Cristiano Ronaldo has been named in Portugal’s squad on Friday for upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

“A player with 200 appearances, that’s something unique,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martinez of Ronaldo, who has scored five goals in four qualifying games so far.

“I can tell you I’m very happy to have Cristiano Ronaldo in my team.”

The 38-year-old Ronaldo, who now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia, celebrated his 200th international appearance with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Iceland last time out for Portugal in June.

Martinez also included Saudi-based midfielders Otavio and Ruben Neves in his squad and called up uncapped Wolves full-back Toti.

Portugal sits top of Group J in qualifying for next year’s finals in Germany.

They face Slovakia in Bratislava next Friday before hosting Luxembourg three days later.

Portugal squad:

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto/POR), Jose Sa (Wolves/ENG), Rui Patricio (Roma/ITA)

Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Nelson Semedo (Wolves/ENG), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City/ENG), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Ruben Dias (Manchester City/ENG), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting Lisbon), Toti (Wolves/ENG).

Midfielders (6): Joao Palhinha (Fulham/ENG), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United/ENG), Otavio (Al-Nassr/KSA), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG).

Forwards (7): Ricardo Horta (Braga), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr/KSA), Pedro Neto (Wolves/ENG), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Diogo Jota (Liverpool/ENG)

Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Matheus Nunes from Wolves for £53m.

The Portugal international, who has 11 caps for his country, has signed a five-year contract with City.

"I'm so happy to be joining Manchester City, the champions of Europe and a club I've admired for a long time," said Nunes.

City had a previous bid for Nunes rejected, with Wolves holding out for a fee closer to their asking price of over £60m.

Nunes had been absent from training for the Molineux club recently after making it clear he wanted to join Pep Guardiola's side.

"The opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest managers ever, and alongside some of the best players in the world was something I simply couldn't turn down," added Nunes.

"I learned so much during my season at Wolves and I'm excited to continue improving in the Premier League, a division which brings the best out of me. I'm really excited to get going, meet the fans and hopefully be a part of plenty more success at City."

Wolves signed Nunes on a five-year contract last summer, paying a club-record £38m to Sporting Lisbon.

He was a key figure during the second half of last season as Wolves successfully avoided relegation, finishing 13th in the table.

[BBC]

AZ Alkmaar defender Pantelis Hatzidiakos has now confirmed that he will not be joining Leeds United after the Championship outfit reportedly agreed personal terms at the start of August. 

According to Greek publication SportTime, Hatzidiakos ‘accepted’ Leeds United’s offer almost a month ago. The talented centre-half would have arrived at Elland Road for somewhere in the region of £3.5 million, while reinforcing a backline which had lost Liam Cooper to a long-term injury during a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City earlier on that very same day. 

But after Leeds turned their attention to Joe Rodon – the Tottenham Hotspur loanee bringing Championship experience to West Yorkshire due to his Swansea City past – Hatzidiakos is instead packing his bags and dusting off his Italian dictionary. 

The 27-time Greek international confirmed after AZ Alkmaar beat Brann on penalties in their UEFA Conference League qualifier that Cagliari will be his destination, rather than Leeds. 

Pantelis Hatzidiakos will not be joining Leeds

“This is my farewell,” Hatzidiakos sighs, his voice trembling with emotion after 12 long years in Alkmaar (Voetbal Primeur).

“I had wonderful years here. My dream was to play for the AZ first-team with a full stadium and in European football. I am very proud of that, and I want to thank everyone for that. I cannot wish for a nicer farewell.

“From tomorrow (Friday), I will be a Cagliari player.” 

Hatzidiakos becomes the third AZ player to join a Serie A club this summer alone. Midfield maestro Tijjani Reinders joined AC Milan, while defender Sam Beukema and enigmatic winger Jesper Karlsson ended up at Brighton.

[hitc]

Birmingham City have signed Leeds United's England Under-21 defender Cody Drameh on a season-long loan.

Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton, helping the Hatters go up to the Premier League.

A product of the Fulham youth system, Drameh joined Leeds in 2021 and has also spent time on loan at Cardiff.

"It is a project. It is very exciting right now with the new owners and everything. Everybody has a good buzz around them, it seems like a family sort of vibe - that made me want to come here," Drameh said.

