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Young Africans (Yanga SC) have come out to clarify why they released 14 players from their squad ahead of the new season.

On Monday, the Jangwani Street-based giants, who missed out on winning silverware in the just-ended season, shocked many in Tanzania after they sent packing 14 players, among them captain Papy Tshishimbi, their top scorer for the season David Molinga, and ex-Gor Mahia forward Gnamien Yikpe.

Others axed were veteran striker Mrisho Ngassa, Jafary Mohamed, Mohamed Issa Banka, Tariq Seif, Andrew Vincent Dante, Patrick Sibomana, Muharami Issa, Ali Ali, Rafael Daud, Ali Mtoni Sonso and Eric Kabamba.

The decision was not received well with a section of Yanga fans, who felt some of the players who were dropped did not deserve to leave because they had a good season with the club despite the problems they faced

The club’s mobilisation officer Antonio Nugaz has now urged the fans to be patient by stating the departure of the 14 players will provide room for others to come and it should not be a cause for concern.

“We want to rebuild a competitive team next season that is why it was inevitable to offload some of the players so that others should come in to replace them,” Nugaz is quoted by Daily News.

“We have even let go David [Molinga] who was our top goal scorer last season, which means that we are aware of what we are doing.”

Nugaz also confirmed they are in the process of naming a new technical bench to lead the side after they fired coach Luc Eymael and later his assistant Boniface Mkwasa.

The players who were retained by the club include Kenyan keeper Farouk Shikhalo, Metacha Mnata, Ramadhan Kabwili, Haruna Niyonzima, Lamine Moro, Bernard Morrison, Feisal Salum, Juma Mahadhi, Adeyum Saleh, Said Makapu, Balama Mapinduzi, Deus Kaseke, Ditram Nchimbi, Abdulaziz Makame, and Paul Godfrey.

Yanga had a disappointing campaign in the last season where they failed to reach the final of the FA Cup after losing to eventual winners and rivals Simba SC in the semi-final, and could only finish a distant second behind their old rivals on the league table.

The Timu ya Wananchi have now been linked a with a number of foreign players, including Kenyans Jesse Were and John Makwatta, who play for Zesco United, Sven Yidah of Kariobangi Sharks, Erick Rutanga of Rayon Sports and Mukoko Tonombe of AS Vita Club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A number of coaches including Kenya’s Bernard Mwalala, who also played for the team, have been linked with the vacant role at the club.

Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez have been left out of the Real Madrid squad for the Champions League trip to Manchester City, the club revealed on Wednesday.

The Wales star was not named in the 24-man travelling group, but captain Sergio Ramos, who is suspended for the last-16 second leg, was included.

Rodriguez was also left out, along with striker Mariano Diaz, who tested positive for coronavirus last week and has been self-isolating.

Eden Hazard is in the squad despite concerns over his fitness following an ankle injury, while Luka Jovic, who has started just one Champions League game for Madrid, is also included.

Madrid are trailing 2-1 from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Isco's goal for the Spanish side being outdone by finishes from Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

Bale's stock under head coach Zinedine Zidane appears to have dropped to its lowest point in 2020, the former Tottenham forward having featured just twice since the Spanish season resumed in June.

Team-mate Casemiro insisted this week that Bale still has the support of Madrid's coaches and players despite going through "not the best time in his career".

The Brazilian midfielder added that he believes that Bale is still one of the top three players in the world when on his game, despite making just 20 appearances in all competitions this season.

Bale has caused some consternation in Spain for his attitude on the sidelines in recent weeks. He has often appeared bored during games and was distant from some of the title celebrations when Madrid were crowned champions last month.

However, his agent, Jonathan Barnett, told BBC Sport that the player "likes living in Madrid and he is going nowhere", and is keen to see out the remaining two years on his contract.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has also played a limited role for Real Madrid this season, having returned to the club for the 2019-20 campaign after a two-year loan stint with Bayern Munich.

The Colombian star made just 14 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal, with only eight of those appearances coming in La Liga. 

Europa League winners are not only guaranteed silverware in addition to automatic qualification to next season's Champions League, the champions are also awarded a generous sum of prize money.

The cash float for Europa League champions is not as lucrative as that of the Champions League, but it is still a substantial amount of money,

Clubs participating in the Europa League accumulate more money as they advance in the competition, with the prize money growing the closer they get to the final.

