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LILLE BOSS CONFIRMS OSHIMEN WILL LEAVE THIS SUMMER

Lille's Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen celebrates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) and Saint-Etienne (ASSE) on August 28, 2019 at the "Pierre Mauroy" Stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille, northern France. (Photo by PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP) (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Lille boss Christophe Galtier has revealed that Victor Osimhen will be sold during the next transfer window.

Having scored 18 goals during his first campaign at Stade Pierre Mauroy, the 21-year-old has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.

While he did not name clubs who held an interest in the Nigerian, Galtier acknowledged that the striker, as well as Gabriel Magalhaes, would move on in the coming months.

Speaking at a press conference, Galtier said: “Regarding Victor and Gabriel, yes, I’ve known for a long time that they’re leaving.

“They’re working hard with us in the meantime. We’re working on the players who are currently here and those likely to replace them. Of course, the club is working to replace [Osimhen].’

Napoli, who have also been credited as admirers of Osimhen, are said to have agreed a deal for Gabriel.

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ARSENAL BOSS MIKEL ARTETA SAYS MESUT OZIL WILL PLAY WHEN HE’S READY TO GIVE HIS BEST.

Mikel Arteta says he will restore Mesut Ozil to the Arsenal team when he thinks the playmaker “can give his best”.

The Gunners boss left Ozil out of his squad for Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City due to “tactical” reasons, casting further speculation over the German’s future at the Emirates.

“I’ve been very open with Mesut from day one,” said Arteta.

“I thought he was fit and willing and wanted to perform at the level he can do. I think he has played every game with me.

“The moment I see he is ready to do that again I will treat him like everyone else. I have been more than fair with him and he has responded in many games, the way I want. That’s it.

A lot has happened to him in the last few weeks and I have to respect the timing of every player. Sometimes they need a little bit of time.

“It has been difficult preparation in the last two months to get players ready.

“Again, I am the first one who wants Mesut at his best. I will put him on the pitch when I think he can give his best.”

When asked how Ozil reacted to being omitted, Arteta replied: “He was very well with me. There were no issues at all.

“My conversation with Mesut is going to remain with him and me. It was a clear and honest conversation.”

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MAN CITY DESTROY ARSENAL

Arsenal’s David Luiz was sent off in a performance riddled with mistakes as Manchester City secured a comfortable victory behind closed doors on the first night of the Premier League’s return.

Luiz, who came on as a first-half substitute, failed to clear the ball just before half-time and Raheem Sterling fired in City’s opener.

The defender was then sent off after pulling back Riyad Mahrez in the second half to give away a penalty, which Kevin de Bruyne coolly slotted in for City’s second.

Substitute Phil Foden netted a third for the defending champions, capitalising on a rebound from Sergio Aguero’s strike.

There was concern for City late on as Eric Garcia needed several minutes of treatment on the pitch after a nasty collision with goalkeeper Ederson, and was carried off on a stretcher.

Arsenal were second best throughout as manager Mikel Arteta left Alexandre Lacazette on the bench and Mesut Ozil was kept out of the extended 20-man squad.

There were bursts of energy from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eddie Nketiah going forward in the first half but it was City who were more dangerous. Man City 3-0 Arsenal: It’s not the same – Pep Guardiola misses fans in Arsenal win

De Bruyne, Sterling and David Silva were all denied by Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno, who produced an impressive display, but it seemed inevitable City would move ahead when Luiz’s mistake gifted Sterling a chance from close range.

Victory for Pep Guardiola’s side means league leaders Liverpool remain six points away from winning the title – writing off any potential celebrations in Sunday’s Merseyside derby.

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NAPOLI BEAT JUVENTUS ON PENALTIES TO WIN 2020 COPPA ITALIA.

Arkadiusz Milik converted the decisive spot kick in a penalty shootout as Napoli won its sixth Italian Cup following a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday.

Ronaldo was likely Juventus’ last penalty taker but after Paulo Dybala had his shot saved and Danilo blasted high over the goal, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could only stand at midfield and watch as Napoli won the shootout 4-2.

The game went straight to penalties without extra time being played a precautionary measure for players still getting back into shape in only their second match of the restart.

