Fortunebets

Cristiano Ronaldo remains absent from pre-season training but Manchester United maintain the frustrated star is not for sale.

Over the weekend it emerged the 37-year-old had asked to leave Old Trafford if an acceptable offer arrived following a disappointing first season back with a club he won medals aplenty at between 2003 and 2009.

Ronaldo was conspicuous by his absence on Monday when new boss Erik ten Hag welcomed United’s international players to Carrington for the start of pre-season training.

The club accepted his explanation that family reasons meant he was unable to report for training, which they still do as the veteran forward’s absence rolled onto Thursday.

It is unclear whether Ronaldo will be on the plane when Ten Hag’s side head to Thailand on Friday for the start of their pre-season tour, but United insist he will be part of the squad this season.

Having repeatedly said in recent weeks that Ronaldo is not for sale, the club maintain that stance remains unchanged amid reports they are in fact willing to sell the Portugal international.

There look to be landing spots for the vastly-paid former Real Madrid forward and the PA news agency understands Chelsea are still weighing up their level of interest.

Fan favourite Ronaldo only returned to Old Trafford last summer, joining from Juventus for a fee rising to €23 million.

Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions and was named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, but individual quality was unable to prevent his first season back at United ending trophyless and with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Europa League football awaits as Ten Hag starts his rebuild, which will go up a gear when United travel to Thailand to face rivals Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday.

United then head to Australia, where fixtures against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace in Melbourne are followed by a friendly against Aston Villa in Perth.

Ten Hag so far only has one new face to call upon after United completed the signing of Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia, meaning there are still key areas of the squad that need strengthening.

The club’s well-documented pursuit of Frenkie de Jong continues and is understood to have been complicated by Barcelona owing the Holland international wages.

Christian Eriksen has verbally agreed to join, with a three-year contract being drawn up, and the Old Trafford giants have a firm interest in Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.

Discussions have been held about Ajax winger Antony, while Brazilian compatriot Andreas Pereira is heading for an Old Trafford exit.

Fulham have seen their offer of an initial £8 million and a further £2 million in potential add-ons for the 26-year-old midfielder accepted by United.

Tottenham have agreed on a €32.5million (£27.8m) fee with Ajax for Steven Bergwijn. Signed in January 2020 from PSV, the attacker has been linked with a return to his home country for some time due to a lack of first-team opportunities at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ajax were keen on signing the Dutch international during the January transfer window but a deal never came to fruition with Antonio Conte keeping him in the capital instead. Having bolstered their attack with Richarlison signing in a big-money transfer from Everton, Bergwijn will now head back to Holland and get the regular first-team football under his belt that he requires ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that commences in November.

Tottenham will receive €30million (£25.8m) for the 24-year-old and that fee could rise to €32.5million with adds-ons, which in turn would see the club recoup the £27million they paid to PSV for the talented winger. Bergwijn, who will undergo his Ajax medical today, will now exit the club after scoring eight goals in his 83 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites.

Very active in the transfer market so far this summer with the arrival of four new players, Spurs are still looking to bring a few more fresh faces in to help take Conte’s squad to the next level. A new right wing-back is required at the club this summer, with Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence a player managing director of football Fabio Paratici wants to bring to N17 after a standout season on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Agreeing on a fee has proved to be a stumbling block so far and football.london understands that Spurs have still yet to agree on a deal with the Championship side for the England U21 international. Another potential incoming in defence is Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet, who Tottenham tried to sign on loan 12 months ago.

The club have held talks over another loan move for the French international but football.london understands that a move is not close to completion just yet. Conte and his players head to the South Korea on Saturday for their summer tour, meaning that time is now ticking if they want to have any further new additions on the flight with their new Tottenham teammates.

Northern Ireland were outclassed on their major tournament debut as Norway romped to a comprehensive 4-1 Euro 2022 victory in Southampton.

