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Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has turned down the opportunity to join Premier League champions Chelsea, according to Sky sources. The Gunners had agreed to sell the England international to their London rivals for a fee believed to be £35m. However, it is understand that the 24-year-old favours a move to Liverpool ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline. Oxlade-Chamberlain is out of contract at the end of the season and is now set to either see out the remaining 11 months of his Arsenal deal or move to Liverpool, were they to put in a bid and have it accepted. Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is currently on duty with the England squad, has started all of Arsenal's games this season but met manager Arsene Wenger ahead of Sunday's 4-0 loss to Liverpool, to discuss his future. Former Arsenal man Nigel Winterburn thinks it is time for Oxlade-Chamberlain to depart and told Sky Sports News on Tuesday: "Personally, I think he has had enough at Arsenal.

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has explained why he’s settled in so quickly at his new club after making the transfer from Chelsea this summer. The Serbia international was a slightly surprising signing from the Blues, having been a key player during his time at Stamford Bridge and with his former manager Antonio Conte not keen to let him go to a rival. Still, United are reaping the benefits of Matic’s presence in midfield now after a £40million move, and the player himself has attempted to explain why he’s settled in so quickly. Speaking about his fine form, the 29-year-old put it down to experience, as well as crediting his team-mates for immediately making him feel welcome. ‘I have become one of the more experienced players by now,’ Matic said. ‘At the age of 29 it’s only normal that I wouldn’t need a long time to adapt. I knew many of (Manchester United’s) players from before, as I’ve played against them quite a few times, so I knew what kind of a tea

Reading have agreed a £7.5m deal to sign Sone Aluko from Fulham, according to Sky sources. The 28-year-old will undergo a medical with the Royals on Tuesday, just over a year after he joined the Whites on a free transfer from Wolves. Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic pleaded with his club to keep Aluko earlier this summer after it emerged Reading had made an approach for the player. Speaking after a pre-season loss to Wolfsburg, Jokanovic said: "I have to fight for Sone Aluko, because around me is some news that we are thinking about selling him. "If we do this, it will be a big mistake for my team. If we want to be better, we need to bring quality people into our squad." Jokanovic has been at odds with the Fulham hierarchy over transfers for a second successive summer transfer window, with the club signing a number of players about which his coaching staff have expressed significant reservations. Source: Skysports

Ex-England defender Danny Mills has said Arsene Wenger is risking "destroying his legacy" at Arsenal, while Phil Neville suggested the club are at a crisis point and "big changes" are needed. The Gunners suffered their second Premier League defeat from three matches this season when they were beaten 4-0 at Liverpool on Sunday. Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry described the performance as "unwatchable" while Gary Neville was scathing in his assessment. Ex-England defender Mills told The Debate on Sky Sports Premier Leaguethat Wenger, who joined the club in 1996, is putting his entire legacy in danger this season. "It's like that boxer having one too many fights and it going wrong," he said. "If this is a really bad season, and they finish seventh or eighth, and don't win anything, then that's what Arsene will be remembered for. "My worry would be that it destroys his legacy and everything he has achieve

Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke is keen for former team-mate Diego Costa to return to the La Liga club from Chelsea. Costa remains unsettled at Stamford Bridge and is yet to return to training, having spent the summer back in his native Brazil. And with just two days remaining in the August transfer window, Koke has said he would like to see the 28-year-old Costa back at the Vicente Calderon. He told Cadena Star: "We all want Diego Costa to come, but the situation is complicated. "If Diego comes, he will help us and he already knows a lot of us at the club so for us it would be very exciting." Reports have suggested the two clubs are close to a deal that could involve a fee of around £40m, plus add-ons. Source: Skysports