In the first half, Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne hit the post with a free kick.

Juventus controlled most of the possession but Napoli had the better chances as Juve’s 42-year-old goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon made a series of difficult saves until the shootout.

While it was played in an empty stadium, the final was another sign of the return to normalcy in a country hard-hit by the coronavirus.

The nearly 35,000 who died from COVID-19 in Italy could have filled half of the 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico.

The game was broadcast nationally on free-to-air RAI state TV and was expected to draw a large audience.

“I strongly wanted soccer to restart with the Italian Cup,” said sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora. “Tonight isn’t merely a final. It’s a message of renewal for the entire country.”

The arena grew even quieter when the teams stood at the center circle for a minute of silence before kickoff to honor the virus victims.

“The country needs to bounce back and sports will be a motor for economic and social renewal,” Spadafora added.

After a break of more than three months, soccer restarted in Italy last week with the second legs of the semifinals.

The final was originally scheduled for May 13.

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US Open to be held without fans, confirms New York Governor

The US Open is scheduled to run from August 31 to September 13. It normally is each season’s fourth and final Grand Slam tournament but would be the second of 2020.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the U.S. Open will held in late August as part of the state’s reopening from shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Tennis Association had decided to go forward with its marquee event in New York City without spectators, pending an OK from the state.

Like many sports leagues, the professional tennis tours have been suspended since March because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The U.S. Open normally is each season’s fourth and final Grand Slam tournament but would be the second of 2020, following the Australian Open, which concluded in early February.

“We’re excited about the U.S. Open, which is going to be held in Queens, August 31 through September 13. It will be held without fans, but you can watch it on TV… and I’ll take that,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing in Albany.

The French Open was postponed from May and currently is scheduled to start a week after the U.S. Open ends. Wimbledon was canceled altogether for the first time since World War II in 1945.

Even with the go-ahead from the state, one significant question remains for the U.S. Open: Which players actually will participate? Such top names as both No. 1-ranked players, Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty, and defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal, have expressed reservations about heading to Flushing Meadows, where an indoor tennis facility was used as a temporary home for hundreds of hospital beds at the height of the city’s coronavirus crisis.

Already ruled out, regardless: Roger Federer, who has won five of his men’s record 20 Grand Slam singles titles at the U.S. Open but announced recently that he is out for the rest of the year after needing a second arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

With international TV contracts — including an annual average of $70 million from ESPN alone — helping offset the loss of money from ticket sales and other onsite revenue, and facing a recession that already led to the recent elimination of more than 100 jobs at the USTA, the association’s board decided to go forward with its marquee event despite concerns about COVID-19 and international travel.

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Marcus Rashford’s campaign forces government to provide summer food fund

Marcus Rashford’s campaign forces government to provide summer food fun

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will provide a summer food fund for struggling families in England, bowing to pressure from England forward Marcus Rashford and his campaign to prevent children from going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.

British ministers originally said school food vouchers would not be available over the long summer holiday, prompting the 22-year-old Manchester United forward to take up the cause and reveal how he had relied on such support as a boy.

Before a debate in parliament, and as some lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party called for a change, Johnson’s spokesman said the government would be providing a COVID summer food fund costing around 120 million pounds ($150 million).

“Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the prime minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this we will be providing a COVID summer food fund,” his spokesman said.

Rashford used a column in the Times newspaper on Tuesday to argue that while he may not have the education of a lawmaker in parliament, he did have a social education.

He has already helped to raise around 20 million pounds with charity Fareshare UK to supply meals to struggling families.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he said on Twitter of the change in policy. “Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”

The move by the government was met with widespread praise for Rashford from fellow sports stars, politicians, and the mayor of London. “Well played, Marcus. Well played,” said former England captain and pundit Gary Lineker on Twitter.

“Good to see Marcus Rashford keeping up his record of scoring on debut in each new competition,” one comment said.

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Bayern Munich win eighth straight Bundesliga title

Bayern Munich win an 8th successive Bundesliga title, continuing a run that has been uninterrupted since 2013. This their 30th German title overall

Bayern Munich secured the 2019/20 Bundesliga title with two games to spare, beating Werder Bremen 1-0 with a goal from Robert Lewandowski on Tuesday night. This is the eighth successive title for the German giants, continuing their run which started from 2013.

