Month: August 2021

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boxing Sports News

DAVID HAYE TO RETURN TO BOXING FOR ONE-OFF BOUT WITH JOE FOURNIER

Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion David Haye will temporarily end his retirement next month to take on friend and entrepreneur Joe Fournier at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Haye retired from professional boxing aged 37, with a record of 28 wins and four defeats, after losing his rematch against Tony Bellew in May 2018. Up until recently Haye was managing former foe Derek Chisora’s boxing career.

But the 40-year-old is set to step back between the ropes on September 11th on the undercard of Oscar de la Hoya’s own comeback against former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort.

Fournier, 38, has won nine times since making his debut in 2015 but is more widely known for amassing a fortune in the fitness and nightclub industries. He will take on Haye in an eight-round bout at heavyweight.

“This whole fight between us, came into existence when at dinner with a group in Mykonos we were asked who would win in a fight between us,” Haye said.

“I laughed, but out of respect for Joe’s ego suggested it would be close, maybe a draw – whilst winking to Joe. Joe’s straight-faced response was very different, he was deadly serious stating he would win in a fight today.

“Fast forward two weeks, I remain happily retired from boxing, with no intentions to make a traditional comeback to challenge the monsters of the division but am fit and ready to prove my point against my overconfident billionaire buddy.

“Whilst an unexpected challenge, since retirement I have remained in the gym and I am always mindful of what I put in my body meaning with just four weeks’ notice, I am currently 10lbs lighter than my first fight against Tony Bellew some four years ago.

“This is not a comeback; this is about teaching Joe Fournier there are levels to the boxing game. One must stay in their lane or risk getting flattened.”

Fournier said: “I’m here to make a statement. Like the business world, timing is everything in the fight game, I have immense respect for David’s past achievements, but his time has passed.

“I’m younger, fitter and faster. He may have been world heavyweight champion, but that moment has gone, I am still learning the sport, coming into my prime. His demise will meet my rise and come September 11th the boxing world is in for a huge shock.”

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Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo next summer to play alongside Lionel Messi

Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly move for Cristiano Ronaldo next summer, with the French giants desperate to pair the Portugal international with Lionel Messi at Parc des Princes.

Messi completed a move to the French capital on a free transfer earlier this week, with Barcelona unable to sign the Argentine to a new deal due to their financial problems.

According to AS, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is now planning to sign Ronaldo, who could be a direct replacement for Kylian Mbappe in Paris.

Mbappe’s contract with Mauricio Pochettino’s side is due to expire next June, and Real Madrid are said to be at the head of the queue for the France international.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, will be out of contract with Juventus at the end of next season, with the former Sporting Lisbon youngster potentially becoming available on a free transfer.

The report claims that the 36-year-old’s agent Jorge Mendes has already been in discussions with PSG over a two-year contract at the club.

Ronaldo was strongly linked with a move away from Juventus earlier this summer but now looks set to spend one more season in Turin before seeking pastures new.

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football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Chelsea announce club-record £97.5m Romelu Lukaku deal

Chelsea have announced that they have completed the signing of Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.

The 28-year-old has penned a five-year contract with the Blues, who agreed a £97.5m deal with Inter for his transfer last weekend.

Lukaku previously represented the London club between 2011 and 2014 but failed to score in 15 appearances over the course of two seasons before joining Everton on a permanent deal

The Belgium international has since enjoyed successful spells with Manchester United and Inter, and he has now secured a return to Chelsea, who identified him as their leading attacking target after being forced to admit defeat in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland.

“I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club. It’s been a long journey for me: I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature,” Lukaku told the club’s official website.

“The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know. I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.

“The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly at 28 and just coming off winning Serie A. I think this opportunity comes at the right time and hopefully we can have a lot of success together.

“Since I left Chelsea, it’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but these experiences made me strong and the challenge is to try to help the team win some more trophies. I can’t wait to get started and to help the club achieve more success.”

The fee is a club-record deal for Chelsea but just falls short of the British transfer record, which Manchester City broke when they signed Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m.

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Raphael Varane completes second part of Manchester United medical

Raphael Varane has reportedly now completed the second and final part of his medical at Manchester United, with the Red Devils preparing to announce the centre-back’s signature.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side revealed at the end of July that they had agreed a fee, which could rise to £42m, with Real Madrid for the transfer of the 28-year-old.

The deal has been held up due to the France international needing to quarantine before undergoing a medical, but Varane underwent the first part of his medical earlier this week.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the World Cup winner has now completed all the required tests and will sign a contract at Old Trafford until June 2025, with the option of a further 12 months.

Man United are hopeful that Varane, who has not been in action since Euro 2020, will be available for Saturday’s Premier League opener against Leeds United at Old Trafford.

Jadon Sancho has been training with the 20-time English champions this week, meanwhile, and the England international looks set to make his first outing for the club against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Edinson Cavani, though, is expected to miss the start of the 2021-22 campaign, having not yet returned to England following his involvement for Uruguay at the Copa America.

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Kepa Arrizabalaga comes off the bench to secure Super Cup for Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga came off the bench to save two penalties and earn Chelsea Super League success in a shoot-out victory over Villarreal.

