Kevin Trapp has turned down Manchester United's interest to stay at Eintracht Frankfurt.

United have been in search of a goalkeeper to compete with David de Gea, deciding to attempt to sign Trapp from the Europa League holders.

Yet the Germany international has announced his decision to stay with the Bundesliga club.

Writing on social media, Trapp said: "Dear fans, there have been a lot of reports of interest in Manchester United in the past few days.

"It is true that there is a written offer. Manchester United is a world club and the fact that I can deal with and think about such an offer, I hope everyone understands.

"Yesterday, however, I informed the person in charge of both clubs that I had chosen Eintracht. I have experienced unforgettable things here with Frankfurt and we made history together. The start to the season has been bumpy, but I have absolute faith in us."

Eintracht lost 6-1 to Bayern Munich in their opening game of the Bundesliga season before going down 2-0 to Real Madrid in the Super Cup in Helsinki.

Oliver Glasner's team have since managed two draws, against Hertha Berlin and Koln respectively.

Trapp has been one of the best performing goalkeepers in the Bundesliga in recent seasons, and in the 2021-22 campaign topped the charts for the number of goals he prevented, as per Opta's expected goals on target conceded (xGOT) model.

The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper prevented 6.1 goals across 32 matches in total, a better figure than any other shot-stopper in the competition to have played 10 times or more. 

In comparison, De Gea's goals prevented tally across 38 league matches last season was 2.8, which ranked second in the Premier League (of goalkeepers to make 10 or more appearances).

United, who are expected to return with another big bid for Ajax winger Antony, have also been linked with Newcastle's Martin Dubravka and Everton's Asmir Begovic.

Luis Diaz does not believe Liverpool's start to the Premier League season has been "problematic", but accepted the stumbling Reds must improve quickly. 

Liverpool have failed to win any of their opening three league games for the first time since Brendan Rodgers' first season at the helm in 2012-13, having fallen to a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Monday.

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford dealt the Reds their first Premier League loss of 2022, which followed back-to-back draws with Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool have now conceded the opening goal in seven successive Premier League games for the first time in their history, while a number of injuries to key players have led to calls for Jurgen Klopp to dip into the transfer market.

While Diaz recognises the need for rapid improvements, he was keen to avoid overstating Liverpool's troubles when speaking to Sky Sports.

"It's been a bit of a difficult start," he said. "It's not quite the outset we wanted for the season. We're a club that goes out to win three points from every game we play.

"I wouldn't say it's problematic for the players or for the manager, but certainly we all know we need to do better."

Reflecting on Monday's defeat at Old Trafford, the Colombia winger added: "We were fully aware of what kind of rivalry exists between the clubs and we knew we had a big task ahead of us. It didn't go our way on the day.

"We know now we have to just do our job and train hard, rest hard and look forward to the next game, when we can hopefully accumulate some points and get a proper start to the season."

Liverpool have now lost four games against United in all competitions under Klopp, with each coming against a different Red Devils boss; Louis van Gaal in 2017, Jose Mourinho in 2018, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021 and Erik ten Hag last time out.

Although there were few positives for Liverpool to take from the loss, Mohamed Salah's late consolation made him Liverpool's all-time top scorer against United with 10 goals, and Diaz described the Egypt star in glowing terms. 

"It's stupendous for me, being able to share my position in the team with Mo," he added. 

"I've seen him over many years on television at so many tournaments and I'd like to say I'm proud of myself, having reached this position where I can share with him these experiences, to wear the same shirt and be a team-mate of his. 

"It's really something special. Every day, playing alongside players like him, it helps you to improve, not just in a footballing sense as a player but also as a person.

"He's a great guy and there's a very special connection between him and me, and between all of us, in fact."

Liverpool welcome Bournemouth to Anfield looking for their first win of the Premier League season on Saturday.

Manchester United are set to be busy in the final week of the transfer window and are closing in on a huge signing.

Erik ten Hag wants to bring in Antony from his former club Ajax, and the Brazil winger is keen to be reunited with his former coach.

United made a dismal start to the season by losing their opening two games, but bounced back by beating Liverpool on Monday, and are aiming to make another splash in the transfer market after signing Casemiro from Real Madrid.

TOP STORY – ANTONY TRYING TO FORCE UNITED MOVE

Antony is attempting to force through a move to United by handing in a transfer request at Ajax.

That is according to The Mirror, while The Telegraph have claimed the 22-year-old's representatives are now basing themselves in London in order to push through a deal.