The likes of Manchester United, Wolves, Roma and Sevilla are all battling it out for Europa League glory this season, and here's what the prize money breakdown looks like.

Much like the Champions League, prize money for the Europa League is separated into fixed payments that are dependent on tournament participation, results & finishes as well as variables that are based on the value of the television market.

For the 2019-20 season, Europa League competition winners receive €8,500,000 (£7.5m/$10m). The runners-up earn €4,500,000 (£4m/$5m).

Group stage participation earns teams a base fee of €2,920,000 (£2.5m/$3.5m), while each win in the group pays €570,000 (£515k/$680k) and a draw €190,000 (£170k/$230k). Each group winner then earns €1,000,000 (£900k/$1.2m), while each runner-up receives €500,000 (£450k/$600k).

Teams who reach the knockout stage of the competition are then awarded additional prize money: €500,000 (£450k/$600k) for the round of 32, €1,100,000 (£1m/$1.3m) for the round of 16, €1,500,000 (£1.4m/$1.8m) for the quarter-finals and €2,400,000 (£2.2m/$3m) for the semi-finals.

Due to the impacts of Covid-19 on the 2019-20 season, and with revenue from ticket sales being axed due to the games being played behind closed doors, prize money to participating clubs will be essential.

Chelsea target Kai Havertz is "100 per cent still fighting" for Bayer Leverkusen and will play against Rangers in the Europa League, says head coach Peter Bosz.

Germany attacking midfielder Havertz has long been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with Goal reporting last week that Chelsea have made the 21-year-old their primary target after already signing Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner this summer.

Leverkusen have set their asking price at €100 million (£90m/$111m), but Chelsea feel that they will eventually be able to secure the Germany international for around €76m (£70m/$87m).

The Blues saw their hopes of landing Havertz boosted earlier this week when Bayern Munich confirmed that they are no longer in the running to sign the Leverkusen star.

Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness confirmed that his side did not have the finances needed to sign Havertz after making another major move already this summer.

"I am sure that after Leroy Sane there will be no major transfers this year," Hoeness told German newspaper FAZ.

"That has nothing to do with the quality of Havertz. We all think he is a very, very good player."

The Blues have acted swiftly in the market, with Ziyech and Werner already on board – the latter opting not to finish RB Leipzig's Champions League campaign.

But Havertz will be involved on Thursday when Leverkusen return to Europa League action for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Rangers at the BayArena, where the Bundesliga side will start with a 3-1 aggregate lead.

"I will answer these questions [about Havertz] very shortly," Bosz told a pre-match news conference. 

"Yes, he will play and yes I'm convinced he's 100 per cent still fighting for Leverkusen."

Following the completion of the round of 16, the Europa League – which was halted in March by the coronavirus pandemic – will be concluded with a knockout-style tournament in Germany.

But Bosz warned his side not to look further than their date with Rangers.

"We can only win the tournament if we win against Rangers. It doesn't make any sense to dream ahead to the upcoming matches," he added.

"I've tried to convey this to the players that they see it that way.

"We want to progress. If I need players tomorrow who may be at risk of being suspended, they will still play. Our focus is only on progressing."

Arsenal’s senior scouting network has been left stunned after several key figures were told they would be losing their jobs on Wednesday morning.

As reported by the Mail and since confirmed by Goal, one of those who will be leaving the club is head of international recruitment, Francis Cagigao - the man credited with discovering the likes of Hector Bellerin and Cesc Fabregas during Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Cagigao was also the driving force behind the deal to bring Gabriel Martinelli to the club last year and personally travelled to Brazil to watch the teenager in action when he was playing for state side Ituano.

When Martinelli scored his stunning solo goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January, Fabregas immediately took to Twitter to pay tribute to the man who has been leading Arsenal’s scouting network. “Francis Cagigao strikes again and again,” Fabregas said. “Legend.”

Cagigao has been at Arsenal for over two decades and has long been hailed as one of the most important figures within the club’s recruitment network, with his extensive contacts book the envy of many and his talent for unearthing some of the best young players respected across football.

But following Wenger’s departure, Arsenal - under head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu - have increasingly moved towards an agent-led strategy when it comes to transfers.

