Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli have confirmed the signing of former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.

The 31-year-old left Anfield following the expiration of his contract after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015.

He joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who joined the Saudi Professional League side last month.

Firmino was part of a ruthless attack alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, and in his eight years at Liverpool the Brazilian won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup.

He was not the only player to leave the Reds this summer as James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita also left the club at the end of their deals.

Mason Mount has confirmed on Instagram that he will be leaving Chelsea after 18 years at the club.

The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and since making his first-team debut in 2019 has gone on to score 27 goals and provide 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.

The PA news agency understands that Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign the midfielder for an initial £55million.

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Mount, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and has earned 36 caps for England, posted a farewell message to Blues fans on Instagram.

He said: “Hi Chelsea fans, given the speculation over the last six months this may not come as a surprise to you, but it doesn’t make it any easier to tell you that I’ve made the decision to leave Chelsea.

“I feel you deserve more than just a written statement, so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I’ve been for all of your support over the last 18 years.

“I know some of you won’t be happy with my decision, but it’s what’s right for me at this moment in my career.

“I joined Chelsea when I was six years old and we’ve been through a lot together.

“Winning the Youth Cup, my Player of the Year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.

“I want to say thank you to the academy, Jim and Neil for being so influential to me from such a young age.

“The managers I’ve worked under, Frank (Lampard), Thomas (Tuchel) and Graham (Potter), the backroom staff, the unsung heroes of Cobham, all of my teammates over the years that have become my brothers.

“My family for the continuous love and support and most importantly you guys for sticking with me throughout. Wish you all the best.”

Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy hailed an “excellent” warm weather training camp as the Jambos get ready for the new season.

The Gorgie squad are in Spain this week and have several training sessions in the fitness bank ahead of the friendly against Championship side Plymouth on Thursday.

Steven Naismith was handed a two-year contract following his term as interim manager at the end of last season but his title was changed to technical director. The former Scotland international is working towards his required Pro Licence coaching qualification.

Former Hearts academy director McAvoy was named head coach, with Gordon Forrest also remaining as first-team coach and all three are putting the Hearts players through their paces with a view to a positive start to the 2023/24 season.

McAvoy, who was quoted stressing that he would call the shots in terms of team selection next season – “ultimately I’ll decide who plays” – told Hearts’ official website: “The first few days have been excellent.

“The three of us have worked extremely hard with the players to bring them up to speed as quick as we can.

“We’re coming up against Plymouth on Thursday and we need to make sure they’re in the best shape that they can be in a short period of time.

“There’s been some tough sessions for them so far.

“A key consideration is building camaraderie within the group which is massive.

“These trips aren’t a holiday, far from it. We want a strong group that knows each other well. We want to identify areas where we’re strong, and areas where we need to improve.

“After the seven games at the end of last season, we can start to see that come to fruition.

“It’s early stages but we’re hopeful that we can kick on even further. The campaign we’re facing is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Starting well, having a good pre-season, puts us in good stead.”

Swansea have signed versatile defender Josh Key from Exeter on an initial three-year deal.

The 23-year-old, who has spent the last eight years on the Grecians’ books, can play full-back, wing-back or as a winger and is Michael Duff’s second signing since taking charge of the Swans.

The Welsh club hold an option for another 12 months through to 2027 should Key impress.

As Key is 23, Exeter are due compensation, and negotiations are ongoing on a figure, Swansea said on their website.

Jacob Ramsey will miss the remainder of England Under-21s’ European Championship campaign with an ankle injury.

The Aston Villa midfielder, who featured in England’s first four games, was replaced after 67 minutes during their 1-0 victory over Portugal and will sit out Wednesday’s semi-final.

Lee Carsley’s side will look to maintain their flawless defensive record when they play Israel for the second time in as many weeks in the last four.

Anthony Gordon insisted England’s 2-0 victory over Israel in the group stage is in the past and called for a fresh approach going into the tie.

“The group stage games now don’t really matter,” Gordon said. “It doesn’t matter how we played against them or how we beat them.

“They played really well against Georgia and won the game ultimately so it’s win or go home and hopefully we can put on another good performance and win the game.”

