Manchester United have confirmed the departure of defender Eric Bailly, who has joined Marseille on a season-long loan with the potential for a permanent transfer.
The Ivory Coast centre-back has swapped the Premier League for Ligue 1 on a deal that will initially run to the end of the 2022-23 season.
But Marseille will have the option to buy the 28-year-old before the campaign concludes.
According to reports, that will become a €6million (£5m) obligation if Bailly meets an appearances criteria and Marseille qualify for the Champions League.
Bailly arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016 and was a member of United s EFL Cup and Europa League-winning squad under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
However, various injury struggles, as well as the…
Lionel Messi has highlighted Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique as the best coaches he has worked under at Barcelona.
Guardiola coached Messi between 2008 and 2012, with Barca winning 14 trophies during his tenure at Camp Nou.
Tito Vilanova took over when Guardiola left and guided Barca to a LaLiga title in 2012-13, though he left the post due to ill health and subsequently died of cancer within a year.
After Gerardo Martino s brief spell in charge, former Barca attacker Luis Enrique took charge in 2014 and enjoyed three trophy-laden years as Blaugrana boss.
Luis Enrique guided Barca to two LaLiga titles, three successive Copa del Rey triumphs and the 2014-15 Champions League.
In 105 league appearances under Luis Enrique, Messi netted 106 goals – …
According to The Athletic, Manchester City are expected to accept a £30 million offer from Al-Ahli for the services of Riyad Mahrez.
The 32-year-old winger joined the Premier League champions from Leicester City in 2018 for a reported fee of just over £60 million. Since then, he s gone on to score 78 goals and produce 59 assists in 236 appearances for Pep Guardiola s side in all competitions, adding four Premier League titles to the one he spectacularly won with the Foxes in 2016, winning three League Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields, and crowning his time at the Etihad with the Champions League trophy last season.
Mahrez has apparently accepted Al-Ahli s offer of £25m per year in wages, and the medical preceding his move to the Middle East is scheduled to …
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach died on Monday at the age of 61, the university has announced.
Leach passed away at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, due to complications from a heart condition.
In a statement, the Leach family said: Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity.
We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father s life.
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum said: Coach Mike Leach cast a treme…
Liverpool did just enough to stay in the Premier League title race on Tuesday evening at Villa Park, beating Aston Villa to equal Manchester City s point tally for the time being.
Their job became very difficult early on, as Douglas Luiz took full advantage of a linesman blunder to open the scoring for the home side. Joel Matip was composed enough, however, to equalize from a scramble inside the Villa box very quickly. Luis Diaz eventually set Sadio Mane up for a header skillfully guided by the Senegalese past Emiliano Martinez for the goal that made sure the visitors walked away with the whole prize.
The early controversy
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was introduced to try and reduce the human error factor in officiating as much as possible, but the goal Do…
Best Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker:
Turning their attention to European duties in midweek, Rangers will look to pick up an early advantage when they make the trip to Swedish side Malmo on Tuesday evening.
Malmo
Starting with the hosts, managing to avoid what was a real scare away at Finnish outfit HJK last week, Malmo just about managed to extend on their Champions League qualifying adventure. Eventually landing themselves a 4-3 aggregate victory following an action-packed 2-2 draw on foreign soil last time out, Jon Dahl Tomasson s side will know that they face another tough test on Tuesday evening. Struggling to find top gear during their back-to-back European ties against HJK and Riga over the past three weeks, the Light Blues still find themselves in a battle to def…
Bayer Leverkusen brothers Lars and Sven Bender will retire from football at the end of the season.
The two 31-year-olds confirmed on Monday that 2020-21 will be their last campaign in senior football.
In a statement, they said the decision was motivated by health and family , saying: Unfortunately, it s becoming increasingly more difficult for us to perform consistently at that level because of all the pain and physical problems, which are affecting us more and more.
This decision has been anything but easy not least because of the honest, fair and understanding relationship with the Leverkusen club management in the past and right up to today. Bayer 04 now have time to plan and that was important to us.
Of course, we ll do all we can to write a succes…
The second Saturday of the new Premier League campaign did not disappoint, serving up a thrilling comeback, a spectacular home debut and a familiar sinking feeling for Manchester United supporters.
If last week s 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion represented a baptism of fire for Erik ten Hag, United s trip to Brentford provided further despair as the dismal Red Devils hit a 30-year low.
There was more joy for rivals Manchester City as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Bournemouth, while Gabriel Jesus made good on his pre-season promise with a dominant performance against Leicester City.
Here, Stats Perform trawls through Opta s data to bring you some of the best numbers from the day s Premier League action.
4-0 |
— Brentford FC (@Brentford…
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that last season’s Ligue 1 champions PSG could make a bid for the Croatia international next summer, with former Serie A champions Inter open to selling the 29-year-old defensive midfielder at the right price.
PSG, though, are not the only European powerhouse who are keen on signing Brozovic. Former Premier League and UEFA Champions league winners Liverpool want to sign the 29-year-old next summer, and so do their Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Brozovic has been on the books of Inter since 2015 and has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Serie A. The Croatia international won the Serie A, the Coppa Ita…
Competition: Euro 2016 Qualifier
Market: Netherlands to win against Iceland
Odds:
Netherlands lock horns with Iceland in their Euro 2016 qualifier this week, and the Oranje are favourites to come out on top with home advantage. Boasting a squad with the likes of Memphis Depay (Manchester United), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) and a rejuvenated Robin Van Persie (Fenerbahce), only a win will do for the hosts after a poor start in their group.
Currently third in the table, Netherlands are six points off first-placed Czech Republic, and could go second ahead of Iceland if they win Thursday night’s clash. Join top scorers in the group so far, Danny Blind’s men are hoping to build up some momentum in a crucial tie that could well shape the outcome of the table…