Newcastle could reportedly move for Dusan Vlahovic as Juventus hope for a late summer bid amid the ongoing Alexander Isak saga. The Serie A giants are reportedly keen to offload the Serbian striker, hoping to balance their financial books with a €38 million (£33m/$44m) sale.

Juventus hope for Newcastle bid for VlahovicIsak’s exit could pave the way for a dealVlahovic open to staying in TurinFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Italian outlets and Tutto Juve, the Bianconeri believe that Vlahovic’s hefty wage demands have become a burden, and the club wants to reduce their financial strain. With AC Milan no longer pursuing the striker after their successful signing of Victor Boniface, Juventus have pinned their hopes on a potential Newcastle bid.

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Should Isak complete his move to Anfield, Newcastle would be left in urgent need of a replacement. That’s where Vlahovic comes into the picture, with Juventus hoping to take advantage of this opening in the final days of the transfer window.

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Despite Juventus’ efforts to move Vlahovic, the striker’s situation is far from straightforward. The 25-year-old has been adamant about his desire to stay in Turin until the end of his contract, which runs through the current season. Speaking to , journalist Fabiana Della Valle discussed Vlahovic’s professional attitude and clear ambitions for his future.

"Well, then I have to say that he doesn’t have any major problems in the locker room because he’s always been very professional in training, and he still is—Tudor said so, by the way,” he said.

“A few days ago, when the fans booed him during the friendly against Next Gen, he’s someone who makes his teammates like him. He was clear with Juventus, both he and his agent. They said they want to earn, and rightly so, the €12m he’s entitled to under his contract in his last season at Juventus. So, he doesn’t want to leave, he wants to stay until his contract expires, and he still has high ambitions. The Premier League, for example, is a destination he’d like, or maybe Spain with Real Madrid.”

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With Callum Wilson departing the club and Alexander Isak’s potential exit looming, the Magpies are under pressure to secure a proven goal scorer. However, time is running out, and they may need to act fast if they want to add Vlahovic to their ranks. They have already seen their £40m ($54m) transfer bid for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa turned down, which further complicates matters for the Tyneside club. 

New Liverpool star Hugo Ekitike earned a late call-up to the France squad as he replaced the injured Rayan Cherki in the national team. Ekitike got off to a dream start to his Reds career as he scored two goals in his first couple of matches for the Reds in the Premier League. His efforts were duly recognised by Didier Deschamps and was included in the French side for their World Cup qualifiers.

Ekitike earns late France call-upCherki out with thigh injuryScored twice in first two Liverpool matchesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ekitike scored in his first two Premier League appearances for Liverpool against Bournemouth and Newcastle and his red-hot form has helped the striker earn a late call-up to the France national team after Manchester City's Rayan Cherki withdrew due to a severe injury.

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Cherki, along with Phil Foden, missed the trip to Brighton on Sunday after sustaining a thigh injury. After the Cityzens went down 2-1 against the Seagulls at Amex Stadium, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the former Lyon star has been ruled out of action for two months. The Spanish coach told reporters: "He’s out for two months. Seven or eight weeks."

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Ekitike, who has dual French-Cameroonian nationality, had the chance to play for the African nation but snubbed them and chose the European one.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR EKITIKE?

The 23-year-old will hope to earn his maiden international cap during France's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland on September 5 and 9 respectively.

Mikel Arteta has lavished new signing Eberechi Eze with praise ahead of his long-awaited Arsenal debut as the Gunners prepare to take on Liverpool.

• Arteta sings Eze's praises
• Claims boyhood Gooner has "special aura around him"
• Englishman expected to make Arsenal debut on Sunday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Eze has quickly impressed new manager Arteta, who has been full of praise for the attacker ahead of his potential competitive debut for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield this Sunday. The Spanish head coach explained the impact Eze has had on him since joining the club last Saturday and had nothing but positive things to say about the club's newest addition.

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  The boyhood Gooner marks his return to Arsenal 14 years after he was released from the club's academy as a 13-year-old. Eze will don the iconic No.10 shirt at the Emirates after arriving on a four-year deal in a move worth £67.5 million (€78m/$91m) including add-ons. The former Crystal Palace man was initially headed to Tottenham Hotspur, but one phone call to Arteta changed his fate in what has been described as his dream move.

• WHAT ARTETA SAID

  While addressing the media on Friday, Arteta said: “I’m really impressed with him. I heard a lot of things about him. I spoke to a lot of people about him. He’s really bright, has very special energy and a special aura around him. He's really willing.

