Dusan Vlahovic scored another sublime free-kick and Arkadiusz Milik opened his Juventus account in a 2-0 Serie A victory over Spezia.

The in-form Vlahovic produced a carbon copy of his stunning strike in the draw against Roma last weekend to put Juve in front at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

New signing Milik came off the bench to seal all three points in stoppage time with a clinical finish.

The Turin giants are unbeaten in four Serie A matches this season, but they suffered another injury blow when Wojciech Szczesny was carried off after landing awkwardly on his ankle in the first half. 

Vlahovic produced another moment of pure class to open the scoring in the ninth minute, bending a sumptous free-kick into the top-right corner of the net from 25 yards out after Juan Cuadrado had been bundled over.

Spezia were struggling to live with the Bianconeri's high tempo, but there was more misfortune for Massimiliano Allegri's side when Szczesny damaged his ankle flapping at a corner and had to be replaced by Mattia Perin.

Cuadrado felt he should have had a penalty in first-half stoppage time, but referee Andrea Colombo adjudged that Petko Hristov made no contact with the Juve captain.

Fabio Miretti turned sharply on the edge of the box and had a shot deflected wide before the fit-again Angel Di Maria and Filip Kostic replaced Cuadrado and Moise Kean early in the second half.

The dangerous Vlahovic came close to a second goal with a downward header that almost crossed the line before Bartlomiej Dragowski palmed the ball to safety.

Danilo should have given Juve breathing space when he fired over the crossbar after bursting into the area, but Milik swivelled in the box after being picked out by a Miretti cross and finished superbly to put the icing on the cake.

 

Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel scored their first Bayern Munich goals as Julian Nagelsmann's side cruised past Viktoria Koln 5-0 in their DFB-Pokal first-round tie.

Signed from Ajax in June, Gravenberch opened his Bayern account 10 minutes before half-time, while 17-year-old Tel – an arrival from Rennes – added a superb second.

Sadio Mane made it 3-0 shortly after the restart with a simple tap-in, before substitute Jamal Musiala added a fourth. 

Leon Goretzka then marked his first appearance of the season with a goal eight minutes from full-time as Bayern swept aside their third-tier opponents with little fuss. 

Viktoria goalkeeper Ben Voll made a string of impressive saves in the opening half-an-hour but he was powerless to prevent Bayern from going ahead in the 35th minute.

The ball fell kindly to Gravenberch just inside the penalty area and he coolly slotted into Voll's bottom-right corner.

Bayern cemented their dominance on the stroke of half-time – Tel cutting in from the left and unleashing a fizzing strike into the far corner.

Mane extended Bayern's advantage in the 53rd minute with a close-range finish after he had been picked out by Serge Gnabry, before Voll made smart stops to deny the former Liverpool man and Musiala. 

The latter was not to be frustrated again in the 67th minute, though, as he slid home after an incisive move involving Thomas Muller. 

Goretzka, on as a substitute, then wrapped up the scoring late on with a crisp finish into the bottom-left corner after a surging run from midfield. 

Josip Ilicic is free to find another club after his contract with Serie A side Atalanta was terminated by mutual consent on Wednesday.

Ilicic joined Atalanta in July 2017 from Fiorentina and scored 60 goals in 173 appearances across all competitions.

His game time reduced over the past two seasons and he is now on the lookout for a new club, with Hellas Verona reported to be interested in signing the 34-year-old Slovenia international.

A statement on Atalanta's official website said: "Atalanta announce that the contract between the club and the player Josip Ilicic has been terminated by mutual agreement.

"He has enchanted Bergamo with his plays, his inventions and his pure class since 2017. He made us dream with his magic on the pitch and moved us with his sensitivity and humanity off it.

"His four goals at Valencia will forever remain a portrait of the champion Ilicic, while the noble gesture of donating the ball of that magical evening to Bergamo's Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital is a portrait of the man Josip.

"There would be goals and assists to list, but what these five seasons together have meant goes far beyond numbers.

"Now we part ways, but the memories and emotions will remain forever. Good luck, Professor and thanks for everything!"

Sevilla have confirmed the signing of Adnan Januzaj on a free transfer, with the winger signing a four-year contract.

