Manchester United have confirmed they have reached an agreement in principle with Real Madrid for defender Raphael Varane.

With only 12 months remaining on his Madrid contract, Varane has been allowed to join the Red Devils.

United are reported to be paying a fee of £42.7million (€50m) to secure the transfer, which is subject to a medical and terms being finalised with the player.

Having recently brought in Jadon Sancho, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is poised to add one of the world's best defenders as United outspend their major European rivals ahead of the new season.

Varane is expected to sign a four-year deal and Solskjaer, who has cited defensive frailties as a problem throughout his tenure, fills yet another key position.

Having moved to Madrid in 2011 from Lens, Varane has a wealth of experience, winning three LaLiga titles and four Champions League crowns as he has racked up over 350 appearances in the Spanish capital.

In the absence of Sergio Ramos for much of last season, Varane impressed again.

The centre-back ranked second among Madrid defenders in terms of both duels won (110) and interceptions (36) in LaLiga.

It was Varane's aerial presence that really shone through at the back and his 73 successful aerial duels were more than double the tallies of his defensive colleagues.

Indeed, out of all defenders in LaLiga to contest 20 or more aerial duels, Varane's success rate of 76 per cent was the best during the 2020-21 campaign.

That ability in the air will boost a United side lacking in that sense last term, despite Harry Maguire's expertise. Excluding penalties, only Leeds United (15) conceded more Premier League goals from set-pieces than United's 14.

Varane's vast experience even beyond his Madrid exploits should aid Solskjaer's side, too.

The defender has played 79 times for France, winning the World Cup in 2018 before playing in all four games at Euro 2020 on the way to Les Bleus' shock last-16 exit.

Varane was the only France defender who saw action and was not dribbled past by an opponent at the Euros, showing his talent on the ground as well as in the air.

With pace to get out of trouble, Varane appears an excellent foil for Maguire as United look to improve on last campaign's second-placed Premier League finish.

United finished 12 points behind rivals and champions Manchester City and will hope to have both Sancho and Varane available when they start their quest to bridge that gap against Leeds at Old Trafford on August 14.

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of Dutch forward Donyell Malen from PSV on a five-year contract.

The 22-year-old, who featured in all four of the Netherlands' Euro 2020 matches, is reported to have cost Dortmund up to €40million.

Malen previously spent time in the academies of Ajax and Arsenal, but it is with PSV that he made his senior breakthrough in February 2018.

He went on to make 116 appearances for the Eredivisie side in all competitions and played a direct part in 79 goals, finding the net 55 times himself and setting up a further 24.

Last season was Malen's best to date in terms of his attacking output as he scored 19 times in 32 Eredivisie games to help PSV finish second to Ajax. 

Those 19 goals were scored from 113 shots, 87 of which were not blocked.

Sixty of those efforts found the target, giving him a shooting accuracy of 68.97 per cent – the best return of any player in the Dutch top flight to have had at least 50 attempts.

In February, he became the second youngest player to score 10 or more goals for PSV in three successive league campaigns after Willy van der Kuijlen between 1964 and 1967.

Malen carried that form into Euro 2020, with his four big chances created bettered by only Gareth Bale (five) at the tournament.

After being granted permission to train with his new Dortmund team-mates for the first time on Tuesday, BVB confirmed the signing on their official website later in the day.

The forward's arrival will soften the blow of losing Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, at a time when questions persist over Erling Haaland's future at the Westfalenstadion.

However, speaking earlier on Tuesday, Dortmund's head of first team football Sebastian Kehl dismissed suggestions Malen has been brought in to replace Sancho.

"To compare anyone with Jadon is really unfair," he told Sky Sport Germany. "Jadon needed a certain amount of time to develop to that point himself.

"Donyell is a different player. He likes to cut inside from the wing, whereas Jadon liked to stay out wide. 

"We have tried bringing in a player with a different profile, and we are very happy with that."

Massimiliano Allegri revealed he turned down Real Madrid in favour of a second spell with Juventus.

Allegri was appointed as Bianconeri boss in May after Andrea Pirio was relieved of his duties following a poor season, ending with the club only fourth in Serie A.

The experienced Allegri led the Turin giants to five consecutive Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia triumphs and two Champions League finals during his previous tenure.

Allegri, 53, on Tuesday revealed he could have taken over at Madrid before Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as head coach.

"I have to thank Real Madrid and the president for the opportunity he gave me [to coach Real Madrid]. Then I thought about it and chose Juventus," Allegri said during his presentation news conference.

