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MANCHESTER UNITED COMPLETES AMAD DIALLO CAPTURE FROM ATALANTA.

Manchester United have completed the signing of teenage sensation Amad Diallo from Serie A outfit Atalanta.
As confirmed by the club’s official website, Premier League giants Manchester United have confirmed the arrival of Ivorian winger Amad Diallo from Serie A side Atalanta BC.

The 18-year-old winger joined the Atalanta youth setup in 2015 and has risen through the youth ranks quite rapidly. Diallo broke into the club’s Primavera outfit back in 2018, at the age of just 16 and made rapid strides over the years. In 46 appearances, he bagged 13 goals and 15 assists, forcing his way into the first-team last season.

Diallo made his senior debut for La Dea in October 2019 and has since added four more appearances at the highest level, two of which have come in the ongoing season. Despite his limited experience at the first-team level, the 18-year-old is considered as one of the brightest prospects to have come through in Italy in recent years.

Manchester United had reached an agreement with Atalanta for the signing of the Ivorian back on the deadline day of the summer transfer window itself. However, a move was held due to work-permit issues while a medical and agreement on personal terms were also pending.

Now all the steps have been completed, with an application made for his visa. Once that is issued, the 18-year-old will be able to travel and train with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

“After waiting since the summer, it is finally a dream come true to complete my move to Manchester United. I am hugely ambitious and there is so much that I want to achieve in the game; when I spoke to the manager I knew that I had joined the perfect club,” Diallo said, having completed the transfer.

“This is a really exciting squad with so many great players, I can promise that I will work hard every day to learn from them and give everything to develop my game.”

Solskjaer welcomed the latest addition to his squad, saying: “As a club, we have followed Amad for a number of years and having watched him myself, I believe he is one of the most exciting young prospects in the game. Manchester United has such a proud history of developing young players and everything is in place to enable Amad to reach his potential here.”

According to Sky Sports, Manchester United paid £37.2 million to secure Diallo’s signing. The Ivorian is said to have signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United, that runs till 2025, with the club retaining the option of extending it by another year.

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BARNSLEY MAKE BALOTELLI INQUIRY.

Former Italy striker Mario Balotelli could be moving to Barnsley as the Championship side enquire about his availability. Balotelli is a free agent after leaving his hometown club of Brescia in June 2020. The 30-year-old is currently training with Serie D side Franciacorta to maintain his fitness.

According to reports, discussions between Barnsley’s co-chairmen Chien Lee and Paul Conway and Balotelli’s representatives have taken place. Barnsley are currently 16th in the Championship, however, signing Balotelli could be a boost to their chances of survival.

However, there are plenty of hurdles in the way of this potential deal.

Mario Balotelli is represented by ‘super agent’ Mino Raiola who is known as a tough negotiator. Additionally, the Tykes will need to be able to cover Balotelli’s likely wage demands. As well as this, a drop into the Championship may not tempt Balotelli as he has played in the Premier League previously.

There have also been reports of interest from Watford after their relegation to the Championship.

If the deal does go through, it will be the third stint in England for the former Liverpool and Manchester City striker. Since leaving England in 2015, Balotelli’s career has been somewhat patchy, another potential deterrent to clubs.

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LEICESTER 0-1 ASTONVILLA: LATE BARKLEY WINNER HELP VILLA MAINTAIN 100% START TO THE SEASON.

A well-struck late winner from Ross Barkley maintained Aston Villa’s impressive 100 per cent start to the Premier League season at Leicester City’s expense.

Two of the Premier League’s early frontrunners looked set to cancel each other out in a competitive encounter in which chances were at a premium, as debutant defender Wesley Fofana impressed for the hosts.

Timothy Castagne was at the heart of Leicester’s best work early on before Villa’s Matt Targett sent a free-kick wide before half-time.

Esri Konsa put a header narrowly wide for the Villans nine minutes after the break as the visitors’ threat increased.

Soon after substitute Bertrand Traore sent a header straight at Kasper Schmeichel, Villa burst forward again in stoppage time and Barkley’s crisp shot found the bottom corner.

The win sends Villa second, on 12 points and one point behind leaders Everton, while Leicester are fourth on nine points.

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DANNY WELBECK JOINS BRIGHTON.

Brighton & Hove Albion have announced the signing of free agent Danny Welbeck on a one-year contract.

