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Real Madrid have been knocked back in their pursuit of William Saliba with Arsenal and the defender unwilling to part ways.

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Arsenal turn away Madrid's approachesSaliba also wishes to stay at ArsenalArsenal to take on BournemouthFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid have reportedly made the French defender their key priority to strengthen their defence next summer but may come away empty handed. Arsenal have no intention of allowing the 23-year-old to leave according to and there is no expectation that Saliba wants to leave north London any time soon. The defender signed a new deal at the club last year and has become one of the world's best defenders at the Gunners.

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Saliba has formed a dominant centre-half pairing with Gabriel at the heart of the Arsenal defence and his performances have naturally attracted interest. Madrid are looking to strengthen their options at the back with Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba struggling with injury problems in recent seasons. If Madrid cannot sign Saliba, they may turn their attentions to Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Romero.

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Saliba went on three loan spells before he made his full competitive debut for Arsenal against Crystal Palace in 2022. He returned to Saint-Etienne after joining the Gunners before loans at OGC Nice and Marseille before making his Premier League debut.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR SALIBA?

Saliba and France will take on Belgium on Monday in the Nations League before the defender returns to north London. The Gunners take on Bournemouth next Saturday aiming to keep the pressure on Manchester City and Liverpool.

Barcelona and Spain legend Andres Iniesta has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 40.

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Scored winning goal in 2010 World Cup finalTook in over 670 appearances for BarcaReady to make move into coachingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The iconic midfielder has most recently been plying his trade in the UAE with Emirates Club. He spent five years in Japan with Vissel Kobe prior to that, having walked away from a memorable spell at Camp Nou in 2018.

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Iniesta – who stepped out of Barca’s famed La Masia academy system alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Sergio Busquets – took in 674 appearances for the Blaugrana. He helped them to nine La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.

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With Spain, Iniesta’s 131 caps saw him win two European Championships and the World Cup in 2010 – with a dramatic extra-time goal famously netted against the Netherlands in the final of that competition. The evergreen playmaker has now decided to call it quits, confirming his decision at an emotional press conference in Barcelona on Tuesday.

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WHAT INIESTA SAID

Iniesta said at his farewell ceremony in La Mancha: "I never thought this day would come, but all these tears these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not of sadness. They are tears of that child from Fuentealbilla who had the dream of being a footballer. And I achieved it, we achieved it. With a lot of sacrifice and a lot of effort. And never giving up. Essential values in my life.I feel very proud of that path. I feel very happy to achieve the prize, the dream, of being a footballer."

He added on his time at Barcelona: "For me, coming to Barça was a dream and I focused on fulfilling it. I couldn't divert my focus from what I wanted and getting to the best possible place to achieve all the dreams I had ahead of me."

Chigumbura – who has past personal success in Pakistan to draw from – also says Super-League points are on Zimbabwe’s mind

