Carlo Ancelotti claims Real Madrid have already completed their summer spending as he ruled out any more arrivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.

That underlines a staggering difference between Madrid and their great rivals Barcelona, who have barely got started and are hoping for pieces to fall into place to allow a spree to go ahead.

Madrid, the LaLiga and Champions League double winners, have brought in German defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer from Chelsea, while landing French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco for a reported initial €80million.

The club cleared plenty of space on their wage bill by offloading Gareth Bale, Isco, Marcelo and Luka Jovic, and head coach Ancelotti has decided to keep trust with the bulk of the squad that achieved so much last season.

"I can't talk about signings, but I'm already saying that everything is over. We're not going to sign anyone. We're fine like this," Ancelotti said.

As Barcelona wrestle to get players in and out, the message is already clear from Madrid that the champions have their ducks in a row already and cannot wait to get going in the 2022-23 campaign.

Ancelotti, who was speaking to international media ahead of Madrid's pre-season trip to the United States, saw Rudiger and Tchouameni come through their first training sessions with Madrid on Thursday.

The new pair were described by Ancelotti as "the best that could be found on the market".

The first pre-season test for Madrid comes against Barcelona in Las Vegas on the evening of Saturday, July 23. That Clasico clash is "not an exhibition", according to Ancelotti.

Quoted in the Spanish press, the Italian boss said: "It's never a friendly against Barcelona. They are the team we respect the most and the one with the greatest rivalry."

There could be an experiment or two from Ancelotti before the season begins, as he toys with the idea of using Eden Hazard as a 'false nine' striker.

Ancelotti is wary about overburdening captain and star striker Karim Benzema, and he believes Belgian Hazard could thrive in the role when called upon.

Madrid have the defence of their domestic and European titles as obvious targets, and a mid-season World Cup complicates planning for the campaign ahead.

"We have many options for that position. Benzema is number one, but we have to understand that this will be a strange season, different, with the World Cup in the middle, and we have to look at different options," Ancelotti said.

"My idea is to try to see Eden in that position. Given the quality that Eden has, it could be good for us to test him there."

Ousmane Dembele believes Barcelona can challenge to win the Champions League after the France winger signed his new two-year contract.

Former Borussia Dortmund star Dembele looked to be heading out of Barcelona in January when acrimonious wrangling over his future led to him being ordered to find a new club.

At the time, Dembele had refused an extension to his deal, which ran through to the end of June, and Barcelona wanted to recoup some of his value rather than see him leave on a free transfer.

Yet it was all hugs and good will on Thursday as 25-year-old Dembele completed the formalities of the contract that will keep him at Barcelona until the end of the 2023-24 season.

Hampered by hamstring and knee trouble during his first five years at the club, Dembele hopes better times lie ahead.

He said: "It's a very happy day. Barca have been my club since I was little, and I hope to help them.

"These have been very difficult years due to injuries, but now it is another time. Staying was always my first option. I told this to the president and coach. It has taken a long time, but we are all happy. I'm looking forward to the season starting.

"The goal is to win titles, the dream is the Champions League, and I'm going to give everything to win this title. I'm going to work hard, and I hope it's a very good year for me and for Barca."

Dembele believes Barcelona are well placed, with Xavi as head coach and Joan Laporta pulling the strings as president, to bring the glory days back to Camp Nou.

He said there were "many people who have helped me a lot" at Barcelona, adding: "Now I have the confidence of everyone, and I am much better."

Laporta will be hoping Dembele delivers on his word as he looks to put the promise into practice, having been a key performer over the second half of last season.

Dembele has made 150 appearances for Barca and came to the fore when setting up 13 goals in the 2021-22 LaLiga campaign – more than any other player in the Spanish top flight.

He was particularly impressive after Xavi summoned him to help the team once it was clear he would not be moving on. Across the LaLiga campaign he made just 15 starts, plus six substitute appearances, so Dembele will be looking to play a fuller role in future.

Laporta, who hopes to close out the signing of Raphinha from Leeds United this week, said the signing of Dembele to new terms marked "a very important day for Barca".

"He has always wanted to stay and the truth is that he has made an effort to enter the new salary scale," Laporta said.

"Dembele has an incomparable talent, very specific. He brings us a lot. Xavi has loved him from the first moment.

