Looking for Soccer News?

It would be churlish to overly criticise Boulaye Dia’s climax to the 2020/21 season with Stade de Reims, despite a goal drought to close out the campaign.

Having netted 12 Ligue 1 goals in the first half of the campaign — he featured 17 times in that time — only two more strikes followed for the Red and Whites after the midway point. There was a 10-game drought in that time and another seven games without scoring in the campaign’s denouement.

Reims fired four blanks in the latter run which didn’t help as they battled for top flight survival. Having ended eighth and sixth (just outside the European spots in the curtailed 19/20 season) in the preceding campaigns, last term’s 14th-placed finish was concerning.

Still, it was a rather successful individual season for Dia, who was David Guion’s go-to star for most of the campaign. 14 league goals was also the 24-year-old’s highest-scoring campaign of his career so far and he ranked in the division’s top 10 for goals scored — only eight players scored more.

One wonders what might have been if he hadn't failed to score in 17 of his 36 appearances, but his exploits have led to a move to Villarreal, winners of last year’s Europa League.

Unai Emery’s team are beneficiaries of the champions of Europe’s second-tier tournament gaining an automatic place in the Champions League, a competition the Yellow Submarine wouldn’t have played in via the league.

The EL champions ended seventh in La Liga on 58 points, a staggering 19 behind Sevilla in fourth spot and a further 28 adrift of eventual champions Atletico Madrid. In 19/20, the side from the province of Castellon finished 10 points back of the Andalusians and 27 adrift of Real Madrid.

Indeed, the aforementioned demonstrates the chasm that exists between Villarreal and the division’s leading sides.

What Dia adds, however, is another attacking threat to Emery’s team as they look to make a sustained run for a top four spot and compete on their return to the Champions League.

The Yellow Submarine haven’t participated in the continent’s hallowed club competition since 11/12 and the fact they got there on the back of claiming their maiden title in Europe made the former Arsenal manager’s debut season a success.

His second season will now hinge not only on Gerard Moreno — who contributed to exactly half of the team’s 60 top flight goals — but also on Samuel Chukwueze hopefully showing even more consistency in what could be his fourth full season in the side’s first team.

The Nigeria winger led the way for shot-creating actions per 90 in 20/21 and ranked sixth for average goal-creating actions, but his raw numbers have always underwhelmed and a tendency to blow hot and cold has limited his development.

“He’s a very young player who has to find consistency,” Emery told the club website after the Nigerian ended a run of five months without scoring in April. “We need to take steps forward with him and be demanding.

“He’s a footballer with great quality. He has a lot of talent, but he needs to improve in front of goal. [Against Levante] he put in a great performance and managed to score.”

Taking that next step will greatly benefit Emery, as it gives a side that often resembles a one-man wrecking ball an extra edge and dimension in the attacking third.

Throw in Dia’s potential at centre-forward and the Yellow Submarine could suddenly have three young, direct menacing forwards next season.

It remains to be seen if the Senegal striker’s 20/21 was a one-off, after all, it was the first time that he’d enter double figures. Not being on penalty-taking duties in Spain — Moreno takes Villarreal’s penalties — may further reduce his numbers, given 36 percent of last season’s Ligue 1 return came from 12 yards.

Having said that, Dia does offer a lot to the team when he isn’t scoring.

The 24-year-old ranked fourth for in-play shot-creating actions per 90 at Reims last term, fifth for goal-creating actions and was one of the team’s progressive ball carriers. He was also useful in hunting for possession, making the fifth-highest volume of pressures for the French side in 20/21.

The possibilities that exist for Emery if his three attacking talents dovetail successfully next season could make for an interesting top four race in La Liga. For Villarreal, it could end their five-year wait without finishing in the coveted spots since their successful 15/16 campaign under Marcelino.

Gregg Berhalter explained why he stuck with Matthew Hoppe until the final moments of Sunday's Gold Cup quarterfinal clash with Jamaica as the U.S. men's national team forward stepped up with a game-winning goal just seconds before being taken out of the match.

Set up by a far-post cross by substitute Cristian Roldan, Hoppe's goal came from a header in the 82nd minute, pushing the U.S. into a semifinal clash with Qatar on Thursday with a 1-0 win over the Reggae Boyz.