Morgan Gibbs-White reiterated that message by highlighting Israel’s hunger to seek revenge after goals from Gordon and Emile Smith Rowe firmed England’s bid to qualify from Group C.

And the Nottingham Forest midfielder, who leads the competition’s assist chart with three, admitted rest and recovery should be at the forefront of England’s thinking.

“It’s a completely new game. [Israel] are even more hungry now they are in the semi-final. They are going to want revenge,” Gibbs-White said.

“We beat them in the group stage and now they are going to want to beat us, so we have got to make sure we are fully prepared, well rested, fully recovered and hopefully we can go again and get to the final.”

Burnley forward Michael Obafemi will miss the start of the Premier League season with a hamstring injury suffered while on international duty.

The 22-year-old tore his hamstring in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 win over Gibraltar and will undergo an operation later this week before beginning a rehabilitation process.

Obafemi joined the Clarets on loan from Swansea in January, and scored two goals in 14 appearances before making his move permanent earlier this month.

The injury will be a blow to Vincent Kompany’s attacking options as Burnley make their return to the Premier League.

The Clarets reportedly remain in talks to re-sign Nathan Tella from Southampton after he topped Burnley’s scoring charts with 19 goals last term.

Theo Bair has agreed to terminate his contract at St Johnstone by mutual consent.

The 23-year-old Canada international forward joined the Perth club from Vancouver Whitecaps in January 2022 for an undisclosed fee.

Bair scored one goal in 31 appearances for the McDiarmid Park club last season.

A statement on Saints’ official website confirmed Bair’s departure and added: “We would like to thank Theo for all his efforts while at McDiarmid Park and wish him all the best in his future.”

Jack Butland aims to follow in the footsteps of two Rangers goalkeeping greats as he settles into life with the Ibrox club.

The 30-year-old joined the Light Blues last month on a four-year contract after his release by Crystal Palace and is in line to take over from 41-year-old Allan McGregor, whose time at the Govan outfit came to an end last season.

Appearing at the Rangers Training Centre on Tuesday, two days after the one-year anniversary of the death of former Rangers keeper Andy ‘The Goalie’ Goram, Butland spoke about emulating two Ibrox heroes.

“That’s the plan,” the England international said. “You are talking about two goalies – ‘The Goalie’ and Greegsy (McGregor) – two guys who have an incredible history with the club.

“They knew what Rangers was about. Watching the memorial video to Andy Goram the other day, painted a picture of what he was like, what he meant to the club and what the club meant to him.

“I think that’s what this club is all about. It has a rich history of top goalkeepers and that is something that I will be looking to continue both on and off the pitch, trying to learn about the club, enjoy it, take it all in and hopefully follow in their footsteps which, of course, is a big ask because of what they have done.”

Butland, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Manchester United without playing, won the last of his nine England caps in a friendly win over Switzerland in 2018 and has not given up hope of a return to the international fold but insists it is not his priority.

“I am a patriotic guy,” he said. “My country has always been important to me. To have represented them in the past is an honour.

“Of course I would love to get back to that.

“It is not my sole focus. My focus is to be successful at club level and that is to do my job here and whatever happens with that (England), I have always said, that will take care of itself. That is for others to decide.

“That will only happen if we are doing what we need to do here and I am playing well enough, which at the moment is my sole focus and if that comes, that is a bonus.”

Butland is one of five new signings boss Michael Beale has made this summer and the Ibrox club are on the brink of completing a deal with Cremonese for 28-year-old Nigeria forward Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers on Tuesday announced a friendly against Olympiacos at Ibrox on Wednesday, July 26, to complete their pre-season diary alongside fixtures against Newcastle, Hamburg and Hoffenheim.

A Manchester City fans group has accused the Football Association of “doing the bare minimum” in amending the Community Shield kick-off time and called for a further change.

The 1894 group urged supporters to boycott the treble winners’ season-opener against Arsenal at Wembley on August 6 after it was originally scheduled for 5.30pm on Sunday, August 6.

After this and other complaints, the FA, in conjunction with broadcaster ITV, moved the game to 4pm.

This has not gone far enough for some fans and, while they are no longer expecting a “full boycott”, 1894 still feels the kick-off should be brought forward again by another hour.

