Sekou Mara is hoping to make an instant impact at Southampton after completing his move from Bordeaux. 

The France Under-21 international has signed a four-year deal at St Mary's and is rumoured to have cost £11million (€12.9m) when including add-ons.

Mara made 34 appearances for Bordeaux in Ligue 1 – just 10 of those being starts – and scored five of his seven goals in his final seven outings for the French side.

He is Southampton's sixth signing of the window and the Paris Saint-Germain youth product, who turns 20 on Sunday, believes the club will provide the perfect place for him to further his career.

"I'm really happy to sign for Southampton and to be a Saint for the next years," he told the club's official website. "Southampton have given me a good opportunity to progress.

"I'm a young player and I have to work. I think Southampton is the best club for me to develop myself and progress to be one of the best. I'm impatient to begin and score goals."

Mara, who had previously been linked with a return to PSG, could make his Southampton debut in Wednesday's friendly with Monaco.

Raheem Mostert has confirmed he is fit to feature in the Miami Dolphins' training camp.

Mostert has been out of action since Week 1 of last season due to a knee injury.

The running back and his team-mates are scheduled to report for training camp on Tuesday, and on Monday Mostert used his official Twitter account to declare his fitness.

"Wanted to give you all an update," he wrote on Monday. "Yah Boy is CLEARED!!! It's go time!!"

Mostert has been rehabbing his knee since chipping cartilage in the San Francisco 49ers' 2021 season opener.

He underwent surgery in October and signed a one-year contract with Miami this offseason, reuniting him with first-year coach Mike McDaniel, who served as the 49ers' run game coordinator as well as offensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2017 to 2021.

"Being told you may never step on the field again isn't easy to hear," Mostert went on to write. "But when you bet on yourself, your faith, your determination, and modern medicine, good things happen. Hard work pays off! Beyond thankful!!"

The 30-year-old enjoyed his best season with the 49ers in 2019, when he rushed for 772 yards and eight touchdowns with an average of 5.6 yards per carry – the best by a running back with a minimum of 100 attempts – but injuries have limited him to just nine games these past two seasons.

Now entering his eighth season, Mostert is one of three new running backs signed by the Dolphins this offseason, along with Sony Michel, who led the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams with 845 rushing yards last year, and Chase Edmonds, who rushed for 592 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season for the Arizona Cardinals.

The Dolphins, who brought back Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed from last year's backfield, struggled mightily to move the ball on the ground last season as only the Houston Texans averaged fewer yards per carry than Miami's average of 3.55 and had fewer plays of 10+ rushing yards than Miami's 34.

Known for his speed, Mostert led all running backs with a minimum of 100 rushes in 2019 in percentage of carries gaining at least 10 yards at 16.8 per cent.

Tottenham youngster Troy Parrott has extended his contract with Antonio Conte's team until 2025 before heading to Preston North End on a season-long loan.

Promising 20-year-old forward Parrott scored nine goals as he helped League One side MK Dons to a third-place finish as a loanee last season, and will now make the step up to the Championship with Preston.

Parrott already has 15 senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, and scored the most recent of his four international goals against Scotland in June.

Having come through the ranks at Tottenham, Parrott has made just four senior appearances for the club – two in the Premier League – as he struggles to break into a star-studded frontline, which has been boosted by the arrivals of Ivan Perisic and Richarlison this transfer window.

Manor Solomon has reached an agreement to sign for Fulham until the end of the 2022-23 season, after a FIFA ruling on Ukraine-based players.

The ruling stipulates that Ukraine-based players, who aren't Ukrainian nationals, can suspend their contract with their club. 

The 22-year-old scored four goals in 16 league appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk last season before the competition was cancelled due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Another FIFA regulation means that players who cancelled contracts with their Ukrainian clubs cannot be registered before the start of August, but Fulham have stated that they will be applying for an international transfer certificate on the first day of the month.

Manchester United may be scouring the market for a striker as speculation persists around Cristiano Ronaldo's future, but Salzburg's Benjamin Sesko would come at a heavy price – at least as far as the Austrians' Twitter admin is concerned.

United's tally of just 57 Premier League goals last season was their lowest since they netted 54 times in 2016-17, and Ronaldo's apparent desire to leave for a Champions League club has intensified rumours the Red Devils may seek a new forward.

Salzburg's Sesko is the latest to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, with the 19-year-old having scored 11 goals for the Austrian champions in all competitions last season.

But Salzburg appear to be driving a hard bargain, according to their English-language Twitter account, which addressed the rumours with the demand: "We want 300million and Bruno [Fernandes]", alongside a thumbs-up emoji.

United are not the only side credited with an interest in the striker, with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also linked.

