Naija Update

Manchester City  flew out to America yesterday and there were a few surprises on the plane. Notable absentees were  Leroy Sane  and  Yaya Toure , but fear not Blues they are believed to be joining up with the travelling party in the next couple of days. Other more telling omissions were Kelechi Iheanacho, Fernando,  Nicolas Otamendi,  Fabian Delph and  Claudio Bravo . Bravo's future is up in the air after City made a bid for former Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina. Meanwhile the big transfer news of the moment is that Chelsea have a 'strong and serious interest' in signing  Sergio Aguero . City have reaffirmed their stance that they will not be selling the Argentinian star. City play their first game of the tour on Thursday against Manchester United in Houston.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic  has dropped his biggest hint yet that he will return to  Manchester United  once he has recovered from injury. The Swedish striker was released by the Red Devils after sustaining a bad knee injury, but  Jose Mourinho  has fuelled talk of a mid-season return once he is fit again. LA Galaxy are believed to be interested but it seems as if Ibrahimovic is intent on returning to Old Trafford after enrolling both his kids at the club's youth academy,  report the Sun. United are currently in the States for pre-season and while Romelu Lukaku has arrived and Marcus Rashford has continued to show glimpses of world class ability, Mourinho would clearly love for Ibrahimovic to sign a new deal with the club.

Manchester City believe they are on the brink of signing Kyle Walker after matching Tottenham’s £50m valuation, reports  The Daily Telegraph . Walker has been heavily linked with a move to  City  since the end of last season after being earmarked as a priority signing by Pep Guardiola, who wants to sign at least three new full-backs this summer.  City have moved quickly to step up their pursuit of  Walker  after they were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday from Dani Alves’ shock decision to turn down a move to the Etihad in favour of Paris Saint-Germain. The 27-year-old dropped down the pecking order under Mauricio Pochettino towards the end of last season after it became apparent the England international was opening up to the idea of joining City. Kyle Walker: No defender registered more assists than Walker (5) in the Premier League last season  pic.twitter.com/yJfEY4SoXz — WhoScored.com (@WhoScored)  July 13, 2017 Walker h...

One month away from the start of the 2017/2018 football season, reigning champions Chelsea are still without a striker after coach Antonio Conte unceremoniously dispensed of the services of prolific hitman, Diego Costa. The Blues were looking to sign Romelu Lukaku but were beaten to the deal by Manchester United.  As a result, the London club have now turned their attentions to Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata and are ready to offer around £70million for the 24-year old.  The Spaniard who scored 20 goals last season is unhappy at Madrid where his first team opportunities are limited and will consider making the switch to Chelsea where he will be tasked with leading the line. Chelsea are willing to offer him a deal worth more than the £115,000 per week he earns at the Bernabeu.

Former Man Utd youth coach tells Sky Sports' Nick Wright how Everton's new signing had to relearn the game at the age of 16 Ahead of  Michael Keane’s transfer to Everton , Sky Sports’  Nick Wright  spoke to Paul McGuinness, a coach who brought him through the ranks at  Manchester United  and explained how the defender overcame late development to become a £30million player. Keane's rise to attract the attention of the Premier League's top clubs has taken years of hard work and sacrifice. "Michael was part of a very good group with players like  Ravel Morrison ,  Jesse Lingard  and  Ryan Tunnicliffe ," McGuinness tells  Sky Sports . "He was always a little bit behind the others. He had to fight to cling on to their coat tails, if you like, but in a sense that was an advantage for him. It helped develop his determination and resilience. "When he was 15 or 16, he had a big growth spurt. He became gangly and uncoordinated." ...

Arsenal v Leicester City to kick off 2017/18 season on Friday, 11 August as first matches chosen for live broadcast The first 2017/18 Premier League matches to be selected for live broadcast in the United Kingdom have been announced. Arsenal v Leicester City  will kick off the new season on Friday 11 August, live on Sky Sports. Download the 2017/18 fixtures to your digital calendar Friday 11 August 7.45pm Arsenal v Leicester (Sky Sports) Saturday 12 August 12.30pm Watford v Liverpool (Sky Sports) 5.30pm Brighton v Man City (BT Sport) Sunday 13 August 1.30pm Newcastle v Spurs (Sky Sports) 4pm Man Utd v West Ham (Sky Sports) Saturday 19 August 12.30pm Swansea v Man Utd (Sky Sports) 5.30pm Stoke v Arsenal (BT Sport) Sunday 20 August 1.30pm Huddersfield v Newcastle (Sky Sports) 4pm Spurs v Chelsea (Sky Sports) Monday 21 August 8pm Man City v Everton (Sky Sports) Saturday 26 August 12.30pm AFC Bournemouth v Man City (Sky Sports) 5.30pm Man Utd v Leicester (B...

