Benfica have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Liverpool over the sale of Darwin Nunez.
Releasing a statement on their website early on Monday, Benfica confirmed the Uruguay striker will head to Anfield for a fee of £64million (€75m), with a further £21.4m (€25m) in potential add-ons.
Nunez signed for Benfica in 2020 from Spanish second tier side Almeria for around €24m and scored 45 goals in 85 games, 61 of those starts, for the Primeira Liga club in all competitions.
The club also notified that finalising the deal will now depend on the agreement of personal terms between Nunez, his representatives and Liverpool.
"It is further informed that the aforementioned agreement is dependent on the signing of the player's employment contract with Liverpool FC," a Benfica statement said.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a prolific 2021-22 season, finding the net 34 times in 41 games in all competitions.
Luis Enrique is in no doubt Spain can compete with the very best in the world after watching his side cruise past the Czech Republic 2-0 in the Nations League on Sunday.
Carlos Soler and Pablo Sarabia were on target in each half as La Roja moved top of Group A2 following Portugal's 1-0 defeat to Switzerland.
The win, which stretched Spain's unbeaten run to eight games, means their progress to the Nations League finals could be sealed before their final group game against Portugal.
Should they beat Switzerland in their penultimate game and Portugal lose to the Czech Republic, Spain will seal their place in the tournament.
Luis Enrique was pleased with his side's display at La Rosaleda in Malaga, yet acknowledged there is room for improvement.
"I am very satisfied, how can I not be?" he said in a media conference.
"The rival has shown how good they are, in all aspects. We have been quite good, although we lacked some things.
"The atmosphere was wonderful, with lots of cheering and respect for the anthem of the rival. I hope it repeats itself and serves as an example.
"We are leaders and we have been good in general. Ask the rivals what they feel when playing with us. Surely we will compete [against anyone]."
Marco Asensio was particularly bright for Spain, teeing up Soler's goal to move level with Jordi Alba as the joint-highest goal creator under Luis Enrique's leadership (seven assists).
He played more key passes (three) than any other player on the pitch, and Luis Enrique says the fact he is not a regular starter at Real Madrid is not an issue.
"I always called him up when I saw him doing well," he said. "Now he has been playing less. We like him and he knows it. There are no doubts with him."
Unai Simon made important saves from Vaclav Cerny and Jan Kuchta before Soler's opener, with Luis Enrique pleased at his goalkeeper's decisiveness.
"He chose well in decision-making," he added. "He gives us a lot with the ball in aerial aspects. He has been good.
"It gives me a lot of peace of mind, and I am the one who makes decisions. He has saved us and that's what the goalkeeper is for."
Fernando Santos questioned the referee's performance after Portugal suffered the first defeat of their Nations League campaign to Switzerland.
Haris Seferovic opened the scoring after just 55 seconds in Geneva, the fastest goal in Nations League history and earliest Switzerland have scored since 1988.
Referee Fran Jovic awarded a penalty to Switzerland 13 minutes later for a handball against Nuno Mendes, but the VAR overruled the decision.
A clear foul on Andre Silva by Nico Elvedi on the halfway line was the reason, with the Portugal striker requiring brief medical treatment for the ankle injury suffered in the tackle.
Portugal were incensed at the original decision, surrounding Jovic at half-time, and tempers continued to boil over in the second half, with Bruno Fernandes confronting the Swiss bench at one point.
While Santos refused to directly criticise the referee's performance, he admitted his frustrations with Switzerland seemingly slowing down the game en route to a 1-0 victory.
"I'm not going to criticise, but when a penalty is awarded that doesn't happen just like that, when there's a clear foul in midfield... Then just look at the number of fouls and time lost," he told reporters.
"The fourth official knows very well what happened in the game."
Santos was satisfied with the second-half improvement, even if Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin's heroics left Portugal a point behind group leaders Spain, who defeated Czech Republic on Sunday.
"At half-time, I was just saying that we have to have the ball and play differently and push them back," he added.
"We started very well, in the first few minutes we wanted to put the ball very quickly on [Goncalo] Guedes. We knew opportunities would arise and many have arisen."
Portugal are not in action again until visiting Czech Republic in the Nations League on September 24.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe has asked the club to explain its "project" and what his role will be in it ahead of contract negotiations.
