Paul Pogba is seemingly closing in on a return to Juventus after the club's CEO claimed talks are progressing "very, very well".
Manchester United confirmed at the start of June that Pogba was set to leave at the end of his contract, with former club Juventus his likeliest next destination.
His United contract officially expired on Thursday, and although he has not already reached an agreement with another club, it would appear to be a formality.
Nevertheless, reports suggest Pogba will be paid significantly less than he was at United, with Juve said to be the only club taking an interest in him.
As such, Juve chief Maurizio Arrivabene seems confident a deal is likely, and the Frenchman will be considered a major signing from a "commercial" perspective.
"We are talking to him, things are evolving very, very well," he told Tuttosport. "[The idea came about] in our meetings, when names are mentioned.
"It was like that with [Dusan] Vlahovic. You open the door, throw a name and everyone looks at you like you're crazy. Then, little by little, the machine starts up and the operation is built.
"[The idea of] Pogba was born this way. His presence will also be fundamental from a commercial point of view, even if my dream is to have an Italian player who is internationally recognised, like a [Francesco] Totti, a [Alessandro] Del Piero, a [Gianluigi Buffon] Buffon."
Arrivabene also expressed regret over last year's departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United.
Ronaldo spent three years at Juve and has been tentatively linked with a move back to Turin – Arrivabene appeared to dismiss that idea, even if he believes the club needs experienced players to guide their more promising youngsters.
"He was not fully exploited because of COVID [the pandemic], but I am convinced that Juve goes beyond every player," he said.
"125 years of history are not written by a single player; the team is more important than individuals, and here everyone has to respect the rules.
"It's not a change of course, but we need points of reference. I saw the Ronaldo effect on our young players, now players like [Nicolo] Fagioli, [Matias] Soule and [Fabio] Miretti must have players to learn from."
Juventus 2-0 Torino: Weah and Yildiz lift Bianconeri to third after Derby della Mole victory
Juventus climbed to third place in Serie A following a 2-0 victory over rivals Torino at the Allianz Stadium.
A goal in either half from Timothy Weah and Kenan Yildiz settled the Derby della Mole, and saw Thiago Motta's side extend their unbeaten start to the league season.
The Bianconeri broke through in the 18th minute when Vanja Milinkovic-Savic spilt a shot straight to Weah, who made no mistake from close range.
Weah thought he had doubled the lead in the 72nd minute, but the USA international was penalised for handball in the build-up to the opportunity.
However, Juve did put the contest to bed six minutes from time, when Yildiz nodded in Francisco Conceicao's deep cross at the far post.
Extending their unbeaten streak against Torino to 18 matches, Motta's side moved to within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli.
Data Debrief: Bianconeri extend unbeaten start with yet another clean sheet
Juventus have now registered nine clean sheets in Serie A this season, the most by any team in the big five European leagues.
Weah got the ball rolling, as he became the second American after Weston McKennie in December 2020 to score for the Bianconeri against Torino in Serie A.
Yildiz then sealed the victory. The 19-year-old became the third-youngest Juventus player to find the net in the Derby della Mole, after Felice Placido Borel (18 years and 243 days in 1932) and Bruno Nicole (18 years and 244 days in 1958).
Meanwhile, Torino have now suffered three successive defeats without scoring in Serie A for the first time since 2014.
Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Salah stars as Premier League leaders move five points clear
Mohamed Salah played a starring role as Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Arne Slot’s in-form side took full advantage of Manchester City’s defeat at Brighton earlier on Saturday, with Salah scoring one and setting up another to condemn Villa to their second straight league defeat.
Benefitting from Salah's fantastic work, Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, firing home from a tight angle.
Unai Emery's team did have chances of their own, with Caoimhin Kelleher making brilliant saves to deny Amadou Onana and Diego Carlos, while Villa also had a penalty appeal turned down after a VAR check.
But Salah ensured the home faithful could relax when he prodded over Emiliano Martinez on the counter in the 84th minute.
While Liverpool, with nine wins from 11, sit pretty at the top, Villa are in eighth, level on points with Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Data Debrief: Nunez and Salah are Slot's deadly duo
Since the start of 2022-23, only Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (15) have combined for more Premier League goals than Nunez and Salah (12), who were the difference-makers this time around.
Salah became the first player to reach double figures for both goals (10) and assists (10) for a big five European League side in all competitions this season. He has now achieved this in each of his last four seasons at Liverpool.
Nunez, meanwhile, has been involved in 12 goals in his last 16 Premier League starts for Liverpool (eight goals, four assists), including three goals in his last five top-flight starts at Anfield.
Garvey Maceo settle for 2-2 stalemate with Central High after early dominance
Garvey Maceo appeared poised to claim all three points against Central High after racing to a brisk two-goal lead in their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata Group B quarterfinal clash in May Pen.
However, a resilient Central High team clawed their way back, forcing Garvey Maceo to settle for a 2-2 stalemate and a share of the spoils in a dramatic Clarendon derby on Saturday.
Antwone Wright (36th) and Ean Noel (60th) were responsible for Central High’s comeback after Omarion O’Brian (1st) and Everald Swaby (8th) did the early damage for Garvey Maceo.
With the result, things remain evenly poised in the group as all four teams—Garvey Maceo, Central High, Ocho Rios, and Munro College—are on a point each in their hunt for the top two spots to the semi-finals.
Garvey Maceo’s Head coach Lester Hibbert, expressed disappointment with his team’s inability to hold onto their early lead but acknowledged Central’s resilience.
“It is just a few goals that resulted in the two goals that we conceded that cost us the three points. But apart from that, the boys played brilliantly; we just have to shake this off, regroup, and come again for our next game on Tuesday,” Hibbert said.
The match started with a bang, as poor defending from Central High allowed O’Brian to break the deadlock with a firm finish from just inside the 18-yard box with a mere 15 seconds on the clock.
Just seven minutes later, Swaby doubled the lead with a well-placed left-footed strike from Christopher Mundle’s cross, sending Garvey Maceo’s supporters into a frenzy. With such an explosive start, it looked as though the game might be a lopsided affair, with Garvey Maceo controlling possession and Central struggling to keep up.
But as the first half progressed, Central High settled into their rhythm and began pushing back, eager to avoid an early defeat in this critical quarterfinal contest.
Their persistence paid off in the 36th minute when Wright again got in behind Garvey Maceo’s high defensive line and finished a precision shot beyond custodian Garfield Tomlinson to reignite Central’s hopes.
That goal energized Central, who ended the half with renewed confidence and a more organized defence.
Central maintained their momentum on the resumption and eventually pulled level at the hour mark when Dellan Briscoe placed a pass on a platter for Noel, who finished a firm left-footer that left the Garvey Maceo fans stunned.
Garvey Maceo regained their rhythm and both teams pressed for the winning goal but were unable to make the most of their few half chances and had to settle for a point.
For Central High’s Jermaine Douglas, the draw felt like a victory after a difficult start.
“It was the worst possible start for us; the last thing you can do is concede in the first minute, and we managed to do that, and then we again conceded after that. But I think once we settled we made better decisions in the final third and we probably should have won this game,” Douglas noted.
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