Ander Herrera has returned to Athletic Bilbao after the club agreed a loan deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Although the loan is initially for only the 2022-23 season, Athletic have the option to extend his stay for an extra year or make the arrangement permanent in 2023.

Herrera, 33, was born in Bilbao and spent three years at Athletic from 2011 after coming through Real Zaragoza's academy.

The experienced midfielder signed for PSG in 2019 after his Manchester United contract expired and made 95 appearances, winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions twice each, while also lifting the Coupe de la Ligue.

However, Herrera was never a regular starter for PSG and had been linked with a move away for much of the transfer window, with Christophe Galtier yet to call upon him this season.

Recent media reports suggested Herrera was likely to leave PSG on a free transfer, but the Parisians retain ownership of him for the time being.

Rafael Leao scored one and assisted another as Milan continued their unbeaten Serie A start with a dominant 2-0 victory over Bologna.

Stefano Pioli's side had to recover from a goal down in each of their opening two league games, winning one and drawing the other, but did not need another rescue act on Saturday.

Leao was a constant threat down the left flank and grabbed a deserved goal in the first half, before setting up a smart Olivier Giroud finish in the second half to cap an impressive performance.

Victory at least temporarily moved Milan to the top of the embryonic Serie A table, while the Rossoneri are now unbeaten in 19 top-flight games – the longest ongoing undefeated streak in Europe's top five leagues.

 

Pioli's men started slowly but kicked into gear after 21 minutes as Charles de Ketelaere dispossessed Jerdy Schouten and powered forward to tee up Leao, who rolled his finish into the bottom-left corner.

De Ketelaere continued to be Milan's chief creative force, chipping a delicate pass through for Pierre Kalulu, only for the defender to waste a glorious one-on-one chance up against Lukasz Skorupski.

Junior Messias was the next to be thwarted by Skorupski, before Leao blazed over the rebound, and Giroud dragged just wide of the target prior to the break.

The Rossoneri deservedly doubled their lead after 58 minutes when Leao lofted in a cross from the left for Giroud to acrobatically volley into the bottom-right corner.

Nicola Sansone almost hit back for Bologna, but his driven effort cannoned against Mike Maignan's right-hand post as Milan preserved their first clean sheet of the campaign.

What does it mean? Milan continue Bologna dominance

Milan had only lost one of their previous 25 Serie A meetings with Bologna, with that defeat coming in January 2016 when Rossoblu coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was with the Rossoneri.

Given their recent dominance in this fixture and last season's Scudetto-winning exploits, it came as little surprise to see Milan control most of proceedings – not allowing a single Bologna shot on target.

With Inter to come next weekend, Milan have thrown down an early marker as they look to defend their title this season.

Home comforts for Leao

Leao was a pivotal factor for Pioli last season as Milan edged out fierce rivals Inter to lift the Scudetto, and the Portugal international proved his worth once more here.

The 23-year-old has scored eight times in the league at home since the start of 2022, with no Serie A player finding the net on more occasions at their own stadium in that time.

Awful Arnautovic

Marko Arnautovic was in the headlines earlier in the month after being linked to Manchester United, only for backlash from Red Devils fans to seemingly end any talk of a move.

The forward subsequently became the first player to score in both of Bologna's first two games in a Serie A season since Roberto Baggio in 1997-98, but he failed to deliver up against Milan's well-regimented defence.

What's next?

Milan will look to maintain their unbeaten run when they travel to Sassuolo on Tuesday ahead of the derby against Inter. Bologna host Salernitana on Thursday.

Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer was "delighted" to deliver a record-breaking performance on a "really tough day" at Bayern Munich.

Switzerland international Sommer made a sensational 19 saves, the most on record in a single game in Europe's top five leagues, to help his team to a 1-1 draw against the champions.

Gladbach took a first-half lead against the run of play through Marcus Thuram, but a second-half onslaught from Julian Nagelsmann's side ramped up the pressure on the visitors. 

However, Sommer made save after save and looked impenetrable until Bayern finally found a way through as Leroy Sane picked out the bottom-left corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.

The hosts pushed for a winner, but Sommer held firm to earn Gladbach a hard-fought draw, preventing a staggering 3.3 goals according to expected goals on target data.

"I'm glad I did a good job so we can take a point today," Sommer told Sky Sport.

"It was a really tough day today, because we know how much power and pressure Bayern exert on opponents.

"The defence can't keep everything out, so I'm delighted that I had such a good game."

