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Former Schalke winger Donis Avdijaj says turning down the chance to join Liverpool is the biggest mistake he has made in his career.

Avdijaj spent seven years with Schalke, having joined at the age of 14 in 2011 and progressed through the youth system. 

He left on a free transfer to Willem II in 2018 having made 12 appearances for the Schalke first-team.

The Kosovo international was released by the Dutch club in March 2019 and was snapped up by Trabzonspor that summer, though he left a few months later to join Hearts in January. The 23-year-old finds himself without a club again as his time at Hearts has come to an end.

Avdijaj admits his career could have gone another way as the Premier League champions and Real Madrid wanted him a few years ago.

He told Sport1 : "My biggest mistake, which I bitterly regret, was turning down another mega offer from Liverpool before I signed the long contract with Schalke, which was a matter close to my heart. I also had one from Real Madrid."

However the winger remains optimistic about his future, as he has already received several offers for next season.

"I already have a lot of requests from clubs," he said. "I have to probe first. I have to make a plan for myself, where I want to go, what is best for me, and how to proceed. There are a lot of talks going on."

He added: "I've never doubted myself. I am still convinced of myself. In most of my past stations, the sporting side speaks for itself. 

"I convinced athletically in Netherlands. After a long break without football, I played 20 games at Trabzonspor and almost played through in the Europa League. I also had 10 or 12 games at Hearts and you don't know how things would have gone if the coronavirus pandemic hadn't intervened.

"I could have had a bit more luck in Scotland, but if I continue to believe in myself, train hard and play well in the next club, I'll get back that little bit of luck that I might have been missing lately. 

"I know that it is up to me what my sporting future looks like. It certainly doesn't matter whether I've played at one club for five years or have 10 clubs in five years.  In the end, only one thing counts for me, namely that I can play football and show what I can do."

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has cancelled the 2020 Africa Women's Cup of Nations and also approved the creation of the first-ever African Women's Champions League.

Goal understands these outcomes were part of the decisions reached during the virtual Caf Executive Committee meeting held on Tuesday, June 30.

This means the continental women's showpiece, which was slated for November, will not take place, having been held biennially since it was last staged in Ghana in 2018.

The news will come as a rude shock to women's football fans in Africa, after they had geared up for this year's edition of the competition for women's national teams.

In July 2019, Caf made a positive step with the expansion of the African Women's Cup of Nations from eight to 12 teams for the 2020 tournament, which was the first change to the format after 11 editions.

Six months later, a record total of 36 national teams have entered the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Awcon finals, with 11 countries expected to make it out of the qualification series.

In April, Caf confirmed the postponement of the 2020 Awcon qualifier a few days prior to the first round of matches due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With another postponement expected in the face of the inability to ensure the staging of the two rounds of the qualifier, the continent's football body, subsequently, decided to cancel the event.

"Due to challenging conditions, the 2020 edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has been cancelled," Caf confirmed in a statement.

However, Caf announced the launch of a new Women’s Champions League, which is scheduled to kick off in 2021.

This could be seen as an appeal to the dampening spirits of women's football stakeholders and fans following the disappointing news of the 2020 Awcon cancellation.

"Meanwhile, the Caf Women’s Champions League will be launched in 2021. The format and other details will be communicated in due course," it further disclosed.

The development will see Africa become the fourth confederation with a continental club competition after South America's Copa Libertadores Femenina, Asia's AFC Women's Club Championship and Europe's Uefa Champions League.

It also opens the door for Africa to take part in the inaugural Fifa Women's Club World Cup, as confirmed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, in the coming years as part of his future plans for women's football.

Kaizer Chiefs have announced that George Maluleka is no longer their player following the expiry of his contract on June 30.

Chiefs have also parted ways with Joseph Molangoane and Kabelo Mahlasela whose contracts both also ran out.

Headlining the departures is Maluleka, who is set to be officially unveiled as a Mamelodi Sundowns player after six-and-half seasons at Naturena.

The former Ajax Cape Town midfielder turned down a new Chiefs deal offer earlier this year before signing a pre-contract with Mamelodi Sundowns in March.

“George Maluleka's contract has expired and he opted not to renew it as previously stated. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” announced Chiefs.

Maluleka made 19 Premier Soccer League (PSL) appearances for Chiefs this season and contributed five assists.

Also leaving is Malongoane, whose last two seasons at Chiefs were made difficult by persistent injuries and extremely limited game time.