"This year is very important, we have to win trophies. I am convinced that we will achieve it. Today is a very emotional day for me. The coach loves you, but so does the club."

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan wants to see the French government apologise for the chaos prior to the Champions League final.

An enquiry carried out by the French senate found that the issues at the Stade de France on May 28 - which resulted in kick-off being delayed - were caused by "a string of dysfunctions".

The French government initially accused Liverpool fans, who were sprayed with tear gas and complained of being subjected to heavy-handed policing, of being at fault for having fake tickets and arriving at the ground late.

Two senate committees launched an investigation to discover what happened prior to Real Madrid's 1-0 win and concluded that Liverpool fans were not to blame.

Following the publication of that report, Liverpool chief Hogan has asked for an apology from the French government as a whole.

He told Liverpool's official website: "I would say I was incredibly encouraged to see one of the senators specifically apologise to the Liverpool fans and to the Real Madrid fans for what happened on the night.

"I would ask that the French government do the same. Not just to the fans of Liverpool and Real Madrid but to both clubs, who have had reputational issues coming out of the final and we would hope they would extend an apology where one is deserved."

UEFA previously launched an independent investigation, and Hogan hopes the findings of the senate's report will play a part in their findings.

"I would hope and certainly we would expect that this review would play a part in the UEFA independent investigation as well," he said.

"That panel obviously is just getting going in that process and we would certainly hope that Dr Tiago Rodrigues and the panel would use the senate's findings as a critical part of their research and investigation into the events around the final at the Stade de France."

Of the report as a whole, Hogan said: "From our perspective, we just think that goes back to what we talked about immediately after the event and the fact there were a number of accusations, frankly, put out there immediately after the event and in fact blaming fans for what happened on that night.

"I think what we're seeing from the senate clearly shows that is not the case. And finally, they have clearly gone through a process here over the course of the last several weeks, spoken with a number of individuals, a number of different stakeholders, so we would welcome and support the 15 recommendations that came out of the report."

An enquiry carried out by the French Senate found chaotic scenes before the Champions League final were caused by "a string of dysfunctions" in the organisation of the event, rather than Liverpool supporters.

The kick-off for the showdown between the Reds and Real Madrid at the Stade de France on May 28 was delayed due to alarming scenes outside the stadium in Paris.

The French government initially accused Liverpool fans, who were sprayed with tear gas and complained of being subjected to heavy-handed policing, of being at fault for having fake tickets and arriving at the ground late.

Paris police chief Didier Lallement apologised to supporters for the use of tear gas and his wrong estimation of the number of fake tickets that were in circulation.

Two Senate committees launched an investigation to discover what happened prior to Madrid's 1-0 win and concluded that Liverpool fans were not to blame.

The report stated: "It is unfair to have wanted to make supporters of the Liverpool team bear the responsibility for the disturbances that occurred, as the Minister of the Interior did to divert attention from the inability of the state to adequately manage the crowds present and to curb the action of several hundred violent and co-ordinated offenders."

"The systems put in place had major shortcomings with regard to the intelligence [absence of hooligans but presence of delinquents in large numbers], the transport routes for supporters [removal of a drop-off route at the surroundings of the stadium] and insufficient communication.

"It is not only in the execution that problems arose. Upstream, the crisis scenarios were insufficiently worked on and did not demonstrate the necessary flexibility in the face of so many unanticipated events."

The report's co-chairman, Laurent Lafon added: "The gravity of what happened at the Stade de France shows that there are many decisions to be taken to ensure this doesn't happen again at the Rugby World Cup or the Olympic Games."

He continued: "There was a need to communicate clearly about transporting the fans from the train station between the chief of police, the French Football Federation, and the train operators but this didn't happen.

"We recommend communicating with football supporters more and improving the attractiveness of the area around the Stade de France so that people are willing to arrive early.

"We want the authorities' view of football supporters to change, that is a strong recommendation that we are making."

Per Mertesacker believes the signing of Gabriel Jesus is a statement of intent from Arsenal as the Gunners aim to return to the Champions League.

Jesus signed for Arsenal earlier in July, joining from Premier League champions Manchester City in a deal reportedly worth £45million.

