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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Luke McLaughlin

Weekend countdown: Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Manchester United – as it happened

That’s quite enough excitement for one day. Will football ever be the same again after Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United? I suppose we are about to find out. Have a nice weekend, and see you soon.

It’s QUIZ time!

Clearly, there is a significant element of risk in this signing for Manchester United. While Ronaldo is in remarkably good shape, he is 36 years old. Serie A is obviously a very strong league, but the tempo is lower than in England, it is less physical, and it will be interesting to see how Ronaldo’s body withstands the demands of playing in the Premier League after 12 years away. (It’s worth remembering that remarkable counterattacking goal Ronaldo scored against Germany in the Euros, though, when he headed a corner clear and then tore down to the other end in handful of seconds for a tap-in.)

The points made about how Ronaldo may end up disrupting Manchester United’s team are also valid. But having said that, if a player of his calibre is available for £20million or so, it’s quite easy to see the attraction for United. As Peep Show’s Mark once memorably said: “It’s not a no-brainer, Jeremy! It’s a brainer, it’s a real brainer!”

Updated

“Can somebody call the bods at CERN and ask if there is an atomic risk with the galaxy-sized egos of Fernandes, Pogba and Ronaldo existing in the same club?” comments Spikey78. “You can always rely on United to do something stupid in the transfer market. I am sure he will score a few goals (mostly penalties) but the disruption is massive. Look what happened to Juventus since he arrived. How do you balance a team like that? It was bad enough already. Solskjaer sacked by Christmas.”

“I really hope that I’m wrong but I can’t help but feel that signing Ronaldo is a massive misstep,” writes in Gabriel Foulkes. “We need a CDM more than anything else. Best-case scenario we get a Zlatan-type, peppered with nostalgia.”

Gary Neville, Ronaldo’s former teammate at Old Trafford, isn’t in any doubt on this piece of news: “It’s going to give the club a great 12 months, Manchester United fans will see one of their own come back to old Trafford ... he will score goals, he will play as a No 9, he is coming to win trophies, he will set the Premier League on fire ... He makes great runs inside the box, he has great anticipation of where the ball is going to drop ... it gives Manchester United something that they need ...

“This could give them a temporary shot in the arm that could get them right up there this year ... this news gives me more hope that Manchester United can have a great season, and it gives every Manchester United fan a great feeling. This is one of the greats of all time, and it makes the Premier League so much more exciting this season.”

It’s Manchester City v Arsenal at lunchtime tomorrow. Here’s our preview:

Rich Jolly, as usual, chimes in with a quality stat:

Agent Bruno?

Meanwhile, over on Jadon Sancho’s Twitter: ‘SCARY HOURS!’.

The news story that has appeared on Manchester United’s website is short and sweet:

“Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical.

“Cristiano, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has so far won over 30 major trophies during his career, including five UEFA Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the European Championship for his native Portugal.

“In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games.

“Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester.”

Updated

The transfer news is dropping thick and fast. Fabrizio Romano reports that Tottenham have agreed to sign the midfielder Pape Sarr from Metz in Ligue 1, with the player to stay with his current club on loan for a further season.

Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko will leave Spurs for Watford.

So, is Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United going to prove to be a masterstroke, or is he going to stink the place out? You can email me here and let me know your thoughts.

Here’s our updated story on Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational return to Manchester United:

“The annoyance of missing out on Harry Kane was one thing but the good fortune of Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly falling in City’s lap and then slipping through could cause nightmares this season,” writes Will Unwin. “City are short of a striker after the departure of the club’s record goalscorer Sergio Agüero in the summer and could end up being left behind by their rivals.”

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Manchester United

Manchester United have agreed a deal to resign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, the Premier League club said on Friday, with the transfer subject to the agreement of personal terms, visa and a medical. The Portuguese forward returns to the team where he won eight major trophies between 2003-2009. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates winning the Premier League with Manchester United in 2009.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates winning the Premier League with Manchester United in 2009. Photograph: Reuters File Photo/Action Images/Reuters

Updated

It is confirmed. Cristiano Ronaldo is returning to Manchester United, 12 years after he finished his first spell at Old Trafford by signing for Real Madrid.

Who would have thunk it?

The big transfer news of the day is that Manchester United have made an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has told Juventus he will be leaving in this transfer window.

Might he prove an expensive mistake, or could the Portuguese enjoy a fruitful return to Old Trafford, so late in his career? It looks on the cards that we are going to find out, either way:

We’ll be wrapping this up shortly, so here is a recap of this morning’s European draws, firstly for the Europa League, and secondly for the Europa Conference League:

Europa League: Group stage draw

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague
Brondby

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven
Real Sociedad
Sturm Graz

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City
Spartak Moscow
Legia Warsaw

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce
Royal Antwerp

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow
Marseille
Galatasaray

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ludogorets
Midtjylland

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic
Real Betis
Ferencvaros

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk
West Ham
Rapid Vienna

Europa Conference League: Group stage draw

Group A
LASK
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Alashkert
HJK Helsinki

Group B
Gent
Partizan Belgrade
Flora Tallinn
Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C
Roma
Zorya Luhansk
CSKA Sofia
Bodø/Glimt

Group D
AZ Alkmaar
CFR Cluj
Jablonec
Randers

Group E
Slavia Prague
Feyenoord
Union Berlin
Maccabi Haifa

Group F
FC Copenhagen
PAOK
Slovan Bratislava
Lincoln Red Imps

Group G
Tottenham
Rennes
Vitesse
Mura

Group H
FC Basel
Qarabag
Almaty
Omonia

Here’s our preview of Aston Villa v Brentford:

And for good measure, Brighton v Everton:

Plus! Newcastle v Southampton:

If you’re finding it hard to contain your excitement with all this transfer talk, and you’ve lost track of who’s moved where, never fear: You can see all the deals so far in our interactive guide, which is here:

Can Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira muster up a first win of the season away against West Ham? Here’s our match preview:

The Premier League’s social media team have kindly edited together a selection of famous debut goals, including Trevoh Chalobah’s fine effort for Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, plus a sweet Alan Shearer half-volley all the way back in 1992.

The Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, has been talking up Van Dijk v Lukaku tomorrow night and what he says is a ‘stress test’ for the recently signed forward:

“Liverpool with Van Dijk is a different Liverpool than without Van Dijk,” Tuchel said. “For Romelu, it’s a big challenge. He had now one match with us, which was a very good start, so from now on we are into details. The stress test is on tomorrow at Anfield... I am not sure if he has already reached his top level, maybe not because he has only one game in his legs, but he will have a good match tomorrow because he loves to play in these kinds of matches. I’m looking forward to it. I think many fans of football are looking forward to that battle.”

Updated

The Grimsby Town co-owner, Jason Stockwood, writes here about the important place football has in local communities, and what it will mean to welcome crowds back to Blundell Park for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began:

“Please Man Utd sign Ronaldo. Would be hilarious,” comments cavalier5. “Just when they seem to be getting some kind of unity and cohesion too. He has been a genuinely great goalscorer but is now a black hole that sucks everything in around him. He will have to start every game, will take all the free-kicks and penalties, won’t run or move when they don’t have the ball. What happens to Greenwood? Cavani? A weird [potential] signing.”

In more Liverpool news, here’s a piece by Ben McAleer on Kostas Tsimikas, the full-back who has impressed since breaking into the first team at Anfield:

England have taken a wicket! Join Tim de Lisle here (contains cricket content):

Updated

Did you know? Liverpool have won two of their past 11 home games in all competitions against Chelsea. Here’s our match preview for tomorrow evening’s Super Saturday clash:

In Scotland, it’s Rangers v Celtic on Sunday, and Ange Postecoglou sees the trip to Ibrox as a chance to further develop his Celtic team’s playing style.

“It’s August,” he said. “I know people like putting defining moments in at all different times. There will be defining moments all throughout the season. What’s important is we have had a really positive month so far and in terms of improvement in our performances and getting reward for that. Sunday is another opportunity to build on that momentum for us.

“It’s the end of August and there is still a hell of a lot of football to be played. And from our perspective, either way, we are not going to get too carried away with whatever the outcome is. We want to continually improve our performances and Sunday is a great chance for us to establish our football against a very good opponent in a difficult environment. What a great test it’s going to be for us.” (PA)

You listened to Football Weekly Extra already, didn’t you?

In the unlikely event that you didn’t, wrap your ears around this. Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair, Suzy Wrack and Lars Sivertsen to discuss a busy week of news:

The Brentford manager Thomas Frank says it was a ‘sad moment’ when the forward Ollie Watkins left the club to join Aston Villa, but he added that he’s looking forward to seeing him on Sunday, when the Bees meet Villa:

West Ham have been drawn against Dinamo Zagreb, Genk and Rapid Vienna in the Europa League, and the Hammers manager David Moyes is loving life: “I’m really excited. We watched the draw this morning and watched the pots come out,” he said.

“The biggest draw was to see West Ham in one of the pots, back in Europe and hopefully we’ll get the supporters to London Stadium for the games. The players earned it with their performances throughout the season.”

Updated

Watford are in discussions with striker Troy Deeney over his future. The 33-year-old is out of contract next summer and has made just two substitute appearances this season. With no sign of a new deal, the two parties are exploring all possibilities ahead of next Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The club said in a statement: “Troy Deeney and senior Watford FC officials are currently discussing the best options for both parties for the season ahead.” The striker has one year left on his current Hornets deal, and has featured twice from the bench so far this year during this, his 12th season at Vicarage Road. “Given the significant mutual respect between the club captain and the board, these discussions shall remain private and confidential. Neither the board nor head coach Xisco Munoz will offer further comment on this matter until a final decision has been reached.”

Deeney joined the Hornets in 2010 and has scored 140 goals in 419 appearances. With Deeney possibly about to leave the club, Xisco may be looking for a new striker. The Spaniard said: “For me the focus is on the players that are here and another person is working on this. I am focused on our squad in our team, for now the only thing is to think about that.”

Xisco was more open about the possibility of signing Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko. Watford have been in talks with Spurs over a permanent deal for the 32-year-old and there is a confidence a deal will be struck before Tuesday’s deadline.
Xisco added: “He is a very good player, everyone knows he is an experienced player. He is a top player and I think he would be very good for us. We will see if he arrives. Always I say the same thing - we will have one option more in our squad to try to give all the best for our team.” (PA)

Updated

And here, in the form of a video, are some of those quotes from Guardiola’s press conference earlier:

Away from CristianoRonaldoGate, Pep Guardiola was also asked earlier today about the quotes recently attributed to him, when it was reported that he is planning to leave Manchester City in 2023. He was having none of it. Here is Richard Jolly:

Updated

The Burnley manager, Sean Dyche, doesn’t really want to talk about potential transfers.

Will Chelsea be making any signings before the transfer window closes in three days?

“Well we are hoping; we still have some ideas and we are trying,” said the head coach Thomas Tuchel. And not all decisions are taken regarding also to our squad. So there are some negotiations going on and we are aware of all the situations.