The 32-year-old managed to feature in just two games for Chiefs in the past two seasons and was yet to play a single minute this term.

“Joseph Molangoane's contract has expired and it has not been renewed. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Thank you for your contribution,” announced Chiefs.

Malongoane and Maluleka have been followed through the exit door by Mahlasela, who had been out on loan at Polokwane City since January.

“Kabelo Mahlasela has left the Club as his contract was not renewed. We wish him all the best at Polokwane City FC and going forward,” said Chiefs.

While the midfielder is reportedly close to sealing a permanent move to Polokwane, he had said that he hoped to stay at Chiefs.

“I’ll be lying if I say I don’t want to play for Kaizer Chiefs anymore. But this is football and this is life,” Mahlasela told IOL.

"Sometimes we don’t get all the things we want. At times you have to move and try and move out of any situation you are facing. If it happens that I go back to Chiefs, only God knows, I’ll really appreciate that. If it doesn’t, I have to move on and focus on my next move. What I love the most is playing football.”

Mikel Arteta spoke of his respect and admiration for Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, whose advice he still seeks regularly.

Arteta worked under the tutelage of Guardiola as his assistant from July 2016 until departing to replace Unai Emery as Arsenal head coach last December.

Earlier this month, Arteta had an unhappy return to the Etihad Stadium as the Gunners were beaten 3-0 by City when the Premier League returned from its coronavirus hiatus.

He has a chance to avenge that defeat before the end of the campaign after the teams were drawn to face one another in the FA Cup semi-finals, with Arsenal overcoming Sheffield United and City defeating Newcastle United to make the last four.

Arteta recognises the challenge Arsenal face but acknowledges to win the biggest prizes Arsenal have to overcome the best teams.

"We have spoken a few times in recent weeks. Facing them again in the semi-final is a tricky one but look at the level of the teams who are involved in the competition," Arteta said. "If you want to win the title, you have to beat the best teams and if we want to do that we have to beat City."

Arteta may no longer work under Guardiola but says he is still able to seek his counsel.

"Yeah, he's a person that I have huge respect and admiration [for] and we talk about a lot of things," he added. "When I need advice or I want him to support me he's always there and willing to help me. For me it's great to have someone like him around."

Since leaving City for Arsenal, Arteta has sought to blood the youngsters within his squad. Bukayo Saka has particularly flourished under Arteta, while big things are expected of academy prospect Folarin Balogun.

Both youngsters are out of contract in June 2021, with Saka linked to the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, while Southampton are said to be monitoring Balogun's situation, but Arteta is confident of tying both players down to long-term contracts.

"I am not worried because I know that the club is doing their best to try to keep them," he added. "Hopefully we can have some good news about them very soon. They know my opinion on them and how much I like working with them, the intention that I have in the future with them. 

"I see them really committed and hopefully we can find the right agreement for both parties and move on, because I think there's a great future ahead of us with these kids."

Benjamin Mendy says he is "happy" that Pep Guardiola missed him during his two lengthy spells on the sidelines, and is now hoping to play a key role in Manchester City's future bids for silverware.

Mendy's first two seasons at City were completely ruined by a persistent knee injury, which prevented him from justifying the club's £52 million ($64m) investment in his talent.

The France international arrived at Etihad Stadium from Monaco in 2017 with a reputation as one of the most dynamic left-backs in European football, but has only recently started showing flashes of his best form.

The 25-year-old has featured in 26 games for City this season, and has been in Guardiola's line-up for three of the team's four outings since the Premier League resumption on June 17.

City have won eight trophies in total since Mendy's arrival in Manchester, but he admits that those successes were tinged with a sense of regret over his limited contribution.

The World Cup winner says Guardiola's support has been crucial in keeping his spirits up through a frustrating period, and he is now eager to help City add a first Champions League and another FA Cup to their trophy collection come the end of the season.

“When he [Pep] said he missed me I am always happy,” Mendy told the club's official website. “It is something very good and it touched me.

“I want to show him, I think he knows, but I want to show Manchester City and the world.

“First Manchester City, because it is my team and I love this team and give everything for them because they deserve that for what they did for me for two years, while winning the cups and titles.

“I played a few games, but honestly, you win and I don’t feel the same. I am happy, but I don’t feel the same.

“I want to fight and say I helped my team win this trophy.”

City are currently preparing to welcome newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool to the Etihad on Thursday, having relinquished their crown by falling 23 points behind Jurgen Klopp's men with seven games left to play.