Naby Keita insists he is excited to join Liverpool’s project next summer and will keep a close eye on the developments at Anfield this season. The Reds have been desperate to sign the Guinea international and agreed a deal with RB Leipzig to sign the midfielder on July 1, 2018 following the conclusion of the current campaign. Keita, who scored eight goals in 31 Bundeliga games last term to help Leipzig finish second, insists he is delighted to join the Premier League club. Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, the 22-year-old said: ‘I am delighted that an agreement has been reached which will allow me to join Liverpool Football Club next summer, when I will become part of a project that excites me greatly. ‘My commitment to RBL remains absolute for the remainder of my time at the club. I have given my all every time I have worn the shirt – that will be the case until the final whistle, in my final appearance. ‘Having my future resolved means I can now focus on he

Chelsea and Liverpool look set to battle it out to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after he turned down a new £180k-a-week deal at Arsenal, according to Sky sources. Arsene Wenger held talks with the England midfielder on Thursday in a final attempt to persuade him to stay at the Emirates. Oxlade-Chamberlain, capped 27 times by England, sees his future elsewhere, with Chelsea and Liverpool understood to be waiting in the wings, ready to tempt Arsenal with an offer well beyond the £30m offered by Chelsea earlier this month. The player, who joined Arsenal from Southampton in 2011, is known to be unhappy playing as a wing-back, preferring a central or wide midfield role. Wenger will be desperate not to sell to a Premier League rival but Arsenal will struggle to afford letting a prized asset leave for free next summer, especially with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in similar positions at the club. Source: Skysports

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund for a club record transfer fee. Real Madrid were also said to be monitoring the France starlet but the Catalans have won the race for his signature after agreeing to make him the second most expensive player in history in a deal worth €105m (£96.8m, $125m) plus add-ons. Dembele, 20, was heavily linked with Barcelona last summer when the Catalans were looking for a versatile forward to serve as back-up for the MSN trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. However, the France international decided to join Dortmund from Rennes instead, amid concerns that his playing time at the Nou Camp was going to be limited. Dembele continued his impressive development at the Bundesliga side, scoring 10 goals and grabbing 21 assists in 49 appearances in his first season in Germany. Barcelona decided to revive their interest this summer and stepped up their pursuit following the shock departure of Neyma

Manchester United have confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a new one-year deal with the club and will wear the number ten shirt. The Swede was officially released in July after a stunning debut campaign at Old Trafford, where he scored 28 goals in all competitions. The 35-year-old tore his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments after a nasty fall against Anderlecht in the Europa League and there were fears that he would not play again. However, United have been astonished by Ibrahimovic’s recovery and the Jose Mourinho says the Swede will be ‘important’ in the second phase of the season. ‘We are delighted Zlatan is on the road to recovery and we are equally delighted to have his ambition and experience back with us’ said Mourinho. ‘After his contribution last season he deserves our trust and we will be patient waiting for him to return. I have no doubt that he will be important in the second part of the season. Ibrahimovic has been working hard on his

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sign a new contract and says the winger has a ‘responsibility’ to the club. The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has informed the club’s heriachy that he has no plans on signing fresh terms. Chelsea are interested in signing the England international but had their opening bid of £25million rejected by Arsenal. Wenger signed Oxlade-Chamberlain in a £15million deal when the winger was just 17 at Southampton. And Wenger says players like Oxlade-Chamberlain have a ‘responsiblity’ to the club and says the team can be built around him if he stays. ‘I want him to stay,’ said Wenger. ‘He is one of the players the team needs to be built around. I want him to commit to the club. ‘I want to keep my best players. I want to keep everyone on board We invested a lot of time and money in players like Alex. ‘For me they have a responsibility. to the club. I am highly determin

Arsene Wenger has said that Alexis Sanchez is "ready" to be involved in Arsenal's match with Liverpool, live on Sky Sports Premier League, this weekend. The Chile international has yet to feature this season as his future remains shrouded in uncertainty, but his manager says the striker's refusal to sign a new contract has not affected his focus. Wenger said: "Overall he (Sanchez) looks in good shape. He has always been focused on his job. I don't think he's too much disturbed by all the noise - players at that level are used to it. Some deal better with it than others. "He's very focused, very happy. Doesn't mean there's no chance to extend his contract, though we haven't managed to do it. We just want to focus as a team and not look too much at individual contracts. "Alexis works very hard, gives so much and he looks ready. I'll have to decide what I do but he's ready to play." Source: Skysports