“Hoping as in meaning that we need something to make the coach happy or to be competitive? Absolutely not. Because I’m happy with the squad as it is, and I have a lot of confidence we are absolutely competitive on a high level. But still all eyes are open, and we are aware of all situations and you never know in football. But in the moment we are focused on the game tomorrow and there are not many days left to take big decisions, so it’s all good so far.”

Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea Photograph: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

The Norwich City manager, Daniel Farke, has been holding forth on the club’s transfer policy. Essentially he said they don’t have much cash for players, but that the most important thing is to secure the future of the club:

Farke said: “We are the only self-funding club on this level and we know this. Of course we would like to spend millions of pounds for players but it’s not possible for us, we have to work with our tools. In the last years this club was under unbelievable financial pressure, and in the last three years we have earned more money than probably each and every club in the rest of Europe and we were still capable of getting promoted to the Premier League.

“Sometimes we have to sell our best players like Emi Buendía, but we took the money and made some great signings. It’s not like we just gave this money to the bank and are happy that we have so much money - no, we tried to work with this money in order to get the best possible squad. It’s not possible to spend £50m or £60m without earning money for us. We are not capable of signing a player for £15m or £20m, we would like to do it and hopefully one day, if we were to stay as a Premier League club for a few years, we will be able to do this. The more quality you can bring in the better.

“I’m not happy just with the Championship, I want to establish this club on a Premier League level. But we also can’t risk the future of the club by doing some stupid things and if this means we can’t spend as much as some other opponents we have to accept this.”

Norwich host Leicester City at home tomorrow, kicking off at 3pm.

An update here to our transfer news story from Ed Aarons and Fabrizio Romano. Manchester City are indeed out of the race to Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus:

The Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek has been dropped from Louis van Gaal’s squad for next week’s World Cup qualifiers while Steven Bergwijn and Denzel Dumfries are recalled.

The coach announced changes for the three Group G matches away to Norway on 1 September and at home to Montenegro on 4 September, and Turkey three days later. Van Gaal said he was only selecting players who had played this season and had gained match fitness and the 24-year-old Van de Beek had not yet featured for Manchester United this term.

Bergwijn was left out of the initial squad last week but has been added after impressive performances in Tottenham Hotspur’s opening league games, while Dumfries was belatedly chosen after making his debut as a late substitute for Internazionale last weekend.

Van Gaal said he had spoken to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk about resuming the captaincy of the team after almost a year out through injury, including missing the Euros. “I found it a very interesting talk but you will see if he is my captain. I’ve always had the habit of naming three captains, and you’ll see that in the coming week,” he added.

Van Gaal also said he had not yet settled on his lineup for Wednesday’s match in Oslo. “It depends on the quality of Norway, of ourselves and the availability of players. That we still wait to see. How do they arrive at the squad? Do they test positive for the coronavirus? I cannot make any decisions just yet,” he said. (Reuters)

Some more words from the Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp here, firstly on tomorrow’s match against Chelsea:

“I expect a very difficult game for both teams ... Both teams are really well organised, and will be I’m pretty sure, so it will be a big fight, definitely. It’s one of these games that I would watch 100 per cent if I would not be involved. It’s pretty much a must-watch game, if you want. Chelsea are obviously in a really good moment, won the Champions League in the last club game of last season, played an incredible, I don’t know, last half of the season since Thomas [Tuchel] was in [they have] really developed in the right direction. They brought now [Romelu] Lukaku in, which doesn’t make them worse, obviously. So, it’s a tough opponent but we are not actually in the worst moment as well and hopefully we can show that.”

On the Chelsea coach, Thomas Tuchel:

“What Thomas did at Chelsea is absolutely exceptional, I have to say. I was never in doubt about it that he would have a massive impact there. That it would go that quick? I think not even he would have expected that exactly. But he won last night the European coach of the year - and absolutely deserved. Nobody had a bigger impact last season than he had. Really deserved. I said it before, the combination of financial wealth and football knowledge is always a threat for all of us, that’s how it is. So, what they are doing is really good, no doubt about that. Thomas is an exceptional manager and coach, so all my respect.”

Nice stuff, although the mention of Chelsea’s ‘financial wealth’ seems rather pointed.

Quotes courtesy liverpoolfc.com

Updated

The weekend’s football fixtures can be found here.

The Premier League kicks off with the small matter of Manchester City v Arsenal at 12.30pm tomorrow, and it’s Liverpool v Chelsea (AKA Van Dijk v Lukaku) at 5.30pm.

The latest on this fast-developing story, according to Sky Sports News, is that Manchester City have ruled themselves out of signing Ronaldo, which makes Manchester United favourites. Jorge Mendes is speaking to United, among other clubs, so they say.

An extra line or two from Solskjær here regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability:

“We’ve always had a good communication,” Solskjaer said. “I know Bruno [Fernandes] has been talking to him as well and he knows what we feel about him and if he was ever going to move away from Juventus, he knows that we are here.”

Updated

Thanks to those of you who pointed out that I foolishly confused Genk and Gent earlier on in the Europa Conference League draw.

On the plus side, at least I didn’t do this:

Updated

Patrick Vieira is asked, in light of Manchester City’s rumoured move for Cristiano Ronaldo, if he would have considered a move to Tottenham after playing for their north London rivals Arsenal. “I don’t think the deal is done, is it breaking news? I think any player tries to find a club where they can express themselves and their talent. If Ronaldo signs for City it would be fantastic news for the Premier League, good for City fans, and good for football. Would I have signed for Spurs? There is no point in me answering that question because my career is far over.”