  “He's already gathered a lot of information on the things that we want to see on the pitch. But especially, making sure that he has the freedom and the capacity to express his quality, which is the reason why we brought him here.

  “I think when you are next to him, you are comfortable. He's got a big smile. He asks you the right questions. And then just let him flow with that ball and the ability he has to pick passes, to drive past people effortlessly and just to understand the timing of things, very impressive."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR EZE?

  The England international has been training with his new team-mates since joining the club and could make his bow on Sunday at Anfield. When asked if Eze would slot straight into the lineup against the defending champions, Arteta didn't give away much. “We have options in that position and that's a good thing that we have this year," the Gunners' gaffer added. "So let's see. I'm not going to give you any clues obviously.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Já classificados para a final do Carioca, Flamengo e Fluminense dependem de definição oficial da Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Ferj) com relação às datas. No entanto, além de alinhar com os detentores dos direitos de transmissão, a entidade ganhou mais uma questão: os possíveis conflitos de interesses com a estreia da Libertadores.

+Conselheiros do Flamengo articulam extensão de mandato presidencial; Landim admite ‘conversas superficiais’

01 e 02 (ida) e 08 e 09 de abril (volta) são os dias reservados pela Ferj para realizar a final do Estadual. Por serem dois dos melhores times do Brasil, contudo, Flamengo e Fluminense estarão na Libertadores e vão estrear entre os dois jogos, nos possíveis 04 (terça), 05 (quarta) e 06 (quinta).

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ENTENDA A SITUAÇÃO DAS DATAS

01 e 02 de abril – 1º jogo da final do Carioca
04, 05 e 06 de abril – Possível estreia na Libertadores
08 e 09 de abril – 2º jogo da final do Carioca

Além de alinhar a melhor data possível para Flamengo e Fluminense, a Ferj também precisa atender os interesses da Band TV, detentora dos direitos de transmissão. Os domingos (02 e 09) são as datas preferidas da emissora, embora o horário ainda não esteja 100%. O canal tem adotado às 18h (de Brasília) como preferido ao longo do Carioca.

+Dependência? Cano vive fase artilheira no Fluminense, mas restante do time destoa

Flamengo e Fluminense chegaram à final após derrotarem Vasco e Volta Redonda, respectivamente. Enquanto o Rubro-Negro teve mais dificuldades (6 a 3 no agregado), o Tricolor atropelou o Voltaço com 8 a 2 no placar global.

*Atualização: após a publicação da nota, a Ferj definiu as datas da decisão. Houve uma mudança para abrigar todas as possibilidades de estreias na Libertadores. O primeiro duelo será no sábado (01), se protegendo de jogos na terça (04), enquanto a volta acontecerá no domingo (09), se protegendo de jogos na quinta (06). De acordo com a entidade, a decisão foi tomada em conjunto pelos clubes.

Neymar has contradicted Carlo Ancelotti’s explanation for his Brazil absence, claiming that snub has “nothing to do with my physical condition”.

Santos superstar overlooked for qualifiersEager to grace World Cup finals next summerAdamant that he is nursing on injury issuesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 33-year-old superstar was one of several household names to be left out of the latest Selecao squad. Neymar is back in his homeland at Santos and eager to grace the World Cup finals next summer.

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He will not be gracing the final rounds of qualifiers ahead of that event, with Brazil already assured of their tickets to FIFA’s flagship event, with the decision taken to leave him out of meetings with Chile and Bolivia.

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Ancelotti claimed that Neymar was overlooked due to another knock, with the Italian coach saying: “Neymar isn't in this second squad because he had a minor problem last week, but he doesn't need to prove anything. Everyone knows Neymar, the national team, and all the Brazilian fans. Neymar, like everyone else, needs to be in good physical shape to help the team perform well and try to give their best at the World Cup.”

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GettyWHAT NEYMAR SAID

Neymar insists he is fully fit, telling reporters after lining up against fellow Brazil legend Thiago Silva in Santos’ goalless draw with Fluminense: “I had swelling in my adductor muscle. It was annoying, but nothing serious, I even played today. Against Bahia, I wasn't going to play (suspension) so they preferred to keep me out of training so I could recover.

