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Senegalese native Dominique Badji came off the bench to score a late winner as Colorado Rapids secured a 1-0 win against San Jose Earthquakes in a Major League Soccer fixture on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old was introduced in the 87th minute by coach Robin Fraser and he only took two minutes to give his team the away win as he powered home the lone goal in the 89th minute.

Rapids went into the game at Venue PayPal Park seeking to bounce back to winning ways having dropped points in their 1-1 draw against Sporting KC in the last league outing.

It was Rapids who attacked from the onset and in the 13th minute, they almost took the lead when defender Danny Wilson rose the highest at the back post to meet a corner from Keegan Rosenberry, but the ball flew inches wide with goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski off his line.

The miss seemingly awoke the home team, who took the initiative to attack and they almost broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Eric Remedi rattled the woodwork with a well-timed header off a cross from Nathan.

The two teams went into the half-time break tied at 0-0 and after the resumption, it was Rapids who came back a rejuvenated side and they missed a golden opportunity when Braian Alejandro Galvan dribbled from the halfway line and into the danger zone of the home team but his weak effort could not trouble Marcinkowski.

The game remained balanced until Badji was introduced for Michael Barrios and he only needed two minutes to find the back of the net after Jonathan Lewis played a though-ball to Nicolas Mezquida, who beat a defender before tapping a pass that led Badji to the centre of the area for a one-touch finish.

It was the goal which earned the visitors, who are now unbeaten in their last five matches, the vital points that have now seen them move to second on the table with 41 points from 21 matches.

Meanwhile, the defeat left Earthquakes in position 10 with 26 points from 22 matches.

Elsewhere, another Senegalese striker Mamadou Fall scored two goals to help Los Angeles FC Sporting defeat Kansas City 4-0.

England boss Gareth Southgate has called on his side to show “humility” and avoid antagonising opposition fans after their 'beer-drinking' celebrations against Hungary on Thursday.

Declan Rice and Jack Grealish were seen pretending to drink from some of the plastic cups that had been hurled towards the Three Lions players as they celebrated their goals in the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win in Budapest.

It was a defiant response amid allegations of racist abuse directed towards Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham by the hostile crowd at the Puskas Arena, but Southgate believes his players should try not to rise to such provocation in the future.

What did Southgate say?

Southgate acknowledged the behaviour of the Hungary fans, which also included a flare being thrown onto the pitch and the booing of the England players taking the knee, was unacceptable, but says his players should try not to add to the febrile atmosphere.

“We needed to be a little bit careful in how our interaction with the crowd the other day was,” he said. “We all recognise that certain things that happened weren’t acceptable but also we ran a little bit of a risk of inflaming some of those situations.

“The boys just have to have in the back of their minds that humility. We were playing well and we got a good result but let’s keep our professionalism, our focus. We’re going to have to play these teams again and we don’t want to give them any additional motivation with our actions.”

The Hungarian football association has promised to issue two-year suspensions to supporters who disrupted the game against England, though it has made no mention of the alleged racist abuse directed at some of the visiting players.

Hungary has already been handed a three-match supporter ban by UEFA due to racist and homophobic behaviour during Euro 2020, but that sanction is not applicable to World Cup qualifying matches as they fall under FIFA's remit.

‘We cannot waste a moment’

Thursday’s win was England’s first match since their agonising penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 – their first major tournament final since the 1966 World Cup.

Thoughts have already turned to the Qatar World Cup, now just 14 months away, and whether the Three Lions can go one better.

Southgate, however, has again stressed caution, warning his players that their rivals will look to raise their game ahead of next year and England cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

“If we want to be serious contenders for the World Cup we cannot waste a moment,” added Southgate ahead of Sunday's match against Andorra at Wembley. “We cannot miss an opportunity to improve.

“The teams that didn’t do so well in the summer will be licking their wounds and looking at everything. There’s a risk that they look harder for those opportunities to improve. If we have any complacency that would be an error. We’ve got talent and we have shown positive performances and earned good results. But that can disappear very quickly.”

