Yaya Toure s agent Dimitri Seluk has responded angrily to Pep Guardiola s ultimatum over the midfielder s future at Manchester City.
Guardiola told reporters at a pre-match news conference ahead of his team s EFL Cup tie at Swansea City that Toure will not be considered for selection until he apologises for comments made by Seluk regarding his omission from City s Champions League squad.
Seluk was initially the party calling for an apology, claiming Guardiola humiliated his client, but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss was unequivocal over who the wronged parties were.
[Toure] must apologise to his team-mates. He must apologise to the club. If he doesn t, he won t play, he said.
Nevertheless, Seluk showed no inclination towards accepting terms…
Spartak Moscow have parted company with coach Valery Karpin, despite the club occupying third spot in the Russian Premier League.
Since the resumption of the league following the mid-season break, Spartak have failed to beat the two sides at the bottom of the table.
A 1-0 loss at Terek Grozny was followed by a 2-2 draw at home to bottom club Anzhi on Monday.
Those results have left Spartak four points adrift of top spot, with city rivals Lokomotiv Moscow currently leading the way at the summit.
Today FC Spartak Moscow and head coach Valery Karpin parted company by mutual consent, read a statement on the club s official website.
Led by Valery, who worked with the team since April 2009, Spartak twice in 2009 and 2012 finished runner-up in the championship.
Competition: International Friendly
Market: Robert Lewandowski to score 2+ goals
Odds:
Looking to put a disappointing summer behind them, Poland, led by talisman and captain Robert Lewandowski will host a struggling Republic of Ireland side at Stadion Miejski on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, after finishing bottom of their group in Russia and losing two of their three games, Poland have now turned to former player Jerzy Brzęczek to turn their fortunes around. Coming off the back of a 1-1 draw away at 2006 World Champions Italy, there is a new found confidence around The Reds and their record at home will fill them with confidence. Now just losing just three of their last 27 matches at home, a run stemming back to March 2014, Poland s all-ti…
Lionel Messi welcomed his third child into the world as his wife gave birth to a baby boy named Ciro on Saturday.
Barcelona confirmed on Saturday that the Argentina superstar would miss their trip to Malaga for personal reasons .
And he announced the joyous news on Instagram, writing: Welcome Ciro! Thank God everything went perfect. He and Mom are very well. We are super happy!!!!
Messi already has two sons from his relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo, with Thiago born in 2012 and Mateo arriving in 2015.
…
Former Argentina international Mario Kempes heaped praise on countryman Diego Simeone and claims Atletico Madrid will be lost without him.
With Simeone at the helm, Spanish outfit Atletico have become one of the best and most feared teams in Europe following their stunning LaLiga triumph in 2013-14.
Simeone has guided Atletico to two Champions League final appearances in three seasons, as well as Europa League, Super Cup, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana glory since his arrival in 2011.
And as speculation mounts over Simeone s future in Madrid amid strong links with former club Inter in Italy, World Cup winner Kempes believes Atletico will struggle without the 46-year-old.
Cholo grabbed an ideal outfit for him, Kempes said via La Nacion.
The…
Manchester United are interested in signing John McGinn from Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that United will back Erik ten Hag once the Ajax boss is confirmed as the new manager of the Red Devils.
McGinn is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and is a key figure in the current Villa team. The Scotland international has scored three goals and given two assists in 27 league matches so far this season. During the 2020-21 campaign, McGinn made 37 appearances in the Premier League, scoring three goals and providing five assists in the process.
Manchester United are seventh in the Premier League table at the moment with 51 points from 30 matches, just three points behind fourth-placed Totten…
Bournemouth have started negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over the possibility of signing Jacob Bruun Larsen, according to Sky Sports.
Larsen joined Dortmund s youth setup at the age of 16 from Danish club Lyngby BK. He progressed through the ranks and went out on loan to VfB Stuttgart for the second half of the 2017/18 season. Since his return, he has made a total of 41 appearances in the black-and-yellow shirt, scoring three times and assisting five. For a Denmark international, mostly playing on the left wing but versatile enough to play anywhere across the front line, those numbers are far from impressive.
This season he has played in nine games, but only one of those from the start a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal back in October.
City Football Group has made inroads into China with the acquisition of third-tier club Sichuan Jiuniu.
CFG, which owns Manchester City, has bought the Chengdu-based side as part of a joint-purchase deal involving China Sports Capital and robotics firm UBTECH.
City chief executive Ferran Soriano said in a statement on Wednesday: Today marks an exciting new chapter in the growth of City Football Group. China is an extremely important football market, which we have been focused on for some time.
We believe strongly in the future of football in China. We are making a long-term, sustainable commitment to grow and develop Sichuan Jiuniu FC and to nurture Chinese footballing talent. These objectives are equally important.
Our immediate focus will be stren…
Arsenal are interested in signing Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Arsenal Technical Director Edu has been impressed by the scouting reports on the 23-year-old Italy international striker and is keen on securing his services this summer.
Sassuolo are open to selling Scamacca in the summer transfer window, but they are looking for £35 million as transfer fee for the striker. The 23-year-old made 25 starts and 11 substitute appearances in Serie A this past season, scoring 16 goals in the process. Arsenal reportedly plan to make a bid for the striker.
Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League table this past season with 69 pints from 38 games, while Sassuolo ended the 2021-22 Serie A campaign in 1…
Barcelona have long been linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar and Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, but now report that they ve lined up Kingsley Coman of Bayern Munich, should both of their priority purchases fall through.
The Catalans are known for their extremely attacking style, as a team that usually scores a lot of goals mainly due to the quality of their forward line. But the fact remains that their star striker Luis Suarez has turned 33, while six-time Ballon d Or winner Lionel Messi will reach the same number in June this year. Neymar was supposed to be the leader of the new team after those two enter their decline, but he messed up their plans by forcing a move to PSG in the summer of 2017. Ousmane Dembele arrived from Borussia Dortmund at the same time as…