Emery staying at Villarreal as Newcastle miss out on top target

Liverpool have finalised the signing of Uruguay striker Luis Suarez from Dutch giants Ajax for a fee of 26.5 million Euros.

The two clubs agreed a fee on Friday for the 24-year-old forward but the transfer was not completed until Monday, after the player passed a medical and was granted a work permit.

Suarez has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Merseyside club.

The club agreed a fee of up to 26.5 million Euros with Ajax for the transfer of the Uruguayan international on Friday, a Liverpool statement read.

The deal was subject to the completion of a medical, which the player has now passed. Luis Suarez will wear the No.7 shirt for Liverpool.

After signing from Groningen in 2007, Suarez scored an incredible 81 goals in 110 Eredivisie …

Sir Alex Ferguson blasted Blackburn Rovers decision to sack manager Sam Allardyce on Monday, saying it was stupid and confounded common sense .

Allardyce, in charge for nearly two years, was fired despite Rovers being relatively well placed at 13th in the English Premier League table, five points above the relegation zone.

But that was not enough to persuade Venky s, the Indian poultry group that bought Rovers for some 23 million pounds (36 million dollars) less than a month ago, to keep the 56-year-old Englishman at Ewood Park.

Ferguson, who will eclipse Sir Matt Busby as Manchester United s longest-serving manager when he takes the league leaders to champions Chelsea on Sunday a match that will mark 24 years, one month and 14 days at the helm was bewildered by…

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has given his vote of confidence to manager Louis van Gaal, saying he hopes the board allows him to see out the third and final year of his contract at Old Trafford, though there is a distinct lack of character within the team.

Keane said United are still in transition following the departure of their most successful manager Alex Ferguson in 2013, with Van Gaal struggling to restore the club s status as the Premier League s dominant force amid reports link Jose Mourinho with a move to Manchester.

Ferguson oversaw United s most successful period in which Keane proved a vital player and the former Republic of Ireland international said winning the FA Cup ahead of Crystal Palace would represent a successful season for Van Gaal and…

Napoli have announced the signing of Netherlands international Jonathan de Guzman from Villarreal.

The attacking midfielder has spent the past two seasons on loan at Premier League side Swansea City, becoming an integral part of their first-team squad.

However, it has now been confirmed that De Guzman has joined former Swansea team-mate Michu in making the move to Stadio San Paolo.

De Guzman, who signed for Villarreal in 2011, was brought to Swansea by then-manager Michael Laudrup during the 2012 close-season and made 37 league appearances during his first season in south Wales.

He made a further 34 outings last term, taking his total goal tally to nine in the English top flight, and was linked with a return to the Liberty Stadium for a third season earli…

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have agreed loan deals in principle for Michy Batshuayi – with two different clubs. Real Betis and West Ham United are both said to be in the running, although as the minutes tick by until deadline day, it seems as if they’ll have to make a decision sooner rather than later. The Belgian international has been at Stamford Bridge since 2016, when he made the jump over from Marseille. He hasn’t quite been able to find the success he desired with the Blues, and now, it seems like his move away is inevitable.

Chelsea are said to prefer the idea of selling him to Everton, although their top four rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in making a bid.

The 25 year old hasn’t exactly been a prolific goalscorer as of late,…

New Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho may have taken over one of the world s biggest clubs, but the team requires significant work in the transfer market if they are to compete for the Premier League title in 2016-17.

Since the departure of Alex Ferguson in 2013, United have failed to trouble the top three, with finishes of seventh under David Moyes and then fourth and fifth during Louis van Gaal s tenure failing to inspire the Old Trafford support.

Despite this, the pressure will be on Mourinho – a three-time Premier League winner with Chelsea – to immediately challenge for the title with United.

If he is to do this, an urgent revamp is required. Here, we assess the main areas of need for United s squad.

CENTRAL DEFENDER

Even…

Krzysztof Piatek provided a reminder of his talent amid transfer rumours with a goal and an assist as Milan beat SPAL 3-0 to set up a Coppa Italia quarter-final against Torino.

Poland international Piatek has endured a difficult second season in San Siro, having scored just four times in Serie A, but on Wednesday the reported Tottenham target looked more like his old self.

Perhaps SPAL are not the most suitable team to use as a barometer of Piatek s abilities, as they never looked a threat, but the 24-year-old showed good composure to open the scoring, before then teeing up Samu Castillejo for his glorious effort to increase the lead.

Milan continued to dominate after the break and added a third goal just past the hour – Theo Hernandez drilling home in style, s…

Mohamed Salah has been named African Player of the Year for the second time in succession.

Salah defended his crown after scoring 44 goals for Liverpool and Egypt in 2018, the 26-year-old finishing as the 2017-18 Premier League Golden Boot winner with 32 goals.

Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also made the three-man shortlist for the award.

The nominees for the main award made up the front three in CAF s Africa Best XI of the year, with Guinea s Naby Keita providing further Liverpool representation in a midfield completed by Atletico Madrid and Ghana s Thomas Partey and Manchester City and Algeria s Riyad Mahrez.

 K I N G M O has been named CAF African Player of the Year for the second successive year.

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Barcelona have confirmed Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia suffered respective thigh and hip issues in the Blaugrana s win over Valencia.

Robert Lewandowski scored a last-gasp winner at Mestalla on Saturday, as Barca claimed a LaLiga victory in response to their Champions League exit in midweek.

However, both starting centre-backs failed to make it through the game, with Garcia taken off in the 42nd minute and Kounde making way in the 74th.

Kounde, a big-money signing from Sevilla, has had a stuttering start to his Barca career, having only returned from a hamstring problem, which he sustained while on international duty with France in September, on October 16.

Barca announced in a medical update on Sunday that Kounde has a left thigh strain, while Spain defen…

Corinthians midfielder Paulinho could leave the Brazilian outfit, with AC Milan reportedly interested in the Brazil international.

The Corriere dello Sport has reported the 23-year-old could be set for a switch to the Serie A in the January transfer window.

The Rossoneri have previously been linked with midfielders such as Fiorentina s Riccardo Montolivo and Ajax s Christian Eriksen, but they have now allegedly turned their attention to Paulinho.

Milan are reportedly keen to sign the midfielder on a six-month loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

Paulinho previously played in Europe at Vilnius and Lodz before returning to Brazil in 2008. He joined Corinthians last year and has since developed into a key player at …