Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and midfielder Cesc Fabregas have apologised to Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan after the Spain international was sent off for a reckless challenge in the teams' International Champions Cup clash. Gary Cahill's early header proved to be the difference as Chelsea secured a 1-0 win at the Rose Bowl, but the match was overshadowed by Fabregas' dismissal in the 70th minute. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said after the game that Fabregas "came by us in the dressing room and said sorry" and Conte added: "I am sorry and the player is too. "I am sorry for him and the Liverpool player. In this period the fatigue can sometimes bring a bit of going too late and I know Fabregas is a good man and it is not his habit to have this sort of … [Read more...]
Klopp reaveals why he sent Sakho back home
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that he sent defender Mamadou Sakho home from the United States preseason tour early because he repeatedly broke club rules. The France international returned to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, having been ordered to leave the club's California training base in Palo Alto by Klopp. The German boss has cited three reasons as to why he felt it necessary for the centre-back return to Merseyside. Sakho is to sit out the start of the Premier League season due to an Achilles injury and will continue his rehabilitation work at Melwood, the club's training ground. "I have to build a group here, we have to start new here," Klopp said on Wednesday. "So I thought maybe it made sense for him to fly home to Liverpool and … [Read more...]
Chelsea bid £38m for Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli face a fight to keep defender Kalidou Koulibaly at the club after Chelsea made an official approach for his services on Wednesday. New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has wasted no time in implementing his transfer masterplan at the club, already bringing in fresh faces in the form of N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi. A third major addition could now be in the pipeline with the Blues submitting a bid for Koulibaly that Napoli will consider. An offer of around £38 million has now been made by Chelsea report Sky Sport Italia. If Napoli choose to accept the offer then it would represent a hefty profit on a player they bought for just €6m in 2014 from Belgian outfit Racing Genk. Since his move to Naples, the Senegal international has blossomed … [Read more...]
Paul Pogba to seal Man United move on Friday
Paul Pogba will sign for Manchester United on Friday and is set to become the most expensive player in history, according to reports. Sources have told calciomercato.com that the France midfield general is going to complete his transfer to the Old Trafford club in the next 24 hours after his agent Mino Raiola renounced part of the 20% revenue from Pogba’s sale. Jose Mourinho has been tracking the Juve star all summer and it finally looks as though he has got his man for a world-record transfer fee of €115million, including all bonuses and add-ons. It will make the 23-year-old the most expensive player in the history of football, returning to the club four years after leaving the Old Trafford as a free agent after failing to agree a new deal with former … [Read more...]
Fabregas sent off as Chelsea down Liverpool in preseason friendly
Chelsea had Cesc Fabregas sent off as they beat Liverpool 1-0 in their International Champions Cup clash in Los Angeles. The midfielder was dismissed with 20 minutes remaining at the Rose Bowl Stadium for a late challenge on the Reds’ new signing Ragnar Klavan. Gary Cahill got the only goal of the game in the 10th minute, heading in a Fabregas corner. The England defender was also booked in the clash of the Premier League rivals, with Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno, Ovie Ejaria, Marko Grujic, Dejan Lovren and Kevin Stewart also receiving yellow cards. As well as Kavlan, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gave starts to fellow recent arrivals Sadio Mane and Loris Karius in a match which was watched by more than 53,000 in California. The closest his team came … [Read more...]
Arsenal and Liverpool receive boost as Real Madrid consider selling Jese Rodriguez
Real Madrid are willing to listen to offers for Jese Rodriguez, with Arsenal and Liverpool both set to be alerted by the forward’s availability. The 23-year-old is likely to struggle for game time this season given Real’s abundance of attacking talent, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale backed up by Isco and James Rodriguez. Jese’s prospects appear no better than last season, when he started only seven games. Marca reports that Real are ready to hear offers for their academy graduate, who has scored 13 goals in 63 first-team appearances. The versatile forward is thought to want to stay and fight for his place during pre-season, but Real may also be willing to sanction a loan exit or a permanent deal with a buy-back-option – a ploy that … [Read more...]
Wenger seek to replace injured Mertesacker
Arsene Wenger is unsure how long Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker will be out, but he is searching for a replacement. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed he would look to the transfer market to replace Per Mertesacker despite being unsure how long the defender will be sidelined. The former Germany international underwent knee surgery after suffering the injury in his side's 1-1 friendly draw against Lens on Friday. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Wenger said he was uncertain as to how long Mertesacker, 31, would be sidelined. "We have bad news on Per Mertesacker. He played in Lens on Friday night, he finished the game and had a little pain on his knee," he said. "We found out the next day that it was much more serious than expected. … [Read more...]