And that strategy looks set to increase further now with the departure of Cagigao and some of his most trusted team members, who will leave as part of 55 proposed redundancies at Arsenal, which the club say are being enforced due to the significant impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Brian McDermott was a senior player at Arsenal between 1979 and 1984 and has been a long-term scout at the club, working alongside Cagigao and focusing primarily on European leagues. He was also told on Wednesday morning that he no longer has a job, as were other figures within the scouting network.

Sources have told Goal that there is a feeling of bemusement that a club of Arsenal's stature would move to get rid of so many respected figures within its scouting network in favour of relying on working with agents.

Upon announcing the news that the club would be making 55 redundancies, a joint statement released by Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham said: “We do not make these proposals lightly and have looked at every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point. We are now entering the required 30-day consultation period on these proposals.  

“We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our focus is on managing this as sensitively as possible.

“These proposed changes are ultimately about ensuring we take this great football club forward, creating the right organisation for a post-Covid world, and ensuring we have the resources to return to competing effectively at the top of the game here and in Europe.”

Galatasaray have confirmed the signing of Arda Turan, who returns to the club of his youth nine years after leaving to join Atletico Madrid.

Turan, 33, was a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired last month. The midfielder had spent the past season and a half on loan with Istanbul Basaksehir.

The Turkey international came up through the youth ranks at Galatasaray before making his senior debut in 2005. Turan became a star for club and country before joining Atletico in 2011.

Speaking to  Galatasaray's official website,  Turan admitted he was emotional returning to Gala, and thanked the club's chairman for making the move happen.

"Emotions are very deep," Turan said. "Now is not the time to comment and talk too much. It's time for me to get on the field and fight. I would like to thank Mr. Mustafa Cengiz and members of the board of directors.

"I hope everything will be good: the most beautiful days, successful days again both in Turkey and in Europe. I miss the fans very much. I am waiting for the day I will meet with them. I hope to see you as soon as possible."

Turan spent four seasons with Atletico, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League, before moving on to Barcelona in 2015. 

With the Blaugrana, Turan continued his success by again winning La Liga, as well as two Copas del Rey. 

Last autumn, Turan found himself in legal trouble after being involved in a brawl that resulted in  a suspended two years and eight months prison sentence for firing a gun to incite fear and panic, illegal possession of weapons and causing intentional injury.

Turan has not served any jail time, though he did pay a fine of 2.5 million Turkish lira (£350,648) for the incident.

Speaking about the incident, Cengiz said that he felt comfortable with signing Turan and believes that the midfielder should not be judged too harshly for any indiscretions. 

"We have no personal problems with Arda," Cengiz  told the club's official website . "People can make mistakes."

Tanzanian referee Ramadhan Kayoko has revealed how he dealt with the pressure of officiating the Yanga SC vs Simba SC FA Cup meeting in July.

The Kariakoo rivals met in the penultimate stage of the domestic tournament and Kayoko was charged with the responsibility of being a referee in the derby, something he had not done before.

Simba won the tie with a 4-1 scoreline and went ahead to lift the cup after beating Namungo FC 2-1 on August 2.

“At first I was nervous because it was my first big game and at such an age. However, I got the courage to face it. The pressure was there but I managed to calm down,” Kayoko told CafOnline.

“It was such a huge surprise for me. I really prayed for things to go okay and I am happy that my colleagues gave me the strength and encouragement to face it. On our way to the stadium with my colleagues, we came singing and dancing to calm the pressure.”

The Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) Referees’ Committee chairman Soud Abdi explained why Kayoko had to be picked for the highly-charged derby.

“It is common that this derby is officiated by Fifa referees but this time round most of them were not doing enough. Jonesia [Rukia] doesn't have match fitness because she [had] underwent surgery a few weeks ago,” Abdi said.

“We don’t look at the face or age of someone to officiate such a match. We look at his or her quality. In the past few weeks, Kayoko was doing very well and deserved the appointment.”

Kayoko, who initially hoped to become a footballer, a dream that was crushed by injuries, also spoke about the challenges he has encountered in his first season as a Premier League referee.

“There have been many challenges. As a young referee, the road is always not so smooth. But I have never given up and I continue to work hard to improve myself,” the official added.

He revealed plans of getting further education with sanctioned football bodies.

“I want to continue learning and becoming better and eventually getting Caf and Fifa certification,” Kayoko concluded.

“I don’t want to feel proud because I officiated the derby or people are saying good things about me. I know there are challenges ahead but I will work hard to keep beating them and becoming better.

