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Dejan Lovren’s six-year stay at Liverpool is coming to an end with Zenit St. Petersburg closing in on a €12 million (£10.9m/$9.4m) deal to sign the Croatian.

The Russian club have made their move to sign the 31-year-old, with talks already at an advanced stage. The transfer is expected to be finalised after Liverpool’s final game of the Premier League season away at Newcastle on Sunday. 

Lovren has been with the Reds since 2014 but made it clear he was ready to move this summer in search of regular first-team football. 

The former Southampton man is behind both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in the Anfield pecking order, and has made only 15 appearances in all competitions this season. His last start came at Watford in February, when Jurgen Klopp’s side were beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season. 

Zenit expressed their interest in signing Lovren back in May, though reports in Russia suggesting he may be available for a knockdown price or even on a free transfer were quickly dismissed by Liverpool, who took up an option to extend the defender’s contract by a year in order to protect his value.

Roma were another club to have been linked, having tried to sign him on loan last year, while there have also been enquiries from at least two Premier League clubs during the last six months.

Speaking to Sky Sports in June, Lovren admitted he has struggled to accept being fourth choice under Klopp.

"It has been a test for me," he said. “But in these moments, I think you should stick with the team even more, to show your quality even if you are not on the pitch with the first XI. The next day in training, you should give everything, just to respect your team-mates.

"Of course, it's not the happiest moment when I see myself on the bench, but it's the decision of the manager. I respect it and I am always the guy who will work 200 per cent behind closed doors. It's just part of football. If 20 players could play, it would be nice, but there are only 11 places. Whoever is in the best shape will play and that's fair enough."

Lovren’s departure will leave Liverpool light on centre-back options. Matip and Gomez have shared duties alongside Virgil van Dijk this season, but both have a history of injury problems - Matip is ruled out for the rest of this campaign with a foot problem, for example.

The Reds signed two promising Dutch teenagers, Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp van den Berg, in 2018 and 2019 respectively, but neither has featured yet in the Premier League, although both impressed in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury back in February.

There are also high hopes at the Academy for 17-year-old Frenchman Billy Koumetio, who was on the bench for the Carabao Cup game with Arsenal last October. 

Nat Phillips will return from a loan spell with Stuttgart, but has made only one senior appearance - as an emergency deputy against Everton in January. The 23-year-old is the subject of interest from a number of Championship clubs.

Jordan Henderson was hailed for his "outstanding achievement" by Jurgen Klopp after picking up the Footballer of the Year award from the Football Writers' Association.

Liverpool's captain lifted the Premier League trophy on Wednesday and now has an individual honour to go alongside this season's team success.

England international Henderson, who has been out injured in recent weeks and will miss Sunday's season finale at Newcastle United, was urged by Klopp to "enjoy the moment".

The 30-year-old midfielder, who joined Liverpool from Sunderland in 2011, also led the team to Champions League glory last year.

In a video message to Henderson, Klopp said: "Hi my friend. One of the big questions in football is: what makes a proper player? What's more important? Is it talent or is it attitude?

"I think the easy answer is: without talent, you're nothing; without attitude, you will stay a talent forever. You are the perfect example that a mix makes the difference.

"So who would have thought that the young fella coming from Sunderland to Liverpool with big dreams would be one day the best player of the Premier League?

"Maybe you dreamt it. I'm not sure you thought it will happen but I know you are confident enough to have big dreams, but now is the moment where everybody saw it. Everybody saw what a great player you are, everybody saw what a great personality you are, what a great character you are.

"I know the human being behind the player and you would have deserved an award for that as well. So, many congratulations, well deserved, outstanding achievement.

"What a year you had, what a career so far you had, and the best news, there's still a lot to come.

"I wish you a wonderful day, enjoy the moment because you can enjoy it, you don't have to play at the weekend at Newcastle. Enjoy the moment and, again, best player of the Premier League, wow!"

Henderson saw off competition from Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, among others, to win the award.

The FWA Footballer of the Year - the oldest individual award in English football, given out every year since 1948 - is given to the player considered both to have had an outstanding impact on their club's performance in the season, as well as having performed well individually throughout the campaign.

Jadon Sancho “would definitely fit the bill” for Liverpool, says Jason McAteer, with the Reds urged to snap up the Borussia Dortmund winger and put Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane “under pressure to perform”.