Mendy insists the Blues will be motivated to get one over on the runaway leaders after a disappointing title defence, as he added: “What they are doing is incredible.

“In the game against them we need to show them that we won the title two times and we want to beat them.

“It will be a good game for us and them too.”

Barcelona will receive a fee of €10 million (£9m/$11m) after Getafe exercised their option to buy Marc Cucurella on Tuesday.

Cucurella began his professional career at Barca in 2017, but ended up being sold to Eibar two years later after failing to break into the senior squad.

However, the Blaugrana performed a swift U-turn and triggered the €4 million buy-back clause in the Spaniard's contract just 16 days after his departure, before sending him straight out on loan to Getafe for the 2019-20 season.

Cucurella has been deployed on the left wing under Jose Bordalas at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, where he has contributed one goal and six assists in 39 games across all competitions.

The 21-year-old's performances have helped Getafe rise to fifth in La Liga and within sight of Champions League qualification, and they have now taken steps to ensure his services will be retained beyond the end of the current campaign.

Cucurella's move to Getafe has been officially made permanent, bringing to an end his long-term affiliation with Barca once and for all.

Cucurella had been linked with a move to the Premier League earlier this year, with Chelsea reportedly among his potential suitors, and Barca will receive 10% of any fee if the versatile star switches clubs again in the future.

Bordalas is currently preparing his side for a crucial meeting with La Liga leaders Real Madrid on Thursday night.

Getafe's chances of a top-four finish will be significantly boosted if they can pull off an upset, and they could do Cucurella's former club Barca a huge favour in the process.

Quique Setien's side are trailing Madrid by two points with six games remaining, having dropped points in their last two outings against Sevilla and Celta Vigo.

Barca will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Atletico on Tuesday, five days before they take in a trip to El Madrigal to face Villarreal.

Getafe will also be in action on July 5, with an away fixture against Osasuna scheduled which could end up have a huge bearing on their final league position.

On-loan Liverpool forward Taiwo Awoniyi has recollected his near-death experience after a head collision in Mainz clash against Augsburg.

The Nigerian forward lasted for only 17 minutes in the encounter before he was forced off after colliding with Augsburg centre-back Felix Udoakhai.

Awoniyi was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he spent a night, and after a test was carried out it was revealed he suffered a severe concussion.

The striker revealed the observations and findings of the doctors who attended to him, as well as their advice for him on how to handle a similar situation in the future.

"The doctor told me it's really strange. They said the way I was coming down, I should [have gone come] down with my head. If I had gone down directly with my head, it would have been a different story,” Awoniyi told ESPN.

"They said they were surprised because I was already [passed] out in the air but I was lucky that the first thing that happened was my feet hitting the ground, then my shoulder also, before my head.

"They said that made it less of a problem because if I had landed straight with my head it would have been a different story.

"The doctor told me I was talking on the pitch but I didn't know I was talking. He said when they tried to wake me up I was telling them I'm okay and I still wanted to play but I didn't know I was saying that. I don't remember that.

"When we got to the hospital before I regained consciousness, they were lifting me up and that was when I realized I wasn't on the pitch anymore."

After the incident, referee Marco Fritz reacted fast to save the life of the Nigeria U23 star and the forward has stated he sent the referee a message to thank him.

"Most of the players were not even aware of what happened and he was the one that was [aware] and came to my rescue," he continued.

"For me, there are a lot of things that I see that gets me amazed but when I saw that picture it really got to me and I was like, 'Is this me?'

"Honestly, I must commend the referee. I had to send him a text and call him because when I saw the picture of what he did, it was like a saving hand indeed.

"He said he was also glad that I am alive and well and he is looking forward to seeing me next season if I am still there."

The 22-year-old Imperial Soccer Academy graduate also revealed the reaction of his family members after the incident.

"For my wife, it was something I can't explain. My agent kept calling her because she was alone in the house watching the game,” he added.

"My family, my mum and my dad were crying and I had to call them immediately I regained consciousness to tell them that everything is fine before they believed I was fine.

"It was a really scary experience. My dad tried to be strong. He said he was praying that everything would be fine, but when my brother started crying he couldn't hold it anymore so he started crying also. And then my mum joined in."

Awoniyi missed his side’s last two games of the season and will hope to return to action during Mainz’s pre-season games.

Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour is being backed to play his way through a first form dip of his senior career, with Pat Nevin pointing out to a fellow Scot that nobody “cruises through a career without difficult times”.