“I feel like it is a good start to my career. This is my first season in the Tanzanian Premier League and I have picked several lessons from all the matches. I will keep learning and build my experience to become a better referee.”

Kayoko was also in charge of the Azam FC FA Cup quarter-final match against Simba.

Gabriel Jesus feels Manchester City have let down their assist king Kevin De Bruyne this season, saying the Belgium star could have had 30 assists were it not for his team-mates' wastefulness.

Jesus and De Bruyne were on target during the second half when City beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu back in February. 

The long-awaited second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie takes place behind closed doors at the Etihad Stadium on Friday. 

De Bruyne heads into the contest after a stunning domestic season where he matched Thierry Henry's Premier League record of 20 assists in a single campaign. 

Still, Brazil striker Jesus feels that number could have been much higher, insisting City were frequently wasteful in front of goal despite scoring 102 times in the league. 

"I think every game he can make three or four assists for us," he told the club's website. 

"This season we miss a lot of goals, if not Kevin would have 30 assists. He is so good. 

"He has so much quality and he always looks to the strikers. It is so good playing with him."

Praise has not always been so forthcoming for Jesus, who is likely to lead the City attack in Sergio Aguero's injury absence against the La Liga champions. 

The 23-year-old did impress, however, in the initial clash – deployed on the left flank to fine effect in an experimental 4-4-2 system that featured De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva as false nines until the closing stages. 

"I don't think it is my best performance," Jesus said of the game at the Santiago Bernabeu. "It was a top game. I scored and helped the team and that's why people say that.

"They [Madrid] played so good. It is so difficult to go there and play against them.

"We suffered in the first 15-20 minutes and after we played well. We started to play our football and after we came back and could have scored three.

"We played so good with the ball, but without the ball we played one of the best games I have seen since I came to play here."

Thomas Tuchel says he still does not expect Kylian Mbappe to be fit for Paris Saint-Germain's upcoming Champions League clash with Atalanta despite the forward's best efforts.

Mbappe suffered an ankle injury during PSG's Coupe de France victory over Saint-Etienne, with the French forward seen on crutches for the ensuing celebration.

Shortly after, the club announced that Mbappe was facing a three-week absence, one that would keep him out of the Champions League opener on August 12.

Tuchel stated that it would take a "miracle" for Mbappe to be fit for the match against Atalanta, while team-mate Ander Herrera was a bit more hopeful as he said the club was "optimistic".

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger also weighed in on Mbappe's status, saying that he expects Mbappe to do whatever it takes to be fit for the upcoming match.

Ahead of a friendly against Sochaux on Wednesday, Tuchel says Mbappe is still doubtful, but the club will meet on Saturday to reassess Mbappe's status. 

"I have no idea," Tuchel told beIN Sports. "I see Kylian every day. He's at the training centre. He works hard with the physiotherapists almost 24 hours a day. 

"But the deadline is short, super short. We spoke with the doctor today and we decided to meet again on Saturday to see what phase he is in and if it is possible that he is on the bench against Atalanta. But I do not expect too much. "

Mbappe isn't the only PSG star in danger of missing the upcoming Champions League match, as Marco Verratti is now a doubt for the game against Atalanta.

According to RMC Sport, Verratti suffered an injury in training on Tuesday following a clash with another player, and the Italian star was subsequently left out of PSG's squad for the match against Sochaux.

Neymar, Marquinhos, Angel Di Maria, Thiago Silva, Mauro Icardi, Thilo Kehrer and Presnel Kimpembe were also left out of Wednesday's friendly for precautionary reasons as the club looks ahead towards next week's Champions League clash.

PSG edged Borussia Dortmund in their round of 16 tie, winning 3-2 on aggregate against the German side after two goals from Neymar and one from Juan Bernat.

Manchester City have completed the signing of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in a deal worth an initial £40 million ($53m).

Ake has signed a five-year deal and becomes Pep Guardiola's second major signing of the summer following the £21m ($27m) capture of Valencia winger Ferran Torres.

The deal represents a club-record transfer fee for Bournemouth, who could receive a further £1m ($1.3m) in add-ons for the Netherlands international.

Goal reported last week that the two clubs had agreed terms, and the 25-year-old has since returned from an end-of-season break to complete his medical and sign his new contract in Manchester.