Having taken off Daryl Dike earlier in the second half, Berhalter says he knew it was the right call to stick with Hoppe until the game's final moments, and he was proven right as the young forward scored a memorable first USMNT goal.

What was said?

"I think the way he was able to get chances, he had a couple of clear looks at goal, and that's due to his movement in the box,"  Berhalter said of Hoppe, who earned his third USMNT cap on the day. 

"He was grinding. When a guy puts that type of effort in and hangs in there and keeps going, we want to stick with him because we thought he was doing a good job and because he's goal-dangerous. 

"It was great to see him score. Roldan made a great play, but it's also something we talked about: when there's no space between the backline and goal, we got to get it to the far posts\, and so it was a good play."

Acosta shines as a No. 6

While it was a youngster that scored the game-winner for the U.S., one of the bigger standouts was a veteran in midfielder Kellyn Acosta.

Playing as a No. 6,  Acosta helped the U.S. control the midfield for stretches against an underrated Jamaica team that provided plenty of tests for the young USMNT squad.

With the U.S. still trying to find a reliable backup to starting defensive midfielder Tyler Adams ahead of World Cup qualifiers, Acosta has impressed in the role in recent weeks after being out of the national team picture for nearly two years at one stage.

"When I think about Kellyn and the game he had today, we challenged him before the game," Berhalter said. "We said, 'Listen, this is going to be a physical game, it's going to be a difficult game and we need you in the sense of you winning tackles, winning duels but also controlling the game with the ball'.

He's done it before so we were very comfortable that he would do it again and I thought he had a strong game."

Turner not worried about goalkeeper competition

ZacK Steffen may very well be the USMNT's No. 1 goalkeeper, but the Manchester City shot-stopper does have a competitor to keep an eye on.

Matt Turner put in another strong performance for the U.S., making several acrobatic saved to preserve the clean sheet.

The 27-year-old New England Revolution goalkeeper finished with five saves on the day and has allowed just one goal this summer as he makes his case ahead of qualifiers this fall.

"Overall, I'm not really like looking too hard at myself in the mirror," Turner said. "At the end of the day in knockout football, it's about the end result, and we were able to get the one-nil win today. 

"Obviously, a clean sheet is huge and we broke them down in the end, got the goal so it was a great performance on all fronts and we're looking forward to being in Austin [for the semifinals].

Further reading

Manchester City and Brazil national team goalkeeper Ederson Moraes had a sweet surprise in store for an ardent Brazil fan from Kerala, India. The 27-year-old custodian joined a video to speak to Naheem, who is a fervent supporter of Brazil.

Ederson was holidaying in Dubai after a long season with Manchester and Brazil when he bumped into Naheem's father Hussain. The father clicked a selfie with the Brazilian and then requested him to join a video call to his son back home in Kerala. To Hussain's surprise, Ederson duly obliged the elderly gentleman and spoke to Naheem and his friends, who are based in Veliyankode in Malappuran district in Kerala.

Certainly, this gesture by the Brazilian goalkeeper won a lot of hearts in India.

How was Ederson's 2020-21 season with Manchester City and Brazil?

Ederson won the Premier League title for the third time in five years with Manchester City and also bagged the League Cup title. But City lost the Champions League final 1-0 to Chelsea.

On the international stage, Ederson's Brazil reached the final of Copa America 2021 but unfortunately, lost to rivals Argentina 1-0 in the final in Rio's Maracana Stadium.

In terms of personal achievements, the goalkeeper won the Golden Glove award in the Premier League and also featured in Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Premier League Team of the season.

When are Manchester City playing next?

The Cityzens are scheduled to kick start their Premier League title defense on August 15 against Tottenham Hotspur. The team under Pep Guardiola's tutelage have already begun their pre-season training and Ederson is expected to join his teammates soon in Manchester.

Ramadan Sobhi has revealed why Egypt lost to Argentina in Sunday’s Tokyo 2020 men’s Olympics encounter.

Having settled for a 0-0 draw with Spain in their first match, the Pharaohs were hoping to record their first win against the South Americans.

However, Shawky Gharib’s team bowed 1-0 with Facundo Medina’s 52nd-minute strike deciding the keenly contested fixture at the Sapporo Dome.

Although La Albicelestes dominated ball possession, the North Africans were not short of chances, albeit, they failed to make it count.