"It was a gesture of love for a club that gave me a lot and who I enjoy coaching."

Inter's 2020-21 Scudetto triumph ended Juventus' nine-year spell of dominance in Italian football and Juve president Andrea Agnelli is hoping Allegri can reassert the Bianconeri's authority.

"It’s useless to present him and repeat what he’s won once again. Perhaps, the streak of Serie A titles he’s won is something impossible to equal," Agnelli added at Allegri's unveiling.

"We analysed what Juventus could have been with the return of Allegri, we agreed that it could have been a risky choice for both of us because of his glorious past and the expectations that he would bring.

"What Juventus can give is the right environment to reach these results. Every victory has been achieved thanks to hard work. As Max has said many times, winning is not for everybody.

"A new season begins, our target is to be competitive for every trophy in March, then we’ll see. Max is the coach of Juventus for the next four years because he has the credibility to write an exciting new chapter."

The Juve president took a dig at former head coach Maurizio Sarri, who had claimed the 2019-20 Scudetto he won in Turin was taken for granted.

"Here at Juventus, we work hard every day to achieve victories," Agnelli continued.

"We can’t take victories for granted, whoever thinks that the trophies we’ve won over the last few years have been less appreciated is wrong because, behind every trophy and every season, there is a great commitment, sacrifice and desire to win."

Agnelli also confirmed Giorgio Chiellini, who captained Italy to their first European Championship triumph since 1968 at Euro 2020, will sign a contract extension with the club.

England have appointed Lee Carsley as their new Under-21 head coach, with former Chelsea star Ashley Cole named as his assistant.

Carsley is promoted from his role with the England Under-20 team to replace Aidy Boothroyd, who has left after almost five years in the position.

Cole won 107 caps in an illustrious playing career and will be the chief support to Carsley, combining the position with his role as a coach in Chelsea's academy.

"I'm really happy to get this opportunity to support Lee and work with the best youngsters in the country," said Cole, who began his coaching career with Derby County.
 
"I loved playing for the national team and to now get the chance to work as an England coach is a special feeling. 

"St. George's Park is an amazing place and I can't wait to get started. I want to do my best to help young players to develop, and also learn from some brilliant people at the same time."

Boothroyd left the Under-21 job on a disappointing note after failing to progress through the group stage of this year's European Championship.

He had taken the role, initially on a caretaker basis, in 2016 after Gareth Southgate was promoted to the senior team.

The new regime will start with matches against Romania and Kosovo in September.

FA technical director John McDermott added: "I'm very happy to be able to confirm Lee's appointment, and to be able to bring in someone of Ashley's stature as his number two, with thanks to Chelsea for their support."

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Cole, 40, has also worked as a television pundit since retiring as a player with Derby in 2019.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri says he expects Cristiano Ronaldo to demonstrate even greater responsibility this season.

Allegri returned to the club for a second spell in May, having previously guided the Bianconeri to five successive Scudettos and two Champions League finals between 2014 and 2019.

The 53-year-old will be looking to help Juve regain the Serie A title after they surrendered their crown to Inter last season.

Question marks remain as to whether or not his attack will be led in the new campaign by Ronaldo, with speculation linking him with a move away from Turin.

The Portuguese talisman top-scored in Serie A last term with 29 goals, taking his tally with the club to 101 since arriving from Real Madrid in 2018.

Ronaldo, who returned to pre-season training on Monday following an extended break due to his Euro 2020 exertions, has one year remaining on his contract at the Allianz Stadium.

Nevertheless, the 36-year-old remains firmly in the plans of Allegri, though the head coach warned that his game time may be reduced to accommodate team rotation during another hectic campaign.

“Ronaldo is a great player and a smart guy,” he said. “I spoke to him yesterday, as I did with the others.

“I told him that this is an important season and that I am happy to meet him again.

“Now, he has more responsibility because three years ago, we had a more experienced team, while now there are younger players.

“I expect a lot from him as an experienced player. He is in good condition and he is fit.

“There are different moments in a season, playing one game every three days. I’ll need to rotate the team, involving all the players and it also applies to him.”

The United States will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the women's football tournament at Tokyo 2020 after being held 0-0 by Australia to finish second in Group G.

USA bounced back from a shock 3-0 loss to Sweden in their opening game with a 6-1 win against New Zealand, but they dropped further points in the round-robin stage on Tuesday.

Previously unbeaten in 44 games before that Sweden loss, USA failed to break down Australia's defence – Alex Morgan's disallowed goal for offside the closest they came to doing so.

