Slovenian international Benjamin Sesko, the third forward the 20-time English champions have signed, was signed by Manchester United on Saturday.
The Red Devils’ attack has been overhauled thanks to the 22-year-old signing from RB Leipzig on a five-year contract. A club statement read, “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that Benjamin Sesko has joined the club, subject to registration.”
READ MORE: Canadian Teen Mboko Outlasts Osaka To Win WTA Montreal Crown
Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe believes that the club’s recently renovated training facility is “world-class performance environment” that can help bring it back to its former glory.
The Carrington training ground, which has been United’s home since 2000, has received a £50 million ($67 million) investment.
After returning from their pre-season tour of the United States, Ruben Amorim’s squad moved into the men’s first-team building this week. The renovation work was finished during the 2024/25 season.
When he purchased a minority stake in the 20-time English champions last year, British billionaire Ratcliffe pledged to invest $300 million in infrastructure.
In a statement posted on the club’s website, Ratcliffe stated, “We made the quick decision to invest significantly in the creation of a world-class performance environment for staff and players. This will reflect our ambition and vision for Manchester United.”
We are pleased with the outcome, and we are confident that the club’s new facility will help create a positive culture.
Foster + Partners, which was appointed last September to develop the master plan for a new 100, 000-capacity stadium, was in charge of the training ground project.
Last year, United’s men’s team had their worst campaign in 51 years, finishing 15th in the table.
In Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge, they haven’t won the Premier League since 2013.
With the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko joining RB Leipzig in a £74 million deal, Amorim has a revised attack plan for the new campaign.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot refused to rule out an improved bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak as the Premier League champions consider adding to their formidable firepower, with Darwin Nunez set to leave for Saudi Arabia.
After a quiet first year in the transfer market under Slot the Reds have spent almost £300 million ($402 million) on forwards Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike as well as full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
Nunez is one of a number of significant exits that will help recoup much of that outlay as the Uruguayan closes in on a £46 million move to Al Hilal.
Liverpool reportedly had a £110 million bid for Isak turned down by Newcastle, who are seeking a British transfer record fee.
The Swedish striker has not been part of the Magpies ‘ pre-season preparations and has been told to train on his own by Newcastle.
“You never talk about players that are not yours”, Slot said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley, the traditional curtain-raiser for the season.
“I think we have a lot of attacking power in our team. When I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger, — I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad.
” But, as always as a club, we are always looking at the chances in the market. “
Liverpool celebrated a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title but were devastated last month by the death of forward Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese international was killed in a car accident alongside his brother in northern Spain as he began to make his way back to England for pre-season.
A series of tributes have been paid to Jota at every Liverpool game since and will continue throughout the season.
A” Forever 20 “emblem, referencing Jota’s now-retired shirt number, will be printed on Liverpool’s shirts this season, while a permanent memorial will be installed at Anfield.
” First of all, tragedy impacted us but it impacted far more his wife, children and parents, “said Slot.
” But it impacted us as well, definitely. The tributes that have been done since were all very emotional and impressive, every time we were somewhere.
“It started off in Preston and in Asia as well. It’s been emotional, but impressive as well”.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko conquered four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday, capping a fairytale run at the WTA Canadian Open with her first WTA title.
Mboko, 18 and playing in her first WTA final, denied Osaka her first tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, wearing down the Japanese star, 27, who has struggled to find consistency since returning from maternity leave early in 2024.
Mboko, who was ranked outside the top 300 to start the season and had climbed to 85th entering the week, is now projected to rise to 34th in the world.
Before an ecstatic center-court crowd of 11,000, she converted eight of her nine break points, seizing her fourth win of the week over a Grand Slam winner.
She ousted former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the second round and toppled reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff in the fourth before saving a match point en route to a semi-final victory over former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina.
“It feels unbelievable right now,” Mboko said, adding that “words cannot really describe how the day went.”
It started with an MRI on the right wrist she injured in the semi-finals, and ended with a come-from-behind victory over one of her childhood heroes and a final ovation from delirious fans who have taken her to their hearts.
“I think when I had that winning moment and seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” Mboko said. “I would never have thought that something like this would have come so suddenly.
“I think it just proves that your dreams are closer than you think they are.”
Displaying vintage power and precision, Osaka gave her inexperienced opponent little room to maneuver in the first set, gaining an early break on the way to a 3-0 lead and pocketing the set when Mboko, who had 22 unforced errors in the set, misfired on two forehands to drop her serve a second time.
Mboko turned the tide in a second set that featured seven breaks of serve. Osaka looked bewildered as Mboko ramped up the pressure, the Canadian breaking her at love for a 5-2 lead.
Serving for the set, however, Mboko coughed up three double faults and was broken. Osaka capitalized on the reprieve with a hold at love, but Mboko took the set in the next game when Osaka sailed a forehand long on set point.
Osaka appeared demoralized as she was broken at love to open the third set.
Mboko, who had 13 double faults in the match, couldn’t consolidate the break.