Ake started his career at Chelsea, and the west London club did have a buy-back option, but it is understood that they were put off by the fee despite Frank Lampard considering him as a viable option.

“City have been the best side in England over the course of the last decade,” Ake told City's official website.

“Coming here is a dream for me. This is a top side full of world-class players. Everywhere you look in this squad there are big names with international pedigree.

“Pep is a manager admired across the world – what he’s done in the game speaks for itself. The success he’s had is unbelievable and the style of football he plays really appeals to me.

“I know I’m going to have to work hard to get into the side, but that’s what I’m here to do. I’ll do whatever I can to make an impact and help the team win silverware.”

City have been in the hunt for a new central defender since the exit of captain Vincent Kompany in June 2019. They were interested in Harry Maguire but balked at the asking price for the England international, who eventually joined Manchester United in an £80m ($97m) deal last year.

Despite Bournemouth’s relegation to the Championship, Ake’s reputation has soared since he left Stamford Bridge in 2017. As well as being a homegrown player, he has experience of playing regularly in a back-three and can also provide cover at left-back.

Without Kompany last season, City's defensive options were stretched when Aymeric Laporte missed five months of the campaign with a knee injury.

Academy product Eric Garcia has emerged as Laporte's most trusted partner in the centre of defence, but Barcelona are keen to take their former youth team player back to the Camp Nou.

John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi also face an uncertain future after their form dipped this season and could be potentially offloaded in the transfer window.

Ake may not be the only defensive signing City make this summer, with the club also looking at Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Sevilla’s Diego Carlos as they try to close the gap on Liverpool having failed to mount a Premier League title challenge in 2019-20.

Along with Torres, City have already completed deals for Juventus forward Pablo Moreno, Brazilian full-back Yan Couto from Coritiba and Burkina Faso defender Issa Kabore from Mechelen.

Odion Ighalo will attempt to break a 95-year-old Manchester United record when the Red Devils take on LASK in Wednesday's Europa League Round of 16 clash billed for Old Trafford.

The Nigerian has been handed a starter’s place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad to battle Valerien Ismael's men for a place in the quarter-final.

He scored a goal in the first leg against the Austrians as the Red Devils cruised to a 5-0 win at the inside Linzer Stadium.

Should the Shanghai Shenhua loanee find the net against the Black and Whites, he would become the first player in the Old Trafford giants’ history to have scored in each of his first five competitive starts for United.

Scoring in a FA Cup quarter-final tie against Norwich City ensured that the former Super Eagles striker equalled Jimmy Hanson’s record achieved in 1925.

According to Opta, Hanson - who was forced out of football owing to a serious injury - scored in consecutive starts against Hull City, Blackpool, Derby County and Aston Villa.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the verge of equalling Hanson’s record when he scored in three consecutive outings for the Manchester-based outfit.

Ighalo was a surprise addition to Solskjaer’s side at the end of the mid-season transfer window as cover for injured Marcus Rashford, who was sidelined with a back issue.

The Nigerian, who previously played for Premier League side Watford, impressed in his eight appearances before lockdown and the consequent postponement of football - scoring four goals in three starts - and the club extended his stay until January 2021.

Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta has gifted Uganda custodian Denis Onyango a signed Aston Villa jersey.

Samatta, who is the captain of the Tanzania national team, gifted his counterpart, who skippers Uganda, with the jersey just a few days after his club avoided being relegated from the Premier League.

Onyango, who currently features for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, has taken to his social media pages to reveal the rare gesture from the Tanzanian striker, who signed for the Villa Park club from KRC Genk in Belgium.

“Huge thanks for the wonderful jersey all the way from Aston Villa, Birmingham, thanks a lot Bruv!!! I really appreciate it,” Onyango wrote on his Twitter page.

“Good to see you help your team survive relegation. All the best next season.”

Aston Villa kept their status in the top-flight on the final day of action after Jack Grealish’s late goal, coupled with Watford’s 3-2 defeat at Arsenal, handed them the result they needed.

The battle to avoid the two remaining relegation places went down to the wire as Aston Villa scored in the 84th minute, conceded a minute later, then held on for 1-1 draw at West Ham to survive.

West Ham had already secured their own Premier League place for 2020-21 with a draw at Manchester United and thus finished the season in 16th spot.