A statement from the group, issued via the Football Supporters’ Association, read: “We repeat our request to the FA and to ITV to help more fans attend the game by bringing the kick-off time to 3pm.

“In the eyes of many fans, the very quick decision to move the game from 5.30pm to 4pm and hastily-arranged PR releases from the FA came across as them doing the bare minimum and expecting a round of applause for the decision.

“The subsequent statement from the FA said 4pm was agreed after consultation with the police, the local council and the broadcaster (ITV). However, the most important stakeholder was not consulted… the fans!”

Travel arrangements for Wembley fixtures have been a recurring source of frustration for north west teams in recent seasons.

Late kick-offs leave supporters travelling by rail limited time to get back to stations before the final trains north and there are general concerns about arriving home late at night and the high costs involved. These issues have been exacerbated for some high-profile fixtures by rail strikes and engineering works.

The 1894 statement added: “We feel 3pm is a fair request to the authorities to allow more people to travel back at a sensible time.

“To expect 30,000 fans to travel back north late on a Sunday evening is unfair. Wembley is a great, iconic venue but there are challenges getting to and from there, so we call on ITV and the FA to help our fans in particular by offering an earlier kick-off which allows families to attend.”

The group is still encouraging fans not to attend the game and support local foodbanks instead. It has organised a screening of the match at the Band on the Wall venue in Manchester city centre and proceeds will be donated to such causes.

“Fans can make a difference – even if a full boycott is not expected at this stage,” the statement added.

“It’s hard to sacrifice watching your own team play. However, some fans are seeing it is an opportunity to make a statement.

“It’s not the FA Cup final, it’s not the Champions League final. It is a game in the scheme of things where fans, if they are not valued, can choose to walk away from attending.”

The FA has been approached for comment.

Brentford have completed the signing of Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins from Wolves for a club-record fee on a six-year deal.

The 22-year-old arrives in west London after spending just one season at Molineux, having previously played for Stoke and Burnley, and has 45 Premier League appearances to his name.

Bees head coach Thomas Frank likes what he has seen from Collins and feels he will prove to be “a perfect Brentford player”.

“I’m very pleased that we’ve managed to sign Nathan,” Frank told the club’s website.

“He’s a very talented centre-back and still young. He has a lot of very good abilities that we value a lot. He’s a composed and calm defender.

“His heading in both boxes is a big thing, both in open play and from set-pieces, which is massive in the Premier League.

“His character is really good, and we know that character is everything. He will fit into our culture, I have no doubt about that.

“I see leadership potential in Nathan. He’s a perfect Brentford player – hungry and ambitious with a desire to learn.”

Collins, who cost Brentford a reported £23million, is now aiming to help the club build on their highest-ever league finish after they ended the 2022-23 term in ninth place.

“I talked with the manager and a few of the backroom staff about the project here,” he said.

“It’s a club on the rise and I can see where they want to go. It’s exciting to be here.

“I like to play football. I want to dribble, play and create. It starts at the back. I can play long balls and short balls. But, at the end of the day, I’m a defender and I have to head the ball, win it and win my challenges.”

The arrival of Collins comes on the back of Brentford signing goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Freiburg, with Kevin Schade’s loan from the Bundesliga side also made permanent this summer.

Tottenham have entered talks with Wolfsburg over the signing of centre-back Micky van de Ven.

Spurs are in the market for new central defenders and Netherlands Under-21 international Van de Ven has been high on their list of potential targets.

Talks have now started between Tottenham and Wolfsburg over a deal that could eventually be worth in the region of £30million but no agreement is currently in place, the PA news agency understands.

Despite being without a director of football, chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini and chairman Daniel Levy have taken a lead role on transfers, which has seen Spurs be extremely active since Ange Postecoglou was appointed on June 6.

Dejan Kulusevski’s loan was made into a permanent deal while moves for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison have been completed.

Attacker Manor Solomon is set to be Tottenham’s fourth addition of the summer with the ex-Fulham loanee undergoing a medical ahead of a free transfer, having exercised his right to cancel his terms with Shakhtar Donetsk, as per FIFA rules, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

If a deal can be agreed with Wolfsburg, Van de Ven would become the club’s fifth signing of the Postecoglou era.