Leeds have signed teenage Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde from Celtic for an undisclosed fee. Hjelde, 18, who will initially join up with Leeds’ Under-23s squad, has agreed a four-year contract at Elland Road. “Leeds United are pleased to announce the signing of Leo Hjelde from Scottish Premiership side Celtic for an undisclosed fee,” the Premier League club said. “Hjelde celebrated his 18th birthday this week by signing a four-year-deal at Elland Road, running until the summer of 2025.” (PA)

Zouma having West Ham medical

The West Ham manager David Moyes has confirmed Kurt Zouma is on the verge of joining the club from Chelsea. The centre-back is currently having a medical after the clubs agreed a deal reportedly worth £25m. “We lost Fabian Balbuena last season and three centre-backs is not enough,” Moyes said. “We have had an offer accepted from Chelsea for Kurt but I could not tell you if the medical has been completed yet.” (PA)

Updated

The Liverpool head coach, Jurgen Klopp, feels any club who signs Ronaldo will be doing so for short-term gain. He said: “It’s not about me to judge that, it’s just if other clubs can do things like this. It’s obviously not a business for the future, say in three or four years they have the benefit of that. It’s for now and immediately, if that happens. That’s how some clubs are obviously working and that’s absolutely fine. But there must be different ways.”

Klopp, whose side take on title rivals Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday, is not expecting any major new signings before the transfer window closes. Some fans hoped the club would replace Georginio Wijnaldum, who joined Paris St Germain in June, but Klopp says he is not short in midfield.

“If there’s an area we have on the pitch where we have all the different skill sets, dynamic, creativity, defensive-orientated, offensive-orientated, all these kind of things - there is no gap,” Klopp said. “It’s not that we have to bring in another one. We have players here with great skills and last weekend doesn’t mean Harvey (Elliott) is the saviour of our midfield problem because we don’t have one.” He added: “There is no need just to buy a midfielder because somebody is on the market. I cannot help the supporters who want us to sign a player just to get somebody in.” (PA)

The Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with four counts of rape and a sexual assault.

“Seven years after guiding Liverpool to a second successive Women’s Super League title, Matt Beard is back on Merseyside on a mission to extract his old club from the Championship.”

Here’s Louise Taylor:

Sky Sports News report that Ronaldo is off to Lisbon, because he’s going to hook up with the Portuguese national team. So he’s not jetting to Manchester to try and spark a bidding war between United and City, it appears.

Updated

And as for the Paralympics, Geoff Lemon has the story here:

If you can handle more sport, Rob Smyth is blogging the Headingley Test match right here:

Cristiano Ronaldo has just boarded a private plane at Turin airport. Where is he off to? I fired up FlightRadar to check, but I can’t see the plane on there.

More from Solskjær, who says that the midfielder Donny van de Beek will get opportunities to play ‘when the season gets going’:

Updated

Real Madrid’s Brazil midfielder Casemiro has signed a new four-year deal, the La Liga club announced on Friday. The Brazilian has been a mainstay at Real, making 191 league appearances since joining in 2012. Casemiro joins defenders Lucas Vázquez and Dani Carvajal, midfielder Luka Modric, forward Karim Benzema and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in signing new deals in recent months. (Reuters)

The Crystal Palace manager, Patrick Vieira, has been speaking about the midfielder Will Hughes, who is having a medical with the Eagles today to wrap up a move from Watford.

“He is a player that we know quite well,” Vieira said. “He’s really comfortable on the ball and is a really good link with the players going forward. I’m really glad, I’m really pleased to have him in the squad, obviously he’s not going to be ready for tomorrow. So we’re looking forward to working with him in the international break so he can be ready and starting to meet his teammates before for our next game.”

Vieira remains keen to add a striker to his ranks before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. He refused to comment on links with a move for Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah. “This is something that we identified a couple of weeks ago,” he said before Palace’s trip to West Ham. “We knew that it would be important for us to reinforce that department, to have more options. So the window is still open and we’re trying to improve that department and anything can happen. We are working hard to try to improve the squad, it is really difficult to go into names because those players are in the football club under contract.” (PA)

Updated

Pep Guardiola is asked about recent reports that he intends to leave Manchester City at the end of his current deal, in 2023: “I’m not thinking to leave in two years ... I can leave maybe in two months if the results are not good ... or the organisation is not happy with me ... what I said, is after my [time] at Manchester City I will take a break ... It can be in one month, one year, two years, five years ... I’m more than committed ... to play better this season is my target ... when I’m finished, I will take a rest a little bit, and I want to do something else ... I didn’t say I would leave Manchester City after two years.”

In his press conference, Pep Guardiola is asked if Manchester City are trying to sign Cristiano Ronaldo: “I cannot say much ... Harry Kane will continue with his club, an exceptional club like Tottenham. Cristiano was a Juventus player, I think he’s a Juventus player, I cannot add anything else ... only I can say in these three, four days before the window shuts, everything can happen ... there are a few players ... if they decide where they are going to play, they are leading the negotiations. I’m more than delighted with the squad that we have and we will stay the same.

“Cristiano will decide where he wants to play. Not Manchester City, not myself ... tomorrow we have an incredibly important game ahead of us ... and now the press conference will be about other issues ... what they [Ronaldo and Messi] have done, honestly, I don’t think we will see something similar in the future.”

“I am more than happy with the squad I have ... I am focused on the players we have. I say the same ... these types of players [Ronaldo and Messi] will decide where they want to play, they knock the door, they call ... after that it’s situations I cannot control, it’s not my business.”

