Category: Sports

Fulham have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid duo Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios for a combined fee of £42.5m on Monday.

Garcia has joined for £34m, signing a five-year deal at Craven Cottage, with a club option to extend by a further 12 months.

The 22-year-old, who was the top scorer at the Club World Cup last summer, has been joined at the Premier League by Palacios.

The Whites announced the signing of the Palacios 30 minutes after Garcia’s arrival.

The 21-year-old has joined for around £8.5m and has signed a five-year deal with the club holding an option to extend by 12 months.

The Spaniards become new Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa’s first signings, as they reunite having worked together at Real Madrid last season.

Transfer: Departures of two Real Madrid players confirmed

A Johannesburg-based Akwa Ibom indigene and longtime family friend of South African international footballer Ime Daniel Okon, Mr Francis Akpan, has disclosed that Okon has said it would be impossible for him to play for Nigeria.

Akpan spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview, explaining why representing Nigeria is no longer an option for the player.

He said Okon has insisted that South Africa is the only country he truly considers home despite his Nigerian roots.

Akpan said, “I knew his father very well before he passed away. The boy has always lived in South Africa. He has told us he cannot play for Nigeria because he was never approached and knows virtually nothing about the country.”

Okon was born in Johannesburg in 2004 to a Nigerian father from Akwa Ibom State but has never visited Nigeria and has had no connection with the country’s football system.

The former SuperSport United defender told an international media outlet recently that his late father, a wrestler, never took him to Nigeria or introduced him to football authorities in Nigeria while he was growing up.

According to him, although he was eligible to represent the Super Eagles through his father, that opportunity has effectively passed, as he has already committed his international future to South Africa’s senior national team, Bafana Bafana.

“I know where my heart lies. South Africa is the only home I have known,” Okon said, explaining that his upbringing and football development were entirely in South Africa.

Why it is impossible for Akwa Ibom-born Bafana Bafana defender to play for Nigeria – Akpan

Turkish football pundit, Levent Tüzemen, has criticized Galatasaray for failing to sign a new winger to support their top Victor Osimhen this summer transfer window ahead of the new season.

Tüzemen is not happy with Galatasaray’s transfer policy so far this summer, as he insisted that Paris Saint-Germain winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made Osimhen a star during their time together at Napoli.

“It was Kvara who made Osimhen a star at Napoli,” Tüzemen said via A Spor.

“Galatasaray still has not signed a winger to get Osimhen fired up. I just don’t understand this transfer policy.”

Galatasaray recently signed defender Lesley Ugochukwu on loan from Burnley.

They could sign more players before the summer transfer window closes.

Transfer: Galatasaray under fire over failure to sign winger for Osimhen

Flying Eagles duo, Alfred Odinaka and Abdulmuiz Adeleke, have been named in the Group Stage Best XI at the ongoing WAFU B U-20 Championship, DAILY POST reports.

The group stage of the biennial competition was concluded on Sunday.

Odinaka is among the four defenders who made the selection.

Forward Adeleke has been one of the top performers for the Flying Eagles at the tournament, scoring four goals in three  outings.

Adeleke bagged a brace in Nigeria’s 4-2 victory against the Black Satellites of Ghana, and netted twice in the 3-0 win over Sparrow Hawks of Togo.

Burkina Faso and hosts Cote d’Ivoire both have three players in the Team of the Group Stage.

Niger, Ghana and Togo each have one player included.

The Flying Eagles will face Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-final on Wednesday.

WAFU B U-20 Championship: Flying Eagles duo make Group Stage Best XI

Hull City are working on luring Femi Azeez from Sky Bet Championship club Millwall, DAILY POST reports.

The Tigers are keen to bolster their squad following their promotion to the Premier League last season.

Azeez is seen as a potential quality addition by Hull City.

Millwall reportedly rejected a £20 million bid  from Premier League new boys Ipswich Town for the player earlier in the summer.

According to Football League World, Hull City will push to sign the two-time Nigeria international before the start of the new season.

Azeez was one of the star performers for Millwall last season, scoring 11 goals, and providing eight assists across 33 second tier starts.

He was also named in the Championship Team of the Season.