Further reading

Kenya midfielder Kenneth Muguna insists the team cannot give up and a win against Rwanda on Sunday will be key to their ambition of going to the top of Group E in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

The Harambee Stars started their campaign to Qatar on Thursday with a goalless draw against neighbours Uganda and are trailing leaders Mali, who defeated Amavubi 1-0, by two points.

The newly signed Azam FC player is now focused on the remaining five matches in the group, starting with Sunday's away game.

'Rwanda is a must win'

"Rwanda is a must-win match for us because we want to be on top of the group as soon as possible," Muguna told  Goal.

"We know we have to work hard for it and it will come with a lot of pressure but we will absorb it for our country. We are going to fight for the win because we know Rwanda will be looking for a win as well. 

"Against Uganda, the 0-0 result was not what we were looking for, but it is what we got and have to build on that. We understand we needed a win especially at home, but we cannot give up since we did not get it because this is football. 

"And we have about five matches to go so we have to remain focused and have confidence in what we are doing in training. We know what we want to execute as a team; and the remaining matches, starting with Rwanda, at least we get a win."

'It was a special moment'

Meanwhile, fellow midfielder Richard Odada concedes it was a special moment for him to get a chance to play against the Cranes.

Despite the stalemate, it was the 20-year-old Red Star Belgrade man who stole the show in his defensive midfield role and even received coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee's praise.  

"It was a special moment for me because I was waiting for [the debut] and I was happy to play for the national team, it was amazing," Odada told  Goal.

"Unlucky we did not get the result; we had expected to get good results. We did not win the game; that is the most important thing, winning. Anyone can draw.

"We have a lot of players and the coach can field any player that he thinks is ready for the game. In the national team, nobody is guaranteed a position, anyone can play.

"We will give our best and try to get the results.

"That is the most important thing, we will try to give our best and get the results."

Zambia striker Enock Mwepu has revealed his delight at captaining the team for the first time when they beat Mauritania 2-1 in a 2022 World Cup qualifying fixture on Friday.

Ahead of their Group B opener at the Nouakchott Olympic Stadium, the 23-year-old, who currently turns out for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League, was handed the task to lead the side by coach Beston Chambeshi.

And Mwepu did not disappoint as he set up the Chipolopolo for their opening win, notching the first goal in the 10th minute after a fine finish before Patson Daka set up Prince Mumba to fire home the second after the half-time break.

Mwepu is confident the work the team did in the build-up to the back-to-back matches will help them against Tunisia in their next qualifier on Tuesday, and further said he does not take the captaincy role lightly while striving to repay the faith shown in him by the technical bench and players.

“I am really excited and happy, and I thank God for giving us this victory, me being the captain is not easy,” Mwepu told the Zambia FA website.

“The armband has been worn by many icons that I have looked up to, the likes of Kalusha [Bwalya], Christopher [Katongo] to mention but a few.

“It is good they [Bwalya and Katongo] wore number eleven, so for me, it is not something I take lightly but it is something I can say I was born with.”

“Leadership is something you have and show to the team and to everybody. I have taken this opportunity, it is a new dawn, it is a new group that wants to fight for one another, so I am happy to lead such a group.

“Being a captain and a leader of this group, I believe we have started on a good note and scoring a goal is something that has motivated me and the team and fans back home.

“I am really honoured, and it is a privilege, and I will continue fighting for the nation and I will continue leading these boys until we qualify to the World Cup.”

Unfortunately, Mwepu will not be available to lead the team against Tunisia as he, alongside Daka, who features for Leicester City, have been excluded from Tuesday’s match as Zambia is in the red zone of Covid-19 global gradings.

Any visitor to Zambia travelling back to England is subjected to a 10-day mandatory quarantine period which would rule the duo out of at least two fixtures in the Premier League.

He is, however, confident the possible replacements would blend in as they were already part of the team and give the country a win in Ndola.

“I am not sad we will not be part of the team that will be playing against Tunisia. We have branded this team; we have done so many works together as a group,” Mwepu continued.

“We had conversations and meetings so we have worked on the team, such that if one player is out the others that remain will still do the work. This is the new spirit that we have built.”