The 26-year-old started has become a central figure in PSG's first team, making 41 appearances across all competitions in the 2021-22 campaign.
However, it has been suggested that the French giants are in the market for a new centre-back, with Inter's Milan Skriniar rumoured to be on their radar.
In turn, Premier League side Chelsea – managed by former PSG boss Thomas Tuchel – are said to have expressed an interest in acquiring Kimpembe if they are unable to sign his France team-mate Jules Kounde from Sevilla.
Earlier this month, Kimpembe cast doubt on his future when saying it was a "key moment" in his career, with only two years left on his contract.
Some perceived it to be a hint that he was potentially angling for a move, and while he did look to clarify his comments on Sunday, Kimpembe reiterated the importance of knowing PSG's vision for him.
Speaking ahead of France's Nations League clash with Croatia on Monday, Kimpembe said: "I told PSG that I'm almost 27 years old, that my next contract will be decisive and that I wanted to know what the club's project was.
"I didn't say anything bad. I arrived at the club when I was 9-10 years old. I think it makes sense to ask what the future project is and what role I'll be given within it.
"But, at the moment, I'm focused on the French team and [Monday's] match to finish this season well."
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been encouraged to sign for Bayern Munich by his Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.
Mane has been strongly linked with a move to the Bundesliga champions, with just 12 months left to run on his current contract at Anfield.
The Premier League club are said to have turned down two advances from Bayern for the 30-year-old, who has lifted six major trophies in as many seasons with the Reds.
The Senegal international hinted at wanting a move away when on international duty and Cisse believes Bayern represent the best option for Mane's career if he is to leave Liverpool.
"I tell my boys to try to work out the contract issues so that when their respective championships resume, they will have already found a base," Cisse told reporters.
"I heard about Sadio at Bayern. For me, it is a club that is of its standing. Bayern is intense, pressing football with a German coach.
"Sadio played in Salzburg in Austria, which is a border country, and that means he is not going into unknown territory.
"For me, the club where he will feel the best is Bayern."
Mane has scored 90 goals in 196 Premier League games for Liverpool since joining from Southampton in 2016.
Only Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy (104), team-mate Mohamed Salah (118) and Tottenham's Harry Kane (134) have managed more in the competition across that period.
Jurgen Klopp's side appear to be close to signing Benfica forward Darwin Nunez as a replacement for Mane.
But Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic has suggested the German side are considering multiple options in the transfer market, with the Mane move far from a certainty.
Spain made it back-to-back wins to go top of Nations League Group A2 as goals from Carlos Soler and Pablo Sarabia sealed a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Luis Enrique's side edged past Switzerland on Thursday after opening their campaign with two draws, and they racked up another win at La Rosaleda in Malaga.
Valencia midfielder Soler scored the opening goal shortly after the midway point in the first half – his third strike at international level.
And substitute Sarabia made sure of all three points in the 75th minute as La Roja usurped Portugal, who lost 1-0 in Switzerland, at the top of the group.
Unai Simon denied Vaclav Cerny and Jan Kuchta inside the opening 20 minutes as the visitors started brightly.
Yet Spain went ahead with their first attempt on goal in the 24th minute, Soler drilling past Ales Mandous from eight yards after running onto Marco Asensio's pull-back.
Soler then clipped wide soon after as Spain fell short of doubling their advantage before the interval.
Simon pushed away a long-range drive from Alex Kral midway through a tepid second half as both sides struggled to build any momentum.
That was until Sarabia followed up his winner against Switzerland with another goal three minutes after being introduced for Asensio, the attacking midfielder nudging home from Ferran Torres' low cross to wrap up maximum points.
What does it mean? Victory moves Spain to group summit
After a sluggish start to their Nations League campaign, Spain are well and truly up and running now.
A second consecutive win moved them onto eight points, one ahead of Portugal. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, remain in third with four points from their opening four games.
Asensio shines
Asensio's pass for Soler's goal means no player has provided more assists for Spain under Luis Enrique's leadership (seven, level with Jordi Alba). He was Spain's biggest threat here, playing more key passes (three) than any other player on the pitch.
Morata goes missing
Alvaro Morata endured a game to forget up front for the hosts. The 29-year-old failed to have a single shot or play a key pass before he was hauled off for Torres in the 59th minute.