In his post-match assessment, the former Stoke City and Huddersfield Town forward blamed his teammates’ profligacy for the result. Even at that, he claimed all hope is not lost.

"I know Egyptian fans expected more from us, but the journey is not over yet,” Sobhi told media per Kingfut.

“We have not lost hope and everyone knows that this generation of players will never do.

"We did our best but we couldn’t come out victorious. We were better and we had multiple chances but sadly we couldn’t convert them into goals.

"Our next game is against Australia; we will study them, and we will prepare for the match. We will give everything we got to qualify to the quarter-finals.

"As players, of course, we are all sad right now, but the only thing we can do is to focus on our next game to make up for today’s loss. I promise that we will do everything to make Egyptians proud."

In the same vein, captain Ahmed Hegazi expressed his discontent with the result claiming Egypt played better.

“We are very sad about the result because today’s performance was better than the first match,” he said.

“We tried to equalise after having conceded the goal, and in the second half, we were the better side.

“We had to take advantage of the chances we had in the first half.

“Even in the second half, we had chances, but they took advantage of the only chance they got. The result is completely unsatisfactory.”

Should Egypt defeat Australia in their final game on Wednesday at the Miyagi Stadium, they stand a chance to scale through.

Milan midfielder Franck Kessi says that he has no intention of leaving the club.

The Ivory Coast international is out of contract in 2022, which had led to speculation he could depart the San Siro club this summer.

Liverpool and Tottenham had been linked with the dynamic 24-year-old midfielder, but Kessi has gone some way to quelling such speculation.

What has he said?

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Kessi explained: “I’m proud to have chose Milan and it is not my intention to leave. Indeed, I want to stay forever.”

He also addressed rumours regarding his future by suggesting that sorting out a new contract is high on his agenda once he returns from the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“When I come back from the Olympics, I’ll fix everything,” he said. “I just want Milan. Sporting director Paolo Maldini knows my thoughts.

“I want to be the ‘President’ of Milan for life.”

Why is Kessie so highly rated?

Kessi started life at Atalanta and quickly caught the eye with his dynamic brand of football from the centre of the field.

He has shown himself to be an all-action player who scores goals, creates them for others and gets stuck in defensively.

Indeed, he is coming off a career-best season with the Rossoneri as he scored 13 Serie A goals and created six more in 37 games as the San Siro club finished second in the Serie A table.

He is presently with Ivory Coast at the Olympics has already found the net in one of the two matches in which he has featured.

Further reading

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is ready to help Zambian ‘role model’ Fashion Sakala become a better player after he scored a goal in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid.

 A day after making his Rangers debut against Brighton & Hove Albion, the 28-year-old responded with his maiden goal for the club with the equaliser in Sunday’s victory at the Ibrox Stadium.

Sakala had barely trained with his new teammates for 10 days after the mandatory quarantine, but he has shown to be a promising talent in Gerrard’s team.

In his reaction to the forward’s performance on Sunday, Gerrard told Rangers TV: "There’s still loads to come in terms of fitness and getting him up to speed and the information we’re giving him.

"One thing I will say is that he’s come in with an incredible attitude.

"He’s been an absolute role model to everyone where he’s come from in terms of his country. He’s been bright, wanting to learn and pick up every bit of information. He’s smiling, he’s enjoying it and he’s grateful to be here.

"He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with in the opening ten days but there’s loads more to come. You can see he’s exciting. We still need to polish the diamond but hopefully he’ll become the player we expect.”

Sakala, on a personal note, expressed delight with his goalscoring feat and he is looking forward to playing in front of the club faithful when Rangers begin their Premiership title defence against Livingston on Saturday.

The former KV Oostende attacker who signed a four-year contract with the Gers, also appreciated his new teammates for his quick adaptation to life in Scotland.

“I was very excited and I’m very happy to play in the presence of the fans,” Sakala said. "I was surprised yesterday by the noise [of the fans] but my teammates have said that I need to wait until the stadium is full and that I haven't seen how they bounce, so I am waiting for that!

“My teammates are making things a little easier for me, the support I am receiving from the team and the technical staff makes me feel more comfortable.

“I was in quarantine for 14 days so it was a little bit stressful but I’ve had some great support from the club and the messages from the players when I was in quarantine was very helped me to settle in.”

Inter star Lautaro Martinez has admitted that he has consulted a psychologist in a bid to improve his disciplinary record.

