..::Football IV::..

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Ancelotti: Sanches will stay at Bayern Munich

Renato Sanches will stay at Bayern Munich for the start of the new Bundesliga season, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed.

Sanches had been expected to leave the German champions on loan, having only started six league matches in his first season at the Allianz Arena after joining Bayern in a €35 million deal last summer.

AC Milan were reportedly front-runners to sign the Portugal international on a temporary basis, although chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed Chelsea's Antonio Conte had also asked about the teenager's availability.

But Ancelotti, having been impressed with the displays put in by Sanches during Bayern's International Champions Cup campaign, says he will now keep the midfielder.

"On Renato, there’s no news," the Italian said at a press conference for the Audi Cup, a pre-season tournament hosted by Bayern on Tuesday and Wednesday."He's started the season with us and he’ll stay with us until the end of the transfer window, on August 31. He played well in our last game."

 

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Man Utd sign Nemanja Matic from Chelsea

Manchester United have completed the signing of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea, his new club have announced.

The midfielder, who turns 29 on August 1, joins on a three-year deal with an option to extend it by a further year after playing 121 Premier League matches for the Blues, scoring four goals.

While United declined to state how much they have paid for the midfielder, Goal understands that the clubs agreed a fee worth £40 million to take him to Old Trafford.

Matic made 30 starts in Antonio Conte's first season at Stamford Bridge, with Cesc Fabregas largely playing second fiddle to the Serbian as the club's central midfielders vied for a spot alongside N'Golo Kante.

And while Chelsea's upcoming season will be far busier than last due to having qualified for the Champions League, the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko puts Matic's long-term future at the club in doubt.

For Manchester United's part, Jose Mourinho will be reunited with a player whom he requested during his previous spell at Chelsea, and will look to Matic to provide depth in a squad that he feels is still not complete.

Mourinho told United's official website: "Nemanja is a Manchester United player and a Jose Mourinho player. He represents everything we want in a footballer; loyalty, consistency, ambition, team player.

"I would like to thank him for his desire to join us because without that, it would be impossible to have him here. I am sure our players and supporters will love him. A big welcome to our new number 31."Matic added: "I am delighted to have joined Manchester United. To work with Jose Mourinho once again was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

"I have enjoyed my time at Chelsea and would like to thank the club and the fans for their support. I cannot wait to meet my new team-mates and to start training with them.

"This is a very exciting time for the club and I am looking forward to playing my part in creating more history for this great club."

 

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Hoda signing 1kak

Congratulations & Good Luck Matic!

​

 

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Matic desperate not to disappoint Vidic at Man Utd

New Manchester United signing Nemanja Matic is eager to live up to the success enjoyed by compatriot Nemanja Vidic at Old Trafford.Matic completed his move from Chelsea on Monday after a reported fee of £40million was agreed between United and the Premier League champions.

The midfielder played for Serbia alongside former United captain Vidic, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League in a glittering career eight-year spell at the club.

And Matic is keen to make sure that his namesake has no reason to question his move from south London."Vidic was a great player, he was one of the players I looked to be similar to because he had a great career," the 28-year-old told MUTV .

"He was the leader of our national team and it's great to be at the same club, like him. I'll try to do my best to repeat what he did. I know it's going to be hard but I don't want him to tell me one day 'what are you doing there?'."

Matic admits he is proud to have been signed for a second time in his career by Jose Mourinho and is looking forward to the prospect of making his competitive debut in the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid on August 8."I feel great. Manchester is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I'm very happy because I'm now part of this great club, this great group," he said.

"My wish was to train with Jose and of course when you have a coach like him and a club like Manchester, you don't need to think a lot. My decision was very easy."He's a great coach. When I worked with him before, he always took the best from me and I improved a lot with him.

"When the coach wants you to come to the club, it gives you more motivation, more possibility and I will for sure give my best to show that I deserve to be at this club and part of the group.