Samatta, who struggled for form since the return of football - after impressing in his early stints with goals against Bournemouth and Manchester City, signed for Aston Villa in January - and came into the side for Brazilian Wesley Moraes, who fell to injury at the start of the year.

A week ago, Samatta confirmed he will remain at Aston Villa for the new Premier League season.

“I want to thank God for giving me another chance to play in the Premier League for another season,” Samatta wrote on his social media pages.

“I also want to thank all those fans who were behind me, and kept praying for Villa to stay up so that you can see me again in the Premier League.”

Samatta scored only one goal in 14 appearances leading to reports the attacker could be granted a quick exit route from the club at the end of the season.

Samatta and Onyango both captained their national teams in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals held in Egypt, where Uganda reached the last 16 while Tanzania did not make it from the group stage.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Carl Ikeme has given an account of an occasion he wore the captain’s armband for the club in a 2-0 FA Cup third-round win over Stoke City on January 7, 2017, which he described as a “great feeling”.

Prior to the fixture, Wolves had not won in the competition for almost six years, but goals from Helder Costa and Matt Doherty was enough to see them progress.

The West Midlands club went on to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in the fourth round before bowing out in a 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea in the fifth round.

“I was made captain that day. I gave my family the captain’s armband and my shirt. I think it might have been the only game I was captain as well for Wolves,” Ikeme said on the club website.

“So that was another special occasion, to take the captain’s armband. It’s another great feeling and another responsibility.

“I was always one of the more vocal players in the dressing room anyway, but when you’re leading the side out it gives extra importance to that.”

Wolves were playing in the Championship at that time and sealed Premier League promotion ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. Ikeme was, however, not part of the squad as he had retired due to remission from Acute Leukaemia, which he was diagnosed with in 2017.

Still speaking on the Stoke game, Ikeme stated Wolves approached the game without any fear, which was a catalyst in their strong performance, including some top saves he made.

“It was a difficult time, but we’d just started to turn a corner in the league. After what we experienced a few seasons before – being relegated from the Championship – there were little fears that could happen again,” the 34-year-old Nigerian continued.

“But we were just starting to pick it up. I think QPR away was around the same time as this game as well, and we’d just picked up a result there, which gave us a bit of momentum and said, ‘We really shouldn’t be in trouble this year.’

“We weren’t going there just to make the numbers up, or with any fear.

“It wasn’t my only good game in a Wolves shirt! But it was one of those games where I just kind of caught fire, and it didn’t stop.

“We were in the Championship at the time and Stoke were struggling in the Premier League, to be fair, but still had a lot of quality. There was a lot of quality on display that day, so it was still a tough game and a really good result for us at the time.

“It was an FA Cup game and I remember we had a decent cup run that season which I hadn’t really experienced at Wolves. It was one of those games where I just seemed to make save after save and we got the result as well, which is always important when you have a good game.”

Wolves were the only club Ikeme represented permanently during his senior career, appearing 205 times in all competitions. He did, however, spend time on loan at eight different clubs within an eight-year period.

He took the place of Nigeria’s most-capped player Vincent Enyeama in the Super Eagles side, after he announced his retirement in 2015 following a spat with then-coach boss Sunday Oliseh.

Ikeme earned nine caps, keeping six clean sheets. The three-time African champions lost just once while he was between the sticks while three matches ended in draws.

Borussia Dortmund have denied holding any transfer talks with Manchester United over Jadon Sancho, casting further doubt on a move back to England for the star winger.

The Bundesliga side also claimed that they are preparing for the 2020-21 season under the assumption that Sancho will be a part of their squad.

Sancho left Manchester City in 2017 to join up with Dortmund and has since established himself as one of Europe's top attackers.

United would likely have to part with a massive transfer fee to secure the 20-year-old England international, with Goal reporting that the German side want €120 million (£108m/$142m) for Sancho.

Such a figure would likely be far too high for United, who are prepared to move on to other targets, including Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman.

Dortmund, though, have insisted that no talks have even taken place between themselves and United, which would make it even less likely that Sancho would be able to move before the season starts.

"So far, there has been no contact between Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United in terms of Sancho, either indirectly or through alleged intermediaries," Dortmund managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke told SZ.

Dortmund are set to begin pre-season training on Monday, which is the deadline they have set to complete any move. With that date now just five days away, time is running out for any transfer to be done.

