Porto
Naby Keita: Liverpool midfielder back in training ahead of Porto clash
Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has returned to full training ahead of the Premier League sides Champions League clash against Porto. Is right, Naby lad 😁 Putting in those Porto preparations 👊 #UCL pic.twitter.com/yH6b876jLc — Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 27, 2021 The Guinean midfielder picked up an ankle injury against Crystal Palace and he was sidelined for the 3-3 draw against Brentford at the weekend. Jurgen Klopp is already without the services of Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott in the midfield and the return of Keita could not have been better timed. No Thiago Alcantara (calf) and Harvey Elliott (ankle) [but] the rest are available which includes Naby Keita who has been pictured on the training pitches. “There are no new concerns at the moment. A big squad ...
Man City vs PSG the standout as Champions League groups drawn
The groups for the Champions League 2021/22 have been drawn. Chelsea are looking to defend their title, having defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the final last March. Those two are joined by fellow English sides Manchester United and Liverpool. Paris Saint-Germain look to win the competition for the first time, hoping that the acquisition of Lionel Messi can help them over the final hurdle. Man City are also yet to win the trophy, while Juventus have gone a quarter of a century since their last European triumph. Meanwhile, Sheriff Liraspol become the first ever Moldovan team to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. There are several exciting fixtures to come out of the draw. The headline tie of the group stage will likely be Man City vs PSG in Group A, while Barcelona and Bay...
Rangers expected to receive a bid of around €16m for key star this summer
Rangers star Alfredo Morelos has been linked with a move away from the Scottish club this summer and Porto are keen on signing him. According to journalist Ekrem Konur, the Portuguese outfit are prepared to bid around €16 million for the Colombian striker. 🚨🔥FC #Porto are preparing to make a new offer (€16m) to #GlasgowRangers for Alfredo #Morelos. 👀Sérgio #Conceição is very keen on the transfer of Morelos.#FCPorto #FCP #RangersFC https://t.co/AvqK31p6Dz pic.twitter.com/zuDxxVGzSw — Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) August 12, 2021 Morelos has been outstanding for Rangers since moving to Ibrox and losing him would be a devastating blow for the Scottish champions. However, a player of his calibre deserves to play at a higher level, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he decided...
Huge boost for Liverpool as agent speaks out on £50m Klopp target, price could drop too
Liverpool have been handed a huge double boost to their hopes of signing Otavio from Porto this summer. According to A Bola, the Portuguese giants are now willing to accept less than €60 million (£50m) for the exciting number 10. Added to that, the 26-year-old’s agent has admitted that the Brazilian will leave this summer if the deal is good for his client and Porto. Jurgen Klopp has a lot of work to do at Anfield this summer to get the Reds back to the top of the Premier League next season. The German will undoubtedly be looking for more guile and creativity in attacking midfield to help supplement the talent he has at his disposal. Otavio double boost handed to Liverpool The Reds have been heavily linked with Otavio over the past few weeks (CMJournal). Originally it was thought that his ...
Rangers ready to sell 25-year-old this summer, Champions League club interested – report
Rangers have named their asking price for striker Alfredo Morelos amid the transfer interest from Porto, Football Insider reports. Morelos has been a huge success for Rangers over the past four seasons, but he could be on the move with their recent signing of Fashion Sakala. He currently has two years remaining on his Rangers contract, and a new deal appears unlikely due to his excessive wage demands. Rangers have set a price tag of £13 million for the player’s services. However, Porto are only willing to pay around £10m for the Colombian. Sportslens view: Morelos has improved his discipline over the past year, and he has avoided any sending-offs. This should boost his chances of pursuing a bigger challenge elsewhere. Porto are a lucrative option with the chance to play Champions League fo...
Late goal gives Brazil controversial win over Colombia in Copa America
Brazil continued their winning romp through the Copa America on Wednesday, eking out a controversial 2-1 victory against Colombia after struggling most of the match to answer a magnificent bicycle-kick goal by Luis Diaz. The 11th-hour win gave the “Selecao” a perfect nine points from three matches in the South American championships, and extended their current winning streak to 11 matches. However, the victory was steeped in controversy: Brazil’s second-half equalizer, a Roberto Firmino header, was preceded by a Neymar pass that glanced off Argentine referee Nestor Pitana. Colombia heatedly argued afterward that play should have been stopped, but Pitana ruled neither side was hindered and allowed the match to continue. Disgruntled Colombia fans on social media turned the referee’s name int...