"It's very important to come as soon as possible, to have time to adapt to the coach's wishes and new team-mates and I'm happy I'll have some days to train with them before the first big game, against Real Madrid.

"It will be a great game. It's going to be interesting, I think all [of] the world will be watching. They are Champions League winners and it's going to be a hard game but I'm sure we'll be ready."I'm sure that this season we can do big things."

Matic has won two Premier League titles in the last three years and he is confident that United have the strength in depth to compete for glory both domestically and in Europe this season.

"I think we can do many things. I'm sure we will try to win the Premier League and the Champions League, you never know what can happen in the Champions League," he added.

"Manchester is one of the best teams, for sure. It's difficult to make a plan before the season starts but we'll try to win every game."This competition is something special. They are the best clubs in Europe. We're happy to compare with them."

 

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Llorente to miss start of Premier League season with broken arm

Fernando Llorente has been ruled out of Swansea City's Premier League opener against Southampton with a broken arm.The striker suffered the injury in a cycling accident on holiday and is not expected to recover in time for the trip to St Mary's Stadium on August 12.

Head coach Paul Clement said Llorente's recovery is progressing but the forward could also be unavailable for Swansea's first home game, against Manchester United, the following weekend."Fernando's rehabilitating individually - he has not joined the team training yet," Clement said. "But assuming all goes well, we anticipate that happening in the next 10 days.

"I think it is unlikely he will be involved in the first couple of games, but his return will not be long after that. It was always going to be touch and go for the start of the season.

"The most important thing is that we get the arm right. You don't want him to re-fracture it and then end up with Fernando needing surgery, because a six-week injury can then become a six-month injury."


Llorente scored 15 Premier League goals last season to help Swansea stay in the top flight, and the 32-year-old was subsequently linked with a move to Premier League champions Chelsea.

 

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& Happy Birthday Matic!​

 

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Diego Costa deal imminent? Atletico Madrid plot one more deal despite transfer ban

Atletico Madrid are planning to complete one more transfer deal this summer, amid suggestions they will return for wantaway Chelsea striker Diego Costa.The La Liga giants are currently prevented from registering new players under the restrictions of a transfer ban.

They have, however, put in a deal in place for Sevilla winger Vitolo, with his €36 million release clause triggered and a short-term loan at Las Palmas sanctioned.He could be joined by another fresh face at Atletico in the New Year, with the club hoping to reach another agreement before the window of opportunity slams shut.

Chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Martin told the club’s official website: “The ban of registering players this summer market affects us in that the two players that we wanted to hire, because there were only two, will have to join us with five months of delay.“I always said that the decision to hire Diego [Simeone] and his decision to accept has been a great success for both sides.

“It is a clear example of successful synergy, where both parts have grown equally. I am sure that we have ahead several more years of joint work, where we can all continue growing."Atletico have been heavily linked with a move to bring unsettled Costa back to Spain from Premier League champions Chelsea.

Despite delivering a steady stream of goals throughout three seasons in England, the Spain international has grown unsettled at Stamford Bridge.He has been informed that he no longer figures in Antonio Conte’s plans and has fuelled the Atletico return rumours with his antics on social media.


Costa is, however, a much sought-after figure – having shown himself to be one of Europe’s top strikers – and ambitious Serie A outfit AC Milan are also monitoring his situation.

 

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Jesus Navas completes Sevilla return following Man City exit

Jesus Navas has linked up with Sevilla for a second spell following his release by Manchester City, penning a four-year contract with the Liga club.The Spain international winger has returned to his roots as a free agent, four years after leaving for England.

Sevilla pulled in close to £15 million when offloading Navas to City, but have brought him back without having to pay a fee.As has become customary, the Spanish outfit confirmed that a deal had been done in an elaborate social media video.

Navas began his professional career at Sevilla, having graduated out of their academy system.He went on to spend 10 years as part of the first-team set-up at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, making close to 400 appearances.