There have been plenty of calls for those at Anfield to bolster their attacking ranks in the next transfer window.

Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino form one of the most fearsome frontlines in world football, but there is little depth beyond them in a Premier League title-winning squad.

Divock Origi is a cult hero, Takumi Minamino is still finding his feet and Curtis Jones has plenty of potential to unlock.

Liverpool are, however, considered to be in need of a more proven performer that can be relied upon to slot seamlessly into their side to cover injury, suspension or loss of form.

McAteer believes that Sancho ticks that box, with the England international seeing a return to his roots mooted as he continues to spark talk of interest from the Reds, Manchester United and Chelsea.

“If they have the money then the player I would go for is Jadon Sancho,” former Liverpool star McAteer told the Racing Post.

“He would fit ideally into the system and next season would be the ideal time to blood him, unless there are injuries to the forward line and he was thrown in earlier than that.

“Maybe they could offer some players in part exchange to Dortmund as part of the deal because the biggest difficulty we have at present is knowing what the transfer market is going to look like.

“Liverpool have a gap for a fourth forward option and Sancho would definitely fit the bill.

“He could put Salah and Mane under pressure to perform. They have been brilliant but they haven’t really had anybody pushing them.

“We haven’t seen much of Takumi Minamino yet while Curtis Jones and Rhian Brewster are promising, but you need a fourth striker.

“You only need look at that great Manchester United side which had Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“Timo Werner would have been a great fit too but the competition for places may have put him off and tipped the balance in Chelsea’s favour.

“You need players who can cope with that situation. But a season to settle at Anfield would do Sancho the world of good and then he could really kick on.”

Sancho has remained coy when quizzed on his future plans, while Dortmund have no desire to discuss a deal, but a big-money offer could see the talented 20-year-old on the move over the coming weeks.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits resurgent Manchester United must "step it up even more" next season if they hope to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City.

United are battling for third place and Champions League qualification heading into their final Premier League game of the season at Leicester City on Sunday.

Although finishing third would be a positive outcome given it appeared a distant prospect earlier this year, United's standards have generally been set much higher during the Premier League era.

Given it is arch-rivals Liverpool and neighbours City who have been sweeping all before them, any United celebrations at the end of this campaign are bound to be on the quiet side.

A 13-match unbeaten run in the top flight has taken United to the precipice of a Champions League return next season, but Solskjaer sounded a wary note. His side sit a hefty 33 points behind Liverpool after 37 games and 15 adrift of City.

"We've not ended up anywhere yet, so it's one more game to show we've become a better team," he said. "If we get a result against Leicester, I think people would say this journey has been a good one - but then again, this is not the end of the journey. If you get there, it's not like 'breathe and relax'. It's 'go again, go to the next one'.

"We know that there are two teams too far ahead of us, so we have to step it up even more."

United's recent league form has suggested they could be plausible challengers in 2020-21, but Solskjaer's former Red Devils team-mate Gary Neville has claimed they will need to recruit well, signing three or four top players, just to be in the hunt for a top-three finish next term.

Asked about Neville's comments, Solskjaer told a news conference: "There's no point now discussing what we need for next season. We need to just focus on the game against Leicester."

As for whether third place was good enough for a club of United's stature, Solskjaer was non-committal, indicating he would rather enter that debate after his team wrap up their Premier League and Europa League campaigns.

"Let's get this game out the way and get the third position and continue the growth and the journey this team's on," he said.

"Of course we've had some hard times this season, some setbacks, but we've shown and we've proven this is a team going places, and if we can finish this season with a trophy in Europe and third position, we can discuss that then."

After making the move to Kerala Blasters, Nishu Kumar is eyeing a spot in the first-team when the 2020-21 season Indian Super League kicks off later this year. 

In a live Instagram chat on Friday, the new signing revealed his personal objectives for the upcoming season, "I have to fight for my position in the first team. My personal goal is to be a regular in the team. I want to win the trophy and want to play in the AFC competitions in the future."

The young full-back is confident of adapting to head coach Kibu Vicuna's style of play after having discussed the same with the Spaniard. "I spoke with Kibu about tactics, I feel like I played a similar style before so it would be easier for me to adapt to his football."

