Saint-Etienne suffered a club-record loss and became just the second Ligue 2 team to have three players sent off in a single match as they were thrashed 6-0 by Le Havre.

One of France's historically nost successful clubs, Saint-Etienne were relegated from Ligue 1 last season, with their misery compounded by a points deduction.

They had opened their season with two draws and one defeat, but were humbled on Saturday.

Saint-Etienne had three players sent off, with two of those dismissals coming in the first half. Anthony Briancon picked up two bookings in the space of four minutes, and Mathieu Cafaro received his marching orders soon after.

It was the first time Saint-Etienne had received two red cards in the first half of a league match in the 21st century, and they then matched a Ligue 2 record set by Valenciennes in 2019 when goalkeeper Etienne Green saw red in the 66th minute.

Le Havre were 3-0 up by that stage, and capitalised on their numerical advantage to inflict a true thrashing, as Saint-Etienne lost by six goals in a home game for the first time in their history.

Antonio Conte suggested Harry Kane would gladly swap his goalscoring accolades for a major trophy after he broke the Premier League's one-club goals record in a hard-fought win over Wolves.

Kane nodded home from close range to earn Tottenham a 1-0 victory over Bruno Lage's men on Saturday, with his 185th Premier League goal for Spurs moving him clear of Sergio Aguero's tally of 184 strikes in the competition for Manchester City.

The 29-year-old's second-half winner also represented his 250th goal for the club in all competitions, as well as Tottenham's 1,000th Premier League goal on home soil.

But for all his goalscoring prowess, Kane is yet to lift a major trophy, finishing as an EFL Cup and Champions League runner-up with his club and failing to lead England to glory in the Euro 2020 final last year.

While Conte was full of praise for Kane when speaking to BT Sport after the win, he emphasised the striker's desire to play his part in a collective triumph.

"It is a great achievement, a great personal achievement, but I know that Harry would like to exchange this achievement with a trophy," Conte said.

"I know this, he is working for this and we are working for this, to try to improve the team and bring the club on another level, not only to have big personal achievements.

"At the same time, you know very well my consideration about Harry, we are talking about a world-class striker.

"But what makes me happy is not only with the ball – that we have in our team a top scorer, a top player – but we have a player totally involved with the other team-mates and [who] works a lot for the team. 

"For this reason, I am really pleased to have him and to be his coach."

Tottenham's win means they have remained unbeaten through their first three matches of the Premier League season, just as they did under Nuno Espirito Santo last term. This is the first time Spurs have done so in consecutive campaigns since 2004-05 and 2005-06.

And Conte believes Tottenham's run of positive results – all against teams who won the corresponding fixtures last season – is a reflection of their development in recent months. 

"The performance at the end was good, because I had to consider everything, first of all the importance of the opponent," he said.

"Wolverhampton I think in the last week signed important players like [Goncalo] Guedes, like [Matheus] Nunes. I think when you see their starting XI today, you have to be a bit scared. 

"I think it's a really good team. In the first half we struggled a bit, but in the second half I think we deserved to win, we created many chances to score. The first half was good to stay calm, to stay focused, to suffer together. 

"Don't forget, last season with these three teams we played this season, we lost. Against Southampton, against Chelsea and against Wolverhampton, with me [as coach]. 

"Now we've got seven points, I think that is a good sign. The team is continuing to improve."

Harry Kane declared "I always love scoring" after netting his landmark 250th goal for Tottenham in Saturday's 1-0 victory over Wolves.

The England captain headed in from an Ivan Perisic flick-on in the 64th minute to settle the Premier League clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As well as hitting the 250-goal mark in all competitions, Kane's goal was his 185th for Spurs in the Premier League, seeing him surpass Manchester City great Sergio Aguero to become the top-scoring player in the division for a single club.

Having only recently turned 29, Kane will be aiming to beat Alan Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals, with Andy Cole (187) and Wayne Rooney (208) the only others ranked above him.

Speaking to BT Sport, Kane said: "It's been a fantastic nine or 10 years in the Premier League.

"Hopefully there are many more years to go. I always love scoring. The most important thing is winning games and we've started the season doing that.

"I've got to give credit to the boys – they dug deep and got a clean sheet today."

Kane's goal was also the 1,000th scored by Tottenham at home in the Premier League, seeing them join Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in that elite group.

The striker's headed winner came from one of 11 attempts by Tottenham, compared to 20 from Wolves, who edged the first half but failed to truly test Hugo Lloris.

