Looking for Soccer News?

Macleans Chinonyerem was on target twice for Bobruichanka despite suffering a 7-2 defeat to Zorka-BDU in a Belarusian women's top-flight encounter on Monday.

The Nigerian joined the 11 times Belarusian champions this summer and has continued to impress in front of the goal for Nikolay Kasatkin's team.

Smarting from Wednesday's 7-2 semi-final defeat at Dinamo-BSUPC, where Bobruichanka could not overturn their first leg 5-1 loss to Yuri Ivanovich's team, they eventually lost 12-3 on aggregate.

On the part of Chinonyerem, she was aiming to help her side avoid suffering the fourth losing streak in all competitions following her goal in each leg of the Cup semi-final humiliation by Dinamo.

Hopes of upsetting Zorka on their ground were hit by a huge setback when Liana Miroshnichenko leveraged on a defensive mistake to fire the hosts in front after just three minutes.

10 minutes later, Zorka were gifted a penalty from the spot which Elvira Urazaeva converted to double the lead before Viktoriya Gerus added the third a minute later to compound the visitors' woes.

The rampant hosts did not relent in their search for goals as Diana Tropnikova netted the fourth in the 22nd minute before Urazaeva bagged her brace four minutes later.

However, Bobruichanka railed for a comeback and that saw them pull two back through the individual brilliance of Chinonyerem before the half time but could not go further to avoid a fourth defeat in a row.

With her latest brace, the 20-year-old Nigerian, who lasted the duration of the match, has now increased her tally to four goals in four league games and six in all competitions for Bobruichanka.

Besides Chinonyerem, Cameroon international Sorelle Tagne Metiefang was also involved from the start to the finish.

The latest defeat leaves Bobruichanka in sixth position on the log with 11 points from 14 matches and she will eye a return to winning ways against fourth-placed Neman at home on August 23.

Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has admitted he is still looking to strengthen his squad having already purchased Pape Gueye.

The 21-year-old Franco-Senegalese midfielder was snapped on a free transfer in July after his contract at Ligue 2 side Le Harve had expired.

He had initially signed for relegated-Premier League club Watford but called the deal off due to irregularities in his contract.

He is gradually integrating himself with the club and has played in four pre-season friendlies, three of them ending in victories and the other a loss to 30-time German champions Bayern Munich.

Villas-Boas did insist keeping his core squad was necessary as well. Asides Gueye, Marseille have also signed Alvaro Gonzalez and Leonardo Balerdi from Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

“Obviously I would like investments, but it will not happen like that and we continue our work,” Villas-Boas told BeIN Sports.

“The goal is at least to stay with the same workforce, which is now expanded with the arrival of Balerdi and Pape [Gueye]. Dario [Benedetto] is missing an option and [Jordan] Amavi an option.

"We can look for loans or free players, in the event that we do not sell. According to what has been communicated, we will be obliged to have sales, so we wait for that moment. We don't have any offers yet. It was already like that last year, but we make do with it."

Marseille’s last friendly game was far from convincing as they were only able to claim a 1-0 win over Nimes Olympique on Sunday. They will have one more warm-up game against German club VfB Stuttgart on Friday before the Ligue 1 season commences on August 23 where they host Saint-Etienne at the Stade Velodrome.

The Phoenicians finished second behind Paris Saint-Germain during the previous campaign which was called off at matchday 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic. It gives Marseille an automatic berth in the Champions League which they will be competing in for the first time since 2013 and Gueye previously stated he was excited about it.

“It's a dream to be in a team that plays in the Champions League. They did a good job last year and I followed almost every game,” he said on the official Marseille YouTube Channel.

“It's a dream in addition to playing for Olympique de Marseille, at the Stade Velodrome where I never had the chance to play. They told me about it and it's a dream.”

Jadon Sancho will soon be a Manchester United player, with Borussia Dortmund simply playing hardball to get the best deal possible, according to Owen Hargreaves.