Updated

The Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær is asked about the prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Manchester City: “We focus on the ones we have here ... I’ve said many a time, with the speculations ... you have to read a lot about yourself [when you play for Manchester United] ... let’s see what happens with Cristiano, because he’s such a legend of this club.

“Any manager ... is always looking for a little bit more. I’m happy with the transfer business we’ve done this summer ... with the quality we have, with the personalities we’ve brought in ... you’re never ‘comfortable’ but you go to work and you see that chemistry is there. I’m very happy with what we’ve got here.”

Solskjær is asked if Man United could try and sign Ronaldo: “I don’t want to speculate too much ... Cristiano is a legend of this club, he’s the greatest player of all time if you ask me ... I was fortunate enough to play with him, I coached him ... he’s a tremendous human being as well. Let’s see what happened with Cristiano. Everyone who’s played with him has a soft spot for him.”

Updated

The prolific Ed Aarons here, with a story on Cristiano Ronaldo’s intention to leave Juve.

“Manchester City have yet to table a formal bid for the 36-year-old but the Juventus coach’s comments ahead of their trip to face Empoli in Serie A on Saturday gave an indication that there is an expectation the deal will now be done ... [Agent] Jorge Mendes is believed to be discussing contract details of more than £250,000 a week with City, who will offer the five-time Ballon d’Or winner a two-year deal.”

Updated

And on Ronaldo apparently leaving Juventus, Benarfa10 chips in: “Watch Dybala really kick on now. He should be peaking soon, I think he will happy that Ronaldo is leaving, he can become the main man now.”

Re: Mura, who Tottenham will face in the Europa Conference League: “They’re the Leicester City of Slovenia,” writes juster.

“They were the shock champions nobody expected, and nobody expects them to come close to repeating it. They’re 1W 2D 2L in five games this season.”

And this just in, on Twitter, from Lorcán Murray:

Updated

“I suppose this is a very unpopular opinion; you and most of your readers probably disagree with it,” emails Peter Van. “But here it goes: The Conference League is fab. There, I said it. Look at that draw: it’s a fascinating mix of Europe’s fallen powers, middle classes and genuinely oddball outfits (Jablonek? Almaty? Lincoln Red Imps?!?!?!). I’d rather watch Alkmaar vs Cluj than the umpteenth round of Billionnaires A v Billionnaires B offered up by the Champions League. Keep the sneering and go watch the money boys if that’s your thing, the Conference League is going to be a lot of fun if you’re interested in football.”

Actually, overall, I entirely agree. There are clearly some great clubs and very interesting ties in there. And there is an added bonus: the streamlined Europa League now looks much more like the old Uefa Cup, which was a tremendous competition, that has been much missed since the powers-that-be diluted and transformed it.

Updated

More on Cristiano Ronaldo:

Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus he wants to leave, with Manchester City reported to be his next destination. The 36-year-old Portuguese has been linked with a move to City, who missed out on Tottenham forward Harry Kane in this summer’s transfer window. Ronaldo has now indicated to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri that he feels his future lies elsewhere.

“Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow’s game,” Allegri said at a press conference ahead of the club’s Serie A match against Empoli. “Cristiano is to be thanked for what he has done, also as an example amongst the youngsters. But as I said, we must go on. Things change, it’s a law of life. Juventus remains, which is the most important thing. Cristiano gave his contribution, he made himself available, now he leaves and life goes on.”

Juventus are reported to be seeking a fee of around £25million for Ronaldo. Any move to City would be controversial given his association to their local rivals Manchester United. A five-time winner of the Ballon D’Or trophy awarded to the best player in the world, Ronaldo moved to Italy in 2018 after nine years with Real Madrid. (PA)

A lot of fans will be wondering if it’s going to be possible to travel to these matches. Regarding Napoli v Leicester, Italy currently has a mandatory five-day quarantine in place for all UK arrivals. Although there is a chance the rules and regs may change by the time the match comes around, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Updated

Regarding Tottenham’s draw, Rennes have been cropping up in the news a lot lately, as they have the highly-rated and much-hyped 18-year-old Eduardo Camavinga on their books. Perhaps that won’t be the case in a few days’ time, however, if one of the clubs he’s been linked to lodges a suitable bid with the Ligue 1 club. In the Eredivisie, Vitesse have won one, lost one after two matches – their most recent league outing was a 3-0 home defeat by Willem II.

As for NS Mura of Slovenia ... can any of our readers tell us anything about them?

Last year, having been invited as a special guest of Uefa, the German ex-footballer Thomas Helmer called the Europa League (or the Uefa Cup as it was in his playing days) the ‘losers’ cup’. What would he call the Europa Conference League, I wonder? Nevertheless, we are assured by Uefa’s leading lights up on stage that the new competition is ‘very, very exciting’.

Updated

Tottenham face Rennes, Vitesse and Mura

Tottenham will meet Rennes (France), Vitesse (Netherlands) and NS Mura (Slovenia) in the Europa Conference League.

Europa League Conference draw in full

Group A
LASK
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Alashkert
HJK Helsinki

Group B
Gent
Partizan Belgrade
Flora Tallinn
Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C
Roma
Zorya Luhansk
CSKA Sofia
Bodø/Glimt

Group D
AZ Alkmaar
CFR Cluj
Jablonec
Randers

Group E
Slavia Prague
Feyenoord
Union Berlin
Maccabi Haifa

Group F
FC Copenhagen
PAOK
Slovan Bratislava
Lincoln Red Imps

Group G
Tottenham
Rennes
Vitesse
Mura

Group H
FC Basel
Qarabag
Almaty
Omonia

Updated

The Europa League Conference draw so far, with three out four teams now out of the pot. Tottenham are in with Rennes, of France, and Vitesse of the Netherlands:

Group A
LASK
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Alashkert

Group B
Genk
Partizan Belgrade
Flora Tallinn

Group C
Roma
Zorya Luhansk
CSKA Sofia

Group D
AZ Alkmaar
CFR Cluj
Jablonec

Group E
Slavia Prague
Feyenoord
Union Berlin

Group F
FC Copenhagen
PAOK
Slovan Bratislava

Group G
Tottenham
Rennes
Vitesse

Group H
FC Basel
Qarabag
Almaty

Tottenham are in Europa Conference League Group G with Rennes, which (Covid-19 restrictions permitting) is a nice short trip across the channel.