Danyal Rasool21-Oct-2020For much of the first decade of his career, Elton Chigumbura was among the first names on the Zimbabwe team sheet. Known for his power-hitting at a time when Zimbabwe lacked players with that attribute, and crucial to balancing the side thanks to his ability to bowl medium pace, Chigumbura seemed to be the full package. But, over the past five years, people’s patience with the 34-year-old, no matter how decorated his CV, has seemingly begun to run thin.There was forensic scrutiny in Zimbabwe after Chigumbura kept his place in the side for the upcoming tour to Pakistan. For one, he’s no longer a bowler, just a middle-order batsman. And one who has scored a grand total of one half-century in ODI cricket in the past five years, and managed a T20I score higher than 35 in just one innings since May 2015.Speaking to the media after the Zimbabwe team landed in Pakistan to play three T20Is and three ODIs, and having begun a six-day quarantine period, Chigumbura said injuries had played a part in the drop in his performance, but he was raring to go once more.”I have struggled with my form,” he said. “I had a couple of injuries that put me away for quite some time. So it was down to my injuries I was out for almost a year, not playing international cricket. And when I came back again, I got another injury, for which I had to go and get surgery done. Right now, I’m looking forward to this series, hopefully to get back to where I was. And these wickets in Pakistan are good wickets to bat on. So hopefully I can carry on from last time when I was in Pakistan.”I am fully fit now. I got an Achilles injury last year. When I was about to just start playing again, then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. So I’m happy to be back in the squad. Hopefully we get a chance to enjoy every moment.”Chigumbura has reason to be optimistic about his prospects in Pakistan. When Zimbabwe became the first side to visit the country after the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan team, the-then 29-year-old was the star of the visiting side. He struck a career-best 54 in the first T20I, before going on to smash a 95-ball 117, also a career high, in his only ODI innings as the visiting side posted 334 in their 50 overs. He would carry on that form, making it back-to-back hundreds by hitting an unbeaten 104 against India six weeks later. He was in the form of his life, before it all suddenly slipped away.But when you’re around the Zimbabwe set-up for as long as he has been, you’ll likely have seen enough rough times to understand there is a way to come out of it.Elton Chigumbura winds up for a big hit•AFP”We have to try and start winning games. Everyone is really focused. It’s not just the series that will determine our future – every game that you play in the [ODI] Super League is very important for the team so that we qualify for the next World Cup overseas. And we take it one game at a time, but everyone in the team is very ready and eager to go.”It’s important that we have to play to win, not to just compete. So all those mindsets are things that we have spoken about in training and everyone is aware of what we need to do as a team and as individuals when it comes to these international games. And hopefully we start on a good note.”I believe we can be competitive. We came here to win. Everyone, they’re willing to go out there and express themselves. Everyone is raring to go, especially after being out of cricket for almost six, seven months.”Chigumbura insisted the absence of their head coach, Lalchand Rajput, would not have an adverse effect on the side. Rajput, a former Indian cricketer, pulled out of the tour of Pakistan after the Indian High Commission in Zimbabwe wrote to Zimbabwe Cricket requesting he be exempted from touring Pakistan. As a result, bowling coach Douglas Hondo took over full coaching duties for the tour, and Chigumbura said the side would be in regular touch with Rajput online.”Nothing’s going to change. The same system, same system coaches that were under him are the ones that are leading the team. So all the values of the team are still the same. We’re having a meeting over a conference call and I’m sure he’ll be part of the strategy. So it’s just a matter of us as players to carry on and make sure that we implement what he always emphasised to us.”Chigumbura said the mood in the camp this time was worlds removed from when they last visited in terms of Zimbabwe’s outlook on security in Pakistan. “Obviously it’s good to be back in Pakistan. The first time we came here five years ago, everyone was a bit scared. But I think the way they hosted us last time, we are confident that we are in safe hands and so far everyone is comfortable. And after having our first training session today, we are looking forward to the matches.”Much has changed in Pakistan and elsewhere in the five years since Zimbabwe arrived on these shores in May 2015. But when he steps out in the middle, Chigumbura will be hoping things go back to the way they were when he last felt ball on bat in Pakistan.

As Newcastle United look to put last season's disappointing seventh-placed Premier League finish behind them, they are linked with a player who could fix a major problem at St James' Park.

Toon look to improve on disappointing campaign

The latest transfer news out of St James' Park suggests that Newcastle are looking to put last season's failure to capture European football behind them and build a squad ready to once again disrupt the Premier League's traditional big six.

Howe struck gold on Newcastle ace who's now worth more than Joelinton

His value has skyrocketed despite never featuring for the club.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 19, 2024

Defensive reinforcements appear to be a high priority for the Magpies with the latest news linking the Toon with a move for AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori. The English centre back could be made available for £42million this summer, making him an attractive target for Newcastle. Another Englishman abroad linked with a move to Tyneside is Tammy Abraham. The ex-Chelsea man is currently at Roma, with the Italian outfit reportedly offering the player to clubs for just £28 million.

The main area of concern for Newcastle is between the sticks however. With Nick Pope's season-ending injury back in December placing his Toon future in doubt, a fresh face in goal is now their top priority. Additionally, it appears that current backup choice Martin Dubravka could follow Loris Karius out of the exit door.

Burnley's James Trafford is the name most frequently linked with a move to Tyneside with Newcastle reportedly close to completing a £20million move to secure the services of the England keeper. Despite conceding 62 goals as Burnley suffered immediate relegation back to the Championship, Trafford is still viewed as a goalkeeper with a bright future ahead of him.

With a goalkeeper at the top of the PIF's shopping list, Newcastle are also apparrently set to launch a bid for a goalkeeper who was crowned a European Champion last season.

Magpies ready bid for Atalanta's Musso

As first reported by Sport Witness, the Italian press are stating that Newcastle have made contact to sign Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso. The outlet reports that Magpies are joined by Villarreal and Genoa in pursuit of the Argentine shot-stopper.

If the Toon are serious about signing Musso, they will have to fork out more than £8.5 million to tempt the 30-year-old away from Bergamo. The Italian press go on to report that Newcastle see the South American as an "ideal reinforcement" and claim that they could "soon make a concrete offer" to secure his services.