The Red Devils have made Sancho one of their main summer transfer targets and negotiations have been taking place between the two clubs for some time.

Goal can confirm the Bundesliga outfit want €120 million (£108m/$142m) for the England international, but the two clubs were said to be far apart on their negotiations last week despite claims an agreement had been reached.

Dortmund set a deadline of Monday to reach an agreement, otherwise there would be no deal. And with no agreement in sight, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has declared that Sancho will be staying in Germany next season.

Hargreaves, though, believes this is simply a bargaining tactic designed to extract a few more million from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

"Bluff. I'm calling bluff, I think he'll be a Man Utd player in a pretty short time,” the former Manchester United midfielder told BT Sport.

"They are just trying to get some more money out of it. It’s the nature of the beast.

“Obviously they know United are really interested and they are pretty heavy into negotiations. I think they are bluffing and they know he is going to leave at that price.”

Two more former United players, Robin van Persie and Paul Scholes, agreed with Hargreaves' assertion that Sancho will end up at Old Trafford.

The duo feel United’s failure to land Erling Haaland, who joined Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in January, will make them even more determined to land a prime transfer target this time.

“By the looks of it, Dortmund are playing some hard ball,” Van Persie told BT Sport.  “But that’s how the game is played.

“Dortmund want more money so it depends on Man United, if they want to go the extra mile. If they really rate him and think he can be that big of a hit, they will.

“They missed out on [Erling] Haaland and I think it was a missed chance. Because Everyone’s seen over the last six to eight months what he can do. He’s a brilliant player.

“They don’t want to miss out on the next big thing but how far are they willing to go? That’s the trick question here. It’s business.”

Scholes added: “They’re just after a little bit more money out of it. They are talking about £108m, which is a lot of money. [But] He looks a brilliant player who will improve any team in world football with his assists and his goals.

“The one thing I would say about United is that they were desperate for Haaland and they didn’t quite go the extra mile to pay the money they wanted for him.

"Will they do it with Sancho? I think they will. If Ole desperately wants him, I think they will get him.”

Victor Moses’ Inter Milan are through to the semi-final of the Europa League after a 2-1 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen on Monday.

Goals from Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku were all the Italians needed to book their passage into the last four – rendering Kai Havertz’s strike to a mere consolation.

Antonio Conte’s men silenced Getafe 2-0 in the Round of 16 to reach this stage alongside the Germans who beat Steven Gerrard’s Rangers 4-1 on aggregate.

In a goal-laden first half, the Black and Blues took a 15th minute lead as Barella scored a beauty after Lukaku’s initial shot was blocked.

Bayer Leverkusen were in for some trouble when the Belgium international doubled the lead six minutes later - squeezing the ball home after showing great strength to hold off Burkina Faso’s Edmond Tapsoba.

In the process, two records tumbled for the former Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United star.

First, he became the first player to score in nine successive Europa League or Uefa Cup games, eclipsing the record of eight he previously shared with Newcastle United great Alan Shearer.

Also, he is the first player to score in six successive European matches for the Italian elite division outfit.

Thanks to Kevin Volland’s assist, Havert pulled one goal back for Peter Bosz’s men in the 24th minute, nevertheless, that could not inspire their comeback.

Tapsoba was in action from start to finish, albeit, he was cautioned in the 87th minute by referee Carlos del Cerro for two fouls on Lukaku in quick succession.

For Moses, he was brought in for Italian defender Danilo D'Ambrosio in the 59th minute. For his contributions, the former Nigeria international made one tackle, one clearance, 17 touches, eight passes with a passing accuracy of 87.5 %.

With this result, the Italians have reached their first European last four since 2009-10 season. They will face either Shakhtar Donetsk or FC Basel in the semi-finals as they look to end the campaign on a high.

So far, their season has been one of near misses, with Conte’s side reaching the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia before finishing second in Serie A, one point behind nine-time champions Juventus.

