AC Milan held off a stirring comeback by Rennes to book their place in the Europa League last 16.

The Italian side looked to have the job done after last week’s 3-0 first-leg win at the San Siro, but the Ligue 1 outfit gave them a scare on home soil, with Benjamin Bourigeaud’s hat-trick sealing a 3-2 victory in the second leg.

Milan goals from Luka Jovic and Rafael Leao proved pivotal as they secured a 5-3 aggregate win to go into the hat for Friday’s draw.

Rennes knew they would have to make early inroads into their deficit if they were to have any chance of repairing the damage from a harrowing night in Milan last week.

And they enjoyed the dream start as they went ahead in the 10th minute.

Bourigeaud received the ball in the centre of the pitch, took a touch and then drilled a scorching low effort into the bottom corner.

Milan were able to weather the early storm and got a crucial leveller in the 21st minute to restore their three-goal advantage.

Tijjani Reijnders burst forward and teed up Theo Hernandez to send in an inviting cross which an unmarked Jovic powered home with his head.

The hosts came again and thought they had made it 2-1 soon after but Arnaud Kalimuendo’s effort hit Mike Maignan without the Milan goalkeeper knowing too much about it.

The French side did go back in front in the 54th minute when Bourigeaud got his second of the match, converting from the penalty spot after Martin Terrier had been fouled by Simon Kjaer.

But they were again pegged back four minutes later as Milan made it 2-2 thanks to a fine Leao strike, the Portugal international guiding into the corner after a fine solo run.

Bourigeaud claimed the matchball as Rennes took the lead for the third time in the match as he again emphatically scored from the penalty spot after VAR had spotted a foul by Jovic.

That left them with 22 minutes of normal time to try and muster two goals and, although they attacked with intent and bluster they could not forge any real chances.

AC Milan will be without Pierre Kalulu and Fikayo Tomori for the Europa League visit to Rennes.

The Rossoneri put one foot in the last 16 with a 3-0 win over the French side in last week’s first leg.

Both players are on the way back from long-term injuries but are not ready for Thursday’s match, though might make the weekend clash with Atalanta.

Boss Stefano Pioli said on Milan TV: “It’s clear that Kalulu and Tomori haven’t trained with us for a long time, so getting them back will be very important.

“They won’t be available for tomorrow night, if anything we’ll see for Sunday. It’s clear that we were happy to have some important players back in the group.”

Piolo stressed that the tie is not over, despite Milan’s dominance in the first leg.

“We approach it with great concentration, great desire to pass this round,” he said.

“It is clear that we took a good lead in the first game but it is equally true that we cannot consider it over.

“We are playing against a team that, despite changing five or six players, won in the league match.

“We know each other well, both us and them. That can be an advantage but we can also expect different things because they will try to come back.

“We are just focused on what we have to do to get through the round.

“Their verticality, their speed for sure and also their positions, in the first leg they tried to put us in trouble with different positions than we thought.

“We can also expect something different tomorrow night. It’s a fast team, it’s a quality team that absolutely will not raise the white flag easily.

“We will have to be good at reading the game with great attention, with great conviction, managing well and trying to hit the opponents.”

Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice as AC Milan took control of their Europa League play-off against Rennes with a 3-0 victory in the first leg at San Siro.

Stefano Pioli’s men finished third in their Champions League group, but continue to build momentum on the back of just one defeat in 13 games now through all competitions.

Former Chelsea midfielder Loftus-Cheek put Milan in front in the 32nd minute with a glancing header and nodded home another at the start of the second half before Rafael Leao swiftly fired in a third, leaving the Italian giants within touching distance of a place in the last 16.

The Rossoneri almost took an early lead when Leao’s close-range effort struck the crossbar before Theo Hernandez blazed over from the edge of the penalty area following a corner.

Loftus-Cheek then burst down the right and cut the ball back to Yunus Musah, who sent his shot wide.

After soaking up plenty of early pressure, Rennes went close in the 21st minute when captain Benjamin Bourigeaud’s long-range effort flew just off target.

Milan broke the deadlock just after the half-hour when England international midfielder Loftus-Cheek guided a cushioned header into the bottom corner from Alessandro Florenzi’s floated cross for his fourth goal in five appearances.

The hosts – currently third in Serie A, a point behind Juventus – continued to press as Olivier Giroud’s low drive from the edge of the area was clawed away by Rennes goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Rennes, who had been unbeaten in nine games, threatened on the counter when teenage winger Desire Doue drove forwards and drilled in a 20-yard effort, which was straight at Milan keeper Mike Maignan.

