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There are, broadly speaking, three kinds of winger in modern football.

There is the playmaker who starts out wide – as the space between the lines of defence and midfield has shrunk, there is now a tendency for creators to assume wide starting positions before picking their moments to drift infield.

There is the pure winger, starting on his natural side and putting crosses into the box – this is a dying breed of player.

Then there is the inside forward, who often (but not always) plays on the 'wrong' side and is primarily concerned with scoring goals, either by cutting inside to shoot or by ghosting into goalscoring positions.

Nantes winger Moses Simon does not fit neatly into any of these categories, however.

While what he is not – a wide playmaker – is clear enough, he defies the other two classifications in some ways, while affirming them in others. In terms of his output, he is more a winger than an inside forward, but stylistically he is more an inside forward than a winger. Unlike the pure winger, he starts on the wrong side; unlike an inside forward, he is not as focused on either taking up goalscoring positions or creating shots for himself.

That can make him difficult to appreciate, as his style itself belies expectation.

At international level, the former Genk man has certainly struggled to garner the recognition he arguably deserves, being neither a wide playmaker like Alex Iwobi nor an inside forward like Samuel Chukwueze...and yet, when the Super Eagles file out for their September 3 World Cup qualifier against Liberia in Lagos, Simon will almost certainly start.

It will not be simply because Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr likes him either.

There was certainly a suspicion, early on in the German’s reign, that he was partial to the 26-year-old on account of his work rate and defensive application. In the early days of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, Simon was a virtual ever-present, only really losing his place in the team due to injury on the eve of the tournament proper.

Since then, a combination of factors – the form of Ahmed Musa coming out of the Mundial in Russia, and the rise of the mercurial Samuel Kalu – has confined him to the substitutes’ bench, with occasional starts in times of need and in the absence of other options being his lot.

However, since the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Musa’s form and career standing have fallen off a cliff, and Kalu has had a number of health and injury concerns, most recently collapsing during Bordeaux’s Ligue 1 match against Marseille.

Add in the absence of Chukwueze through injury, and Simon is more or less a shoo-in.

It would be a mistake to view him starting as a matter of default though. Going purely on output so far this season, Simon has more than earned his luck.

No one in Ligue 1 has as many assists (three), and only Paul Pogba (five) and Andrej Kramaric (four) boast better tallies in Europe’s top five leagues.

In a club that, by its manager’s admission, does not even employ scouts – such is the degree of dysfunction – the Nigeria international has been a ray of light, and is quickly becoming the Nantes’ most important attacking player: last weekend’s defeat on the road at Rennes came as Simon watched on from the bench, having been taken off at half-time due to an injury concern with the scores tied.

Thankfully from the club’s perspective, Simon has quickly returned to fitness, and will once more spearhead their attacking intentions on Friday night against struggling Olympique Lyonnais.

Peter Bosz’s side are reeling from their 3-3 draw against newly-promoted Clermont last weekend, where they threw away a 3-1 half-time lead inside the final 10 minutes.

Two of those concessions came via set-pieces; as it happens, dead-ball deliveries are a bit of a speciality for Simon, who has already created a number of excellent chances from those situations this season, including setting up Cameroon defender Jean-Charles Castelletto on the opening day with a pin-point corner-kick.

It is this, more than anything else, that encapsulates Simon as a player. His ability to create danger, both in broken and open play (his splendid pair of crossed assists against Metz) underscore his versatility and functionality. These traits, while prized by managers, are not typically embraced by fans, who crave and value excitement and flamboyance.

Simon will probably not get many jumping out of their seats with his pared-back, result-oriented play. Rather than doing one thing to a staggeringly high level, it is his ability to do many little things well that feeds his relevance, and that, ironically enough, makes him less likely to be appreciated.

Atletico Madrid are considering a bid for Paris Saint-Germain's Pablo Sarabia as Saul Niguez's transfer to Chelsea grows closer, Goal can confirm.