Sommer has been linked with a move away from Gladbach, with Manchester United reportedly interested in the former Basel keeper.

And he indicated he would discuss his future in the next next week, adding: "I've been here for eight years, so of course I feel at home here, it's like a family"

"But we'll still sit down and have a chat in the next few days."

Jose Mourinho told his Roma players he "felt ashamed of being their coach" before they recovered from a goal down at half-time to draw 1-1 against Juventus.

Roma had won their opening two Serie A games without conceding but fell behind to a Dusan Vlahovic free-kick inside 76 seconds at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Juve had a second goal through Manuel Locatelli ruled out for a Vlahovic handball in the build-up in a half the home side dominated, outshooting their opponents 10 to three.

Mourinho responded by replacing Gianluca Mancini and Leonardo Spinazzola with Stephan El Shaarawy and Nicola Zalewski at the break, and Roma improved in the second half.

The visitors found a way through from one of their three efforts on target in the second period, with Tammy Abraham turning in former Juve player Paulo Dybala's acrobatic pass.

While his side's unbeaten start to the season remains intact with a credible point in Turin, however, Mourinho accepted Roma were rather fortunate.

Asked what he said at half-time, Mourinho told DAZN: "I told the team I was ashamed of them. I felt ashamed of being their coach.

"The game changed, but let's not talk about tactics; let's instead talk about attitude. We can't get where we want with this attitude.

"I told [assistant coach Salvatore] Foti to pray that it finished only 1-0. That would have been a good result after that first-half performance.

"I told them to take advantage of the luck we had, knowing the game could have been over at that point. Every now and then, you are dominated but you have to manage it better.

"I had a bench with very few offensive solutions, especially compared to [Massimiliano] Allegri. But after analysing the second half, we deserved to win that 1-0."

 

The goal Roma conceded came from Vlahovic's first touch and was Juve's first direct free-kick goal in the league since Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Torino in July 2020.

It ended the Giallorossi's four-game run without conceding in all competitions, but the home team were unable to hold on and now have just one win from three games this term.

And Juve head coach Allegri recognised his side could have no complaints with the full-time scoreline after they failed to finish off Roma when on top in the first half.

"Jose's always smart and sharp in the way he reads games," Allegri said of his opposite number. "If you don't kill off the game, you always leave the possibility of an equaliser.

"We were tired after a strong first half and probably should have focused on passing the ball around to slow things down.

"That's something we need to learn. You cannot expect a team to dominate the match for the full 90 minutes."

Juve, who had beaten Roma in 10 of their 11 previous league games at the Allianz Stadium, went with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Allegri hinted he is open to change once at full strength.

"First of all we need to focus on getting Federico Chiesa, Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria back," Allegri said when asked about his set-up. 

"They all have technique and a change of pace. Having changes available from the bench makes a big difference."

Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain remain in negotiations for Leandro Paredes but his arrival may depend on players leaving first, according to Bianconeri chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene.

Massimiliano Allegri has bolstered his squad during the transfer window by signing Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Bremer and Filip Kostic.

Adrien Rabiot was expected to depart Turin to join Manchester United, but the midfielder's move to Old Trafford fell through.

The France international may soon be partnered in midfield by Paredes, who has been frustrated by a lack of playing minutes for PSG.

Christophe Galtier has previously acknowledged Paredes could leave after falling down the midfield pecking order, with Arrivabene confirming Juve are looking to sign the 28-year-old.

"We are talking. But, I repeat, it is very important to make the exits," Arrivabene told DAZN when pressed for an update on Paredes ahead of Saturday's 1-1 draw with Roma.

Paulo Dybala, Matthijs de Ligt, Giorgio Chiellini, Aaron Ramsey and Merih Demiral are among those to leave the Allianz Stadium this transfer window.

However, Arrivabene expects more players to depart as he looks to balance assembling a squad with Allegri and financial constraints.

"We will be happy if we manage to carry out the exits that we intend to do in such a way that the sporting result is balanced with the financial one," he added.

Juve remain unbeaten in their opening three Serie A games this season, albeit with just one win and two draws, the most recent of which coming at home to Roma.

Jules Kounde is set to make his Barcelona debut on Sunday after he was belatedly registered to feature in LaLiga.

The France defender joined from Sevilla last month in a deal that could be worth €62.5million following a fine three-year spell at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

However, Barcelona were initially unable to register him to play in LaLiga as they needed to reduce their wage expenditure in line with the salary cap.