The 31-year-old also tasted World Cup and European Championship glory while with Sevilla, helping to raise his profile.His four seasons in England delivered further success, with Premier League and League Cup triumphs toasted, but Navas struggled to produce his best form at City.In total he made 183 appearances for the Premier League side, but managed just eight goals.

 

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Iheanacho nears £25m Leicester move as Man City overhaul continues

Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is on the verge of joining Leicester City for a fee of £25 million, Goal understands.

The Nigeria international had attracted interest from a number of clubs this summer but he was left out of City's pre-season tour of the United States in July as Leicester emerged as front-runners to land his signature.

The principles of the £25m deal have been in place for some time but the move was held up due to an image rights issue between Iheanacho and his former agents.The striker will now have a medical in the East Midlands on Tuesday and the move is set to be completed this week.

City have insisted on a buy-back clause in the deal and it has been reported that the Etihad Stadium outfit will be able to re-sign the striker for a fee of around £35m.Iheanacho emerged onto the scene under Manuel Pellegrini during the 2015-16 season but struggled for regular playing time under Pep Guardiola last term.

Guardiola made it clear to Iheanacho that he would have to find a new club at the beginning of the summer as City aim to recoup at least £100m in player sales this summer.

Midfielder Fernando is also on the verge of a move away from the Etihad, with Galatasaray heavily linked.

The sales of Iheanacho and Fernando will take the total amount of players sold by City this summer from around £30m to over £60m. Nolito, Enes Unal, Aaron Mooy and Aleksandar Kolarov have all been sold so far, while Fabian Delph is thought to be close to a move to Stoke City.

Buyers are yet to be found for Samir Nasri, Eliaquim Mangala, Wilfried Bony and Jason Denayer. The Blues have already spent in excess of £200m this summer and they remain determined to bring in at least one new forward and a centre-back.

Alexis Sanchez is the preferred option up front and City will try to broker a deal with Arsenal now that the Chilean has arrived back in England to start his preparations for the new season.

The Gunners have made it clear publicly that Alexis is not for sale and though they have been just as stubborn in private, City officials still hope to sign him this summer. However, the possibility of waiting a year and bringing him in on a free has also recently been discussed.

City have also been in contact with Monaco over 18-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe, and though reports have insisted the club are not willing to pay fees in the region of £150m, they have been interested in the Frenchman for over a year and are exploring the possibility of reaching an agreement this summer in the face of interest from Real Madrid.

The Blues also want to sign a centre-back, with Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez a target. The Spain international has a £26.5m buy-out clause and could emerge as a viable option for Guardiola, despite having previously been low down the City boss' list of targets as moves for Virgil van Dijk, Leonardo Bonucci and other, more senior defenders were explored.

Holger Badstuber has also been discussed by Guardiola and his coaching staff in recent weeks but City's interest is not thought to be concrete. Indeed, reports in Germany on Tuesday suggest the Germany international is close to joining Stuttgart on a free transfer.

Tosin Adarabioyo, the 19-year-old central defender who signed a contract extension earlier this summer, is set to go out on loan.

 

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Atletico Madrid 2 Napoli 1: Torres and Vietto complete late comeback

Fernando Torres and Luciano Vietto scored late goals as Atletico Madrid fought back from behind to defeat Napoli 2-1 and reach the final of the Audi Cup.
Diego Simeone's side trailed 1-0 with 18 minutes left at the Allianz Arena, but scruffy efforts from Torres and then Vietto turned the match around.

Atletico will meet hosts Bayern Munich or Liverpool in Wednesday's final, while Napoli will face the loser of Tuesday's second semi.Having survived a first-half penalty, which saw Jan Oblak deny Arkadiusz Milik, Atleti fell behind in the 56th minute to Jose Callejon's well taken volley.

But Antoine Griezmann teed up Torres to score from an awkward position before Vietto - who spent the 2016-17 campaign on loan at Sevilla - turned home the winner.However, Diego Godin inexplicably picked up two yellow cards in the final 10 minutes for a pair of needless, rash challenges.