Diego Simeone is putting the finishing touches on his squad ahead of the August 31 transfer deadline, having already brought in Rodrigo de Paul and Matheus Cunha from Udinese and Hertha Berlin respectively.

The Atletico boss could look to add one more midfielder to his ranks, with sapce in the engine room opened up if Saul completes a proposed loan move to Chelsea.

What's the situation?

The La Liga champions have already contacted PSG over Sarabia's availability, with reports a man who still has three years remaining on his contract could be sold for around €25 million (£21m/$29m).

Goal understands Atletico will not push ahead with negotiations for the 29-year-old until Saul's future is sorted, and are willing Chelsea to make a final decision as soon as possible.

Sarabia's credentials

Sarabia has the attributes to replace Saul if he does end up moving to Stamford Bridge, with the Spain international coming off the back of an impressive Euro 2020 campaign with his country.

The PSG star played a key role in La Roja's run to the semi-finals of the competition, having initially earned a place in Luis Enrique's squad following a solid 2020-21 season at Parc des Princes.

Sarabia recorded seven goals and four assists in 37 games across all competitions for the Ligue 1 giants last term, but has yet to nail down a permanent role in Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI and could be offloaded before the summer market closes.

Will Chelsea sign Saul?

Goal has reported Saul's agents have been trying to manufacture a move to the Premier League after seeing him fall down the pecking order at Wanda Metropolitano.

Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign the 26-year-old, who has a €150m (£128m/$176m) release clause, but the European champions may look to secure his services in a cut-price loan deal that would include a €45m (£38m/$53m) buy option.

It has been suggested the Blues will have to sell before bringing in any more new players, but Thomas Tuchel is not concerned by the size of his squad and a move for Saul could be sanctioned regardless of whether there any further outgoings at Chelsea in the coming days.

Further reading

Zambia FA president Andrew Kamanga has stated the decision by the Premier League to hold onto African players from countries on England’s “red list” will render the qualifying matches unfair.

On Tuesday, Premier League clubs confirmed in a statement they will not release players to honour international duty if they are turning out for countries on the UK’s red list.

The decision which affected at least 60 players was aimed at preventing them from having to quarantine on their return to England after the international break for qualifiers slated for September.

Kamanga, whose Chipolopolo will miss the services of Leicester City forward Patson Daka and Brighton & Hove Albion striker Enock Mwepu should the decision stand, has explained the qualifiers will not be fair as most of the best players for Africa nations are currently playing in England.

“If you don’t have the players from the English Premier League, it will render the World Cup competition not fair because most of the best players [in Africa] are currently playing in England,” Kamanga said as quoted by Zambia FA website.

“At worst, we will only be replacing two players; Patson [Daka] and Enock [Mwepu]. It wouldn’t be so much of a challenge but we needed to have the full team but if circumstances dictate that we are unable to have that, the technical bench have put in place measure to address the shortcomings.

“Mauritania is not on the red list so we expect all the professionals to be in Morocco [for camping] and play in Mauritania, the worst-case scenario is for them to miss out on the home game [against Tunisia].”

Zambia will play back-to-back matches against Mauritania on September 3 and Tunisia four days later.

On Wednesday, Caf l appealed to the British government to allow African players to travel for next month’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

“Caf has noted the current circumstances in place in Britain regarding the lack of sporting exemptions for players returning from several African countries after the international window next week,” read the statement.

“Caf, acting on behalf of all African Member Associations, African players and fans, has urged the British Government to urgently provide the required exemptions to enable African players to compete for their countries in the upcoming Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifiers.

“Caf notes that similar exemptions were granted by the British Government to enable the attendance of delegations and officials, amongst others, at the finals of the European Championship held less than two months ago.”

Meanwhile, Fifa president Gianni Infantino also urged the organisers of the Premier League and La Liga to reverse their decision to ban players from travelling for the qualifiers.

“We have faced global problems together in the past and must continue to do so in the future. The release of players in the upcoming international windows is a matter of great urgency and importance," Infantino said in a statement. 