READ ALSO: [FULL LIST] PSG Dominate List Of Men’s Ballon D’Or Nominees
But Osaka was on the ropes again in the third game, drawing a warning for batting a ball skyward in frustration after missing her first serve on break point — which she surrendered with another errant forehand.
That launched a run of five straight games for Mboko.
Winners were proving hard to come by for both players, and when the Canadian saved four break points to hold for a 3-1 lead, Osaka had a mountain to climb that finally proved too steep.
When Osaka smacked a backhand into the net on match point, Mboko dropped to the court as the crowd — who had backed her all the way with chants of “Allez Vicky” — roared one more ovation.
Osaka, who came into the tournament ranked 49th in the world, had appeared energized in Montreal after a coaching shakeup. But she couldn’t maintain her positive attitude as Mboko pulled away for the win.
“It’s kind of funny. This morning I was very grateful. I don’t know why my emotions flipped so quickly, but I’m happy to have played in the final,” she said.
“I think Victoria played really well,” added Osaka, who was so dejected she neglected to offer her congratulations at the trophy presentation.
While Mboko will skip the Cincinnati Open that started, Thursday, Osaka was looking forward to seeing how she responds in the final tuneup for the US Open.
“I felt like I could have played better, but I’m not really sure which aspect… it’s going to be interesting to see what my next match is and how I’m going to play.”
After Rodri was eliminated from the 30 nominees dominated by Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, the 2025 Ballon d’Or will have a new winner for the second consecutive year.
By the time he won the 2024 award in October, the Manchester City midfielder had already injured his knee ligament, which ended his campaign.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the final of his eight awards in 2023, are not both on the list.
Nine candidates are available for PSG, who won the Champions League in a dominant manner.
Four players, including the youngest, Lamine Yamal, who is just 18 years old, and the oldest, 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski, who represent Barcelona, who both won a league and cup double.
The Brazilian is one of three nominees for Real Madrid, who boycotted the ceremony last year and claimed to be upset that Rodri was chosen over Vinicius.
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Scott McTominay, who becomes the first Scottish nominee since Ally McCoist in 1987, earns praise for winning Italy’s Serie A.
If he wins, he would be the first Scot to win the award, following Denis Law in 1964, and the first player from Diego Maradona’s former club.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will hold the announcement on September 22.
The final 30 nominees are listed below.
1. Ousmane Dembele (FRA/PSG)
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA/PSG)
3. Bellingham (ENG/Real Madrid)
4. Desire Doue (FRA/PSG)
5. (NED/Inter Milan) Denzel Dumfries
6. Seth Guirassy (GUI/Dortmund)
7. NOR/Manchester City’s Erling Haaland
8. (SWE/Arsenal) Viktor Gyokeres
9. Achraf Hakimi (MAR/PSG)
10. Harry Kane (ENG/Bayern)
11. Khvicha Kvartskhelia (GEO/PSG)
12. Robert Lewandowski (POL/Barcelona)
13. Alexis Mac Allister (ARG/Liverpool)
14. ARG/Inter Milan Lutaro Martinez
15. Scott McTominay (SCO/Naples)
16. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe
17. (POR/PSG) – Nuno Mendes
18. Joey Neves (POR/PSG)
19. Pedri (ESP/Barcelona)
20. Cole Palmer (ENG/Chelsea)
21. Michael Olise (FRA/Bayern)
22. Barcelona/BRA/Raphinha
23. Declan Rice (ENG/Arsenal)
24. (SCO/PSG) Fabian Ruiz
25. (NED/Liverpool) Virgil van Dijk
26. Vicicius (BRA/Real Madrid)
27. (EGY/Liverpool) Mohamed Salah
28. GER/Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz
29. Vitinha (POR/PSG),
In a continuing row over the German goalkeeper’s fitness status, Barcelona announced on Thursday that they had removed Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s captain’s armband.
The club has decided to temporarily remove Marc-Andre ter Stegen as captain of the first football team until such proceedings are concluded, according to Barca in a statement.
They announced the replacement of Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo.
The dispute centers on 33-year-old Ter Stegen’s refusal to cooperate with a La Liga investigation into his long-term injury, which would allow the club to deduct a portion of his salary from their official wage.
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Barcelona are once more battling to adhere to Spanish financial fair play regulations as the new Liga season draws near. They might not be able to register new players if they can if they cannot.
This month, the club intends to partially reopen Camp Nou, which has undergone a pricey renovation.
At the end of July, Ter Stegen made the decision to have back surgery after two seasons of injury-damaged. In order to stop Barcelona from attempting to have him officially declared a long-term absentee, he has refused to sign a form that allows his medical information to be disclosed to La Liga.
One of the summer signings, 24-year-old Joan Garcia, and 35-year-old Wojciech Szczesny, a veteran of the Polish league who received a contract extension for taking over during the title-winning campaign of the previous year, are putting his place in danger.
The last remaining member of Luis Enrique’s 2015 European champion team, the German goalkeeper, is subject to severe penalties, including the end of his contract.