The 22-year-old, who has spent five seasons with Bengaluru FC, also explained the reason for his decision to leave the Blues. "I am feeling super excited. I am very happy.  I spoke with the Blasters officials and they told me they have plans for the future and that they are building a good team.

"I wanted to face a new challenge, how I can survive in a new team. And it is Kerala, everyone wants to play for Kerala Blasters."

The fanbase of the Kochi-based club was also a tempting factor for the move. "Kerala Blasters fanbase is huge, they are loving, I am excited to play in front of them. I have already received so many messages from them. I can't wait (to get started)," Nishu said. 

The defender from Uttar Pradesh will be a versatile outlet for Vicuna on the field. Although he is right-footed and prefers to play as a right-back, he slotted in as a left-back for Bengaluru with ease. He has also turned out in midfielder and in central defence in the past. 

The Chelsea fan, who named his favourite footballers as John Terry and Cesar Azpilicueta, revealed. "My favourite position was centre-back. I was a centre-back till the U-17 level. Even in the U16 national team, I played as a centre-back. For U-19s, the coach changed my position. 

Jonny Evans claims to have talked Harry Maguire into making a move to Manchester United and tipped him to take the captain’s armband at Old Trafford within his first year.

A record-breaking £80 million ($102m) transfer was put in place for the England international during the summer of 2019.

Maguire had enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence by that point, finding himself as a key man for club and country just three years after turning out in the Championship with Hull City.

Evans claims to have never had any doubt that the 27-year-old could thrive on the grandest of stages, having working alongside him for a year Leicester.

The Northern Irishman knows all about the pressure of performing at United, having graduated out of their academy system, and always believed that Maguire would become skipper in Manchester.

Evans told MUTV: “When Harry signed for the club he had a decision where to go. I told him to go to United because it was the perfectly made club for him.

“I said that within a year at the club that he’d be captain and when he got given the captaincy I texted him and said: ‘That was quicker than what I expected!’.

“I think he’s got the perfect personality for it.

“If you look at Harry, he never gets injured, he’s played all season and I think he’s been a really good signing for United.”

Maguire and Evans are currently readying themselves for reunions with their former clubs.

United are due at the King Power Stadium on Sunday for a season finale that sees both sides in the mix for a top-four finish.

The Red Devils need only to avoid defeat in order to secure Champions League qualification, but Evans believes the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could work in Leicester’s favour.

He added: “A lot of things do go down to the last game and now it’s come down to ourselves and United.

“We had a couple of days off after the last game against Spurs. It’s probably the first time we’ve had that chance with the games coming so thick and fast.

“Obviously, United haven’t had the chance to do that with the FA Cup fixture at the weekend. It’s been nice for us to have those two days away, especially after we lost at the weekend.

“There’s no pressure on us!

“I think there’s going to be more pressure on Man United and Chelsea with the history of the clubs in terms of qualifying and the expectations.”

Jose Mourinho is not expecting swift transfer business but believes Tottenham are moving in the right direction and will end the window with a "better, balanced squad".

Spurs have endured a tumultuous campaign with long-term manager Mauricio Pochettino sacked in November.

Former Chelsea boss Mourinho was appointed as head coach in Pochettino's place and has inspired an upturn in form, but Tottenham are still facing a battle to qualify for the Europa League.

Mourinho's side are seventh heading into the final day of the Premier League season, a position that would only mean European competition if rivals Arsenal failed to win the FA Cup.

But the Spurs coach is optimistic for the future, with the transfer window opening after this weekend's matches and the club ready to act.

"A new player on Monday would be amazing news, but I think it's just the opening of the window," Mourinho told reporters ahead of Sunday's clash with Crystal Palace, where Dele Alli will be fit to feature.

"I think we are going in the right direction, very calm, organised, thinking well, measured. I think we are going in the right direction.

"We know what we can and cannot do, we know which directions we can and cannot go. We must not be reactive. We are very balanced, together, and have no doubts about what we need and about what is possible.

"Step by step, we will end with a better, balanced squad. Of course, keeping the great players that we have is a very important thing."

Tottenham ensured one key man would remain at the club this week as Eric Dier signed a new contract.

At the end of a season in which Christian Eriksen left in a cut-price transfer and uncertainty has loomed over the futures of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen at various times, Mourinho suggested sorting Dier's deal swiftly was vital.