"I am grateful for the support and cooperation from many stakeholders in the game during this challenging period. I am calling on a show of solidarity from every member association, every league, and every club to do what is both right and fair for the global game."

Other top African teams set to be affected if the Premier League order stands include Nigeria and Egypt.

Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter has stated Arsenal-linked Yves Bissouma is enjoying his football at the club and that he cannot control what others are thinking.

The midfielder has been consistently linked with a move to North London to strengthen Mikel Arteta's team. With the transfer window almost coming to a close, speculation is rife over a possible move on the final day.

However, his manager is optimistic the player will be part of the team this season.

"I have been answering questions about Yves for a long time, it’s a part of my daily routine," Potter said as quoted by the Argus.

"I answer questions about Yves, or when Tariq [Lamptey] was fit it was him, it is just a part of football. He is enjoying his football, I can’t control what others do or think.

"I know he is with us. You can see from his performances he is committed to Brighton, so we’re delighted with that."

So far, the Seagulls have lost centre-back Ben White who, coincidentally, joined Arsenal.

Nevertheless, the tactician has revealed he is open to departures if good offers come in for his players.

"The reality of it is, and I think our supporters will understand this, is that you can’t rule out anything in football," Potter continued.

"We all understand that, if Real Madrid or Barcelona or somebody comes in with incredible finance, we know where we are in the hierarchy of football.

"Our job is to make sure that whatever decision we make is for the good of the football club and I think we have to do that and make sure we are stronger at the end of the window than we were at the start of the window. That’s the responsibility of the club.

"But I don’t think you can ever rule out anything with anybody. I think that’s unrealistic for us. Even the top teams sell players."

Brighton have started the season on a high, winning their opening two matches against Burnley and Watford. In the match against the Hornets, Bissouma assisted Neal Maupay to ensure his team won the match 2-0.

Percy Tau has finally sealed a move away from Brighton & Hove Albion, with the South Africa forward putting pen to paper with Egyptian giants and reigning continental champions Al Ahly.

On one hand, there’s logic behind the attacker's move back to the African continent.

Tau had appeared to have lost his way in European football, having played a limited role for the Seagulls in their battle against the drop after returning from his loan deal midway through last season.

A switch to Ahly affords him a reunion with Pitso Mosimane, a coach who has meant more to his career than any other. It was under Mosimane, of course, that Tau enjoyed his rise to prominence while the duo worked together at Mamelodi Sundowns.

The forward honed his craft under the South African forward, and was a PSL champion in 2014 and 2018. He was also influential—in 2016—as the Brazilians conquered the continent and won the Caf Champions League for the first time in their history.

Mosimane and Tau stood together at the pinnacle of African football, sharing their career highlight together.

Since then, their fortunes have gone in different directions.

Mosimane moved to Ahly and has cemented his status as the most successful African coach on the planet, winning back-to-back Champions Leagues, impressing at the Club World Cup, and winning a swathe of other honours.

The title may have evaded him this season, but he has won enough credit with the Ahly establishment, that his future at the club is not in doubt.

Tau, by contrast, secured his move to European football in 2018—signing for Brighton—but was unable to make his mark at the club due to work permit issues.

He’s subsequently represented the likes of Union Saint-Gilloise, Club Brugge and Anderlecht on loan, but managed just three league appearances with the Seagulls last term after being recalled from his loan deal.

It was an overwhelmingly disappointing return for the forward, who had been tipped for great things by Brighton boss Graham Potter after coming back to the south coast.

“We’re pleased to be able to welcome Percy to the club and begin working with him," Potter told journalists. "I know he's a player whose progress many of our fans have followed in recent seasons.

“We too have closely monitored his performances in Belgium in the last three years,” he added. "He’s been playing at a really good level, particularly with Bruges and Anderlecht where he has been involved in the Champions League, and his next step is to show he is ready to make the transition into the Premier League.

“He brings some different attributes and qualities to the group and he wants to take the next step in his career.”