He was linked with a move to Barcelona last summer but instead stayed in Italy, where he helped his club to the Serie A title.

The 23-year-old, though, was not completely satisfied with his performances – and particularly the number of yellow cards he picked up. He has admitted he has taken steps to improve this.

What was said?

“I am at a very important stage of my career, and this year I’ve felt something I hadn’t known before,” he explained while speaking to the press in his homeland.

“I am happy and satisfied with my career, everything I do at Inter is helping me with the national team. I am improving physically, I’ve trained carefully to get into peak shape.

“It was more complicated to work on my mentality. Becoming a father has helped me to solve many things off the pitch. A psychologist has helped me to protest less and collect fewer yellow cards.

“Check the stats and you can see I’ve improved. A new season is on the horizon and so is the 2022 World Cup.”

Indeed, the evidence suggests that Lautaro’s visits to the psychologist have helped. During the 2019-20 season, he picked up 11 yellow cards in all competitions and also one red card.

A year on, though, he was only booked five times in Serie A, despite playing every match. Furthermore, he increased his decisive output impressively, too, scoring 17 goals and chipping in with 10 more assists – both career-high figures.

Further Reading

Fashion Sakala scored his maiden goal for Rangers in their historic 2-1 comeback victory over Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old made his second appearance in Steven Gerrard's team on Sunday after he made his debut in a goalless draw against Brighton & Hove Albion the previous day.

It was a special game for the Scottish champions as it was part of their 150th anniversary celebrations.

Sakala led Rangers' attack but they found themselves behind eight minutes into the encounter after Rodrygo beat goalkeeper Allan McGregor with his shot.

The early goal separated both teams at the break, but Sakala linked up with Glen Kamara in the 55th minute to score the equaliser.

A few minutes later, things turned to the worse for Real Madrid as Nacho received a second yellow card and the visitors were reduced to 10 men.

Rangers, in turn, took advantage of the expulsion as Cedric Itten - who replaced Sakala on the hour-mark - grabbed the match-winning goal in the 77th minute.

The triumph made the Gers end their pre-season preparations on a high with a record of two wins, two draws and a loss (1-0 to Tranmere Rovers).

Nigeria centre-back Leon Balogun started on the bench and he was later introduced in the 85th minute for Connor Goldson while his compatriot Joe Aribo did not make the matchday squad.

Before his free transfer to Glasgow where he signed a four-year deal with Gers, Sakala dominated the Belgian First Division A with his goals for KV Oostende.

Last season, he scored 16 goals in 33 league appearances and he will be aiming to replicate his impressive form in front of goal as Gerrard's men look to defend their Premiership title.

Rangers will begin their 2020-21 campaign with a league fixture against Livingston at Ibrox Stadium on Saturday before taking on the winner of the clash between Malmo FF and HJK Helsinki in their Uefa Champions League qualifiers.

Alfred Duncan found the net as Italian elite division side Fiorentina thumped Foligno 11-0 in Sunday’s pre-season friendly.

The Ghana international scored as the Purple One cruised to a convincing victory against the fourth division outfit as they step up their preparations for the 2021-22 campaign.

In the goal-laden affair, Vincenzo Italiano’s men took the lead in the 11th minute courtesy of Jose Maria Callejon. Seven minutes later, Duncan doubled his team’s advantage with a cool finish.

Eight minutes before the half-time break, Giacomo Bonaventura ensured his team took a three-goal lead into the tunnel having converted a penalty.

A minute into the second half, Fiorentina continued with their dominance as Dusan Vlahovic put the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

The Serbia and Montenegro forward went ahead to score six more goals as Stadio Artemio Franchi giants showed their attacking supremacy.

Aside from the goal, Duncan gave a good account of himself and he will be hoping to be a major force in Italiano’s squad this season.

After four seasons at Sassuolo, the 28-year-old joined Fiorentina on January 31, 2020, with an option to buy. With the move made permanent, he could only manage four appearances in the 2020-21 campaign – and that prompted his loan move to Cagliari, looking for a chance to get regular playing time.

There, he featured in 19 league games and he returned to his parent club, where he would be aiming for a chance to impress manager Italiano.

Before starting their Serie A campaign against AS Roma on August 22, Fiorentina will face Levico and Virtus Verona in pre-season games later this month.