Thomas Tuchel made the call to replace Edouard Mendy in the closing stages of the 1-1 draw – with Kepa then providing the heroics.

Kai Havertz missed the first spot-kick but after that Chelsea were perfect while both Aissa Mandi and Raul Albiol both saw their penalties saved as Chelsea won the shoot-out 6-5

Hakim Ziyech shone from the start and opened the scoring only to injure his shoulder before half-time to give Thomas Tuchel a worry ahead of the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

For their large spells of dominance, Chelsea’s goal lived a charmed life as Villareal twice hit the woodwork before the prolific Gerard Moreno drew them level.

That was the end of the scoring as the tie was settled on penalties with Tuchel’s decision to bring on Kepa moments before the shoot-out proving to be inspired.

He kept the same starting XI which played in their final pre-season game against Tottenham and the Champions League holders started well.

Just over 300 miles away Romelu Lukaku was touching down at Biggin Hill airport to complete his return to the club and it was Timo Werner, playing in the centre-forward role the Belgian is being recruited to fill, whose controlled volley forced a first save out of Sergio Asenjo.

Jorginho scores from the penalty spot

But Chelsea took the lead in the 27th minute as Ziyech capped a dominant start by turning home a Havertz cross.

Villarreal debutant Boulaye Dia provided the first real test for Mendy as the first half wore on with the Premier League side in charge.

Marcos Alonso had a fine chance to double the lead soon after but his low drive was turned away by Asenjo.

Goalscorer Ziyech was forced off with a shoulder injury just before the interval as Christian Pulisic replaced the Morocco international.

There were bookings for Antonio Rudiger and Tuchel before Alberto Moreno cracked against the crossbar with a vicious volley on the stroke of half-time as Chelsea went in ahead.

Moreno’s effort not only rattled the woodwork but also, too, Chelsea’s confidence as Villarreal came out after the interval on the front foot.

An error from Mendy allowed Gerard through on goal but the Blues goalkeeper recovered superbly to tip the Spain striker’s effort onto the post.

Other minor mistakes went unpunished but Unai Emery would have been pleased with the reaction he saw from his players in a similar vein to their Europa League final comeback.

Gerard Moreno, left, celebrates scoring

The equaliser arrived as a scruffy Rudiger pass was pounced on by Villarreal, with Dia squaring for Gerard to turn home.

Chelsea reacted well to being pegged back but could not find a winner in normal time, with the 30 minutes of extra-time proving an attritional affair.

Pulisic missed a half-decent chance while substitute Mason Mount forced a good save out of Asenjo.

The Villarreal goalkeeper then saved the first penalty of the shoot-out as Havertz was kept out.

But Cesar Azpilicueta, Alonso, Mount, Jorginho, Pulisic and Rudiger were all successful, while Mandi and Albiol’s poor efforts were saved by Kepa to win the cup for the Blues.

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Manchester United to unveil Raphael Varane on Wednesday

Raphael Varane could reportedly be announced as a Manchester United player on Wednesday following his move from Real Madrid.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman is set to complete a move to the Red Devils after the club agreed a £34m deal with Los Blancos, but quarantine and visa issues have thus far prevented him from linking up with the squad.

However, according to journalist Jonathan Shrager, Varane may be able to complete his medical and be unveiled by Man United on Wednesday, putting him in with an outside chance of featuring in their Premier League opener with Leeds United.

Shrager tweeted: “There is confidence that Varane’s medical, signing and announcement can be officially completed on Wednesday, which would then allow him to train with the team on Thursday/Friday, opening up the possibility that he could feature in #MUFC’s matchday squad in season opener vs Leeds.”

Varane left Real Madrid after winning four Champions League crowns and three La Liga titles in a 10-year spell, as well as claiming 17 goals from 360 appearances.

The Red Devils have also bolstered their attacking line with the £73m signing of Jadon Sancho, who was pictured in training with United for the first time yesterday.

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football Sports News

REAL MADRID TO SUE LA LIGA, CVC OVER 2.7B DEAL

Real Madrid have announced they will take legal action against LaLiga president Javier Tebas, CVC Capital Partners and its director Javier de Jaime Guijarro after the Spanish league agreed to sell 10% of its business to the investment fund for €2.7 billion.

The league’s executive committee unanimously approved the sale last week but it must be ratified in Thursday’s general assembly.

LaLiga needs two thirds of the 42 voting clubs in the top two tiers of Spanish football to be in favour.

Madrid will oppose the sale and have warned it will take every action possible to prevent the deal from going through.

A club statement on Tuesday read: “Real Madrid C.F. Board of Directors unanimously agreed to initiate both civil and criminal legal action against the LaLiga President, Mr Javier Tebas Medrano, Mr Javier de Jaime Guijarro, head of the CVC Fund, and against the CVC Capital Partners SICAV-FIS Fund itself.

“In addition, the Board of Directors has resolved to take any legal action it considers appropriate to annul and render ineffective any possible resolutions adopted by the LaLiga Assembly, due to be held on Aug. 12 2021, in relation to the agreement between LaLiga and the CVC Fund.”