Zambia will host Tunisia, who beat Equatorial Guinea 3-0, at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.

The 2021 SAFF Championship is slated to start from October 1 in Maldives. This will be the 13th edition of the biennial international men's football championship. India will be participating in the SAFF Championship along with Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Bhutan have refrained from participating due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while Pakistan FA remains suspended by FIFA from April 2021 due to third-party interference. 

All the participating teams are ready to give their best in the biennial competition and have chalked out a detailed training plan to prepare in the best way possible. While Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are travelling to Qatar to hold training camps, Bangladesh have travelled to Kyrgyzstan to take part in a tri-nation tournament. 

While the top-tier Indian domestic league season is set to start in November with the commencement of the Indian Super League (ISL), let us have a look at the league system in the other SAFF nations. 

Sri Lanka

Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) had been trying to initiate the Sri Lanka Super League (SLSL) from 2018 with appropriate guidance from the AFC (Asian Football Confederation). Under the leadership of Jaswer Umar, General Secretary, FFSL, the league was supposed to kick off in April 2020. But due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it was postponed to November 2020. The competition got further delayed due to the pandemic and it finally started in April 2021 with 10 teams set to play each other twice at the Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo. 

Unfortunately, after three matchdays the competition had to be stopped once again due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in Sri Lanka. However, the FFSL hopes to resume the competition in November after getting the required clearances from the Sports Ministry and the Health Ministry. 

Previously, the Sri Lanka Champions League was the top-tier football tournament in the island nation. It was inaugurated in 1985. 18 teams used to compete in this league and they played each other once. However, there have been instances where the teams were divided into two groups, and the top four teams from each group would play in the Championship round. The eight teams would play once against every opponent in a league format and the league leaders would bag the title. 

The FFSL also organises a knockout cup competition named the Sri Lanka FA Cup. It is held in three stages - preliminary, district, and national. The 64 winners of the preliminary stage play in the district stage and the winners then further compete in the national stage which begins with 32 teams. The winners are decided by a final match at the end of the tournament. It is the oldest football competition in Sri Lanka as it was founded in 1948. 

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is the top-tier football competition in the neighbouring country. It was founded in March 2007. In the 2021 edition, 13 teams participated in BPL with Basundhara Kings emerging as champions. Each team plays each other twice on a home-and-away basis. 

The Bangladesh Federation (BFF) also organises two knockout competitions i.e. the Federation Cup and the Independence Cup. In the 2020-21 Federation Cup 13 teams were divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group progressed to the quarterfinals. Basundhara Kings emerged champions after beating Saif Sporting Club in the final. 

On the other hand, the previous edition of the Independence Cup was organised in 2018. It was played in a similar format and Kings were the champions after beating Sheikh Russel in the final. 

Maldives

The Dhivehi Premier League is the top division league in Maldives which is contested by a maximum of 10 teams. Each team plays twice against each other. In the 2019-20 season, nine teams participated in the competition, whereas, in 2020-21, eight teams locked horns against each other. 

The Football Association of Maldives (FAM) also organises a cup competition named the Maldives FA Cup. Generally, seven to eight teams participate in this competition. It was founded in 1988. However, the tournament currently remains suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Nepal

The Martyr's Memorial A-Division League is the top division competition in Nepal. 14 teams participate and they play each other once. The last edition of the league was held during the 2019-20 season which was won by Machhindra FC. In 2020, the league was not held due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021-22 season of the league will kick off in November. 

In 2021, the Nepal Super League was established, a top-flight franchise-based league. Seven teams played each other once in a league format. The top four teams advanced to the playoff stage. In the final, Kathmandu Rayzrs FC won the title beating Dhangadhi FC 1-0. 

The top two sides in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying meet on Sunday evening in Sao Paulo as Brazil host Argentina.

La Canarinha are currently top of the table with seven wins from seven, the most recent of which came on Thursday away to Chile, where Tite's men recorded a 1-0 success.

Lionel Scaloni's team meanwhile were 3-1 winners in Venezuela to stay six points behind their eternal rivals but another win this weekend for the Albiceleste would see them cut the gap to the leaders. 