Last term, they finished in 13th position after amassing 40 points from 38 matches. In the Coppa Italia, they crashed out in the Round of 16 with Vlahovic finishing as the club's top scorer with 21 goals to his credit.

On the international scene, the former Inter Milan and Livorno star represented Ghana at the 2013 Fifa U20 World Cup in Turkey, playing four games as the West Africans finished third after defeating Iraq 3-0 in the third place match staged in Istanbul.

He made his full international debut on November 14, 2012, against Cape Verde.

Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has revealed he considered re-signing Zimbabwe attacker Khama Billiat for Masandawana.

The attacking midfielder was part of the Sundowns side that won the Caf Champions League in 2016, but two years later, he joined Kaizer Chiefs, ending a five-year association with Masandawana under Mosimane's leadership.

"When I was still at Sundowns, yes I wanted Khama, but you can’t have a player who belongs to another team and is contracted to another team," Mosimane told Power Sport as quoted by iDiskiTimes.

"But I really wanted him back because I know what he has done for the team. I thought he should come back but he was happy at Kaizer Chiefs and he was happy at Kaizer Chiefs and we should also respect that." 

The midfielder has since remained with Amakhosi, making 84 appearances and scoring 16 goals in the process.

He was part of Chiefs squad that fell to the Red Devils in the Caf Champions League final last weekend, when he came on as a second-half substitute but could not help the South Africans from losing 3-0.

Goals from Mohamed Sherif, Mohamed Magdi Afsha, and Amr El Solia saw the Egyptian giants win their tenth title against their South African opponents, who had to play the game with 10 men following the dismissal of Happy Mashiane in the 45th minute. 

Meanwhile, the 56-year-old Mosimane has stated that his Egyptian Premier League club will sign a player based in South Africa.

However, he denied that Thembinkosi Lorch and Gaston Sirino were his targets, and also rejected suggestions that a player from his former club was on his way.

"There’s a player that will come from South Africa," Mosimane told SAFM as was quoted by iDiski Times.

"It’s not Lorch or Sirino but the player will come. He’s not from my former team [Mamelodi Sundowns] because I don’t want to touch those players because they take me to court.

"I’d like a South African player to come here, but I don’t want to ruffle feathers. I want to do it the right way. You know what happened with Sirino.

"They said I’m stripping my former team, even though Ahly wanted him before I came here."

Asante Kotoko have been knocked out of the Ghana FA Cup following a penalty shootout defeat to Berekum Chelsea on Sunday.

Following a 0-0 draw after extra-time, the Porcupines Warriors fell 5-4 on penalties in the quarter-final fixture at the Len Stadium in Obuasi.

Defender Wahab Adams was the unlucky man during the shoot-out. 

Chelsea are through to the semi-finals where they will face off against Ashanti Gold for a place in the final against Hearts of Oak or Medeama.

Had Fabio Gama converted a 38th-minute penalty after Sarfo Taylor was fouled in the box, Kotoko could probably have won the game within regulation time.

The midfielder did make amends during the shoot-out, however, to score his kick, joining Patrick Asmah, Evans Adomako, Sarfo and Emmanuel Keyekeh.

For Chelsea, Stephen Anokye Badu, Collins Ameyaw, Henry Ainsu, captain Stephen Amankonah expertly converted to send their side into the last four.

In the next round, Bibires will square off against Ashanti Gold.

Kotoko, who recently narrowly lost out on the Ghana Premier League title to arch-rivals Hearts, will be unable to retain the FA Cup title won last season.

The Porcupine Warriors have also lost out on their last chance of playing continental football next season as the ultimate winners of the FA Cup will secure a ticket for the Caf Confederation Cup.

Also, for the first time since 2015, the Kumasi-based outfit have ended their season without a trophy.

In the other quarter-final fixture on Sunday, Premier League side Medeama beat lower division outfit Attram De Visser 3-2 after extra-time to qualify for the next round.

Earlier on Saturday, Caleb Amankwah emerged the hero for Hearts as his extra-time free-kick ensured a 1-0 triumph over Elmina Sharks in a tie between two elite division sides.

Ashanti Gold, meanwhile, beat 4-2 for lower-tier fold Top Talent in their encounter on Saturday. Frank Akoto, Isaac Agyemang, Paul Asare and Amos Addai were on target for the Miners while the opposition's consolations came from Kwadwo Amoako (own goal) and Obed Aboagye.