Bayern’s 1-0 win put them 10 points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund, who can earn a maximum nine points from their three remaining games.

Hansi Flick made four changes to his starting line-up after Saturday’s 2-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Thomas Müller and Lewandowski returned to spearhead the attack, while Davies and Kingsley Coman were reinstated on the left side. Javi Martínez and Ivan Perišić both missed out due to illness.

Werder kept Bremen at bay for most of the first half but the champions still found a breakthrough.

Jerome Boateng played a perfectly weighted ball over the defence in the 43rd minute for Robert Lewandowski to control on his chest and hit past the goalkeeper for his 31st Bundesliga goal this season.

Bayern finished with 10 men after a second yellow card for Alphonso Davies in the 79th minute.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made a crucial late save to stop Yuya Osako’s header.

Bayern powered to their 30th German title with a perfect record of seven wins in the Bundesliga since it resumed last month in empty stadiums amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hansi Flick has coached Bayern to 26 wins from 29 games in all competitions since he took over in November. Bayern are chasing a possible triple. They can add the German Cup if they beat Bayer Leverkusen in the July 4 final and are also in contention in the Champions League.

In the other half of the points table, last-placed Paderborn were relegated after losing 1-0 to Union Berlin.

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Project Restart sets stage for Liverpool’s first English Premier League title

The English Premier League is set to return on Wednesday amidst a plethora of health protocols and empty stands after a forced three-month break which delayed Liverpool’s first league triumph since 1990.

With the implementation of ‘Project Restart’, the most-watched domestic league in the world will be back after the lockdown but in a way unknown to many. The Premier League returns on Wednesday after a three-month hiatus forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the United Kingdom’s death toll stands at 41,736 due to the virus, football’s return in the country has come with conditions applied. Stadium access will be limited to only 300 people which includes the players, managers, officials, staff, and unfortunately, no fans. Before leaving for a match, all players and staff must complete relevant checks for Covid-19 and report any symptoms.

Teams will take the field separately, not side-by-side, and games will feature drinks breaks midway through each half. There will be no pre-match handshakes between teams and no handshakes at the coin toss. There will be no ballboys or ballgirls and players will have to use spare balls placed around the pitch if a match ball goes into the stands.

None of the remaining 92 games will be played simultaneously. Players are expected to maintain social distancing norms while celebrating a goal and the list goes on. But the biggest change is the newly-applied substitution rule which will let teams have nine players on the bench and five eligible substitutes during a match, instead of the usual three.

With a 25-point lead over Manchester City, Liverpool look unstoppable on their way to winning their first Premier League title. If Arsenal beat City on the opening day of the restart, and Liverpool manage to win against Everton on Sunday, then the trophy can be brought home to Anfield.

If that doesn’t happen, Liverpool can instead secure their first league title since 1990 on June 24 if they defeat Crystal Palace. Considering that Jurgen Klopp’s men visit City’s Etihad on July 2 next, they might or might not receive a guard of honour, depending on the social distancing rules.

The season is going to be extra special for the Reds, as they are also aiming to shatter a number of records on the way. Liverpool need only 19 points from the 27 available to surpass the record tally of 101 for a Premier League season set by Pep Guardiola’s City in 2018. The Reds can also set a record of most number of wins in a season and even the biggest title win by points margin.

City are currently awaiting a decision from Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) on whether their two-year UEFA ban will be overturned. If the CAS does not rule in their favour, then Liverpool, Leicester City, Chelsea, and fifth-placed Manchester United are currently the top four teams to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

At the other end of the table, the relegation battle is set to be one of the closest with six teams in threat. Having scored just 25 goals this season at an average of one-per-game, Norwich City (21 points) are at the bottom, six points away from safety. With tough fixtures like Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City still left for them, Norwich have a severe headache on their plate.

Standing on 19th is Aston Villa (25 points), who also have to face the traditional four of the top six (vs Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal). They boast the poorest defensive record in the league with 56 goals conceded in 28 games and will rely heavily on the services of Jack Grealish.