Borussia Dortmund has taunted Manchester United over their chase for Jadon Sancho by posting a picture of the smiling England international on social media.

Only hours after BVB sporting director Michael Zorc insisted Sancho would be remaining with the Black and Yellows next season, the club's Twitter account used a photo of a happy-looking Sancho, with the caption, 'You love to see it'.

The Germans set their own unofficial deadline of August 10 on United's pursuit of Sancho, and have been insistent that if a transfer was not confirmed by that date then the 21-year-old would be staying.

However, Goal can confirm the Red Devils are refusing to give up on their number one transfer target but are frustrated at the pace of discussions, which are being managed - at Dortmund’s request - by an independent agent.

United believe that the August 10 deadline set by Dortmund was merely arbitrary and they still believe a deal can be agreed before the transfer window closes on October 5.

Dortmund's tweet also prompted plenty of response, both from jubilant fans of the German side and frustrated fans back of the Premier League club.

It is understood Sancho is keen on a move to Old Trafford but player wages and agent fees continue to pose a problem in negotiations.

United are wary of making the same mistake they did with Alexis Sanchez, where his huge £560,000-a-week wages ended up ripping up the whole salary structure at the club.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has repeatedly warned it will "not be business as usual in this summer’s window", with United being forced to reassess the market despite their huge wealth.

They Red Devils are willing to walk away should it prove too difficult to come to a compromise on price, with other players such as Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman seen as alternatives.

United progressed to the Europa League semi-finals on Monday night with a 1-0 extra-win over Copenhagen in Cologne.

Bruno Fernandes scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in a match that United dominated but struggled to take their chances.

They will take on either Sevilla or Wolves in the last four of the competition on August 17 - with Inter and either Shakhtar or Basel featuring in the other semi final.

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata admits the team is “quite tired physically” after narrowly beating FC Copenhagen 1-0 after extra time to reach the Europa League semi-finals.

The Red Devils had the better of the possession and chances against the Danish side on a swelteringly hot evening in Cologne, but were nearly left to rue a combination of bad luck, poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson before eventually securing victory.

United hit the woodwork twice and saw Mason Greenwood’s first-half strike ruled out offside, while goalkeeper Johnsson made a Europa League record 13 saves.

Johnsson was eventually beaten from the penalty spot in extra-time, Bruno Fernandes slamming the ball into the corner after Anthony Martial had been bundled over in the area.

Both teams looked out on their feet at the final whistle, a reflection of the effort they put in over the 120 minutes as well as the long season that had preceded it.

The win sends United through to their third semi-final of a season that has lasted more than a year, with Sunday’s last four clash against either Wolves or Sevilla their 61st match of 2019-20.

Speaking after the game Mata admitted the players were feeling the effects of such a tough encounter, but remained focused on ending their long campaign with silverware.

"The team is quite tired physically. At this stage of this season it is important to win games like today and we go through,” he told BT Sport. “We stay in Germany for quite some time and hopefully we can win.

"Both teams got a little tired and there were more spaces and more chances. They played some good football and credit to them. We could have scored more goals in extra time but we are through.

"I don't think it was complacency. They played some great football in their last game. We scored one goal, of course we are happier when we score more but now it is time to recover and wait and find out who we get in the next round."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer conceded Manchester United must be more clinical going forward as he aims to guide the club to their first final of the season in the Europa League.

United were beaten in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and FA Cup in 2019-20 and have now reached the same stage in Europe's secondary club competition after edging past Copenhagen 1-0 in extra time.

Solskjaer's side required additional time to secure a quarter-final victory over their Danish opponents courtesy of Bruno Fernandes' 95th-minute penalty in Cologne on Monday.

But United – 2017 Europa League champions – were not short of chances, twice hitting the post, seeing two goals disallowed for offside and drawing a remarkable 13 saves from Copenhagen goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson.