Mary Fowler hit the crossbar for Australia and in the end a point apiece was a fair outcome, with the Matildas also advancing to play Great Britain in the last eight.

It is the first time in history record four-time winners USWNT have finished with fewer than six points in the group stage of a major global tournament.

RAMPANT DUTCH AWAIT USA

Sweden were already assured of a place in the last eight ahead of their clash with New Zealand and saw the job through with a 2-0 win at Miyagi Stadium to finish ahead of USA.

Anna Anvegard and Madelen Janogy were on target for Sweden before half-time and they saw out a straightforward win that condemned New Zealand to a group-stage exit.

It means USA will now take on the Netherlands in the next round in what is a repeat of the 2019 Women's World Cup final. The Netherlands lost that match, but they enter this latest showdown in superb form after thrashing China 8-2 in Yokohama.

Lineth Beerensteyn, Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema all scored twice in the one-sided affair, while Shanice van de Sanden and Victoria Pelova were also on target.

The Netherlands' tally of 21 goals from three games is already the most scored by a team in a single women's football Olympics event, surpassing the USA's 16 from London 2012.

HOSTS JAPAN SCRAPE THROUGH

Japan did all that they could in the final round of group games by beating Chile 1-0 through a Mina Tanaka goal 13 minutes from time.

That win took the tournament hosts to four points from three games, enough to send them through as one of the best third-placed sides, along with Australia.

Already through to the quarter-finals, Great Britain snatched top spot with a late 1-1 draw against second-placed Canada in Tuesday's other Group E match.

Caroline Weir's long-range free-kick with 84 minutes played took a heavy deflection and cancelled out Adriana Leon's opener.

Brazil also booked their spot in the knockout stages thanks to Andressa's first-half free-kick in their 1-0 win against the tournament's lowest-ranked side in Zambia, who lost Lushomo Mweemba to an early red card. 

The Selecao meet Canada in the quarters, while Australia await Great Britain.

Erling Haaland has suggested the €175million fee it might take to prise him away from Borussia Dortmund would be too much to spend on one player.

That figure has been floated as a potential benchmark in Chelsea's bid to sign the Dortmund sensation.

Haaland has previously been linked with several of Europe's top clubs, but finances are tight at Barcelona and Real Madrid while Manchester United and Manchester City seemingly have their eyes set on alternative targets.

It leaves European champions Chelsea as the striker's most likely destination if he leaves Dortmund, yet Haaland's comments on Tuesday did not indicate an imminent move.

"Before yesterday I hadn't talked to my agent in a month – you have to tell me [about the reports]," he told the media.

"But I hope they are just rumours, as €175m would be a lot of money for one person."

Pressed on his Dortmund future, Haaland added: "First of all, I have three years left on my contract. I'm enjoying my time here.

"But of course [winning the DFB-Pokal] was important, because that's what I want."

PAY THE PREMIUM?

Dortmund have already sold Jadon Sancho to United but appear determined to keep Haaland for at least another year, at which point a relatively affordable clause in his contract could be activated by rival clubs.

For Chelsea, as they aim to follow up Champions League success with a Premier League challenge, the appeal of paying a premium 12 months early is clear.

Their shot conversion rate of 10.43 per cent in 2020-21 ranked 69th among the 98 teams in Europe's top five leagues, while their 58 goals fell 4.92 short of their expected goals (xG) total of 62.92 – the 20th-worst underperformance.

Timo Werner was the Blues' starting striker of choice but netted just six times in the top flight from 79 shots worth a combined 11.45 xG, a miserable 7.59 per cent conversion rate.

Haaland, by contrast, scored with 29.03 per cent of his 93 attempts, improving on his 23.84 xG with 27 Bundesliga goals.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota hopes it is only a matter of time before he can experience playing in front of a full capacity crowd at Anfield for the first time.

The 24-year-old is gearing up for his second season with the Reds after joining from Wolves in September 2020.

Although playing to an empty Kop for almost the entirety of 2020-21, Jota made a blistering start to life on Merseyside with seven goals in his opening 10 appearances, making him the first Liverpool player to achieve that feat since Robbie Fowler in 1993.

The Portugal international, who represented his nation at Euro 2020, would go on to find the net 13 times for Jurgen Klopp’s side in all competitions – a tally only bettered by Mohamed Salah (31) and Sadio Mane (16).

That goals return was all the more impressive considering he missed three months of his maiden campaign with a knee injury sustained during the Champions League clash with Midtjylland in December.