The 29-year-old striker has made a total of 224 Premier League appearances, scoring 44 goals and adding 20 assists during spells with Manchester United, Arsenal and most recently Watford.

“We are delighted to have Danny joining us. He will complement our existing striking options,” Brighton head coach Graham Potter told the club’s official website.

“He’s got an undoubted pedigree, and he is quick and technically very good. He will add to our attacking threat and we are thrilled to add another player of his experience and quality.”

Welbeck will wear the No 18 shirt and could be available when the Seagulls host West Bromwich Albion on 26 October.

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WESTHAM MAKING PROGRESS ON SAID BENRAHMA SIGNING.

West Ham United held productive talks with Brentford over the signing of Said Benrahma at the weekend, reports say.

It has been reported that West Ham could meet Brentford’s asking price by offering £20 million plus lucrative add-ons, with the Championship club valuing the winger at £25 million.

The report has added that the Hammers are ‘increasingly likely’ to secure the services of the 25-year-old before the summer transfer window in England closes this Friday.

Benrahma is a very exciting footballer who scores goals and creates chances for his teammates.

Described as “a tricky player” by his Brentford teammate Henrik Dalsgaard in WestLondonSport in June 2020, the winger scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in the Championship last season and scored 10 goals and provided 14 assists in the league in 2018-19.

The Algeria international who can also operate as a forward would make the Hammers a better and more potent team in attack, especially with Felipe Anderson having left West Ham for FC Porto on loan.

With Benrahma in the team, West Ham fans can expect to watch some brilliant football.

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I WAS BROUGHT TO TEARS BY BARCA EXIT- SUAREZ.

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez has said he was brought to tears over the way his six-year stay at Barcelona ended.

Suarez, 33, joined Atletico last month after Barca told him he was no longer part of their plans despite having a year remaining on his contract.

The Uruguay international was one of several big-earners who moved on this summer as Barca attempted to reduce their wage bill to limit the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There were other ways to tell me that they wanted to change things,” Suarez, who was informed he was surplus to requirements in a brief telephone conversation with new coach Ronald Koeman in August, said.

“The way it was done and the feeling that they’re kicking you out is what hurt the most. Those few days [before my Atletico debut on Sept. 27] were really hard.

“I cried because of everything I was going through. I didn’t take the message from the club about moving on well. More than anything because of the way they handled it, because you have to accept when a cycle has come to the end.”

Barca captain Lionel Messi was also angry at the way Suarez’s departure was handled. He posted a message on social media when his former teammate joined Atletico which was critical of the Catalan club’s board.

“The way [Barca] went about it wasn’t good and that annoyed Leo, too,” Suarez, who left Barca as the club’s third top scorer of all time with 198 goals, added.

“He knows what we’ve been through and how tough it was for us at that moment. I am not surprised he supported me in public because I know him so well. I knew the pain he felt.

“There are things that people don’t know, but going to Barcelona training and being sent to train on your own because you’re not involved in the 11 vs. 11 game they’re playing.

“My wife saw how sad and dejected I was. What I wanted was to laugh and be happy on the pitch again and I had no doubts when the possibility of signing Atletico came up.”

Suarez scored twice on his Atletico debut in a 6-1 win against Granada but has failed to net in back-to-back goalless draws against Huesca and Villarreal since.

However, he scored a penalty on Thursday as Uruguay kicked off their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 win against Chile.

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AS ROMA LOSE OVER €200M TO THE PANDEMIC.

AS Roma will report a loss of €204 million for the 2019/20 season, the club have revealed in a message to the stock market. The results have been published just a few months after the Italian club were taken over by the American privately held consortium of businesses and investments The Friedkin Group, who in August finalised a full purchase of the club from fellow American James Pallotta in a €591 million transaction.

“The fourth quarter of the 2019/20 financial year saw a significant deterioration in the economic and financial situation and the equity of the company and group, mainly due to the spread of Covid-19,” the statement read.

As a result of the loss, the club’s shareholders’ equity has decreased by €115 million to negative €242.5 million. Accordingly, AS Roma require financing of €140 million for the 2020/21 season.

The club saved €30 million from players and some staff foregoing wages for the months of March, April, May and June and have agreed individual incentive plans with some players for the coming seasons.