With Erling Haaland's arrival at City, Jesus was deemed surplus to requirements and will instead lead the Gunners' attacking line as Mikel Arteta's team look to improve on last season's fifth-place finish.

Jesus has not been the only new arrival, with midfielder Fabio Vieira, winger Marquinhos and goalkeeper Matt Turner also joining.

Mertesacker, who manages Arsenal's academy, believes the club's transfer business has shown how determined they are to qualify for Europe's elite club competition.

He spoke to Sky Sports about the deal for Jesus, who scored twice in a 5-3 friendly win over Nurnberg on Friday.

"The way that we could convince him to come fairly early in the transfer window, not waiting too long, I think that we are proactive," Mertesacker said. "We are making our points clear to the players’ families and agents. We have got the right arguments and players are willing to come to us and bring us back to the Champions League and where we belong."

Two players returning to Arsenal's squad after spending parts of last season out on loan are Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Nelson helped Feyenoord reach the final of the Europa Conference League, where they lost to Roma, the Italian club where Maitland-Niles spent the back half of the campaign.

"To see them in the leagues of Europe, they went to Holland and Italy. Fantastic experience for them, hopefully they'll benefit from it," said Mertesacker of the returning loanees.

"Whether that's here with us or whether they need to go somewhere else, that's obviously the decision of [technical director] Edu and Mikel."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticised the organisation of the Champions League final in May at the Stade de France.

The European showpiece at France's national stadium was twice delayed for what UEFA initially described as "security reasons" outside the ground due to crowd congestion.

The match started 36 minutes late, with Real Madrid eventually triumphing 1-0 over Klopp's men thanks to a second-half Vinicius Junior goal.

Initially, France's government insisted that between 30,000 and 40,000 fans had arrived without valid tickets, causing the delay, but this claim was questioned by the French senate in the days following the final.

Pepper spray and tear gas was used against supporters waiting to enter the stadium, and Madrid also called for explanations regarding the security breakdown, with reports suggesting their supporters were pickpocketed and assaulted outside the venue.

Speaking to ESPN ahead of Liverpool's first pre-season friendly against Manchester United in Bangkok as part of their preparations for the 2022-23 campaign, Klopp urged the authorities to learn lessons from the experience.

A French senate report into what happened is due to be released later this week, while UEFA have commissioned an independent inquiry to be led by Portuguese politician Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues.

"A lot of people have had to take back what they said before," Klopp said. 

"Our people are behind it [the inquiry] and want to make sure that we really get the full truth in the end. That will be really important for the future because people shouldn't be afraid of going to a Champions League final.

"In their minds, it should just be excitement and joy, looking forward to it. Not 'how can I get into the stadium?' That shouldn't be part of the preparation.

"We can't change it for this day anymore, but we can change it for all other days. It was a special situation because it was rather late that Paris knew it would host the final, but I think there was enough time.

"Saint-Denis, the stadium, they have a lot of events. It could have been better and they know it."

UEFA issued a formal apology to spectators in the days after the final, and Klopp said what he was being told by family of Liverpool's players and staff differed greatly from what was being alleged to have happened by the authorities.

"I think we are getting closer [to knowing what happened]," he added. "In the first week or so, when I was on holiday, the distance between what happened and what was delivered was quite big.

"You think, 'ok, because we were not outside, we didn't know', but we got information first-hand because our families were and they had to go exactly through that path. The owners had to go through this.

"If you haven't experienced it yourself, you listen to the people who know and they will tell you the truth. I know the truth, I know what happened.

"Why it happened? I think you can have a sense that it definitely was not perfectly organised.

"It's definitely true as well that we were all lucky that nothing else happened because when you have a situation like this, everything, anything can pretty much happen.

"That's the positive outcome of it, but apart from that, when you speak of the Champions League final that day, it should be 'how did we lose the game?' But nobody speaks about that.

"It is all about the circumstances around it. Yes, it might take time, but it's important that it is clarified."

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag insisted Cristiano Ronaldo is a part of his plans going forward, amid growing speculation of a departure.

Reports have linked the 37-year-old to a move away from Old Trafford, with the Portugal international's desire to play in and compete for the Champions League cited as a reason.

United finished sixth in the Premier League last season despite Ronaldo's 18 goals, ending the season way off the Champions League spots on 58 points – their lowest-ever total in the Premier League era.

