Not for the first time, Kylian Mbappe has been linked with a transfer to Liverpool.

On the face of it, this is not a link that makes a great deal of sense from the Reds' perspective. While not short of money, their transfer kitty is not limitless and Jurgen Klopp must prioritise other areas of his squad ahead of strengthening his attack.

Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo ensure there are no shortage of options and variety to play in Liverpool’s front three. Furthermore, the Reds have signed attack-minded midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig and Brighton’s Alexis MacAllister.

However, Sport Witness cites reports from Spain that Liverpool have made a £170million move for French superstar Mbappe. The veracity of this may be doubtful, but there is clearly a strong mutual respect between the club and the Paris Saint-Germain frontman.

Mbappe's PSG exit stance

 

 

Kylian Mbappe has the option to renew his contract at PSG until 2025 ( 

Image: 

Getty Images)

Mbappe will not sign the one-year contract extension in his PSG contract meaning that his deal will expire in 12 months. Mirror Football understands that the French club’s priority is to ensure he does not leave without a transfer fee, meaning they are prepared to cash in on the superstar this summer.

The French superstar has confirmed that he intends to remain at the Ligue 1 champions beyond this summer but it is understood that PSG will push for his exit as they are aware that the alternative is missing out on a landmark transfer fee entirely.

On Wednesday, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi set an ultimatum of two weeks for Mbappe to either decide to leave the club this summer or sign a new contract. However, the striker is well within his contractual rights to do neither and wait it out until next summer. Real Madrid's interest in signing Mbappe is long-standing and well-documented.

What Mbappe and Klopp have said

 

 

Kylian Mbappe's future at PSG is unclear

Mbappe and Klopp have a history of publicly complimenting each other – which has, predictably, played into suggestions that the two may work alongside each other one day.

Speaking in 2020, the Frenchman claimed: 2020: "This season, Liverpool have been a machine in the Premier League. They have made winning look easy but the truth is that it is never easy. Performances like they have been having don't just happen.

Mbappe didn't stop there and had some compliments for Klopp as well, adding: "To be as ruthless as they have been would come from lots of hard work in training and from having a very good manager."

Speaking before Liverpool faced PSG back in 2018, Klopp told RMC Sport: "I love him, to be honest. What a player he is and a nice lad as well, so he's a really good kid. What a player, what a player.

"Everyone knows him since he was 16, 17 when he impressed in Monaco's youth teams, and I saw videos of him when he was 17 and he destroyed defensive lines as he is doing now.

"He's at an unbelievable level of consistency at that age. He's an outstanding player, that's clear, but he can deliver, deliver and deliver, which shows he's really good educated boy and he knows what he is doing.”

[mirror.co.uk]

Swiss federal judges dismissed FIFA´s appeal against a ruling that overturned its life ban for the former president of Haiti´s soccer federation for alleged sexual abuse of women´s national team players.

A verdict from Switzerland´s supreme court released on Thursday rejected FIFA´s request filed in March to annul a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that lifted Yves Jean-Bart´s expulsion from the sport.

The federal court can review CAS decisions on limited procedural grounds and rarely overturns the sports court´s verdicts. FIFA argued that CAS judges failed to evaluate some evidence.

The decision by three Swiss Federal Tribunal judges was dated June 28, less than a month before Haiti makes its debut at the Women´s World Cup against England in Brisbane. Haiti's group includes China and Denmark.

The Haitian women progressed through qualifying for the July 20-Aug. 20 tournament, being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, while long-time federation president Jean-Bart was banished from the sport.

FIFA´s ethics committee banned Jean-Bart in November 2020 after hearing allegations of multiple sexual offenses against women and girls who were in national team squads. Witnesses in Haiti were alleged to have been threatened not to give evidence.

Jean-Bart denied the allegations, and at his appeal the judges decided "none of the testimonies heard by the CAS were sufficiently precise and convincing to establish (his) guilt," the sports court said in February.

FIFA was ordered by federal judges to pay 15,000 Swiss francs ($16,740) in court costs and 17,000 Swiss francs ($19,000) to Jean-Bart.

[dailymail]

Arsenal are reportedly keen on signing Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

According to Stefan Bienkowski, Arsenal have initiated discussions with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Jeremie Frimpong. The Bundesliga giants want to recoup €50 million to part ways with the Dutch full-back.