"Credit to Wolves, they made it difficult," Kane said. "In the second half we came out with real intensity from the off.

"We created chances and pressed better and got the goal we deserved. We didn't create too many chances after that, but neither did they."

Tottenham have started the season unbeaten in their first three Premier League games – the first time they have done so in consecutive campaigns since 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Antonio Conte's side recovered from going behind to beat Southampton 4-1 in their opener before twice battling back to draw 2-2 with Chelsea.

While Spurs were able to keep out a still-winless Wolves on Saturday, Kane accepts they need to perform with greater purpose at the beginning of games.

"We need to start games better – it was the same against Chelsea," he said. "We need to improve, but the sign of a good team is winning when you don't play your best."

Sanju Samson powered India to victory in the second ODI against Zimbabwe to seal an eighth consecutive series win in the one-sided rivalry between the teams.

The wicketkeeper-batsman followed up three catches by clattering four sixes in an unbeaten 43 as India won by five wickets at Harare Sports Club.

After bowling out Zimbabwe for 161 in 38.1 overs, India made largely light work of the run chase, and Samson's final maximum carried them across the line in style.

India's 167-5 came from just 25.4 overs, and although this was not as crushing a win as the 10-wicket trouncing meted out on Thursday, the result was never in real doubt.

It means India have now won 14 consecutive men's ODIs against Zimbabwe, extending their longest winning streak in the format against any team.

They have also prolonged their 100 per cent ODI series winning record against Zimbabwe, the only ICC full-member team against whom India have been so dominant.

Sean Williams made 42 and Ryan Burl added an unbeaten 39 for Zimbabwe, but the home team had seven batters dismissed for single-figure scores. Shardul Thakur took 3-38 with the ball for India, while Kuldeep Yadav, in his 100th international match, added 1-49.

In reply, Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill both scored 33 for India, and Deepak Hooda added 25, sharing in a stand of 56 for the fifth wicket with Samson after the tourists began to wobble.

Samson made sure by lofting Innocent Kaia over the ropes, with the series concluding at the same ground on Monday.

Stefano Pioli has rejected suggestions Milan are favourites to retain the Serie A title this season, claiming the Rossoneri will struggle to match last campaign's tally of 86 points in a "very competitive" league.

Milan ended an 11-year wait for the Scudetto when they edged out rivals Inter at the end of a fierce title race in May, and began the new campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Udinese last week.

But several sides, including Inter, Juventus, Napoli and Roma – all of whom also started the season with a victory – have been tipped to challenge Milan for their crown, and Pioli expects a difficult fight.

"We have to be an interchangeable team," Pioli said ahead of Sunday's trip to Atalanta.

"It will be such a balanced championship that it will be difficult to score last year's points. Difficulties will come for everyone, even with teams that you don't expect.

"There are seven or eight strong teams, a very balanced and competitive league. One game at a time we must continue on our path and work to become more and more competitive.

"We are strong, here we all have to feel important, but nobody is indispensable. What is indispensable is the mentality and the work. 

"The winner will be whoever is the most consistent in results and performances. You have to play with intensity and quality. 

"Head-to-head matches are important and last year we won precisely because we scored so many points with the big teams."

Milan started both of their previous full Serie A seasons under Pioli with consecutive victories, beating Bologna and Crotone to begin the 2020-21 campaign before overcoming Sampdoria and Cagliari last term, and will be looking to maintain that record in Bergamo on Sunday.

Meanwhile, since clinching the title, Milan have acquired Belgian attackers Charles de Ketelaere and Divock Origi, and Pioli has refused to rule out further activity before the closure of the transfer window.

However, the 56-year-old insists the Rossoneri will only move for the right target, as he revealed Simon Kjaer is closing in on a return after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year.

"As for the market, we have the will - if the situation were right - to improve certain situations," he added.

"But the squad is strong, Kjaer is approaching 100 per cent. I repeat, if we find something to improve well [we may be active], otherwise we are already competitive like this."

Wesley Fofana was left out of the Leicester City squad for Saturday's game against Southampton amid ongoing transfer interest from Chelsea.

The Blues have reportedly seen several advances for the Frenchman rebuffed, with Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers insistent the club do not want to sell the defender.

Speaking in Friday's press conference, Rodgers reiterated the club's stance has not changed and Fofana is not for sale.

"The idea is that he is very much a Leicester player. He's not for sale. Unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here," Rodgers said.