Here's how to watch Brazil vs Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers from India.

Contents

What time does Brazil vs Argentina start?

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How to watch Brazil vs Argentina on TV & live stream in India

In India, the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers will neither be telecasted on TV nor streamed online in the absence of an official broadcaster. However, fans in India can follow the social media pages of the teams, confederation, FIFA and that of Goal.

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Brazil vs Argentina: Team news & key stats

Brazil remain without nine Premier League-based players who have not travelled because of coronavirus restrictions including Alisson Becker, Gabriel Jesus, Fred and Thiago Silva.

Argentina meanwhile are able to call upon the services of Lionel Messi who played the whole game in Venezuela despite only featuring for 24 minutes so far this season for new club Paris Saint-Germain.

Key Stats:

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Sam Morsy has expressed his desire to help Ipswich Town earn promotion to the English Championship at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Having completed a short time spell at Middlesbrough, the 29-year-old joined the English League One side after agreeing on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

With that move, the midfielder joins Sone Aluko (Nigeria), Macauley Bonne (Zimbabwe), Idris El Mizouni (Tunisia) and Toto Nsiala (Congo) in Paul Cook’s squad.

In a chat with the club website, the former Wigan Athletic and Barnsley star opened up on his mission to Portman Road.

"The immediate aim is to get promoted and that’s what I’ve come to the club to do," said Morsy.

"You can’t dress it up, the aim is promotion given the size of this club, the players and the manager.

"I know the owners want to invest in the squad and want us to be a force in the Championship.

“They’ve backed the manager and the manager has been promoted from this league before so it’s exciting. 

"There are some very good players here. With Kyle Edwards; my good friend, Lee Peltier, has had nothing but good things to say about him and about how good he is. Obviously, the [Bersant] Celina signing is a big one, Conor Chaplin scored a lot of goals in the Championship. 

The Egyptian was given the marching orders in the 81st minute of his final appearance for Boro as they drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

As a result of that, he will miss Town’s next three league fixtures versus Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday and Lincoln City.

When asked about his favourite position, he said: "I play in midfield. I like to get the ball from the defence and start attacks.

“I break up play. I try to control and dictate games.

"I don’t want to be banned but it gives me time to find a place to live here and sort out personal things so when I am playing, I’m fully focused on the job.

"I’ve got to fully adapt to Ipswich now and hopefully have a good season."

Egypt have been handed a massive boost ahead of their 2022 World Cup qualification clash with Gabon as Mohamed Salah has joined the Pharaohs squad – however, Mohamed Elneny is out due to a muscle injury.

According to the Egyptian Football Association website, the 29-year-old landed in Franceville as Hossam El Badry’s men lock horns with the Panthers on Sunday.

Due to the United Kingdom's quarantine restrictions, the Liverpool star missed the fixture against Angola as the seven-time African champions laboured to a 1-0 victory over Pedro Goncalves’ men.

Mohamed Magdy’s fifth-minute penalty settled the keenly contested encounter staged inside Cairo’s 30 June Stadium.

With Egypt on the UK’s red-list, the two-time African Player of the Year would be subjected to quarantine for ten days on his return to England if he featured against the Palancas Negras.

Also, EFA confirmed that Arsenal star Elneny will be out of action against Patrice Neveu’s men due to injury worries.

Gabon suffered a 2-1 defeat at Libya, nevertheless, they would be aiming to return to winning ways against Egypt at the Stade de Franceville.

Since making their debut at the quadrennial football showpiece in 1934 (Italy) – where they crashed out in the Round of 16 (the first round back then), the North Africans have since featured in two more finals where they crashed out in the group stage.

Egypt was among Africa’s representatives in the 2018 edition staged in Russia alongside Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal. They failed to progress past the group that boasted hosts Russia, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
 

SQUAD IN FULL

Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Al Ahly SC), Mohamed Abougabal (Zamalek SC), Mahdy Soliman (Pyramids FC).