Needless to say, if Sesko did command such a fee, United supporters would be justified in expecting him to deliver more than Europa League qualification next season.

After seemingly implying that Derek Carr is a Hall of Fame quarterback, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams pumped the breaks on writing his presentation speech for his new team-mate's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

During an interview on CBS Sports on Friday, Adams was asked about moving on from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers to his new quarterback in Carr.

"Anytime you change quarterbacks from Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer… it's going to be a little bit of an adjustment," he replied.

It certainly sounded like he was saying that the four-time league MVP and a Super Bowl MVP Rodgers – who had 37 touchdown passes to only four interceptions in 2021 for his eighth season of 30 or more TD passes – and Carr – who had 23 TD passes to 14 interceptions in 2021 and has not thrown more than 30 TD passes in a season since 2015 – both belong in the Hall of Fame.

Adams clarified that initial comparison and acknowledged he meant it is going to be an adjustment whenever you change quarterbacks.

"What I meant to say was even if you go Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer it's an adjustment," he said.

"Even if it is Hall of Famer to Hall of Famer, there's going to be an adjustment. I wasn't saying Hall of Famer Aaron to Hall of Famer Derek."

While he was quick to see how his original remarks could have been misinterpreted, he still believes his new quarterback could one day join Rodgers in the Hall of Fame.

"What I'm not going to do is take away from that statement because, why is Derek not a Hall of Famer? What I meant, I left one key word out of there because that's not exactly what I meant," he said.

"But I do think that Derek's career is Hall of Fame-worthy, and why not? Does he have the MVPs right now? No. Has he won a Super Bowl? Not yet. That's obviously what we're chasing."

Entering his ninth season in the NFL – all with the Raiders – Carr appeared in his first playoff game this past January – a 26-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which he threw an interception near the goal line in the final seconds.

Carr is a three-time Pro Bowler and the Raiders’ all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but he has not had a receiver as dynamic as Adams in recent years.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Adams had career highs of 123 receptions for 1,553 yards last season while also catching 11 touchdowns after hauling in 18 in 2021.

The 29-year-old receiver signed a five-year, $141.25million contract extension after being traded to the Raiders this offseason and is now reunited with his former Fresno State team-mate in Carr as they look to help the franchise to its first postseason win since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2002 season.

"But what I'm not going to do is say Derek is not going to be a Hall of Famer because at the end of the day I believe, and this is not putting any expectations or any added pressure on him because he puts that type of pressure on himself because of what he expects every time he touches the field," Adams said.

"But yeah, I did not mean to say exactly that. I'm going to reiterate, even if you go from Hall of Famer to even another Hall of Famer, it's going to be an adjustment. Any time you change quarterbacks, is what I was getting at. So, take that and run with it and do whatever you want to do with it."

Gary Neville believes that Frenkie de Jong should "consider legal action" against Barcelona.

The Netherlands international is a target for Manchester United, who have reportedly agreed a fee with Barca for the former Ajax midfielder.

However, De Jong is supposedly keen to remain at Barca, while it has also been claimed the Spanish club owe the 25-year-old €20million in wages.

That is after De Jong deferred his wages in order to help Barca deal with their financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet in spite of their financial issues, Barca have brought in a number of big-money signings this transfer window, including Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and Raphinha from Leeds United.

And United great Neville believes that De Jong should consider taking Barcelona to court over their failure to pay him the wages he deferred to help out the club.

He tweeted: "De Jong should consider legal action v Barcelona and all players should be behind him!

"A club spending fortunes on new players whilst not paying the ones they have under contract their full money is immoral and a breach."

He also called upon FIFPRO, the representative organisation for professional footballers, to take action against what Neville calls "bullying."

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is hoping that summer arrivals Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria will have a beneficial impact on the squad's younger players.

Pogba and Di Maria both arrived on free transfers after their contracts ran out at Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

France international Pogba is returning to the club where he previously played between 2012 and 2016, winning Serie A titles in all four of his seasons with the Turin outfit.

In 2016, he became the world's most expensive player after United paid a fee of £89million (€105m) to bring him to Manchester, but he is now back with the Italian side after a disappointing six-year spell in England.

Di Maria also had an unsuccessful period with United before signing for PSG, where he spent seven years until making the move to the Bianconeri earlier this month.

Speaking to Sky Sport on the new arrivals' potential influence, Szczesny said: "Two highly experienced players have joined us and many young players can only learn from them.

"In addition to this, they have an incredible quality and their contribution on the pitch will be important. I really hope they can give us a hand."

The Poland international was speaking from Juventus' pre-season training camp in the United States off the back of a 2-0 friendly win over Chivas Guadalajara.