The 21-year-old Fofana is reportedly keen to secure a move to Stamford Bridge though. With that distraction a factor, he was not included for the visit of Saints on Saturday.

Fofana played in both of Leicester's previous games this season, where the Foxes drew with Brentford on the opening weekend before enduring a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

Youri Tielemans, who has entered the final year of his contract with Leicester and has been linked with a transfer to Arsenal, dropped to the bench against Southampton.

Leicester faced a youthful Southampton, with the Saints starting XI showing an average of 23 years and 238 days – the youngest named in a Premier League game since Manchester United's line-up against Crystal Palace in May 2017 (22y 284d).

Harry Kane set another Premier League record and maintained Tottenham's positive start to the campaign by heading his side to a 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.

Spurs beat Southampton in their opener and battled to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea last weekend, but they struggled to get going in a quiet first half against a still-winless Wolves.

Antonio Conte's men stepped things up in the second half and were rewarded after 64 minutes when Kane met full debutant Ivan Perisic's flick-on and nodded in from close range.

That was Kane's 250th goal for Spurs and his 185th in the Premier League – the most of any player for a single club – and was enough to secure all three points for the hosts.

Wolves had 12 shots in a first half the visitors edged, but the closest they went to a breakthrough was a glancing Ruben Neves header and a deflected shot from new signing Matheus Nunes.

Neither of those efforts tested Hugo Lloris, however, whereas Tottenham's only attempt of the first half saw Jose Sa brilliantly tip over Kane's looping header.

Conte elected against making any half-time changes but Tottenham improved considerably in the second half, with Kane thumping another header against the frame of the goal.

Son Heung-min was next to hit the post, doing so from closer range with a shot on the turn, though Tottenham did not have to wait much longer for their opener.

Perisic guided Son's corner into the path of Kane and the England striker could not miss from a few yards out as he brought up his landmark goal, with that proving enough.

Harry Kane swept past Sergio Aguero on Saturday to establish a Premier League record for the most goals with a single club in the competition.

The England captain has tormented top-flight defences as the leader of Tottenham's attack, and he took his Premier League tally to 185 goals by scoring for Spurs against Wolves.

It shuffled him one ahead of Manchester City great Aguero, and two clear of Wayne Rooney, who struck 183 times for Manchester United.

Kane began the season level with Rooney and one behind Aguero, before moving level with the latter by netting in the dramatic 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

Spurs' opener against Wolves was also their 1,000th in the Premier League - the fifth team to reach that tally after Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

The 29-year-old Kane still has a long way to go to become the Premier League's all-time record scorer, given Alan Shearer ended his career with 260 goals in the competition, netting 148 for Newcastle United and 112 in his time at Blackburn Rovers.

Tottenham are not the only team Kane has played for in the English elite league, given he featured three times for Norwich City during a loan spell in the 2012-13 season.

He could not find the back of the net for the Canaries but has been a consistent marksman for Tottenham over the past eight seasons, hitting at least 17 goals in each Premier League campaign.

Kane managed 29 goals in 29 games in 2016-17 and 30 in 35 appearances during the following campaign, arguably his peak years.

Although he has only reached the 20-goal mark once in the last four seasons, Kane has remained integral to Tottenham's plans, with the club resisting strong interest from Manchester City last year to keep him in north London. 

Leicester City have been his favourite opponents in goalscoring terms, with Kane scoring 17 times in 14 Premier League outings against the Foxes, while he has managed 13 against both Everton and Spurs' fierce rivals Arsenal.

Kane has also reached double figures against Southampton and West Ham, hitting 11 against both sides.

Of all the Premier League teams he has faced, Kane has only failed to grab a goal in the competition against Brentford, missing out in his two games against the Bees to date.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has hit out at his team following another lacklustre performance on Friday.

A 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays marked the Yankees' fifth shutout loss in August, more than anyone else in the majors, having come into the month with six shutout defeats all season.

The Yankees now hold a 5-12 record this month, being held to two or fewer runs in eight of those games, which has seen their season derail.

A record of 44-16 (.733) in the first 60 games of the season saw the Yankees ranked as baseball's best but the franchise has subsequently gone 29-31 in their past 60, becoming the first team in MLB history with a .700 win percentage across their first 60 to then go sub .500 in their next 60.

Naturally, that has left Boone furious and he criticised his team following the most recent loss.

"We should be ticked off right now and we need to start playing better. Plain and simple," he said.