What's next?
Both sides complete their Group A2 campaigns in September. Spain are at home to Switzerland before visiting Portugal, while the Czech Republic host Portugal and then travel to Switzerland.
Portugal suffered their first defeat of the Nations League campaign after Haris Seferovic scored the winner in a 1-0 victory for Switzerland in Geneva.
Switzerland had lost all three of their Group A2 fixtures, including a 4-0 hammering in the reverse fixture, but took the lead through Seferovic inside the first minute.
Fernando Santos' side were repeatedly denied by Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin in search of an equaliser, with the absence of the injured talisman Cristiano Ronaldo particularly noticeable for the visitors.
Defeat left Portugal a point behind Spain at the summit of the group, while Switzerland picked up their first win to move one point behind Czech Republic in third.
Switzerland raced out the blocks as Seferovic headed into the bottom-left corner from Silvan Widmer's right-wing cross after just 55 seconds – the fastest goal in Nations League history.
The hosts thought they had a penalty 13 minutes later for a Nuno Mendes handball, but a lengthy VAR check ruled the spot-kick out for an earlier Nico Elvedi foul on Andre Silva.
Omlin kept his side ahead by denying a close-range Danilo Pereira header, before Rafael Leao headed home shortly after, only to be ruled out for offside.
Omlin also stopped a low Andre Silva drive after the interval, while Remo Freuler drilled just wide at the other end.
Seferovic almost extended Switzerland's lead but arrowed narrowly off target on a rapid counter-attack before Omlin beat away a swerving Bernardo Silva long-range strike.
The Montpellier stopper carried on his fantastic performance by pushing away a sliding Goncalo Guedes effort and a low Diogo Jota header as Switzerland held on for victory.
What does it mean? Portugal's top-spot hopes dented
Portugal were arguably fortunate to snatch a draw in their Nations League opener with Spain, but then recorded convincing victories over Switzerland and Czech Republic.
However, they came unstuck in Geneva and were largely off the pace, handing Spain the advantage in Group A2.
With only one team progressing, Portugal may end up needing to beat Spain on the final matchday in September.
Swift Seferovic
Not only was Seferovic's smart flick to open the scoring the fastest goal in Nations League history, but it was also Switzerland's earliest goal since 1988.
The striker became the first Swiss player to score in the first minute of a game in 34 years, since Alain Sutter managed to do so in World Cup qualifying against Luxembourg.
Sorry Silva
Andre Silva was tasked with leading the line in the absence of Ronaldo, but failed to leave his mark against Elvedi and Manuel Akanji.
The RB Leipzig striker was caught offside on a game-high two occasions, the first in the build-up to Leao's disallowed header, and made just 15 passes all match.
What's next?
Portugal are not in action until a Nations League away clash at Czech Republic on September 24, when Switzerland also visit Spain.
Spain made it back-to-back wins to go top of Nations League Group A2 as goals from Carlos Soler and Pablo Sarabia sealed a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Luis Enrique's side edged past Switzerland on Thursday after opening their campaign with two draws, and they racked up another win at La Rosaleda in Malaga.
Valencia midfielder Soler scored the opening goal shortly after the midway point in the first half – his third strike at international level.
And substitute Sarabia made sure of all three points in the 75th minute as La Roja usurped Portugal, who lost 1-0 in Switzerland, at the top of the group.
Unai Simon denied Vaclav Cerny and Jan Kuchta inside the opening 20 minutes as the visitors started brightly.
Yet Spain went ahead with their first attempt on goal in the 24th minute, Soler drilling past Ales Mandous from eight yards after running onto Marco Asensio's pull-back.
Soler then clipped wide soon after as Spain fell short of doubling their advantage before the interval.
Simon pushed away a long-range drive from Alex Kral midway through a tepid second half as both sides struggled to build any momentum.
That was until Sarabia followed up his winner against Switzerland with another goal three minutes after being introduced for Asensio, the attacking midfielder nudging home from Ferran Torres' low cross to wrap up maximum points.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is "like a father" in the Milan dressing room, according to Rossoneri midfielder Brahim Diaz.