Januzaj, who came through the ranks at Manchester United, left Real Sociedad at the expiration of his contract at the end of last season.

The Belgium international spent five seasons at La Real, having joined from United in 2017.

Januzaj enjoyed a fine breakthrough season at Old Trafford in the 2013-14 season but never quite lived up to expectations.

However, at 27, he has the chance to play in the Champions League with Sevilla, who had been in need of a winger as they expected to sell Lucas Ocampos to Ajax, though that move broke down unexpectedly.

Januzaj made 132 LaLiga appearances for La Real, scoring 14 goals and assisting a further 16, having created 145 chances for team-mates.

Sevilla face Barcelona in their next LaLiga match, having taken just one point from their opening three games.

Juventus have completed the signing of Leandro Paredes on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

An official agreement published by the Serie A side on Wednesday stated the deal includes an obligation to buy the player permanently "subject to the achievement of certain given sporting objectives by the end of the season" for a fee of €22.6million, with a further €3m in add-ons.

Paredes joined PSG from Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2019 and made 117 appearances in all competitions for the French giants, scoring four goals.

The Argentina international midfielder started just 10 Ligue 1 games last season, and is yet to start a game this season under new PSG head coach Christophe Galtier, though did make four substitute appearances.

Juventus have moved to make Paredes their eighth signing of the transfer window, with the likes of Angel Di Maria, Paul Pogba and Bremer already added to Massimiliano Allegri's squad.

The 28-year-old returns to Serie A having already played for Roma earlier in his career, with loan spells at Chievo and Empoli during that time.

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confirmed via social media he suffered a jaw injury at the hands of burglars on Sunday.

Aubameyang has been linked to a move to Premier League side Chelsea before Thursday's transfer deadline, but it remains to be seen whether this injury affects any potential deal.

It is reported that Aubameyang was assaulted by a group of armed intruders, who threatened his wife and two children, with The Times claiming the former Arsenal forward had been held at gunpoint.

Aubameyang confirmed the injury through social media, saying via Twitter: "On Sunday night, some violent cowards broke into our home and threatened my family and my children, just to steal some stuff.

"They injured my jaw but I will recover in no time, and thank God no one else was physically harmed.

"The feeling that we are no longer safe in our own home is hard to understand and describe, but as a family, we will overcome this and stand stronger than ever."

The jury in Ryan Giggs' trial has been discharged after failing to reach verdicts in the former Manchester United winger's domestic violence trial.

Giggs had been on trial at Manchester Crown Court for four weeks after he was accused of assaulting his former girlfriend Kate Greville, causing actual bodily harm, and using controlling and coercive behaviour against her from August 2017 to November 2020.

The ex-Wales international and manager was also charged with the common assault of Ms Greville's younger sister, Emma.

Giggs, who resigned as Wales boss in June, denied all charges laid against him.

A jury of 12 was sent out to consider its verdicts last week, before one member was discharged due to illness.

Judge Hilary Manley on Tuesday stated she would accept verdicts on which at least 10 of the 11 jurors agreed, but they were unable to agree verdicts on any of the charges after deliberating for 22 hours and 59 minutes.

Giggs will discover on September 7 whether he will face a retrial.

 

Juventus youngster Nicolo Rovella has joined fellow Serie A side Monza on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 20-year-old midfielder had been used as a late substitution in each of Juve's opening three league games this campaign.

However, the Bianconeri announced on Wednesday that Rovella will now link up with Monza for the next nine months.

Italy Under-21 international Rovella was signed by Juventus in a deal worth a reported €20million in January 2021 and remained with Genoa for the second half of last season.

He has made 46 appearances in the Italian top flight, 29 of those being starts, and has assisted five goals.

Roma have completed the signing of Olympiacos midfielder Mady Camara on a season-long loan deal with the option to buy.

The Guinea international is the seventh arrival at the Stadio Olimpico during this transfer window, following in the footsteps of Nemanja Matic, Mile Svilar, Zeki Celik, Paulo Dybala, Georginio Wijnaldum and Andrea Belotti.

Camara, who will wear the number 20 for the Giallorossi, spent four seasons with Olympiacos, winning three league titles.