The talented 18-year-old played his way into favour with Frank Lampard prior to the coronavirus-enforced break which pushed competitive football into a state of lockdown.

He has remained part of the Blues’ plans since Premier League and FA Cup football resumed and is now up to nine appearances in what has been a breakthrough campaign.

Gilmour is considered to be a hot prospect for the future, with there plenty of potential to be unlocked in his game.

He has, however, faced questions for the first time over recent weeks – finding himself among those withdrawn at half-time in an FA Cup clash with Leicester - with the spark that accompanied his rise to prominence having faded somewhat.

Nevin says that is to be expected from a player still learning his trade, with there every reason to believe that the teenager will – like many of those around him – overcome challenges and establish consistency with the more games he plays.

“It may be that some of the younger players will have a dip in form, that is not something to be too concerned about, that has happened since the dawn of history in the game. It is part of the learning curve and they will be fine,” the former Chelsea winger told the club’s official website.

“Billy Gilmour had a tough afternoon at the King Power Stadium, but will that have a lasting effect? Yes it will, but in a good way.

“No one in the history of the game cruises through a career from day one without difficult times. You have to learn how to cope with it.

“He will be fine not only because of his talent and personality but also because of the management team and the kind of team-mates he has around him. He will be back on the pitch soon enough with their support and of course ours.”

Lampard has conceded that Chelsea allowed their standards to dip as a collective against Leicester, despite reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, but the Blues boss is aware that consistency will be an issue at times with a squad that includes so many young and relatively inexperienced players.

Antoine Griezmann "knows he can do better", according to Clement Lenglet, who has backed the under-fire striker to turn around his Barcelona career.

Barca forked out €120 million (£109m/$135m) to bring Griezmann to Camp Nou last summer after a lengthy transfer saga, and tied the prolific frontman down to a lucrative five-year contract.

The France international was among the top goalscorers in La Liga season in, season out while on Atletico's books, but has so far been unable to live up to the same high standards in Catalonia.

Griezmann has only scored eight goals in his first 31 top-flight outings for Barca, having been asked to adapt to an unnatural role on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

The 29-year-old has struggled to strike up an understanding with the talismanic pair, and teenage winger Ansu Fati is now threatening to take his spot in Quique Setien's starting XI.

Lenglet acknowledges the fact that the former Atletico star is failing to live up to expectations, but still believes he can rediscover his best form if he continues to work hard behind the scenes.

The Barca defender told Le Parisien: "Antoine is well integrated in the dressing room, there really is no problem. On the pitch, he himself knows he can do better.

"But we must not forget his statistics. He has still scored 14 goals and created several assists.

"For a first season, it's not bad. But, for Antoine, he is playing in a different style to what he was better used to at Atletico, and he is a player with whom we are very demanding.

"But I see him working hard in training, it can only get better. It's always the same when a Barca striker doesn't score for two games, that's he's in trouble.

"When he scores two goals, it looks like Super-Antoine is back."

Barca are currently locked in a tense title race with arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are sitting top of La Liga by two points with only six fixtures left to play.

Setien's men are also still in the hunt for Champions League glory, and Lenglet has named Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain as his "dream" opponents if Barca make it all the way through to the showpiece event in Lisbon in August.

He said: "A Barca-PSG final would make you dream ... provided that Barca wins it, of course."

Lenglet, Griezmann and Co. will be back in action when Barca play host to Atletico in a must-win La Liga clash on Tuesday night.

Mesut Ozil still has a role to play at Arsenal if he is “willing”, says Mikel Arteta, while the Gunners remain hopeful that Bukayo Saka will soon commit to a new contract with the club.

Since the Premier League restart on June 17, a World Cup winner on the books at Emirates Stadium has seen no competitive game time.

Arteta has left Ozil out of matchday squads altogether and not turned to him off the bench despite inconsistent Arsenal being in need of creative inspiration at times.

Nobody is being ruled out of the club’s future plans, though, with Matteo Guendouzi also falling into that category after seeing his attitude questioned, and it could be that minutes are found over the coming weeks.

Asked whether Ozil and Guendouzi could figure again this season, Arteta told reporters ahead of a Premier League meeting with Norwich on Wednesday: “I said that everybody that I have in the squad, my job is to get the maximum out of them and to try to help them and support them. And if they are willing, everybody is welcome.

“I always hope that the players want to give their best.”