First-half finishes from Julie Blakstad and Frida Maanum, plus a Caroline Graham Hansen penalty, put the two-time European champions on course for a routine success to dampen a historic occasion for their opponents.

Defender Julie Nelson – Northern Ireland’s most-capped female player – gave the competition’s lowest-ranked nation brief hope of an unlikely comeback by heading in a landmark goal just after the interval.

But Guro Reiten’s free-kick sealed a routine success for Martin Sjogren’s side to move them level on three points with hosts England at the top of Group A.

A difficult evening for Kenny Shiels’ underdogs was compounded by forward Simone Magill – who has just moved from Everton to Aston Villa – leaving the field in tears late on due to injury.

Ángel Di María has agreed to join Juventus on a one-year deal after his contract ended at Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old forward is expected in Italy this week and is poised to be the club’s second eye-catching free signing of the summer.

The deal with Di María follows one settled last month with Paul Pogba, who is due in Turin on Saturday to complete his return to the club after leaving Manchester United.

Di María departed PSG after seven seasons during which he played 295 games for the club, scoring 92 goals. The Argentina international’s previous clubs include Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Di María’s one season at Old Trafford came when Pogba was in his first spell at Juventus.

Juventus finished a distant fourth in Serie A last season, 16 points behind the champions, Milan, who have an agreement with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the Swede to extend his contract and continue there next season.

The striker, who will be 41 in October, is recovering from a knee injury and may not play again this year. He has accepted a salary reduction.

Arsenal have completed the signing of Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus for a fee of around £45 million ($54 million), the London club announced on Monday.

Jesus, who scored 95 goals in 236 appearances for City, has signed a “long-term contract” with Arsenal after deciding to leave the Premier League champions in search of more regular first-team action.

The Brazil international is reunited with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City before he took charge at the Emirates Stadium.

“I’m very excited. The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature,” Arteta said.

“This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”

Jesus was expected to fall down the pecking order at City had he stayed for the final year of his contract as the champions have bolstered their striking options with the signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.

Admitting Arteta’s presence at the Emirates was influential in his decision to join the Gunners, Jesus said: “We spoke a couple of times about the club, the players, the project and the future.

“I believe 100 percent in Mikel. I had a very good time with him before, he’s a very good guy and a very good coach as well.

“He helped me a lot. We would always stick together after the training sessions and do some finishing or something.

“He’s a very intelligent guy and was an amazing player, so if he knows something he can teach me or the young players.”

Arsenal have let senior strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette leave the club for free in the past six months.

Despite handing Eddie Nketiah a new five-year deal, Jesus is expected to lead the line for Arteta’s men as the Gunners aim to end a six-year absence from the Champions League.

The 25-year-old won four Premier League titles among eight major honours during his time with City after joining them in January 2017.

Arsenal have already strengthened Arteta’s squad with the signings of Portuguese midfielder Fabio Vieira, Brazilian teenage forward Marquinhos and American goalkeeper Matt Turner.

According to reports, they have also had a bid for Leeds winger Raphinha turned down, but are expected to return with an improved offer for the Brazilian international.

Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Leeds on a six-year contract, the Premier League champions have announced.

City agreed a basic fee of £42million with Leeds for the England international last month, with a potential further £3m to be added in bonuses.

Phillips, who came through the youth ranks at Leeds, switches to the Etihad Stadium after making 235 appearances for his hometown club over the past eight seasons.

Phillips said: “I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City.

“City have again proved to be the best team in the country with an amazing squad and a manager in Pep Guardiola who is rightly considered to be the finest in the world.

“To be able to play under Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff as well as be part of such a fantastic squad is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about

“City are a world-class club with world-class staff and facilities and it’s a dream come true to have joined the club.”

Phillips is City’s fourth new arrival of the summer after the signings of Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Julian Alvarez.

Phillips rose to prominence as Leeds won promotion to the Premier League in 2020 and went on to establish himself in the top flight. He then played a key role for England as they reached the final of Euro 2020 last year.

City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Kalvin to Manchester City.