The 25-year-old was linked with a host of clubs across Europe in this window but is now looking forward to his new challenge with Roma.

"I am very happy to be here," Camara told the club's official website. "Roma represents a great opportunity for me.

"It will be a challenging season, between cups and the league, but I am here to give my contribution and help the team in every competition in which we participate.

"Seeing the Olimpico and the Giallorossi fans was magnificent; I can't wait to play for them."

Camara could make his Roma debut when the Giallorossi travel to Udinese in Serie A on Sunday.

James Rodriguez says he would walk from Qatar to Valencia in order to join the LaLiga club.

The Colombia international only joined Al-Rayyan from Everton last September, but is eager for another move before the transfer window closes on Thursday.

James is contracted to the Stars League side until June 2024, but the former Real Madrid playmaker wants to link up with Valencia's new signing Edinson Cavani for another spell in Spain.

Speaking to El Chiringuito on Twitch, the 31-year-old said: "If it were up to me, I would go there [Valencia] on foot. But if I went on foot I would arrive late because then the transfer market closes.

"Seriously, it's a great club with a good fan base and now Cavani has arrived too. If they want someone to assist Cavani, I'm there."

Uruguay striker Cavani completed a move to Valencia this week as a free agent after his Manchester United contract expired.

RedBird Capital Partners on Wednesday completed a €1.2billion takeover of Serie A champions Milan.

It was confirmed in June that RedBird had agreed a deal to acquire Milan from Elliott.

The American private investment firm is now officially the owner of the Rossoneri, with Yankee Global Enterprises (YGE), the owner of the New York Yankees, entering into strategic partnership and acquiring a minority equity stake in the club.

Gerry Cardinale, RedBird founder and managing partner, said: "Our vision for Milan is clear: we will support our talented players, coaches and staff to deliver success on the pitch and allow our fans to share in the extraordinary experiences of this historic club. 

"We will look to leverage our global sports and media network, our analytics expertise, our track record in sports stadium developments and hospitality to deliver one goal – maintaining Milan’s place at the summit of European and world football."

RedBird’s portfolio of global sports and entertainment investments includes Fenway Sports Group (the owner of Liverpool, the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins), Ligue 1 club Toulouse and Indian Premier League franchise the Rajasthan Royals.

On the partnership with YGE, Cardinale said: "We have a multi-decade relationship with the New York Yankees and the Steinbrenner family that has resulted in the creation of some of the most successful businesses in sports, entertainment and hospitality. 

"We are very pleased to continue our partnership with them and will look to explore opportunities together to broaden our fan reach and expand commercial opportunities that are only available to franchises that operate at the highest levels of sports globally."

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed his surprise at the departure of former team-mate Casemiro to Manchester United.

The Brazil international ended his nine-year stay at the Santiago Bernabeu when he swapped LaLiga for the Premier League earlier this month for a reported fee of £60million (€70m).

Casemiro, who made his United debut as a substitute during Saturday's 1-0 win at Southampton, enjoyed a trophy-laden stint alongside Kroos in the heart of Los Blancos' midfield.

Together, they won four Champions League crowns and two league titles, and the 30-year-old's decision to leave the Spanish capital was one that came out of the blue, according to Kroos.

 

Speaking on his podcast Einfach mal Luppen, Kroos said: "The decision surprised me to do that. He has made the decision for himself to do something new again.

"He's 30 and knows for sure that he won't need to do that in two or three years. There were more and more reports, it somehow got hotter.

"In the beginning, I would not have expected it at all, I thought it was just a rumour at first. But there are one or two newspapers here that are a bit better informed.

"As more and more people reported and talked about details, I was awake at three or four o'clock at night when I was sick. Then I just wrote to him [asking] if he would really leave me alone."

Wolves have bolstered their attack with the arrival of striker Sasa Kalajdzic from Stuttgart.

The Austria international has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Molineux, with the option to extend for an additional 12 months.

Kalajdzic becomes Wolves' fifth signing of this transfer window after Hwang Hee-chan, Nathan Collins, Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Nunes.

The 6ft 7in forward, who netted 23 goals in 57 league games for Stuttgart, is looking to testing himself in the Premier League. 