The French side fell further behind just two minutes into the second half when Loftus-Cheek nodded in from close range after Mandanda had palmed out a flicked header at the near post from Milan defender Simon Kjaer.

Before Rennes could look to regroup, Leao had fired in Milan’s third – his 50th goal for the club – after a neat exchange with Christian Pulisic down the right in the 53rd minute.

Rennes made a couple of changes to try to sharpen up the team and had a good spell of pressure heading into the final 20 minutes, with a low 22-yard drive from substitute Amine Gouiri testing Maignan.

Milan had a late chance to score a fourth when Pulisic broke down the left wing. The American’s shot was parried by Mandanda and then substitute Noah Okafor saw his follow-up hacked off the line by Rennes midfielder Azor Matusiwa.

Maignan saved again from Gouiri before Ludovic Blas fired over as Rennes were left with it all to do in next week’s second leg at Roazhon Park.

AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli hopes his side can exorcise their Champions League disappointment in Thursday’s Europa League play-off against Rennes.

Milan face Ligue 1 side Rennes in the first leg at the San Siro Stadium after finishing third in their Champions League group.

The Rossoneri lost out on goal difference to second-placed Paris St Germain despite a 3-2 win at Newcastle in their final match.

Pioli told a press conference: “We go again from the disappointment in Newcastle and we’re focusing all of our energy on the Europa League.

“We know that you need to be at your very best in Europe and that’s what we want to do (on Thursday night).

“There are some good teams in this competition. We have to be ambitious, but we can’t look too far into the future. The tie will be decided in a week and this game is a huge one.”

Milan are currently third in the Serie A title race, one point behind Juventus and eight adrift of leaders Inter Milan.

Pioli’s side have dropped only two points in their last five league games and have lost only one of their previous 12 games in all competitions

“We need to look at both tournaments,” added Pioli, who hinted at making changes amid a heavy fixture schedule and after Sunday’s 1-0 home win against Napoli.

“I know where we want to finish in the league in terms of points and I know how far we want to go in Europe.

“I hope to play a lot from here until the end. All of the players will be involved because, for example, with five games in 15 days, it would be tough for a lot of them to play the full 90 in all of those.

“Making choices and excluding players is always difficult, but it’s also true that I know that I have players coming off the bench who can change a game.”

Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is hoping to return to the starting line-up after missing out at the weekend through suspension.

Germany defender Malick Thiaw is back in contention after a long-term hamstring injury, while Nigeria forward Samuel Chukwueze (muscle strain) has targeted Sunday’s Serie A game at Monza for his return.

Paris St Germain returned to winning ways following their Champions League thrashing at Newcastle with a 3-1 Ligue 1 victory over Rennes.

First-half goals from Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi put Luis Enrique’s side in the ascendancy at Roazhon Park.

Amine Gouiri pulled one back for the hosts on 57 minutes but substitute Randal Kolo Muani swiftly restored the visitors’ two-goal advantage.

PSG, who suffered a 4-1 hammering on Tyneside on Wednesday, made their intentions clear by peppering the Rennes back line from the start.

Kylian Mbappe, making his 400th professional appearance, found space in neat pockets on the left and nearly opened the scoring with a curled effort which flew narrowly over.

Superstar forward Mbappe was largely anonymous in midweek but had the bit between his teeth on Sunday evening as he looked to break the deadlock.

And the French champions did just that after 33 minutes through Vitinha’s blockbuster.

The Portugal international picked up the ball just inside the box and produced a stunning dipping effort into the top corner which caught Steve Mandanda flat-footed.

The opener seemed to relax PSG, who upped the tempo and doubled their advantage four minutes later.

The creative Warren Zaire-Emery picked up the ball and whipped it to the back post, where Hakimi nodded home his side’s second goal.

PSG picked up where they had left off after the interval, with a lightning Mbappe run resulting in the winger slipping in the well positioned Goncalo Ramos, but he was unable to stroke the ball pass Mandanda.

Despite having been largely outplayed, Rennes managed to get themselves on the scoresheet in the 57th minute, when Ludovic Blas cut in and picked out the unmarked Gouiri, whose header beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

But any hopes the hosts had of getting back on level terms were quashed almost immediately when a lapse in concentration proved costly.

Hakimi burst forward, glided past his marker as if he was not there and produced an inch-perfect cross to Kolo Muani who undid Rennes’ hard work straight from the restart to make it 3-1.

Kolo Muani had another effort chalked off for offside, with PSG then having to be on their guard as Blas looked to add to his assist tally.