Upon his return to action, Jota sampled playing in front of a reduced Anfield crowd as spectators were gradually reintegrated towards the end of the season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Waterhouse and Tivoli Gardens played to a draw in the final fixture of matchday 5 of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

Playing at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in St. Andrew, both teams could only manage one goal each to split the points.

Both goals came in the second half. Waterhouse struck first with a strike from Andre Fletcher in the 63rd minute. Fletcher received the ball at the top of the 18 yard box and turned past the defender to go on and finish off the move in comfortable fashion after tucking the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

However, it took just only a minute for Tivoli to find the equaliser. Devroy Grey scored a header after a cross from substitute Anthony Nelson in the 64th minute.

Waterhouse dominated the majority of the possession during the game and finished with 15 shots, 4 of which were on target, while Tivoli attempted 7 shots, with only 2 being on target.

Tivoli defender Odeon Pennycooke was named man of the match.

Even so, he believes he could have done more to prevent the goal.

“He caught me flat-footed. I believe if I was on my toes I would have been able to stop the goal,” Pennycooke said when asked about Grey getting by him so easy to score.

The draw means that Waterhouse remains in 6th place with 7 points, while Tivoli are 8th with 6. Round 6 starts on Saturday with Waterhouse taking the field again to face Humble Lion F.C. and leaders Portmore United battling Harbour View.

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand has expressed his admiration for Raphael Varane, labelling the Frenchman as a "genuine world-class centre-back" whose achievements speak for themselves.

The Real Madrid defender is understood to be days away from a move to Old Trafford for a reported fee of £42.7million (€50m) as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally finds a suitable partner for Harry Maguire.

United previously ticked another target off their transfer list when they announced the signing of Jadon Sancho, although Varane will provide much-needed experience at the other end of the pitch for the Red Devils.

And former United defender Ferdinand, who amassed 455 appearances and won six Premier League titles in Manchester, could not contain his excitement for Varane's potential arrival.

"When you watch him sometimes he almost purrs, he's got that pace, that poise," Ferdinand said on his self-titled 'Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE' YouTube channel.

"We've signed a genuine world-class centre-back. His list of honours is ridiculous, it's as long as my arm."

Indeed, Varane does ooze class and experience, having won the World Cup in 2018 and collected three LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues with Madrid.

Despite playing all four games at Euro 2020, the France centre-back was the only one of Didier Deschamps' defenders to not get dribbled past, while he also led LaLiga defenders in terms of aerial success last season.

Though Varane's aerial duels were also more than double any of his defensive team-mates, he also ranked second in terms of both interceptions and duels won among the club's defenders in 2020-21.

Ferdinand, whose £30m move from Leeds United to Man Utd was a record fee for a defender in 2002, also found time to praise former colleague Solskjaer and the recruitment by United this transfer window.

"It's a great job by the [recruitment] people at Manchester United. United have been criticised in the past, and rightly so, for dilly-dallying in the market," the former centre-back added.

"This one they were assertive, they went for their man and they got him. No doubt in my mind, he would have said to Real Madrid 'I need it, I want it, I have to go'."

Having seen Sancho join the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Maguire, Ferdinand was adamant that Varane's transfer would be due to his own insistence to move onto a fresh challenge in England.

"What a signing. There's been talk in the transfer market since it opened up – it must have come from the player," Ferdinand continued.

"He must have wanted to leave, and be part of the new Man United way, the project that's going ahead.

"The talent they've got there, the ability to play alongside Maguire after he did so well at the Euros probably played a part. I just think he sees this as a better project than what he's got at Real Madrid now."

United get their Premier League campaign underway against Leeds on August 14 and Solskjaer will be hoping to be able to call upon both of his high-profile signings should the deal go through.

Romelu Lukaku returned for pre-season training on Monday and outlined his excitement to work under new head coach Simone Inzaghi, who he feels can replicate Antonio Conte's work with Inter.

The Nerazzurri coasted to their first Scudetto since the 2009-10 campaign as they clinched the title with four games to spare, courtesy of a 20-game unbeaten run at the end of the season.

Despite Conte's title-winning campaign, the Italian head coach left by mutual consent in May before Inzaghi, who was previously at Lazio, was appointed at San Siro.

And after returning to Italy following Belgium's Euro 2020 semi-final exit, Lukaku, who scored 24 times in 36 league outings while also providing 11 assists in 2020-21, revealed how hungry he is to work with Inzaghi towards further success.

"We had a good chat on the day that the club announced that he was going to be the new coach and we also spoke when I was at the Euros," Lukaku told Inter's media on Monday.

