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Aston Villa are set to reignite their pursuit of Besiktas’ promising young forward, Semih Kılıçsoy, in the upcoming January transfer window according to Star.

The Villans had previously expressed interest in the 19-year-old during the summer transfer window but were unsuccessful in their bid.

However, Kılıçsoy’s continued impressive performances for Besiktas have kept him on Villa’s radar.

Kılıçsoy’s contract with Beşiktaş runs until 2028, and the Turkish club will likely demand a significant fee for his services.

As Villa look to strengthen their squad and challenge for European qualification, the acquisition of a promising young talent like Kılıçsoy could be a significant boost for the club.

Aston Villa will need to compete with the French giants PSG if they want to secure Kılıçsoy’s signature.

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly considering their options in the striker position, with Randal Kolo Muani struggling to secure a regular starting role under manager Luis Enrique.

As a result, the Ligue 1 giants have turned their attention to Kılıçsoy.

However, PSG’s financial resources could make them a strong contender in the race to sign the promising youngster.

As the January transfer window approaches, it remains to be seen whether the young striker will leave or stay put.

Norwich City remain firm on their plan to keep Borja Sainz this January, despite reports that he’s agreed to leave the Canaries for Turkish giants Galatasaray.

The winger had been linked with a move to Gala last month, with interest in him picking up after an impressive start to the Championship season and only 18 months left on his Carrow Road contract.

Well-followed X account Gala Haber has now stated that that’s turned to an agreement between the Super Lig champions and the Spaniard, claiming that he’s made his intentions clear even before discussing personal terms.

Any deal will need his current club’s approval first, however, and that appears to be the sticking point. The report says that City’s asking price is set at €22million, a figure Sainz’s suitors are unlikely to reach.

The plan remains to keep him in Norfolk beyond this winter, after soon-to-be majority shareholder Mark Attanasio set his stall out at the club’s AGM in November, telling the Pink Un there was no need to sell their star man in the upcoming transfer window.

“We don’t need to sell Borja in January. Frankly, we don’t need to sell him ever,” he said. “We can control what we can control, in regards what happens to our players.

“It’s just that at some point there’s an element of fairness. If I understand the ecosystem, if you’re getting offered a very fair price, and it doesn’t have to be an extreme price, and it’s something that someone wants to do, then you have to look at it.”

Sporting director Ben Knapper echoed Attanasio’s message to shareholders, as well as revealing that talks were ongoing with Sainz’s representatives over a new contract.

But that hasn’t stopped speculation, and Spanish side Athletic Bilbao have also been linked with the 23-year-old. Their sporting director Mikel Gonzalez has admitted that he’s a player of interest, but says their isn’t currently a space in the Athletic squad for him.

Norwich did business with Galatasaray as recently as the summer, selling talismanic midfielder Gabriel Sara in a deal worth more than £20million. He’s gone on to become a key player for his new side, registering two goals and five assists in 12 league appearances.

AC Milan’s Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has confirmed that he is on the verge of renewing his contract with the club. In an interview with Ziggo Sport, Reijnders stated, “I haven’t signed yet; that moment is still to come. But this makes me very happy, of course.”

He expressed his gratitude for the club’s recognition of his contributions, saying, “It’s a nice reward that Milan wants to give me. Renewing my contract after just one year doesn’t happen often, I believe. I am very happy to be here; it’s a great club to play for, and it’s nice to see this appreciation. I feel very good at the moment, and scoring goals certainly helps.”

This season, Reijnders has made a significant impact on the pitch, featuring in 17 matches and contributing six goals and three assists, including a brace in Milan’s recent 3-0 victory over Empoli. The club is close to finalizing an agreement for a new four-year contract worth €3.5 million net per season plus bonuses. An official announcement regarding the renewal is expected within a month.

Edoardo Bove is conscious and alert in hospital after his sudden collapse which caused Fiorentina’s match with Inter Milan to be called off, the Serie A club said on Monday. In a statement, Fiorentina said that midfielder Bove “was awakened and extubated this morning. He is currently awake, alert and oriented” at Florence’s Careggi hospital. “He has spoken with his family, club management, the coach and his team-mates, who all rushed to go and see him as soon as they heard the good news,” added Fiorentina. “Further tests will be carried out in the coming days to establish what led to the critical situation that took place yesterday.”

