Chukwueze: Mikel is my role model

The Villarreal youngster admits he looks up to the Super Eagles captain and counts his current team-mate as one of his idols

Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze has revealed why he regards Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel as a "role model".

The highly-rated forward enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2019, as he sealed his place in Villarreal’s first team and also made the country's Africa Cup of Nations squad.

The 20-year-old, who has been compared to Arjen Robben due to his dribbling skills, made his Afcon debut against Burundi before making a cameo appearance against Guinea after replacing Alex Iwobi.He could not be in better company, though, with the youngster admitting that he considers former Chelsea star Mikel to be ideal role model.

“All the players have been good to me but the one who stands out is [John Obi] Mikel,” Chuwkwueze told Goal.

“He always tells me to always be focused and concentrate on my game because I’m still growing up. To him, hard work is the easiest way to greatness.”

If Chukwueze gets close to achieving what Mikel has done in his career then he will undoubtedly have fulfilled the potential he is showing at present.

However, the less-pressured lad is still savouring his achievement of making his Afcon bow, while revealing his Egypt ambition with the three-time Africa champions.

“Playing in the Africa Cup of Nations is huge for me and a dream come true. I’ve been hoping to play in this competition as a kid and I’m so happy it’s coming at this time,” he continued.

“The technical crew has been kind to me too. They keep encouraging me to do more and better because they believe in my ability.

“There is no pressure at all because I play week in week out for my club before a huge crowd, so playing among the big boys is what I am used to.

“We have everything to win the trophy and with luck on our side, we will achieve that with everyone playing his own part.”

Gernot Rohr’s men are through to the Round of 16 with a game to spare. They face Madagascar in their last Group B encounter with the Super Eagles chasing their 47th win in the history of the competition.

Buffon 'to sign contract with Juve that stipulates him at least 10 appearances'

Gianluigi Buffon will reportedly sign a contract with Juventus that stipulates he must make at least 10 appearances.

Buffon has all-but-agreed a one-year deal with Juve worth €1.5m a season, prior to taking up a coaching or directorial role at the club.

However, La Repubblica claims it will include a clause that forces Coach Maurizio Sarri to play him in at least eight League games.

Indeed, the 41-year-old is exactly eight matches away from surpassing the Serie A record of 674 appearances, held by Paolo Maldini.
The clause would also entitle the goalkeeper to featuring in at least two Champions League fixtures.

Brazil 0 Paraguay 0 (4-3 on penalties): Hosts edge into semi-finals

Brazil needed penalties to get past Paraguay in the Copa America quarter-finals.

Brazil were pushed to the brink in Porto Alegre by the 10 men of Paraguay, but the hosts survive a scare as Gabriel Jesus scores the decisive penalty in the shootout, after Derlis Gonzalez missed the target, to send the Selecao into the semi-finals. Paraguay battled bravely after going a man down following Fabian Balbuena's sending off, but they just fail to complete the job as Brazil keep their dreams of winning on home soil alive.

Senegal 0 Algeria 1: Belaili strike settles turgid encounter as winners progress

Youcef Belaili's goal fired Algeria into the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 after they beat Senegal 1-0.

Algeria booked their spot in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 with a dour 1-0 win over Senegal on Thursday.

It was a match billed as a blockbuster between two of the best sides in African football but Youcef Belaili's second-half goal was the only moment of genuine quality in Cairo.

Even with Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane on the pitch, the forgettable Group C encounter was littered with an incredible 53 fouls and devoid of goalmouth action.

Chelsea reject fresh Bayern approach for Hudson-Odoi (Mirror)

Chelsea have rejected a fresh approach from Bayern Munich for Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The Blues are determined to tie the England winger, 18, to a new five-year deal despite the lengthy Achilles injury he was hit with at the end of last season.

Bayern have been keen to land Hudson-Odoi with the German champions looking for a long-term replacement for Arjen Robben.

They have now reverted back to Manchester City winger Leroy Sane despite the former Schalke winger’s reservations about going back to the Bundesliga.

City want close to £100million for Sane, a price that Bayern are unwilling to pay. But the Germans are hopeful a deal can be struck.

Hudson-Odoi hopes to hand expected Chelsea boss Frank Lampard a boost by returning to action by the start of September.

Liverpool makes Sepp van den Berg their latest signing

The 17-year-old defender has not been signed for the starting XI, but neither has he been brought in to make up the numbers in the academy.

Jurgen Klopp is set to use Van den Berg sparingly in the hope that he can learn from the stars already at the club and transform into the next Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool have parted with an initial £1.3million to get the transfer for the PEC Zwolle youngster over the line.
The transfer will be formally agreed on July 1.
The fee is tiny by today's standards, and shows Klopp is content with the team he has built at Liverpool and is now planning for the future.

But the Reds may be required to pay PEC Zwolle an additional £3.1m - a grand total of £4.4m - due to a clause in Van den Berg's new contract, which will be triggered when he makes 350 appearances for the Anfield club.
After putting pen to paper with the Reds, Van den Berg told Liverpoolfc.com: "It's just an amazing feeling. It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it's a dream come true. I am really excited.