Registration priority was given to signings that arrived before Kounde, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen all making their debuts.

But media reports on Friday suggested Barca had finally been able to register the centre-back – head coach Xavi did not confirm that in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, merely saying they were "optimistic".

Kounde's registration is now official, however, with his move acknowledged in the transfer feed on LaLiga's website.

Therefore, Kounde is expected to face Real Valladolid on Sunday as Barca hope to make it back-to-back wins after thrashing Real Sociedad 4-1 last weekend.

The news will no doubt come as a relief to Barca fans after media speculation claimed Kounde would be able to walk away from the club for free if not registered before the transfer deadline.

If Kounde does not play at Camp Nou on Sunday, he is likely to make his debut against former club Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan next weekend.

Bayern Munich were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Borussia Monchengladbach as their winning start to the Bundesliga season came to an end.

The champions had been in blistering form previously in 2022-23, scoring 15 goals across three wins, but they were met with firm resistance by Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer on Saturday.

Julian Nagelsmann's side saw two first-half Sadio Mane goals disallowed before Dayot Upamecano's mistake was pounced upon by Marcus Thuram, whose cool finish looked like it might be enough to win the game.

Bayern threw everything at Gladbach in the second half, with most of it repelled by Sommer until a powerful Leroy Sane effort snatched a point – the very least the hosts deserved but enough to take them back to the top of the table.

Consistent with the theme that was to develop throughout the game, Bayern were nearly ahead within a minute, but Sommer made a brilliant save to palm Upamecano's header wide.

The hosts continued to dominate, and Mane saw two goals ruled out for offside in quick succession before Nagelsmann's men were hit with a sucker-punch before half-time.

Upamecano failed to deal with a long punt forward, and Thuram raced onto it, sliding the ball past Manuel Neuer to give his side the lead against the run of play.

Bayern ramped up the pressure further with a second-half onslaught, and Sommer was forced into an excellent double-stop to deny Mane from close range with just under half an hour left.

The Switzerland international was alert again to keep out Sane in a one-on-one situation, but the winger finally got the better of him on 83 minutes, steering into the bottom-left corner.

Bayern pressed for a winner, yet Sommer returned to form to keep them at bay, finishing with a remarkable 19 saves.

Tammy Abraham turned in a goal assisted by Paulo Dybala as Roma battled to a 1-1 draw at Juventus to leave both sides unbeaten after three Serie A matches.

Roma had won their first two games without conceding but were behind to a sublime Dusan Vlahovic free-kick after just 76 seconds – the forward's fastest strike in the competition.

After being held to a 0-0 draw by Sampdoria last time out, Juve looked far brighter in an attacking sense and had a second goal through Manuel Locatelli contentiously ruled out.

Jose Mourinho's side hit back in the second half when former Juve player Dybala's attempt at goal turned into an assist for Abraham, meaning the points were shared in Turin.

 

Vlahovic managed just eight touches of the ball in last week's stalemate with Sampdoria but required just one touch to fire Juve in front against Roma.

The Serbia international left Rui Patricio stranded to the spot with a 25-yard free-kick that he lifted over the wall and into the back of the net via the underside of the crossbar.

Locatelli thought he had doubled Juve's lead when firing in a first-time effort from outside the box, but VAR ruled it out due to a perceived handball from Vlahovic in the build-up.

That proved a big moment in the match as Abraham levelled up for Roma with 69 minutes played after heading in Dybala's miscued acrobatic volley from six yards out.

Dybala was met with a mixture of jeers and cheers when substituted soon after, with neither side able to find a winner in the remainder of the contest.

Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out signing a replacement should Marco Asensio leave, as Real Madrid "do not need" another forward.

Spain international Asensio has been repeatedly linked with a move away, but remains a Madrid player with less than a week of the transfer window to go.

The 26-year-old, who has just started his seventh season at the Santiago Bernabeu, is reportedly a target for Premier League pair Arsenal and Manchester United.

Asensio has featured for just eight minutes across Madrid's three matches this campaign, and Ancelotti is not ruling out an exit in the coming days.

"There is nothing new with regards to his situation," Ancelotti said at a press conference on Saturday ahead of his side's trip to Espanyol.

"He is evaluating his situation and we are waiting. On September 2, if he is still here, he will be an important player in our squad. I'd be delighted because he contributes a lot.

"But if Marco leaves, we are not going to sign anyone because we don't need them."