The 22-year-old started his career with Volendam in his homeland before he moved to Wolfsburg two summers ago.

An encouraging 2022-23 season, where Van de Ven featured 36 times for the Bundesliga club, brought him to the attention of several teams across Europe.

Last month, the Dutch defender told De Telegraaf: “I have always dreamed of the Premier League because the biggest clubs play there and I also see that competition as the best in the world.”

Spurs still hold an interest in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba and Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who only has one year left to run on his deal.

Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old, capped twice by her country and named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, has signed a three-year deal after her contract with Villa expired.

She brings Women’s Super League experience from stints with both Birmingham and Villa, having made 15 appearances while helping the latter to a fifth-placed finish last term.

Hampton was part of England’s trophy-winning squad at Euro 2022 and also has honours to her name from the Finalissima earlier this year and 2022’s Arnold Clark Cup.

In joining the reigning WSL champions, she now wants to add club silverware to her collection.

“I’m very excited,” Hampton said on the Chelsea website. “It’s a massive club, it’s an honour to be a part of this and to be able to wear the club’s badge. I want to keep improving, to help the team however I can and I’d love to win some trophies with the club at the same time.”

Hampton began her career with Villarreal in Spain after moving to the country as a youngster, but then returned to England with Stoke before joining hometown club Birmingham, making her senior debut in 2017 and making 50 appearances before switching to rivals Villa in 2021.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes added: “There is no doubt that Hannah is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world. Her performances have been improving year on year, and we have high hopes for her future with us.”

Yaya Toure is one day targeting a top managerial job in the Premier League after taking the next step in his career by becoming assistant coach at Standard Liege.

The 40-year-old, who lit up the top league as a player with Manchester City, has joined Carl Hoefkens’ staff at the Belgian club after a spell coaching Tottenham Under-16s.

Toure enjoyed his time at Hotspur Way, admitting he would one day love to return there, but felt the time was right to go and coach first-team football.

He is happy to learn from his boss Hoefkens but has desires to become a manager in the future.

“One hundred per cent, that is my plan and idea.” he told the PA news agency. “For me I have to go step after step, I am on a learning journey.

“I am very open to everything, just carrying on what I am doing.

“Why not the Premier League? I don’t know how long it is going to take, maybe sooner or later, for me I am always open for it.

“I know it’s going to be a big challenge and coaches’ jobs are becoming tougher and tougher. You see coaches surviving for a maximum four or five months.

“That is what it is now, that is the reality.

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“For me, I am quite patient and I have to take my steps very carefully and in the right manner. That’s why I am going to Belgium because I want to learn from top coaches like Carl, who has huge experience.”

Toure, who previously held positions at Ukrainian side Olimpik Donetsk and Russian team Akhmat Grozny, has not ruled out the possibility of one day returning to Spurs.

“Tottenham did not stand in my way and they let me go and I think that was brilliant,” he added.

“I would love to carry on in Tottenham because my belief and development was to try to work with the grown men.

“If the opportunity to go back was there then why not, because what Tottenham did for me was incredible, they allowed me to work there and develop as a coach and for what they did for me I will never be able to thank them enough.

“They opened the door for me and allowed me to express myself in the right manner and do the things I wanted to do.

“That is a real positive for me. Of course at the end of the day I move on but Tottenham is always going to be a great club and one that will always mean something to me.”

Toure will first put his coaching skills to use on the launch of Amazon’s Prime Day, as a Prime customer can buy a private coaching session for them and three friends.

He added: “The experience will be unmissable. For me it is very positive and I think this idea with Amazon is great.

“It is important we share experiences and talk to them about football and show them inside it and an understanding of it.”

::Yaya Toure will give one lucky Prime customer and their three friends a football training session to learn perfect delivery this Prime Day. Prime Members should check out www.amazon.co.uk/primeexperiences throughout July 11 and 12 to purchase.

Brendan Rodgers has described Kyogo Furuhashi’s new four-year deal at Celtic as “brilliant news” for the treble winners.

The Japan striker, 28, has scored 54 goals in 83 games since signing from Vissel Kobe in 2021 and is now tied to the Parkhead club until 2027.