“However, despite the measures taken by the company to mitigate the consequences, this emergency situation, extraordinary by nature and extent, has had and is having significant repercussions on economic activities of the company and of the group, causing a context of general uncertainty,” the statement read.

AS Roma point out the loss has been partially offset by payments of €60 million from the club’s parent company, NEEP Roma Holding SpA, and from a capital increase of shareholder loans equal to €29.1 million.

The club, traded on Milan-based Borsa Italiana, have seen a decrease in their share price of 53 per cent to around €0.19 since the same date six months ago, and have a market cap of €115 million.

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MANCHESTER UNITED OPEN TALKS WITH POCHETTINO TO REPLACE OGS

Manchester United have made contact with Mauricio Pochettino following the club’s dismal start to the Premier League season.

The Argentine was United’s first choice to replace Jose Mourinho in December 2018 but Solskjaer impressed so much during his interim time in charge that the club felt compelled to prolong his deal.

Pochettino was keen on joining United and his five-year stay at Tottenham came to an end last November, with many feeling results started to downturn after he was overlooked for the United job.

United have just three points from their opening three matches this term and Sunday’s humiliating 6-1 defeat was ironically inflicted by Jose Mourinho, who preceded Solskjaer and replaced Pochettino.

Solskjaer has a little over 18 months to run on his contract at Old Trafford and sacking the Norwegian would only cost in the region of £4m, which is paltry compared to the £18m that Mourinho received.

Despite a strong finish to the previous campaign, a negative cloud hangs over United’s season and Solskjaer faces Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG and Everton in his next six matches. Pochettino is yet to take a new job after his exit from Spurs and the Mirror claim contact has been made between United and the Argentine to sound him out over replacing Solskjaer.

Pochettino has received various job offers since leaving Tottenham but he’s waiting for the right opportunity and Sir Alex Ferguson is a well known admirer of the 48-year-old.

Unlike in previous years, there’s fewer doubts about the quality of United’s first XI and more worries about the lack of coaching that the squad are receiving.

Pochettino worked wonders at Spurs with a limited budget and United are one of the few super powers in Europe to operate without a Director of Football, which appeals to the Argentine.

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XHERDAN SHAKIR JOINS MANE AND THIAGO IN ISOLATION AS SWISS TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.

Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for coronavirus, the Swiss football association has confirmed.

The 28-year-old is the THIRD Reds player to contract COVID-19 in the last seven days, after both Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara tested positive last week.

Shaqiri is currently on international duty with Switzerland, having only linked up with his national team on Monday, and has now entered self-isolation in his homeland.

“Xherdan Shaqiri has tested positive for Covid-19,” read a statement from the Swiss Football Association on Tuesday morning.

“In consultation with the health authorities, he is in isolation.

“The strict protective measures and requirements of UEFA for national teams in accordance with the ‘UEFA Return to Play Protocol’ have been strictly adhered to since the move began.

“Based on this, clarifications are currently underway with the local health authorities about how to proceed.”

Self-isolation guidelines in Switzerland differ slightly from in the UK, as people must remain in isolation for at least ten days after the point symptoms first appeared.

Shaqiri was due to be part of the Swiss team to take on Croatia on Wednesday, followed by Nations League matches against Spain and Germany on October 10 and 13.

The Liverpool winger has made just one appearance in Jurgen Klopp’s side this season, in the 7-2 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round on September 24, where he opened the scoring.

He was linked with a departure from Anfield throughout the summer transfer window, especially having failed to even be named in a Premier League matchday squad this season.

Italian clubs Roma and Lazio were linked with an interest, but no deal materialised before Monday’s transfer deadline, and so he will remain with the Premier League champions until at least January.

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TELLES SIGNS FOR MAN UNITED

Manchester United have announced the signing of left-back Alex Telles from Porto for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old joins on Man Utd a four-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year.

“I won many trophies at FC Porto and I want to continue that at United,” the Brazilian told the club’s official website. “The manager has a clear plan and direction for this team and I can’t wait to pull on the famous shirt.”

Telles will add to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s options on the left side of the Red Devils’ defence, with the new addition set to compete with Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams for a starting place.

He has spent the past five seasons at Porto, scoring 26 goals and registering more than 50 assists as an attack-minded full-back.

The defender also enjoyed spells in the UEFA Champions League with Galatasaray and Inter Milan after arriving in Europe in 2014.