Ligue
Arsenal launch transfer bid for Lyon star Houssem Aouar
Arsenal have reportedly made an offer to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon for midfielder Houssem Aouar following a drop in the asking price for the player. According to Le 10 Sport, Aouar could cost the Gunners under a third of the £54 million fee club officials hoped to get in 2020. The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates before the start of the 2020-21 season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on the versatile attacker who can play centrally or on the wing. In September reports in France claimed Lyon had turned their noses up at two separate bids from the North London giants of £31m and £34.5m. However, Le 10 Sport says the Gunners have returned with a fresh offer for the midfielder whose current contract with the French outfit runs out in 2023. And it is tho...
PSG president replaces Juventus supremo as ECA chairman
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been appointed as the new European Club Association chairman, replacing Andrea Agnelli in the wake of the Juventus executive’s departure. Agnelli stepped down from the ECA in response to the formation of the Super League, assuming the role of the new competition’s chairman. Although the Super League is not set to go ahead, Al-Khelaifi has been named as Agnelli’s replacement after his club resisted an invite to join the new competition. “I am honoured and humbled to have been appointed by my fellow ECA Executive Board Members as Chairman,” he said in a statement. “The leadership, integrity and togetherness of our organisation has never been more required than at this pivotal moment in European football. “I will provide my unconditional co...
Borussia Dortmund interested in Terem Moffi
Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund are monitoring Nigeria forward Terem Moffi. Moffi, 21, has caught the attention of top European clubs following his impressive displays for modest Lorient in Ligue 1 this season. The striker has scored 11 goals in 27 league appearances for the club. The pacy striker has scored against Ligue 1 big clubs; Paris Saint-Germain (one goal), Monaco (three goals) and Olympic Marseille (two goals) in the current campaign. According to footmercato, Dortmund have listed the Lorient star as one of the potential replacements for Norway striker Erling Haaland, who is a subject of interest from top clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City. Moffi only linked up with Lorient from Belgian outfit Kortrijk last summer. He was a revelation in the Lithuani...
Paris Saint-Germain wait for Neymar to sign contract extension
Paris Saint-Germain were revelling in the joy of knocking holders Bayern Munich out of the Champions League in midweek when Neymar offered more cause for celebration. In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster TNT Sports following PSG’s away-goals victory in the quarter-finals, Neymar dropped a clear hint that he would be staying at PSG beyond the end of his current contract. “For me there is no debate, it is obvious that I feel very comfortable here and at home at Paris Saint-Germain. I feel happier than I did before,” the world’s most expensive player said. His current contract, signed following his arrival from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($264m) in 2017, runs out at the end of next season, at the same time as Kylian Mbappe’s deal. It has been reported in France since the Bayern gam...
AFCONQ: CAF confirms new date for Sierra Leone vs Benin clash
The Confederation of African Football has announced the postponed Africa Cup of Nations qualification encounter between Sierra Leone and Benin Republic will now take place during the June international window. The Group L fixture initially billed for Tuesday, March 30, at the National Stadium, Freetown did not take place owing to a Covid-19 controversy. However, both teams will now square up against one another in three months’ time – a game that will determine the last team to secure a place for Cameroon 2022. “The Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee has decided to postpone the above-mentioned match to the next Fifa international window scheduled for June 2021. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding,” a post from Benin Football Federation Facebook page read....
Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen shortlisted for 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe prize
Nantes winger Moses Simon and Lille striker Victor Osimhen have been nominated for the 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe prize alongside nine other African stars. The 11 nominees for the annual award, organised by Radio France International and France 24, were announced on Friday with the winner set to be revealed on June 29. The other nominees are Reims centre-back Yunis Abdelhamid, Saint-Etienne forward Denis Bouanga, Montpellier forward Andy Delort, Metz star Habib Diallo, PSG midfielder Idrissa Gueye, Monaco striker Islam Slimani and Rennes trio Mbaye Niang, Hamari Traore and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The shortlist is dominated by four Senegalese, with two Algerians, two Nigerians, one Gabonese, one Moroccan and also included one Malian. Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe won the 2019 edition before his switch...
Didier Drogba beats Zlatan Ibrahimovic as best Ligue 1 striker in last two decades
Former Marseille and Guingamp star Didier Drogba has been crowned Ligue 1’s greatest striker of the past 20 years, ahead of PSG legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Drogba was recognised by Ligue 1 on Saturday after collecting 51 per cent of the 40,094 votes cast by fans on social media. He spent two-and-a-half years in the French top-flight and played for Guingamp between 2001 and 2003 before moving to Marseille where he spent a season. The two-time African Player of the Year scored 39 goals in 81 Ligue 1 games – 20 goals at Guingamp and 19 efforts at Marseille while Ibrahimovic scored 113 goals in 122 Ligue 1 matches between 2012 and 2016 at PSG. On his run to the final stage, Drogba saw off competition from Fernando Morientes, Alexander Frei, Karim Benzema and Pauleta. The former Ivory Coast forw...
Victor Osimhen emerges fourth best scorer in Ligue 1
Victor Osimhen has emerged as the fourth highest goalscorer in the French Ligue 1 this season. The 2019/2020 campaign was cancelled last week, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Osimhen, who joined Lille from Belgian outfit, Sporting Charleroi last summer scored 13 goals and bagged four assists in 27 league appearances for the Great Danes. Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot with 18 goals, while Monaco’s Ben Yedder came second with same number of goals. Mbappe edged out Ben Yedder because he scored more goals from open play. Three out of Ben Yedder’s 18 goals came from the spot while none of Mbappe’s 18 strikes were penalties. Mbappe also had a better goals-per-game ratio, scoring 18 in 20 – the same number in six games less than his rival Ben Yedder. M...