Musso made just 11 appearances in the league last season, however excelled in Atalanta's Europa League campaign. The 30-year-old featured in all but one of his side's games in the competition and kept a clean sheet in the final as Atalanta ran away 3-0 winners against Bayer Leverkusen.

It is clear that Musso would be a perfect fit for Newcastle's situation – the 2-cap Argentina international is a goalkeeper that is comfortable playing back up but can step up when necessary. If Pope is to face an uncertain future at St James' Park, bringing in Musso would be an ideal option for the Magpies' higher ups.

Roberto Martinez admitted Portugal were lacking 'magic' in attack after Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. were held to a draw by Scotland.

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Portugal frustrated by ScotlandRonaldo fails to scoreMartinez says team lacking in attackFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Portugal endured a frustrating night at Hampden Park on Tuesday in the Nations League as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Scotland. Fans took aim at 39-year-old Ronaldo for 'holding Portugal back' after the match, as the Al-Nassr missed several chances and was spotted raging at the referee after the stalemate.

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Portugal have an incredible array of attacking talent to call upon with Diogo Jota, Rafael Leao, Bernardo Silva Joao Felix and Francisco Conceicao all featuring with Ronaldo against Scotland. Yet none could find a way past Craig Gordon in the Scotland goal which will concern Martinez. The Portugal boss admitted his team were lacking in attack afterwards.

WHAT MARTINEZ SAID

Martinez was asked what his team had been missing after the game and told : "A decision, a bit of magic in the box. We had a lot of desire, we worked very well without the ball. It was a dangerous game because we could have had possession, but Scotland doesn't need much to score a goal. We showed freshness, but we lacked freshness in the final third. We also have to give credit to Scotland, they had a lot of players in front of goal, their goalkeeper also made a spectacular save."

The Portugal boss also spoke about Ronaldo being confronted by another pitch invader at the end of the game.

"Unfortunately it has happened many times," he said. "It wasn't the first time, even in the Euros. It had happened in other games. We know what he brings to the game, he is an iconic figure, there is excitement. But if someone enters the pitch it is very dangerous if they have bad intentions."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Ronaldo made his 200th start for Portugal against Scotland, 21 years and four days after his first for the national team.

England gain direct entry as hosts, while the final team will be determined via a qualifying event

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2020Hosts England and six other top-ranked teams on the ICC women’s T20I rankings will gain automatic qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. April 1, 2021 is the cut-off date for the rankings.The final team taking part in the eight-team event will be decided via a Qualifier, for which the format and details are yet to be finalised. The deadline for the Qualifier is January 31, 2022.If West Indies finish among the automatic qualifiers, the Caribbean nation that takes part in the games will be the winner of the 2021 T20 Blaze domestic competition.”Cricket at the Commonwealth Games is a fantastic opportunity for us to continue to grow the women’s game globally,” Manu Sawhney, the ICC’s chief executive, said while announcing the qualifying pathway on Wednesday. “We are committed to accelerating this growth and maintaining the momentum we have created over the past few years, which most recently saw 86,174 fans packed into the MCG for the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020.”I thank the Commonwealth Games Federation for their support and for making this possible. We share with them the vision of greater equality, fairness and opportunity in sport and I am sure Birmingham 2022 will go a long way towards us achieving our common objectives.”The Commonwealth Games, which are set to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8, 2022, will include women’s cricket for the first time, and cricket for only the second time after a men’s 50-over event at the 1998 CWG in Kuala Lumpur. South Africa, captained by Shaun Pollock, took home gold by beating the Steve-Waugh-led Australia in the final.”We are absolutely delighted to have women’s T20 cricket debut at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said Dame Louise Martin, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president. “Cricket has always been one of the Commonwealth’s most popular sports and it is so special to have it back at our Games for the first time since the men’s competition at Kuala Lumpur 1998, where true greats of the game including Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar were on show.”Now is the turn of the women and I can’t wait to see the next generation of stars like Heather Knight, Harmanpreet Kaur and Meg Lanning take centre stage.”Birmingham 2022 will be a fantastic showcase for the women’s game and the unveiling of the qualification criteria today is an exciting and important milestone as we head towards what will be a spectacular competition at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium.”

West Ham United and new manager Julen Lopetegui are hoping to strike a deal for a third summer signing this week, according to The Guardian.

West Ham make second signing after Guilherme

The Hammers and technical director Tim Steidten have been hard at work behind the scenes at the London Stadium, making new additions ahead of Lopetegui’s first season in charge.

Brazilian teenager Luis Guilherme was the first signing of the Lopetegui era, joining from Palmeiras on a five-year contract. The winger has reportedly cost more than £25m, and the Hammers have now made their second signing of the window.