Defending champions Manchester United will start the defence of the Carabao Cup against Burton Albion following Thursday’s third round draw. Jose Mourinho won his first major trophy as United boss earlier this year when Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s late header secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Southampton at Wembley. The pick of the round is Liverpool’s trip to Leicester City with the Reds aiming to improve on a semi-final appearance from last season. The current Premier League leaders will have to get past the Championship side in order to progress, while Arsenal have been paired against Doncasteer. Chelsea, who have an excellent recent pedigree in this competiton, are due to meet Nottingham Forest, while Tottenham, who will play their home matches this season at the venue for the final, are slated to take on the winner of Barnsley vs Derby. Here’s the draw in full… Credit: Metro

Chelsea are preparing a fresh bid for Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater as they look to complete their fifth summer signing. The England man was an instrumental part of the Foxes' title-winning campaign during the 2015/16 season as Leicester won a first ever Premier League crown. With the departure of Nemanja Matic, manager Antonio Conte is still looking for another addition in midfield despite the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko and will be lodging a new £32m ($40.9m) bid for Drinkwater according to The Sun. The Blues have already seen an initial bid of £15m ($19.2m) turned down with Leicester demanding around £40m ($51.1m) for the 27-year-old. Chelsea are aware of Drinkwater's desire to depart the King Power Stadium and wereconfident a £30m ($38.3m) bid would have been sufficient. However, with time running out in the transfer window, closing in a week's time on Thursday (31 August), Conte wants to complete a deal swiftly. The report claims that wh

Tiemoue Bakayoko has not only replaced Nemanja Matic at Chelsea – he could prove to be an upgrade. That’s the claim of Chelsea legend Pat Nevin, who has identified one thing the French midfielder has to his advantage over Matic. The £40million summer signing made his long-awaited debut for the Blues on Sunday and put in a tremendous performance. Despite having been sidelined with injury and lacking match fitness, Bakayoko excelled in the 2-1 win over Tottenham. It was a performance that will go some way to silencing those who have questioned Chelsea’s decision to allow Matic to leave the club. The Serbian midfielder, who was a key player in the Blues’ two most recent title wins, moved to Manchester United in a £40million deal. Nevin believes Bakayoko could be as good as Matic – plus the 23-year-old has an age advantage over the man he replaced. ‘Nemanja Matic has gone and has made a fine start at United, so well done him. He did a great job for this club and we are g

England captain Wayne Rooney has retired from international football with immediate effect. The Everton forward made his international debut in 2003 against Australia but has decided to call it a day after 14 illustrious years with the Three Lions. The 31-year-old lost his place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the summer internationals and the England boss will now have to select a new permanent captain. Rooney’s good start at Goodison Park had led to speculation that he will be selected again for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September but he’s taken the matter into his own hands. The former Manchester United forward steps down from international duty as England’s greatest ever goalscorer. Rooney scored 53 times in 119 appearances for the Three Lions. Rooney confirmed that Southgate had planned on picking him again in September but said he informed the England boss about his decision during a phone call this week. ‘It was great that Gareth Southgate cal