"We had to be disciplined, we had to be patient and, in the end, that patience worked for us," manager Solskjaer told UEFA.com. "We created enough chances to win the game.

"We hit the post a few times and were unlucky with a couple of VAR [reviews]. They were the right decisions, but we could have been better with the timing of our runs and stuff.

"We need to improve on many aspects. But if you create as many chances as we did today, we'd like to be more clinical and efficient and score when we have them.

"Even though we did create some fantastic opportunities, sometimes it looked like the boys wanted to walk the ball over the line. But there's always some defenders there and a keeper, who today was probably man of the match."

With Premier League rivals Wolves or La Liga outfit Sevilla up next in the final four, the Red Devils face much tougher tests in the days to come, but Solskjaer says that they'll be ready, even as they enter the final stages of a gruelling season.

Solskjaer said: "I'm very happy that we're in another semi-final. We've been to the semi-final in every competition that we've been in this season.

"Now it's time to hopefully take the next step and go to the final and hopefully win it."

He added to BT Sport: "It's Wolves or Sevilla, two good teams, we don't mind."

Belgium international Romelu Lukaku is closing in on an Inter Milan record in European competition held by Cameroon great Samuel Eto’o.

The striker was on target in the Italians’ 2-1 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen in Monday’s Europa League quarter-final fixture.

With Nicolo Barella giving Antonio Conte’s men a 15th minute lead at Merkur Spielarena in Dusseldorf, Lukaku added the second six minutes later to send his team into the last-four of the competition.

Thanks to this, the Belgian star has now been directly involved in nine goals in European tournament for the San Siro giants this season – with six goals and three assists – excluding qualifiers.

African football icon Eto’o holds the record of the most involvement for Inter in a single season which he achieved during the 2010-11 campaign (eight goals and five assists).

Apart from taking his tally in all competitions to 31 goals, the former Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United man broke two records against the Bundesliga outfit.

He became the first player to score in nine successive Europa League or Uefa Cup matches, breaking the record of eight he previously shared with Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer. Also, he is also the first player to score in six successive European matches for Inter Milan.

Having hit the 30-goal mark versus Getafe, Lukaku became the first Inter striker to score that many goals since Eto'o in 2010-11, when the four-time African Player of the Year famously netted 37 times just one season after Inter claimed an historic treble.

Conte’s team will face either Shakhtar Donetsk or FC Basel in the semi-finals as they look to end the campaign on a high after missing out on the Serie A title to Juventus.

Antonio Conte hailed Romelu Lukaku after another superb individual display in the Europa League quarter-finals, but insisted the forward's success is also down to his Inter team-mates.

Lukaku scored what proved to be the winner as Inter set up a Europa League semi-final against either Shakhtar Donetsk or Basel thanks to Monday's 2-1 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.

Nicolo Barella – having latched onto the rebound from a blocked Lukaku shot – opened the scoring, with Inter's star Belgian doubling their lead prior to Kai Havertz pulling one goal back for Leverkusen.

Lukaku could have scored a hat-trick, had referee Carlos del Cerro Grande not overturned two penalties after consulting with VAR.

But while lauding Lukaku, who became the first player to score in nine successive Europa League matches and has netted 29 times in all competitions this season, Conte affirmed that he would be nothing without the team supporting him.

"It's difficult to talk about individuals when you have such a great team performance," Inter head coach Conte told Sky Italia.

"Romelu is having an excellent season, supported by the team, who put everyone in a position to express themselves at their best on an individual level too.

"I'm happy for him, as he deserves all of this success, but Romelu must also thank the team for putting him in the conditions to express himself in the best form of his entire career."

Though Conte conceded his team's finishing should have been more clinical, he had little complaints as Inter headed to within 90 minutes of reaching their first European final since 2010.

"We are very satisfied, because it was a very good performance," said Conte, whose Inter finished second and just a point behind Juventus in Serie A.