Transfer: Hull City step up Azeez pursuit

The 2026/2027 UEFA Champions League play-off draw was completed on Friday.

DAILY POST reports that 14 clubs were involved in the draw. Ten in the champions path and four in the league path.

The first legs will be held on 18/19 August, while the return legs will take place on 25/26 August.

2026/27 UEFA Champions League play-off draw:

Champions path:

PFC Levski Sofia / FC Kairat Almaty  vs AEK Athens FC

Celtic FC vs LASK

GNK Dinamo / FK Kauno Žalgiris vs Viking FK

Mjällby AIF / ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs FC Ararat-Armenia / NK Celje

Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC / FK Crvena Zvezda vs AGF Aarhus / Sabah FC

League path:

Fenerbahçe SK / SK Sturm Graz  vs AC Sparta Praha  / Olympique Lyonnais

Olympiacos FC / N.E.C. Nijmegen vs R. Union Saint-Gilloise / FK Bodø/Glimt

UEFA Champions League play-off draw [FULL FIXTURES]

Chelsea winger, Mykhailo Mudryk, is attracting interest from several clubs now he is eligible to play football again, according to TalkSPORT.

The 25-year-old is available after the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, partially upheld his appeal against a four-year ban for doping.

Mudryk will finish the pre-season tour with the Blues in Asia before assessing his future with the club.

The Ukraine international is hoping for clarity by mid-August on whether he is staying with the first team, being loaned or even sold.

Coventry City are one of the clubs to have shown an interest, but not the only suitor.

Chelsea want to assess Mudryk’s form and fitness first and then will work with the player to find the best solution for all parties.

Transfer: Mudryk could join Chelsea’s EPL rivals after doping ban is lifted

Telegol moderator,  Serhat Ulueren, has insisted that Galatasaray vice-president Abdullah Kavukçu is under a lot of pressure at the club after Victor Osimhen refused the offer of the club’s vice-captaincy.

Ulueren stated this while also insisting that Galatasaray fans are frustrated by the lack of transfers the club has made so far this summer.

“Galatasaray fans are frustrated by the lack of transfers,” Ulueren said as quoted by GS Gazetesi.

“Osimhen was offered the vice-captaincy, but he refused. We saw it in the match; he didn’t even wear the armband.

“Davinson isn’t playing and wants to go to Como. Barış also has suitors from the Premier League. Why aren’t you solving these problems?

“I see that Abdullah Kavukçu is under a lot of pressure. That is how management is. Today you are happy, tomorrow you are not,” he said.

This comes after Osimhen declined to wear the captain’s armband during Galatasaray’s 3-3 draw against Rennes in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.

The Nigerian international instead gave the armband to Yunus Akgün, suggesting that the winger should captain the team instead.

Osimhen: Galatasaray VP Abdullah Kavukçu under pressure – Serhat Ulueren

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has now spoken directly with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior about joining the Premier League champions this summer.

AS reports that Arteta told Vinicius Jr that he would be the centrepiece of his project.

The 26-year-old will see the Arsenal team built around him.

Arsenal are ready to offer up to €150m for his signature.

Vinicius Jr reported back to Madrid for pre-season training on Monday and underwent medical checks with the LaLiga side.

The Brazilian is expected to hold face-to-face talks with Madrid’s hierarchy this week to sort out this future.

Vinicius Jr is into the final months of his current contract with Los Blancos.

Transfer: Arteta speaks directly with Vinicius Jr over Arsenal move

The Group B final standings of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship have been confirmed.

This follows Nigeria’s 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso on Sunday as both teams booked their places in the semi-finals.

Burkina Faso finished top of the group with 7 points, after two wins and one draw.

Their impressive 2-0 win against Nigeria on the final matchday secured first place.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles finished second with 6 points, having recorded two wins and one defeat.

Despite the setback against Burkina Faso, the Flying Eagles did enough to progress to the knockout stage.

Ghana ended their campaign in third place with 2 points, while Togo finished bottom of the group with 1 point, as both sides exited the tournament.

Final Group B Standings:

Burkina Faso – 7 points (Qualified)

Nigeria – 6 points (Qualified)

Ghana – 2 points

Togo – 1 point

WAFU B U-20 Championship: Group B final standings confirmed