Tottenham are closing in on a £23million move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier. The Ivory Coast international has been free to leave the French giants following the arrival of Dani Alves to the club. Aurier, 24, has been heavily linked with Manchester United and Chelsea but Spurs have shown the firmest interest in the right-back. Mauricio Pochettino sanctioned Kyle Walker’s £50million move to Manchester City on the basis that Kieran Trippier had shown he was a worthy replacement towards the end of last season. However, the Argentine wants greater strength in depth and the Evening Standard claim Spurs are close to a £23m deal and Aurier will sign a five-year deal. Aurier was denied entry into the UK last October for Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Arsenal because he was found guilty of elbowing a police offer a month earlier. The ban is still in place but Aurier is currently contesting the charge and Spurs are clearly confident that he will win his case.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte could call upon Tiémoué Bakayoko earlier than planned for their Premier League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (20 August). Bakayoko, 23, joined the Premier League champions from Monaco for £39m in July but his start to the season has been delayed having undergone knee surgery in the summer. The powerful midfielder only returned to first-team training on Wednesday but a desperate shortage of midfielders could see him drafted into the starting XI ahead of schedule. Cesc Fabregas' suspension after being sent off in the 3-2 defeat to Burnley rules him out of the trip to Wembley. Having offloaded a number of midfielders this summer, the Spaniard's dismissal left Chelsea with N'Golo Kante as their only midfield option. With Conte seemingly unwilling to move David Luiz back into a midfield role, the Italian coach may have little choice but to call upon his new signing to start on Sunday. "You you know very well our situa

Former Barcelona star Luis Suarez has warned the Blaugrana that signing Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele is "not the solution." The Catalan club crashed out of the quarter-final of the Champions League last term, while lost the league to arch-rivals Real Madrid. Their only success in the previous campaign was winning the Copa del Rey. Ernesto Valverde replaced Luis Enrique as Barcelona's new manager in the summer. The former Athletic Bilbao boss failed to win his first silverware at his new club as he saw his side suffer a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Real in the Spanish Super Cup. Barcelona have already lost their star playerNeymar to Paris Saint-Germain as the Brazil international completed a switch to Parc des Princes for a world-record fee of €222m (£200m, $262m). The La Liga giants have already completed the signing of Paulinho as midfielder moved to Spain from Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou Evergrande fo

Diego Costa insists he would consider returning to Chelsea on the understanding Antonio Conte offers him a fair chance to regain his first team place. The Spain international was informed he was surplus to Conte’s requirements via text message over the summer, despite helping secure a second Premier League title in three seasons with his 20-goal haul. Costa is currently in Brazil, refusing his club’s request to return to training but insists he would contemplate a comeback if his manager was prepared to let him fight for his place. ‘If it was down to me I’d be playing. It’s already been one month. Holidays are good but it gets tiresome,’ he told ESPN. ‘I was always meant to turn up with the group, but they were already saying that I’m going to have to come back and train with the reserves. I said that this was a lack of respect. We won the league and I haven’t done anything so serious to deserve being treated in that way. ‘It won’t be the same as before [between him

Diego Costa should "respect" Chelsea's badge even though he wants to leave, says Atletico Madrid captain Gabi. Costa has released a statement saying he will not rejoin the Chelsea squad and he "must return to Atletico Madrid".  The forward, who joined Chelsea from Atletico in 2014, is currently in his native Brazil and has threatened to remain there rather than return to London, eventually leaving on a free transfer. Gabi has urged former team-mate Costa not to dishonour Chelsea in his attempts to force through a move, though. "From what I know, Atletico Madrid want to sign him and he wants to join," Gabi said at a press conference. "But of course, there is Chelsea in the middle and when you are part of a club you must respect the badge and try and leave in the best way." Midfielder Koke added: "If Costa joins then he will help the team as he always did, we know he is a great player but right now he is a Chelsea pl

Diego Costa has urged Chelsea not to price him out of a move to Atletico Madrid. The Chelsea striker is currently in Brazil and has refused to return to London to rejoin Antonio Conte's squad, despite the club's demands he must resume training and fight for a place. Costa believes Chelsea are denying him his wish to return to Atletico in the hope of receiving a higher offer from elsewhere, but the forward insists he will not let the Blues dictate his next move. "Chelsea have offered me to several clubs, but I was very clear with them," Costa, who has scored 59 goals in 120 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge for £32m from Atletico in 2014, told ESPN Brazil. "I said that if I'm not part of the manager's plans, I would like to choose my destination. I'm not going to let them decide just to get more money. "When I came to Chelsea they paid a lot less compared to what's being offered to them. I think they should take in