"As I always end up saying, we could've killed the game off earlier and relaxed a little. We didn't allow many chances at all, but the fact is we had so many chances and should've scored more than two.

"The lads showed how hungry they were, how determined to prove that what they're doing is important. We've got an opportunity to play a Europa League semi-final. We want to achieve the maximum. We want to go all the way."

One player who may not be fit to feature for Inter in the semi-final is Alexis Sanchez, who sustained a muscle strain in his right leg.

Former South Africa midfielder Benedict Vilakazi believes Mamelodi Sundowns will have an edge over Orlando Pirates because of last Saturday’s Nedbank Cup semi-final match against Bidvest Wits which prepared them for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) task against the Soweto giants.

Pirates are yet to play a game since the restart of football in South Africa and have been doing their business quietly away from the public glare.

Now they are set for a showdown against Sundowns who stormed into the Nedbank Cup final following a 3-2 victory over Wits and will be playing their second match after football returned.

“Looking at this match‚ I will say that Sundowns have a slight advantage,” said Vilakazi as per Sowetan Live.

“I am saying this because they have already played one full Cup game‚ which tested them‚ while Pirates have not been tested in a similar situation. With this Covid-19‚ teams were not able to play friendly matches and coaches could not test their players. This may work against Pirates.

“Of course this does not mean that Sundowns are going to win this game for sure because if you are a Pirates player‚ you don’t need to be motivated when you are going to play against Sundowns. The rivalry is too much and players will want to dig deep to ensure that they come on top.

“We don’t know what Pirates have been doing behind the scenes at their training ground and this is what is going to make this game intriguing for the fans and difficult for both teams.”

Second-placed Sundowns will be resuming their Premier Soccer League (PSL) title challenge as they seek to catch leaders Kaizer Chiefs who have a four-point lead and have played a game more than Downs.

For fourth-placed Pirates, they would be continuing their campaign whose most realistic finish would be third place.

Vilakazi who played for both teams, however, feels that while Sundowns received match practice against Wits, Pirates could plot a victory for Tuesday’s showdown by taking notes from what they watched of Downs on Saturday.

"I am sure that the Pirates coaches and players watched the match between Sundowns and Wits on Saturday and they picked up a few things,” Vilakazi said.

"What I saw from that match is that the two teams were struggling towards the end of the match in terms of fitness. The one thing that I think could work for Pirates is building mental strength because if you are strong mentally you are able to respond to tough situations.

"They will only know once the match has started how they are physically and there is very little they can do about it by then.”

After Tuesday’s match, it would be Chiefs’ turn to roll into action on Wednesday as they face a tested Wits side which stretched and frustrated Sundowns for the better part of last Saturday’s encounter.

Police FC have managed to keep star player Edward Kiryowa at the club after he agreed to renew his contract.

The attacking midfielder has penned a three-year contract that will see him remain a “Cop” until August 2023.

The club has confirmed the extension of the contract on their social media pages by stating: “Edward Kiryowa has extended his stay with the club for the next three years.

“Youth attacking midfielder Kiryowa who missed the larger part of last season due to injuries has signed a new three-year deal with Police Monday.”

Kiryowa was pleased with the terms offered and told the club fans he was ready to get started: “I feel so happy for the opportunity granted to extend my stay with The Cops. It’s a sign of trust and confidence in me as a player and I promise to do my best.

“I am going to work harder compared to the last season to help the club attain greater heights. We are all looking forward to achieving the best as we build our football profession.”

The attack-minded player first featured for the Farmers Football Club before joining “The Cops” last season.

Police CEO Fahad Lumu, who was present during the signing ceremony, said: “Kiryowa is a talented player, whom we had to keep in the team so that he can grow with us in our strides to become the best in the country.”

Kiryowa becomes the seventh player to renew a contract with Police after midfielder Yusuf Ssozi, right-back Denis Rukundo, winger Odong, left-back Musa Matovu, midfielders Bashir Kabuye and Mubarak Nsubuga.

