Month: March 2023

According to L’Équipe AS Monaco have been priced-out in a deal for Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumaré after the Monagasques’ management deemed a €20m price-tag to be too high for the player – as the side are still searching for a replacement for Aurélien Tchouameni, who joined Real Madrid for a €100m fee earlier this transfer window.

Monaco submitted a €15m bid for the Leicester City midfielder – but the Premier League side were holding out for a €20m fee for Soumaré. The principality side were initially pushing for a loan deal, but the option was ruled out by Leicester.

Having edged slowly into Brendan Rodger’s starting eleven at Leicester in the Premier League at the start of last season, the midfielder has quite rapidly dropped out of the Foxes’ side – playing only two matches in the last 17. In total, Soumaré played 19 times in the Premier League, and made 14 appearances in the Europa League – scoring one goal in each competition.

The former Paris Saint-Germain youth prospect was  part of Lille’s Ligue 1 winning side in 2020/2021 – and has only sent one year away from France after moving to Leicester for €17m. 

 

 

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L’Équipe report this morning that French forward Marcus Thuram has turned down an offer from Nice, who had made the Borussia Mönchengladbach man their priority signing for the number 9 position this summer.

The 25-year-old, who opened his Bundesliga campaign with a goal against Hoffenheim over the weekend, had made his decision known shortly before the game, after weeks of discussions over a potential return to Ligue 1.

The former Guingamp man, who has one year left on his contract with the German club, ideally wants to be playing in a club which is on the European stage so as to compete for a place in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the World Cup, over a year after his last call-up.

To get there, he wants to have a better season than last – he has already bettered his tally in all competition from last year with a hat-trick in the cup – and play in the Champions League, which Nice cannot offer with their Conference League qualifying status.

Lucien Favre had called him multiple times and ensured that he had high ambitions for Les Aiglons, but Thuram – who also wants to move to the number 9 position permanently – wanted to play at the highest level now, with his current team missing out on Europe entirely.

Thuram was also on Borussia Dortmund’s shortlist for a Sébastien Haller replacement, but his signing proved too costly and Anthony Modeste was chosen. The 25-year-old is said to have attracted interest from Italy instead.

 

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As reported by Foot Mercato, the former Watford, Everton, Sevilla, Barcelona and AC Milan winger Gerard Deulofeu is interesting Ligue 1 club Marseille this summer ahead of their return to the Champions League this season.

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The 28-year-old Spanish international is currently with Udinese in Serie A but is attracting interest from across the continent this off-season, say the outlet. Villarreal, Napoli, Torino and Atalanta are also keen on the player who joined Udinese in January 2021.

Napoli were in talks over a €16m move last month while Villarreal have also been described as a front runner and Real Sociedad and Roma also enquired with Udinese over their €15m asking price for Deulofeu back in June. However, the player’s agent says his client has not ruled out staying with Udinese for another year.

Deulofeu enjoyed the most productive campaign of his top-flight career last season, scoring 13 goals and adding five assists over 34 games in Serie A for the Udine side.