CHERRIES have completed the signing of Jermain Defoe on a free transfer from Sunderland. The striker has penned a three-year contract worth £65,000 per week and will join up with Eddie Howe 's squad in time for next month's nine-day training camp in Marbella. Defoe is currently on extended leave after being part of the England squad that played matches against Scotland and France earlier this month. The 34-year-old returns to Cherries 16 years after he spent seven months on loan at Dean Court from West Ham United. Capped 57 times by his country, Defoe scored 15 goals for Sunderland last season but was unable to prevent the Wearsiders from tumbling out of the Premier League. He spent two-and-half years at the Stadium of Light, where he was an unmitigated success after coming back to England following six months playing in Major League Soccer for Toronto FC. Defoe penned a one-year extension to his original three-and-a-half year Sunderland...

It appears Gareth Bale's sport skills extend further than just football. The Real Madrid ace took to Instagram to show off his incredible golf tekkers, as presented by Dugout . Bale can be seen throwing a golf ball in the air before connecting with it like a baseball bat. Given the size of a golf ball and the head of the driver, this is an incredibly difficult skill to perform. However, the trick shot is no problem for the Welshman who crunches his drive hundreds of yards into the distance. Gareth Bale crunches his trick shot (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale celebrates his drive (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale was playing at the luxury Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club in the Bahamas. The club is only open to members or those lucky enough to receive an invitation. The incredible resort also allows golfers to play without shoes and shirts. To play at the visually spectacular par 72 - 7,327 yard course - designed by th...

Swansea have signed Dutch goalkeeper Erwin Mulder on a free transfer, the Premier League club have announced. The 28-year-old arrives at the Liberty Stadium having turned down a new contract at Eredivisie club Heerenveen, for whom he played for the last two years. Mulder has signed a three-year deal and becomes Swansea manager Paul Clement's first signing of the summer.

It appears Gareth Bale's sport skills extend further than just football. The Real Madrid ace took to Instagram to show off his incredible golf tekkers, as presented by Dugout . Bale can be seen throwing a golf ball in the air before connecting with it like a baseball bat. Given the size of a golf ball and the head of the driver, this is an incredibly difficult skill to perform. However, the trick shot is no problem for the Welshman who crunches his drive hundreds of yards into the distance. Gareth Bale crunches his trick shot (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale celebrates his drive (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale was playing at the luxury Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club in the Bahamas. The club is only open to members or those lucky enough to receive an invitation. The incredible resort also allows golfers to play without shoes and shirts. To play at the visually spectacular par 72 - 7,327 yard course - designed by th...

It appears Gareth Bale's sport skills extend further than just football. The Real Madrid ace took to Instagram to show off his incredible golf tekkers, as presented by Dugout . Bale can be seen throwing a golf ball in the air before connecting with it like a baseball bat. Given the size of a golf ball and the head of the driver, this is an incredibly difficult skill to perform. However, the trick shot is no problem for the Welshman who crunches his drive hundreds of yards into the distance. Gareth Bale crunches his trick shot (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale celebrates his drive (Photo: garethbale11/Instagram) Bale was playing at the luxury Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club in the Bahamas. The club is only open to members or those lucky enough to receive an invitation. The incredible resort also allows golfers to play without shoes and shirts. To play at the visually spectacular par 72 - 7,327 yard course - designed by th...

Manchester United have agreed personal terms with James Rodriguez ahead of his proposed transfer to Old Trafford from Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain. Spanish outlet Diario Gol is reporting that Rodriguez has held talks with Real Madrid about his future this summer and has been told he is free to leave The Bernabeu. Manchester United are reported to have agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old Colombia international – but the Red Devils have been told by Real Madrid that they will have to shell out at least £61m if they want to sign the midfielder this summer. The Red Devils are said to be keen in bringing the midfielder to Old Trafford but the Premier League club are yet to agree on a fee for the player. Rodriguez’s future has unsurprisingly been a source of speculation this summer after he found his first-team opportunities at the Bernabeu to be significantly limited last season.   The Colombia star made just 13 La Liga starts for los Blanco...

Real Madrid have agreed a deal with Real Sociedad for the transfer of academy product Diego Llorente. Los Blancos have not disclosed the specific details of the agreement, but reports in Spain claim that the Basque side have paid around €6m (£5.3m, $6.7m) to lure the versatile defender to Anoeta on a five-year deal. Llorente, 23, was handed his first-team debut by Jose Mourinho in January 2013 having progressed through the Real Madrid youth ranks since the age of eight.  Alvaro Morata 'closer' to joining Manchester United after Real Madrid receive £61.6m offer  Real Madrid monitor Malaga forward Sandro Ramirez despite imminent Everton move  Cristiano Ronaldo exit could stop Manchester United making major error with overpriced Morata deal The versatile defender also had two opportunities under Carlo Ancelotti over the following seasons before being sent on loan to Rayo Vallecano in the summer of 2015. His impressive campaign with Real's Madrid neighb...