Though United insisted the striker, signed from Juventus last year, was not for sale, Ronaldo added fuel to the fire when he failed to report for pre-season training last week.

Ten Hag, however, has reaffirmed the club's stance.

"So, he's not with us. That's due to personal issues," Ten Hag said in a news conference ahead of a meeting with rivals Liverpool in Bangkok.

"We are planning with Ronaldo for this season – that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him.

"He hasn't told me [he wants to leave]. I have read but as I say, Cristiano is not for sale, he's in our plans and we want to get success together.

"I spoke with him before this issue came up. I had a conversation with him and had a real good talk."

Meanwhile, United remain linked with a move for Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, with the view of bolstering a weak point in midfield.

Ten Hag was unwilling to provide details on potential transfers, but said their search for reinforcements this off-season continues.

"We want to have the right player," Ten Hag added. "We have a really good squad, we're working on developing our way of play and if the opportunity is there, we will strike.

"Definitely, we are searching for players in the midfield and also in offence we are still looking for players. I never talk about players who are not under contract, players at different clubs. I cannot tell you anything about this issue."

After facing Liverpool on Tuesday, United head to Australia to take on Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Australia.

Erling Haaland believes he can play a key role in delivering the Champions League title that Manchester City are craving.

The Etihad Stadium giants have scooped the Premier League title in four of the past five seasons, but they have yet to be crowned kings of Europe.

That rankles, as City believe they are ideally equipped to challenge the continent's best, and the arrival of a clinical striker of Haaland's ilk should only strengthen their hand.

By bringing in the 21-year-old from Borussia Dortmund, City have made a statement signing, landing a player the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona have also admired.

When it was put to Haaland that he might be "a big piece in the jigsaw" when it comes to City's Champions League aspirations, Haaland gave a strong clue regarding his ambition on that front.

"What I'm going to say, and I've said it before, the Champions League is my favourite competition. So I think you have your answer there," he told a news conference.

"This is a big challenge, it's a new country, a new league, a new coach. But I know how it is to come to a new club. I've done it a couple of times before, so I'm really looking forward to it.

"[I will handle pressure] like I've been doing my whole career, trying to enjoy every single minute, every moment and trying not to think too much because overthinking is not a good thing for every human being. I try to relax when I can relax and enjoy every single moment I can and to work hard."

Haaland has gone from Bryne to Molde, to Salzburg, then on to Dortmund, and now he has switched to City. He believes the career trajectory, guided by his father Alf-Inge and his late agent Mino Raiola, has gone as well as anyone could have hoped.

"We've been doing every step perfectly now," Haaland said. "I have a good and small team around me that is focused a lot.

"I have really good friends from my home town, and I have people who push me when they should push me and stop me when they should stop me. I have a really good mix of people around me that make me better every day, and that's what I want."

Haaland said facing City in the Champions League with Dortmund in April 2021, when Pep Guardiola's side won 2-1 in each leg of the quarter-final, had been an eye-opener when it came to appreciating the team's quality.

"You see something on TV, and when you meet it, it's completely different," Haaland said. "I didn't touch the ball for 25 minutes in the game.

"It's a different level, I have to say, how they approach and play the game and how they create chances, and that's what I wanted to be a part of."

He put his decision to join City down to "the feeling in my stomach", convinced they are the right team for him.

Haaland wants to make an instant impact and pointed to how he hit the ground running with Dortmund in January 2020, helped by a player now at Manchester United.

"In Dortmund, it worked really well with Jadon Sancho," Haaland said. "In my debut, after one minute he assisted me, a really nice ball from him and a nice goal, and it's about getting to know each other to play with each other, so we can perform at the highest level.

"I've watched Manchester City ever since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016, so I think I know exactly how they play, and I think I know a lot about everything."

Erling Haaland is aiming to follow Sergio Aguero into the hearts of Manchester City supporters after drawing thousands to his presentation on Sunday.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has joined as the spearhead of the latest incarnation of Pep Guardiola's City team.

After winning the Premier League title last season while often playing with a 'false nine' forward, City will put their faith in penalty box predator Haaland in the new campaign.

Haaland, who turns 22 on July 21, has joined a City side who have yet to win the Champions League, which is the big target now.