South Africa are "determined to get onto the right side of the scoreboard" after two defeats in the Autumn Nations Series but head coach Jacques Nienaber says it will be tough against a confident Italy on Saturday.The 50-year-old on Tuesday made four changes in personnel and two positional switches to his starting line-up from the one that lost 30-26 to Six Nations champions France last Saturday.VOTE FOR EMILY CHANCELLOR AND LALAKAI FOKETI FOR WORLD RUGBY TRY OF THE YEARThe world champions — who lost 19-16 to Ireland in their opener — will face an Italy side with its tails up after recording their first ever victory over Australia last Saturday."Italy's victory against Australia will boost their confidence immensely going into this match," said Nienaber."They defeated Wales away in the Six Nations and tested Scotland as well, so we are under no illusions as to the challenge that lies ahead."Italy have shown before what a force they can be at home by defeating the Boks 20-18 in Florence (November 2016), and they will draw confidence from that as well."Nienaber has brought in Andre Esterhuizen to partner Damian de Allende in the centres — veteran Jesse Kriel dropping out altogether — whilst No8 Jasper Wiese returns having had to miss the France game due to concussion.Franco Mostert has been switched from lock to the backrow as Pieter-Steph du Toit faces a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after his red card in the French Test.Nienaber has installed an all new second row of Marvin Orie and Salmaan Moerat — veteran Eben Etzebeth dropping to the bench. "A couple of players have been training very hard in the last few weeks and deserve a chance to start," said Nienaber."Lood's (de Jager) injury and Pieter-Steph's disciplinary hearing opened the door for us to give them an opportunity."Salmaan and Marvin are both Stormers players, so they have been playing together for a while, and they are very hungry for game time, so we are looking forward to what they bring in the game."Nienaber says they have been working hard to fine tune things that have not gone right for them in their two matches so far. "We believe we are on the right track after coming close against Ireland and France," he said."If we can produce a strong showing up front and be a little more accurate in our execution, we know we can turn things around on tour."Springboks (15-1): Willie le Roux; Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Damian Willemse, Faf de Klerk; Jasper Wiese, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (capt); Marvin Orie, Salmaan Moerat; Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox NcheReplacements: Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Kwagga Smith, Evan Roos, Cobus Reinach, Manie LibbokClick Here: Malaysia Rugby Shop

Saber Desfarges is reporting that Red Bull Salzburg’s Mohamed Camara (22) has passed his medical at AS Monaco and is set to sign for the Principality club on Sunday. 

It had earlier been reported by L’Équipe that Camara was set to sign for the Principality club as Aurélien Tchouaméni’s (22) replacement. According to Desfarges, Camara has now passed his medical and is set to conclude his transfer from Austrian side RB Salzburg. 

Camara was reportedly spotted at the Stade Louis II on Saturday during the club’s 1-1 draw against Rennes. Post-match, Monaco manager Philippe Clement said that, “It’s clear. We have said that there is another midfielder coming.”

That arrival now looks imminent with the arrival of Camara. Despite the deal for the Mali international being concluded, Monaco also continue to be linked with Leicester City’s Boubakary Soumaré (23). He was left out of Leicester’s most recent matchday squad, with manager Brendan Rodgers revealing that “there is an opportunity that has come that interests him.”

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The Wallabies will be desperate to bounce back as they travel to Dublin to face Ireland.Dave Rennie's men were shocked by Italy, suffering their second-straight one point defeat after going down in Florence.They face an Irish side brimming with confidence, eager to cement their status as the number-one team in the world.The hosts are coming off a comfortable 35-17 win over Fiji, set to welcome back a host of stars, including Johnny Sexton.Here is everything you need to know about Ireland v WallabiesWHEN DO THE WALLABIES PLAY NEXT?The Wallabies will next play Ireland on November 20 (AEDT) in FlorenceIt will be the fourth match in a gruelling five-Test Spring Tour, followed by a trip to Cardiff to take on WalesDave Rennie's men started the tour with a win over Scotland before narrow defeats to France and Italy.HOW TO WATCH WALLABIES v IRELAND IN AUSTRALIA?The Wallabies' clash with Ireland will be shown LIVE on Stan Sport.Coverage will be live and ad-free on Stan Sport, slated to start at 6:40 am AEDT with kickoff expected at 7:00 am AEDT.The game will not be shown on free-to-air like in previous years, with anti-siphoning laws only covering home and All Blacks Tests.HOW TO WATCH WALLABIES V IRELAND OVERSEASNew Zealand: Sky SportsSouth Africa/Africa and adjacent islands: SuperSportArgentina/South America/North America: ESPNUSA:FloSportsCanada: TSNIreland and UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man): Sky UKFrance/Andorra/Monaco/Luxembourg: Canal+Japan: WowowPacific: DigicelItaly, Vatican City, San Marino and Canton Ticino, Switzerland: Sky ItaliaSpain/Andorra:TelefonicaAsia-Pacific, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marianas, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Nepal,Northern Marianas, North Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Singapore,South Korea, Tajikistan, Taiwan (Republic of China), Thailand, Timor-Leste,Vietnam: Premier SportsAfrica and adjacent islands:SuperSportSPRING TOUR FIXTURESWallabies 16 def Scotland 15, Sunday 30 October, 3:30am AEDT at BT Murrayfield, EdinburghWallabies 29 def by France 30, Sunday 6 November, 7:00am AEDT at Stade de France, ParisWallabies 27 def by Italy 28, Sunday 13 November, 12:00am AEDT at Stadio Artemio Franchi, FlorenceWallabies v Ireland, Sunday 20 November, 7:00am AEDT at Aviva Stadium, DublinWallabies v Wales, Sunday 27 November, 2:15am AEDT at Principality Stadium, CardiffWHEN IS THE WALLABIES v IRELAND KICK OFF?The Test between the Wallabies and Ireland will kick off at 7:00 am AEDT at Aviva Stadium on Sunday November 20 (AEDT)Coverage will be ad-free from 6:40 am AEDT and continue throughout the game on Stan Sport.IRELAND v WALLABIES TEAMSWALLABIES (15-1): Andrew Kellaway; Mark Nawaqanitawase, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Tom Wright; Bernard Foley, Nic White; Rob Valetini, Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway; Cadeyrn Neville, Nick Frost; Allan Alaalatoa, David Porecki, James Slipper (capt)Replacements: Folau Fainga'a, Tom Robertson, Taniela Tupou, Will Skelton, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Jordan PetaiaClick here for all your team news for the WallabiesIRELAND (15-1):   Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O'Brien; Johnny Sexton (capt), Jamison Gibson-Park; Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Andrew PorterReplacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Bundee AkiClick here for all your team news for Ireland Click Here: f1 t shirt,mens f1 jacket

Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney has claimed that the players were supportive of the governing body’s decision to axe head coach Eddie Jones.

After a disappointing 2022, which saw the Red Rose win just five of their 12 matches, the RFU decided to sack Jones just nine months out from the Rugby World Cup.

Steve Borthwick has since taken charge and oversees his first game when they take on Scotland in the Six Nations next month.

Players have publicly come out in support of Jones since his departure, but privately Sweeney says that they understand why the governing body have taken action.

Supporting the decision

“I spoke to a number [of players], Conor [O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance rugby] spoke to a number. The conversations I had, without naming players because I don’t think it would be fair or reasonable to do that, were disappointed in terms of the decision of Eddie going but [had] a real understanding and support for the decision being made,” he told The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.

“The ones that I spoke to said, ‘look we’re disappointed for Eddie, we like Eddie but we understand why the decision was taken’ and without naming players said, ‘we think it’s the right decision’. In terms of changing what needed to be changed to go into 2023 in a stronger position.

“One of them said to me, ‘I was misquoted in the media because what I said was I was disappointed for Eddie but I wasn’t disappointed in the RFU decision but that was reported as I’m disappointed in the decision’. So the ones I spoke to got the overall situation.”

Sweeney also insisted that the fans’ reaction during the recent Autumn Nations Series was not the reason Jones was sacked.

England were booed off following their defeat to South Africa in the final match of the year, a performance and result which showed that the Red Rose were some way behind the world’s best.

Not clicking

“Some things weren’t quite clicking, weren’t working the way we all thought they were going to work, probably the way Eddie thought they were going to work,” the CEO added.

“We reached the situation following the review where we felt some changes had to be made that probably Eddie wasn’t able to put into place just because of the tenure of the job.

“You sense the fans’ frustration. Nobody wants to hear booing at Twickenham after the South Africa match but that wouldn’t be a reason to make a decision to change the head coach, it was other factors.”

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According to L’Équipe, Steve Mandanda is expected to be out of action for up to three weeks with a knee sprain after being injured at half-time at Monaco-Rennes on Saturday (1-1).

Rennes goalkeeper Steve Mandanda (37) sustained an injury during the club’s 1-1 draw against Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Saturday. 

Mandanda had an action-packed half. A clash with Breel Embolo gifted Monaco a penalty, which he then saved, before he also made an impressive stop from Krépin Diatta. 

However, during the clash between Embolo, which Monaco manager Philippe Clement believed warranted a red rather than a yellow card, Mandanda sustained an injury. He was then substituted at half-time

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Bruno Génésio revealed the reason for Mandanda’s substitution. He said, “He hurt his knee in the penalty action, and we’re waiting to know more about the injury.”