"My brother has also told me plenty about him. He's a good coach. I think he’ll help the team achieve so much.

"We hope we can all work together to continue down the path that we've started."

Only in 2016-17 at Everton did the forward (25 goals) score more times in one of Europe's top-five leagues than last season and the Belgian promised to chase more silverware in 2021-22.

"We now have a few weeks to prepare as well as we can for the new campaign," the 28-year-old added. "We hope to do well and achieve even more than last year.

"I’m thrilled to be back. We hope to continue down the path that we’ve started and to keep winning. All the players will work hard to make your dreams come true."

Inter get their title defence underway at home to Genoa on August 21 after facing Atletico Madrid on August 7 in their final pre-season friendly.

A Kesslon Hall header gave Mount Pleasant FA a hard-fought 1-0 win over Arnett Gardens in the second game of the Jamaica Premier League doubleheader at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus' pre-season training on Monday ahead of the 2021-22 Serie A campaign.

The former Real Madrid forward had been on holiday after Portugal's Euro 2020 last-16 exit against Belgium but has now returned as Juventus prepare to attempt to regain their Serie A title, which Inter won last time out.

Ronaldo, whose five goals and one assist powered him to the Golden Boot at Euro 2020, is set to become a free agent at the end of the following campaign and speculations persists surrounding his future.

The Portugal captain is due to sit down with Massimiliano Allegri, who was in charge when he initially joined from Madrid in 2018, as the pair prepare for the upcoming season.

Allegri, who won five straight Serie A titles and four league and cup doubles during his previous tenure, was reappointed following Andrea Pirlo's dismissal and will be grateful to be able to call upon the experience and quality of the 36-year-old.

Last season, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored 29 times to win the Capocannoniere and added to his top-scorer awards from the Premier League and LaLiga with Manchester United and Madrid respectively.

Since joining Allegri's men in 2018, only Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski (103) has outscored Ronaldo (73) in all competitions among players in Europe's top five leagues.

Ronaldo's 83 goal involvements over that period rank fourth behind Lewandowski (121), Lionel Messi (106) and Kylian Mbappe (97).

Yet, despite his Serie A dominance, Juventus could only muster a fourth-place finish in 2020-21 and questions have arisen as to how far Ronaldo's patience will stretch, given he is progressing towards the end of an illustrious career.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo and Allegri prepare for their Serie A opener against Udinese on August 22 with a friendly against Monza on Saturday before a potential meeting with old foe Lionel Messi on August 8 at Camp Nou against Barcelona.

Bryan Gil has joined Tottenham in a deal that involves Erik Lamela moving to Sevilla.

Bryan, who spent last season on loan from Sevilla at Eibar, is playing for Spain at the Tokyo Olympics.

Reports emerged last week that Spurs were close to signing the 20-year-old for a fee of £21.6million (€25m) plus Lamela, who joined the Premier League club from Roma in 2013.

While no fee has been confirmed, the deal has now gone through, subject to international clearance.

Bryan, who has represented Spain at senior level and has signed a five-year contract with Spurs, scored four times in 29 appearances last term, with 29-year-old Lamela netting three goals and providing one assist from 33 games in all competitions.

Lamela has penned a three-year deal with Sevilla, and will wear the number 17 shirt for the 2021-22 campaign.

The Argentina international made 257 appearances in all competitions during his eight-year stint with Tottenham.

Bryan, meanwhile, becomes Spurs' second signing under Nuno Espirito Santo, following on from the arrival of goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Serie A club Atalanta.

Spurs have also tied down Son Heung-min to a new contract, though uncertainty surrounds Harry Kane, who has been heavily linked with Manchester City.

Barcelona and Neymar have reached an amicable agreement to end their long-running dispute over the Paris Saint-Germain forward's contract.

The Brazil international had claimed he was owed €43.6million in unpaid bonuses by LaLiga giants Barca.

Neymar insisted he was due the huge sum as a loyalty bonus, having signed a new five-year contract with the Catalan club in 2016.

A judge ruled in Barca's favour in June 2020, ordering Neymar to pay his former employers €6.7m.

Barca on Monday revealed the case is now closed.

A club statement said: "FC Barcelona announces that it has extrajudicially and closed amicably different labour and civil litigations that had opened with the Brazilian player Neymar da Silva Santos Junior.

"Thus, the club and the player have signed a transactional agreement to end legal proceedings that were pending between both parties: three claims in the labour jurisdiction and one civil proceeding."

Neymar joined PSG for a world record fee of €222m in August 2017.