The new boy will be expected to contribute a flood of goals both domestically and in Europe, and he said: "I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be really nice. I'm sure we're going to have a good time together.

"The expectations for this season is to come into the new team, to get to know everyone of course now and get the connections and have fun. When I have fun, I score goals, I win games, so it's easy."

There is good reason for the high expectation that has surrounded Haaland's arrival. The Norwegian scored 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions during two and a half years at Dortmund, with only Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (123 in 108 games) and Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe (93 in 111 games) from Europe's top five leagues scoring more in that time.

Last season, Haaland scored 29 goals in 30 games on all fronts at a rate of one goal every 3.6 attempts, and he put away 65.8 per cent of his big chances.

"It's an amazing team and we just have to continue and to get a little bit better," Haaland said of his City challenge. "It's not much to say, I'm just looking forward to everything."

Haaland's father, Alf-Inge, played for City and was present on Sunday for the presentation that took place outside the Etihad Stadium.

"It's going to be nice, my father played here for a couple of years," said Haaland. "It's always special when your father did something, and you get to do some the same things that he did, it's a bit special."

Asked about his idols as a boy, Haaland said: "Of course my dad, but in City I have many jerseys at home from Aguero, so of course him, so from City it was him.

"I love strikers because I've always been a striker myself. Aguero's a good example of scoring goals."

Argentinian Aguero is City's record scorer, leaving for Barcelona a year ago after netting 254 goals for the club in a 10-year spell. He has since retired.

City paraded Haaland along with fellow forward Julian Alvarez and new back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega on Sunday. They could make their first appearances on the upcoming pre-season trip to the United States.

Kalvin Phillips, acquired from Leeds United, was expected to join them at the presentation but was reportedly absent due to illness.

Asked which team he was most looking forward to facing, Haaland could not resist expressing his impatience for derby day. City are due to play Manchester United on October 1.

"I have to say I don't like to say the words, but Manchester United, yeah," Haaland said. "I think it's going to be a really good time together.

"Let's get this pre-season gone quick and good and I can't wait to get started with the important games, and games all the time."

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool will head into the 2022-23 season "as confident as possible" about the prospect of challenging on all fronts once again.

Liverpool fell short of an unprecedented quadruple last season, faltering in both the Champions League final and on the last day of the Premier League season after lifting the EFL Cup and FA Cup.

Liverpool relied on penalties in both of their cup successes as they failed to score in five and a half hours of football in major finals last season, which led to concerns over their ruthlessness in front of goal.

Darwin Nunez has since arrived at Anfield from Benfica in a deal reportedly worth £64million (€75m), with a further £21.4m in potential add-ons, in a move that Klopp will hope provides greater reliability in attack.

Star forward Mohamed Salah has also penned a contract extension and, despite Sadio Mane leaving for Bayern Munich, Klopp remains convinced Liverpool can compete with Manchester City once more.

"As confident as possible. You never know obviously but I saw today on the plane a squad full of quality," he told reporters at Sunday's news conference in Thailand, where Liverpool are on a pre-season tour. 

"You always need a little bit of luck, how we all know, if you want to win a trophy. But to play a good season you need first and foremost consistency, that's what it's all about and that's what we will try.

"I have no doubt about the quality of the boys. We brought in new players – yes, we lost a few players – but we brought in new players; if you want, fresh blood, really helpful.

"There are no places already sorted, who will play where. The boys will make pressure, which is important.

"We have five subs from now on in the Premier League as well – we have to get used to that, we have to adapt to that. I'm really looking forward to it.

"There are no guarantees in football but there's a good chance that we play another good season, I would say."

Liverpool face fierce rivals Manchester United in Bangkok on Tuesday in what will be Erik ten Hag's first game in charge of the Red Devils.

The Reds hammered United by an aggregate scoreline of 9-0 in the Premier League last season, and Klopp insists there will be no such thing as a friendly between the two teams.

"Manchester United, a new manager, trained a little bit longer than us so might be, I'm not sure, in a better situation in the moment," he added.

"But we see it as an important test because it's against United and we don't play friendlies, obviously both teams don't play friendlies against each other, so we will see what we can do.

"We never prepare for one match, we prepare for a full season. That means the boys who started Monday last week had a proper start so far, we could train in the way we wanted.