"It's really important," he said. "We look to the situation of last season where Spurs started the season with a few players going into the last years of their contract, with question marks on their future - like Christian.

"It's very important for us that Eric is not in this situation, that he's committed to the club, he's happy with the contract and his prospective future as a player here. We are very happy."

Vertonghen is still to agree a contract of his own, signing an extension only until the end of the season, but Mourinho would not be drawn on the issue.

"I think after eight years at the club, it's for Jan to be the man to speak about his future, not me," he said.

Kalidou Koulibaly admits that he “can’t make promises” to Napoli regarding his future, with the Senegal international continuing to be linked with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

It is not the first time that the commanding 29-year-old centre-half has generated such talk.

Koulibaly has long been held up as one of the best defenders on the planet, with that standing delivering the inevitable rounds of transfer rumours on a regular basis.

He has always remained loyal to Napoli, who he has been with since 2014, however, there are suggestions that interest in the next window will be difficult to fend off.

Napoli have conceded as much, with club president Aurelio Di Laurentiis saying: “If City or United or PSG with €100m (£90m/$116m) showed up, I would think about it [selling Koulibaly] and it is probable that they [the player] would leave, always if their will was to leave.”

Koulibaly insists that his will is not to push for an exit in Naples, but he is aware that money talks in modern football and that he may be lured away to a new challenge as reports of interest from the Premier League continue to build.

He has told Radio Kiss Kiss: “I would love to stay at Napoli for life, but I can’t make promises.

“I am part of the project and at the end of the season I will speak to the directors. Right now, my mind is 100% on the pitch.”

Liverpool and Arsenal have been urged to make a move for Koulibaly if he becomes available, but it remains to be seen how much money is made available at Anfield and Emirates Stadium.

City are expected to have cash to splash on new recruits, with Pep Guardiola having been in the market for another centre-half since Vincent Kompany departed the Etihad Stadium.

They have also been advised to join the chase for Koulibaly, with Robbie Fowler telling The Mirror: “You look at City’s transfer profiling and they have bought young players with potential for a few years now.

"Quality yes, but always younger, with room for ­development. But I can see them going out and buying Kalidou Koulibaly for big money, even though he’s almost 30.

“Central defence has been their weakness this season and they need to address it. I’m convinced they will address it. That will see them come back even stronger. That will see a challenge to ­Liverpool that the football world can ­relish. And I think it will take both of them beyond the rest.”

The South African Football Association (Safa) has taken the first step toward ensuring their referees are ready for the proposed football return date of August 1. 

Just over a week ago, Safa said their 110 match officials would not be ready to resume work on July 18. 

The association then requested for the match officials to be given enough time to prepare - undergo fitness and medical tests before the 2019-20 season can resume. 

The PSL accepted that football would not return in July - but didn't make it clear whether or not they would accept Safa's proposed date. 

In fact, according to Safa, PSL's response was that the league was re-engaging all stakeholders to plot the way forward and that they would return to the country's FA with a solid answer as soon as those discussions were concluded.   

Since then, there hasn't been communication between Safa and the PSL - meaning both the association and member clubs still don't know what the league's stance is on the proposed date of August 1. 

However, things could become clearer after Monday's board of governors meeting. 

The meeting was initially pencilled for July 24 but it had to be postponed following the passing away of Dr Irvin Khoza's wife Matina Elsie Khoza on Thursday. 

All the 32 teams under the PSL umbrella continue to train and they have now joined by the first group of referees who arrived in Johannesburg on Thursday.

In a statement released on Friday, Safa chief medical officer and compliance officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya said he was happy with the condition of the officials who are already in camp and confirmed waiting for a full fixture list from the PSL before starting the process of deploying match officials.   

Safa released the following statement on Friday:  

South African Football Association (Safa) has called up the first group of match officials to camp at a Johannesburg hotel in anticipation of the resumption of professional football on 1 August 2020.

The match officials checked in at a Sandton hotel and all underwent COVID-19 testing.

The next group is expected to arrive next week and will also be tested and complete the pool required for the remainder of the season.

Safa chief medical officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya said he is happy with the COVID-19 safety compliance measures at the hotel as well as the condition of the officials he has seen.