The 40-year-old striker only started 12 games across all competitions for Stefano Pioli's side during the 2021-22 campaign, which ended with Milan claiming their first Serie A title in 11 years.
Ibrahimovic is now out for up to eight months following an operation on his left knee last month, and with his contract expiring at the end of June, his future is up in the air.
Diaz, on loan at San Siro from Real Madrid, has hailed the iconic striker's contribution to Milan's recent success, claiming he improves those around him.
Speaking at an awards ceremony hosted by Marca, Diaz said: "Ibrahimovic is my father's age, but he still makes a difference. For me, he is like a father in the locker room.
"He has made my life easier because when I have the ball I have to pass it to him and if I don't he doesn't get angry.
"He is an incredible player, with great charisma and who loves to win.
"He likes to work in training and he also passes it on to others. He makes all the players better because he pushes you to always give your best."
Diaz scored four goals in 40 appearances across all competitions last season.
Jamaica's young Reggae Boyz have been drawn in Group H of the Concacaf U20 Championship, which will take place in Honduras later this month.
The fixture will see the team play Costa Rica on June 18, hosts Honduras on June 20, and Antigua and Barbuda on June 22 in the preliminary round.
After Group Stage play the top three teams in each of the groups will advance to the Round of 16, joining the four CMU20C Qualifiers winners (qualifiers between the lowest-ranked nations took place in November 2021).
The 16-team Knockout Stage will begin with the Round of 16 (June 25-26), followed by the Quarterfinals (June 29), Semifinals (July 1), and Final (July 3).
The top four teams will qualify for the FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup in Indonesia in 2023. Jamaica qualified for the FIFA World U20 Championship in 2001.
Jamaica U-20 squad
Charlotte FC gained an important three points in the MLS on Saturday, earning a 2-0 win at home to New York RB.
Ben Bender and Derrick Jones scored in respective periods of injury time to move Charlotte within the Eastern Conference's playoff spots.
The home side needed a slice of fortune to take the lead in the fourth minute of first-half injury time, despite dominating possession in the opening half.
Doing well to bring Christian Ortiz's overhit pass under control, Bender's shot from the edge of the penalty deflected off Thomas Edwards and in, wrong-footing Carlos Coronel in the NYRB goal.
Derrick Jones doubled the margin in the closing stages with a relatively simple tap-in, moving Charlotte to sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points from NYRB in fourth.
Nashville remained in sixth in the Western Conference meanwhile, playing out a 0-0 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Good chances fell to Hany Mukhtar and CJ Sapong but the home side were denied by James Marcinkowski, who had a stellar performance in the Earthquakes' goal.
The draw puts Nashville on 23 points, six points from Western Conference-leading Los Angeles FC.
Italy head coach Robert Mancini admitted he is surprised by his inexperienced side's start to the Nations League following their 0-0 draw with England on Saturday.
Without midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti and the likes of Federico Chiesa and Andrea Belotti, the Azzurri put in an encouraging performance in Saturday's Euro 2020 final rematch, earning a point at the Molineux Stadium.
With the majority of the squad earning less than ten caps before this international window, Italy lead Group 3 after three games on five points, ahead of Hungary, Germany and England, who are bottom of the group on two points.
While conceding Italy are in early stages of transition after their failure to qualify for the World Cup, Mancini revealed he expected this initial period to be more volatile.
"I’ll be honest, I did not expect this. I thought it would be worse," he confessed. "We still have a lot to work on, there’s a long road ahead full of dangers.
"We certainly need to score more goals and if Davide Frattesi had scored in the opening five minutes, it would’ve been a different game. He’ll get it next time.
"I didn’t expect us to do so well in these three weeks together. It’s important that we haven’t changed our style of football, even when the personnel did."
With relative experience compared to the new faces in the squad, Lorenzo Pellegrini has had to take on more responsibility for the Azzurri following their loss to Argentina in the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima, scoring against Germany and Hungary.
More of a threat in the penalty area from midfield than a technical and creative fulcrum, the 25-year-old earned a third consecutive start on Saturday – something he had not done since 2018.
The Roma captain was praised for his versatility by his coach despite evident room for improvement.
“Pellegrini has his own style of football," Mancini said. "He’s not a 10 like Giuseppe Giannini, nor a 10 like Francesco Totti.