The young defender was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months as well. So it will be interesting to see if Arsenal can agree on a fee with the German club. The Gunners have recently emerged as a suitor for the 22-year-old.

Arsenal need to bring in a specialist right-back this summer, and Frimpong could be an upgrade on Ben White, especially going forward. The former Brighton and Hove Albion star was deployed as a full-back last season, and he did reasonably well. But Arsenal lacked the attacking qualities of a natural full-back.

Frimpong is exceptional going forward and he could add a new dimension to the Arsenal attack with his creativity and pace. The 22-year-old contributed to nine goals and 11 assists across all competitions last season, and he has the potential to develop into one of the finest young full-backs in Europe.

Mikel Arteta has done well to nurture talented young players during his time at Arsenal, and he could help the talented young Dutchman develop into a key player for the Premier League club. Arsenal are desperate to put together a formidable squad that is capable of winning the Premier League title, and they have been very active in the transfer market so far.

The Gunners have already spent significant sums of money to acquire the services of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber. It seems that they are concentrating on signing a full-back now. Frimpong would undoubtedly be a solid, long-term investment, and the 22-year-old is likely to be tempted to join Arsenal as well. Meanwhile, talks for the young full-back have begun between the two clubs.

The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs in the world and they have qualified for the Champions League. They will be an attractive destination for most players and a move to Arsenal would be ideal for the 22-year-old’s development as well. Playing against top-class attackers in the Premier League will accelerate his development and help him achieve his world-class potential.

[thehardtackle]

Barcelona have made significant progress over the last few seasons under the leadership of the new management, led by Joan Laporta, despite coming into a club that was well corrupted by economic and financial limitations.

Now, as they look forward to the new 2023/2024 season up ahead, it is a good chance to look back at one of the most important aspects of Laporta’s tenure thus far; his recruitment of free agents that have helped stabilize the club in important areas when spending too many funds was not an option.

In total, with the two new free transfers added to the count, Barcelona have managed to recruit 13 free agents over the last 3 years since the 2020/2021 season.

Eric Garcia (Manchester City)

The young central defender came from Manchester City as a free transfer and has since found moments within the club where he has held solid importance, under Ronald Koeman in particular, and also periods of not much importance, as he has been going through this season under Xavi Hernandez.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Despite having arrived as a promising player given his massive experience and proven quality, the player’s time at the club was unfortunately cut short due to various health-related issues.

Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyon)

The Dutchman arrived as one of the most prized possessions of France’s Ligue 1, but despite an exciting first season at the club, he was not able to live up to the massive expectations piled up on his shoulders.

Luuk De Jong (Sevilla)

Another Dutchman who arrived to much dismay initially amongst fans, but courtesy of his various late winners and equalizers as a super sub, managed to forever become a fan favorite among the Camp Nou faithful.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)

Tension at Arsenal and internal problems forced the player to be on bad terms with his former club, but hopping onto the Catalan ship the moment the chance presented itself on deadline day would end up being a free transfer that provided benefits to both Barcelona and Aubameyang himself.

Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Known for his rapid pace and insane levels of acceleration, the former La Masia player came for a year-long loan that would end up being a good deal for La Blaugrana, providing them a new kind of option on the wings besides just having to rely on Ousmane Dembele, despite the Catalans not having triggered his buy option.

Dani Alves (Free agent)

A Barcelona legend in his own right, the return of the Brazilian was met with massive uncertainty given his mature age, yet his dedication to the club and commitment to the cause under Xavi Hernandez allowed him to be a great asset both on the field and off it.

Franck Kessie (AC Milan)

The AC Milan midfielder was one of the most well-renowned talents in Serie A before his move to Barcelona, and while he has not been bad by any means during his time in Spain, the player is surely playing less minutes than he would have originally had hoped for at the club.

Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)

The Danish defender has become one of the mainstays under the tutelage of Xavi Hernandez and for good reason. His ability on the ball as well as his understanding of the game have made him an immense part of Xavi’s Barcelona.

Marcos Alonso (Chelsea)

The former Chelsea man arrived on a free transfer after the termination of his contract with Chelsea alongside Andreas Christensen who left the London-based club as a free agent, and while the Dane has become undisputable under Xavi, the Spanish defender has also been able to provide much-appreciated depth.

Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)

Having arrived on a one-year deal following the termination of his contract at Arsenal, the Spaniard was more or less a signing for the short term, and albeit not extraordinary, his time in the city of his birth was not all too bad before moving on to his next club in Sporting CP.

Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)

One of the most in-form stars in Europe at the moment of signing, treble-winner with Manchester City and captain of the English side as well, bringing Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer could turn out to be a masterful operation done right.

Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao)

The most recent of acquisitions to be made official, the former Athletic Bilbao defender brings along with him proven quality and bundles of experience, particularly in the Spanish first division.

[barcanewsnetwork]

Tottenham are reportedly considering testing the resolve of Inter Milan by making a move for midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu as a potential replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

New Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is keen to strengthen all areas of his squad ahead of the start of the new season, with defence and midfield particular areas of concern for the Australian.

James Maddison has arrived from Leicester to add some creativity in Tottenham’s engine room but there have been strong rumours circulating that Postecoglou is happy to allow Hojbjerg to move on this summer.

The Dane was one of the club’s best performers in a woeful campaign last time around but there are suggestions that his play is too slow for what the former Celtic boss wants from his holding midfielder.

That has led to talk of a move for other targets and that list includes Turkey international Calhanoglu.

The 29-year-old has excelled since his switch from cross-City rivals AC Milan 18 months ago. However, no player at the San Siro is considered ‘non-transferable’ this summer due to the club’s economic predicament.

Calhanoglu’s flexibility makes him an attractive proposition, given that he can play in a variety of midfield positions.

The report from InterLive.it states that Postecolgou’s men could tempt the Nerazzurri by submitting an offer of €35m (£30m) for the player.

Several clubs chasing Inter midfielder

Spurs are not alone in their admiration for the midfielder though, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all linked in the past.

However, the report goes on to say that, as things stand, Inter have no plans to sell the player and will only do so if a ‘shock proposal arrives’.

That could well be on the horizon though, if Spurs opt to cash in on Hojbjerg – especially given that Rodrigo Bentancur is unlikely to be fit for the start of the new campaign.

The absence of the latter is, however, likely to give Yves Bissouma a chance to show what he can do in pre-season after failing to shine in his debut campaign for the club.

[teamtalk]

There has been so much talk of late about the Ministerial appointments that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is about to make. Given the fast-paced style of governance that he has adopted so far, it is expected that he would not waste time in coming up with a list of cabinet Ministers. The 1999 Constitution vests the President with Executive powers under Section 5(1)(a) and in other parts of that basic document to hire and also fire, if need be, persons who would assist him in the discharge of his functions as President, Commander in Chief. The Nigerian President is in fact in a position to dispense as many as 5, 000 patronages, the powers vested in his office and person are that enormous, and expansive. But of all appointments, the composition of the Federal Executive Council of the Federation is critical as seen in Sections 144(5) and 147 of the 1999 Constitution. In Section 147 (3), the Constitution says expressly that Ministerial appointments “shall be in conformity with the provisions of section 14(3) of this Constitution: Provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state”.

Thus, every state is entitled to have at least one Minister in the Federal cabinet and this probably explains why there has been so much hustling and jostling by a band of aspirational office seekers, sycophants and rent-seeking characters who have been pushing and shoving to get a Ministerial appointment. It is so bad that some emergency civil society groups, obviously sponsored, have been quite vocal in making specific recommendations. Some outrightly shameless ones have gone on media platforms to recommend themselves to the President openly. I have also seen a statement by persons purporting to be defending the interest of the indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory insisting that an indigene of the FCT must be made a Minister quoting Section 299 of the Constitution. Individuals and media platforms have also announced their own choices, including partisan lobby for some former Governors who probably need a Ministerial appointment at the centre to remain relevant, not to mention the large crowd of party stalwarts, henchmen, and supporters who believe that they or their children or associates must be compensated with Federal appointments.