As the footballing world is ensnared in the enthralling drama of the transfer window’s last breaths, Tottenham’s ambitions pierce through.

Johnson: A Star in the Making

Tucked away in Nottingham Forest, Brennan Johnson, with fire in his eyes and ambition pulsating through his veins, visualises himself donning the famous white of Spurs. “I expect to be a Tottenham player by the end of deadline day”, a sentiment echoed by insiders at Football Insider.

Johnson’s affinity for the City Ground is undeniable. But the pull of the London giants is palpable, pushing him to put Spurs atop the pedestal, overlooking other admirers.

Haggling Over the Forest Gem

The intrigue deepens. Spurs’ liaison with Forest revolves around the deal’s blueprint and the down payment’s magnitude. The numbers tossed around? A hefty £45-50 million, potentially an unprecedented exit sum for the stalwarts of the Midlands. And while the two sides wrestle over terms, optimism brews over an impending agreement.

Postecoglou’s Vision

Anchoring Johnson’s lean towards Spurs is Ange Postecoglou’s blueprint for the youngster. Immersed in the Australian’s doctrine, Johnson sees a pathway to metamorphose into a footballing colossus. Although this season witnesses a goal and assist drought in his four games, the previous term’s 10 goals and three assists in 44 appearances for Forest, tell a different tale.

Johnson’s ties to Forest are robust, his contract stretching till June 2026. But could the allure of Tottenham, still licking their wounds from Harry Kane’s departure and a mixed summer performance, sway the decision?

Verdict

As the clock dwindles and fans wait with bated breath, Johnson’s potential move could be the storyline that dominates the headlines. Only time will unveil where this tale leads.

[eplindex]

Nuno Tavares has joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan from Arsenal, with an option to buy.

Forest revived talks after the deal stalled last week and Aston Villa had considered the deal.

Tavares arrived at The Emirates in 2021, but has failed to establish himself in the Gunners first team and spent last season on-loan at Marseille. 

He is yet to feature for Mikel Arteta's side so far this season, and looks to have no future under the Spanish boss. 

The 23-year-old played 39 times for Marseille last season, scoring six goals, and now looks set for another loan move as he heads for the City Ground. 

Tavares is expected to be one of a number of arrivals at the City Ground on Friday, with Bologna midfielder Nicolas Dominguez and Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is another expected to arrive should Brennan Johnson join Tottenham as expected.

The big one to watch is PSV midfielder Ibrahim Sangare. Forest have followed him all summer for the defensive midfield role and if they can do a deal, it is likely to break their transfer record.

[dailymail]

•  Enzo Maresca's Manchester City connections allowed him to bring defender Callum Doyle to Leicester City on loan.
•  James McAtee, who impressed on loan at Sheffield United, was a potential signing target for Leicester, but he is set to rejoin Sheffield United on loan amid strong interest.
•  McAtee's creative abilities and goal-scoring record would have been a valuable addition to Leicester's midfield, although they have performed well with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in that role.

When Enzo Maresca was appointed as Leicester City manager in the wake of their demoralising relegation back to the Championship, evident perks were attached.

 

One of those, of course, is his Manchester City connections.

The Italian operated as second-in-command to Pep Guardiola prior to trading the Etihad Stadium for the East Midlands over the summer, and also spent time coaching the club's Elite Development Squad, overseeing the nurturing and progression of some of the country's best young talent.

Unsurprisingly, he sought to tap into those relations and brought defender Callum Doyle to the club on a season-long loan, after he starred in Coventry City's ascent to the play-off final last term.

But there was an overarching feeling that Maresca was going to continue to optimise his credit in the bank at City and bring even more prospects to the King Power Stadium across the summer.

A player that seemed destined to potentially make the switch was James McAtee, who had been subjected to extensive interest after impressing on loan during Sheffield United's promotion campaign last time out.

Indeed, Leicester had wanted to add McAtee to their already-strong attacking ranks, but the hopes of that have now been ruled out completely.

 

Leicester City miss out on Man City's James McAtee

This is according to talkSPORT's Alex Crook, who has claimed that McAtee is set to rejoin Sheffield United in the Premier League on another season-long loan amid "strong" interest from the Foxes.

The McAtee development was then followed up by a report from Football Insider that detailed the additional interest displayed from top-flight duo Wolves and Nottingham Forest, meaning that a deal for Leicester will have likely been hard to secure in spite of Maresca's links.