Dani Ceballos is another who is into the final year of his contract and had been expected to depart the Spanish capital this month, but Ancelotti has put an end to those rumours.

"Dani is going to stay, there is no doubt," the Italian said. "He wants to stay and we are delighted. 

"He hasn't played much yet, but next week we have three games, and he will have more minutes because he deserves it."

 

Madrid are looking to maintain their 100 per cent record at the start of this season when they travel to RCDE Stadium, where they have lost on two of their past four league trips.

Los Blancos have made a perfect start after two matches for the 34th time in their history, and a first time since the 2018-19 campaign.

It is a third successive away game to begin the season for Madrid due to renovation works at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Ancelotti says his side have had to adapt.

"When you're travelling so often, there is not a lot you can do," he said. "We do intense work for those who have not played, while the others must rest.

"We have had to do a little more video work than usual. But the less you work, the less damage you can do."

Barcelona head coach Xavi is "pretty sure" defender Jules Kounde will make his LaLiga debut for his new team against Real Valladolid this weekend.

Kounde joined Barca from Sevilla for a reported fee of €55million this transfer window, after the Catalan club beat Chelsea to the France international's signature.

However, Barcelona's financial situation meant Kounde could not be registered to play in LaLiga, although other new arrivals Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have each made their debuts.

But Xavi believes the situation is finally sorted and is confident Kounde will feature against Valladolid at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Xavi told reporters at his pre-match news conference: "It's a negotiation with LaLiga. We are pretty sure that Jules can play tomorrow. We are optimistic."

Kounde is sure to be a big help for Barcelona in Europe as they compete to lift their first Champions League trophy since beating Juventus in the final in the 2014-15 campaign.

Xavi's team will first have to get out of a tricky Group C that includes Inter and Viktoria Plzen, as well as Bayern Munich, who infamously thumped Barcelona in a humiliating 8-2 defeat in the 2019-20 quarter-finals.

And Xavi knows the size of the task ahead of his team, saying: "It's a very difficult group, perhaps the toughest. 

"We've made very good signings this season, we've invested a lot. The Champions League and the league, we want to go through and fight for the trophies. But the challenge is massive. It's perhaps the group of death."

Robert Lewandowski will be reunited with Bayern Munich in the Champions League on September 13, with Erling Haaland facing former side Borussia Dortmund the following day.

Following his move to Barcelona in July, Lewandowski is set for a swift reunion with Bayern after the European heavyweights were drawn together in Group C.

The same can be said for Haaland, who departed Dortmund for Group G opponents Manchester City.

Lewandowski will return to the Allianz Arena on matchday two; 24 hours before Haaland and City welcome Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium, with the return fixture at Signal Iduna Park taking place on October 25.

Reigning champions Real Madrid launch their title defence away at Celtic on September 6, though the standout fixture of the opening day sees Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus lock horns at the Parc des Princes.

The following day sees last season's finalists Liverpool begin their quest to go one step better away at Napoli, whose Serie A rivals Inter meet Bayern at San Siro.

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz were held to a 1-1 draw by World Cup hosts Qatar in the team’s final game of the Austria mini football tournament at the Wiener Neustadt Arena on Friday.

After a scoreless first half, it was the Jamaicans who took the lead when Jourdane Fletcher found the back of the net in the 70th minute.  The team, however, failed to hold on to the lead after Qatar's Khaled Muneer found an equalizer in the 83rd minute.  The match followed up on a 3-0 defeat to Morocco earlier this week.

Interim Jamaica coach Merron Gordon credits tactical adjustments from the first fixture and a bit more luck for a more positive result in the second.

“The technical staff really planned this out in terms of tactically how we would approach the game.  I think we got it right tactically right the last time as we but we were unfortunate, so we knew as long as we could build on that we would get it right today,” Gordon said following the match.

“Probably with a bit more concentration we wouldn’t give up that goal and we would have probably won the game and with a bit more luck on the transitional plays we could have scored a few more goals as well, but it was good.  This Qatar team has all the resources in the world and we are still just an emerging team.”

Manchester United target Antony has begged Ajax to sell him following reports they rejected a £76million (€90m) offer from the Premier League club.

Brazil international Antony was a key player under new United boss Erik ten Hag during his time in Amsterdam and has been continuously linked with a move to Old Trafford since April.

Ten Hag has not been shy about his desire to bolster United's attack, and Antony has seemingly been near the top of his list for a while.

The links with United cooled after the Red Devils signed Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, with that financial boost appearing to strengthen the Amsterdam club's negotiating position.