That, ultimately, didn’t happen, and Potter appeared strangely reluctant to throw Tau into the mix either when Brighton were still battling to stay in the division, or once their Premier League safety was secured.

While Potter was understanding about allowing Tau to represent South Africa in the Spring—risking quarantine in the process—he was unwilling to allow the forward to join David Notoane’s Olympic squad, with Brighton refusing to sanction his release.

This appeared to indicate that the Prem club were planning to integrate Tau more successfully into the side and make him a more prominent figure during the 2021-22 campaign.

Certainly, the Bafana forward appeared to believe that he was destined for big things this season—and the optimism was fuelled by his stunning goal against Luton Town in a preseason friendly.

However, rumours of a move to Ahly—swelled by public acknowledgement from Mosimane—promptly kiboshed any hopes of Tau finally making an impact in England.

It risks being a disastrous move for the forward who, at 27, really needed to be looking at leaving his lasting legacy in European football, not stepping down to a lesser environment.

He had been made to wait so long to finally enjoy a full season at Brighton—and for both him and his supporters to find out if he can cut it at this level—that it proves to be a bitter disappointment for him to leave now.

Will we ever learn if he could have been good enough for the top?

Admittedly, a move back to Egyptian football from Europe hasn’t been a death knell for the careers of the likes of Ahmed Hegazy or Ramadan Sobhi, but they were difference cases altogether.

If the Seagulls did decide definitively that Tau wasn’t the man for them—and this isn’t beyond the realms of possibility considering how he was overlooked by Potter last term—then a move away made sense, but could he not have targetted one of Europe’s bigger leagues, rather than stepping back to Africa so soon in his career?

Tau’s movement off the ball, his footwork, his technique, and his eye for goal, all set him apart as one of the continent’s most eye-catching widemen today, and a player who could have a lot to offer a team competing against some of Europe’s tougher defences.

A switch to Egypt, where there have been issues about player payment, crowds being able to attend games, and television rights, represents a premature regressive step for a player who—let’s not forget—only left Africa three years ago.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has set an ambitious assists target for the 2021-22 Premier League season.

Pogba has hit the ground running at the start of United's latest campaign, setting up five goals in his first two appearances.

The Frenchman laid on four goals during the 5-1 rout of Leeds before also turning provider in the 1-1 draw at Southampton, and he is hoping to build on that platform as the season progresses.

What's been said?

Speaking ahead of the Red Devils' clash with Wolves at Molineux on Sunday, Pogba has revealed his ambition to land the Premier League's Playmaker award.

Winning silverware is the 28-year-old's first priority though, as he told MUTV: “Which assist means the most to me? The next one. The next one, hopefully. It’s true that it’s been very nice to get those assists, but then you want to finish [as] the top assister of the league. 
 
“You want to win something at the end, so all this will mean something with a trophy. It won’t mean anything without a trophy. I’m focused on that; I’m focused on giving my best on the pitch and hopefully, I can get many more.”

Pogba on Wolves challenge

Pogba also stressed the importance of beating Wolves after last weekend's setback at St Mary's, but is expecting a tough examination against Bruno Lage's well organised team.

“Seven points out of nine, that’s what we want,” he added. “We want this win this weekend, we know it’s going to be very important. It’s the push. The games at the start are very important and it’s going to push us as well through the season and we need the three points. 
 
“You know it’s going to be a tough one. It’s always going to be a tough one but we focus on that to get the three points.”

Pogba's United numbers

Pogba has already recorded more assists this term than he did in the entire 2020-21 season, and has set up a grand total of 47 goals in 208 appearances since returning to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2016.

The World Cup winner has also scored 38 himself, while picking up Europa League and League Cup honours, but he is now aiming to help United snap a four-year trophyless streak under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Further reading

Kolkata giants ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are scheduled to begin their journey in the 2021/22 season of the Calcutta Football League (CFL) on August 29 and August 31 respectively.