Bove was rushed to the Careggi hospital’s intensive care unit following his sudden fall with 16 minutes played of Sunday’s match, which was goalless when it was stopped for the medical emergency.

Bove’s fall reminded fans of tragic former captain Davide Astori, who in March 2018 died suddenly in his sleep aged 31 in a hotel before a league match at Udinese.

Worried supporters stayed in their seats at the Stadio Artemio Franchi long after the match had been stopped in the hope of positive news after having watched players from both sides and officials sob in shock.

However, initial tests carried out on Sunday evening ruled out any serious damage to his central nervous and the cardio-respiratory systems.

Serie A confirmed to AFP that a meeting will be held on Monday afternoon to decide when the match will be completed, with Italian media reporting that the it won’t be played until February.

The FIFPRO Women’s World 11 finalists are the 26 players who received the most votes from their peers for their performances from 21 August 2023 to 10 August 2024.

A record-breaking number of professional footballers have voted for their 2024 men’s and women’s team of the year, with 28,322 votes coming from 70 countries. The World 11 is the only global football award decided exclusively by professional footballers.

The goalkeeper, three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards who have received the most votes will be selected for the World 11. The final World 11 spot will be assigned to the remaining outfield player with the next highest number of votes.

FIFPRO will announce the World 11 on Monday 9 December 2024 from 1pm GMT on its digital platforms.

2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 Finalists

Goalkeepers:
Mackenzie Arnold (West Ham United/Portland Thorns, Australia)
Mary Earps (Manchester United/Paris Saint-Germain, England)
Christiane Endler (Olympique Lyonnais, Chile)

Defenders:
Selma Bacha (Olympique Lyonnais, France)
Ona Batlle (Barcelona, Spain)
Millie Bright (Chelsea, England)
Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea, England)
Olga Carmona (Real Madrid, Spain)
Jess Carter (Chelsea/Gotham, England)
Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave, USA)
Alex Greenwood (Manchester City, England)

Midfielders
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona, Spain)
Debinha (Kansas City Current, Brazil)
Ingrid Engen (Barcelona, Norway)
Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyonnais, USA)
Alexia Putellas (Barcelona, Spain)
Ella Toone (Manchester United, England)
Keira Walsh (Barcelona, England)

Forwards
Athenea (Real Madrid, Spain)
Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride, Zambia)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid, Colombia)
Tabitha Chawinga (Paris Saint-Germain/Olympique Lyonnais, Malawi)
Lauren James (Chelsea, England)
Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona, Spain)
Alessia Russo (Arsenal, England)

The United States and England played out a goalless draw in their international friendly, with both sides missing several key players through injury.

Emma Hayes, the United States women’s head coach, confessed to battling with her emotions during ‘God Save The King’ before her team’s stalemate with England at Wembley. This friendly match saw London-born Hayes, a former Chelsea manager, pitted against England’s Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman, two of the leading figures in the women’s game, draw more attention pre-match than the on-pitch talent, despite featuring a rare clash between the world’s top two sides.

Although back on home turf and happy, Hayes reckoned the US missed that decisive “killer piece” as they looked more likely to break the deadlock.

Reflecting on the emotions stirred by the anthem, Hayes divulged: “I was definitely mouthing (it), and Naomi (Girma) and Lynn (Williams) could see that I was struggling with where to be and all that.

“I got to the end of the anthems and I thought, ‘that’s so ridiculous. I’m proud to be English and I’m proud of our national anthem, and I’m also really proud to coach America’.

England’s Lionesses may not have struck at goal during the first half, but their performance intensified post-break.

Following a game where US captain Lindsey Horan’s goal was disallowed and a penalty for Chelsea was overturned after VAR review, Hayes said: “I’ve been privileged to coach a lot of top-level games, including here, so there’s a familiarity to being here for me.

Despite missing her star ‘Triple Espresso’ forward line Rodman, Swanson, and Smith due to injuries, Hayes shared a pre-match moment with Wiegman, highlighting her return to a familiar scene filled with leadership.

Despite missing key strikers like Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, and Ella Toone through injury, England’s performance in the friendly was robust, battling to a stalemate that some critics argued the team seemed too comfortable with. However, Wiegman dismissed any notion of complacency.

“I think we were really defending as a team, very strong. We got momentum in the second half, we did better, and of course both teams went for the win,” she said.