West Ham could now sign "top striker" for just £17m

Talks have already been held.

1 ByCharlie Smith Jun 26, 2024

On Wednesday, West Ham announced the signing of former Sheffield United goalkeeper Wes Foderingham on a free transfer. The 33-year-old has penned a two-year deal with the Irons and said after officially joining:

“It feels brilliant to be a Hammer! As soon as I heard of the interest, it was something that I was keen to get sorted and get done and I’m just delighted to be here.

“I've been fortunate to play for teams with a real strong fanbase, a fanbase that's passionate about their club, and West Ham are no different. They're a fanbase that care deeply about their football club, it’s a family club as well, and I find it's always better to play for a team where you have those supporters cheering you on week in, week out.

"Especially in the last few years, the Club has had some really good success in Europe and in the Premier League as well. I think the Club has gone from strength to strength and I think I'm joining at a very, very good time as it's a positive time for the Club.”

After Guilherme and Foderingham, West Ham now look to be turning their attention to signing centre-back Max Kilman from Wolves. They have already had a bid rejected by those at Molineux for the player who worked under Lopetegui in the Midlands, but it looks as if there could be movement in the coming days.

West Ham hoping to seal Kilman deal this week

According to The Guardian in the last 48 hours, West Ham are hoping to seal a deal for Kilman this week. It is stated that Wolves could be tempted into selling their star centre-back for £45m, with West Ham’s opening proposal being worth around £30m plus add-ons.

The 27-year-old, praised as a "monster" of a player by presenter Tom Parker, has missed just one Premier League game across the past two completed seasons for Wolves, making more than 150 appearances for the Old Gold in total. Kilman also praised Lopetegui and his Wolves teammates following a win over West Ham in 2023.

"We've put our heads down and worked really hard in training. And it has paid off today [against West Ham]. We're defending better and we're more solid – this is the real Wolves. We're just delighted to get the win and go from there. We've bonded a lot over the break and have gelled together, and you can see that on the pitch.

"Every game in the Premier League is so tough, and West Ham are a great side, so to get the clean sheet means everyone is delighted."

Initiative to recognise prominent grassroots campaigners for efforts during pandemic

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2020The Kia Oval has been renamed for 24 hours as the Kia Shahidul Alam Ratan Oval, in honour of a former Bangladesh cricketer who is now the leader of a London cricket charity which has been helping to keep children active during lockdown.The Oval was one of a number of prominent sports venues in London to join an initiative to honour grassroots sport community workers and volunteers who, with the support of National Lottery funding, have gone above and beyond during the Covid-19 pandemic.Ratan, a wicketkeeper in Bangladesh’s pre-Test days in the 1980s and 1990s, is chief executive of Capital Kids Cricket, a charity which uses cricket as tool to change the lives of disadvantaged children.During lockdown, Capital Kids Cricket created a digital activity zone to keep kids active, learning and keep in touch with each other socially. Ratan oversaw all their activity, including running virtual sessions with vulnerable kids such as refugees. The charity also arranged regular quiz evenings and family consultations via Zoom to ask about challenges they might face and offer support.”It is brilliant news to be recognised with this honour and it means a lot,” Ratan said. “This may bring some light to the charity and people like me who want to make a change, who want to go the extra mile to help people who need it.”To have a prestigious stadium like The Kia Oval named after me is a huge honour in the cricketing world, not only here in the UK. I would like to thank Surrey Cricket as well.”Without funding, we can’t do anything. The National Lottery are a very generous funder,” he added.”We work across London but we do a lot of coaching in Newham, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Westminster and Camden – then some bits in Hammersmith & Fulham and Ealing.”As soon as we found out about going into lockdown, I had a call with our coaches and said we must make sure we keep things going.”We have three or four clubs we look after and we told our coaches to set up activities within a home environment. Show the kids what they can do with batting, bowling and fielding within their home – in living rooms, small backyards or alleyways between houses.”After two weeks, we decided to introduce a virtual challenge and competitive element. It was very simple challenges like keepie-uppies with the bat and ball, seeing how many times they could keep the ball up in the air, or juggling with two or three cricket balls.”Once we finished that competition, we’d started to establish a connection with clubs around the world. We then wanted to do something simple to connect with those clubs and even more people.”The charity initiated a virtual ball-passing game globally. Hundreds of people joined from the USA to Australia, South Africa to Sweden, including Syrian refugee camps from Lebanon, ending with a virtual celebration with 130 people and families from across the globe joining via zoom.They have now started women and girl’s activities online, running aerobics exercises and boxing classes, and they also ran summer cricket camps in three locations, while constantly supporting parents over the phone who are facing loneliness or suffering from mental health challenges.Other venues to change names this week will be Twickenham rugby stadium, The Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake, The Paula Radcliffe Athletics Track, The Geraint Thomas Velodrome in Wales and The National Outdoor Centre in Wales.Dame Katherine Grainger, UK Sport Chair said, “It’s fantastic that sports across the nations have been able to come together to celebrate grassroots champions who have gone above and beyond this year. Around £30m a week is raised for good causes across the UK by people playing The National Lottery, and has helped sport at all levels, from the smallest rowing club to helping athletes prepare for the Tokyo Olympics next year.”Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “With the help of The National Lottery’s players, thousands of grassroots sports workers and volunteers from local clubs and organisations across the UK have been be able to continue to help people and communities to remain active, connected and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grassroots sport also has a fundamental role to play in providing much needed physical and mental wellbeing in these difficult times.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has his personal preference in terms of a new forward signing at London Colney, but he could end up being a costly operation.