East Bengal were initially scheduled to play their opening match on August 24 against Bhowanipore SC but in the revised fixture released by the Indian Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Wes Bengal, the Red and Golds are slated to begin their journey on August 31.

Can ATK Mohun play their CFL opener on August 29?

ATK Mohun Bagan recently took part in the group stages of the AFC Cup 2021 in Maldives. The Green and Maroons ended the group stage with two wins and a draw which helped qualify for the Inter-zonal play-offs semifinal of the competition which they will play on September 22 against Uzbekistan's FC Nasaf. The Mariners' last group stage game was against Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings on August 24.

Now that the group stages are over the team has decided to take a two-week break before they resume training on September 8 to prepare for their upcoming AFC Cup knockout match. In fact, right after the last group game, the foreign players and the foreign coaching staff have gone back to their countries.

In such a situation, it will be extremely difficult for the club management to field a full-strength team in the next three days in the CFL. The team management are yet to finalise the club's participation and they have not communicated to the IFA yet regarding their participation in CFL, Goal can confirm.

Can East Bengal play their CFL opener on August 31?

East Bengal's situation is even more complicated. The club's long-standing agreement related deadlock with their investor Shree Cement was principally resolved on August 25 after the two parties met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee . The Chief Minister mediated and resolved the issue after which both parties announced that East Bengal will play in the ISL this season and they will keep their differences aside for the time being.

At the moment, the Red and Golds do not have a squad, except for a few players who are on their roster. So it is highly unlikely that the club can sign an entire squad in the next five days and play their opening fixture of the CFL.

Another issue that persists in the Red and Golds' camp is their transfer ban which was imposed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on August 6 due to the non-payment of salaries of three former players, Abhash Thapa, Rakshit Dagar and Pintu Mahata. So unless the dues are cleared, the transfer ban will not be lifted and until then East Bengal will not be able to sign or register any player.

As per the term sheet signed between Shree Cement and East Bengal, any liability that was incurred before September 1, 2020, has to be borne by the club. So as the above-mentioned non-payment issue is from the Quess era, Shree Cement will not bear the liability and the new Shree East Bengal Foundation management are yet to receive a communication from the club officials on the clearance of the dues, a source close to  Goal  has confirmed.

What happens if ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal do not turn up on their respective matchdays?

IFA general secretary Joydeep Mukherjee informed  Goal  that the governing body is yet to receive any formal request from the clubs regarding fixture revisal and or whether they will not participate.

"IFA have not received any formal communication from either of the clubs regarding change of fixture. So unless they formally write to us, the fixtures will not be revised and if the teams do not turn on their matchdays then walkover will be awarded to the opposition teams," the IFA secretary told  Goal.

A walkover would result in conceding three points to the opponents with a default scoreline of 3-0. 

Chelsea and AC Milan have struck a deal that will see Tiemoue Bakayoko move to San Siro,  Goal  can confirm. 

The midfielder has struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge since his arrival from Monaco, but did impress during a loan spell with AC Milan. 

And he will now return to Serie A on an initial loan move that could become permanent further down the line. 

Details of Bakayoko's move

Bakayoko will soon put pen to paper to seal his second spell with the Rossoneri. 

The France international will at first move on loan in a deal that will last two seasons. 

At the end of that spell, in June 2023, Milan will be obliged to purchase Bakayoko, as long as he meets certain playing-related conditions specified by the two clubs in their agreement. 

Chelsea hope to recoup €20 million (£17m/$24m) in the future sale, and will extend his contract to June 2024 this week in order to avoid losing him on a free at the end of his current deal.

The bigger picture 

Bakayoko came highly rated when he swapped Monaco for west London in 2017, with Chelsea shelling out around £40m to make him the club's then-second most expensive signing of all time, behind Fernando Torres. 

But he failed to match initial expectations, enduring a disappointing debut season and leaving for Milan on loan at the start of 2018-19 - where he eventually found his feet after a similarly rough start. 

Further temporary moves followed in the next two seasons, at Monaco and Napoli, as it became clear there was no room for him at Stamford Bridge. 