Szczesny's side will take on Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid next as they prepare for the new campaign, where they will look to win their first Serie A title since the 2019-20 season.

The 32-year-old has been enthused by his team's pre-season so far, adding: "I'm having a lot of fun, we have been missing this experience in the last two-three years due to the pandemic.

"It's a great time to reunite with the group, work hard and have fun together.

"It will be a friendly match against Barcelona but it is always exciting to play against the best in the world.

"We have already played the first friendly in Las Vegas, now we have two games against Barcelona and Real Madrid and at this point it is nice to compete against the best teams."

The Football Association (FA), alongside the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL), has announced new measures to help battle against anti-social behaviour in football stadiums after a number of incidents last season.

The closing weeks of the 2021-22 campaign saw some pitch invasions turn ugly, with Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp attacked after fans ran onto the pitch at the end of the Blades' Championship play-off second leg defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Another occurrence of disorder due to fans entering the field was after Port Vale's League Two play-off win over Swindon Town, with numerous Robins players claiming to have been attacked by Vale supporters.

And The FA is clamping down ahead of the new season, with fans now reported immediately to the police and automatically banned by the club for offences such as entering the pitch and the possession or use of flares or smoke bombs.

Parents or guardians of children carrying out offences will also potentially face sanctions.

Other measures announced included an increase in the number of sniffer dogs at stadiums, as well as more thorough searches of fans, while they called upon social media platforms to remove videos showing unlawful fan behaviour.

"The rise in anti-social behaviour that we saw in stadiums at the end of last season was entirely unacceptable," said Mark Bullingham, Chief Executive of The FA.

"Together, English football has introduced new measures and stronger sanctions for the start of the coming season to send out a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of illegal and dangerous behaviour.

"It is the responsibility of everyone in the game, including governing bodies, clubs, players, coaches, and fans, to ensure that we all play our part in protecting our game and each other." 

Alessandro Florenzi has talked up Milan's plans to retain the Serie A title, with the club seeking a 20th league crown that would see them add a second star to their badge.

The San Siro side have had a single gold star on their crest since 1979, following their 10th Scudetti win, and last season's triumph took their overall tally to 19 – with only Juventus winning more.

Milan have won just two league titles since the turn of the millennia, however, and have not successfully retained the league since three consecutive title-winning seasons from 1991-92 to 1993-94.

Florenzi, who joined on loan from Roma last year before making his switch permanent in June, is keen for that to change as he outlined the club's plans to retain the title in the forthcoming campaign.

"So many teams have improved. We deservedly won last year and we want to repeat that. It won’t be easy – everyone will play at their best to beat the reigning champions," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"We must not make predications, otherwise we won't get anywhere. We’ll start with Udinese, then think about one match at a time.

"In the league we want to try to earn the second star. We have to have big goals and dream big. 

"In the Champions League we want to improve on last year. Many weren't ready, not qualitatively but mentally."

Florenzi also highlighted what he felt was the key to Milan's success last season, where they pipped arch-rivals Inter to the crown on the final day of the season.

"There was team spirit, 26 players pushing on the same side," he explained. "We weren't the strongest but the strongest don't always win. Everything went right and we overcame adversity all together."

Pep Guardiola is undergoing the biggest facelift of his Manchester City tenure in a bid to freshen up the squad in pursuit of a fifth Premier League title in six years and that elusive first Champions League crown for the Citizens.

Of the 27 players who made a first-team appearance in Guardiola's first season in charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016-17, just four – Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne – remain in place.

It is very much a case of out with the old and in with the new in the blue half of Manchester this window, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko and long-serving Fernandinho all making way.

The arrivals of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips will arguably make City stronger than they were, while Stefan Ortega should be an improvement on Zack Steffen as back-up to Ederson, but Zinchenko's exit has left Guardiola light at left-back.

City have been strongly linked with Brighton and Hove Albion's Marc Cucurella, though the Seagulls' reported £50million asking price – £20m higher than the English champions are apparently willing to pay – has led to a standoff.

However, with a little over a month of the transfer window to run, there is still plenty of time for the clubs to negotiate a fee, or for City to instead switch focus elsewhere to other targets – if indeed they have any.

With that in mind, Stats Perform looks at exactly why the links with Cucurella are so strong, and the alternatives mentioned by Guardiola to provide competition to Joao Cancelo on the left side of defence this season.

MAKING HIS MARC OUTSIDE OF SPAIN

Zinchenko was far from a regular for City last season, starting just 18 of their 54 matches, but he was used a further 10 times from the substitutes' bench and provided an option both at left-back and in central midfield.

Versatility is a key component if a player is to thrive under Guardiola, and in Cucurella, the Catalan coach has a player also available to switch it up and play in a few different positions. 