"I've seen what kind of players from the

Academy grew into the first team here. It is

unbelievable, especially when this kind of big

club does that.

"Of course, the trainer [Jurgen Klopp] is a great guy and one of the reasons they are successful – and also one of the reasons I came here.

"I think this is the best place for me to grow and hopefully play a lot of games here."

Van den Berg made 15 appearances in the Dutch top flight last season, helping Zwolle to a 13th place finish.

He is also an international for the Netherlands at U19 level, winning four caps to date.

Yaya Toure set to continue career as he edges closer to joining Chinese side

Manchester City legend Yaya Toure is set to

continue his illustrious career with a move to

China.

Toure, 36, has been training with Qingdao Huanghai and is now close to agreeing a deal with the second-tier side.

Three times Premier League champion Toure has been without a club since leaving Olympiacos in December, terminating his contract by mutual consent after a disappointing brief return to his former club.

Toure denied suggestions last month that he had subsequently retired as he is hungry to keep playing and insisted he still has ‘a few more years’ left.

And a spell in the Far East represents a chance for the Ivorian midfielder to recapture his form of just a couple of seasons ago when he was a regular in Pep Guardiola’s City side.

Toure has also been the subject of interest from the Middle East but moving to China will allow him to resume playing straight away with the League One season underway and running until November.

Toure, who also counts Monaco and Barcelona as his former clubs, spent eight years at City, winning seven major trophies, before leaving when his contract expired last summer.

His prospective move to China comes two years after he scoffed at the idea of leaving European football.

'Me? No. I'm still looking young, right? I want to play in Europe, especially in England. I want to continue doing that for a few years yet. I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there,' he told The Telegraph.

'Do you play football because you love football or do you play because you want to make money? Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it. I love playing. I enjoy helping my team-mates, I enjoy playing against the big players and teams.

'I want to carry on in that way. Some people

have the mentality that they want to do that

[go to China] – to try something different. But

for me, my feeling is that I want to play more

football.'

Spurs close to signing starlet Clarke as he has completed medical (Sky Sports)

Leeds United youngster Jack Clarke completed a successful medical at Tottenham yesterday ahead of his £8.5million switch, Sky Sports News understands

Although there are still a few details of the deal to be finalised, the 18-year-old is on the verge of an £8.5m switch from Leeds.
Clarke was a part of Leeds' youth set-up before being added to the first-team squad in January 2018, but made his debut a few months later in October 2018.

In the 2018-19 season, Clarke played 25 games, starting 5 times for the Championship side, scoring twice and assisting twice as Leeds missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

In his very first year with the senior team, Clarke won the Leeds United Young Player of the Year award.

BREAKING: Barcelona sign goalkeeper Neto from Valencia

Barcelona and Valencia CF have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Norberto Murara Neto. The cost of the transaction will be €26m plus 9m in add-ons.

The player will be signing a contract with the club for the next four seasons, until the end of the 2022/23 season, and his buyout clause has been set at 200 million euros.

The 29-year-old's agility and quick reactions have made him the sure-handed goalkeeper who turned in outstanding performances at Valencia (2017-2019), Juventus (2015-2017), Fiorentina (2011-2015 ) and Paranaense (2002-2011).

The Brazilian goalkeeper has a large presence between the sticks. His height, at almost two meters(1.91m), combined with his agility, make Neto a goalkeeper who gives strikers very little net to shoot at. Neto is sure-handed in the aerial game and is very tough to beat one-on-one. In addition, despite his height, Neto has shown speed and quick reflexes in playing goalkeeper at some of Europe’s most demanding clubs.

The deal resulted as a swap deal in which Barcelona sold Jasper Cillissen earlier to Valencia for €35m

FIFA takes action over Cameroon's misconduct

The world football body have opened

disciplinary proceedings against the African

nation after their behaviour against England

Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings

against the Cameroon Football Association

(Fecafoot) relating to players' behaviour and

misconduct during their Women's World Cup

clash with England.

Phil Neville's ladies secured a 3-0 win to seal a

quarterfinal date with Norway, but the victory

was overshadowed by the Central Africans'

on-field protests against a number of VAR

calls.

In a series of controversies, the Indomitable

Lionesses had threatened to quit the game

Augustine Ejangue spat on Toni Duggan and

Alexandra Takounda dismissible tackle on

Steph Houghton.

Regretting her inactions, Ejangue took to her

official Instagram page to post her apology to

Duggan, claiming she did not mean any harm

against the Barcelona star on Wednesday.

However, soon after, Fifa confirmed that

disciplinary proceedings have been opened,

but could not comment further on the matter.

"Following the Round of 16 match between

Cameroon and England on the 23th June at

the Fifa Womens World Cup, we can

confirmed that proceedings have now been

opened by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee

against the Cameroon Football Associationfor

alleged breaches related to article 52 [team

misconduct] and article 57 [offensive

behaviour and fair play] of the Fifa disciplinary

code," Fifa confirmed in a statement.

"As proceedings are now ongoing, please

understand that no further comment can be

made at this stage. Further updates will be

provided in due course."

The development could see the African nation

facing a fine for the actions of their players.