West Ham, Watford, and Bournemouth are the other three clubs fighting the relegation battle, all locked at 27 points at the bottom of the table and separated only by goal difference. Brighton also see themselves fighting the relegation battle, having failed to win a single match in 2020.

With no home support for the rest of the season, relegation-threatened clubs will be further in a turmoil after data produced by Gracenote from Bundesliga’s “ghost games” shows a radical shift where home advantage has been wiped out in empty stadiums.

ith 19 goals this season, Jamie Vardy is in firm position to win his first-ever Golden Boot after coming a close-second in Leicester City’s title-winning 2015/16 season. Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the Golden Boot last year, is just two goals behind. He has, however, said recently that he is at a turning point in his career and it will be a difficult decision whether to extend his contract at Arsenal or not.

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and City’s Sergio Aguero follow closely at 16 league goals each. Southampton’s Danny Ings has been the surprise package of the season, scoring 15 goals. One below Ings are Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford — who is fit again after a back injury.

Top Matches

Manchester City vs. Arsenal (Wednesday, June 17)

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United (Friday, June 19)

Everton vs. Liverpool (Sunday, June 21)

Tottenham vs. West Ham (Tuesday, June 23)

Chelsea vs. Manchester City (Thursday, June 25)

Manchester City vs. Liverpool (Thursday, July 2)

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal (TBC)

Arsenal vs. Liverpool (TBC)

Liverpool vs. Chelsea (TBC)

West Ham vs. Aston Villa (TBC)

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MARCUS RASHFORD JOINS FAVORITES TO WIN SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR AWARD AFTER WINNING STANCE ON FREE SCHOOL MEAL.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is now the joint-favourite to win the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award following his remarkable charity efforts which resulted in a government U-turn.

In partnership with food poverty and waste charity FareShare, the England international has helped to raise £20million during the coronavirus pandemic in order to provide three million meals to vulnerable people across the United Kingdom.

Rashford wrote an open letter to MPs this week urging the Government to reverse its decision not to award free school meals vouchers in England – for which nearly 1.3 million children are eligible – outside of term time.

The Manchester United and England forward followed that up with an impassioned article in The Times on Tuesday, detailing his experience of growing up using food banks and receiving free meals as a child.

The government initially refused to extend the program before, on Tuesday, relenting. The cost will come to £120 million in additional funding, Downing Street said.

Reacting to the news, Rashford wrote on Twitter: “I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”

Referring to Rashford, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson added: “The PM welcomes his contribution to the debate around poverty and respects the fact that he has been using his profile as a leading sportsman to highlight important issues.”

Rashford has been widely praised for his charitable efforts, last month winning a special recognition award from the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, Eamonn O’Neal, for “outstanding activity and contribution to the community”.

Many have called for the 22-year-old to at least be made the Sports Personality of the Year, with the latest odds from bookmakers showing him as the joint-favourite for the prestigious prize at around 6/4, along with boxer Tyson Fury, ahead of the likes of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and reigning Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Rashford’s odds were previously as long as 150/1, while they were cut down to 80/1 by the start of June.

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NAPOLI NOT GIVING UP ON NEWCASTLE BOUND CIRO IMMOBILE BUT HAS NIGERIAN FORWARD AS PLAN B.

Napoli are not dropping their interest in Newcastle United target Ciro Immobile, but Lazio’s asking price is keeping the southern Italian side looking at Lille’s Victor Osimhen.

Immobile has been in terrific form for Lazio this season, topping the Serie A goalscoring charts ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo with 27 strikes to his name.

His impressive performances has attracted the attention of Premier League side Newcastle, who are preparing a big money move for the Italian once their £300m takeover of the club by a Saudi Arabian-led consortium goes through.

The Magpies face competition in their pursuit of Immobile though with Serie A outfit Napoli hot on the heels of the Lazio striker.

While Napoli are maintaining their interest in Immobile, Lazio’s asking price is fast becoming a stumbling block.

Lazio are claimed to want €70m to sell Immobile, while the striker himself wants wages to the tune of €4m per season.

As such, Napoli are keeping open the possibility of moving to sign Osimhen from Lille.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is on good terms with his Lille counterpart and it is claimed that €40m plus Adam Ounas could do the trick for Osimhen.