Pressed further on whether Ozil, whose ability has never been in doubt, should have kicked on more over recent weeks, Arteta added: “The players want to play as well as possible, train as well as possible and then it's a tricky game.

“You have momentum, you have your team-mates to help you as well and you need confidence. It's not just one factor but I never doubt that the players want to do their best.”

While it remains to be seen whether Ozil will figure in the remainder of the current campaign, highly-rated academy graduate Saka can expect to see game time.

The 18-year-old is, however, entering the final 12 months of his current contract and is yet to agree an extension.

Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in a similar position and while Arteta has reported no progress there, he is confident that top teenage talents can be retained.

He said: “I am not worried because I know that the club is doing their best to try to keep them [Bukayo and Folarin Balogun].

“Hopefully we can have some good news about them very soon. They know my opinion on them and how much I like working on them, the intention that I have in the future with them.

“I see them really committed and hopefully we can find the right agreement for both parties and move on, because I think there's a great future ahead of us with these kids.”

The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has been postponed by 12 months, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) confirmed in their Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday.

The 33rd edition of the biennial tournament was due to begin in Cameroon on January 9, 2021, but has now been pushed back to January 2022 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic across the continent.

Goal understands Caf’s concerns about the ability to fit in the outstanding qualifiers before the intended start date of January 2021 are behind the decision to postpone, although African football’s governing body has not announced whether the 34th edition of the tournament—scheduled for Ivory Coast in 2023—will also be pushed back.

Algeria are the reigning African champions, having defeated Senegal 1-0 in the 2019 final in Cairo.

The tournament was long-held during January and February, but moved to a June-July schedule ahead of the 2019 event, with newly elected president Ahmad Ahmad keen to avoid the club-vs-country disputes that often overshadowed a tournament being played during the European winter.

However, the 2021 tournament’s dates have already been moved once, with the original June-July 2021 dates brought forward to January due to the unfavourable climate in Cameroon during the summer months.

Caf also confirmed the 2020 African Nations Championship—the biennial tournament for home-based players—will be played next year, having originally been scheduled for April 2020.

The Chan—which was also due to be held in Cameroon—had been indefinitely postponed due to the onset of Covid-19.

Caf’s decision comes after Uefa pushed the 2020 European Championships back by 12 months, while the 2020 Copa America has also been shunted back to a 2021 start date.

Also announced during the meeting, Caf has revealed that the semi-finals of their two continental club competitions—the Champions League and Confederation Cup—will be one-legged affairs moving forward, rather than the home-and-away ties previously.

For women’s football across the continent, the 2020 African Women’s Cup of Nations has been cancelled, while Caf has announced the inauguration of a new women’s Champions League, which will begin in 2021.

Frank Lampard has rubbished reports suggesting that Chelsea have put an offer to Angel Gomes on the back of his departure from Manchester United and distanced the Blues from talk of an imminent raid on West Ham for Declan Rice.

Highly-rated midfielder Gomes has severed ties with those at Old Trafford after allowing his contract to run down.

At just 19 years of age Gomes has plenty of potential to unlock and was held in high regard by the Red Devils, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side doing all they could to put fresh terms in place.

The England U20 international is now free to find himself a new club, with there no shortage of interest being shown in his services, but Lampard insists Chelsea have not joined that chase.

Quizzed on the reports suggesting an offer has been tabled, the Blues boss said: “I can elaborate to the point that it's never been mentioned at my end, so that's it.”

Gomes is not the only hot prospect said to be registering on Chelsea’s radar at present, with there plenty of speculation to suggest that West Ham star Rice could soon be crossing London.

The 21-year-old England international is a player that the Blues know well, having previously had him within their academy system, but he is another that Lampard claims to be in no position to sign.

“Declan Rice is a good player you're right, and I've known him for a long time, he was in the Chelsea academy,” added the Chelsea manager.

“But there's no talk, I keep saying, about every player we'll be asked about.

“Until these games and this season is finished, there's nothing to say.”

Top-four hopefuls Chelsea will be back in Premier League action on Wednesday when they take in a derby date with West Ham.

They will have officially welcomed summer signings Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech onto their books by then, with their respective contracts starting on July 1, but Lampard admits it may be some time before the new boys are seen.

He said: “I am in the process of arranging that plan now.

“You are right, they do become our players. They are also in different positions in the fact that Hakim hasn’t played for a long time because of the Dutch league situation and Timo finished at the weekend.