Rennes captain Hamari Traoré added, “I hope that it won’t be serious and that we can get him back quickly, but he did take a big hit.” Mandanda joined Rennes for free this summer after his contract at Marseille expired. 

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Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has backed Tom Wright to step up at fullback with the position wide open heading into next year's World Cup.Wright will start at the back for the third time in 2022, selected alongside Mark Nawaqanitawase and Jordan Petaia to face Wales on Sunday morning (Australian time).Rennie believes his communication was the deciding factor over Jock Campbell, with the Red returning via the bench as one of several changes from Ireland.“We definitely discussed playing Jock (at fullback) but we just felt that if we played Jock, Mark (Nawaqanitawase) and Jordy (Petaia), there’s not a lot of voice there and that’s going to be really important," Rennie explained to reporters.“We could have Tom the wing and then left one of the other guys out, but they were both excellent last week and we wanted to give them a chance to start together.“Jock’s very much in the mix. It’s the modern game, he’ll make a contribution, but it’ll be off the bench.”Wright slots in for Andrew Kellaway, who has returned to Australia with a foot injury as the 15 jersey remains a poisoned chalice of sorts for the Wallabies.It started in the first 20 minutes of the International season with Tom Banks broke his arm against England, joined by Kellaway after he injured his hamstring in between the first two TestsJordan Petaia lasted four minutes in Brisbane before suffering a concussion whilst Wright and Reece Hodge filled in at the position throughout the Rugby Championship.Rennie was very open about his assessment of the position. Whilst there are plenty of options, a true first-choice is yet to step up in his eyes.“No,” he responded when asked if he knew his preferred fullback. “I think what we’ve found out this year because we’ve used a lot of 15s is we’ve got some genuine strong options here now. “We’ve played Andrew Kellaway there, we’ve played Tom Banks and Tom Wright. Jordy was down to play there at one stage. We’ve used (Reece) Hodgie back there, we’ve used Jock Campbell. “I think we’ve genuinely developed some really strong options back there, but as to who’s got the nod from a World Cup point of view, it’s pretty tight.”It's a different scenario at flyhalf, with Rennie admitting he has a clear idea of who leads that race even if for now, he'll keep who it is close to his chest.It comes as Ben Donaldson prepares to be the fifth flyhalf to start for the Wallabies this year (Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, James O'Connor, Noah Lolesio), preferred over Lolesio after the Brumby was an unused sub against the Irish.Donaldson came on in the last five minutes of his debut against Italy, providing some nice touches before missing a tough game-winning conversion after the siren.Rennie and the Wallabies are keen to get a further look at the Waratah, who has impressed with his speed and command of the backline.As for Lolesio, consistency remains key for the young playmaker in Rennie's eyes. “(Noah) wants to start…We talk about earning the right to start and earning the right to play. He’s played a lot of good footy for us in some big games but you’ve got to back that up consistently,” Rennie notes.“He played well against South Africa, he got a head knock, couldn’t play the first Test against the All Blacks. Bernard (Foley) played really well and he gives a lot of voice and a lot of experience and that’s helped.“So they’re areas where Noah is trying to develop: his game awareness, his ability to implement and run a game. It was not easy for him against Italy, we didn’t go that well in front of him.“We could easily have started Noah but want to find out a bit more about ‘Donno.’ He’s training really well, he’s got points of difference and we want to see what that’s like under the blow torch."Click Here: mens wallabies jersey

Foot Mercato are reporting that Serie A side Sassuolo are close to completing the signing of Lorient winger Armand Laurienté (23). 

The Italian side look set to beat league rivals Torino to the signature of the France U21 international. Sassuolo have been attempting to sign the forward since the beginning of the month, and there remains only a few small details to be sorted before he becomes a Sassuolo player. 

Laurienté was a mainstay in a Lorient side that avoided relegation last season. He made 35 Ligue 1 appearances for the Breton club, scoring six times and registering two assists. He has already opened his campaign this season with a sumptuous freekick during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Toulouse. 

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Whilst the fee for the player has not yet been revealed, Loïc Tanzi revealed back in July that Torino had submitted a €9m bid for the Frenchman, who came through the ranks at Rennes.