Every Nigerian politician seeking an elective position invariably chalks up IOUs, for which other persons expect to be compensated with appointments, contracts or access. It is the reason why government appointments are more or less, “job for the boys”. In the last dispensation, one Governor appointed over 400 aides. A certain Special Adviser was put in charge of groundnut oil! In the present administration, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has already announced the appointment of 33 Legislative aides. Is Dr. Abbas such an “invalid” that he needs up to 33 aides? President Tinubu certainly has many IOUs to settle, but he must not do that with appointments into the Federal cabinet. Every person that he seeks to appoint must be competent, capable and fit for purpose. He may strike a balance between technocrats and politicians, but even in doing so, nobody should show up on that list simply because they know the right people or out of a sense of entitlement. Tinubu’s Ministers must not be persons who are ready to genuflect to get a title simply because they are out of job. Nigeria is in need of renaissance, a complete overhaul. We cannot achieve that objective with a cabinet of average persons. It is still too early to forget what Nigeria went through in the past eight years under President Buhari. Most of the Ministers who served under him were great unknowns. They stayed in office for eight years, sleep-walked through office, and on top of that they were decorated with national honours! The few ones who made an effort got noticed of course simply because it is always easy to stand out in an ocean of mediocrity. No other Federal cabinet was that lacklustre since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.

Tinubu cannot afford to go in that direction. He must give direction from the front, not from the rear. The quality of his appointees would enable us to know the actual quality of his own mind. Usually, it is part of the process that Governors and party leaders in the various states would nominate persons to the President to appoint as Ministers. Tinubu must be suspicious of such recommendations. What we have seen is that state party chieftains and Governors usually send to Abuja, persons who they do not believe would have the capacity to challenge their authority back home. It is easier for an average character to make it to the nomination list than a person of great ability and substance. This is why the President must screen his own nominees thoroughly before submitting their names for consideration. Nobody should be made a Minister who does not have demonstrable ability. The Federal cabinet cannot be a forum for the gathering of the tribes, or party agents, boys and girls who would be too willing to do the President’s bidding. They must be men and women who can tell the President what is right, not yes-men, not one of those clowns in the corridors of power who will kneel down at every opportunity for the President or crawl on all fours before him, as was once reported.

President Tinubu must send the right signal by departing from the old mode of nominating persons for Ministerial appointments. When he sends the names of his nominees to the Senate for screening in line with Section 147(6), he should attach the exact portfolios for which a particular nominee is being considered. Till date, the screening of Ministerial nominees has been a complete charade. Questions that are posed to the persons being screened may have no bearing whatsoever with the portfolio that would be assigned to them eventually. This creates room for a resort to inane and jejune questions such as who is the Governor of your state? as if the nominee is expected not to know the name of his state Governor. Or something like sing the national anthem, or recite the national pledge. This must stop, otherwise these Nigerian Senators would start asking such questions as what is your favourite food? Or have you renewed your birth certificate? Yes. Now that the Federal Government wants Nigerians to renew the proof of ownership of their vehicles every year, we may soon get to a ridiculous point where both birth and marriage certificates may have to be renewed annually so government can gain more revenue! For Ministerial appointments, nominees must be engaged in specific areas, to determine their knowledge level and expertise, and their policy plans with well-thought-out timelines, and key performance indicators. Nobody should insult our intelligence with the kind of hollow ritual that Ministerial screenings have become.

The Senate must not abdicate responsibility. It took the Israelites 40 years to get to the promised land. Nigeria cannot continue to beat about the bush. The Senate must not clear anybody for clearing sake. It must look out for nation-builders, and change-agents who can add value to the growth and development process. The screening must be thorough and meaningful. The Senate must not rely on the wisdom of its own members alone, it must seek the services of subject-area experts who can help prepare relevant questions. In the past, some Ministerial nominees who had served in the National Assembly or as state Governors were asked to simply bow and go. This must not be the case this time around. We don’t want Ministerial nominees bowing like ostriches. The whole idea of our recommendation is to allow all Nigerians to watch the process on live TV, and express opinions. Whoever is not good enough should be rejected by the Senate.

As he prepares to announce his list of Ministers, President Tinubu should pay attention not just to Federal Character, in selecting the best and the brightest, he must ensure inclusion, equity, and gender justice. He must look beyond party affiliations and select only those who can serve with distinction, across party lines, locally and from among the rich human resource that Nigeria has in the diaspora. He must include young persons, and also persons living with disability who are often discriminated against most unfairly in this country. The size of the cabinet is another issue. The Constitution already prescribes that all the 36 states must be represented, and if you add the FCT as is being canvassed, that gives us a total of 37 Ministers. But is it compulsory that a Minister must head a Ministry? Is it possible to tweak the designations in such a way that some Ministers can be Minister in charge of Departments and Agencies and still be Cabinet members? It is something that can be given some thought. The objective is to have a compact, effective team, and reduce the cost of governance. The Tinubu administration in this regard would have to visit the Oronsaye Report. Nigeria’s Federal Government is over-bloated. It needs to be trimmed down to cut away fat, wastages and leakages, and thereby reduce cost. Tinubu has shown so far that he can summon the courage to take hard decisions. This is one more hard decision that he needs to take for the people’s benefit. At the sub-national level, state houses of assembly must discourage Governors seeking to appoint hundreds of aides.