"You pour a lot into trying to shake hands at the end of the day, and we've been able to do that on balance on a really high clip this year. We've hit a rough patch and we've got to dig ourselves out.

"We can sit here, and I can keep answering questions and talk about it but we've got to go do it. And the good news is we've got all the pieces in that room to do that. I know that's coming. I know it's going to happen, but it really sucks going through it."

With the record earlier in the season, Boone remains encouraged that the team can turn their fortunes around.

"We've done it most of the year. I have total faith in that room and those players. We've got more than our share of struggling right now. But we've got to find a way," he said.

"I don't really care about the number [of games in the divisional lead]. If we play like this and keep walking away at the end of the night, it ain't going to matter. 

"If we get it together and play our game, then we'll run away. So eight, nine, 10, seven, five, we've got to play better. We've got to start racking up some wins. And hopefully that starts tomorrow afternoon."

The Yankees currently hold a lead of eight in their division, having seen their margin dwindle from 15.5 on August 8.

Barcelona head coach Xavi has called for the transfer window to close before the start of the LaLiga season in the future amid uncertainty over a number of players in his squad.

Despite their delicate financial situation, the Catalans have moved to sign Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen this window.

Barca's focus is now on offloading players to help balance the books, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong all being linked with moves away.

According to widespread reports on Saturday, Chelsea are engaged in talks with Barca over a deal for Aubameyang, who only arrived from Arsenal earlier this year.

De Jong continues to be touted as a target for Premier League sides, meanwhile, and Depay is reportedly closing in on a switch to Juventus.

However, Xavi confirmed at a press conference ahead of Sunday's game with Real Sociedad that he intends to continue selecting those players while they remain at the club.

"It's not a comfortable situation," Xavi said when asked about the final two weeks of the transfer window. "The market should be closed before the competition starts.

"I think it's poorly organised. In the end, nobody can work in peace. You prepare for a match with a player and he may end up leaving, so it's clearly not an ideal scenario."

When probed on rumours that Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Aubameyang, Xavi said: "The market ends on August 31 and we don't know what will happen.

"We'll have to see. Right now he's our player and I'm counting on him. For now he's an important player for us, but let's see what happens.

"At the moment nobody mentioned has left. Tomorrow we can use Memphis and Aubameyang. If an offer arrives for either of them, we'll assess what to do.

"Right now the priority is to sign up Jules [Kounde]. From there we can decide if we need to make a move or not."

Kounde is the only new signing yet to be registered by Barca, who have been forced to sell off non-playing assets and activate various 'levers' to meet LaLiga's salary rules.

Providing an update on Kounde's situation ahead of the trip to Anoeta, where Barcelona are unbeaten in their past six visits, Xavi said: "We are waiting. We have time. 

"Tomorrow we will give the list, but right now everything is on stand-by. There is nothing new to tell you.

"I've spoken to Jules and given him my idea of the game. He is a very classy centre-back and has experience, leadership and can win duels. He is an extraordinary footballer."

Barca started their season with a goalless draw at home to Rayo Vallecano last week and will be looking to hit back against Sociedad. 

The Catalan club's 21 shots on matchday one were the most they have registered in the league without scoring since a stalemate with Malaga in November 2016 (29 shots).

"The match against Rayo was a football disgrace," Xavi said. "We deserved to win the match and played well, but we lacked effectiveness.

"Now we face Sociedad, who are a team that can do a lot of good things. They have talent in midfield and fast attackers, while their defenders and goalkeeper are strong."

Barca, who are without the suspended Sergio Busquets, have failed to win or score in their last three LaLiga matches – never before have they fired four blanks in a row.

Leicester City have confirmed Jamie Vardy has signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of June 2024.

Still a key player for Brendan Rodgers' side at the age of 35, Vardy's deal was due to run out after the 2022-23 season.

However, it seems likely Vardy will play out his top-level career with the Foxes after penning a one-year extension.

Speaking to LCFC TV, Vardy said: "Once I heard it was something the club was looking at, there was only one thing that was going to happen, and I was going to sign it. The decision was easy. 

"I've been here long enough now that I feel like part of the furniture. I think you can see with the way we're trying to play, the way the club's wanting to go, that it's going to be onwards and upwards.

"To carry on being involved with that, I was over the moon. Now it's all about this season and finishing as high as we can.

"My legs are still feeling great so I'll carry that on helping the club as much as I can, whether that's scoring or assisting, that's what I'm here to do."