The 24-year-old was used predominantly in his favoured left-back position last term, while also filling in as a left wing-back and as a left-sided centre-back at a time of need for Brighton, despite previous doubts over his ability to defend.

"There were people who said I couldn't play as a full-back because I couldn't defend, but now I'm proving I can even play as a centre-back in a back three," Cucurella told Spanish outlet Marca earlier this year.

"What I was looking for was to play as a full-back, which is what I have done all my life. I had never played left centre-back before, but [Brighton manager Graham Potter] has given me the confidence to feel very comfortable there."

Thrown in at the deep end as Brighton dealt with an injury crisis midway through the 2021-22 season – his first outside his native Spain – Cucurella more than passed the test and added further strings to his bow.

CUCURELLA THE ALL-ROUNDER

Whether operating at full-back, wing-back or centre-back, Cucurella helped Brighton keep 11 clean sheets in the Premier League last season, a tally that only six other clubs could better.

Far from being someone who is unable to defend, he led the way among players who played predominantly as full-backs in the English top flight last season in terms of winning back possession, doing so 247 times.

He also ranked behind only Tyrick Mitchell for tackles – 93 compared to the Crystal Palace youngster's 104 – showing he is happy to get stuck in when required.

The one cap Spain international also proved he is capable of attacking, with his 40 open-play chances placing him behind only Reece James (42) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (51), who are two of the finest full-backs around.

That translated to just one assist – Cancelo had seven last season, for context – but some of that can be put down to the finishing of Brighton's attacking players, rather than Cucurella alone failing to deliver from wide.

Indeed, his expected assists (xA) return of 2.82 last season, while maybe still looking low on the face of it, was still the 14th highest of any full-back.

Given his near decade spent in the Barcelona youth set-up and then on the fringes of the first team, it comes as no surprise to see Cucurella is very comfortable with the ball at his feet.

The 1,558 passes he completed last season was bettered – again among those who can be considered full-backs by trade – by only Andy Robertson (1,642), Alexander-Arnold (1,684) and Cancelo (2,516).

A GAMBLE WORTH TAKING?

On the basis of those numbers, and Guardiola's ability to further mould players in his own way, bringing in Cucurella this window really would make sense for City. The problem, of course, is Brighton's mammoth valuation.

In a window that has seen bit-part player Zinchenko join Arsenal for £32m, and given Cucurella has four more years to run on the deal signed last season, Albion see no reason to sell their reigning Fans and Players' Player of the Year.

Guardiola appears to be in no immediate rush to strengthen in that position and has suggested he is happy to stick with what he has if an agreement cannot be reached with Brighton.

"We are in negotiations. If it doesn't happen, we've alternatives," the Catalan said earlier this week. "Cancelo, Josh Wilson-Esbrand is a young talent, [Nathan] Ake can play there..."

While City do already boast one of – same would say the – best left-backs in world football on the basis of last season, going into the new campaign without any true cover in that position would be a risk.

Assuming reports of Brighton's £50m valuation are correct, City would be paying almost £20m more than they received from Arsenal for Zinchenko, and would take their net spend for the window to around £20m.

But when Guardiola truly wants a player, he tends to get him. Indeed, City have already splashed out £50m or more on Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Cancelo in the full-back department during Pep's time in charge.

As a player with Barcelona pedigree, who has proved himself in numerous positions in his short time in England and is still young enough to further adapt and improve, do not bet against Cucurella completing City's vast overhaul.

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has cooled talk of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to his boyhood club and stated the priority is retaining the likes of Matheus Nunes.

Portugal superstar Ronaldo is reportedly keen on leaving Manchester United just a year after returning to Old Trafford from Juventus, with Champions League football a priority for the competition's all-time leading scorer.

Suitors for Ronaldo's services are few and far between, but Sporting have been touted as a potential destination and a return to Madrid has also been speculated, though this time with Atletico.

Such a move for Sporting would mark a spectacular homecoming for their youth graduate, who has become one of the greatest players of all-time, but Amorim has poured cold water on the speculation.

"I've heard that [Ronaldo rumours]. I don't read anything, I don't see anything," he said after a penalty shoot-out defeat in Sunday's friendly against Sevilla.

"For me the reality is different, it's keeping my players."

Nunes is among those that Sporting face a battle to retain, with the 23-year-old linked with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, but Amorim revealed the midfielder has rejected proposals from other clubs in the current window.

"I'm glad Matheus Nunes is still here. I'm glad Sporting players, like Nunes, reject offers that [would] change their lives to remain at Sporting," he added.

"That's my reality. I'm very happy with my squad and my players are the best in the world."