Not everyone can be appointed a Minister. Those who would eventually make the final list must see the opportunity to serve their country at the Ministerial level as a major recognition and must then devote themselves strictly to serving Nigeria. They must not end up as Ministers looking out only for narrow, ethnic and geographical interest. The other day, I was shocked to listen to an elder statesman berating the Minister from his home state for failing to divert Federal Government projects to his state. It is not for nothing that the cabinet is tagged “Executive Council of the Federation” and nowhere in the Oaths of Office/Allegiance is it stated that a government official shall use his or her office to pursue parochial interests. When the government is formed, the Ministers should be able to have access to the President, not just at Council meetings but whenever they need to engage with him. It is strange to hear that in more recent years, some Ministers did not have access to the President. Some of them probably never met him one-on-one. Nigeria cannot afford to have Ministers who would go to Abuja to sleep on the job, and warm the chair. It would be Tinubu’s responsibility to keep everyone on their toes and set specific, measurable targets for performance.

The times have indeed changed indicating how policy shifts can affect the people’s mood and habits and the environment in which we live. Following the removal of fuel subsidy and the harmonization of the foreign exchange regime, Nigerians have been compelled to make radical changes in how they live. Has anyone noticed the sharp reduction in the number of vehicles on Lagos roads and the disappearance of traffic gridlock in some parts of the city? With fuel now selling between N488 -N570 per litre across the country, it takes some people on the average up to N40, 000 or more to fill their vehicle’s fuel tanks. Within the same period that the cost of fuel has increased, electricity has also become very expensive, even if the electricity companies are still threatening to hike their tariffs. Inflation is as high as 22.41%, and would most certainly continue to rise.

Vehicle owners have learnt to choose their travels within the city carefully, gone are those days when it was fashionable to drive here and there. We are all going through a season of serious adjustment. In many homes, light is switched on only when it is needed to check the meter from going haywire. And yet in this same country, once upon a time, you could switch on all the lights in your apartment, and even leave those lights on when not at home. Nobody can afford to do that anymore. The street as they say in popular lingo is not smiling. Salaries have not been increased, the price of everything including tomato and onions has gone up, a loaf of bread, which used to be a common man’s favourite is now an expensive item on the family menu. Last week was the annual Eid-el-adha, the festival of sacrifice. Very few families could afford to buy and slaughter rams. A moderate-size ram was about N175, 000- that used to be the price of a very big cow. To buy a cow now, these days, you’d need close to N500, 000.

In those days, around the Eid-el-Kabir festival, it was possible to see young children going to the field with the rams that their parents had bought for the occasion. There was something called ram fight: an exciting game whereby rams are set against each other to head butt one another. The rams had names and there was a prize for the champion ram. It wasn’t all fun, some rams that went up against a tough challenger could simply slump and die. I didn’t see any young men fighting with rams in open fields this year. No parent would even have allowed anybody to gamble with a ram of N175, 000. It was generally a very moderate celebration around town except in Ijebu Ode where the usual post-Ileya Ojude Oba was held as is the tradition, three days after the festival. The Ojude Oba lived up to its reputation as a cavalcade of colour, music, dance, and memorable advertisement of the richness of Yoruba culture and artistry. I noticed though that many of the persons that I know who used to stay behind in Ijebu-Ode for days after the festival, quickly rushed back to Lagos.

One of them confessed that the times have truly changed. His landlord had just served notice that the rent in the building where he lives would go up by 200% by January 2024, due to the rising cost of building materials, and the depreciation of the Naira. He rushed back to Lagos to engage the landlord wondering how the landlord of a house built more than two decades ago can possibly complain about the high cost of building materials. The man told my friend that we are now in the era of market forces, and that rent is also subject to the forces of demand and supply. We have been on that matter since last week!