On the signing front, the ambitious Police have already roped in five new faces among them Muwadda Mawejje, experienced midfielder Tony Mawejje, goalkeepers Tom Ikara and Sammon Oloka, defender Hassan Mohamood as well as left-back Eric Ssenjobe.

Police chairman Asan Kasingye has stated they will make sure they leave a mark in the league come the new season.

“We no longer just want to compete; we need to win trophies. We are former champions and it's time to think big,” Kasingye told reporters.

“Football is a big enterprise in the world that doesn’t entertain mediocrity. We need to do the right thing like other clubs.”

Kasingye added it was the right time for the team to secure sponsors because Police are a big organisation and many people want to be a part of it.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane calls their Premier Soccer League (PSL) encounter on Tuesday against Orlando Pirates a big clash considering the fact they are playing a well-rested team. 

Bucs have not played since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak halted fixtures in March. The Brazilians are out to bag their second win across all competitions in the space of five days but will also be looking to avoid another defeat at the hands of the Soweto giants in the league this season.

Sundowns are fresh from a 3-2 win against Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup on the weekend and ‘Jingles’ has dropped a hint they have inside information on coach Josef Zinnbauer’s men, especially having his assistant, Rhulani Mokwena, who returned from the Ghost.

“It is tough and difficult. Yes, we have a little bit of information ahead of Orlando Pirates, we can say a little of advantage but I don’t know how many times I asked the bench and I asked the officials - do I still have a substitute to make?” Mosimane told the media.

“It is confusing, the half-time does not count as a substitute and I kept asking Lux [Luxolo September] all the time. So it is difficult it is not easy. It is going to be tough.

“We are playing a team that is resting and watching tonight [Saturday] when we had people who got hamstrings. But they will have their own chance, everybody’s coming.

“Advantage because we have played, a disadvantage because we are playing a well-rested team because we don’t have the legs until Tuesday so ice baths and let’s see how it goes.

“Big game on Tuesday but it is not the same as you have seen before.”

Despite the advantage of having their first full 90 minutes under the belt since the games were suspended five months ago, the reigning PSL Coach of the Season says they now know how to play the game behind closed doors.

“Football within Covid-19, we know it now, we can now comment on it but if you haven’t played you can’t talk because if you haven’t suffered a muscle injury, you don’t understand,” he added.

“First 15 minutes today [Saturday] Celtic [Bloemfontein] had a player pull a hamstring, ask Dylan Kerr [Baroka coach] if that is his team he saw. It is not the same.

“So, no one knows and you can’t comment until you have been in it so only four teams can talk about football within Covid-19 and they are the teams who have played. So, those who haven’t, can’t comment - they must comment after.”

A victory for the former Bafana Bafana mentor at Dobsonville Stadium will see his side narrowing the gap on Kaizer Chiefs to four points but the Soweto giants will have a chance to stretch it as they face the Clever Boys on Wednesday night at FNB Stadium.

Simba SC official Crescentius Magori has stated it was unprofessional for former club's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senzo Mbatha Mazingiza to leave without notice despite misunderstandings in the top management.

The South African rendered his resignation on Sunday, ending his 11-month stay with Wekundu wa Msimbazi.

"There were some misunderstandings between the Board and [Senzo], regardless, we had gone for a foreigner because we believed he can bring changes in the team," Magori told Wasafi FM.

"I was surprised by the way he left; as per laid down procedures, Senzo was required to first hand in a notice and not post online. I am hurt that he joined our bitter rivals Yanga SC, two hours after announcing he has left." 

The official has now urged Senzo to come and hand over officially including all the club property in his possession. 

"We do not know where [Senzo] is, we cannot get him on his cellphone," Magori continued.

"He has some documents belonging to the club and should hand in that before he leaves to start a new life elsewhere. He should also return the club vehicle, it is all we are asking from him.