"I think he can become much better with time, because he is so good at both attacking and defending.
"At times he loses balls he shouldn’t, but if he improves that and a couple of other things, he can become simply extraordinary.”
Roberto Martinez felt Belgium had two Nations League points taken away from them by the VAR after Brennan Johnson's late equaliser gave Wales a 1-1 draw.
Youri Tielemans' 50th-minute strike looked as though it would prove enough for Belgium, who were without Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku in Cardiff.
But Wales, who had an early Ethan Ampadu strike contentiously ruled out by the video assistant, were grateful to see Johnson's 86th-minute leveller allowed to stand despite the linesman initially flagging for offside.
Martinez, however, was left furious by the decision.
"I can't analyse this game until I get an explanation from someone about that goal against. It was a shocking decision," Martinez told VTM.
"The assistant referee makes the right decision, but somehow the VAR makes it in his head to overrule. Those lines are not parallel.
"We should have won this match. They took two points away from us tonight, it was simply offside.
"My players don't deserve this, because we defended really well."
The stalemate meant Belgium failed to capitalise on the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Poland in the other clash in Group A4.
Martinez's side remain three points behind the Netherlands with three games played.
First-string Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Andre Blake has returned to the team’s line-up ahead of Tuesday’s Concacaf Nation’s League fixture against Mexico at the National Stadium.
The 31-year-old shot-stopper, who has racked up 68 international appearances for Jamaica, pulled out of the team suddenly ahead of last week’s fixture against Suriname. The goalkeeper also missed the second-leg match between the teams earlier this week.
The custodian reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury but unconfirmed reports also suggest the issue also stemmed from the team’s issues with former JFF general secretary Dalton Wint, who resigned last week. Blake’s return to the squad will come at a good time following an injury to stand-in goalkeeper Amal Knight who deputised for Blake for both matches.
Two new players have been added to the 23-man squad ahead of the fixture, with goalkeeper Jahmali Waite and defender Jordan Scarlett joining the team.
Knight and defender Richard King have been ruled out of the match due to injury.
The Reggae Boyz, who currently lead zone A with 4 points, after two matches, ahead of Suriname on 1. Mexico are yet to play a match in the group.
Gareth Southgate dismissed suggestions England's recent struggles are down to a conservative approach, instead ruing a lack of sharpness in the final third.
England drew 0-0 with Italy on Saturday as the Three Lions were left rooted to the foot of their Nations League group with just two points from three games.
Across the trio of matches played this month, England have scored just one goal – Harry Kane's penalty in the 1-1 draw with Germany.
The Three Lions' performances have been widely criticised, and while they did create chances against the Azzurri, they were at times second best to a team undergoing something of a transformation.
A common criticism of England throughout Southgate's time in charge has been that they lack an identity beyond their often pragmatic approach, but he did not want to entertain such an idea this time.
Asked if he saw the performance as cautious, Southgate told Channel 4: "I don't see how you can really.
"We tried to move the ball through a very good, well-organised team. We've got the ball into our forward players and we've given all of them a go, tried to refresh it because we know the state of the season we're at.
"So, I think at the moment that little bit of sharpness in the final third isn't quite there, but I was pleased with the general performance."
Tammy Abraham started in place of Kane in attack, with the Roma striker supported by Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish.
While Sterling and Mount each managed three shots and Grealish laid on a game-high four key passes, Abraham mustered only two shots.
One was a harmless off-target header and the other a wasteful finish after robbing Italy of possession inside their own area, as he scuffed wide of the right-hand post.
Nevertheless, Southgate seemed encouraged by Abraham's display.
"I said earlier in the week, we've been too reliant on Harry and Raheem for our goals," he continued.
"Other players have got to step into that phase. A number of them do it for their clubs but at international level they've not managed to convert that.
"So we've looked dangerous without getting the goals that are needed in the bigger games.
"I thought Tammy was fine. I haven't seen that chance back from right at the start, but that's probably the one [England should have taken].
"We felt we needed to refresh the team when we did it [brought Abraham off] but I wasn't unhappy with Tammy's performance at all."
England will hope to finally get their first win of their Nations League campaign on Tuesday when they host Hungary, to whom they lost in Budapest last weekend.
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