The Rennes midfielder kept Lucas Hernandez busy on the right and produced a couple of dangerous passes into the box which were dealt with by the composed Marquinhos and Milan Skriniar.

Mbappe conjured up one of the misses of the season when, after a great run, he rounded Mandanda only to blast his shot over with the goal gaping, but PSG were well worth the points and saw out five minutes of stoppage time to claim a convincing away win.

Manchester City have completed the £55.5million signing of Belgium winger Jeremy Doku from Rennes, the Premier League champions have announced.

The 21-year-old has signed a five-year deal with the treble winners to become their third major signing of the summer transfer window.

City had an offer for the player accepted earlier this week and formalities have been completed over the past couple of days.

Doku said: “This is a great day for me, both personally and professionally. Manchester City are the best team in world football, so to be joining them is something very special for me and my family.

“I am a young player with so much learning and improving to do. Working with (manager) Pep (Guardiola) and his staff, and playing alongside these world-class players, will make me a much better player. I feel sure of that.

“Watching City last season was amazing. To win the treble is the hardest thing in football and they did it. You cannot imagine how exciting it is to be joining this team. I cannot wait to get started. Hopefully I can make the fans happy.”

Doku came through the youth ranks at Anderlecht before joining Rennes in 2020.

Noted for his pace, he made his international debut in 2018 and featured at both Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup.

He said: “I am quick, I am strong, I like to dribble. Those are my abilities that I like to rely on.

“I think the way I dribble, my speed – those are things that I can add to the group.

“Of course, the group is already a top group with a lot of top players, but I think that I can add that to the group.”

Doku’s arrival follows those of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic earlier in the summer.

The club have also been linked with moves for midfielders Matheus Nunes and Eberechi Eze, of Wolves and Crystal Palace respectively, but have not commented on the speculation.

Guardiola’s midfield resources have been depleted following the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez this summer and with Doku’s international team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, likely to be out injured for several months.

City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Jeremy is a very exciting young player and I’m so pleased he’s joining us.

“In terms of raw attributes, he has everything a winger needs. He has outstanding pace and he is exceptional in one-on-one situations.

“I honestly believe working with Pep and the technical staff here at City will see him develop into a world-class attacking talent.”

Rennes edged out Lille and Monaco to secure a top-four finish while Nantes' first league win since February saw them stay up at Auxerre's expense on a dramatic final day of Ligue 1 action.

Rennes clinched a 2-1 victory against Brest thanks to a Benjamin Bourigeaud brace, seizing on Lille's 1-1 draw with relegated Troyes and Monaco's 2-1 reverse against Toulouse to take fourth.

Bruno Genesio's side thus secured Europa League football for next season, while Paulo Fonseca's Lille must settle for a Europa Conference League spot and Monaco missed out entirely.

Champions Paris Saint-Germain squandered a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Clermont, meaning they finished just one point clear of runners-up Lens, who ended the season with a 3-1 win at Auxerre.

That victory allowed Nantes to finalise a great escape in their final game, vaulting Auxerre to secure safety with a 1-0 win over relegated Angers.

Nantes therefore secured top-flight football for another year, evading the expanded four-team relegation zone by a single point ahead of the division being cut to 18 teams.

Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes and Angers will play in Ligue 2 next season, with Le Havre and either Metz or Bordeaux coming up from the second tier.

Gianluigi Donnarumma warned Paris Saint-Germain the Ligue 1 title race is "not done yet" following their 2-0 loss to Rennes.

PSG were booed off by the Parc des Princes crowd as goals from Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo inflicted a first home league defeat in just under two years, and turned up the pressure on head coach Christophe Galtier.

The Ligue 1 leaders are missing several key players through injury, including long-term absentee Neymar, as well as defenders Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos.

Nevertheless, Donnarumma insists it is no excuse after a seventh defeat of 2023 - and second in three matches following their Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.

And despite their nine-point lead at the Ligue 1 summit, the goalkeeper has urged his team-mates to up their game.

"It was a difficult game. We were missing a lot of players, but we are not looking for excuses. In this type of match, we have to do better, we have to win - especially for all the fans who support us, who are always behind us.

"When we return, we will have to do everything to find our best level. We have to approach the matches better. We have to do better in terms of character and intensity.

"We have quality, but we have to improve on these points. I'm not happy that we've suffered so many defeats, but we have to look ahead and do everything we can to improve.

"We want to win as many points as possible. We need to win the championship, it's not something easy, and it's not done yet. We have to put our heads back in the right place because the championship is not over."