"Maybe, [Yanga] are offering him a better deal and maybe he has seen a challenge there as compared to [Simba]."

Coincidentally, he replaced Magori at the Tanzanian football powerhouse as the CEO.  

Mazingiza is an experienced football administrator having worked for Pirates between 2011 and 2013.

The former Platinum Stars general manager was in charge of the Buccaneers' administration as the club clinched the 2011/12 PSL title.

He left the Soweto giants for now-defunct Platinum Stars in 2013 where he also enjoyed success.

Dikwena clinched the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout Cup before Mazingiza left the club in September 2017.

Prior to joining Pirates, Mazingiza worked at Bay United and the University of Pretoria.

During his reign, Simba failed to go past the initial stage of the Caf Champions League as opposed to the previous season when they went all the way to the quarter-finals of the competition.

They turned their focus to domestic football where they won the league, FA Cup and the Community Shield. 

Liverpool have made their first signing of the summer with the £11.75m ($15m) arrival of Greece defender Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos.

The 24-year-old, who has been given the number 21 shirt at Anfield after signing a five-year contract, will provide competition for Scotland international Andy Robertson in the left-back position.

Robertson did not face any natural competition for his starting place last season, with veteran James Milner filling in when required.

Tsimikas is a product of the Olympiacos youth academy and featured 46 times for the Pireaus side during the 2019-20 campaign, scoring seven goals.

The Reds turned their attentions to the Greece international after failing to agree terms with Norwich City over a deal for 22-year-old Jamal Lewis.

The Canaries turned down a £10m ($13m) bid from Liverpool for Lewis last week, and that ultimately persuaded Jurgen Klopp’s recruitment team to seal a deal for Tsimikas instead.

Speaking about the transfer, Liverpool boss Klopp said: “We have watched Kostas for a long time and are really happy that he has joined us. It’s the perfect news before we come back together very soon.

“He is a very good footballer with an attitude to win and to compete, and I really like his mentality. It fits perfectly with the mood and the desire we have in our dressing room already.

“He has showed already at a young age he can experience football in a different country and do well - and he has been a big part of the success Olympiacos has had to win their title this season and in their European campaigns.

“Kostas knows from personal experience what is required to challenge and succeed domestically and in the Champions League, and he is ambitious for more - just like us.

“He has come up against some very tough opponents in the past couple of seasons and done well and we know he relishes the challenge, which is perfect for us. For that reason we are delighted to know we’ll have him with us for the years ahead. I’m so pleased.”

Tsimikas has set his sights on winning silverware after joining what he says is "the biggest club in the world".

“I’m very happy, I’m very proud to be here," he told Liverpool's website. "For me, [it’s] the biggest club in the world. It’s an honour to be here and I will give my best.

“The league here, I like a lot. I watch it on the TV and it was always one dream I had from when I was a kid to come to play in this league and to come through.

“With a lot of work and focus on what I do and what the coach wants, and every day working hard in training, I can be on the highest level.

“[I want] to achieve [our] goals. To win the league again and also to win the Champions League.”

Prior to Tsimikas' arrival Liverpool's summer transfer activity had focused on outgoings, with Dejan Lovren moving to Zenit St Petersburg and Adam Lallana joining Brighton on a free transfer. Nathaniel Clyne and Andy Lonergan have also been released.

Zambian top-tier side Zesco United, home to three Kenya players, are set for massive changes to return to their best in the 2020/21 season.

Jesse Were, David Owino and John Makwatta are the three East African players plying their trade in Timu ya Ziko. However, the Ndola based side struggled at some point in the abandoned season and ended up finishing fifth, missing out on continental football.

"It is unfortunate especially if you consider the way we started this league, we won our first 10 matches and somewhere along the way we lost," Zesco United CEO Richard Mulenga told the club's website.

"The process of rebuilding starts on Monday. We already know what some of the issues are, we just need to start addressing them. Some of them, we started addressing them even before the league was closed because of the pandemic."