Arsenal targeting new forward and three other key summer additions

Talks over a deal for Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori are believed to be advancing, coming after the club agreed personal terms with him last week.

Arsenal set sights on unlikely £52 million Euro 2024 hero who Arteta loves

The Gunners boss is a big fan of his physicality.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 10, 2024

Calafiori is reportedly on the verge of joining Arsenal, according to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, coming after the 22-year-old's impressive season for Bologna and some standout performances at Euro 2024 with Italy.

Calafiori can play at both centre-back and out wide in the full-back area, allowing Arteta to strengthen multiple positions in one swoop. A new defender is just one of four items on Arsenal's summer transfer agenda, according to reports, with sporting director Edu also targeting a new goalkeeper, midfielder and forward (Simon Collings).

The latter position will be an intriguing one to watch, with Arteta believed to be keen on an alternative to Bukayo Saka. The England star scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, bagging a further 14 assists, but Arsenal arguably don't possess a star back-up option to Saka if injury were to befall the winger.

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

via BBC Sport

Arsenal have been looking at Lille star Edon Zhegrova as a relatively low-cost £17 million option, while another star winger attracting attention from the Emirates is believed to be Spain sensation Nico Williams.

The Athletic Bilbao starlet has really made a name for himself at the Euros with some impressive displays, and registered a very impressive 19 goals in all competitions for the La Liga side last term.

Arsenal have apparently told Williams they'd pay his £50 million release clause, but the 21-year-old's £200,000-per-week wages could be an obstacle.

Arteta wants Nico Williams as his preferred Arsenal forward signing

According to The Athletic, Williams is Arteta's preferred forward signing for Arsenal, but it remains to be seen if the north Londoners advance with a formal approach to Bilbao.

Reliable journalist Charles Watts has previously explained that the Spaniard's salary demands could be the major thing which hinders any deal, explaining that Arsenal have worked hard to tidy up their wage bill in recent years.

"In Williams’ case, the wages are also understood to be a pretty significant issue. Athletic Club are big payers. They have to be to ensure they keep their team together given the unique way the club operates," said Watts to CaughtOffside.

“So Williams is on good money and the word is that interested clubs have been surprised by the wages he would want to move this summer. Arsenal are good payers, but they have a wage bill that they have worked hard to get in check in recent years. So they won’t do anything stupid and undo that hard work."

Paul Pogba continues to fill time while serving a doping ban, with the Frenchman taking in NBA action amid rumours of a potential move to MLS.

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Frenchman suspended since September 2023Ban reduced to 18 months & ends in March 2025Talk of free agency as Juve deal is terminatedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The World Cup winner has seen a suspension from all football-related activity reduced from four years to 18 months, but he must still wait until March 2025 before being cleared to resume his professional career. Pogba is raring to get going and has sent an “I miss you” message to his loyal fan base.

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For now, the 31-year-old remains tied to a contract at Serie A giants Juventus. There has, however, been talk of those terms being terminated – which would make Pogba a free agent. He has been linked with teams in Europe and the United States.

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Pogba is currently in America, alongside wife Zulay. As a big basketball fan, the France international has headed courtside in Florida to watch “bro” Jimmy Butler in action for the Miami Heat. Butler is no stranger to meeting up with soccer superstars, as a close friend of Brazilian forward Neymar.

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WHAT NEXT?

Inter Miami, who already have the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on their books, are among those to have been linked with Pogba. It remains to be seen what the immediate future has in store for him, with the former Manchester United midfielder hoping to rekindle a lost spark once lacing up his boots again.