Further reading 

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has invited 30 players for their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification games against Liberia and Cape Verde in September.

The Super Eagles will begin their Group C challenge against West African rivals Liberia on September 3 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium before travelling to Cape Verde, four days later.

Rohr has selected a strong team for the two matches which include seven players that would replace UK-based stars if the British government does not grant them an exemption for the trip to Cape Verde (a red-listed country in their coronavirus watch).

Full Squad.

Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (APOEL Nicosia, Cyprus); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (FC Boavista, Portugal); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Troost-Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Kevin Akpoguma (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany)

Midfielders: Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC, England); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Galsgow Rangers, Scotland)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Samuel Kalu (FC Bordeaux, France); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium)

Seven Others: Terem Moffi (FC Lorient, France); Henry Onyekuru (Olympiacos FC, Greece); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Innocent Bonke (Malmo FF, Sweden); Valentine Ozornwafor (Sporting Charleroi, Belgium); Tyronne Ebuehi (Venezia FC, Italy); Kingsley Michael (Bologna FC, Italy).

Henry Onyekuru scored his maiden goal for Olympiacos in their 2-2 draw against Slovan Bratislava in Thursday’s Uefa Europa League play-off.

Despite the draw, the Greek giants progressed to the group stage of the secondary European competition with a 5-2 aggregate win, thanks to a 3-0 victory in the first-leg last Thursday.

After making his debut as a 74th-minute substitute in the first-leg at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, Onyekuru made his first start for Olympiacos on Thursday.

Morocco striker Youssef El-Arabi opened the scoring for the visitors in Slovakia in the 33rd minute but the lead was cancelled by Nigeria forward Ezekiel Henty's equaliser for Slovan Bratislava, four minutes before the interval.

It was the 24-year-old's first goal for Pedro Martins' side after he joined them on a four-year contract from AS Monaco earlier this month.

Shortly after Onyekuru's goal, Slovan Bratislava drew level again with Andre Green grabbing their second of the night.

Onyekuru was replaced in the 72nd minute by Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan Kouka while El-Arabi made way for Marious Vrousai, however, Guinea forward Aguibou Camara and Senegal's Pape Cisse played the entire duration for Olympiacos.

Slovan Bratislava, on their part, had Henty as the only African star on parade as his compatriot Rabiu Ibrahim watched on as an unused substitute.

Onyekuru's Olympiacos will now wait for Friday's draw in Istanbul to know their group stage opponents in the Europa League.

Elsewhere in Yerevan, Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun's Rangers qualified for the group stage despite playing a goalless draw with their hosts, Alashkert.

The Premiership champions had defeated the Armenian club 1-0 in Glasgow last Thursday, which secured their passage to the Europa League proper.

Aribo played from start to finish for Steven Gerrard's side while Balogun was an unused substitute.

Wayne Rooney says former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't dare join Manchester City this transfer window and dash his Manchester United legacy, though recent reports suggest such a move is possible if not likely.

Rooney, himself a United legend, won three Premier League titles alongside Ronaldo in the decade preceding City's rise to the top of English football. And as someone who knows Ronaldo well, Rooney "can't see" the Juventus forward joining the rival organisation.

However, Ronaldo is said to be unhappy at Juventus and interested in a switch of scenery, and City are one of the few clubs who could afford to pay his wages.

What has been said?

“I think Cristiano has got a very good legacy at Manchester United and I know how proud he is as a player and a person," Rooney told talkSPORT. 

"I can’t see [him joining City], but it’s football so you never know. There have been a few that have done it but no one at Cristiano’s level. Obviously Peter Schmeichel and Andy Cole, but I just can’t see that as an option for him really.

“Financially of course he doesn’t need to do it. I think it’s more likely that it’s PSG he goes to."

Rooney, now the head coach of Derby County, also emphasised that under no circumstances would he himself make a switch to City.

“I think you need to do what’s right for you as a person, for your family,” he said. “Everyone knows I could never play for Liverpool or Manchester City. That’s obvious but everyone’s different.

