Chelsea have clinched a deal for Brazil Under-20 midfielder Andrey Santos, it was announced on Friday.
Santos had been linked with several of Europe s biggest clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Barcelona, after breaking into Vasco da Gama s side last year.
The 18-year-old box-to-box player scored eight goals in 33 games in the Brazilian second tier in 2022, as Vasco won promotion to end a two-season spell outside the top flight.
Chelsea will reportedly pay around £11million for the 18-year-old, whose departure was announced in a club statement from Vasco.
It read: Vasco da Gama agreed this Friday the permanent transfer of the athlete Andrey Santos to European football.
The midfielder will defend the colours of Chelsea, fro…
Yann Kermorgant put his play-off penalty demons behind him to book Reading s place in the Championship final with a 1-0 win over Fulham.
Kermorgant suffered heartache and was briefly a figure of ridicule when his chipped spot-kick was saved as Leicester City subsided to a semi-final shootout defeat against Cardiff City in 2010.
The veteran French forward took a more conventional route on this occasion and Marcus Bettinelli could only palm his well-struck 49th-minute effort into the corner after Tomas Kalas handball.
It meant a 2-1 aggregate triumph for Jaap Stam s side after Saturday s clash at Craven Cottage finished all-square.
Bettinelli came out on top in his first duel with Kermorgant in the 13th minute, reacting to keep out a shot on the turn low do…
Former England strikers Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have defended their criticism of the Three Lions terrible displays at Euro 2024 after Harry Kane said pundits should be more supportive.
England have four points ahead of their final Group C fixture against Slovenia, though they were uninspired as they laboured to a 1-0 win over Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Their performance in the latter match was fiercely criticised, with Lineker describing the display as s*** on his The Rest is Football podcast.
England captain Kane hit back at those comments on Sunday, pointing out ex-players like Lineker failed to win international silverware and telling them to be more helpful .
On Monday s edition of the podcast, Lineker said of Kane s response: I though…
December 2, 2018. In the 56th minute of Unai Emery s first north London derby in charge of Arsenal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang curled a sensational first-time finish beyond Hugo Lloris to level the scores at 2-2.
Aubameyang s strike – his second goal of the game after a first-half penalty to open the scoring – sent the home faithful into raptures at Emirates Stadium, and the Gabon forward went on to tee up Lucas Torreira to score Arsenal s final goal in a 4-2 victory.
Having arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January of that year, Aubameyang scored 22 Premier League goals in 2018-19, sharing the league s Golden Boot award with Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
It was a tally he matched the following season, trailing the competition s top scorer Jam…
German boss Jurgen Klopp is reportedly close to joining Liverpool
According to reports from various sources, including , Liverpool is hoping to agree a deal in the next 48 hours with highly-rated German Jurgen Klopp to become the Reds next boss.
The former-Dortmund boss was the frontrunner to be Brendan Rodgers’ replacement even before the Northern Irishman was sacked on Sunday.
The 48-year-old seems like a man that fits the bill well, having helped BVB in a similar situation in his last job.
Charismatic
Klopp is a guy with a big personality and that is what Liverpool need right now. Former-boss Rodgers liked to talk, but often talked too much in the media for Reds fans liking.
When Klopp talks people listen and he talks a lot of sense …
Napoli have dismissed claims that relations with star striker Victor Osimhen have turned “frosty” after contract talks broke down without resolution.
Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had revealed discussions over an extension to the 24-year-old Nigeria international’s current deal, which runs until the summer of 2025, had reached a standstill, prompting suggestions of a breakdown in the relationship between club and player.
Osimhen, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all touted as potential suitors, has found himself in the headlines in recent weeks after a video posted on the club’s official TikTok account appeared to mock him, while he was also involved in a public spat with manager Rudi Garcia, for whi…
Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell has outlined his desire to win the big trophies with the West London club, but only if they can show the consistency required to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool.
The former Leicester man missed the majority of last season after suffering a knee ligament injury in the 4-0 thrashing of Juventus in the Champions League in October 2021.
He only featured in 13 games in the 2021/22 campaign, with Spaniard Marcos Alonso filling in as his deputy as Chelsea failed to win the Premier League, Champions League or either of the domestic cups.
But Chilwell has now turned his attentions to next season, and believes that lifting silverware is well within Chelsea s reach.
Chilwell told the Athletic: This is Chelsea, we want to …
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone is expecting a tough test against Barcelona on Saturday, even if he believes rivals Real Madrid are the better side.
Barca lead LaLiga by five points after just seven games, with champions Madrid trailing Atleti in fifth place.
But Simeone, while praising Barca s work in adapting to the loss of Neymar, still sees Zinedine Zidane s men as the best team in the world.
Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world, but Real Madrid are better now, he told a pre-match news conference.
[Barca] have reinvented themselves after the departure of Neymar. They do not stop wanting to win. They have a winning gene. They do not get tired.
SQUAD LIST | Check out who called up for .
— Atlético de Madrid…
Amid increasing speculation over the future of Sergio Ramos, former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has claimed the defender wants to leave the club for Manchester United.
Spain international Ramos is a reported target for United boss Louis van Gaal, as rumours continue to link goalkeeper David de Gea with a move in the opposite direction to join Real.
And Calderon, president of Real between 2006 and 2009, says Ramos is keen on a switch to Old Trafford.
Calderon told BBC Sport: I know Sergio has told the general manager to listen to offers they get from Manchester United.
He only wants to go to United.
Reports have suggested Ramos is seeking to capitalise on the uncertainty over his future by securing an improved contract at Real.
…
Peter Luccin was thrilled with FC Dallas comeback against the Portland Timbers, but still sees plenty of ways they can improve.
Dallas came out on top from a topsy-turvy match in midweek, winning 3-2.
It saw Dallas bounce back from successive defeats, and they sit 11th in the Western Conference ahead of Sunday s clash with Sporting Kansas City, who are six points behind in 13th.
Asked what he liked about his team s performance against the Timbers, Dallas interim boss Luccin said: Resilience, resilience from the team. That was huge.
After the first half, we were very passive with nothing offensively. The only thing about the first half that I liked was the compactness of the team. We were compact, but no one making runs, no one even putting more pressure …