"We had now a full week already and we are now here to play two games in Asia, first this one and then in Singapore against Crystal Palace. So, we have to see.

"We have to train and we have to play, it means the games are actually like a session as well but the boys have to go really hard.

"Let's see where we stand in this specific moment and then we can go home to England and then we go from there to Austria for another camp."

Juventus must challenge for both the Champions League and Serie A crowns this coming season after recruiting Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria.

That is according to Juve and Italy great Gianluca Zambrotta, who also told Stats Perform he expects Inter to be a stronger force with Romelu Lukaku back at the club.

Juve confirmed the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain forward Di Maria on Friday, with fellow free agent Pogba also set to join following his departure from Manchester United.

Pogba knows the Turin giants well having already spent four seasons at the Allianz Stadium, winning the Scudetto in each of those and making 178 appearances in total.

Fellow former United player Di Maria is playing in Italy for the first time, meanwhile, with this the Argentina international's sixth different club in as many countries.

And having brought in players boasting plenty of pedigree, Zambrotta says challenging for Serie A alone – after back-to-back fourth-place finishes – will not be enough for Juve.

"Juventus will certainly have to play a different championship because they must return to be competitive not only in Italy but also in Europe," he said. 

"And they have to do that right away and not just a little bit because they cannot think to wait any more."

Pogba and Di Maria join a squad already boasting the likes of January recruit Dusan Vlahovic and winger Federico Chiesa, who is closing in on a return from a long-term lay-off.

That will be a welcome headache for Massimiliano Allegri, while fierce rivals Inter must also find a way to slot Lukaku back into the side following his return on loan from Chelsea.

"Juve could play with Di Maria on one side, Chiesa on the other side and Vlahovic in the middle," said 2006 World Cup winner Zambrotta, who spent seven years with Juve.

"It is clear that it becomes an important attack, very, very technical and very dynamic on the wings. 

"At Inter, Lukaku is a player who [Simone] Inzaghi did not want to leave anyway, then he left but Inter did very well anyway. 

"So he is a player who certainly can be important for Inter and that the coach clearly values, and he will certainly do well paired with Lautaro Martinez. 

"Then there are many attackers who are possibly leaving. Nobody knows who will come out and who will arrive again. But Lukaku and Martinez are already well tested."

A return to Real Madrid would be the best move for Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Portugal team-mate Jose Fonte.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has reportedly asked for a move away from Manchester United, just one season after returning to Old Trafford from Juventus.

Despite scoring 24 goals during the 2021-22 campaign, Ronaldo could only help United to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, thus missing out on qualification for the Champions League.

Having been due to return to training on Monday before he was granted extra time off due to a family issue, Ronaldo is set to miss the club's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, with the squad set to depart on Friday.

That has further fuelled widespread speculation the 37-year-old's second spell with the Red Devils is nearing its end.

The Portugal skipper was linked with a move to Bayern Munich, though chief executive Oliver Kahn has ruled out an approach from the Bundesliga champions.

But international team-mate Fonte believes a return to Madrid would be the best outcome for Ronaldo, who won four Champions Leagues and two LaLiga titles with Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018, as well as becoming the club's all-time leading scorer with 450 goals.

Lille defender Fonte, who along with Ronaldo was part of the Portugal squad that won Euro 2016, told talkSPORT: "What I do know is that the man loves the Champions League. 

"He believes it is the best competition in the world and knows how he has to perform [in it] to win Ballons d'Or.

"He needs to be winning trophies and competing for trophies for the Ballon d'Or. He is a serial winner, as everyone knows.

"He might be looking at the [United] squad and thinking, 'Am I going to be able to win some trophies this year?' Maybe he doesn't believe it. I don't know. Only he can say.

"Would he go back to Madrid? That would be, for him, the best. If they want him back or not, that's a different question."

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Ajax striker Sebastien Haller on a four-year deal worth a reported €36million.

The 28-year-old joins the Bundesliga side following the sale of Erling Haaland to Manchester City, with Dortmund also landing exciting forward Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg earlier in the transfer window.

After a disappointing stint in the Premier League with West Ham, Haller excelled in Holland with Ajax during a prolific 18-month spell that included 11 goals in just eight Champions League appearances in the 2021-22 season.