Wayne Rooney wants Aaron Wan-Bissaka to 'embrace the culture' at Manchester United

Wayne Rooney has advised prospective signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka to "play with no fear" at Manchester United, saying new signings should "embrace the culture" at Old Trafford.

Rooney knows all about arriving at OId Trafford as an exciting young prospect, having been signed from Everton when he was just 18 - and he went on to become United's all-time record goal scorer scoring 253 goals in 559 appearances.

Manchester United and Crystal Palace have agreed a £50m fee for Wan-Bissaka, but personal terms have not yet been finalised.
Fresh from a remarkable goal for DC United, Rooney told Sky Sports: "(Wan-Bissaka should) Enjoy it - play with no fear.

"Manchester United is a fantastic club - one of, if not the, best football clubs in the world.

"You have to embrace it and embrace the culture of Manchester United, learn the history. Just go there and do your best.

"I am sure if he does that he will be fine - and I am sure the coaches there will be telling him all this."

Wan-Bissaka flew to Manchester on Wednesday evening and he is expected to sign a long-term contract.

Australia considers joint bid with Indonesia to host 2034 world cup

Australia and Indonesia are exploring the possibility of a joint bid to host the 2034 World Cup after officials from FFA and their Indonesian counterparts discussed the bid during the Asean Football Federation Council meeting in Laos last week
“Football Federation Australia confirms it has held discussions with the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) about the possibility to jointly bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup,” the FFA said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“An Indonesia-Australia joint bid was also discussed at last week’s Asean Football Federation Council meeting in Laos.”
“FFA welcomes the opportunity to further discuss a ASEAN bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup with fellow Member Associations in the region."
Australia's interest in a potential bid comes in the wake of several Southeast Asian nations expressing their willingness to host the 2034 tournament. 
African powerhouse Egypt is also reportedly contemplating a bid.
“FFA welcomes the opportunity to further discuss a Asean bid for the 2034 Fifa World Cup with fellow member associations in the region,” the statement added.
Australia's attempt to host the 2022 edition fell well short with the nation receiving just one vote in initial voting back in 2010. 
They've also launched an official bid to host the Women's World Cup in 2023

Guardiola coy on Rodrigo links saying "he is a great player"

The Spanish star has been heavily linked to the Etihad Stadium but their boss is refusing to confirm anything

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits Rodriguez is a "great player" but refused to reveal whether the Premier League Champions are pursuing him.

Guardiola refused to be drawn on whether he will be heading to the Etihad Stadium when he was asked at a presentation in Barcelona, though he did imply that a move certainly remained a possibility

Speaking to the reporters, the tactician stated "I have no idea[if Rodrigo is going to City] you'll see, he's a great player."

The club however confirmed that Veteran David Silva would leave the club at the end of the upcoming campaign after spending a decade being a Citizen

He also added that he would not be leaving for an English rival, stating he could not see himself playing against his old club due to his long affiliation with the club

Egypt 2-0 Congo DR: Salah's 40th int'l goal books place in AFCON last 16

Mohamed Salah made one and scored one as hosts Egypt beat DR Congo 2-0 to move into the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Egypt went ahead when Salah's cross was met by Aston Villa's Ahmed Elmohamady, who finished at the second attempt.

Liverpool forward Salah then added a second

with a powerful strike when surrounded by

twoDR Congo players after a fine run from

Trezeguet.

Seven-time winners Egypt join Nigeria in the

last 16 of the competition.

Egypt will be looking to add to their number of

AFCON trophies(seven) having won three of

their seven AFCON trophies as hosts in 1959,

1986 and 2006 respectively

Guardiola looks to sign want-away Madrid star Isco as David Silva replacement

Guardiola wants €80-rated Isco as David Silva's replacement

Isco's situation at Real Madrid continues to

be closely monitored by Pep Guardiola, with the Manchester City coach keen on the idea of having the Spaniard play under his instructions.

David Silva has announced that this will be his final season in Manchester and, as such, Guardiola is all the more keen to bring in Isco as his successor.

Isco is seen as the perfect replacement in the City team, and the midfielder may be available.

Eden Hazard's big-money arrival at Madrid complicates his situation and it doesn't appear as though Zinedine Zidane has any place in his team for the No.22, at least in the starting line-up.

But Madrid need money this summer. With purchases having already exceeded 300 million euros and likely to rise further, Los Blancos know that they need to earn within 100 million euros of what they spend.

Zidane has already explained to Isco that there is a place for him in the squad, but the club have also expressed their stance that any serious offer will be considered. City, for their part, haven't yet made any big moves this summer.

The Premier League champions' only signing has been Zack Steffan, who arrived for eight million euros from Columbus Crew, and Pep wants more depth to challenge in the Champions League next season.

Madrid are thought to want 80 million euros for the Spaniard and while the amount is high, City have the financial muscle to meet it, as they'll show in the coming weeks when they complete the signing of Rodri Hernandez for 70 million euros.

Isco's contract at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu runs until 2022 and while he wants to remain in the capital, leaving could be his best option.

With the European Championship to come next summer, he wants minutes in order to seal a spot with Spain, meaning the door could be open for him to join Pep in England.