Allan Saint-Maximin has confirmed he is to leave Newcastle this summer.
The French winger has been heavily linked with a £30million move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
The 26-year-old has sat out much of the Magpies’ pre-season programme and has now posted a farewell message on his Instagram account.
In it he professes his love for the club and reflects on their journey from relegation strugglers to last season’s impressive fourth-placed Premier League finish.
He wrote: “I fell for Newcastle, I had great opportunities to leave during dark days, but that was too late I was already in love, I wanted, I needed, I had to stay for helping my team to save the club from Premier League relegation because it meant the world for me.
“Of course d…
Luis Enrique has vowed to get the best out of superstar Kylian Mbappe as he attempts to address Paris St Germain’s stuttering form.
The Ligue 1 champions return to domestic action at Rennes on Sunday still smarting from their 4-1 Champions League drubbing at Newcastle on Wednesday evening, during which Mbappe cut a frustrated figure.
However speaking at his pre-match press conference, PSG boss Enrique dismissed concerns over the striker’s fitness – he limped out of the 4-0 win over Marseille a fortnight ago with an ankle injury, but has started the two games since – and backed him to return to his best form.
He said: “Kylian is 100 per cent. Like all players, his fitness varies throughout the season. Not everything can be black and white.
“He�…
Anita Asante featured at three Women s European Championships, and big-stage experience makes the former England defender a shrewd judge of the teams that will go for glory this month.
The Euro 2022 finals kick off when England face Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford on Wednesday, with the tournament climaxing in the July 31 final at Wembley.
Spain start as many people s favourites, but defending champions the Netherlands, hosts England, France, Germany and Sweden are also firmly in the frame.
Stats Perform sat down with 71-cap star Asante ahead of the tournament getting under way.
The 37-year-old spoke of how a Dutch striker reminds her of the great Dennis Bergkamp, her hopes for England and belief in the Lionesses Dutch boss Sarina Wiegman, and why S…
Chelsea will play Ajax in the Women’s Champions League quarter-finals, with defending champions Barcelona potential opponents in the semis.
Emma Hayes’ side will play the first leg of the last-eight tie in the Netherlands on March 19 or 20 before hosting the second the following week.
The winner will then over two legs in April face the victors of the quarter-final between Barca – 3-2 winners against Wolfsburg in the 2022-23 final for their second title – and Norwegian outfit Brann.
Who will make it to Bilbao? ||
— UEFA Women’s Champions League (@UWCL)
Chelsea, whose best run in the competition came when they were runners-up in 2021, losing 4-0 to Barca in the final, are aiming for glory in what is the final season of Hayes’ len…
England goalkeeper Mary Earps has joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after leaving Manchester United.
Earps United future had been in doubt for some time as she ran down the final 12 months of her contract last season, having previously been linked with Arsenal and PSG.
On Saturday, the Euro 2022 winner confirmed she was leaving United after five years with the club, having made 125 appearances for them across all competitions.
On Monday, her anticipated move to France was finalised as she penned a two-year deal with Les Parisiennes, who finished as Premiere Ligue runners-up to Lyon last term.
The Lionesses shot-stopper said: Together, we’re going to give our all to help the club shine and make our fans proud.
I m determined to cont…
Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Joao Palhinha from Fulham in a deal reportedly worth an initial €50million (£42m).
Bayern came close to signing Palhinha last September, only for Fulham to pull the plug on a deadline-day transfer when they failed to sign a replacement.
He has played a key role for Marco Silva s men since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2022, leading all players in the division for tackles won in 2022-23 (84) and ranking second by the same metric in 2023-24 (75).
The Portugal midfielder has penned a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants, who he says were the only club he wished to sign for.
It s a dream come true for me and I m very proud of that, he told the club s website.
I m looking forward to…
Manchester United are interested in signing Eberechi Eze from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, according to . The report has claimed that the United scouts are closely monitoring Eze and have been impressed with him.
However, it would not be easy for United to get a deal done for Eze. Football Transfers has noted that the 26-year-old, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, has a £60 million release clause in his contract, and that United will have to sell one of their big-name players, such as Bruno Fernandes or Marcus Rashford, to fund a move for Eze.
Eze, who has played nine times for England, has made 119 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. The attacker has scored 27 goals and given 15 assists in those matches. Palace are…
The Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane has survived a slight Euro 2016 scare after undergoing successful knee surgery.
Keane, who leads the Ireland charts for all-time scorer and appearances with 67 goals in 143 caps, received good news after completing the operation, as confirmed by his club LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy captain will only miss four to six weeks after going under the knife on Thursday.
The club statement read: LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane underwent successful surgery on his right knee Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Bert R. Mandelbaum at the Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group and Kerlan-Jobe Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
The Galaxy captain is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
Ke…
Gibraltar ended their longest-ever losing run following a 0-0 draw with Wales, a team ranked 174 places above them in the FIFA rankings.
Julio Cesar Ribas side had not won since seeing off Andorra 1-0 back in November 2022.
Since then, they had lost all 13 of their matches by an aggregate score of 0-50.
Yet Gibraltar proved rock solid against a youthful Wales team on Thursday, with Josh Sheehan s inswining corner coming back off the crossbar in the visitors best opportunity.
Indeed, Wales failed to truly trouble Gibraltar goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins otherwise, despite registering 16 shots and having an xG of 1.13.
Wales did, though, equal their longest unbeaten run in Robert Page s tenure in all competitions (W4 D5), the last time they managed tha…
Real Madrid win their 11th European title / Image via instagram.com
Real Madrid were crowned European champions for the 11th time after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Atletico Madrid in Milano on Saturday night.
Sergio Ramos scored in the first half from a questionable position to earn Real Madrid a lead before Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty after the break. However, substitute Yannick Carrasco sent the Champions League final into extra-time with a close-range finish in the closing stages of the match.
Both teams were pretty secure from the white spot and it wasn’t before Juanfran’s shot met the post that Cristiano Ronaldo struck the winning goal to win the coveted trophy.
Here are the five things we learned from the…