"I'm really thankful and really happy to be here. It was the club that wanted me the most in the end," Kalajdzic told the club's official website.

"In my career, at my age, it's important to feel where the next step is and, in the end, I had the feeling Wolverhampton is the best step for my development.

"Everyone tells me the Premier League is the toughest league; it's the NBA of football. I'm just excited to prove myself against the best, because in this league, the best players are playing."

Wolves are seeking their first league win of the season when they travel to Bournemouth on Wednesday, while Kalajdzic could make his debut when Bruno Lage's side welcome Southampton this weekend.

Paulo Dybala's fine performances for Roma are good news for Argentina with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, according to Jose Mourinho.

Two goals from Dybala against Monza on Tuesday – his first for Roma – fired the Giallorossi to the top of the Serie A table with a 3-0 win.

The forward, signed from Juventus in this transfer window, had not scored more than once in a Serie A match since April 2018.

But this brace took Dybala to 100 goals in the competition for his career; he is only the eighth player since 2004-05 to pass 100 goals and 50 assists.

Roma coach Mourinho is working to ensure Dybala remains in top condition, having started all four matches so far this season but been substituted in each of them.

Dybala never started 30 league games in a single season for Juve, too often beset by injury problems that also impacted his international career.

In this form, Dybala will have a key role for Argentina in Qatar in November, so Mourinho is expecting gratitude from Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni.

"In the other games, he couldn't quite pull off the things he wanted to at times, but he never showed the wrong attitude," Mourinho said of Dybala after the Monza game. "Great.

"For me, there can be times when a talented player helps his side but he's also a bit isolated from it.

"But with us, Paulo is a great talent who also plays for and with the team. Right now, when it comes to the defensive side of the game, he's doing a great job for us – and that's not something that he was born to do.

"When he came off today, he said to me: 'Boss, if I carried on I would have got my third.' I told him: 'Get it against Udinese instead!'

"It's important to manage him a bit, because he has had a bit of bad luck with injuries in the past and he did not play a huge amount last season. Right now, his levels are improving.

"For us, he’s great, and I can already see what is going to happen in Qatar. Maybe the Argentina coach should offer us a bottle of wine."

Dybala has scored only three goals in 34 caps for Argentina; he has started just one match at a major tournament and was restricted to 77 minutes in 2022 World Cup qualifying.

Chelsea are looking to make another massive long-term investment, with reports they are aggressively moving for 20-year-old RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol in a deal that would cost £77.4million (€90m).

Gvardiol, who has 10 senior international caps for Croatia to his name, has established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Germany.

He has been linked to a host of elite clubs, but Chelsea appear to be at the front of the queue and would allow the centre-back to stay at Leipzig until next year.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLAN ANOTHER CENTRE-BACK SPLURGE FOR GVARDIOL

The Stamford Bridge club have made a number of big defensive signings in this window, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella set to be followed by Wesley Fofana.

Koulibaly is 31, though, and has joined veteran Thiago Silva at the heart of the defence, explaining why Chelsea may already be looking at a succession plan.

Fabrizio Romano says the Blues are "in advanced talks" with Leipzig over a deal that would be completed now but only see Gvardiol make the move in 2023.

ROUND-UP

– PSV forward Cody Gakpo appears destined for the Premier League, with The Telegraph reporting Everton, Leeds United and Southampton are all interested in a player believed to be valued around £30m.

– The Telegraph has named a list of potential Fulham targets, including former Chelsea winger Willian, Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa, Roma winger Justin Kluivert and Marseille forward Bamba Dieng

– The Daily Mail is reporting Brighton and Hove Albion are investigating a move for Billy Gilmour, although Chelsea's lack of depth in midfield could complicate matters.

– Aston Villa forward Douglas Luiz has some high-profile admirers, with Matheus Leal reporting Liverpool have submitted a £20m bid, and The Telegraph adds Atletico Madrid are also prepared to make the same offer.

Leicester City are negotiating a deal for their potential Fofana replacement in 24-year-old Reims centre-back Wout Faes, believed to be worth £17.2m, according to the Daily Mail.

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