Sports TheFoxPosts.com

90min rounds up the latest  transfer news , rumours and gossip circulating around the world... Chelsea hope to beat Paris Saint-Germain to the signing of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen by agreeing a deal before the summer transfer window opens, as they did with Christopher Nkunku. (Napoli Magazine - Italy) Manchester United will look for a striker , right-back and right-sided centre-back during Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first transfer window this summer. (Telegraph) It will take a fee of £34m to sign Inter right-back Denzel Dumfries , who is high on Man Utd 's shortlist. (Tuttosport - Italy) Leaving Man Utd could be centre-back Victor Lindelof , who is wanted by a handful of Serie A sides, including AC Milan . (Fichajes - Spain) Al Ittihad have made contact with Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen over a blockbuster switch to Saudi Arabia this summer. (Relevo - Spain) Achraf Hakimi is not interested in leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer despite interest from ...

Jose Mourinho believes that Manchester City are prime contenders to win both the Champions League and Premier League this season, but expects Real Madrid to challenge them for their European crown and Liverpool for their domestic title. City finally got their hands on the European Cup last season, winning the treble to cap off the greatest season in the club's History . Pep Guardiola's side have been tipped to go all the way again in the Champions League , while they are also aiming to become the first team to win England's top flight for four straight years. Guardiola has won the Champions League three times as a manager / Nicolò Campo/GettyImages During his recent appearance on Rio Ferdinand's FIVE podcast, Mourinho was asked for predictions on the winners of this season's Champions League and Premier League. "Champions League, I would say City or Real Madrid. If somebody outside [those two] wins it, for me, it would be a great surprise," he said. ...

Bayern Munich didn't need another defeat so soon after an embarrassing Bundesliga loss to Bayer Leverkusen, but that is exactly what happened when their Champions League campaign returned for the first knockout round on Wednesday. Lazio executed a perfect tactical game, shutting down Bayern's attacking flow with disciplined pressing and resolute defending. But there wasn't enough quality from Thomas Tuchel's team to overcome, failng to manage even one shot on target over the course of the 1-0 defeat. In the end, Ciro Immobile's 69th minute penalty was the difference and hands Lazio a narrow aggregate lead to try and hold onto in next month's second leg in Germany. Here's how the players fared in 90min 's player ratings. Bayern Munich's best player vs Lazio Noussair Mazraoui - 7/10 Noussair Mazraoui did his best to get Bayern moving / Silvia Lore/GettyImages The bar wasn't a high one, but Noussair Mazraoui did more to effect the Game in a posi...

Not every win needs to be pretty. Real Madrid secured an ugly 1-0 victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday to take the lead in their Champions League last 16 clash, relying more on individual quality than overall dominance against the German hosts, who were left disappointed not to have taken more from the Game . Here's how the players fared in 90min 's player ratings. Real Madrid's best player vs RB Leipzig Andriy Lunin - 9/10 Madrid really needed Lunin / ODD ANDERSEN/GettyImages Just the nine saves for Lunin, who was undoubtedly the star of Madrid's victory in Germany. From the first moment, Lunin had to be alert to the potent threat of Benjamin Sesko, who could have easily had a hat-trick inside the opening five minutes. The Ukraine international never took his eye off the prize and ended the game with a huge nine saves. Honourable mention Aurelien Tchouameni - 8/10 Tchouameni was the anchor in Madrid's defence and had to work incredibly hard as the experienced vete...

As if there wasn't already enough football lasered into our eye sockets, FIFA have announced plans for a new continental cup competition in 2024. The tournament , named the Inter continent al Cup, will start next year and is set to "strengthen continent al sporting rivalries" as teams com Pet e for an annual title. With the FIFA Club World Cup set for a bumper expansion in 2025, the Inter continent al Cup appears set to replace the old com Pet ition, with a remarkably similar set up and format. While some details regarding the new competition are yet to be announced, here is the lowdown on FIFA's plans. When will the Intercontinental Cup take place & teams involved? Set to commence for the first time between 14-18 July 2024 , the Intercontinental Cup will be an annual tournament that is set to feature teams from all six continental football federations. Much like the current Club World Cup, the competition will be made up of the Champions League (or equivalent) ...

Pep Guardiola was a bit of a nuisance as a Barcelona ball boy. Never needing two invitations to sneak onto the pitch at the final whistle, Guardiola harangued Michel Platini and Gary Lineker for autographs - without success - and was captured on film almost ripping Victor Munoz's shirt off his torso after the 1986 European Cup semi-finals. Micah Hamilton was far more obedient in the same capacity for Manchester City. As a baby-faced teenager, Hamilton dutifully received instructions as a ball boy from Guardiola on the touchline. Six short years later, Hamilton had crossed the white line, marking his debut for Guardiola's City with a goal in the Champions League against Red Star. Here's a look at Hamilton's upward trajectory. Derby decision Micah Hamilton had to choose between the red and blue half of Manchester as a kid / Joan Cros - Corbis/GettyImages Hamilton has been part of City's revered academy system since joining the under-nines. Yet, the fleet-footed winger...

Xavi Hernandez has lamented the "unnecessary tension" which has been generated by media reports of unrest at Barcelona. Xavi's Barca lost a second consecutive game on Wednesday evening, being bested by Group H whipping boys Royal Antwerp in their final Champions League outing of 2023. The defeat followed an even more damaging loss to Girona in La Liga on Sunday evening which saw Barca slip down to fourth in the league table, a whopping seven points adrift of the table toppers. In the aftermath of the Girona failure, Spanish media outlets reported Barca's hierarchy were beginning to lose faith in Xavi as the club's manager, with president Joan Laporta believed to have been furious with the performance. Barca slumped to another defeat against Antwerp / Fantasista/GettyImages Speaking to the press after the Champions League defeat to Antwerp, Xavi was keen to address the recent coverage of the club and insisted the media had created issues behind the scenes due to...

The two defining figures of Manchester United, Sirs Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, shared a disciplinarian streak, remarkable adaptability and a fierce fascination with continental competition. Paddy Crerand, who won the 1968 European Cup under Busby, reflected: "He was obsessed with Europe and all the players were aware of that. We wanted to win it anyway because we wanted to be the best team, but it made it even more important to do it for Matt." Ferguson lifted the Champions League trophy twice but retired ruing: "We should've won it more." On this draining quest for European glory, United are doomed to fall short each time they fail to hoist the big-eared pot aloft. Some of the club's Champions League campaigns have strayed further away from success than others, to put it mildly. Man Utd's worst Champions League campaigns - ranked 11. 2012/13 Alex Ferguson's final European game as Manchester United manager was a defeat to Real Madrid / ANDREW YATE...