But in the wake of United losing their first two games of the Premier League season, reports of further bids have surfaced and on Friday there was widespread speculation suggesting Ajax rejected a huge £76m offer for Antony.

The shock of seeing such an amount turned down has forced Antony to go public with his frustration.

He told Fabrizio Romano: "Since February of this year, my agents came to Amsterdam to inform Ajax of my desire to leave the club to face a new challenge and that some interested clubs would arrive and with them certainly a great offer.

"In June of this year, I interrupted my vacation and came personally to inform the managers of Ajax, including the new coach, about my wish to leave and that they should consider this possibility, because when I started in Amsterdam it was a project for two seasons.

"During the window months, meetings continued and I also received a proposal from Ajax for contract renewal. I made it clear once again: I want to leave the club.

"Today, in a meeting with the club, I expressed my old interest in leaving the club, only this time with a considerable offer on the table. Others had already arrived. Ajax always refused and hindered by exit with the argument that they only have five days to replace me.

"I'm not asking Ajax to release me, I'm asking Ajax to sell me with the highest bid ever for a player in the Eredivisie. I've been insisting on this theme since February so that the club could rebuild the team with peace of mind.

"I was very happy in Amsterdam, I won titles at Ajax, made friends and built part of my career, but now I reinforce that I am ready and full of motivation to follow my story and my dreams.

"People need to listen to me and understand that my motivation moves me towards happiness. I need this to continue performing at a high level. Ajax will always be in my heart.

"I hope Ajax fans understand me because the future for a football player is a totally uncertain thing and the opportunities can be unique.

"My message is one of gratitude for Ajax, club and fans."

Inter suffered their first setback of the Serie A season as substitutes Luis Alberto and Pedro earned Lazio a 3-1 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Nerazzurri had been one of three teams to take six points from a possible six at the start of the campaign, but a trip to the capital on Friday represented their first real test.

And it was not one Simone Inzaghi's side passed at their coach's former home, despite initially recovering from Felipe Anderson's first-half header.

Lautaro Martinez took one of very few Inter opportunities to equalise, yet Romelu Lukaku had already been substituted by the time Luis Alberto restored Lazio's lead with a deflected strike, and there was no response second time around as Pedro added a late third.

Inter started the brighter of the two teams, but the first big chances fell to Ciro Immobile, who was uncharacteristically wasteful as he dragged one effort across the face of goal and tamely aimed another straight at Samir Handanovic.

Felipe Anderson's cutback created that second opening, and he was far more clinical five minutes before half-time.

Found by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's gorgeous pass in behind, Felipe Anderson directed his downwards header beyond Handanovic for an opening goal that was deserved despite Inter's dominance in terms of the possession.

Martinez had Inter level when he reacted fastest to a loose ball in the Lazio area and prodded past Ivan Provedel, but their momentum waned.

Luis Alberto's blast benefited from a deflection off Nicolo Barella to leave Handanovic rooted and pick out the top-right corner, before Pedro cut inside from the left to curl beyond the goalkeeper after Immobile went down in the box.

Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta revealed the Nerazzurri are set to open contract talks with Paris Saint-Germain target Milan Skriniar after declaring the defender will "certainly" remain at San Siro.

Skriniar emerged as a top target for PSG after entering the final 12 months of his deal with the Serie A giants, for whom he has been a key figure since joining from Sampdoria in 2017.

The Slovakia captain has won one Scudetto and one Coppa Italia with the Nerazzurri and made his 175th league appearance for the club against Lazio on Friday. 

Only goalkeeper Samir Handanovic (188) has played more Serie A games for Inter in that time. 

While Marotta was unable to offer any guarantees over Skriniar's future when discussing the subject last month, coach Simone Inzaghi revealed the 27-year-old was set to stay last Saturday.

Marotta has now confirmed reports Inter are seeking to offer Skriniar a new deal, too, telling DAZN ahead of the trip to Lazio; "I must say that he is a very decent boy, we will start a dialogue with him as soon as possible, a negotiation.

"We would certainly like to sign a contract that can bind him to Inter for many years. 

"I am confident in the seriousness of the boy, I believe that this veiled threat [of PSG being able to sign Skriniar on a free next year] is not enough to undermine the player's values.

"I can say that last week the owner made explicit the will not to be flattered by PSG's requests.

"I can say that Skriniar is a very important element in the team's playing system, as such he will certainly remain."

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