That included a four-goal haul in Ajax's first group-stage match against Sporting, as well as goals in both of their fixtures against Dortmund. All in all, he scored in all but one of Ajax's Champions League matches – the exception being a 1-0 defeat to Besiktas in the second leg of the Round of 16.

Haller also finished top of the Eredivisie scoring charts with 21 goals last term and has history in Germany, where he scored 33 goals and registered 19 assists during a two-season stint with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Dortmund confirmed Haller's arrival on their official website on Wednesday, with the Ivory Coast international to take Haaland's number nine shirt from this coming season.

"We are very pleased that we were able to sign Sebastien Haller, a seasoned center-forward who recently caused a sensation in the Champions League, but who also knows the Bundesliga in particular and has already proven his class and high finishing quality there," Dortmund's new sports director Sebastian Kehl said. 

"The overall package is very promising. Sebastien has a high level of physical presence and is also very resilient physically. With his experience, he can give our young players support and stability on the offensive. In the talks with us, he made it clear that he would like to achieve something with BVB."

Dortmund begin the new season with a DFB-Pokal clash against 1860 Munich on July 26, with their Bundesliga campaign starting at home against Bayer Leverkusen on August 6.

Vinicius Junior says he faces "a long road" to compete for the Ballon d'Or, as he tipped team-mate Karim Benzema to be named the world's best player this year.

Vinicius scored the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win their 14th Champions League title in May, having also played a key role in Los Blancos' dominant La Liga triumph.

The Brazilian scored 22 goals and recorded 16 assists in all competitions during the 2021-22 season, the latter figure representing a team-high total and one bettered only by Thomas Muller (22), Kylian Mbappe (21) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (18) among players in Europe's top five leagues.

Brazil's 2002 World Cup winner Rivaldo recently tipped Vinicius to challenge for the title of the world's best as early as next year, but the winger believes the examples set by fellow Madrid stars Benzema and Luka Modric show he has a long way to go.  

"It's [the Ballon d'Or] something that has to come naturally," Vinicius told YouTube channel Que Papinho. 

"Karim is 35 years old and now he will win it, Modric won it at 33 [in 2018].

"I have many years to evolve, a very long road for me if God wants me to win it one day."

Benzema's total of 59 goal contributions (44 goals, 15 assists) was only bettered by Mbappe (39 goals, 21 assists) in Europe's top five leagues last term, and Vinicius says his fellow Blancos attacker is the perfect role model. 

"I'm only 21 years old. I want to follow players like Karim, Modric, Marcelo, who won five Champions League titles," he added.

"I want to get as close to them as possible. That's when someone can call me that [a role model].

"Benzema repays the affection I have for him. He was a player I followed for a long time. I'm a big fan and being able to play with him today is incredible.

"He recently in an interview put me in his top five in the world, so I'm really happy."

Mauricio Pochettino expressed his pride at ending his Paris Saint-Germain tenure as a Ligue 1 champion after his departure was confirmed.

PSG confirmed Pochettino's long-expected exit on Tuesday, appointing former Lille and Nice coach Christophe Galtier as his replacement on a two-year contract.

Despite PSG winning their 10th Ligue 1 title in dominant fashion last season, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Pochettino since a spectacular collapse in a 3-2 aggregate Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in March.

That represented PSG's fourth last-16 Champions League elimination in the last six seasons, while the former Tottenham boss also missed out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille – coached by Galtier – in his first half-season in France.

Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) acquired the club in 2011, meanwhile, only Carlo Ancelotti (63.6) has recorded a lower win percentage as PSG boss than Pochettino (65.5).

But writing on Instagram, Pochettino chose to focus on his successes and expressed his gratitude at being given the chance to lead the club, for whom he made 95 appearances as a player.

"I want to wish everyone at PSG the very best for the future – the owners, the board, the players, all the staff and the supporters," Pochettino wrote.

"To Nasser [Al-Khelaifi, PSG president] – I want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of the PSG family again.

"We enjoyed some amazing moments and big wins all together and, as a coaching staff, with every experience we always take learnings to advance our evolution for the future.

"We are proud to finish as league champions at a club that has meant so much to me and my family, from my time here as a player and a captain, and now as a coach."