“We will formulate a plan for them that will look slightly different individually.

“We will decide in the meantime at Cobham in the training ground whether that means mixing with the squad or whether that means some physical work in the shorter term for themselves.”

Bruno Fernandes will establish himself as a Manchester United great, according to former Portugal defender Abel Xavier.

Fernandes joined United from Sporting for €55 million ($50m) in January and had an immediate galvanising impact on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

The 25-year-old has three goals and as many assists in seven Premier League appearances, with United unbeaten in 14 matches across all competitions and yet to taste defeat with the mercurial playmaker in their ranks.

Xavier has expressed his belief that his compatriot can go on to be remembered alongside the likes of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo by the Old Trafford faithful if he continues on his current trajectory.

"My view of Bruno is that he is going to be one of the major players for Manchester United over the next years," the ex-Liverpool full-back told Stats Perform News .

"The way he plays, the way he controls the moments of the game... I think from what I know about the fans, they will love him for many years like they loved many legends from the past like Cristiano, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes – all these legendary players.

"Bruno I think will end up in this gallery of players."

One man whose standing has not been quite so lofty since returning to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016 is Paul Pogba.

The France international's performances have been a frequent matter of debate, while injuries have decimated his 2019-20 campaign.

Pogba is back to full fitness now, however, and Xavier believes he and Fernandes can enjoy a fruitful midfield alliance.

"Pogba is compatible with him because Bruno Fernandes is a clever player," he said.

"He can adapt, he is flexible. I think he is a player who is very easy to manage for the coaches. Man United will be strong.

"We are not just talking about a great player but a player with a lot of personality.

"It is not easy to arrive to a different place like England, with a lot of history and a lot of comparisons in his position, and make a complete impact.

"He had a little profile. He was accepted, he made the difference. I think that Man United are building the team around him."

United are scheduled to face Brighton on Tuesday in the Premier League, where they will aim for a victory to go level on points with Wolves and close to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Declan Rice continues to generate talk of a big-money move to Chelsea being made, and West Ham team-mate Aaron Cresswell admits the England international would reach “another level with better players around him”.

The versatile 21-year-old was released by the Blues as a youngster as they saw no path for him through to their first team.

A return to familiar surroundings is, however, being mooted for Rice after proving himself to be deserving of a place among the Premier League elite.

He has looked assured in defensive and midfield berths for West Ham, allowing him to switch senior international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England along the way.

Chelsea are looking to splash the cash this summer, with deals for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech already wrapped up, and it may be that they table an offer for Rice at some stage.

West Ham may find it hard to resist advances from afar, especially as they remain locked in a relegation battle at present, but will be reluctant to part with any prized assets.

Cresswell hopes that the Hammers can keep Rice on their books, but concedes that a step up the ladder would aid the ongoing development of a hot prospect.

He told talkSPORT of Rice: “He’s close to 100 Premier League games already, and I’m not just saying that because he’s a West Ham player and a good mate of mine, but I really do believe he’s one of the top talents in the country.

“I wouldn’t like to see him leave, but if he were to ever leave he would become another level with better players around him.

“He’s come in at centre-back over the last couple of games due to injuries we’ve had and he can play either. It’s a great option he’s got but in terms of ability-wise, he’s a fantastic player.”

West Ham’s next outing is set to see them play host to Chelsea on Wednesday.

The Blues have been in fine form since the Premier League restart, cementing their standing inside the top four, but the Hammers are desperate for points and Cresswell is hoping to deliver derby delight for those at London Stadium.

He added: “As a team, as I’ve mentioned before, the kind of luck against Tottenham didn’t go our way and get the break we needed.

“But I’m confident we are going to stay up, for sure. It’s down to us now as players and as a team to make sure that happens.

“We are fully focused and fully confident that will happen.”

Lille forward Victor Osimhen is reportedly set to travel from France to Italy for transfer negotiations with Napoli.

The red-hot striker has been linked to a number of European clubs following his imperious performances for Christophe Galtier’s men in the 2019-20 campaign,

According to Sky Sport, Osimhen and his agent are expected in Italy in a few hours for a potential move to the Stadio San Paolo outfit.

The forward joined the Mastiffs last summer from Belgian side Sporting Charleroi as a direct replacement for Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe, who moved to Arsenal.

Osimhen wasted no time to establish himself in the French top-flight, scoring seven goals in his opening nine games which saw him scoop the Player of the Month award for October.  