Ageing players have a reason to worry as the management has now resorted to part ways with a player once he hits a certain age.

"One of them is to ensure that no contract shall be given to a player who will remain at the club beyond a certain age," Mulenga added.

"Unfortunately, what happened was that, because of the transition in the league, player’s contracts were expiring at a time where you could not bring in other players because we were going to be short of players if we didn’t renew.

"What we did was to offer shorter-term contracts to sitting players because of the transition. Those whose contracts had expired but were above a certain age, we offered them shorter contracts so that we could give room to rebuild."  

The administrator has already set sights on the club reclaiming the top-tier next season, and dominate as they have done in the recent past.

"Zesco United is a team that thinks in the long term, that’s the reason you see that we don’t change coaches here and there. 

"We want stability at the club, so even this rebuilding process, we will want to win the league next season but we also need to be mindful that rebuilding takes some time. 

"We will not be in a hurry certainly to just pick players all over to try and regain the championship, that’s not the solution."

So what is the solution?

"We are looking at it in the long term and one of the issues goes back to policy. We have several teams that are scattered around the country which we call developmental teams. 

"We want to ensure that we are tapping into these teams, bringing talent through."  

Manchester United are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Jadon Sancho despite Borussia Dortmuind insisting that the winger will not be leaving the club this summer.

Sancho is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s number one transfer target this summer, with talks having begun over the future of the 20-year-old.

Dortmund, however, set their own deadline of August 10 to finalise a transfer as they set off for their pre-season training camp in Switzerland.

Sancho was named in Lucien Favre's squad for the trip, and with a deal not agreed upon, sporting director Michael Zorc seemed to suggest on Monday that United's hopes of signing Sancho were over.

“Jadon Sancho will play with us next season,” he told reporters. “The decision is final. I think that answers all the questions.

“Last summer we adjusted Jadon's salary to match the development of his performances. So in context, we had already extended his contract until 2023 back then."

It is understood Sancho is keen on a move to Old Trafford and that United have not given up hope of landing the former Manchester City man despite Zorc’s comments.

Goal  has learned that United are frustrated at the pace of discussions, which are being managed - at Dortmund’s request - by an independent agent.

Player wages and agent fees continue to pose a problem in negotiations, and United are wary of making the same mistake they did with Alexis Sanchez, where his huge £560,000-a-week wages ended up ripping up the whole salary structure at the club.

It is understood Dortmund are holding out for a fee of €120 million (£108m/$142m) for Sancho, but United believe that is not a realistic figure given the state of their finances due to the impact of Covid-19.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has repeatedly warned it will "not be business as usual in this summer’s window", with United being forced to reassess the market despite their huge wealth.

United believe that the August 10 deadline set by Dortmund was merely arbitrary and they still believe a deal can be agreed before the transfer window closes on October 5.

They are, however, willing to walk away should it prove too difficult to come to a compromise on price, with other players such as Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman seen as alternatives.

Manchester United take on FC Copenhagen in Monday’s Europa League quarter-final with Odion Ighalo out of the English team’s starting XI.

Instead, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for a pairing between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial up front, while Cote d'Ivoire's Eric Bailly is expected to hold sway in defence.

The Nigerian was in action from start to finish against LASK as the Red Devils silenced the Austrians 2-1 to qualify 7-1 on aggregate.

There, the former Watford striker’s incredible goal-scoring run finally came to an end, which meant he could not topple a United record that has stood for 95 years.

The Shanghai Shenhua loanee had scored in each of his first four competitive starts for the Old Trafford giants, a record set by Jimmy Hanson.

Hanson achieved the feat in 1925 when he scored in consecutive starts against Hull City, Blackpool, Derby County and Aston Villa.

This is FC Copenhagen's first-ever European quarter-final appearance, while they are the first Danish side to reach a major Uefa European quarter-final since Brondby IF in the 1996-97 Uefa Cup.