Tebas has pushed for LaLiga to compete with the Premier League on an economic level. He said in October that while La Liga had grown financially under his seven-year stewardship, the Premier League is still No. 1 and there was work to be done on foreign markets such as China.

Tebas responded to Madrid’s statement on social media and tweeted: “The threatening method that FP (Madrid president Florentino Perez) has been using in private for years is now being transferred to the public. Clubs and institutions have been putting up with their threats for years.

“Since 2015 against the centralised sale, the constant challenges of agreements, the Super League … Real Madrid deserves better.”

The coronavirus pandemic has created a sense of urgency to bring more money into LaLiga. For their initial investment, CVC will pocket 11% of the money raised by LaLiga through the sale of television rights and sponsorship for the next 40 years.

Reports from Europe in the previous weeks indicated that Madrid feel the sale “endangers” their business opportunities by allowing CVC to take money, for example, television rights without the club agreeing to the deal.

The money raised from the sale will be distributed among the clubs in the form of a loan, repayable over a significant number of years. The payments will be based on the contributions the clubs have had since the centralisation of audiovisual rights in 2015, with Madrid allocated around €261 million and Barca €270m.

The clubs must spend at least 70% of the money on investments related to long-term growth, 15% on refinancing their debt, and 15% can be used to increase their league-imposed spending limits.

Barca would appear to be one of the clubs to gain the most from the agreement, as they have been badly hit by the pandemic financially. The investment would increase their league-imposed spending limit and could help the club register their summer signings with the league.

However, Barca confirmed they could not complete Messi’s new contract due to financial constraints last week and released a statement saying the deal was “inappropriate.”

Messi has ended his 21-year stay at the club and is set to join Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract

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FIRMINO BRACE HELP LIVERPOOL BEAT OSASUNA IN PRESEASON FRIENDLY

A heavily rotated Liverpool side beat Osasuna 3-1 in a preseason friendly at Anfield on Monday night ahead of the start of the Premier League season.

A first-half own goal from Osasuna’s Jesus Areso gifted Liverpool an early lead before Roberto Firmino added a pair of strikes before the break to give Jurgen Klopp’s side a 3-0 lead at half-time.

Osasuna’s Kike pulled one back in the 70th minute, but the damage was done at that point as Liverpool coasted to a straightforward finish in their final tuneup of the preseason.

Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara both made their first pre-season appearances, while defender Andy Robertson missed out after revealing he had ligament damage from an injury picked up during Sunday’s friendly against Athletic Bilbao.

“Scan suggests nothing too major but there’s some ligament damage which will need to mend. I will be grafting every day so I can help the team again sooner rather than later,” the Scotland international said on Twitter.

Liverpool, who begin their Premier League campaign away to Norwich City on Aug. 14, drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao in a friendly on Sunday.

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Lionel Messi accepts Paris Saint-Germain contract

Lionel Messi has agreed to sign for Paris Saint-Germain on an initial two-year deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Les Parisiens have been considered the frontrunners for the 34-year-old’s signature since he voiced his desire to leave Barcelona last summer, although it was his intention to pen a new deal at Camp Nou this time around.

However, financial obstacles prevented Messi from extending his glittering spell in Catalonia, and PSG’s main rivals in the race for the attacker – Manchester City – were not considering a move for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner this summer.

PSG were understood to have tabled a two-year contract to Messi’s entourage, and transfer insider Romano claims that the Argentine has now accepted the Ligue 1 side’s offer.

Romano adds that Messi will soon fly to Paris to put pen to paper on the deal until 2023 with the option of another 12 months, and he will pocket around €35m (£29.6m) per year with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Manchester United were rumoured to have been preparing a last-ditch attempt to tempt Messi to Old Trafford, but it appears that the Red Devils have lost out in the race for his services.

Messi won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues during his 16-year spell in Barcelona’s first team, racking up 672 goals and 305 assists from 778 appearances.

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Romelu Lukaku could play in Chelsea’s season opener

Romelu Lukaku could be unveiled as a Chelsea player in time for Saturday’s Premier League opener with Crystal Palace, according to a report.

The 28-year-old previously spent three years on the books at Stamford Bridge between 2011 and 2014 but left without a goal to his name from 15 appearances at the club.

However, Chelsea are now understood to have agreed a £97.5m deal to bring Lukaku back to the English capital from Inter Milan, and he reportedly underwent the first part of his Blues medical in Italy on Monday.

According to the Daily Star, Lukaku will fly to London on Tuesday in order to complete his medical and sign a contract until 2026, meaning that he could play in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful this weekend against Patrick Vieira’s Palace.

The Belgium international would be available to play in Wednesday’s Super Cup against Villarreal if he is registered by 11pm on Tuesday, but the report adds that he will not join his new teammates until after their midweek battle in Belfast.

Lukaku scored 24 goals in 36 Serie A games en route to the Scudetto last term, and he previously scored 113 Premier League goals during spells with West Bromwich Albion, Everton and Manchester United.