The opening quarter of the game provided little by the way of goalmouth action before Griezmann's powerful header was superbly kept out by the strong left hand of Pepe Reina, who then got up smartly to thwart Nico Gaitan on the rebound.Within a minute Griezmann was in again, but this time he volleyed wide on the stretch.

Atletico were given an even greater let-off at the other end, however, as Milik saw his spot-kick saved by Oblak diving low to his left after Stefan Savic had brought down Callejon as he tried to convert Faouzi Ghoulam's teasing ball.

But Milik's blushes were spared in the 56th minute as Ghoulam delivered another cross from the left to Callejon, whose first-time volley thumped into the ground and up into the top-left corner.

Oblak could do little to keep that effort out, but he was equal to Dries Mertens' dipping free-kick eight minutes later, the Belgian having just come on for the goalscorer as Napoli set the tone for a raft of changes.

The Slovenia keeper was called into action again soon afterwards, tipping over Ghoulam's rasping drive before Atleti showed some renewed signs of life as Godin glanced a header over from close range.Torres equalised within two minutes of that miss, doing well to twist his body and convert Griezmann's cutback.

Atletico completed the turnaround with nine minutes remaining when Yannick Carrasco's corner was flicked on by Lucas Hernandez and Vietto stabbed home at the back post.

Godin's lunge on Adam Ounas earned him a second caution a minute from time to blight an otherwise positive day for Simeone's men, who are still the best part of three weeks away from the start of their season in earnest.

 

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'Matic can free Pogba at Man Utd' - McClair welcomes deal for £40m midfielder

Nemanja Matic has been backed to bring the best out of Paul Pogba at Manchester United, with Brian McClair welcoming a £40 million deal.The Red Devils have completed their third big-money capture of the summer, with a highly-rated talent lured away from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Matic arrives as a proven winner and a man who knows Mourinho’s methods well from his time at Stamford Bridge.He also helps to bolster the numbers in an important area of the field, with another holding option expected to free the likes of £89m man Pogba to make more of an impact in the final third.

Former United striker McClair told ESPN FC on the Matic deal: “United need someone who sits there behind Pogba, who played his best football when Michael Carrick also played last season.“Michael is coming to the end of a wonderful career, so United need someone who can do something similar but who will be more mobile in the coming years.

“In the short term, I could see that someone like Matic would fit in.“In some games, Paul Pogba has been in the wrong place and it has stifled his abilities which United bought him for.“Pogba’s attributes are all about attacking.“He can find a pass, beat a player and has fantastic skills. He can score goals.

“For him to have the best opportunity of success at Old Trafford, Pogba needs to be playing in the final third of the pitch as much as possible.”Pogba managed nine goals in 51 appearances for United last season, with only five of those coming in the Premier League.

He also managed just five assists in all competitions, with it clear that there is more to come from him if used in the right position and given the freedom in which to express himself.Matic should offer that, as a two-time title winner and a performer well versed in the demands of the English top-flight.

 

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PSG president Al-Khelaifi suggests Neymar deal is close

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has suggested that the signing of Neymar from Barcelona could be close to completion.Speculation in France has suggested that a world-record €222million deal to bring the Brazil star to Ligue 1 could be finalised in the coming days.

There were rumours that Neymar was in Doha to complete a medical on Monday but those proved to be unfounded as the 25-year-old put up a post on Instagram suggesting that he was flying back to Spain from a commercial trip in China.

Al-Khelaifi refused to comment on the future of a player not contracted to PSG but hinted at developments to come when he admitted that he hopes "to talk about it another time".

"I think this question is a bit hasty," he replied when asked by Medi1 TV if the transfer was set to be completed. "Today, Neymar is a Barcelona player and we'll see what will happen with him.

"But we respect all contracts signed between other clubs and players. I don't really want to talk about it at this time. I hope to talk about it at another time."I prefer not to give percentages, either, but everything in its own time..."