The 21-year-old ended the campaign with 18 goals and six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions, winning the club’s Player of the Season award in the process.

The Super Eagles striker was also recently rewarded for his five-star performances in his debut Ligue 1 season, scooping the Marc Vivien Foe best Ligue 1 African player award.

Last month reports claimed the forward had agreed to join the Parthenopeans on a four-year contract, which the Nigeria international vehemently denied, calling it ‘fake news’.

Osimhen was signed by Wolfsburg in 2017 on the back of his sparkling performances for Nigeria at the 2015 U17 World Cup in Chile, where he won the Golden Boot and Silver Ball awards to help the Golden Eaglets win the title.

He did not play as he would have loved for the German side, owing to injury problems among other issues and his quest to experience a change in fortune saw him move to Charleroi.

The forward scored 20 goals across all competitions for the Belgian club, performances that inspired Lille to secure his signature last summer.

Should he join the Parthenopeans, the striker would link up with Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly and Algeria’s Faouzi Ghoulam at Stadio San Paolo.

Odion Ighalo has his sights set on an entry in the Manchester United history books, with the Nigerian striker having maintained a stunning run of scoring form when it comes to starting games for the Red Devils.

When included in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s line-up, the 31-year-old frontman has guaranteed end product.

The target has been found in each of his four starts to date, with five goals recorded in total.

Ighalo’s latest came in an FA Cup semi-final victory over Norwich, with the deadlock broken at Carrow Road in what proved to be a dramatic 2-1 win for United after extra-time.

His goal-getting feats mean that the experienced striker has now matched the achievement of Jimmy Hanson from 1925 – with the former United player the only other man to have netted on his first four starts for the club.

Ighalo is delighted to be delivering record-setting performances for the Red Devils and hopes there will be more to come from him over the coming weeks as he seeks to cement a place in Old Trafford folklore.

“I’m very happy because it’s a great achievement for me. I think my name is being in the book in United’s history and I’m very happy for that,” Ighalo told the club’s official website of emulating Hanson.

“Especially as, in the game on Saturday, we won and got to the semi-final. That was the most important thing as it was a difficult game, so scoring and winning the game makes it even greater for me.

“I’m happy with this achievement, it’s a bit of history made and I hope to keep adding more to it.”

Ighalo, who has seen his loan deal at United extended through to January 2021, has helped Solskjaer’s side to stretch their unbeaten run across all competitions to 14 games.

The challenge now, with silverware and a top-four finish on the line, is to maintain those standards through to the end of the season.

“It’s tough but this is what it is,” added Ighalo, with United heading to Brighton on Tuesday as the games continue to come thick and fast.

“This is the job. We don’t have any other jobs so we are happy to do it. We have to keep doing it. It’s a tough one after 120 minutes two days ago. We’ve just finished training and are getting ready to fly down to Brighton.

“It’s a tough game on Tuesday evening but we don’t have any excuses. We’re only going there to win.

“The manager will probably rotate the team and bring in fresh legs so that we can keep going. It’s one of the advantages of having a big squad, having players ready to come in to change the game and come in to play in any position, so it’s really good for us.”

Renowned Ghanaian coach Bashir Hayford has expressed concerns about his chances of landing Ghana's vacant technical director role in the wake of recent developments.

The position became void following the exit of long-serving Francis Oti Akenteng following the expiration of his contract in March.

In April, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) announced six candidates, including three Ghanaians, have been shortlisted for the top office but failed to reveal the exact identities. The football governing body also disclosed it had begun interviewing the candidates via video conferencing technology.

“I’m yet to hear from the GFA since applying for the technical directorate position but I’ve heard that they’ve been calling people to interview them on this same position I have applied for too,’’ Hayford told Wontumi FM.

“I think this is the time that the upcoming coaches need to learn from me and that can happen by my being the technical director of the FA.

“As a technical director, I will make sure I mobilise the coaches for a meeting to let them know the direction of the FA, organise coaching courses for them, upgrade them, let them know new ideas of coaching, etc.

“It hurts me that I might send my knowledge in football to my grave I won’t disseminate to anyone.

“Now where are [renowned Ghanaian coaches like] Ben Koufie, Osam Duodu and Afrane [all now late]? I will join them soon, so the FA needs to make use of my knowledge until I leave the earth."

Hayford was last in charge of Somalia's senior men's team as head coach.

Prior, he led Ghana's senior women's side as well as Ghana Premier League clubs Asante Kotoko, Medeama, Ashanti Gold and Ebusua Dwarfs.

