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Liverpool Confirm Nunez’s £46.2M Move To Al-Hilal

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Liverpool sold striker Darwin Nunez to Saudi side Al-Hilal, both clubs confirmed on Saturday, in a move that could allow the Premier League champions to make a fresh bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

Nunez joined the Reds for an initial 75 million euros ($87 million, £65 million) from Benfica three years ago but has failed to live up to that price tag.

The Uruguayan scored 40 goals in 143 appearances but slipped down the pecking order at Anfield under both Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

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According to reports in the British media, Al-Hilal will pay an initial 53 million euros for the 26-year-old.

READ ALSO:Bayern Seal £65.5m Deal For Liverpool Winger Luis Diaz — Reports

“Al-Hilal Club Company is pleased to announce the signing of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez from Liverpool FC on a three-year contract,” Al-Hilal said in a statement.

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Nunez was likely to play even less this season after Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz as part of a 300 million euro spending spree that also includes full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

However, the club could still break the British transfer record by signing Isak.

Liverpool reportedly had a first bid of £110 million rejected, with Newcastle demanding a fee of up to £150 million for the Swedish striker.

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READ ALSO:Liverpool Return To Training In Wake Of Jota death

The sale of Nunez would take Liverpool’s income for transfer sales this window to nearly 200 million euros after the departures of Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Tyler Morton.

Nunez is the latest big name to join Al-Hilal, who shocked Manchester City to reach the quarter-finals of the recent Club World Cup.

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Coached by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi, the Saudi club’s squad includes Portuguese internationals Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, and former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

AFP

 

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Ronaldinho To Present 2025 Ballon d’Or Award To Winner

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The football world is set for another glittering night as the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony takes place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday, September 22.

Reports suggest that France Football’s most prestigious individual honour will be presented by none other than legendary Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho.

While organisers have yet to confirm the news, anticipation is running high among football fans worldwide.

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This year’s Ballon d’Or is shaping up to be a dramatic showdown between two players who have followed in Ronaldinho’s footsteps: Ousmane Dembélé of PSG and Barcelona’s 18-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal.

READ ALSO:FULL LIST: Ballon d’Or Unveils 2025 Women Nominees

The prospect of Ronaldinho presenting the award to one of them has been described as poetic, with both players representing the clubs that turned the Brazilian into a global icon.

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Yamal, who helped Barcelona claim a domestic treble, has had a breakout season that earned him the LALIGA EA SPORTS Best Under-23 Player award. The teenager racked up 18 goals and 21 assists, becoming the youngest player to score in a Clásico and the youngest to make 100 appearances for the club.

The Spanish wonderkid also helped Spain win the European Championship in a record-breaking campaign, further strengthening his Ballon d’Or case. His supporters argue that his blend of youthful exuberance and end product makes him a worthy winner despite his age.

On the other hand, Dembélé represents redemption and consistency at the highest level. The French international has been reborn under PSG manager Luis Enrique, leading the club to a historic treble including their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.

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READ ALSO:2025 Ballon d’Or: Pedro Names Player To Win Award, Snubs Yamal, Dembele

Dembélé’s 32 goals and eight assists across all competitions have made him the statistical frontrunner. PSG Sporting Director Luis Campos has openly backed him, saying: “If his name were Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there would be no discussion.” Campos went further, claiming that if Dembélé does not win, “it suggests a failure on the part of the voters.”

Even Ronaldinho has praised the PSG forward’s game, telling L’Equipe via Paris Fans: “I don’t like to compare much. I mainly look at my old teams and those that are still in the Champions League. There’s Ousmane Dembélé at PSG. I like him a lot.

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“He has a slightly Brazilian style! He’s disconcerting, he invents, he provokes. He’s often unreadable and, what’s more, he scores a lot of goals. He’s revealing himself, bursting into a different role than he did at PSG last year or at Barcelona.”

With two players boasting such compelling cases—Yamal with his brilliance and narrative as football’s next superstar, and Dembélé with his trophies and peak performance—the 2025 Ballon d’Or could be one of the most hotly contested editions in years.

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Guardiola Targets Redemption As Man City Face Arsenal In Title Race

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said his side can ill afford a repeat of the “under-14s” defending that saw them thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal in February.

Guardiola’s men travel to the Emirates again on Sunday, already trailing the Gunners and defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

City lost two of their opening three games to Tottenham and Brighton but have bounced back with comprehensive victories over Manchester United and in the Champions League over Napoli.

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The thrashing at the hands of his former protege Mikel Arteta was one of the low points in a miserable campaign for Guardiola.

READ ALSO:FULL LIST: CAC Removes 247 Companies From Database, Urges Public To Disregard Them

City failed to win a trophy for the first time since 2017 and finished a distant third behind Liverpool and Arsenal.

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“The game last season, we started like many times last season, like an under-14s team and gave away a thousand million goals,” said Guardiola when asked to reflect on his last visit to the Emirates.

“After we were, a lot of the time, pretty good considering how it was last season, but the last 15-20 minutes were a disaster.

“We forgot to do what we had do and it was easy for Arsenal. I want to compete to be a better team than we were last season.”

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READ ALSO:Lionel Messi Names Best Coach He Has Ever Had In His Career

Both Liverpool and Arsenal massively outspent City in the transfer window in the battle for Premier League supremacy and Guardiola took the opportunity for a dig at those who claim his six titles since arriving in England are due to the budget at his disposal.

The only thing I want to say to my friend Mikel Arteta is if he wins the title it will be just because he spent money, not because he worked hard or because of his players,” Guardiola said sarcastically.

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It’s like Liverpool too. If Arne (Slot) wins it again, it will be because he spent a lot of money, right? Because it’s not just Man City that (spend), right?”

Arteta left behind working as Guardiola’s assistant in 2019 and has slowly built Arsenal back into a force capable of competing for major trophies.

READ ALSO:FA Cup: Guardiola Reacts As Leyton Fans Sing ‘You’re Getting Sacked In The Morning’

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But he has still just won one piece of silverware, the 2020 FA Cup, after finishing second in the Premier League for the past three seasons.

“He found the club in a (certain) way and step-by-step, window by window, Arsenal is getting better,” added Guardiola.

“Last season in Europe, they made an incredible step forward and they are for me the most solid team. They don’t make mistakes in the back.”

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READ ALSO:Man City To ‘Reset’ From Zero, Says Guardiola After Liverpool Humbling

City begin the weekend three points behind Arsenal and six adrift of leaders Liverpool.

The challenge facing Guardiola’s side is heightened by the fact they played their Champions League opener 48 hours after Arsenal, who won 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.

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Guardiola refused to be drawn into the scheduling debate but conceded it could be difficult for Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to start three games in eight days on his return from a major knee injury.

With him in the pitch we feel more comfortable but, of course, after coming from a tough injury you have to be alert and we will decide on Sunday how he does feel.”

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Storms Force Postponement Of Marseille, PSG Ligue 1 Game

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The Ligue 1 match between Marseille and reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening was postponed by almost 24 hours due to storms forecast in southern France, regional authorities said.

The match is postponed because there could be heavy rainfall with significant risks of runoff in urban areas” around Marseille’s 65,000-capacity Stade Velodrome, Georges-Francois Leclerc, the prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhone department, told AFP.

READ ALSO:EPL: Aston Villa Remain Winless As Newcastle, Bournemouth Draw 0-0

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It added that there “would be a risk” for spectators and players.

The game, one of the most eagerly awaited in the Ligue 1 calendar, was originally scheduled for 2045 local time (18:45 GMT) on Sunday. It will now kick off on Monday at 2000.

AFP

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