Al-Khelaifi did confirm, however, that PSG are in the market for star talent who can help to bring both silverware and substantial publicity to the Parc des Princes."Neymar is a world star, but I repeat, he's a Barcelona player today," he said.

"Bringing in a star is not only a question of name or reputation, but also the style of play. PSG have the ambition to have great players who are recognised around the world, to increase the reputation of the club and give the players and the coach the level to which we aspire."

 

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Bayern Munich 0 Liverpool 3: Mane, Salah and Sturridge strike as tough pre-season continues for Ancelotti

Bayern Munich's arduous pre-season continued as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Audi Cup on Tuesday.

First-half goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah and a fine late strike from Daniel Sturridge were enough to give Jurgen Klopp's side a comfortable victory at a stormy Allianz Arena.

It would have been worse for the home side had Adam Lallana not been penalised for offside when Marko Grujic swept home a third midway through the second period.

Bayern lost three of their four International Champions Cup matches against Arsenal, AC Milan and Inter and they performed little better back on home soil despite naming a strong starting line-up.

Carlo Ancelotti's side dominated possession but created little in attack as Liverpool made the most of three ruthless counter-attacking moves on the slick playing surface.

Liverpool will face Atletico Madrid in Wednesday's final, after Bayern attempt to restore some confidence before the DFL-Supercup clash with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday when they meet Napoli in the third-place play-off.

Bayern started brightly but gifted the visitors the lead after just eight minutes.Corentin Tolisso lost possession on the halfway line to Roberto Firmino, allowing the Brazilian to dart towards the penalty area and play in Mane, whose shot from a tight angle eluded Sven Ulreich.

Ulreich fared better in keeping out a Salah effort from another lightning Liverpool counter-attack, and matters got worse for Bayern as Thiago was forced off with an abdominal problem before Ulreich saved well again from Alberto Moreno's free-kick.

With 11 minutes left of the half, Liverpool doubled their lead. Mane released Moreno into the area with a brilliant backheel, and when Ulreich could only parry his cross-cum-shot towards Salah, he had a simple task of heading the ball into the net.

Bayern continued to dominate the ball without offering much of a threat early in the second half, although James Rodriguez came close with a dipping drive from the edge of the area shortly before he, too, was substituted in apparent discomfort.

Substitute Daniel Sturridge dragged a shot narrowly beyond the right-hand post as Liverpool continued to exploit spaces on the break, and only the assistant referee's flag spared Bayern on the next attack, with Lallana judged to have been interfering with play as Grujic's shot went in off the post.

Robert Lewandowski threatened with a free-kick and Mats Hummels scuffed a shot just wide from a corner, but Bayern were punished for their pursuit of a lifeline when Sturridge raced the length of their half unchallenged before clipping a sublime finish over Ulreich and into the net – although it was a goal that appeared to injure the striker, who was taken off soon after.

 

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Mane & Salah patta​

 

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Neymar to say goodbye to Barcelona team-mates ahead of world-record PSG transfer

Neymar is gearing up for his final training session as a Barcelona player as his drawn-out move to Paris Saint-Germain edges closer to completion . The Brazilian, Goal understands, will be present on Wednesday to be put through his paces along with the rest of the Blaugrana squad.

But it will be the final time he practices with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and he will use the opportunity to say goodbye to his team-mates ahead of his introduction as PSG's world-record signing. The deal is now expected to be finalised before the end of the week, with all in place for a rapid final resolution of terms.

Neymar's move to PSG has become the transfer saga of the current window, surrounded by conflicting reports and assertions leaving his future unclear. Just last week, Gerard Pique had stated in no uncertain terms that the forward was staying, although Neymar himself has long kept his silence on the matter.

What is clear is that when the move does go through, he will become the world's most expensive player ahead of previous record holder Paul Pogba. PSG are expected to meet the full cost of Neymar's €222 million release clause to force Barca into a sale, an outlay that dwarfs that which brought the French midfielder to Old Trafford.