He added that the Association is now awaiting the match schedule from the PSL in order to process their appointment for the respective matches.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard regrets telling Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp to “f*ck off” during a Premier League clash at Anfield, but makes no apologies for the passion he shows on the touchline.

The former England international found himself caught up in a war of words during a thrilling encounter on Merseyside which ended in a 5-3 defeat for his side.

Some of the decisions in that contest incurred the wrath of Lampard, while he did not take kindly to the antics of those on the opposite bench.

Tempers boiled over at one stage, with the Blues manager firing a foul-mouthed tirade at Klopp at his coaching team.

Lampard concedes that he should have chosen his words more carefully, telling reporters at his press conference to preview a final day outing against Wolves: “To be honest, I have seen the video and I was there. In terms of the language I used, I do regret that.

“These things get played a lot on social media. I have two young daughters on social media, but in terms of my passion to defend my team, then no [regrets].”

Lampard sought to explain himself at the time, with those in the Chelsea camp upset by the actions of those in a rival dugout.

He said: “There were a lot of things that were ongoing and on the bench ... I’ve got no problem with Jurgen Klopp, he’s managed this team and it’s fantastic.

“Some of the bench, it’s a fine line between when you are winning – and they’ve won the league, fair play to Liverpool Football Club – but also don’t get too arrogant with it.”

Lampard insists the issue blew over quickly and that he would have been happy to have a post-match drink with Klopp had Liverpool not been otherwise engaged in getting their hands on the Premier League trophy.

He added: “I would have had a beer with Jurgen Klopp to toast their success.

“There were things I didn’t like from their bench, not Jurgen Klopp, but their bench. Emotions run high in this game.”

While on the subject of questionable behaviour from those with strong ties to Liverpool, Lampard was also asked for his take on comments made by Jamie Carragher regarding Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The Reds legend has suggested that Chelsea have to make a change in the goalkeeping department if they are to become title contenders, but the man in charge at Stamford Bridge is reluctant to be dragged into that debate.

He said: “Don't want to comment on other people's comments about players. That's their opinion.

“I have to work behind the scenes. My only thought now is how we approach two games domestically and then Bayern. That goes for every player, not just Kepa.”

After facing Wolves, where they will be hoping to wrap up a top-four finish, Chelsea will take in a meeting with Arsenal in the FA Cup final before then heading to Germany for the second leg of a Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich that they currently trail 3-0.

Jeremy Ebobisse found the back of the net as Portland Timbers played out a 2-2 draw with Los Angeles FC in Friday’s MLS is Back Tournament outing at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

After scoring in his previous two games against LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, the Cameroonian was again on the scoresheet against the Black and Gold to help his side move to the top Group F with seven points.

The Timbers opened the scoring as early as the seventh minute of the game after a fine finish from Jaroslaw Niezgoda.  

LAFC, however, came back into the game with quick-fire goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Mark-Anthony Kaye before the half-time break.

With his side down 2-1, manager Giovanni Savarese brought on Ebobisse for Niezgoda in the 58th minute of the encounter and the 23-year-old scored an equalising goal for his side.

The Cameroonian headed home Bill Poni Tuiloma’s cross in the 81st minute of the game to salvage a point for his team.

The forward has now scored six of his previous 17 MLS goals in the regular season for Portland Timbers through headers, while six were scored from his left foot and five came from his right foot.

The draw was enough to help Savarese’s side clinch the top spot in the group and qualify for the knockout stage of the league along with LAFC, who finished second in the group with five points

Ebobisse was born in France to Cameroonian and Malagasy parents and has represented the United States at U20 and U23 level.

Notwithstanding, the striker is still eligible to feature for Cameroon and Madagascar, having not played a competitive game for the USA senior team.

The forward will hope to continue his impressive performances when Portland Timbers take on Cincinnati on July 29.

Leon Balogun has sent a heartfelt farewell message to Wigan Athletic and Brighton and Hove Albion after leaving the Latics.

The Nigeria international joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2018 on a two-year deal from Bundesliga side Mainz 05.  

The centre-back, however, found game-time difficult to come by as he was behind Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy in the pecking order and only featured in eight Premier League matches for the side.

In his quest to turn around his situation, the defender teamed up with Championship side Wigan on a short-term loan contract in January.

