Author: Barkha Roy

According to reports in Germany, Naby Keita is “unhappy” at Liverpool and may leave the club, though Merseyside journalists have dismissed the possibility of a move. The 27-year-old is in his fifth season at Anfield, and despite being a once-record signing, the Guinean has struggled to make an impact as many had hoped. He has made 117 appearances for the club, starting 72 of them, and his highest tally of games was 40 that came in last season. Injuries have marred Keita’s time at Liverpool, but reports have stated that the club is looking to sign him to a new…

The family of a young man sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia after being arrested at the age of 15 has written to Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain striker Lionel Messi, the country’s new tourism ambassador, pleading with him to intervene in the case. Mohammed al Faraj was arrested in 2017 for alleged crimes against the Saudi government, and prosecutors have requested the death penalty, despite his family’s claims that he was tortured into a confession. Credit: Reprieve US The decision to contact Messi, who was named Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador in May, is yet another sign that the country’s efforts…

Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC announced the signing of Indian international centre-back Sandesh Jhingan on a one-year contract ahead of the 2022-23 season on August 14. The 29-year-old, who most recently played for ATK Mohun Bagan, joined Simon Grayson’s squad for an open training session at the Bangalore Football Stadium, and is no stranger to the club, having previously played on loan for the Blues during their Federation Cup-winning 2016-17 season. “There were a few factors that made the decision to come back to Bengaluru FC easy. I’ve spent a season here before and the amount of love and support I’ve received…

The world governing body of football, has banned AIFF with immediate effect for the first time since its inception in 1937. As such, the women’s U17 World Cup will not be held in India until the ban is lifted, and no Indian team will be able to compete in international competitions or friendlies until the ban is lifted. The ban eliminates ATK Mohun Bagan’s opportunity to compete in the inter-zonal semi-finals of the AFC Cup, an Asian inter-country competition, in September. Gokulam Kerala will also not be able to represent India at the Asian women’s club championships next week. It also means that India’s…

Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal of the season in just 82 seconds to mark his return for Inter Milan. But it was Denzel Dumfries’ stoppage-time winner that gave Inter a 2-1 victory over newly promoted Lecce on Saturday, just as the Nerazzurri appeared to be heading for a surprise draw. The Belgian returned to Inter on loan this offseason, a year after leaving to join Chelsea shortly after leading the Nerazzurri to the Serie A title. The Belgian began his second stint at Inter against the same team he faced on his debut three years ago, scoring in a…

Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored on his emotional return to Leipzig, but it was not enough to secure their first win of the season, as Koln drew 2-2 on Saturday. Leipzig played the majority of the game with 10 men after Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was shown a straight red card just before halftime for an elbow to the throat of Cologne’s Florian Kainz. Werner’s long-range strike dipped under goalkeeper Marvin Schwaebe’s body and trickled across the line in the 36th minute, giving Leipzig the lead. However, Koln equalised just four minutes later when Florian Dietz dinked in from close range for his first Bundesliga goal.…

PSV Eindhoven will not sell Manchester United target Cody Gakpo before August 24. The striker has responded positively to Manchester United’s approach, and the 23-year-old winger would welcome a summer move to Old Trafford. United are stepping up their efforts to sign new players before the transfer deadline at the end of the month, following their Premier League opening weekend defeat at home to Brighton. According to the Daily Record, if they want to sign Dutch international Gakpo, they must now wait until PSV has completed their crucial Champions League play-off against Rangers. The Dutch club is refusing to let the…

As per reports, Premier League giants Chelsea are preparing a third offer for Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana, but they have other central-defensive targets in mind if that approach fails. Chelsea have already had two bids for the 21-year-old rejected, with Sky Sports News reporting that neither was competitive with Leicester’s asking price. The Foxes do not want to sell the Frenchman and are confident of keeping him after he signed a new five-year contract in March. Chelsea is likely to put that resolve to the test later this week. After joining Leicester for 31 million pounds from Saint-Etienne, Fofana had…

On August 8, Indian Super League shield winners of the 2021-22 campaign Jamshedpur FC announced the signing of midfielder Germanpreet Singh until 2024. The former Minerva Punjab player has played five seasons in the ISL for Chennaiyin. He scored once and assisted three times for the Marina Machans in 62 appearances in the league. He was also part of Chennai’s ISL-winning squad in 2017-18. https://twitter.com/JamshedpurFC/status/1556573561548324865 The seasoned midfielder expressed his delight after signing for the team from Tamil Nadu in a club statement. “I wanted to take on a new challenge after playing with Chennaiyin FC for 5 years. When Jamshedpur came calling it…

Robert Lewandowski netted his maiden goal for Barcelona, and Pedri scored twice in a 6-0 win over Pumas UNAM in the Joan Gamper Trophy at Camp Nou on August 7. The Pole scored inside the first two minutes, and a Pedri brace and an Ousmane Dembele goal extended Barcelona’s lead to four goals by the 20th minute. In the second half, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong completed the scoring as Xavi Hernandez’s side completed an unbeaten preseason with their fourth win in six matches. Barcelona’s LaLiga season begins on August 13 at home against Rayo Vallecano. Despite a trophyless season last season, there is renewed excitement at Barcelona…