Additionally, Neymar is reported to earn €30 million per year as the Ligue 1 side's new marquee name, with father Neymar Sr. said to be expecting his own €40m windfall as part of the deal.

 

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Neymar representative confirms PSG will pay €222m fee as deal nears completion


Neymar's representative Wagner Ribeiro has confirmed that PSG will pay the player's €222m release clause and expects a deal to be finalised this week.As revealed by Goal on August 1, the Brazilian briefly arrived at training to say his goodbyes, with Barcelona later confirming that he had asked to leave the club.


The Catalan giants went on to state that they would not allow the 25-year-old forward to leave for less than his world-record buyout fee.A statement released by the club read: "The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club’s offices.

"Faced with this position, the club has informed them they refer to the buy-out clause of his existing contract which as of 1 July totals 222 million euros which will have to be deposited in its entirety.

"Furthermore, in reply to the claim for the contract extension bonus, the club has once again made it clear that the amount remains deposited with a notary until the case is resolved. "The player remains under contract at FC Barcelona but with temporary permission to not take part in training sessions."

And Ribeiro, a representative of the Brazil international, has now confirmed that the Paris club will pay the clause and that he will be presented as a PSG player this week.

Accompanying Neymar and the player's father at the Barcelona El Prat airport, he told reporters: "PSG will pay the release clause and Neymar will be presented in Paris this week."

Neymar will now travel to Paris in the coming days to finalise his world-record transfer to Unai Emery's side.

 

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Bayern Munich 0 Napoli 2: Sarri's side too slick for Ancelotti's young guns


Bayern Munich's pre-season came to a close in disappointing fashion as they lost 2-0 to Napoli in the Audi Cup third-place play-off.

Goals from Kalidou Koulibaly and Emanuele Giaccherini gave Maurizio Sarri's side all three points and compounded Bayern's miserable run of form ahead of the start of the 2017-18 season.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti rested a number of senior players in the wake of the 3-0 loss to Liverpool on Tuesday, handing a start to several youngsters including Timothy Tillman and Manuel Wintzheimer.Napoli, who lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in their semi-final, kept faith with a strong line-up and were good value for the lead given to them by centre-back Koulibaly.

Giaccherini's well-taken finish made the win safe for Sarri's men as Bayern struggled once more to make the most of consistent spells of possession, leaving them with five defeats out of their last six pre-season games and a stark lack of confidence ahead of the DFL-Supercup clash with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.

Jose Callejon threatened a shaky-looking Bayern defence before Koulibaly broke the deadlock from a corner, blasting into the net after Christian Fruchtl's parry bounced off the head of the prostrate Arturo Vidal and into his path. Fruchtl denied Dries Mertens one-on-one as Napoli threatened to seize control of the match, however Luigi Sepe had to react smartly to deny Wintzheimer from close range.

Arturo Vidal saw the funny side when he fluffed a shot behind for a goal kick, but Bayern were again struggling to turn possession into meaningful chances, although Tillman forced substitute Rafael into a low stop just after the break.

Their hopes of rescuing a result suffered a mortal blow after 55 minutes, though, when Giaccherini was given time and space to collect Callejon's cross and rifle into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards out.



Mertens hit the side-netting when played clean through moments later, but Napoli were largely untroubled in the closing stages of their fourth pre-season victory to date.

 

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Liverpool target Keita unlikely to sign new RB Leipzig deal, admits Rangnick


Liverpool target Naby Keita is not expected to renew his RB Leipzig contract, according to sporting director Ralf Rangnick, potentially opening to door to a €50 million exit in 2018.

After a stellar first season in the Bundesliga, Keita has been heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool and Leipzig last month confirmed they had rejected a bid of €75m for the midfielder.The Guinea international is contracted to the German side until 2020, but reports in Germany claim a €50m release clause in his existing deal will become active at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

Rangnick admits it is unlikely Leipzig will tie Keita down to new terms beforehand, but reiterated the player will not be leaving in this transfer window."I am not currently assuming that we will be able to extend his contract prematurely," Rangnick told Sport Bild.