Defenders: Akram Tawfik, Ayman Ashraf (Al Ahly SC), Baher El Mohamady (Ismaily SC), Ali Gabr, Omar Gaber (Pyramids FC), Mahmoud Hamdi ‘El-Wensh’, Mohamed Abdelshafy, Ahmed Fetouh (Zamalek), Ahmed Hegazi (Ittihad Jeddah).

Midfielders: Tarek Hamed, Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek SC), Amr El-Sulya, Hussein El-Shahat, Hamdi Fathi, Mohamed Magdy Afsha (Al Ahly SC), Ramadan Sobhi, Abdallah El-Said (Pyramids FC), Mostafa Fathi (Smouha SC), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal).

Forwards: Salah Mohsen, Mohamed Sherif (Al Ahly SC), Mostafa Mohamed (Galatasaray), Ahmed Hassan Kouka (Olympiacos), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC).

U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter says Christian Pulisic's status for Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Canada remains uncertain while also revealing that Zack Steffen will miss out once again with a back issue.

Pulisic and Steffen missed out on Thursday's World Cup qualifying opener against El Salvador, which ended in a scoreless draw, with the former still recovering after testing positive for Covid-19 on August 20.

With Steffen out, Matt Turner looks set to start again for the USMNT, who will be awaiting one final update on Pulisic's status before making a decision.

What was said?

"Christian is going to have another evaluation today," Berhalter said Saturday evening. "He's made some progress, and we have to see if it's enough to actually include him in the gameday squad and play.

"Zack is going to remain out for the game."

Berhalter went on to discuss Pulisic's status as the Chelsea star continues to rebuild his fitness after battling Covid-19.

Pulisic tested negative before flying from London to the U.S. for qualifiers but is still building his body back up after missing time with Chelsea.

"We've been getting him up to speed with training," Berhalter added. "We're trying to see what he can tolerate, see what type of workloads he can do and I think that's the first step.

"To be out for 10 days and have Covid isn't the easiest thing to get over, so, for us, it's about really seeing how he can come back in a safe way. That's the most important thing.

"When we've been having conversations, we've been asking him about how he's tolerating loads and everything, so we'll see if he's ready."

Further reading

South Africa have named a strong squad to participate in the maiden edition of the Aisha Buhari Cup.

Paired alongside Ghana and Cameroon in Group B, the five-time African Women’s Championship runners-up are hoping to qualify for the knockout phase with the ambition of emerging as winners.

According to the list announced by coach Desiree Ellis, 19 local-based professionals made the cut alongside six foreign-based pros that includes Atletico Madrid’s Thembi Kgatlana and Glasgow City’s Janine Van Wyk.

As disclosed by the Nigeria Football Federation media, Banyana Banyana’s invited players will arrive at the Safa Technical Centre on Sunday, September 5, 2021 – where they will hold a training camp before heading for the West African country.

"Our draw was difficult. It's not as easy as it seems. Ghana have been a powerhouse as well as Cameroon in African football. We cannot take any of the teams lightly,” Ellis told media after being zoned against the Indomitable Lionesses and Black Queens.

"We've always wanted more women's football competitions on the continent and this will be a mini Women Africa Cup of Nations. I think this is the start of great things to come for women's football in Africa.

"Six top countries and we couldn't have asked for anything more. We want to thank Nigeria's First Lady (Dr Aisha Buhari) for the fantastic initiative. 

"Next time, it can be much bigger and also rival big tournaments worldwide. It's a great initiative and we're very happy to be part of it."
 

SOUTH AFRICA FULL LIST

Goalkeepers: Kaylin Swart (JVW FC); Regirl Ngobeni (University of Western Cape)

Defenders: Lebohang Ramalepe (Dinamo Minsk); Janine Van Wyk (Glasgow City); Tiisetso Makhubele (Tshwane University of Technology); Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC); Bongeka Gamede (University of Western Cape); Koketso Tlailane (Tshwane University of Technology FC)

Midfielders: Ntombifikile Ndlovu (Sunflower FC); Ongeziwe Ndlangisa (Sunflower FC); Oratile Mokwena (Mamelodi Sundowns FC); Mamello Makhabane (JVW FC); Nomvula Kgoale (Tshwane University of Technology); Thembi Kgatlana (Atletico Madrid); Refiloe Jane (AC Milan); Linda Motlhalo (Djurgardens FC); Robyn Moodaly (JVW FC); Noxolo Cesane (University of Western Cape); Gabriela Salgado (JVW FC)