The deal was expected to end in June but the outbreak of the coronavirus across the world ensured the season was forced into a hiatus and only returned in mid-June.

Wigan handed the Super Eagles defender a short permanent deal to enable him to complete the 2019-20 season with the side.

Balogun made a key contribution for the Latics during his time and featured in 11 games, even though they were relegated after being handed a 12-point deduction when they went into administration.

The 32-year-old, who played his last game for Wigan in a 1-1 draw against Fulham on Wednesday, which confirmed their relegation, has taken to social media to appreciate the Latics and Brighton for the opportunities he was afforded to play for the clubs.

“I want to say thank you and goodbye to Paul Cook and his staff, the team and the whole Tics Family It’s been a very short and super intense time and I’m happy to have played my part in it,” Balogun tweeted.

“Regardless, I will always remember this as a very special time in my career, in a very special place with a very special club full of very special people. Thank you WEgan, I salute you.

“[Looking forward to my next football adventure - news coming very very soon] As things have finally come to an end on this strange season I’d like to say thank you Brighton and every soul involved for opening the door for me to Premier League football.

“I’ve felt at 'home' from the first second of my time with the Seagulls; beating Man United in the Amex, having you guys singing my very own chant, playing at Anfield and of course scoring against Palace in front of you are memories I’ll carry with me forever. Thank you for making my time in your beautiful city a time I will never forget!”

Balogun has spent most of his career in Germany, playing for Turkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Darmstadt 98 and Mainz.

The centre-back played 52 league games for the 05ers before joining Premier League club Brighton in 2018.

Balogun, who was born to a Nigerian father and German mother, has 32 caps for the Super Eagles and was part of the side that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Liverpool have been warned that they face a “problem” in the next transfer window, with Luis Garcia struggling to see how Jurgen Klopp is going to tempt proven talent into joining an already star-studded squad.

The Reds have captured domestic, continental and global crowns over the course of the last 13 months.

A core group of players have delivered on Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup stages, with Klopp benefiting from having a settled side and consistency across the board.

As long as key men stay put, there is every reason to believe that Liverpool can continue to tick over and add more major honours to their collection.

They are, however, going to find it difficult to bring in top talent when there are no obvious gaps to fill in their starting XI.

Klopp is said to be back in the market as the summer window prepares to open, but Garcia sees few deals being done on Merseyside.

The former Reds star told Stadium Astro: "I heard [Liverpool are] trying to find players who can [eventually] replace [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah and [Roberto] Firmino.

"Yes it's true but if you want to bring in someone with the same level, is he going to be happy playing in Liverpool to only maybe replace these kinds of players?

"It's not easy at all, I'm sure that it's not going to be easy to find players who are happy to sit on the bench and wait for their chances to play, for their opportunity.

"You can do that with young players or players who are in that slower position of talent, of qualities than the ones in the playing XI and maybe they know they have to wait.

"But when you bring in a player of the same level, you know if he's not playing he's not going to be happy and maybe if you don't know how to control this environment, maybe you can have a problem.

"So we'll see what happens but I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of players Liverpool are thinking of bringing in."

Thiago Alcantara is one of those Liverpool are said to have in their sights, with the Spain international midfielder mulling over a move away from Bayern Munich.

Garcia is not convinced that Klopp should be snapping up the former Barcelona star as there is still plenty of potential to unlock in the game of Naby Keita.

The former Spain international said: "That's the thing [whether Thiago can fit in].

"If top players come to Liverpool and you have to move one of the ones that are moving at the moment, that's not easy.

"If you see Keita, the way that Keita plays is similar to Thiago. The way they move, the place that they play is very similar.

"Keita is still adapting to the Premier League, are you going to move him from that place?"

Jesse Lingard has addressed the speculation surrounding his future at Manchester United, with the England international struggling for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Old Trafford academy graduate has not started a Premier League game for the Red Devils since New Year’s Day and has seen just 28 minutes of top-flight action since the restart in mid-June.

The 27-year-old midfielder is also without a league goal since December 2018, with serious questions being asked of his value to the collective cause.

Lingard has also taken the decision to link up with so-called ‘super agent’ Mino Raiola, in what is considered to be a nod towards a push for a move elsewhere.