Rodgers, beginning his second stint as Hoops boss, told the club’s official website: “It is brilliant news for the club. Kyogo is an important player for us so I am delighted he has signed a new contract.

“Kyogo has thrived since he arrived in Scottish football and has shown his outstanding qualities.

“In two seasons, he has secured five domestic honours, scored over 50 club goals and become a treble winner. This takes a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice both on and off the pitch.

“He is an exciting player who is hungry to bring more success to our club. He has a great mentality and is an unbelievable talent.

“I am looking forward to working with him and helping him and the wider team develop to help drive the club forward.”

Furuhashi said: “I am very happy to extend my stay for four years at this incredible club. It is an honour to represent Celtic Football Club and our amazing supporters.

“Last season was unbelievable. From the start of the campaign, our aim was to do as well as we could in every competition we played in.

“We worked very hard every day, on and off the pitch, to win silverware and put smiles on our fans’ faces.

“To win my first treble, and help secure a world record-breaking eighth treble for the club was a very proud moment for me and I cherish the memories of celebrating this with our fans.’

“They have been so supportive of me since I joined Celtic so I will work hard to repay them.

“Next season our objective is the same – to bring success to our club.  I am excited to defend our trophies and the opportunity to represent this huge club in the Champions League. My personal motivation is to score more goals and help my team-mates win matches.

“I am looking forward to getting started and working with Brendan. He is a top-level manager, he knows the club and knows what it takes to win silverware here. I and my team-mates are looking forward to working with him.”

Former England midfielder Jill Scott believes the Lionesses can win the Women’s World Cup and says Sarina Wiegman’s side will be the best-prepared team at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

The 36-year-old Euro 2022 winner praised the “humble” squad ahead of their Group D opener against Haiti on July 22 and insists she will have no problem being a pundit this time instead of a player.

She said: “I’ve watched the Lionesses a few times as a player since I’ve retired – they were too fast for me, and too good!”

Scott, who won ITV’s I’m a Celebrity last year after retiring, continued: “We’ve got a great group of girls – grounded, humble, but also incredible players.

“I think it’ll be the best-prepared team going out to the World Cup.

“Yeah, there’s going to be competition from the likes of Spain, Brazil you can never ever write off, (and) USA’s mentality – that winner’s mentality.

“But I do think that we’ll do well. I think we’ll be the best-prepared team and can we win it? Course we can.”

Scott was speaking by the Angel Of The North in Gateshead, as a 4.5-metre statue of herself posing with her arms out was unveiled to publicise the announcement that she will be a captain on Sky’s hit show A League Of Their Own.

“I’m standing here and it’s just such a surreal moment, to think I’ve actually got my own statue,” she said. “And I think she looks pretty decent, to be honest.

“The process was that I had to go into a room, there was about 130 cameras and they just all flashed at once, and off that one picture, they created this statue.

“The attention to detail is brilliant. Although I did joke that I don’t think my legs have been that smooth, ever!

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“It’s just such a proud moment for me and my family to think that I’ve got a statue.”

The Mayor of Gateshead was there, along with players from the Boldon and Gateshead College sides she played for growing up.

Scott said she will be fine coping with the cut and thrust of the fun show, following other ex-footballers like Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards.

She said: “I’ve seen how well they’ve kind of coped with that transition, they seem to have a laugh, but then also that competitive streak comes out as well.

“So I think this show should suit me really in terms of personality. I want to have a laugh, but also being serious at the same time when I want to win for the blue team.”

Asked if the public will see a different side of her on ALOTO, after being voted Queen of the Jungle with her authentic personality, Scott said: “I think I can’t do anything but ‘nice’, to be honest.

“The only time that I was a little bit nasty was when I stepped over that white line but I think I will be a little bit competitive.”

Since winning the Euros and winning the jungle show, Scott admitted: “Yeah, life’s changed a lot. I was used to just going to football every single day.

“Now I have to check my itinerary every single week and try and make sure I’m at places on time.

“I’m enjoying that, I’ve got to do some incredible stuff. I was at Royal Ascot last week, I’m going to Wimbledon this week.

“So there’s some great opportunities that are coming along and I’m just grateful to have work, especially after you retire.”