Forwards: Lelona Daweti (Mamelodi Sundowns FC); Sibulele Holweni (University of Western Cape; Melinda Kgadiete (Mamelodi Sundowns FC); Hildah Magaia (Moron BK); Faya Mandisa (Lindelani Ladies); Nthabiseng Majiya (Richmond Ladies)

Nigeria women’s national team coach Randy Waldrum has invited 23 players for their Aisha Buhari Cup campaign.

The Super Falcons will face Morocco and Mali in Group A of the preliminary round of the championship.

Towards a successful outing, Waldrum has picked a strong squad made up of 18 foreign-based professionals and just five players who ply their trade in the Nigeria Women Football League.

Making the cut is Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala alongside Atletico Madrid’s Rasheedat Ajibade, Sevilla’s Tony Payne as well as Madrid CFF’s Rita Chikwelu.

Also in the team are veteran defender Onome Ebi, Minsk FC’s Regina Otu, Houston Dash’s Michelle Alozie with 34-year-old Faith Ikidi making a return to the Nigerian squad.

Nigeria will begin their quest for honours against the Atlas Lionesses on September 13 at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan before trying the Malians for size two days later.

The competition is organised in honour of Nigeria's first lady, Aisha Buhari, and it will be a week-long event in Lagos.

The tournament is expected to get Nigeria ready for the 2022 Awcon qualifiers against Ghana in October. They failed to register a win in three matches played at the US Summer Series in June.

There, Waldrum’s women suffered a 1-0 defeat to Jamaica, followed it up with a 3-3 draw against Portugal before losing 2-0 to four-time Women’s World Cup winners the United States of America.
 

SUPER FALCONS FULL LIST

Goalkeepers:  Tochukwu Oluehi (Maccabi Kishronot Hadera, Israel); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Yewande Balogun (California Storm, USA)

Defenders: Onome Ebi (Minsk FC, Belarus); Glory Ogbonna (Umea FC, Sweden); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Faith Ikidi (Pitea DFF, Sweden); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Oluwatosin Demehin (Rivers Angels)

Midfielders: Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna United, Sweden); Tony Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (Minsk FC, Belarus); Goodness Onyebuchi (Edo Queens); Joy Bokiri (AIK Sweden FC, Sweden)

Forwards: Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings FC, Sweden); Desire Oparanozie (Dijon FC, France); Esther Okoronkwo (Saint Etienne, France)

Ajax director of football, Marc Overmars said they are ready to release Andre Onana for free in July 2022 if no decent transfer offer is submitted in the winter transfer window.

Onana has entered the final year of his contract with the Sons of the Gods and he has rejected their offer for an extension.

During the just-concluded summer transfer window, the Cameroon international was a subject of interest from Arsenal and Inter Milan but the two clubs could not find an agreement with Ajax for a deal.

“We’ve been very clear. We have been trying to extend his contract for some time. That has not worked out then you allow for him to make a transfer in this past window, that also didn’t work out,” Overmars told the club’s media.

When asked if the 25-year-old can change his mind and accept Ajax’s offer later, the club legend said: "You never know in football. But I have to say that, at the moment, I don't see that happening.

“It's possible but at a certain point it still has to be for a decent sum of money. Otherwise, as I said, we have to go our separate ways. If the offer is not enough, then he'll leave in July for free."

Onana who is currently serving a nine-month doping ban, has been allowed to return to the team’s training ahead of the completion of his punishment in November.

The Cameroon goalkeeper has been training with a personal trainer since February to maintain his fitness level.

"We have decided that Andre will start goalkeeper training and team training sessions with Jong Ajax,” Overmars added.

"The question, for now, is whether he will earn a spot with the first team in the long term.

 "We have now moved on without him and have recruited two keepers during his suspension. Both an experienced and a talented one, the latter being one with an eye on the future.

"The team has already started the season and is in the process of team building."