Vardy scored 15 Premier League goals last season, with all of those coming from open play. He averaged a goal every 120 minutes, with just Mohamed Salah managing a better ratio among players to have netted 10 times or more in the division.

In Leicester's remarkable title-winning campaign in 2015-16, he netted 24 times in the competition, a tally bettered only by Tottenham's Harry Kane (25).

The former England international signed for Leicester from Fleetwood Town in May 2012 for a non-League record transfer fee of £1million and has since made 387 appearances in all competitons for the Foxes, scoring 164 times.

As well as winning the Premier League in 2016, Vardy has also helped Leicester to the Championship title and FA Cup success in 2021.

Leicester have only taken a point from their opening two Premier League matches ahead of facing Southampton on Saturday, and are yet to sign a player for a transfer fee in this window, with goalkeeper Alex Smithies the only new arrival on a free deal.

The Foxes' main priority is attempting to keep hold of defender Wesley Fofana, but the centre-back will reportedly miss the Southampton game as Chelsea continue their pursuit.

James Maddison has also been linked with a move away, with Newcastle United interested, though reports on Friday suggested the playmaker would join Vardy in signing a new deal.

Antony has thanked Ajax for making him a more complete footballer but suggested his future may lie away from the Eredivisie giants amid links with Manchester United.

Brazil international Antony is said to be the next name on United's list of targets after the Red Devils confirmed on Friday a deal is in place to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.

The 22-year-old has impressed in his previous two full seasons with Ajax, but he is reported to have sat out training this week in order to push through a move to Old Trafford.

Speaking in an interview with Dutch outlet De Telegraaf published on Saturday, Antony did little to play down talk a transfer ahead of the September 1 deadline.

Asked if he can guarantee he will remain an Ajax player, the Sao Paulo academy product said: "No, to be perfectly honest, I can't.

"What I can say is that I want to come to the right decision with my family, business partners and Ajax, which is good for everyone.

"In the end, God determines my future. I am very happy at Ajax, I have a contract until the summer of 2025 and I will give everything for this beautiful club for every second. 

"I wear the shirt with pride and from day one I feel at home. If we all decide I will stay here, then I know that this is the best thing for me and the club. It’s not like I have to leave.

"Now I am focusing on playing football and have put all other matters in the hands of my agents and my brother. They will advise me on what is best.

"Thanks to Ajax I have become a more complete footballer, more effective especially and more of a team player. Every day I want to become a better footballer."

Antony is reported to be valued in excess of €80million (£67.9m) by Ajax, whom he scored 12 goals for and assisted a further 10 from 33 appearances last season.

He has started the 2022-23 campaign in good form with two goals in his first three outings under new head coach Alfred Schreuder.

The winger spent his first two seasons with Ajax playing under Erik ten Hag, who has endured a terrible start to his United tenure since swapping clubs earlier this year.

The Dutchman is the first manager to lose his first two games in charge of United in 101 years, having gone down 2-1 to Brighton and Hove Albion and 4-0 to Brentford so far.

But Antony, who is in line to be part of Brazil's World Cup squad later this year, has backed his former head coach to turn things around at Old Trafford.

"Erik has been super important to me. I am grateful to him and wish him all the best," he said. "I will always cheer for Erik after working so closely together.

"I have not been able to celebrate or cheer for him as he got no points yet. I couldn't until now anyway and that makes me sad. 

"But knowing Erik, I am convinced that he will turn the tide soon. Manchester United will improve at his hand. At his previous clubs he has proven that his method works."

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he is in talks with Chelsea over extending his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The 48-year-old succeeded Frank Lampard as Chelsea head coach in January 2021 on an initial 18-month basis.

Tuchel then penned a two-year extension to that deal in June last year, less than a week on from guiding the Blues to Champions League glory.

Former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel is now discussing fresh terms to stay on in west London beyond the end of next season.

"There are talks," Tuchel told reporters ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Leeds United. 

"I think given the situation where we come from, and where we are in the middle of the transfer period, it is better if I focus on my team and on sports and on being competitive.

"My people talk to the owners and take care of everything else. You know how glad I am to be here and how much I like it. So it's a good thing."

Tuchel was this week fined £35,000 and given a one-match touchline ban after being charged for his confrontation with Antonio Conte in last week's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

While Tuchel accepts the punishment, which has been temporarily suspended, the German reiterated that he would prefer Anthony Taylor not to referee Chelsea games in future.

