he scored two penalties and provided the assist for Sergio Oliveira’s strike. In 158 Premier League appearances for United Shaw has scored once and made seven assists.

Solskjær’s only signing of the window has been the midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax.

Source – Theguardian.com

The AC Milan star helped his side to an opening-day win in Serie A, scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory over Bologna at San Siro.

Photo by Getty

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice in AC Milan’s Serie A opener against Bologna on Monday night – but he says he would have had four if he was a younger man.

The mercurial Swede got both goals in a 2-0 win for Stefano Pioli’s side at San Siro, scoring a towering header from Theo Hernandez’s first-half cross before doubling his tally from the penalty spot after the break.

He looked certain to seal his hat-trick midway through the second half after taking the ball around goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, but blazed over with the goal gaping – missing the opportunity to become the oldest-ever player to net a triple in Serie A.

“I’m fine, I’m working, this is the second official match,” Ibrahimovic told Sky Sport Italia after the game.

“We won, I could have scored more goals. If I was 20, I would have scored another two. I’m like Benjamin Button, I was born old and I die young.”

Milan have started the season positively, with Monday’s result following a 2-0 away win at Shamrock Rovers in Europa League qualifying.

They will be hoping to carry on their superb form from the end of last season, when they rose to sixth in the table with nine wins and three draws from their final 12 league games.

Ibrahimovic was crucial to that run, scoring 10 and assisting five in 18 Serie A appearances after his move from LA Galaxy.

“We are not yet at 100 per cent, we still made some mistakes that we usually wouldn’t,” he added.

“Today it was important to win the first game and start well. Our goal is to do better than last year.