A man with 204 appearances for United to his name is, however, reluctant to be drawn on his plans with no window open.

Quizzed on his future in the Manchester Evening News, Lingard said: “Like I say, I've been at United for so long and I love it and I'll keep on loving it.

“I train with a smile and go in with a smile because it's my job and I love what I do and I love the club as well.”

United have just one Premier League game left to take in this season – a crunch clash with fellow top-four hopefuls Leicester – before attention then switches to the resumption of a Europa League quest.

Lingard is hoping to figure again before the end of 2019-20, with every effort having been made during and after lockdown to put himself in contention for a place in Solskjaer’s plans.

He added: “I know personally I've not been at it and I know what I needed to do to get that confidence back and I've been working hard and I’m just waiting for the opportunity now.

“I wanted to go back in flying [after the lockdown] and be the quickest and strongest, just about my own motivation really, and I've done well since I've been back in.

“Lockdown really made me sit back and re-evaluate everything. I wanted to go in as one of the best and work harder than anyone else, that was my own motivation. 

“I think I've got to be ready in all circumstances, whether you are starting or not. I feel like you can always make an impact in the game whether you get 25 minutes or five minutes. It’s about you being ready to make an impact and help the team, I feel.

“I feel like I've been training and getting that confidence and playing with confidence as well, it's just about taking what I do in training into games. I've been patient and I'll wait for my opportunity.”

Mainland Premier League champions Simba SC led a host of clubs in the top-flight to mourn the sudden demise of former Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa.

While relaying the news on Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) on July 24, current President John Pombe Magufuli said Mkapa died at Dar es Salaam Hospital where he was admitted.

“I call on all Tanzanians to receive the news of his death and to pray for Mzee Mkapa. More information will be released but Mzee Mkapa is no more,” he said in a brief television statement.

He also declared a seven-day mourning period. During this time, all flags in the country will be flown at half-mast.

Mkapa led Tanzania from 1995 to 2005 and was succeeded by Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.

He was born on November 12, 1938.

Simba, who were crowned the league champions for the third season in a row, are among the club’s to have joined Tanzanians to pay their last respect to the ex-President, who is known for leading a number of peace mediation efforts in the region, including taking part in Kenya's post-election conciliation exercise in 2008.

In Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto led the country in condoling with Tanzania for losing a statesman.

Below is how Twitter mourned Mkapa, who served as Tanzania's third President.

One of the biggest talking points around every release of a new FIFA game is which player has been given the highest overall rating.

For the past few seasons, Lionel Messi has topped the pile and is likely to do so again in FIFA 21 when it is released in October.

Cristiano Ronaldo has tied with Messi in some recent releases, but since EA Sports lost the naming rights of Juventus to Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series, the Barcelona forward has been clear at the top.

This year's ratings will probably not feature much change at the very top, but many other players across the football world will have their ratings upgraded to higher scores in FIFA 21.

When will the FIFA 21 ratings be released?

The Ratings Reveal usually begins a few weeks before the release of a new game, helping promote the latest edition of FIFA, counting down the top 100 players in the world.

In the past, this has begun two-and-a-half weeks before the launch of a new game. For FIFA 20, the countdown began on Sepetmber 8 ahead of the September 24 release date.

Taking that into consideration, the Ratings Reveal countdown is should begin around the week of September 20 to get fans excited for FIFA 21.

Which players will be upgraded in FIFA 21?

The highest-rated players in FIFA 21 are unlikely to receive huge boosts to their ratings from FIFA 20, as it is very rare for a player to go from unnoticed to become one of the world's best players.

However, some players have had breakout seasons in 2019-20 and will get big attribute changes in FIFA 21. Erling Haaland is the prime example of this. In FIFA 20, he was a 68-rated forward with Red Bull Salzburg, but now has an 80-overall score at Borussia Dortmund thanks to various updates to the game's live database.

The database is the best way to see which players are more likely to get a ratings change as this will be used to determine their scores in FIFA 21 and the overall ratings should be close to their scores in the most recent FIFA 20 database.

The following players are likely to be upgraded in FIFA 21, with the ratings shown taken from the latest live database:

Which players will be downgraded in FIFA 21?

The live database does not feature as many players getting their ratings downgraded from the beginning of a game's cycle to the end.