Ajax are reluctant to sell and this week turned down a £67.6million (€80m) bid from United, who are expected to up their offer. The Dutch club are said to want a fee of £84m (€100m), but Antony is trying to force their hand.

ROUND-UP

- The Athletic report that Dele Alli is on the brink of joining Besiktas on loan from Everton. The England international is in Istanbul to complete the move.

- Sky Sports Germany are claiming Chelsea will turn their focus to Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba if they cannot sign Leicester City's Wesley Fofana.

- Newcastle United are set to break their transfer record by signing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for £60m (€71.1m), according to widespread reports.

- David Moyes confirmed West Ham had bid for Lucas Paqueta, but that approach has been turned down by Lyon, according to L'Equipe.

- BILD reporter Christian Falk has claimed Manchester United will decide whether or not to push ahead with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp on Thursday.

- According to Fabrizio Romano, Marseille are not considering a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, who may be allowed to leave Old Trafford.

- Romano also reports that Marseille forward Arkadiusz Milik is joining Juventus.

Pep Guardiola has not ruled out the possibility of Bernardo Silva joining Barcelona – a club he "likes very much" – but acknowledged a deal would be tricky at this stage of the transfer window.

Silva remains a key man for City, excelling and scoring the equaliser in Sunday's 3-3 draw at Newcastle United, yet he also continues to be linked to Barca.

The Blaugrana have invested heavily in this window, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde among their eye-catching signings.

However, Barca coach Xavi is said to still be eager to add to his squad, with Silva seen as a potentially key capture.

City visited Camp Nou on Wednesday for a friendly – another 3-3 draw – and both Xavi and Guardiola were predictably asked to discuss Silva after the match.

"Who does not like Bernardo Silva? Just like De Bruyne or Haaland," Xavi said. "But there is no news.

"He is a player that I love – there are few like him – but it already depends on City."

Those comments offered Guardiola the opportunity to have a definitive say on Silva's future, but he repeated his mantra that he would only wish to keep happy players at City.

And Silva, the City manager added, would certainly be receptive to Barca.

"We count on him and I do not want him to leave," Guardiola said. "He is a superlative player in everything [he does].

"But as I have always said: I do not want a player to be unhappy. If a good offer came, he wanted to leave and there was an agreement, we would see.

"Although, if he left now, it would be a problem, because the market is about to close.

"With that said, Bernardo likes Barcelona very much."

The window will close next Thursday, with City's incoming business seemingly done after adding Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez to Guardiola's squad, along with Julian Alvarez, who was signed in January.

Manchester United have confirmed the departure of defender Eric Bailly, who has joined Marseille on a season-long loan with the potential for a permanent transfer.

The Ivory Coast centre-back has swapped the Premier League for Ligue 1 on a deal that will initially run to the end of the 2022-23 season.

But Marseille will have the option to buy the 28-year-old before the campaign concludes, with the fee reportedly set at €10million (£8.5m).

Bailly arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal in 2016 and was a member of United's EFL Cup and Europa League-winning squad under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

However, various injury struggles, as well as the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, have seen him restricted to just 57 appearances since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

United's recent acquisition of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax pushed Bailly further down the pecking order under new boss Erik ten Hag, and the defender has now become the latest player to depart under the Dutchman's watch.

His exit comes in the wake of United's first win of the season, after the Red Devils ended a dire run of form to defeat Liverpool 2-1 on Monday.

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford steered the hosts to victory, while Martinez partnered Varane in a new-look backline as captain Maguire joined Cristiano Ronaldo in being dropped to the bench.

West Ham manager David Moyes has confirmed the club have bid for Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta and Club Brugge's Hans Vanaken, adding that people "would burst out laughing" if they knew everyone the club has moved for.

The London club have endured a tough start to the 2022-23 season, losing all of their opening three Premier League fixtures, and are still yet to score in the competition.

Further signings are being targeted in a bid to improve that record and build upon a successful campaign last term, when the Hammers reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Widespread reports have attributed Moyes' side with an interest in Lyon's Paqueta, formerly linked with Arsenal and Newcastle United, in a deal that would be a significant coup for the club.

Vanaken, a 29-year-old Belgian midfielder, is also a player the club are targeting with Moyes confirming bids for both ahead of the UEFA Conference League play-off second-leg against Viborg.

"We have bid for him," he said in a press conference, "He can play as a number 10, an eight, he plays as a false nine for Brazil quite often. I think his pedigree is really good.