“I think I was left out (by Brazil) for technical reasons, I think it has nothing to do with my physical condition.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Água Santa está preparado para a final contra o Palmeiras, pelo Paulistão. Após 12 dias desde a semifinal, o executivo de futebol, Júlio Rondinelli, juntamente com a diretoria do clube, entenderam a situação jurídica dos atletas e, respaldados pela CBF e FPF, vão contar com o time completo para os dois jogos da decisão.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Após classificar para final de forma inédita, o Netuno teve a frente a notícia que os contratos da maioria dos atletas terminariam antes do segundo jogo da final. Dessa forma, a diretoria correu atrás para conseguir a liberação, sem atrapalhar os atletas, que vão buscar novos clubes após o final do campeonato, já que o Água Santa não tem mais calendário no resto do ano.

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– Chegamos a final, um feito histórico, e desde o primeiro momento em que vimos a situação, fomos atrás para entender a melhor forma, com que não fossemos prejudicados, mas ao mesmo tempo, não prejudicarmos os atletas. Depois de conversar com a CBF e FPF, tivemos um respaldo jurídico de que, mesmo com a janela fechada após o segundo jogo, nossos atletas não vão ter problemas para assinar com outros clubes – explicou Júlio Rondinelli.

Com campanha histórica, o Água Santa chegou pela primeira vez nas quartas de final, semi e na final. Em sua terceira participação na elite do futebol paulista, o Netuno deixou para trás São Paulo e Red Bull Bragantino, clubes da Série A do Brasileiro.

+Recordista em finais pelo Palmeiras, Rony prega concentração para chegar ao título: ‘Decidido nos detalhes’

– É gratificante, é mais do que a concretização de um trabalho bem feito. Fomos de objetivo em objetivo, o primeiro era se manter na elite e com uma grande campanha conseguimos com tranquilidade. O segundo era a classificação, também bem concretizado. A partir das quartas, era se preparar bem e surpreender os adversários, e conseguimos, deixamos dois grandes clubes para trás e realizamos esse sonho de chegar a final. Não tem preço, estamos muito felizes, mas queremos mais – comemorou Júlio.

Na primeira fase, um jogo disputado, terminou com a vitória do Palmeiras por 1 x 0, em jogo disputado em Diadema. Para Júlio Rondinelli, agora é uma nova fase e o Netuno está se preparando para surpreender de novo.

– Na primeira fase, fizemos um grande jogo contra o Palmeiras, mas infelizmente saímos com a derrota. Agora é uma nova fase, é final, são dois jogos da vida para nós e estamos nos preparando desde a semifinal, são 12 dias focados totalmente no nosso adversário. Tenho certeza que o elenco está preparado e que vamos dar muito trabalho – disse o executivo.

+Palmeiras encerra preparação para enfrentar o Água Santa na final do Paulistão; veja provável time

O primeiro jogo da decisão do Paulistão, entre Água Santa e Palmeiras, acontece no domingo, 2, às 16h, na Arena Barueri. O Netuno chegou pela primeira vez na final e busca seu primeiro título da competição em sua história.

Jack Grealish’s flying start to life at Everton has already sparked huge reactions, with Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland branding him “Jack De Bruyne” after another influential performance. The England international registered two more assists in Everton’s win over Wolves, taking his tally to four in just two games and drawing flattering comparisons to Kevin De Bruyne.

• Haaland calls Grealish “Jack De Bruyne” after Everton win
• Grealish delivers two more assists, making four in two games
• Everton loanee thriving after limited game time at Man City

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Grealish has quickly settled at Goodison Park after making a surprise loan switch from Manchester City to Everton this summer. Against Wolves, the winger set up Beto for the opener and was pivotal in the build-up to Iliman Ndiaye’s strike before providing the assist for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s winner. That performance made him the first Everton player to record two assists in consecutive Premier League games for his new side, and Haaland is loving his close friend's resurgence.

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• WHAT HAALAND SAID

  On Snapchat, Haaland posted a snap with the caption: “Jack De Bruyne does it again for Everton."

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  For Grealish, this represents a much-needed resurgence after struggling for game time at Manchester City last season, where he made just seven league starts. Everton have given him the platform to rediscover his creativity and confidence, instantly making him a central figure under David Moyes. His early form suggests he could be one of the signings of the season if his momentum continues, and he could also present a selection headache for Thomas Tuchel for the 2026 World Cup.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GREALISH?