It was previously reported via Alan Nixon's Patreon report that Guardiola had been running the rule over McAtee and was set to decide who would stay at the club this season out of him and fellow homegrown prodigy Cole Palmer, who has now completed oan eye-catching transfer to rivals Chelsea.

Would Man City's James McAtee have been a good signing for Leicester City?

For the Foxes faithful, this one will certainly sting.

McAtee was simply remarkable at times across his stay at Brammall Lane, with his balance and ball control allowing him to evade opposition defenders with ease and travel with possession into dangerous areas of the pitch, which subsequently yielded the nine goals he tallied up amid 21 starts in red and white.

A creative midfielder, the 20-year-old plays beyond his age with intelligence, vision and the inventive ability to break lines and carve out crucial chances, something that would not go amiss at Leicester.

Sure enough, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has occupied that more advanced creative role in Leicester's midfield today, and has done a mightily impressive job at that, but the strength in depth that they would have had with McAtee would really have been something to behold.

It is not necessarily a make or break not getting him, but he undoubtedly would have been a more-than-welcome addition to the side.

[footballleagueworld]

 

September 1 is the transfer deadline day for most clubs in Europe’s top leagues.

The Premier League window closes at 11pm tonight, which means Deadline Day will run late into the evening.

It is similar in Scotland where the window closes at midnight, while LaLiga clubs have until 11pm to do their business.

France’s window shuts at 10pm but clubs in Italy will have to get their business done by 7pm, whereas the Bundesliga window closes at 5pm.

However, the Saudi Arabian window is open until September 7.

This means clubs still run the risk of losing players to the free-spending league once their windows have closed.

[DailyPost]

As the transfer deadline approaches, Liverpool is in talks with Bayern Munich over a possible deal for central midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

The two parties are working towards an agreement for Gravenberch, as per Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, and the player has 'made clear' that he wants out before the end of the transfer window. He's simply waiting for the green light.

In terms of a transfer fee, Plettenberg reports that Bayern has laid out an asking price of $33m (£26m/€30m), which would represent a sizeable profit on the $21m (£16m/€19m) it paid to sign him from Ajax last summer.

Crucially, though, Bayern was only able to pick him up for a relatively cheap fee because he was into the final year of his contract with Ajax. With the protection of a long-term deal, he likely would have been a lot more expensive given that he'd emerged as one of the most exciting young players on the continent.

He was named the Eredivisie Talent of the Year in 2020/21, his penultimate year in Amsterdam, and made the top 20 for the prestigious Golden Boy award (given to the best under-21 player in a top-flight European league) the same year.

Bayern's then-sporting director Hasan Salihamidžić hailed him as 'one of the biggest talents in Europe' on his arrival (via the official club website) and expressed confidence that the club would 'enjoy lots of success with him'. The plan was to make Gravenberch the centerpiece of an imperious Bayern side for years to come.

However, the first year of the Dutchman's five-year contract proved to be a disappointment all round. He would play a mere 576 minutes in the Bundesliga, the equivalent of just 6.4 full matches, and his stocks have consequently fallen to the extent that he's now available for $33m, with Bayern already prepared to cut its losses rather than persevering.#

That doesn't necessarily mean that Gravenberch is a $33m player — instead, his value is simply at a $33m ebb. If Jürgen Klopp can unlock the potential he displayed at Ajax, this has the potential to be one of the great bargains of his tenure.

It also represents an excellent fee in the current central midfield market, especially so late in the transfer window. You need only look to two of Liverpool's closest rivals for favorable comparisons. Manchester United is reportedly demanding $57m (£45m/€52m) for Scott McTominay (via The Telegraph), a somewhat one-dimensional midfielder who's down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Manchester City is about to pay Wolves $67m (£53m/€62m) for Matheus Nunes even after his underwhelming start to life at Molineux, which has prompted his managers to shuffle him around the team in search of his best position. Gravenberch could join for half the price of the former Liverpool target, and potentially make a similar impact.

It's fair to say that the 21-year-old may not be exactly what Liverpool needs right now — a specialist number six and an elite left-footed talent in central defense looked like bigger priorities — but for the fee being talked about, you can certainly see why the club is ready to take the risk.

[liverpool]