Arsenal have confirmed that Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Cohen Bramall have all been promoted to Arsene Wenger’s first-team squad. Both Nelson, 17, and Willock, 17, have risen through the Gunners’ academy ranks from a young age while 21-year-old defender Bramall arrived at the Emirates from Hednesford Town after a successful trial back in January. All three youngsters were included in Arsenal pre-season tour of Australia this summer and have been rewarded with places in the side’s first-team set up for the 2017/18 campaign. Nelson, in particular, was one of the success stories of Arsenal’s pre-season and impressed against the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Benfica. The promising teenager will wear the No. 61 shirt this season, while Willock will don the No. 69 and Bramall takes the No. 40 shirt. Following Arsenal’s 5-2 win over Benfica in the Emirates Cup, Wenger said of Nelson: ‘He’s a player from our academy. ‘He’s had an encouraging pre-season. He’s show

Uruguay have confirmed Barcelona forward Luis Suarez has suffered a knee injury that will rule him out for up to five weeks – deepening his club's current woes ahead of the new La Liga campaign. Barcelona suffered a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday (16 August), a 5-1 loss on aggregate that highlighted a growing gap in quality between the two arch-rivals. Ernesto Valverde was handed two further blows with both Suarez and defender Gerard Pique picking up knocks in the second-half, with the club confirming post-match the former Liverpool forward had "finished the game with a knee problem." Suarez appeared to pick up the injury while stretching to bring down a loose ball and was scheduled to undergo a scan ahead of Sunday's La Liga opener against Real Betis. The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) now say Barcelona have confirmed to them an expected rehabilitation period of "four to five weeks", ru

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger has come out and claimed that Virgil van Dijk is not for sale amid talk of a move to Liverpool or Chelsea. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had targeted Van Dijk earlier in the summer but the club had to end their interest in the 26-year-old defender in June following a formal apology to the Saints for tapping the player. Despite the setback, Liverpool are still reportedly after the player who is rated at £60m ($77.4m), while Chelsea have also shown an interest in the Dutchman. Van Dijk's had put in a transfer request earlier this month. Krueger claims the club need to stick together and that the former Celtic player's stay at St Mary's is crucial to their strategy after recent summers where many key players were sold, notably to Liverpool. "Our stance remains based on our strategy from May when we spoke last," Krueger said, as quoted on FourFourTwo. "I already told you the numbers that we have transferred in and t

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote has said the first thing he would do after acquiring Arsenal football club is to fire Arsene Wenger. In an interview with Bloomberg, Dangote said he had always wanted to own the English club since the mid-1980s. “The first thing I would change is the coach. He has done a good job, but someone else should also try his luck,” he said. Dangote added that he would persuade Stan Kroenke, American billionaire and Arsenal’s biggest shareholder and Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov to sell their shares to him. “If they get the right offer, I’m sure they would walk away. Someone will give them an offer that will make them seriously consider walking away. And when we finish the refinery, I think we will be in a position to do that,” said Dangote.

Diego Costa has released a statement saying he will not return to Chelsea and he "must return to Atletico Madrid". Costa is currently in his native Brazil and has threatened to remain there rather than return to London, and then leave on a free transfer. Such a scenario is not acceptable to Chelsea, though, who want the player to return to training and put himself in contention for selection. In the statement, Costa said: "My destination has already been decided. I must return to Atletico Madrid. "It turns out that there is the impasse that Chelsea do not want to release me. But I believe that this situation will be resolved now on my return to Spain." Chelsea boss Antonio Conte reportedly texted Costa in June informing the striker he was not part of his future plans, and the striker has since remained in his native Brazil. The 28-year-old's lawyer, Ricardo Cardoso, said last week his client intended to hand in a formal transfer reque