Christophe Galtier knows Paris Saint-Germain's hierarchy will "reflect" on his future after Sunday's dire defeat to Rennes, though he believes their display can be explained by a lengthy injury list.

PSG were booed off at half-time and full-time by a furious home crowd as Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netted either side of the interval in a routine win for Rennes.

PSG's defeat was their first on home soil in Ligue 1 since April 2021, when Galtier led former club Lille to a 1-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes before beating the Parisians to the title.

While Galtier looks likely to win his second domestic title this term, he has attracted criticism since overseeing a meek Champions League exit against Bayern Munich earlier this month.

Galtier knows PSG's latest humiliation will do nothing to quell speculation regarding his position, telling reporters: "I came for this project for two years, but we speculate on my future. 

"My only obsession is to be champion. This match will perhaps cause my management to reflect, but we have to put things in context. 

"This match should not call everything into question. There are no excuses but there are reasons. There are 10 matches left, we are ahead in Ligue 1. 

"Losses always upset us. Afterwards, everyone has their reading of the game. You have yours and I have mine.

"In the current context, with so many absences – though it is not an excuse – we knew that we would have defensive fluctuations."

As well as long-term absentee Neymar, PSG were without defenders Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos for Sunday's defeat, forcing Galtier to start inexperienced duo El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Timothee Pembele.

Given PSG's selection crisis, Galtier believes criticism of his team's attitude is unjustified, adding: "The players gave everything compared to what they had in their legs. 

"You get the feeling that the players didn't give their all, but that's not how I feel. 

"When a player walks into the locker room and knows that eight players are missing, and he sees young guys he has only seen once or twice before... 

"My players were invested, after going 2-0 down to a team like Rennes, there may be a little resignation. There is a lot of fatigue. These are not excuses, just contextual elements."

PSG have now lost four of their seven Ligue 1 games this season against teams currently in the top five (W2 D1), including two against Rennes (also 1-0 in January).

Rennes are also just the third team to complete a Ligue 1 double over PSG since the club's 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, after Nancy in 2011-12 and Monaco in 2020-21.

Paris Saint-Germain slumped to a dismal 2-0 defeat against Rennes in Ligue 1, with Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netting to amplify the pressure on Christophe Galtier.

PSG were booed off at half-time by the Parc des Princes crowd after Toko Ekambi broke in behind to hand Rennes a surprise lead, following a series of misses from Kylian Mbappe.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the disjointed leaders, with former PSG forward Kalimuendo converting Lesley Ugochukwu's cross to provoke more fury from the home fans.

PSG's four-game winning run in Ligue 1 ended with a whimper as Rennes stood firm, and Galtier's under-fire side could see their lead at the summit reduced to seven points when Marseille visit Reims later on Sunday.

Mbappe endured a miserable first half for PSG, seeing a one-on-one finish disallowed for offside 22 minutes in before squandering three good opportunities.

Having drilled one left-footed effort narrowly wide, Mbappe was twice released in behind by measured throughballs from Lionel Messi, only for Steve Mandanda to deny him with firm saves.

Mbappe's misses were punished on the stroke of half-time as Rennes scored against the run of play – Toko Ekambi latching onto a simple ball over the top to fire into the bottom-left corner. 

PSG found themselves 2-0 down within three minutes of the restart, Kalimuendo side-footing home after Marco Verratti's giveaway allowed Ugochukwu to break down the left.

Toko Ekambi and Kalimuendo almost claimed braces as Rennes continued to press – the latter denied by a one-on-one save from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Verratti forced a flying save from Mandanda late on, but that was as close as PSG went.

Christophe Galtier has said it is still too early to know whether Lionel Messi will be at Paris Saint-Germain next season, but praised the World Cup winner for his attitude.

Messi's deal at the Parc des Princes expires at the end of the season, with rumours swirling about a move back to Barcelona or to Major League Soccer.

The Argentina international has 18 goals and 17 assists in 31 games for PSG this season, but came in for criticism for his performances in their Champions League last-16 elimination to Bayern Munich.

"I know that Leo Messi and the board have been in talks," Galtier said at a press conference on Friday. "At the moment I am staying focused on the team and the upcoming matches.

"As for whether Leo Messi will be here next season or not, I have said that it is about desire. I know people are discussing it but Leo Messi is happy in the dressing room.

"He has 18 goals and 17 assists this season. I know there was some criticism about the [Champions League] game against Bayern Munich, but he wasn't the only one.

"He is able to be decisive, and he has often done so this season. He is among the best assist providers and he scores goals. Given his conduct in the dressing room every day, given his age, he still trains every day and is always happy to play and get his team-mates playing.