Chelsea have won 17, lost seven and drawn 11 of their 35 matches officiated by Taylor, who was in the middle for the ill-tempered London derby in which Conte was also sent off.

"I think it is more than just a feeling I have - there are some statistics that underline that we struggle to get the same results with him refereeing," Tuchel said.

"Again, we never attacked or questioned his integrity or honour. It was about this game and I think it was in an acceptable way without being personal or falling out of line.

"I will accept [any decisions] but maybe it would be better [for Taylor not to referee Chelsea again].

"I want to make it very clear I did not attack his integrity. I said very, very early that the two decisions were decisions for the VAR.

"I was not happy for the way he whistles the game but this is okay. But this is what happens. That will go to the FA and they will decide."

Chelsea make the trip to Leeds looking to bounce back from their draw with Tottenham, which followed a 1-0 win at Everton on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Since Tuchel’s first away Premier League match in February 2021, only Manchester City (23) have won more away games than the Blues (19).

Real Madrid have expressed "gratitude and appreciation" to "exemplary player" Casemiro ahead of his move to Manchester United.

United have agreed a fee reported to be £60million plus £10m in add-ons to take the midfielder to Old Trafford.

The Brazil international is set to sign a four-year deal with the Red Devils, who are bottom of the Premier League after losing their first two Premier League games under new boss Erik ten Hag.

Casemiro joined Los Blancos in January 2013 at the age of 20 and has gone on to win 18 trophies - including the Champions League five times, three LaLiga titles and the Club World Cup on three occasions.

The 30-year-old will appear before the media in the press room at Real Madrid City on Monday, when president Florentino Perez will be present as the LaLiga champions stage a ceremony to bid farewell to the long-serving enforcer.

Madrid paid tribute to Casemiro after confirming a deal has been agreed with the Red Devils on Friday.

A statement on the club's official website said: "Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to Casemiro, who is part of the club's history."

After listing his many honours during his time in the Spanish capital, the European champions added: "In addition to this brilliant list of achievements, Casemiro will always be remembered by the Madridistas as representing the values of our club. An exemplary player who has given his all for Real Madrid.

"Real Madrid is and always will be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best of luck in this new chapter of his life.

With United facing Liverpool on the same day of Casemiro's press conference in Madrid, his debut could come at Southampton a week on Saturday.

Manchester United have agreed a deal in principle to sign midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid for a fee in the region of £60million.

The Brazil international is set to become the fourth arrival of this window after Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.

Casemiro, who had three years remaining on his contract with Madrid, brings plenty of quality and experience to Erik ten Hag's midfield after racking up over 300 appearances during nine trophy-filled years at Santiago Bernabeu.

Indeed, the 30-year-old won five Champions Leagues with Los Blancos - scoring against Juventus in the 2017 final - as well as four LaLiga titles and three Club World Cups.

Casemiro struggled to nail down a regular spot following his move to Madrid from Sao Paulo in 2013; spending the 2014-15 season on loan at Portuguese giants Porto.

However, he did not look back after cementing his place in the starting line-up during the 2015-16 campaign, with no midfielder winning more tackles in LaLiga since then (415).

The Brazilian has also completed 368 interceptions in the past seven seasons - with Dani Garcia (399) the sole midfielder to better that tally - while Dani Parejo (1,666) and Sergio Busquets (1,504) were the only players in his position to win possession on more occasions than him (1,462).

Ten Hag has been keen to bolster his ranks in midfield ever since assuming the reins at Old Trafford, with Eriksen's arrival the first piece of that jigsaw.

But by and large it has been a window of frustration for United, who have spent the majority of the past few months pursuing Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong only to hit several bumps in the road.

A deal was reportedly agreed with Juventus for Adrien Rabiot only for that transfer to break down due to the player's excessive wage demands.

That led United to Casemiro, with rumours over the move only surfacing on Thursday.

But the transfer appeared all but done when Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Casemiro had expressed a desire to complete a move away from the Spanish capital.

"We've spoken this morning, he wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity. I understand this, also the club does," Ancelotti said on Friday.

"Because of what he has done in this club, his desire and due to everything he has done for this team, we need to be respectful of this.

"There are negotiations between the clubs, he is still a Real Madrid player but it looks like he is now willing to depart. If he is departing we have a lot of resources to replace him.

"I've always talked a lot with him in my second time at Real Madrid. I just listened to his desire, I think there's no turning back. This is what he wants."