Manchester United have completed the signing of defender Alexander Buttner from Vitesse Arnhem on a five-year deal.
The Dutchman becomes Sir Alex Ferguson s fourth signing for the new season, following the acquisitions of Shinji Kagawa, Nick Powell and Robin van Persie.
The Red Devils had initially targeted Everton defender Leighton Baines to fill the left-back slot, but Everton s asking price led them to seek an alternative.
Buttner, who made 119 appearances for the Eredivisie club after making his first-team breakthrough in 2008, had been previously linked with a move to Southampton.
The 23-year-old has been has represented the Netherlands Under-20 side and was part of Bert van Marwijk s preliminary squad for of Euro 2012.
Following confirmatio…
Michel Platini has claimed a lack of funds at FIFA was the reason why he was not paid for nine years for work carried out on behalf of the organisation s president Sepp Blatter.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) opened proceedings against Blatter last week on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation, which also uncovered a disloyal payment to Platini in 2011 in relation to work done between 1999 and 2002 when the Frenchman was a special advisor to the 79-year-old.
UEFA president Platini who is in the running to succeed the departing Blatter at the head of FIFA in February – also reiterated his claim that all moneys received had been declared with Swiss authorities.
He told AFP: I was employed by FIFA as a special advis…
Liberia Football Association (LFA) president Musa Bility has announced his intention to run for the role of FIFA president, soon to be vacated by the outgoing Sepp Blatter.
Blatter has announced his intention to step down as the figurehead of world football s governing body after it was thrown into chaos by corruption allegations.
Bility becomes the second person to signal his intent to stand, following the lead of former Brazil international Zico.
Africa is the largest voting block in FIFA and we must take the lead to bring football together, he told BBC Sport. We all agree that football is facing a difficult moment and it is in difficult moments that great leaders emerge.
The views of Bility, who has headed up the the LFA since 2010, have often be…
Memphis Depay has continued his superb form with a stunning goal from the halfway line in Lyon s 4-0 Ligue 1 victory over Toulouse.
The 23-year-old has scored four times in his last three matches for Lyon and he had already found the net against Toulouse when he struck a wondergoal in the 82nd minute.
Depay turned his man in the centre circle before lofting a shot high into the air from 46 metres and the ball sailed over the head of back-pedalling Toulouse goalkeeper Alban Lafont.
The Netherlands international joined Lyon from Manchester United in January and he has already scored more league goals than he managed in 18 months at Old Trafford.
Depay s form has been mirrored by Lyon s in general with the club losing just once in their past six league match…
Former FIFA presidential candidate Musa Bility says he was rejected as a possible candidate to replace Sepp Blatter due to a previous ban from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Liberian Football Association president Bility was not among the list of confirmed candidates released by FIFA on Thursday, with the organisation confirmed it had not admitted the candidature in view of the content of the integrity check report relating to him .
Bility was previously the subject of a six-month ban from CAF due to the use of confidential documents during a bid to change regulations governing election rules within the organisation.
And Bility confirmed in a statement that this ban was the reason behind his rejection by FIFA but explained he would review the matter…
The Daily Star understand that Manchester United have joined Liverpool in the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic.
The thirty year old has been linked with a move away from the La Liga leaders this summer with Paris Saint Germain the favourites to secure his services.
However, the north-west rivals who faced off at Old Trafford at the weekend are also set to throw their hats into the ring as they both look to get a step closer to Manchester City next season.
Croatia international Rakitic signed for Barcelona from Sevilla in the summer of 2014 and this month surpassed two hundred appearances for the club in all competitions.
During that time he has scored a total of thirty goals and helped the Catalan club win two league titles, three Spani…
Massimiliano Allegri says his Juventus side cannot come racing out of the blocks in their bid to outscore Real Madrid and turn around their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Bianconeri are 3-0 down after the first leg in Turin, giving Allegri s men a huge uphill battle at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
But the Juve coach wants his players to stick to their game plan, rather than attacking Madrid from the off and risking another big defeat.
We cannot think of playing a game where we aim to overturn the scoreline in 20 minutes, he told a pre-match news conference. We have to take it slow and then see what happens.
We prepared the last game to come here [for the 2015 semi-final second leg] to play to go through. Obviously we have prepared this …
Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in signing Max Aarons from Norwich City, according to . It has been reported that defending Premier League champions City have been monitoring Aarons for a while, and now City have joined the race.
Aarons is one of the better right-backs in England and is a key figure in the Norwich team. The 21-year-old has played seven times in the Premier League for the Canaries so far this season. During the 2020-21 campaign, the England Under-21 international right-back scored two goals and gave two assists in 45 Championship matches.
Norwich are struggling at the moment, and there is a very good chance that Daniel Farke’s side will go down to the Championship at the end of the season. It is unlikely that Norwich will see Aaron…
Prediction: Manchester City to win 5-0
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Manchester City and Burnley will face each other in the Premier League this weekend. The match will be held at the Etihad Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 3pm UK time on Saturday.
Manchester City
Manchester City are doing extremely well in the Premier League at the moment and are in great position to win the league for the second season in a row. Pep Guardiola’s side are third in the standings at the moment with 14 points from seven matches, just two points behind leaders Chelsea.
The Citizens will head into the match against Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on the back of a 2-2 draw with Liverpool away from home at Anfield in the Premier League. It followed a 2-0 defeat to Pa…
Arsenal are negotiating a summer deal for Auxerre forward Yaya Sanogo, according to French daily L’Equipe.
Sanogo, 20, is nearing the end of his contract at the club and is set to leave Auxerre when his deal expires at the end of the season.
According to L’Equipe, Arsenal are showing interest in the talented forward with a view to signing him on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.
The same source claims Arsene Wenger and Giles Grimandi met with the player in Paris last week to try and lure him to the Emirates.
Yaya Sanogo came through the youth ranks at Auxerre, and he was handed a first team debut during the 2009/2010 season.
His career has not gone as planned since, with the player making just 7 league appearances during the next…