  Everton fans will be eager to see if Grealish can maintain this electric start as they look to push for a stronger Premier League campaign. His creativity could prove decisive in lifting the Toffees away from relegation scraps and into mid-table safety. For City, his form raises questions about whether they might regret letting him leave, even temporarily.

Just days after gushing about the chance to live his Champions League dream, Facundo Buonanotte has been brutally snubbed. The 20-year-old Argentine, Chelsea’s latest summer recruit, has been left out of the Blues’ European squad in a decision that embarrassed the midfielder who had only just spoken of his excitement.

• Chelsea loanee Buonanotte cut from squad 
• Argentine star’s dream debut cruelly dashed 
• Blues face Bayern in opening clash  

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Buonanotte joined the West London giants on September 1 in a season-long loan deal from Brighton. It was Chelsea’s tenth signing of the window and their fifth attacking addition in what has been one of the busiest recruitment drives in club history. The deal, worth around £2 million in loan fees, was struck after Chelsea swooped in at the final moment to beat Leeds United, who had been close to securing him. The South American youngster arrived at Stamford Bridge with a solid reputation, having made 50 appearances for Brighton, scoring five goals, and already boasting two senior caps for Argentina.  

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  When signing, Buonanotte spoke with pride about joining Chelsea and specifically about playing under the bright lights of Europe’s biggest stage. 

  “It’s a massive step in my career,” he told club media. "I’m really happy to be here and ready to offer as much as I can to the team and the staff. I’m sure it will be a positive season. Of course, I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge. I’m really looking forward to this season and hopefully I can help the club to achieve its goals."

  Just two days later, those words were rendered hollow as his name was left off Chelsea’s official Champions League squad list.

• TELL ME MORE

  With Enzo Maresca dealing with an inflated squad packed with new arrivals, tough choices had to be made. Regulations restrict Champions League squads to 25 senior players, and while youngsters under 21 who have been at the club for more than two years can be added freely, Buonanotte does not qualify. As a result, Maresca wielded the axe, and Buonanotte, one of the most recent arrivals, was among the casualties. 

  While Buonanotte sits out, Chelsea have still managed to squeeze in other high-profile names. Alejandro Garnacho, snapped up from Manchester United this summer, has been included. Romeo Lavia, Tyrique George, and Josh Acheampong also qualify under UEFA’s youth exemption rules and will be available.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  UEFA’s strict financial regulations have intensified Chelsea’s selection headaches. In July, the club were slapped with a €31 million (£27m/$36m) fine and told they must ensure a positive transfer balance from last season’s Conference League squad to this season’s Champions League squad. That ruling forced the club to be extra cautious in how they constructed their European roster. 

South Africa’s batsmen are yet to make a hundred in the Test series, but they have scored seven 50-plus scores in the two Tests to India’s two, with most of their top order contributing runs at vital times