"Pedigree doesn't always guarantee that it works, but you would hope that it helps towards him possibly getting better."

The Hammers have made seven first-team signings so far in the transfer window and Moyes was not afraid to detail just how ambitious the club have been, admitting there have been plenty of bids for other players.

"We've bid for a lot of players and if I told you who, you would burst out laughing and say 'you're kidding'," he said

"Maybe we've tried to go way above our station, but we have tried to get really top players because I knew we needed it.

"For us a couple of top players coming in would give everyone a lift and help ease the pressure on Declan Rice, Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek."

The Football Association (FA) imposed a one-match ban on Thomas Tuchel but not Antonio Conte because the German was deemed to have instigated their clash after Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

A thrilling Premier League contest between the two London rivals on August 14 ended with tense scenes as head coaches Tuchel and Conte engaged in a confrontation.

The pair had rowed during the match and tempers flared again after the full-time whistle as Tuchel forcefully pulled Conte back towards him as they shook hands, sparking a melee.

Referee Anthony Taylor showed both Tuchel and Conte the red card.

Tuchel explained after the game that he perceived Conte's lack of eye contact in the moment to be a show of disrespect.

The FA later announced both bosses had been fined after admitting charges of improper conduct and Tuchel was hit with a one-match touchline ban, which was suspended temporarily pending publication of the independent panel's written reasons for the sanctions.

Those reasons were published on Tuesday, with the regulatory commission making clear its assessment that Tuchel was to blame for the spat.

Within the document, the FA panel said: "It was quite clearly TT [Tuchel] who instigated the confrontation between himself and AC [Conte] by choosing to grip AC's hand and jolt him back after AC had passed him by.

"Had TT not gripped AC's hand the confrontation between the two and the subsequent melee that followed would not have occurred.

"TT gripping AC's hand for the reason he gave (AC did not look him in the eye) was simply not justifiable; cursory handshakes are a common occurrence at the end of highly charged football matches and there exists no obligation for one person to look the other in the eye whilst shaking hands.

"TT telling AC to look him in the eyes whilst gripping his hand and not allowing AC to move away was a highly provocative act; AC was unwillingly pulled, literally, into the confrontation with TT.

"AC did react aggressively to TT's actions but the commission did not consider him to have hugely over-reacted given the circumstances.

"Whilst certain aspects of AC's behaviour could be considered as being improper, indeed he admitted as much, the commission considered TT to be largely culpable for the incident and unanimously felt that this ought to be clearly and definitively reflected in the level of sanction imposed on TT and AC."

Tuchel's ban remains subject to appeal.

Ferran Soriano has once again dismissed talk of Barcelona signing Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.

Silva has long since been linked with a move to Camp Nou, but Pep Guardiola has made it clear he wants to keep the Portugal midfielder.

The 30-year-old playmaker scored one goal and set up another in the Premier League champions' 3-3 draw at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Silva is set to face Barca in a friendly on Wednesday and City chief executive Soriano does not expect him to be playing for the Catalan giants this season.

He told Cadena Ser's Que t'hi Jugues: "This story has taken many turns, but deep down it has never moved from the starting point."

Soriano added just over a week before the transfer window closes: "It's a bit late to talk about comings and goings."

Silva made 50 appearances for City in all competitions last season, a tally only bettered by Joao Cancelo (52), with the 28-year-old scoring 13 goals and providing seven assists.

Only Kevin de Bruyne (129) and Jack Grealish (78) created more chances for City than Silva's 76 last term.

Wolves head coach Bruno Lage is not aware that Arsenal have lodged a bid Pedro Neto.

The Gunners are said to be in the market for a new forward ahead of the transfer deadline next week, with Neto reportedly lined up as a target to replace Nicolas Pepe – said to be closing in on a loan move to Nice.

Lage is not surprised the London club may want Neto, but has not been told there is an offer on the table.

"I have heard that but nothing has come to us," Lage said.

"It's normal now, with the good players that we have. Teams are looking for good players in the same way we are looking for [Goncalo] Guedes, Matheus [Nunes], [Nathan] Collins. No one told me anything about any proposal."

Neto signed a five-year contract with Wolves in March, but Arsenal are said to be have held talks over a transfer with agent Jorge Mendes, who represents Neto and has close ties to Wolves.

Wesley Fofana is training with Leicester City's under-23 team as Chelsea continue with their attempts to sign the centre-back.

Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Tuesday, after the Foxes' penalty shoot-out win over Stockport County in the EFL Cup, that Leicester had turned down another bid from Chelsea for Fofana.

The defender missed Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Southampton, with Rodgers saying he was not in the right frame of mind to play and the Leicester boss revealed the 21-year-old had also failed to report for training one day last week.

Fofana is now training away from the first team with Leicester's young players.

"There was an offer gone in and it's been rejected," Rodgers said in a press conference, with reports claiming Chelsea's latest offer was worth around £70million.

"Apart from that, I'm not 100 per cent on the other details, because we were focusing on the game [against Stockport].

"He's training with the under-23s so he can get his football fitness and keep working. It's so important at this stage to control any sort of distractions that may be there.

"He's a good kid, it's just been a really challenging situation for him. I've had it a number of times in my career where there's players who can deal with it, cope with it, get on, want to help their team-mates. There's others that just can’t deal with the distraction.

"Of course that distracts them and it's not quite right, and they miss a training session, then you need the full commitment from your players. These guys get well paid. The very least you can do is turn up. And if you don't, with all due respect, you can’t then just think you can walk into our group."

Rodgers is now hoping for a swift resolution either way, with the transfer window closing next week.

"Of course if it happens, the sooner the better, because it might allow us to do some work," said Rodgers, whose side have only brought in goalkeeper Alex Smithies on a free transfer so far during this window.

Chelsea are also hopeful of signing Everton's Anthony Gordon, with reports on Tuesday suggesting the Blues would be willing to pay up to £60m for the winger.

Everton manager Frank Lampard told Sky Sports that "ideally" a swift resolution would be found, though reiterated his stance on Gordon remaining a key player.

All signs point to Chelsea securing the services of Everton winger Anthony Gordon, although the selling club may not be content with just a hefty transfer fee, with reports they are also demanding a player on loan in return.

The report from talkSPORT mentions Chelsea have offered £50million plus around £10m in add-ons, and that Gordon has informed Everton of his interest in heading to Stamford Bridge, but they will not let him leave without first investigating what else they could come away with in the deal.

It names 20-year-old striker Armando Broja and 22-year-old midfielder Conor Gallagher as the two players Frank Lampard would like to bring in for the season on a loan deal – two players Thomas Tuchel has publicly declared the club has no interest in parting ways with.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA ASKED TO SEND OVER A PLAYER AS WELL AS CASH FOR GORDON

Gordon is young, under contract through 2025, and is on track to potentially break through on the international stage and represent England at this year's World Cup, so it is fair to say Everton will not let him walk without a deal they believe will benefit them long-term.

An extra £50m in the transfer market will allow plenty of flexibility either in this window or in January, but the prospect of also receiving a high-quality loanee to fill Gordon's shoes in the meantime is what really interests the club.

Broja impressed on loan at Southampton last season and would give Everton another option to support Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is out injured. Gallagher enjoyed a fine campaign at Crystal Palace, meanwhile, and might want regular minutes ahead of the World Cup.

The Mirror adds Everton would like to have a suitable replacement lined up for transfer before finalising a Gordon move, and have named Watford's Joao Pedro and Southampton's Che Adams as players the Toffees have enquired about.

ROUND-UP

– Manchester United are prepared to offer Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp a salary in the range of £9m to join the club, according to Sport1.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting that West Ham have submitted an €11m offer to Club Brugge for midfielder Hans Vanaken.

– According to 90min, Roma and Milan are both hoping to secure Chelsea's Trevor Chalobah on loan, with the Blues continuing their pursuit of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.

– Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are discussing a potential defender swap that would send Sergino Dest to Germany while Thomas Meunier would head to Spain, per Sport.

– Sport also claims Barcelona are interested in Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has cited "insanely good" Karim Benzema as inspiration as he vows to never stop improving at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland has made a solid start to life in England since his £51million (€60m) move from Borussia Dortmund, scoring three goals in as many Premier League games for the reigning champions.

City pipped some of the world's biggest clubs in the race to secure the services of the Norway international, including reigning LaLiga and Champions League winners Real Madrid.

Madrid talisman Benzema played an instrumental role during their successful 2021-22 season - top-scoring in both competitions along the way - while he recently surpassed Raul (323) as the club's second-leading marksman of all-time behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (450).

The 34-year-old appears certain to be in the running for the top prize at this year's Ballon d'Or awards, and his recent exploits have provided inspiration for a player 12 years his junior.