Akwa United are on the verge of securing the Nigeria Professional Football League title for the first time in their history after defeating Jigawa Golden Stars 3-0 on Sunday evening.

Goals from Friday Ubong, Charles Atshimene and Wisdom Fernandon handed the Promise Keepers victory over the visitors at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

Unbeaten in their last two league outings, Kennedy Boboye’s team welcomed Gilbert Opana’s men to Uyo with the ambition of extending their run of form.

In the keenly contested affair, the hosts had to wait until the closing stages of the first half to take the lead through Ubong.

The hard-fighting visitors entered the second half full of hope, but they were pegged back in the 52nd minute courtesy of Atshimene’s effort.

A minute prior to full-time, substitute Fernandon – who replaced Ikechukwu Nwani in the 65th minute – sealed the win with a cool finish.

With this result, Boboye’s team are now on the cusp of emerging as Nigerian kings - needing three points more to be certain of securing the trophy, with three games left.

For second-placed Nasarawa United, they defeated Sunshine Stars 4-0 at the Lafia Township Stadium.

The 18-year-old Silas Nwankwo was the star of the game as he found the net twice against his former team.

Still basking in the euphoria of their 1-0 Aiteo Cup quarter-final triumph over Kano Pillars, Owena Whales conceded first in the 11th minute as Nwankwo Saliu Suleiman opened the scoring.

Six minutes later, the striker completed his brace as the Akure-based outfit were made to pay for some poor defending. That took his tally of the 2020-21 season to 18 goals.

Aliyu Abdullah made it three for Nasarawa United in the 23rd minute before Chigozi Obasi made it four in the 39th minute of the goal-laden first half.

Deji Ayeni’s team put up an improved performance in the second half, however, that could not prevent them from returning home with heads bowed low.

While Bala Nikyu’s Nasarawa United would be hoping to beat Akwa United to the league title, Sunshine Stars dropped into the relegation zone having accrued 35 points from 38 matches.

Elsewhere, Kano Pillars bounced back from their disappointing 2-0 lose at Enugu Rangers by beating Abia Warriors 1-0 with Rabiu Ali’s second-half penalty settling the encounter.
 

NPFL RESULTS IN FULL

Adamawa United 1 - 1 Enugu Rangers
Akwa United 3 - 0 Jigawa Golden Stars
Enyimba 2 - 1 MFM FC
Heartland 0 - 0 Kwara United
Kano Pillars 1 - 0 Abia Warriors
Katsina United 2 - 0 Dakkada FC
Nasarawa United 4 - 0 Sunshine Stars
Plateau United 0 - 0 Lobi Stars
Rivers United FC 2 - 0 Ifeanyi Ubah United
Warri Wolves FC 1 - 0 Wikki Tourist

Romelu Lukaku is not for sale this summer, according to Inter CEO Beppe Marotta.

Since scoring 24 goals in 36 games for the Nerazzurri as they picked up the Serie A title last term, Lukaku has been linked with a move to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

In total, he has thrived at San Siro since arriving from Manchester United in 2019, netting 64 times for the Milanese outfit, while his four goals in five Euro 2020 matches for Belgium were also eye catching.

What was said?

Speaking to Sportmediaset ahead of a friendly with Pergolettese, Marotta said: “From our side, we can yes absolutely, Lukaku is not for sale. Lukaku is an important piece on the chessboard available to Simone Inzaghi.”

Who has been linked with Lukaku?

Chelsea are the club who have been most heavily linked with a summer swoop for Lukaku, even though Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland appears to be their primary target.

Haaland, though, could only be signed for an extortionate price.

Inter are in a difficult financial situation and will need to sell players this summer, with even the sale of Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month only going some way to alleviating their concerns.

Nevertheless, this has given them some breathing space with regards their top players and it gives them greater muscle to keep their most prolific hitman.

Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Lukaku, with Pep Guardiola’s side only boasting Gabriel Jesus as a natural centre forward in their ranks.

Further reading

Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey is unlikely to be fit for the start of the 2021-22 Premier League season, club boss Graham Potter has hinted.

The Ghana target has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury in December last year and was forced to go under the knife.

He did return to training as pre-season began earlier this month but has been forced back into the treatment room by a relapse.