Firdose Moonda21-Jan-2018They say catches win matches, and we know wickets win matches but what about centuries? Do they also win matches?Instinct would say yes; evidence would say hell, yes, but South Africa’s recent performances against India also says hundreds are not essential to victory, not even to a series victory.The only three-figure score across the first two matches is Virat Kohli’s at Centurion, where he made up half his team’s first-innings score and took them to within 28 runs of South Africa’s.But it has not been enough. India have only one other individual score over 50; South Africa have seven in all, from five different players, and have totaled over 250 three times in four innings. India have only crossed 250 once and Faf du Plessis has hailed the team effort his men have put in to collectively crush the top-ranked Test side. “We feel as an opposition that India is very reliant on Virat to score runs,” du Plessis said. “So, that’s the difference. AB [de Villiers] has scored runs, Dean [Elgar], Aiden [Markram], I’ve scored runs. Everyone has chipped in.”De Villiers’ runs have included a tempo-changing 65 and 35 at Newlands and an impressive 80 in the second innings in Centurion when South Africa were reeling at 3 for 2, their lead only 31. He has made the biggest impact of South Africa’s batsmen but other contributions have mattered too. Du Plessis’ 62 was the steadying hand in Cape Town, when South Africa were reduced to 12 for 3, Markram’s 94 and Hashim Amla’s 80 allowed South Africa to set up well in Centurion, and Elgar’s 61 in the second innings at SuperSport Park sunk an anchor while de Villiers made waves at the other end.What’s interesting to note is that batsmen of different styles have scored runs for South Africa. Markram is aggressive in his run-scoring approach but Elgar is a grinder with a temperament similar to his opening predecessor Graeme Smith’s; Amla is known for attractive stroke-play, de Villiers has become even more forceful than before, and du Plessis remains the master of the blockathon while somehow managing to add runs at the same time.Du Plessis spoke about these differences as being the ability of his players to recognise their roles. Not everybody can be de Villiers and set the stadium alight and Elgar, for one, has understood that. “Those small nitty-gritty 70s, 80s, all count as well. In a close series like this, those are the knocks that are going to come in handy,” Elgar said.But the purists may still want to see a South African hundred in this series, especially as the Australia Tests loom and because a lack of big scores has been a problem for South Africa in recent times. There was only centurion in England last winter and only one in New Zealand in March. Both times that person was Elgar.Last year’s statistics are skewed by the 11 centuries South Africa scored in home series against Sri Lanka over the 2016-17 summer – five hundreds to five different players in three Tests – and Bangladesh in September-October last year where six hundreds were scored, two each by Elgar and Amla and one each by Markram and du Plessis.In those series, which were played at home against subcontinental opposition, on pitches that were mostly placid, especially against Bangladesh, and the opposition attacks barely barked, never mind bit.This contest against India is proving far tougher. Conditions have been tougher to bat in, and the Indian attack has mostly lived up to its billing of being the most varied and challenging to tour South Africa. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was particularly tough to play at Newlands and puzzlingly dropped in Centurion while Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya have all asked some questions of South Africa. Of particular interest is how they have kept Quinton de Kock – the only batsmen not to score a fifty – quiet. De Kock’s struggles against offspin are becoming a matter that needs addressing but R Ashwin has only dismissed him once. The other three times, he has been drawn forward, once trapped lbw and twice nicked off, and his lack of footwork is the more pertinent issue.All that may be secondary to proceedings at the Wanderers next week, where a fire-and-brimstone surface is being prepared and the chances of most batsmen reaching a century severely diminished. But one group of people who will be interested in South Africa’s batting performance are timezones away in Australia. Steven Smith and co will travel to these shores in six weeks’ time for a four-Test series that will no doubt be billed as a battle of the quicks (and Smith v de Villiers), and there, centuries may really win matches.

Ben Stokes made the second-earliest first-innings declaration in Test history on the first day in Mount Maunganui, a decision vindicated when England reduced New Zealand to 37 for 3 under floodlights.England were 325 for 9 after only 58.2 overs when Stokes called time on their innings, a move that his team-mates explained owed to the challenge of facing a new pink ball under lights in a day-night Test.The move was not without precedent: South Africa have twice declared nine-down on the first day of a day-night Test to enable them to bowl under floodlights, against Australia in 2016 and against Zimbabwe in 2017.Related

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• Brook's one-two punch encapsulates his real-time evolution

• New Zealand's Astle retires from all formats

• England strike under the lights after Brook, Duckett cut loose

“I haven’t played many pink-ball games, but by the looks of it, it’s the hardest time to bat when it’s under lights, and obviously we had the new ball as well,” Harry Brook told talkSPORT. “I think it was a great declaration. To get three wickets there is vital and hopefully we can force a few more early tomorrow.”Speaking at the end-of-day press conference, Brook added: “The best time to bowl is under these lights. You can extract the most amount of swing and seam so why not try and expose their top order to that? It’s the hardest time to bat and we’ve got three of the best bowlers to ever play the game. And thankfully we got three wickets.”It just happened like that, to be honest. There was no plan at dinner to declare. Me and Foakesy [Ben Foakes] were still batting together and if I hadn’t got out, the plan would’ve been the same. But because I got out the plan changed, and Stokesy said if there’re two bowlers in at the same time, give them a couple of overs and we’ll try and utilise the lights.”Ben Duckett, England’s other half-centurion, told talkSPORT: “We knew the conditions under lights tonight were going to suit us with the ball and that was the reason for the declaration.”We could have easily had five or six [wickets] tonight. Stick two on that in the morning and suddenly they’re a long way behind the game and we’re in a very good position.”

Wagner – New Zealand ‘expected’ declaration

Neil Wagner, who took 4 for 82 and then saw out the day as nightwatch, said that New Zealand had “sort of expected” England to declare.”After that dinner break we thought they might come out a little harder, get to the point where they were really trying to up the ante, score as quick as they can and just get us in there,” he said.”We tried to stem the run rate a little bit and eliminate them getting too far ahead of us. We kept trying to take wickets, which brought it back for us at the back end.”