"I don’t know what will happen, but it must always be about learning, about developing," Haaland told FourFourTwo. "You can never stop looking for new ways to become better.

"Look at Karim Benzema at Real Madrid. He's 34 now and suddenly, he's developed into an even better player over the last couple of years – that's insanely good. I want to always do that."

Everton manager Frank Lampard has stated that nothing has changed on the future of Anthony Gordon amid strong links of a move away from Goodison Park.

It has been reported that Chelsea could be ready to pay up to £60million to take the 21-year-old to Stamford Bridge, while Tottenham and Newcastle United have also apparently been interested.

After the departure of last season's top goalscorer Richarlison to Spurs and the injury to striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, it has fallen on Gordon to lead the line at the start of this campaign.

Gordon started on the bench for Everton's EFL cup game with Fleetwood Town and Lampard opted not to bring him in on in the 1-0 victory, amid rumours that Chelsea are preparing a new bid having reportedly already seen multiple offers exceeding £40million rejected by Everton.

But Lampard says that nothing has changed yet, telling Talksport: "He's our player and the latest is the same as what I said after the game against Nottingham Forest.

"He's our player and he's got three years left on his contract. We're aware of the interest of Chelsea as the world is now.

"This situation has to be right for Everton Football Club and for me as the coach of the team so we're in the same position that we were a few days ago."

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has revealed the Bundesliga giants held discussions with Erling Haaland before the striker's blockbuster move to Manchester City.

One of the most significant deals of the ongoing transfer window saw the former Borussia Dortmund striker swap Germany for England for a reported fee of £51million (€60m).

Like Dortmund, Bayern also saw their talismanic centre-forward depart the Bundesliga this window, with Robert Lewandowski heading to Barcelona.

And sporting director Salihamidzic says the club held talks with Haaland over a potential move for the 22-year-old, who he does not blame for choosing "something that he thinks is better for him".

Speaking to Bild, Salihamidzic said: "We had some discussions. We had things in mind that could be implemented for us. In the end, it didn't work out for various reasons."

Bayern were also linked with a move for Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo amid speculation that the Portugal skipper is keen on a move away from Old Trafford.

However, Salihamidzic says a deal was "out of the question".

"When you see now how our attack – even without Robert Lewandowski – is occupied, it is simply difficult from both a sporting and financial point of view," he added.

"[You have] eight players for the four positions. We have seasoned top players who are in the best age of football."

Salihamidzic also believes mistakes were made in the handling of negotiations that culminated in David Alaba's departure to Real Madrid, admitting he wishes he could have done things differently.

The defender's 12-year stint with the Bavarian giants came to an end at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, as the club failed to reach an agreement with the Austria international over a new deal.

"The supervisory board had concerns about making extraordinary contracts during this time," Salihamidzic said. "We still wanted to save face and give David great appreciation.

"We really tried everything. We really wanted to keep David. But it was, it has to be said, a difficult time. 

"In retrospect, I don't know if I would have done it again with such a deserving player."

Mohamed Salah has "a year to prove" himself worthy of the new bumper deal handed to him by Liverpool, believes former Netherlands international Nigel de Jong.

The Egypt international put an end to long-running speculation about his future in July by signing a fresh three-year contract to take him through to 2025 at Anfield.

With Sadio Mane having departed for Bayern Munich, the move represented a major part of Liverpool's off-season transfer business to keep one of the key figures of the Jurgen Klopp era on Merseyside.

But a slow start to the season for Liverpool has seen Salah among others come in for criticism, with the forwatd's second goal of the new Premier League campaign on Monday against Manchester United not enough to stave off a 2-1 defeat for the Reds.

With just two points from their first three games, Liverpool are already arguably facing an uphill battle in the title race with Manchester City, and now De Jong has opined that Salah is on limited time to justify the faith shown in him.

"If I was the sporting director and I'd just extended the contract of probably the best player in my squad, I'll give you a year to prove yourself," he told beIN SPORTS.

"Are you worth another [three] years? You need to produce the same numbers, especially on the wages he's on.

"I think it's really important for Salah, and also for Liverpool, to find a way to be successful together in order to strive for him to stay at Liverpool for a long time. If not, they have to make a decision as well.

"I've said it many times over the past couple of years: Mane is the soul of the team. He is a complete player in his energy, in producing numbers, in the way he strides forward.

"Of course, I'm not saying Salah isn't a great player, but he's staggering when it comes down to the numbers."