The draw so far:

Group A
LASK
Maccabi Tel Aviv

Group B
Genk
Partizan Belgrade

Group C
Roma
Zorya Luhansk

Group D
AZ Alkmaar
CFR Cluj

Group E
Slavia Prague
Feyenoord

Group F
FC Copenhagen
PAOK

Group G
Tottenham
Rennes

Group H
FC Basel
Qarabag

Updated

Europa Conference League: Pot 1

Group A
LASK

Group B
Genk

Group C
Roma

Group D
AZ Alkmaar

Group E
Slavia Prague

Group F
FC Copenhagen

Group G
Tottenham

Group H
FC Basel

Cristiano Ronaldo 'no longer has any intention to play for Juventus'

Via Juventus’s Twitter account - Ronaldo is off.

Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus he wants to leave, according to the Italian club’s coach Massimiliano Allegri. The 36-year-old Portuguese has been linked with a move to Manchester City, who missed out on Tottenham forward Harry Kane in this summer’s transfer window. Ronaldo has now indicated to Juventus that he feels his future lies elsewhere. “Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow’s game,” Allegri said ahead of the club’s Serie A match against Empoli in quotes posted on the official Juventus Twitter account. (PA)

Updated

The European draws just keep on coming. It’s time for the Europa Conference League draw, Uefa’s ‘new baby’, as Giorgio Marchetti just called it. Tottenham and Roma are among the top-ranked teams in Pot 1. Here are all the teams in the hat, or hats:

Pot 1
Roma
Tottenham
Basel
Slavia Prague
Copenhagen
Gent
AZ Alkmaar
LASK

Pot 2
Feyenoord
Qarabag
Maccabi Tel Aviv
PAOK
Rennes
Partizan
CFR Cluj
Zorya Luhansk

Pot 3
Union Berlin
CSKA Sofia
Vitesse
Slovan Bratislava
Jablonec
Alashkert
Flora Tallinn
Kairat Almaty

Pot 4
Lincoln Red Imps
Randers
Omonia
Anorthosis
HJK Helsinki
Maccabi Haifa
Bodø/Glimt
Mura

Updated

vsbain67 comments: “Leverkusen have started the season quite well, not least in part because of the form of certain Patrik Schick.”

They are currently third in the early Bundesliga table, with a win and a draw on the board, including a 4-0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach last time out.

Updated

Leicester draw Napoli, West Ham land in favourable group:

Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins may be fit to face his former club Brentford. Watkins, who moved to Villa Park from the Bees in a club-record deal in September 2020, has a bruised knee and has yet to play this season. The Villa boss Dean Smith thinks the game will come too soon for Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Bertrand Traore (hamstring). Keinan Davis and Morgan Sanson (knee) remain sidelined. Wesley may be left out of the squad, with the Brazilian striker set for a loan move before the window closes. Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock is fit despite limping off with an ankle knock against Forest Green this week. Mathias Jensen and Shandon Baptiste are close to recovering from injuries and will be assessed. Josh DaSilva and Mads Bech Sorensen will miss out through injury. (PA)

Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa.
Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa. Photograph: Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague
Brondby

“Lovely group for a travelling fan here,” comments GatehouseAmi. “Plenty of terrific food, culture, history, sights and sounds for the more sophisticated Glasgow Rangers followers to go and soak up in Copenhagen, Prague and Lyon.”

“Ouch,” says LestahCiteh5000to1 of that draw.

“Decent draw for the Hammers ... wouldn’t want to be in the foxes group,” adds sunnydoomsdaynight.

Updated

Hot off the news wires:

West Ham know their opponents for their first European campaign in 15 years after the Europa League group stage draw. The Hammers lost in Europa League qualifying in 2015/16 and 2016/17, but have not been in a main competition since the 2006/07 Uefa Cup, where they went out in the first round. David Moyes’s men have been drawn against Dinamo Zagreb, Genk and Rapid Vienna in Group H. Their toughest test will likely be Zagreb, who beat Tottenham in last season’s round of 16.

Leicester, who missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of last season, are back in the Europa League for the second year running, having been knocked out in the last 32 in 2020/21. The Foxes face Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw in Group C.

Rangers are back in this competition after failing to make it through the Champions League qualifiers. They were controversially beaten by Slavia Prague last season and they will return to the Czech Republic capital, having been drawn in Group A against Lyon, Sparta Prague and Brondby.

Celtic are in Group G with Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis and Ferencvaros. The group stage kicks off on September 16. Uefa is reviewing whether away fans will be able to travel. (PA)

Updated

Marseille get all multi-lingual in greeting their opponents:

Luciano Spalletti, the Napoli head coach, says he didn’t have any preferences as to who they were drawn against in the group stage, but ‘in all the games it says Napoli,’ so he’s happy. How charming.

In other news, Torino have tweeted their support for former player Denis Law, who recently announced he has been diagnosed with dementia:

Leicester are excited:

As are Celtic:

West Ham, on the other hand, will be much happier with a draw that will see them go to Croatia, Belgium and Austria in Group H.