"I assume that Jadon will go to training camp on Monday and play with us for the coming season," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc added.

Though he reiterated that no offer for Sancho has arrived from United, Watzke insisted that any club potentially interested in his star man knows they would have to meet his side's asking price.

"There has never been an offer for Jadon, but we have pre-emptively given the minimum of what should be paid," Watzke added. "I don't expect any difficulties. Jadon has accepted that, he's a very pleasant, fair guy."

Sancho, who tallied 17 goals and 17 assists in the 2019-20 Bundesliga campaign as Dortmund finished in second place, has two years remaining on his contract.

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta says that the club will announce on Thursday that a deal has been struck to sign Alexis Sanchez from Manchester United permanently.

The Chilean has spent this season on loan with the Serie A side, scoring four goals across 29 appearances for Inter.

Sanchez was recently named to the club's Europa League squad for the final knockout round games, including Wednesday's clash with Getafe, as negotiations continued between Inter and Man Utd.

And now, Marotta says that Sanchez's stay will be extended with the club set to make the announcement shortly.

“Unofficially, we’ll make it official tomorrow morning, the player is entirely owned by Inter," Marotta said on Sky Sports. "We have a contract with him for three seasons. We believe in him, that he can be a strong part of this squad and are happy to have concluded this deal.”

The signing of Sanchez comes in the wake of some club controversy, with Antonio Conte recently stating that the club gave him and his players “zero protection” during the season.

Marrotta has since stated that the Italian manager's "work has made itself felt", with the Inter CEO reiterating on Wednesday that the club is backing Conte.

“We are all very concentrated on this evening, which is an important match. Conte gave a very clear statement yesterday and we refer you to that,” said Marotta.

“Anyone in the football world knows that these dynamics exist and we have to live with this way of doing things. This is an important evening for the future of Inter.

“The owners spoke to Conte yesterday and we all want the same thing, which is to achieve great objectives and make the fans happy.”

He added: “As I’ve said, I honestly just want to focus on this evening. In a larger analysis of a growth process and plan for a new era, with Steven Zhang taking over as president only last year too, these dynamics happen. There are also some objective results that show how we’ve developed.

“We are happy, but want to keep going, improving and reaching even higher objectives. I heard when we stepped into the stadium tonight that we are the vice-champions of Italy, and that really did take me by surprise, but that is what we are and we want to do even better next year.”

Bidvest Wits midfielder Thabang Monare has revealed how his friendship with Mamelodi Sundowns star Andile Jali is helping both of them to always be on their toes whenever taking to the field.  

The two players are likely to face each other when the Students visit the Brazilians in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup on Saturday night, and Monare admits they cannot avoid each other on the field. 

"Yes‚ we are very close friends and our rivalry on the field is healthy," Monare told Sowetan LIVE.

"It helps us to push each other so that we can be the best that we can be. We see it as part of pushing each other to the limits and competing against each other because of the position we play‚ we can’t avoid each other on the field," he said.

Jali is known as a tough-tackler but Monare said he will not pull out in a 50/50 situation with Jali just because they are close friends. 

"If there is a 50/50 situation during the match‚ I will go in to win the ball. That’s the way it is because we are competing for our teams," he continued. 

Monare recalled how the public came to know he was Jali's close friends after keeping it away from the fans for so long, including other players such as Lehlohonolo Majoro and Aubrey Ngoma.    

"Last time he called me out on social media and it got the attention of football fans.

"It was the first time he took our little personal attacks on WhatsApp to the public. We always chatted on our WhatsApp group which includes other good friends Aubrey Ngoma and Lehlohonolo Majoro," he added. 

"It is a funny group and before matches they will be telling us how they are going to smash us and we will be doing the same," 

The Malahleni-born midfielder has, however, admitted that they have not talked about the upcoming game but said Jali won't hear the end of it if Wits beat Sundowns and seal their passage to the Nedbank Cup final.   

"We haven’t really discussed the game but deep down we do know that we will be coming against each other. There is always that talk about us whenever Sundowns plays against Wits and this time is no different‚" he said.

"I know that he (Jali) wants to win and I also want to win. I have not won against him and I am dying to beat him because he will never hear the end of it.

"It is the same with him when Sundowns have beaten us‚ he talks about it a lot to try to get to me. That is also part of the motivation and he will not hear the end of it if we win on Saturday.”