Report: Euro club keen to sign £15m Liverpool player who ‘blossomed’ last season
Marko Grujic set for Anfield exit this summer. According to reports from The Athletic, Portuguese club Porto are leading the race to sign Grujic this summer on a permanent deal. The 25-year-old spent the last season on loan at Porto where he ‘blossomed’ under the guidance of coach Sergio Conceicao. The Reds are prepared to offload him to boost their transfer kitty. Grujic was the first signing of Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield reign, but the Serbian midfielder has failed to make an impact at the Merseyside club. Liverpool signed Grujic in a deal worth £5.1 million from Red Star Belgrade in January 2016. He was initially loaned back to his hometown club for the rest of that season. He has made just 16 senior appearances in all competitions for the Reds, and hasn’t played in the Premier L...
Thomas Tuchel targets four signings at Chelsea after contract extension
According to the Daily Star, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wants to bring in four new players this summer after signing a new contract with the club. Tuchel arrived at the Bridge in January earlier this year, after Chelsea had sacked club legend Frank Lampard owing to a disappointing run of results that threatened to derail the campaign. Under the German, though, the Blues experienced a tremendous turnaround as they clinched a top-four finish in the Premier League and also made it to the FA Cup finals. But the cherry on top was Chelsea going on to win the UEFA Champions League for just the second time in the history of the club, beating Man City in the finals in Porto. Following the sensational turnaround, Tuchel, who had initially signed just an eighteen-month contract, has now been hande...
Jorginho almost joined Manchester City in 2018 – agent
Chelsea star Jorginho was close to joining Manchester City prior to his move to west London, according to the midfielder’s agent. Jorginho followed Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri to Stamford Bridge in 2018 and has since become a key part of the Blues line-up, helping them to Champions League final victory over City in May. But if things had turned out differently he might well have lined up against his current team-mates in Porto. “It was Napoli’s choice,” agent Joao Santos explained to Football Italia. “They were negotiating with Manchester City, but then they began talks with Chelsea, and that’s where we ended up. “We have nothing against Manchester City. Playing at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola would have been satisfying, but that’s how transfers work. “Sometimes things can change ver...
Chelsea’s Champions League final squad confirmed
Thomas Tuchel has named his 25-man squad for the trip to Portugal to face Manchester City in the Champions League final. Our head coach looks set to have a full squad to choose from in Porto, with his 25 players flying to Portugal today ahead of Saturday’s final, following N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy’s return to training yesterday after picking up injuries in our last two Premier League fixtures. ‘N’Golo is looking good and I hope he stays like that for Saturday,’ said Tuchel. ‘Edou made a huge improvement with the management of pain from when the injury happened, which is good. We hope to have him back. If he is fit, then Edou will play.’ Chelsea squad listed below in squad number order Kepa Arrizabalaga Antonio Rudiger Marcos Alonso Andreas Christensen Jorginho Thiago Silva N’Golo Kan...
Pep Guardiola wins LMA Manager of the Year award
Pep Guardiola has been named LMA Manager of the Year. It has been a superb season for City, who won the Premier League title for the third time in four seasons, finishing 12 points ahead of our nearest rivals. We also won our fourth Carabao Cup in a row and next weekend we will compete in our first ever Champions League final when we face Chelsea in Porto. It’s the second time the City boss has been awarded the prize having previously done so in 2017/18 after leading us to a record 100 points in the Premier League. Guardiola says the award is shared with his players and staff, without whom our success this season would not have been possible. “I am delighted to win this award for the second time, but an award like this is only possible if a manager is surrounded by top professionals,” Guar...
Chelsea squeeze through to UCL semis after late Porto scare
Chelsea booked their spot in the Champions League semi-finals despite a late goal from Mehdi Taremi for Porto on Tuesday night. The Portuguese outfit tried to set a fast tempo from the off but struggled to break down Chelsea in a first period where neither side had a shot on target. The pattern continued after the interval and it wasn’t until the 65th minute that Edouard Mendy was forced to make a save when he easily kept out substitute Mehdi Taremi’s header. The Blues had the better of the half chances through Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic but seemed content with a stalemate that was broken four minutes into added time when Taremi struck to give Cheslea a late scare. Chelsea, who will meet either Liverpool or Real Madrid in the last four, will now shift focus to the FA Cup semi final ...