According to the GFA, "the new technical director will be responsible for the technical development and progress of the GFA.

"His responsibilities also include planning and executing a long-term view of how to continually raise standards and innovations both on and off the pitch and to ensure the path from development teams, (junior national teams) to the Ghana Men's Senior Team (Black Stars) and the Women’s Senior Team (Black Queens) are always integrated, learning is shared and the basic principles of how we play are integrated."

Ex-Asante Kotoko and Kano Pillars coach Abdul Malik Jabir, who also applied for the Ghana job, was first to express disappointment about a possible snub, having failed to hear from the GFA despite the commencement of the interview stage.

Mohamed Salah says he is “happy” at Liverpool, with the Egyptian forward giving no thought to a future elsewhere as he continues to enjoy trophy triumphs in the present.

Talk of a big-money move to Real Madrid continues to swirl around a prolific frontman.

Said speculation has resurfaced on the back of a Premier League title being landed at Anfield, with there seemingly little left for Liverpool’s star-studded class of 2019-20 to achieve.

They have captured domestic, continental and global crowns, with Jurgen Klopp overseeing a remarkable run of success.

Salah has been integral to that, becoming the first man since Robbie Fowler to break the 20-goal barrier for the club in three successive seasons.

In total, the 28-year-old has found the target on 92 occasions through 145 appearances, with it easy to see why his services are coveted by those outside of Merseyside.

Salah is, however, tied to a contract through to 2023 and claims to feel settled in his current surroundings.

He told Liverpool’s official website: “It’s great to score goals to help the team to win games.

“So I feel like I am happy here, I am doing good and everything is also working well with the team and we’ve won trophies.

“Everything is good and I am enjoying it.”

Salah has helped to make history with Liverpool this season, as their 30-year wait for top-flight glory came to a close, and is thrilled to have played a part in delivering on the expectations of a loyal fan base.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to win a trophy like that,” Salah added of the Premier League crown.

“To win the Premier League after long years for the club and the city, it’s unbelievable.

“I can’t describe with words, it’s so hard to say that [how it feels]. When I came here, I said I wanted to win the Premier League - it’s my first thing in my head, I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League. People said, ‘If you could choose one…?’ But now I can say that I’d choose both!

“The Premier League, I can say now after we won it, for the city it is something else. Everybody is crazy about the result, everybody is crazy about the Premier League.

“It is an unbelievable feeling for everybody, for all the fans around the world. Without their support, we could not do it. They did a great job, the players also did the same. It is a great feeling, I cannot explain it with words.”

The Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) has confirmed the death of its former Vice-President Jackson 'Bell' Tushabe.

Although Fufa did not confirm the source of his death, Tushabe is understood to have been suffering from a back problem and died at Nakasero Hospital.

Ggaba helped in the formation of Victors FC in 2001 and the club earned a Ugandan Premier League promotion in 2005.

Victors had a taste of continental football when they played and lost to CAPS United in the preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup in 2009.

The club earned a second slot to represent the country in the Confederation Cup in 2011 but their journey was cut short when they lost to DC Motema Pembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Fufa mourns the death of former football administrator and club owner Brigadier Jackson 'Bell' Tushabe who breathed his last on Tuesday morning 30th June 2020," Fufa confirmed.

"We would like to express our heartfelt condolences on the demise of Brigadier Jackson 'Bell' Tushabe. Words are inadequate to express this sad moment as football has lost a great contributor to the game.

"Bell served the game with a lot of diligence and always showcased his vast experience in projects assigned to him. He loved the beautiful game and he was enthusiastic about anything connected to football.

"We shall miss him dearly. Our condolences go out to the bereaved family and the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces."

"A retired army officer in the Uganda People's Defense Forces he was the owner of Victors FC which played in the Uganda top-flight and also won the Uganda Cup twice 2007/2008 and 2009/2010.

"His club represented Uganda on two occasions in the Caf Confederation Cup in 2009 and 2011.

"Bell also served in various positions in Ugandan football as Fufa Vice President of Competitions, Chairman of Super Division Clubs Association [SDCA 2005-2009], and Chairman of Security Committee for Cecafa 2012 hosted in Kampala."

Tushabe's death comes days after SC Villa confirmed the death of former defender Constantine Nalumoso.

Nalumoso had joined the Jogoos in 2012 from Hoima-Busia FC when he was signed by Mike Mutebi.