Group E contains Lazio and Marseille, which is bad news for Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow, the teams pitted against them. Celtic’s task in taking on Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis and Ferencvaros looks far from easy but Rangers in Group A, with Lyon, Sparta Prague is also tough.

Leicester certainly won’t have it easy against Napoli: Luciano Spalletti is in charge there after Gennaro Gattuso left the club over the summer. They still have Kalidou Koulibaly, unless something dramatic happens in the next couple of days before the transfer window shuts, along with Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Victor Osimhen. Some expect them to mount a serious challenge for the Serie A title this season. Trips to Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw promise to be ... cold.

Updated

The first round of Europa League matches is on 16 September. Below are all are the scheduled match dates for the season, courtesy of uefa.com:

September

16 September: Group stage, Matchday 1
30 September: Group stage, Matchday 2

October

21 October: Group stage, Matchday 3

November

4 November: Group stage, Matchday 4
25 November: Group stage, Matchday 5

December

9 December: Group stage, Matchday 6
13 December, 13:30 CET: Knockout round play-off draw

February

17 February: Knockout round play-offs, first legs
24 February: Knockout round play-offs, second legs
25 February, 13:00 CET: Round of 16 draw

March

10 March: Round of 16, first legs
17 March: Round of 16, second legs
18 March, 13:30 CET: Quarter-final & Semi-final draw

April

7 April: Quarter-finals, first legs
14 April: Quarter-finals, second legs
28 April: Semi-finals, first legs

May

5 May: Semi-finals, second legs
18 May: Final – Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville

Europa League draw in full

And that concludes the draw. Some spicy-looking ties in there for Premier League clubs, with Leicester City meeting Napoli and Spartak Moscow in Group C. West Ham’s draw looks more favourable, in Group H, with Belgian side Genk and Rapid Vienna as well as Dinamo Zagreb.

Celtic are in Group G with Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis and Ferencvaros, while the Scottish champions Rangers are in Group A with Lyon (who finished fourth in Ligue 1 last season), Sparta Prague and Brondby.

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague
Brondby

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven
Real Sociedad
Sturm Graz

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City
Spartak Moscow
Legia Warsaw

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce
Royal Antwerp

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow
Marseille
Galatasaray

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ludogorets
Midtjylland

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic
Real Betis
Ferencvaros

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk
West Ham
Rapid Vienna

Updated

West Ham are in Group H with Dinamo Zagreb and Genk. With three out of four teams now drawn for every group, this is how they look:

Group A
Lyon
Rangers
Sparta Prague

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven
Real Sociedad

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City
Spartak Moscow

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt
Fenerbahce

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow
Marseille

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade
Ludogorets

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic
Real Betis

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk
West Ham

Leicester have been put into Group C with Napoli, one of the toughest possible draws they could have expected. Celtic are in Group G with Bayer Leverkusen. Group B already looks fearsome with Monaco and PSV Eindhoven in it.

The draw so far:

Group A
Lyon
Rangers

Group B
Monaco
PSV Eindhoven

Group C
Napoli
Leicester City

Group D
Olympiakos
Eintracht Frankfurt

Group E
Lazio
Lokomotiv Moscow

Group F
Braga
Red Star Belgrade

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen
Celtic

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb
Genk

Updated

Rangers are in Group A:

Group A (so far)
Lyon
Rangers

Updated

The eight top-ranked teams have been drawn, and this is how they came out:

Group A
Lyon

Group B
Monaco

Group C
Napoli

Group D
Olympiakos

Group E
Lazio

Group F
Braga

Group G
Bayer Leverkusen

Group H
Dinamo Zagreb

“The safe and big hands of Andrés Palop” will get us started.

Lyon, the first club out of the pot, are in Group A. Monaco will be in Group B.

The draw has been designed to ensure that teams from the same country will have different kick-off times on any given day, in view of the fact that TV cash is king.

Here we go: It’s showtime. The Europa League draw is actually happening! One of the Uefa suits points out the new format for this season: 32 teams in the group stage, instead of the previous 48.

Updated

Andrés Palop, the goalie who played for Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla, is one of the special guests for the Europa League draw. Marcos Senna, the former midfield enforcer who made 292 appearances for Villarreal is the second special guest.

Updated

Gerard Moreno of Villarreal – who won the cup, of course – has been voted the Uefa Europa League player of last season.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m very excited to receive this award,” he insists, via a pre-recorded video.

Updated

Steve Bruce has been having a chat with the media, and would very much like some points before the international break, please.

Updated

The pleasantries have begun in Istanbul before the draw takes place for the Europa League. The ever-present Pedro Pinto is on presenting duty, along with Laura Wontorra. It’s time for a slick montage of some of the action from last season’s competition. The goals are flying in, although the lack of fans across the stadiums makes it all look a bit off-key.

Updated

Dean Smith has been talking ahead of Aston Villa’s meeting with Brentford this weekend:

Updated

From the horse’s mouth, uefa.com, below are some details on how the imminent Europa League draw works:

• The 32 clubs have been seeded into four groups of eight in accordance with the club coefficient rankings.

• Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn into the same group. Any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw.