“So many things happened in this game, also in front of the goal, so I don’t think it was boring.

“We wanted to go for the win, but it was such a high-intensity game, you have to deal with a very good opponent, so you can’t just say, ‘Now we’re going to go and score that goal’.

“We tried, of course, to do that. We didn’t slow down to keep it 0-0. I think that was just how the game went.”

Fiorentina’s match with Inter Milan was suspended on Sunday after midfielder Edoardo Bove suddenly collapsed to the ground. Fiorentina’s match with Inter Milan was suspended on Sunday after midfielder Edoardo Bove suddenly collapsed to the ground, Serie A confirmed to AFP. Bove was rushed away in an ambulance as players and fans looked on in horror following his sudden fall with 16 minutes on the clock, and Serie A told AFP that the match, which was goalless, will be rescheduled for “an as-yet undetermined date”. Sky Sport report that Bove, on loan at Fiorentina from Roma, subsequently regained consciousness at the Careggi hospital which is close to Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The players and officials, some of whom were openly sobbing, left the field after seeing the 22-year-old fall, reminding fans of former captain Davide Astori’s sudden death in 2018.

Fiorentina suffered tragedy when defender Astori died in his sleep aged 31 in a hotel before a league match at Udinese.

In April, Roma’s match at Udinese was suspended and rescheduled when defender Evan Ndicka collapsed with what was initially feared to be a heart attack.

Roma, who eventually won the fixture 2-1, later said that the 24-year-old Ivory Coast international had suffered a collapsed lung, with no cardiac issues detected.

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Fiorentina started Sunday’s clash level on 28 points with Inter, four points behind league leaders Napoli who won 1-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola claimed he didn’t expect to be taunted by Liverpool supporters over the possibility of being fired as he explained his six-finger response to the chants.

The strains of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” could be heard around Anfield on Sunday afternoon as Mohamed Salah’s penalty ultimately earned the Reds a 2-0 Premier League win.

Guardiola was caught on camera lifting six fingers up to the crowd – while denoting the number of titles the Catalan has won at City, Liverpool fans were quick to point out it is also the number of times their club has been crowned European champions.

And when asked about the incident, Guardiola – whose side have now lost six of their last seven games and four in a row in the Premier League – said: “I’m so proud for my six Premier Leagues against that team and the previous team, I’m so sorry.

“I didn’t expect Anfield to start to chant at 0-2 that I should be sacked.

“Maybe I deserve to be sacked, honestly! With the results we’ve had, maybe I’m still in a job because of the six Premier Leagues. Otherwise the higher-ups will think ‘it doesn’t work’.

“I didn’t expect they were singing at 1-0. Maybe at Brighton they did it, but at Anfield I didn’t expect that. But it’s fine, it is what it is. It’s part of the game. “When you win you laugh, when you lose they laugh and you have to accept it.”

City are now 11 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, for whom Cody Gakpo scored early on to help secure only a second win in 10 in the league against the Etihad outfit.

And Guardiola added: “I’ve said many times there have been incredible battles. The time with Jurgen were unforgettable for me, and the battles with Liverpool have always been forever.

Bayern Munich star striker Harry Kane went down in the 33rd minute of the team’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund and now his status is uncertain for Tuesday’s DFB-Pokal match with Bayer Leverkusen.

Kane went down with what is believed to be a hamstring injury. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see. We’ll do a scan today,” Kane said.

“it’s not that bad. He now needs to have a scan, and then we’ll know more,” said Kompany. “It’ll be tight for Tuesday. I don’t know many players who recover that quickly,” he added. Bayern take on double winners Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Cup round of 16 at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

Sporting director Christoph Freund checked in with an update on center-back Kim Min-jae, who also had to leave the game early with a cut over his eye and on Kane as well.

“Min-jae has needed to be stitched up, but he’s a machine. It won’t affect him. He’ll be available again immediately,” said Freund, “Harry felt something in the back of his thigh. We’ll have a look back home and hope it’s not that bad.”

Over the last few days, there has been a lot of focus on Kylian Mbappe. He missed a crucial penalty during Real Madrid’s Champions League defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday night, although he was able to bounce back four days later as he netted in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Getafe on Sunday.

That goal was Mbappe’s 10th since joining Real Madrid in the summer, and the tally has come from 19 appearances. For many, this is a severe underachievement, although teammate Thibaut Courtois expects him to start picking up momentum now, as per Diario AS.