"It’s a little bit slower than we would like and probably he would like but with the nature of his surgery and the injury, we need to make sure that he’s right rather than putting any timescale on it," Potter told the Athletic.

“He’s making progress but not as fast as we and he would like.

“It’s important that we just stay patient and do the right things for him, make sure we finish off this last stage of his rehab in a good way, because it’s not necessarily about being available for the first game, it’s about being available for as many games as he can in the season.”

Lamptey's injury troubles restricted him to just 11 Premier League outings last season.

His latest setback meant he missed Saturday's 0-0 pre-season friendly draw with Rangers at Ibrox Stadium.

Asked about the possibility of Lamptey's involvement in their next friendlies at Luton Town on Saturday and at home to Getafe on August 7, Potter responded: “At this stage, I would say it’s unlikely but you never know. We’ve got a plan but we’ll see how he responds.”

Brighton are set to open their upcoming league season with an away clash with Burnley on August 14.

Born to Ghanaian parents in the UK, Lamptey is currently being courted by the Ghana Football Association to switch international allegiance from England to Ghana.

He currently plays for the Three Lions at U21 level.

The 20-year-old is one of about four England- born players on the wishlist of the four-time African champions, the others being Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Arsenal striker Edward Nketiah and Watford attacker Kwadwo Baah.

AmaZulu FC president Sandile Zungu has opened up about the club's ambitions of playing in the African Super League. 

This comes after the continental tournament was approved following an executive board meeting of Caf in Morocco earlier this month.

Caf president Patrice Motsepe has stated that the benefits of the African Super League will be shared and it will extend to every single one of the 54 countries on the continent.

The proposed European Super League failed due to negative reaction from Uefa, fans, clubs, and media, while plans to launch the African version have been met with little resistance.  

"I would like to not comment further on that if you remember there were issues and challenges in Europe about Super League," Zungu told the media.

"There's no resistance in talks."

Zungu, who purchased AmaZulu FC from Patrick Sokhela in October 2020, questioned the criteria which will be used to select clubs that will participate in the African Super League.

"The biggest challenge will be when it is formed, which teams will participate and those that won't participate? Which criteria will be used? We don't know," he said. 

It remains to be seen whether Caf will use its five-year ranking to select clubs that will participate in the African Super League. 

Caf's five-year ranking is based on the teams' performances in Caf competitions over the last five years. 

Zungu, who is a Durban-based businessman, made it known that he will invest in his club in order to stand a good chance to be included in the proposed tournament. 

"But what we can say, we will fight for AmaZulu FC to be counted and included among the top teams on the continent," he added. 

"We will work hard that Usuthu get invested in whatever will be happening, that is all I can say for now."

AmaZulu are set to make their debut appearance in the Caf Champions League in the upcoming season after finishing second in the PSL during the recent 2020/21 campaign.

The tournament is scheduled to start in September 2021 with the preliminary round taking place.

African music star Davido joined American rapper Kanye West for the Major League Soccer match between Atlanta United and Columbus Crew on Saturday night.

It was a homecoming outing for Davido, who was born in Atlanta to Nigerian parents, and he was accorded the special honour of hitting the Golden Spike in a fully-packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The hammering of the Golden Spike is a tradition at Atlanta United that is performed by the player voted by fans at the end of every game.

Davido, wearing a customised no. 7 shirt of the club with his name at the back, hit the spike in front of the Supporters Section with the chants of 'A-T-L' from the club faithful.

It is believed that the Golden Spike signifies the berth of a new movement in Atlanta and Saturday’s feat made the 28-year-old Nigerian the first African artiste to hammer the Golden Spike.

Kanye was also in attendance at the game after his 'Donda' album listening event at the stadium. The Grammy Awards winner took to his social media to share clips of himself in the stands with supporters.

Despite the presence of the two music stars, the Five Stripes could not end their winless streak in the MLS as Ghana’s Jonathan Mensah condemned them to a 1-0 loss with his 65th-minute winner.

Atlanta United's last league victory was a 1-0 win over Montreal on May 16 and they are 10th on the Eastern Conference table with 14 points after 15 matches.

Over the years, Davido has not hidden his love for football and he constantly reveals his admiration for Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo in some of his lyrics.

He currently has three studio albums to his record, and the latest one - A Better Time - was released in November 2020.