Draw pots

Pot 1
Lyon
Napoli
Leverkusen
Dinamo Zagreb
Lazio
Olympiacos
Monaco
Braga

Pot 2
Celtic
Frankfurt
Crvena Zvezda
Leicester
Rangers
Lokomotiv Moscow
Genk
PSV Eindhoven

Pot 3

Marseille
Ludogorets
West Ham
Real Sociedad
Real Betis
Fenerbahçe
Spartak Moskva
Sparta Prague

Pot 4
Rapid Vienna
Galatasaray
Legia Warsaw
Midtjylland
Ferencvaros
Antwerp
Sturm Graz
Brøndby

Updated

The Newcastle midfielder Matty Longstaff is close to joining Scottish Premiership outfit Aberdeen on loan, head coach Steve Bruce has confirmed. The 21-year-old found his chances at St James’ Park limited last season during which a contract wrangle and injuries hampered his progress. Speaking on Friday morning, Bruce said: “It’s happened very, very quickly over the last couple of days. We’ve said now for a good couple of weeks it’s important for young Matty to go and play some football. He had a difficult year through one thing and another last year, so it’s a great opportunity for him to go and play, it’s quite as simple as that.” (PA)

Here are the runners and riders for this morning’s Europa League draw, listed by country:

ENG: Leicester City, West Ham
ESP: Real Sociedad, Real Betis
ITA: Napoli, Lazio
GER: Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen
FRA: Lyon, Marseille, Monaco
POR: Braga
NED: PSV Eindhoven
SCO: Celtic, Rangers
AUT: Rapid Vienna, Sturm Graz
RUS: Lokomotiv Moskva, Spartak Moskva
SRB: Crvena Zvezda
BEL: Antwerp, Genk
TUR: Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray
GRE: Olympiacos
DEN: Midtjylland, Brøndby
CZE: Sparta Praha
CRO: Dinamo Zagreb
BUL: Ludogorets
HUN: Ferencvaros
POL: Legia Warsaw

A dose of Arsenal nostalgia for all you Gunners fans here: Freddie Ljungberg discusses his time at Arsenal, his teammates, his coaching career and what he learned from Arsène Wenger:

A clash of the titans is in store in the English top flight tomorrow: Liverpool v Chelsea, featuring Virgil Van Dijk v Romelu Lukaku.

Here are 10 things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend:

“Ange Postecoglou also said that the signing of Liam Scales would provide some balance to the Celtic team,” quips DeJongandtherestless.

“I’m sure they weighed that up when signing him,” chips in cantthinkofagoodname. (Great name, by the way.)

DeJongandtherestless ups the ante with: “Pound for pound, the signing of the summer.”

This is great banter, it really is!

Wantaway Harry Kane has now morphed into I-want-£400k-a-week Harry Kane. The Tottenham forward made his case for a pay rise with two goals against Paços de Ferreira in the Europa Conference League last night:

Gareth Southgate has revealed that he received more abuse for recording a video urging young people to have a Covid-19 vaccination than he did for his management of England during their run to the final of Euro 2020.

Here’s a recap of the draw for the Champions League group stage, which took place in Istanbul yesterday evening:

Group A Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge.

Group B Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, Milan.

Group C Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Besiktas.

Group D Internazionale, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sheriff.

Group E Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv.

Group F Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta, Young Boys.

Group G Lille, Sevilla, Red Bull Salzburg, Wolfsburg.

Group H Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit, Malmö.

Before the Europa League excitement at 11am, there’s plenty of time to read Jonathan Wilson’s analysis of last night’s draw:

The Europa League draw is less than an hour away now.

Any thoughts on all this football news? You can email me or tweet @LukeMcLaughlin – or indeed comment below the line.

Celtic have agreed a deal to sign defender Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers. The 23-year-old will join Celtic after Rovers missed out on a place in the Europa League group stage following defeat by Flora Tallinn on Thursday night. Celtic said Scales will sign a four-year contract.

Manager Ange Postecoglou said: “Liam is a young player who has impressed us and is someone who we think has the potential to have a big future at Celtic. He is an athletic defender who has the ability to play in a number of positions. As I have said before, everyone at the club has been working hard to add depth and quality to our squad and in signing Liam I think again we have made good progress. We all look forward to welcoming Liam to Celtic and to start working with him.” (PA)

And in yet more galactico-related transfer news, Real Madrid have tabled a cool €170m offer for Kylian Mbappé. And that, so they say, is their best and final offer. It’s Fabrizio and Ed again:

Updated

If you missed it, here is last night’s story from Ed Aarons and Fabrizio Romano regarding a potential bid from Manchester City for Cristiano Ronaldo:

Adama Traoré to Liverpool or Tottenham? Neal Maupay to Everton? William Carvalho to Norwich? Matty Longstaff to Aberdeen?

Barry Glendenning is here with this morning’s hit of transfer rumours. Get them while they’re hot:

Preamble

It’s been a busy old week in football. Harry Kane admitted defeat in his attempt to force a move away from Tottenham, Arsenal banished talk of a crisis with a 6-0 Carabao Cup win at West Brom, while Manchester City and Liverpool were both given demanding Champions League draws last night. The transfer window also closes in three days, with news emerging last night that Man City are preparing a sensational bid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The third round of Premier League fixtures kicks off tomorrow – including Liverpool v Chelsea at 5.30pm – along with a full programme of matches across the divisions. Before we preview the weekend’s domestic action, there’s the draw for the Europa League coming up at 11am UK time. Leicester City and West Ham are the Premier League teams in the pot, along with Celtic and Rangers from Scotland. The likes of Napoli, Lazio, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Lyon, Marseille, Monaco and PSV Eindhoven are also in the mix.

Once that Europa League draw is sorted, we will focus on press conferences, team news and previews for the Premier League, along with news from the Championship, Leagues One and Two and Scotland. We’ll cast the net wider across Europe to preview the best of the action in store in La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A, and bring you any breaking news throughout the day. Let’s get it on.

Updated

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