"I can assure you that Naby will be playing with us this season. All other scenarios also depend on how we do this season, how Naby plays himself and so on."Having secured a place in the Champions League by finishing second to Bayern Munich in their maiden Bundesliga campaign, an unwillingness to part with their prized assets before a landmark season is behind their staunch opposition to letting Keita go.

Rangnick said: "It does not matter at all whether it's €75 million or €100 million.We have not developed for five years so that we can lose one of our best players in the first Champions League season."That would make no sense. We want to be successful in sports."

 

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Messi wishes Neymar good luck at PSG as €222m move nears


Lionel Messi has wished Neymar good luck in his new adventure as his Barcelona colleague closes in on a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Neymar's proposed €222 million switch to the French capital swiftly gathered pace on Wednesday as he was granted permission to miss training and tie up his future.


The Brazil star informed the Barcelona board and his team-mates of his intention to leave and Messi, who lined up in the all-conquering "MSN" forward line alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez, paid tribute to his colleague in an Instagram post.

"It was a great pleasure to have shared all these years with you, friend," Messi posted alongside a photo montage of the pair. "I wish you a lot of luck in this new stage of your life. See you, I love you a lot."Messi signed a new contract at Barcelona last month, reportedly worth €565,000 per week, tying him to Camp Nou until 2021.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's continued presence at Barca is rumoured to have been a factor in Neymar's decision to leave, with his inner circle reportedly of the opinion that he will not be considered the best player in the world until he has the opportunity to step out of Messi's shadow.

Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 games for Barcelona, with 20 of those strikes coming from Messi assists. He set up Messi on 22 occasions out of a total 59 assists.

 

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Liverpool 1 Atletico Madrid 1 (4-5 on pens): Henderson miss proves costly in shoot-out

Jordan Henderson's missed penalty proved decisive as Atletico Madrid beat Liverpool in a shoot-out to win the Audi Cup.Jurgen Klopp's side had impressed in beating Bayern Munich 3-0, while Atletico came from behind to see off Napoli 2-1 in the semi-finals.


Both teams rung the changes for the finale of the exhibition tournament, resulting in a predictably disjointed contest at the Allianz Arena.Keidi Bare gave Atletico the lead with a first-half header, which had looked set to be enough prior to Roberto Firmino's 83rd-minute spot-kick.


But it was Atletico who edged the shoot-out following the end of normal time, with all of their players - including former Anfield favourite Fernando Torres - successful from 12 yards, while Henderson saw his effort crucially saved by Miguel Angel Moya.


Liverpool had the better of a low-key start to the contest and were the first to really threaten when Dominic Solanke glanced a header wide from an excellent Ben Woodburn cross.



But they fell behind in the 33rd minute when teenager Bare struck.Sime Vrsaljko's volleyed cross from the right was met by Angel Correa and, though his effort was brilliantly turned onto the crossbar by Danny Ward, Bare was poised to nod in the rebound.Liverpool made six substitutions ahead of the second half, with Firmino and Henderson among those thrown into the fray by Klopp.


Just two minutes after the restart Solanke spurned an opportunity to level matters by blazing over the crossbar.Atletico soon shuffled their pack by bringing on Antoine Griezmann, Filipe Luis and Gabi, but Jose Gimenez almost surrendered their lead as his sliced clearance from Andrew Robertson's cross went just wide.


Torres was then brought on against his old club but the Reds levelled it up seven minutes from time thanks to Firmino's coolly taken penalty. Divock Origi was felled by Gabi and Firmino promptly stepped up and slotted into the bottom-right corner.


Atletico twice went close to restoring their advantage as Ward superbly tipped Lucas Hernandez's near-post header over, with Stefan Savic hooking narrowly off target from the resulting corner.



Robertson flashed a drive across the face of goal for Liverpool, but it was Filipe Luis who had the final say from the spot to seal victory for Atletico.