Barcelona are close to agreeing deals for both Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, according to the Catalan club's general manager, Josep Segura. Coutinho has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou afterhanding in a transfer request at Anfield, with reports in the Catalan press suggesting a deal is now just days away, although Liverpool insist the Brazil international is not for sale and have already rejected a £90.4m offer from Barcelona. Dortmund have turned down an identical offer for their France international Dembele, who is currently serving an internal suspension at the German club after missing training amid the speculation surrounding his future. Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde is desperate to sign reinforcements after seeing his side suffer a 5-1 aggregate defeat to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup. Segura insists Barca are closing in on their two main two transfer targets as they look to replace Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in a

Cristiano Ronaldo will serve a five-match ban after Real Madrid failed in a bid to overturn the red card he received in the 3-1 Spanish Super Cup first-leg win over Barcelona. The Portugal forward was given his marching orders at the Nou Camp on Sunday after picking up two yellow cards - one for taking his shirt off after scoring and the other for diving. After receiving his second yellow card, Ronaldo appeared to push referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea and was subsequently hit with a five-match suspension by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) - one for the double booking and another four for pushing the official. The 32-year-old will miss the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barca on Wednesday as well as Madrid's La Liga opener away at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. He will also be suspended for the matches against Valencia (home), Levante (home) and Real Sociedad (away). Real boss Zinedine Zidane branded Ronaldo's second yellow card as &quo

Diego Costa has got off lightly compared to the treatment John Obi Mikel was subjected to by Antonio Conte, according to ex-Chelsea player Emmanuel Sarki. The Spain international striker is currently in his native Brazil having been exiled by his manager following a bust-up last January. Costa is not the only member of Chelsea’s 2014/15 title-winning squad to experience Conte’s ruthless streak, however, with Sarki claiming the long-serving Mikel paid the price for his loyalty to Nigeria. Sarki, who began his career at Stamford Bridge before moving to the likes of Westerloo and Wisla Krakow, revealed the former Juventus boss froze Mikel out after he decided to represent his country at the Rio Olympics, even refusing him the chance to play for the Under-23s in a bid to build up his fitness. ‘I was told how Conte treated Mikel after his decision to represent Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympics. He was granted permission to go by Conte under one condition, which was you might n

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has been ruled out of the Spanish Super Cup second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday (16 August) after sustaining a muscle injury in his right leg. Thomas Vermaelen and Rafinha Alcantara also remain on the sidelines while Arda Turan, Marlon Santos, Sergi Samper, Munir and Douglas have also been left out of Ernesto Valverde's 19-man squad due to technical reasons. The Catalans travel to the Santiago Bernabeu with hope to overturn the humiliating 3-1 defeat suffered at the Nou Camp on Sunday [13 August]. Iniesta made the starting line-up in the first leg after being selected alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic to shape the midfield in Valverde's 4-3-3 formation. However, the captain was replaced in the second half by Sergi Roberto and will be unavailable when Barcelona visit Real. The second El Clasico of the season will also come too early for Vermaelen and Rafinha - with the latter having been out of action since undergo

Arsene Wenger has revealed Arsenal will spend the remainder of this summer's transfer window largely focusing on outgoings, but confirmed he intends to keep hold of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. While uncertainty continues to surround Alexis Sanchez's future, Wenger on Wednesday turned his attention towards other members of the squad and admitted he has "opened the door" for Lucas Perez to leave, as he spoke of plans for his players. The manager, who revealed he expects the club to be busy as the window draws to a close, hailed Oxlade-Chamberlain's progress and said he hopes the 24-year-old will remain at the Emirates "for a long time." "I rate him highly and he's one of the players who is on his way up," Wenger said of the England midfielder, who is entering the last year of his contract at the club and has been linked with a move to Chelsea. "In the last year, he has made huge progress and I want him to stay here for a long

Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has explained why he made the difficult decision to leave Real Madrid for the Blues in this summer’s transfer window. The Spain international became the west Londoners’ club-record buy at around £60million, and has made an instant impact with a goal and an assist on his Premier League debut. Having largely warmed the bench at the Bernabeu last season, Morata now believes he’s ready to improve his game at Chelsea and is excited about what he can achieve at the club. Morata says that while he was unsure about leaving Real, it made it an easier decision to join a club of Chelsea’s calibre. ‘I need to make an explosion in my career and I am at the perfect place, the perfect club to do that,’ the 24-year-old told Chelsea Magazine. ‘I have all the things I need and if I can work hard, I can make good things happen. I have very big motivation, I always think like a winner and I want to win everything it is possible to win. Last season the team

Chelsea playmaker Lucas Piazon suffered a suspected broken leg last night. The 23-year-old was in action for Fulham, where is on loan for the season, when the injury occurred. The Brazilian forward, who scored a late equaliser against former club Reading over the weekend to secure Slavisa Jokanovic's 10 men an unlikely point, had to be carried off the pitch in the 35th minute of a Tuesday night (15 August) Championship stalemate at Leeds United after being hurt by a strong challenge from Conor Shaughnessy. The clash, which did not even produce a free-kick, left Piazon with a broken fibula. ‘We are so disappointed for this situation about Lucas Piazon. I believe he broke the fibula or broke the leg,’ said Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic. ‘It’s a very bad injury and we will lose him for a long time. It’s not a question about complaining – it can be bad luck or a tackle outside of the normal. ‘But I’m really disappointed with what I heard from one of the referees w

Chelsea may finally have been given a major boost in their hopes of offloading Diego Costa before the end of the summer transfer window thanks to interest from Deportivo La Coruna. The Blues have struggled all summer to sell the Spain international after Antonio Conte informed him he was no longer part of his first-team plans, with Atletico’s transfer ban complicating a deal. AC Milan have also been linked with Costa on a number of occasions, but the player himself has long made it known that it is his preference to return to his former club. It initially looked like Costa could rejoin Atletico and train with the team before being registered to play in the middle of the season when their transfer embargo came to an end. However, Deportivo now look set to help smooth things along by taking the 28-year-old on loan until January, according to La Voz de Galicia. Depor have been eyeing signings up front for much of this summer, having also shown an interest in re-signing

The Portugal international was ordered off after picking up two yellow cards, one for taking his shirt off after putting Real 2-1 ahead with 10 minutes remaining, and a second for diving after referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea ruled that he had tried to win a penalty when challenged by Samuel Umtiti. However, Ronaldo reacted angrily and appeared to push Bengoetxea after receiving his second yellow card just two minutes after scoring and picking up his first caution, and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) has now handed Ronaldo a five-match ban - one for the double booking and another four for pushing the official. Pending an appeal, the 32-year-old's ban will start with the Super Cup second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports. He will then miss La Liga fixtures away at Deportivo, at home to Valencia and Levante and then away at Real Sociedad. He said: "I'm annoyed that Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off, it might not have been a penalty

Barcelona have completed the signing of former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho from Guangzhou Evergrande. The 29-year-old has joined Barca in a £36.4m deal and is set to be presented on Thursday after undergoing his medical. His Barcelona release clause is £109.1m. Paulinho is Ernesto Valverde's most expensive signing since taking over at Barcelona this summer. He returns to Europe after leaving Spurs in 2015 in a £10m deal to Evergrande. During his time in the Chinese Super League he won two league titles as well as the Asian Champions League in 2015. "Paulinho is a player with high individual quality, he is an outstanding player, both for his club and for the national team," said Evergrande head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari over the weekend. "The high price paid by Barcelona in order to sign him is a strong recognition of Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club. We wish him all the best and that he can embrace a bright future." His form in China a