For example, Marco Reus's injury has kept him sidelined but not seen his rating go down. However, in past versions of the game, injuries like this usually result in a player getting a couple of points taken off their overall score.

However, some players have seen their ratings go down to mirror real-life declines, such as Jesse Lingard's overall score dropping after a disappointing season where he struggled to influence the Manchester United attack.

The following players are likely to be downgraded in FIFA 21, with the ratings shown taken from the latest live database:

In the same summer when striker Victor Osimhen appears set to join Serie A side Napoli for a fee in excess of €60 million, the most significant bit of Nigerian transfer activity may actually be at the other end of the pitch.

Within the space of a week, Francis Uzoho and Maduka Okoye inked permanent deals taking them to APOEL and Sparta Rotterdam respectively. In doing so, they may have finally provided Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr with clarity on his biggest area of concern since he took charge in 2016.

By the sheer number of goalkeepers Rohr has cycled through in his time at the helm of the Nigeria national team, he has made no secret of his discomfort with his options. At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, all three goalkeepers were used; perhaps he simply wanted everyone in the squad to get some time, but can anyone imagine depriving an established goalkeeper the opportunity to play in, say, a bronze medal match?

Increasingly, he has been forced into more and more unorthodox decisions: when Rohr first called up Uzoho, he had only recently come up from the reserves at Deportivo La Coruna; when Okoye was first called up (and indeed up until this summer), he was playing in the German fourth tier with Fortuna Dusseldorf II.

Those actions earned him no end of opprobrium for a large swathe of the local Nigerian press, who would rather have seen Rohr invest some effort into blooding a goalkeeper based in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Quite who the preferred candidate was, beyond vague allusions to long-time local league squad representative Ikechukwu Ezenwa not being the "best in the NPFL" remains unclear.

In any case, Rohr will feel justified in his choices with this rash of transfer activity. Uzoho, who enjoyed a productive loan spell (before it was cut short by injury) last season with city rivals Omonia Nicosia, will get a chance at European competition with APOEL. The real triumph, however, is Okoye, who gets to play in the Eredivisie.

While he will face opposition from 28-year-old Benjamin Van Leer (signed from Ajax), the 20-year-old does have the edge of being a senior international (by virtue of his debut appearance against Brazil in 2019). That ought to stand him in good stead, and the understanding is that he will be a vital cog for Sparta going forward.

The direct impact of these movements within the context of the Nigeria national team is two-fold.

First of all: for the first time since perhaps Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide, the Super Eagles will now be able to count on genuine competition in the goalkeeper ranks.

The consequence of this is that Rohr's decision-making process immediately changes from picking the least worrisome (to illustrate his unease: he has, in the past, taken to sending his own goalkeeping coach to their clubs to train them) of the lot to selecting the best. The criteria are completely altered, and the forge of competitiveness will further harden both young goalies.

The second knock-on is a more holistic one, and is also a little more speculative.

One of the major criticisms Rohr has faced in his work with Nigeria is a seeming lack of ambition. This has been suggested in various ways, most pointedly in his approaches to matches (against Argentina and Algeria at the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations respectively) and selections (insisting on an ultra-defensive double pivot, playing Chidozie Awaziem at right-back, saddling wingers with greater-than-normal defensive burdens).

The addition of Rangers' Joe Aribo to the national team has seen the shackles taken off to a degree, which suggests that perhaps Rohr's cautiousness so far has been more down to expediency than a lack of gumption.

One of the big lessons of Liverpool's recent success is that having the right defensive personnel can completely transform a team: the presence of Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk has freed up the Reds' full-backs – Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson – to fly forward at will.

Consider then how much bolder Rohr's side could be in the knowledge that the goalkeeper – far from a novice to be shielded at the expense of attacking expression – is a reliable component of the team in his own right, playing at a high level in his club career.

Indeed, in much the same way that Alisson was the final puzzle piece for Liverpool, the sorting of the previously uncertain goalkeeper position could be the making of the Super Eagles. The carefree attacking talent of Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina and Samuel Kalu, for so long constrained by the (coach's) knowledge of his team's inherent fragility at the back, may finally be able to ride roughshod over opponents in a manner befitting their abilities.

If so, it is these two transfers, more than anything else, that will come to represent the culmination of the German's work.