“I think people move to clubs where they don’t really want to but from a financial point of view that might be the only option they have, so I might get it from some people’s point of view.

“But in terms of myself that just wouldn’t be an option.”

The bigger picture

It's been more than a decade since Ronaldo last donned the iconic red of United, but many of their fans have nonetheless continued to cheer him on from afar, first at Real Madrid and then Juventus.

They watched him come of age at Old Trafford - a process that had seemingly ensured he would always be their golden boy. Now, though, their emotions will be twisted by him potentially joining a top foe.

Ronaldo going to City would also mark a second seismic shift in the football world in less than a month after Lionel Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain. A third dramatic transaction could then come if Kylian Mbappe forces a move to Real Madrid.

Further reading

Tottenham star Harry Kane capped an eventful 48 hours by netting twice to see his side past Pacos de Ferreira in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. 

The striker put an end to a raft of transfer speculation on Wednesday by committing his future to the north Londoners. 

And he marked his first start of the season in style to ensure Spurs' continuity in the new competition. 

Tottenham's saviour

Kane had sat out last week's clash in Portugal as Tottenham and Manchester City vied for his loyalties. 

Without their star striker, Spurs fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat with an under-strength team. 

New boss Nuno Espirito Santo finally welcomed Kane back to the fold at the weekend with a 20-minute stint off the bench against Wolves, and Kane was named to his starting line-up on Thursday in order to turn around the Conference League tie. 

And he did just that, hitting his side's first two goals before Gio Lo Celso put the result beyond doubt as Spurs ran out 3-0 winners to advance 3-1 on aggregate. 

Staying put

Kane's match-winning performance came hot on the heels of Wednesday's statement, which finally put Spurs fans' minds at rest following a summer of doubt over whether their star would move to a Premier League rival. 

"It was incredible to see the reception from the Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the messages of support I've had in the last few weeks," he wrote on Twitter. 

"I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success. #COYS"

Further reading 

U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter says that the team is taking a "wait and see" approach to Christian Pulisic's availability as the Chelsea star continues to recover from a positive Covid-19 test.

Pulisic tested positive for the coronavirus last week, ruling him out for Chelsea's 2-0 win over Arsenal at the weekend.

But, ahead of World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador, Canada and Honduras, Pulisic has been named to Berhalter's squad even though his availability is still a question mark.

What did Berhalter say?

"Regarding Christian it's going to be day to day just seeing where he's at," Berhalter said on Thursday.

"He's still under quarantine conditions in England and we're going to have to get him stateside once he clears the quarantine and assess him.

"It's really too early to tell if he'll be available for September 2, for the fifth, or for the eighth. We just don't know right now. It's going to be a wait and see kind of thing."

Berhalter added: "There are a lot of things that need to happen before that for him to actually get on the plane.

"Let's be clear. This is a Covid situation and there's a lot of tests that he needs to go through before he arrives. Even then, everyone handles it differently, everyone responds to it differently, everyone recovers from it differently. That's the process we're looking at."

Berhalter, who named a 26-player roster for the upcoming qualifiers, reiterated that he'll only be able to name 23 players to the gameday squad with the extra three call-ups accounting for any potential absences due to fitness or, in Pulisic's case, a positive test.

Further reading

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has revealed Bafana Bafana attacker Percy Tau consulted him first before the player decided to join Al Ahly. 

Mokwena says he had an “emotional” two-hour conversation with Tau who was unveiled as Al Ahly's new player on Thursday.

The Bafana star left Premier League side Brighton to join the reigning African champions coached by former Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane.

“I have my opinion on the matter, I am privileged that I have first-hand access to Percy Tau and I am humbled that before making the decision he did give me a call about two or three weeks ago,” said Mokwena as per Sowetan Live.  

“Percy knows my opinion on this matter and our discussion was an emotional, two-hour conversation between father and son. I know Percy’s feelings about where his career is and what he would like to do.