“Kylian Mbappe is a player with great quality. He is like a ketchup bottle that has sauce inside – it seems like it doesn’t come out, but suddenly it all comes out. And I think that’s what’s going to happen to him.”

Mbappe will hope that he can start a scoring run after his strike against Getafe, and he will be back in action on Wednesday when Real Madrid travel to San Mames to take on Athletic Club.

Juventus is reportedly eyeing a January move for Giacomo Raspadori as they seek to bolster their attacking options and provide the Italian forward with more playing time. Raspadori has struggled to secure a regular spot in Antonio Conte’s starting lineup at Napoli, which could make him more accessible for a move, and Juventus is eager to bring him to the Allianz Stadium.

The Bianconeri have been tracking Raspadori ever since his impressive performances at Sassuolo, and they were keen on signing him before Napoli swooped in to secure his services. Cristiano Giuntoli, now Juventus’ sporting director, played a pivotal role in bringing Raspadori to Napoli, but with his move to Juventus, he could now work to bring the attacker to Turin.

Despite Raspadori’s limited involvement in Napoli’s starting XI this season, securing him from the Neapolitan side is far from straightforward. Napoli has a history of resisting Juventus’ advances for their key players, and it is unlikely they would let go of Raspadori without a fight. Antonio Conte, when asked about the possibility of selling Raspadori, firmly stated that he views the young attacker as an important player for his squad and has no plans of offloading him, as reported by Tuttomercatoweb. He said:

“He is an important player, strong, and my intention is to strengthen Napoli, not to weaken it for the present and for the future. This must be a clear message for everyone, even for the players. Let’s not forget that this year we only have the championship and we have the Coppa Italia, so I don’t have the possibility of other outlets in other competitions. When you only have the championship it becomes difficult to give minutes. After the starters, he is probably the most used, he is a player who is growing and I have my own idea about him: I am very happy.”

Conte’s comments suggest that despite Raspadori’s lack of consistent starting appearances, the Napoli manager considers him an integral part of the squad and will not be looking to weaken his team, especially with limited competition from other tournaments this season.

For Juventus, the challenge will not just be convincing Raspadori that a move to Turin is in his best interest but also persuading Napoli to part with one of their promising young talents. While Raspadori might be open to more playing time at Juventus, securing his transfer from Napoli will likely require a significant effort, as the club from Naples is notorious for resisting Juventus’ attempts to sign their players.

The January transfer window may hold the key to Raspadori’s future, but it remains to be seen whether Juventus can navigate the challenges of negotiating with Napoli and convincing the player to make the move.

Manchester United’s squad could go through another overhaul after the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese manager has his own playing style and the tactics he wants to deploy at Old Trafford would need new players that are suited to his ideas and methods. Former manager Erik ten Hag was given a heavy transfer budget by the club and he signed players that might be of no use to the new manager.

In order to make changes at the club as far as the squad is concerned, Man United could allow striker Joshua Zirkzee to leave the club in a swap deal. The Dutchman has been linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus, who according to Calciomercato, could offer midfielder Douglas Luiz in a swap deal to the Red Devils.

Luiz has struggled at Juventus following his move in the summer transfer window. The Brazilian midfielder has only started two games for the Old Lady and his time there has been affected by fitness issues. Juventus could offer him as part of a swap deal to Man United, with the Italian side also willing to add Danilo in the deal.

With Zirkzee not in the plans of the new manager, it is time Man United start looking for a new attacker in the transfer market. The offer of a swap deal from Juventus could work in the favour of Man United, who could get the chance to sign Luiz.

Douglas Luiz can be a valuable addition to Man United midfield :
The midfielder was instrumental for Aston Villa last season under Unai Emery. He helped the Premier League side qualify for the Champions League but he was unwillingly sold by Villa to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The report has mentioned that Juventus could consider offering Luiz in a swap deal, which wouldn’t be a bad deal for Amorim’s team considering they need options in the midfield.

Both Casemiro and Christian Eriksen are way past their peak and Man United need a fresh, athletic presence in the middle of the park.

Luiz has prior experience in the Premier League and he could fit like a glove to the style of play that Amorim wants to deploy at Old Trafford.

Another midfielder Man United are linked with is Sporting star Morten Hjulmand.