Chelsea have announced the signing of striker Olivier Giroud from Premier League rivals Arsenal for a reported £18million, ending the club s long hunt for a new centre-forward.
Antonio Conte s desire to add another attacking option to his squad led to Chelsea being linked with a host of unlikely players, including Andy Carroll, Ashley Barnes and Peter Crouch, while an attempted deal for Roma s Edin Dzeko failed.
But with Giroud struggling for game-time at Arsenal and with the World Cup approaching, the Premier League champions swooped to secure the 31-year-old on an 18-month contract.
Giroud, who hit 73 Premier League goals at Arsenal in his five and a half years at the club following a 2012 move from Montpellier, has started one league game this season.
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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Danny Ings from Southampton in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Spurs want a striker, as Carlos Vicinius has gone back to his parent club Benfica.
Ings is out of contract at Southampton at the end of next season and is open to leaving this summer. However, the Saints do not want to sell and will demand more than £25 million as transfer fee for the former Liverpool striker.
The 28-year-old had injury problems during his time at Liverpool, but the striker has done well during his time at Southampton and is at the top of his game now. Ings 12 goals and gave four assists in the Premier League last season, and scored 22 goals and gave two assists in the league in 2019-20.
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Cristiano Ronaldo said he was honoured to be included in France Football s All Time XI.
The French publication presented its all-time dream team on Monday, with Juventus superstar Ronaldo named alongside Barcelona s Lionel Messi, Pele and Diego Maradona – who died last month.
Brazil great Ronaldo, former Milan captain Paolo Maldini, Xavi, Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthaus, Cafu and goalkeeper Lev Yashin completed the XI.
Reacting to his inclusion, five-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo tweeted: I m very honoured to be part of France Football s All Time 11.
What an amazing Dream Team They all deserve my respect and admiration and I m obviously proud to be amongst such extraordinary players. Thank you!
I’m very honoured to…
Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum all scored to earn Netherlands a 3-0 win over Germany and left Joachim Low s men still without a win or a goal in the Nations League.
Liverpool defender Van Dijk pounced to nod home the loose ball on the half-hour mark after Ryan Babel had struck the crossbar with a header following a corner from Depay.
Germany had chances to grab a leveller after the break, with substitute Leroy Sane steering a glorious opportunity wide.
They were also denied what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty in the final 10 minutes when Arnaut Groeneveld tripped Matthias Ginter.
However, Depay added an 86th-minute second on the counter-attack and Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum rifled in a third in stoppage time, securing Oranj…
Harry Redknapp cited the hectic festive period as the main reason for QPR s humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield United.
Nigel Clough s League One outfit, who reached the semi-finals of last season s competition and have also made the last four of this year s League Cup, brushed aside their hosts 3-0 at Loftus Road on Sunday.
While admitting that his side didn t deserve anything from the clash, Redknapp claimed that QPR s congested schedule was to blame for their lethargic showing.
They were sharper than us all over the pitch and they were brighter and better than us, he said.
They looked like a team that had a rest for 10 days and we looked like a team that had played four games in 10 days and the last goal and the second goal were really…
Roma director Tiago Pinto is confident Jose Mourinho will remain as head coach of the Serie A club, despite being strongly linked with the vacant Portugal job.
Portugal are on the lookout for a new boss following the departure of Fernando Santos after last month s disappointing defeat to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Mourinho is one of a number of names reportedly in the frame, while the 59-year-old has also been touted as a possible target for Brazil after Tite stepped aside.
However, Pinto expects the Portuguese to stay at Stadio Olimpico, where he is under contract until the end of the 2023-24 season.
When you get a coach like Mourinho, you must be accustomed to rumours, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
This was the first time in …
According to Marca, Barcelona are considering a move to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as an alternative for their primary striker target, Robert Lewandowski.
The tussle for Lewandowski seems like it s going to be an intense one, with Bayern Munich prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep hold of their main source of goals in the last eight years. Therefore, it s only prudent for Barcelona to have other options lined up, should that one fail to come into fruition.
Lukaku returned to Chelsea last summer with the London Blues paying a reported fee of €117 million to bring him in from Inter Milan, where he helped the team led by Antonio Conte at the time to win the 2020/21 Scudetto. However, his spell back at the club where he started making his name a long time ago has…
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claims Cristiano Ronaldo has become unhappy with life at the club.
The prolific Portugal forward moved to the Spanish giants from Manchester United in 2009 and has since won a La Liga title, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey twice.
Ronaldo has become the talisman of the Real team over the past five years, leading by example with an incredible goalscoring record, but the man who brought him to Santiago Bernabeu believes the 29-year-old has become disillusioned with the reign of current president Florentino Perez.
Key men Xabi Alonso and Angel di Maria both moved on in the close-season and, although Real have recruited world-class replacements in Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, Calderon believes Ronaldo is no…
Arsenal contacted Orlando City regarding Facundo Torres ahead of the World Cup, the forward has revealed.
The 22-year-old has caught the eye in MLS since joining in January 2022, scoring nine goals and contributing eight assists in 33 appearances in his inaugural season.
A move to Europe has been touted for the Uruguay international ever since his days in his homeland with Penarol and Arsenal have been attributed with a long-term interest in his services.
The Gunners missed out on Mykhaylo Mudryk to London rivals Chelsea, who swooped in to beat the Premier League leaders in the hunt for the Ukraine winger, but remain in the market for additions to bolster their squad.
Torres has opened the door for a fresh approach, expressing his desire to play in the Pr…
The arrivals of Lautaro Martinez and Neymar at the end of the season had been the dream for Barcelona.
Forming the best attack in the world had been the idea, prising Inter s Martinez to Camp Nou and re-signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.
But Barca have reportedly been priced out of a deal for Neymar.
TOP STORY – PSG SET NEYMAR PRICE
Paris Saint-Germain want €175million in cash for Barcelona target Neymar, according to Sport.
Neymar left Barca for PSG in a world-record €222m transfer in 2017 but the Brazilian superstar continues to be linked with a Camp Nou comeback.
But Barca s hopes have been dealt a blow due to PSG s demands and coronavirus as they prioritise Inter forward Lautaro Martinez.
ROU…