“He is a player that we have long admired, and at both domestic and international level, he has proved his fantastic ability and quality over the past few seasons.

“We feel he will be a superb addition to our squad and that he will complement our game perfectly.”

The move was also confirmed by Leeds, who thanked Phillips for his long service.

A statement read: “No words can thank Kalvin enough for his efforts whilst at the club and we wish him nothing but success in the future.

“Kalvin inspired so many people in the city, not only for what he did on the pitch, but also for the work he did in the local community.

“He will always be a champion in Leeds, remembered for playing his part in getting the club back to where it belongs and will always be welcome at Elland Road.”

Phillips issued a further statement in which he paid tribute to Leeds, particularly managers Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, and the fans.

He described Leeds as “one of the best clubs on Earth” and that playing for them was a dream and a privilege.

He wrote: “I cannot mention Leeds without mentioning one special person – Marcelo. The best manager I have ever come across. He was a man that gave the club life, he gave the players and everyone involved in the club belief that we were good enough to return to the Premier League after 16 years.”

“And now to Jesse, what an unbelievable manager you are, but what an even better person. You came into this club and gave every single player confidence and belief in a very difficult season and that’s what kept us in the league.”

To the supporters, he added: “I hope you guys understand my decision and will accept that I only want to chase my dreams and test myself against and with the best teams and best players on the planet.

“As a young kid I had so many dreams and still do… but playing for you was the one I will never forget. You are the best fans in the world.”

Leeds later announced the arrival of midfielder Darko Gyabi from City for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal.

Christian Eriksen has verbally agreed to join Manchester United as Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia prepares to complete his move to Old Trafford, the PA news agency understands.

The summer rebuild under new manager Erik ten Hag has been slow to get off the ground after a disappointing campaign that saw the Red Devils register their lowest ever Premier League points tally.

The push to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has dragged on for a club that have made great strides in their move for two other players.

The PA news agency understands Denmark international Eriksen has verbally agreed in principle to join United, with a three-year deal being prepared.

The former Tottenham and Inter Milan attacking midfielder shone for Brentford in the second half of last season as he made a miraculous return from the cardiac arrest suffered at Euro 2020 last summer.

Feyenoord full-back Malacia is set to be the first signing of the Ten Hag era.

Having looked set to sign for Ligue 1 side Lyon, United swooped in for a player that is understood be costing €15 million bid, plus €2 million in add-ons.

Malacia was at the Carrington training complex to complete his medical on Monday, when United’s international players returned from their summer break.

Cristiano Ronaldo was conspicuous by his absence from that group just days after it emerged that the frustrated star had told United he would like to leave if the right offer came in.

United are adamant the 37-year-old will not be sold and are understood to have accepted the frontman’s explanation that family issues meant he was unable to report for training.

Tottenham have completed the £60 million signing of Richarlison from Everton.

The Brazil forward has signed a five-year deal at Spurs, moving to London after four years at Goodison Park.

Richarlison has now become Tottenham’s fourth summer signing, following Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma into the north London club.

Football managing director Fabio Paratici has wasted little time in handing Spurs boss Antonio Conte the kind of squad reinforcements the Italian so craved this summer.

“We are delighted to announce the signing of Richarlison from Everton, subject to a work permit,” Tottenham confirmed in a statement.

“The Brazil international has signed a contract with us until 2027.”

Tottenham are expected to continue pushing for new recruits, with moves for Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence and Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet both mooted.

Spurs are understood to have fended off competition from both Arsenal and Chelsea to complete the high-profile deal for Richarlison.

The 25-year-old will add further competition and depth to Tottenham’s attacking ranks, with Spurs having been keen to recruit a forward who could play right across the frontline for some time.

Richarlison notched 53 goals in 152 games in four years at Everton, joining the Toffees in 2018 after a year at Watford.

Tottenham agreed a fee with Everton for Richarlison late on Wednesday night, before the Brazilian completed a medical on Thursday.