There are sensational reports out of England via The Daily Star that have linked an Arsenal swap deal with Manchester City. Alexis Sanchez would move to City with Sergio Aguero moving in the opposite direction. Both players have been involved in transfer rumors since last winter’s window was open, as both South Americans have had difficulty in their player coach relationships. Sanchez and Wenger’s thoughts of each other were often made public through their body language following the Chilean’s being substituted. Aguero meanwhile has had his own share of instances with Guardiola, but would he be ready to swap sides? Two of the Premier League’s most prolific players will always be of interest when inserted into the same headline. Is there any substance to this deal, it is hard to understand where all the motivations for the clubs and players might be. But should a deal go through, it will be Man City and Arsenal surpassing rivals United in the most spectacular transfer of the summ...

Lyon  have ended their pursuit of  Olivier Giroud , claiming  Arsenal want to keep the striker. The Ligue 1 outfit completed the  signing of Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore for £8.8million on Monday , signalling the end of their interest in Giroud. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had previously confirmed talks had taken place with Giroud, though the striker still retained hope of being the Gunners' first-choice striker next season. "Arsenal want to keep [Giroud]," Aulas told reporters at Traore's unveiling. "We don’t want to stockpile forwards." Aulas said on Saturday: "He told me personally that he wanted to take his time, that things were not completely defined with Arsenal, that he had a secret hope that he would be the number one striker next season.Giroud is understood to be a target for West Ham, with a £20m price tag previously being placed on the 30-year-old's head. "The key is Arsene Wenger. We are watching. We will try to...

Reports out of England via The Daily Mail confirm that Lyon have officially signed Bertrand Traoré from Ajax. The Burkina Faso striker moves for a fee of 10 million EUR and signs a five-year contract with the French club. The Chelsea owned player had been on loan to Ajax throughout the season, where he had an impressive season helping the Dutch giants to the Europa League final. Traore was on the radar of Schalke among others, but Lyon have acted quickly to jump on the trail of the 21 year old. The striker moves back to France where he started in the Auxerre youth system before being snatched up by Chelsea in 2013. Subsequent loans to Vitesse and Ajax have allowed the youngster to gain quality playing time while maturing as a professional. The Burkina Faso player scored 9 goals and added 2 assists in 24 Eredivisie games, and was even more impressive in the Europa League, with 4 goals and 4 assists in 13 games in the competition.

Getafe earned an immediate return to the Spanish top flight after beating Tenerife in the second division promotion play-off final. The Madrid-based club, whose 11-year stint in La Liga came to an end when they were relegated last year, lost the first leg of their final 1-0 in the Canary Islands, but they turned things round on Saturday with a 3-1 home victory. Alejandro Faurlin's 10th-minute goal wiped out Tenerife's first-leg advantage and Daniel Pacheco's strike three minutes later put Getafe in charge at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Anthony Lozano got Tenerife back into it with a close-range goal in the 18th minute but Pacheco's second of the night just before half-time proved decisive for Getafe, whose 3-2 aggregate win sees them join Levante and Girona in going up.

Barcelona target Marco Verratti has seemingly denied  suggesting that he would only stay at Paris Saint-Germain if they signed “champions”. Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Saturday that Verratti was counting on PSG to bring in several world stars for next season, amidst speculation that he lost faith in the club’s project and was pushing for a move to Barca. However, the midfielder quickly responded on Instagram by posting a screenshot of La Gazzetta’s story, filled with question marks and symbols of ‘SOS’– referring to the distress call. It comes after Verratti reportedly rejected PSG’s offer of a new contract worth €12m a year and asked his lawyers for legal advice over the possible punishments for him missing his side’s preseason.

Manchester United’s path to sign Nelson Semedo has been cleared after Barcelona refused to meet Benfica’s asking price for the right-back, according to reports in Portugal.

Manchester United need to sign a top quality out and out striker in the summer transfer window and they are constantly linked with Spanish international and Real Madrid star Alvaro Morata. The former Juventus striker scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Los Blancos in the last campaign but mostly found himself warming the bench under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane. Morata needs to play regular first team football next season to prepare himself in the best possible manner for the World Cup. According to Marca, Alvaro initially told Madrid that he wants to leave and now it is highly likely that he will move to the Premier League. The Spanish source claim that United are in talks with Real Madrid and we can expect that an agreement will be reached between the two clubs. Also Read: Boss Ready to Let $115,000-a-week Star Join Manchester United – $44million Enough? However, Real know that Jose Mourinho badly wants to sign Morata, hence, they are asking a huge fee of 80...