“I know his idea of what he would like to achieve in football, but I think he knows my feelings on this issue and some of the things we keep behind closed doors because they are extremely sensitive. 

“There are things that are said because there is mutual affection and trust, and Percy has my support regardless of whatever decision he makes and he knows that.”

Mokwena and Tau worked together since the player was in Sundowns’ development teams. 

Joining the Egyptian giants put an end to a period of frustration for the Bafana forward since January at Brighton where his playing opportunities were limited. 

He becomes the first South African to play for Al Ahly, following the footsteps of Mosimane who became the first tactician from the country to coach in Egypt.

“Percy is a strong man, he is like Messi. He has so much to show you every week. So let’s give him a chance to show,” Mosimane said recently .

“If Al Ahly can be the third-biggest team in the world and beat the South Americans [Palmeiras] that represents the whole of South America, then Al Ahly is a good team.  

“Percy is 27 now. You want him to retire without playing football? Then we have the tag of him playing in the EPL. He is not playing in the EPL. They keep loaning him out. They have a pre-season now and they are playing friendly games.”

Harambee Star Lawrence Juma has set his sights on transferring his club form to the national team.

The midfielder scored 16 goals for Sofapaka in the just concluded Football Kenya Federation Premier League campaign. Kenya are preparing to play neighbours Uganda Cranes on September 2 in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Recently crowned Tusker FC defender Eugene Asike has also been impressed with the way the national team trained on Thursday, after reporting to camp at Utalii Grounds.

'I want to transfer club form to Harambee Stars'

"I aim to transfer my good form from the league to the team and help attain a positive result in the crucial back-to-back 2022 World Cup qualifying matches against Uganda and Rwanda," Juma said as quoted by the FKF website.

Asike is optimistic the team will be in the best form in the forthcoming assignments.

"Today’s training session was fruitful and exciting, we got to see how good our endurance is and I believe over the next training sessions we will improve and be in our best form for the crucial 2022 World Cup qualifying matches."

When will the foreign-based players report to camp?

The Federation has further revealed when the players plying their trade abroad are expected in the country.

"Foreign-based players are set to start checking into the camp from Monday, August 30, 2021," read the communication from FKF.

Joseph Okumu, Kenneth Muguna, Michael Olunga, Eric Johanna, and Eric Ouma are some of the stars expected next week.

Harambee Stars provisional squad

Goalkeepers: Ian Otieno (Zesco United, Zambia), James Saruni (Ulinzi Stars, Kenya), Joseph Okoth (KCB, Kenya), Brian Bwire (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Brandon Obiero (Kariobangi Sharks)

Defenders: Joseph Okumu (KAA Gent, Belgium), Eric Ouma (AIK, Sweden), Eugene Asike (Tusker, Kenya), Nashon Alembi (KCB, Kenya), Harun Shakava (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Andrew Juma (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Siraj Mohammed (Bandari, Kenya), Clyde Senaji (AFC Leopards, ), Frank Odhiambo (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Bolton Omwenga (Nairobi City Stars, Kenya), Daniel Sakari (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Baraka Badi (KCB, Kenya)

Midfielders: Richard Odada (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia), Duke Abuya (Nkana, Zambia), Duncan Otieno (Lusaka Warriors, Zambia), Lawrence Juma (Sofapaka, Kenya), Kenneth Muguna (Azam FC, Tanzania), Kevin Kimani (Wazito, Kenya), Patillah Omoto (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Enock Momanyi (FC Talanta, Kenya), Jackson Macharia (Tusker, Kenya), Eric Johanna (Jonkopings Sondra IF, Sweden) Boniface Muchiri (Tusker, Kenya), Abdalla Hassan (Bandari, Kenya)

Forwards: Michael Olunga (Al-Duhail, Qatar), Masud Juma (Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi, Morocco), Cliffton Miheso (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Erick Kapaito (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Henry Meja (Tusker), Samuel Onyango (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Benson Omalla (Gor Mahia, Kenya)