"As for his future, it is too early to know what will happen."

 

Galtier was also asked about whether Kylian Mbappe would be in consideration to be PSG's captain in future, with France head coach Didier Deschamps revealing on Thursday that he was under consideration to lead his national team following the retirement of Hugo Lloris.

"I don't know about that," Galtier said. "Kylian Mbappe has worn the armband in recent weeks [in the absence of the injured Marquinhos]. It is his sixth season here. He is one of our vice-captains. He wears the armband naturally but other players can do so too."

PSG host Rennes on Sunday with a 10-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 and 11 games remaining, and Galtier believes his team is focused on doing their job to ensure they get over the line.

"It is not about motivation, it is about objectives," he said. "We are not champions yet. We have a 10-point lead, that's true, but the next four games plus internationals, we have Rennes on Sunday, Nice and Lens, they are teams fighting to get into Europe.

"Our squad is struggling at the moment in terms of injuries. If we think the job is done, that would be a big mistake.

"Do I need to find extra motivation for my players? No. We know we haven't won the league yet and things can change quickly, so we should get wins under our belt... the only motivation we have is to become champions for an 11th time."

Southampton have completed their club-record signing of Ghana and Rennes winger Kamaldeen Sulemana for £22million (€24.95m).

Sulemana, 22, arrived at Rennes prior to the 2021-22 season for a €20m fee. He made 11 starts among his 20 appearances during his first Ligue 1 campaign before his season was cut short in February due to a back injury.

He has struggled to force his way back into the club's best XI this time around, with only two league starts to his name, but his stock received a massive boost after a terrific showing for Ghana at the Qatar World Cup.

Sulemana appeared in all three of Ghana's group stage matches, where he clocked the fastest sprint speed (35.7kp/h) out of every player at the tournament.

He has earned 15 senior international caps so far, although the lightning-quick forward is yet to record his first goal for his country.

The £22m fee exceeds the £20m paid to sign Danny Ings from Liverpool in 2019, and has the potential to rise to £24.6m if certain add-ons are activated.

In a second under-the-radar move, Southampton also confirmed the signing of 28-year-old Genk striker Paul Onuachu, who is the leading scorer in the Belgian top flight.

Onuachu, a Nigerian international, has scored 16 goals in his past 13 league games, and the towering 201cm presence was secured for a fee of £18.5m (€22m).

Europe's elite clubs raced to beat the January transfer deadline as Pedro Porro signed for Tottenham and Enzo Fernandez neared a record Premier League move when the window slammed shut.

Argentina's World Cup winner Fernandez appeared set to complete a long-awaited move to Chelsea in a record-breaking Premier League transfer.

While Chelsea aimed to bring in the youthful Fernandez, veteran Italy international Jorginho departed as he joined Arsenal after Mikel Arteta's side were unable to secure Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.

Manchester United also looked to strengthen their midfield with a loan deal for Bayern Munich's Sabitzer after an injury to key playmaker Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Tottenham solidified their defensive options by snaffling Spanish wing-back Porro from Sporting CP after lengthy negotiations.

Stats Perform provides a rundown of the notable deals as the mid-season transfer window finally closed.

 

BOEHLY BREAKS RECORD FOR FERNANDEZ

Fernandez emerged as a target for Chelsea following his influential displays for Argentina during their World Cup triumph in Qatar and the Blues' Todd Boehly-led consortium appear to have finally got their man. 

After already snatching Mykhaylo Mudryk from under the noses of Arsenal, Chelsea are set to splash a reported £105.5million (€120m) on Fernandez from Benfica.

That would break the Premier League record of £100m Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, as the Blues looked to secure the former River Plate midfielder on a reported seven-and-a-half-year contract.

ARSENAL'S CAICEDO BLUES CURED BY JORGINHO

Arteta and Arsenal's pursuit of Caicedo fell on deaf ears as Brighton refused to budge, despite the Gunners lodging a reported £70m bid for the 21-year-old.

After missing out on primary midfield target Caicedo, Jorginho switched the blue shirt of Chelsea for the red of Arsenal as he completed a reported £12m transfer to the Premier League leaders.

The 31-year-old will provide able competition for the impressive Thomas Partey after penning an 18-month contract at Emirates Stadium.

TEN HAG FINDS ERIKSEN COVER IN SABITZER

With Eriksen ruled out for three months, Erik ten Hag and United acted swiftly to attempt to bring in experienced midfielder Sabitzer on a short-term loan.

Opportunities had been hard to come by for the Austria international after joining Bayern from Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig ahead of the 2021-22 season.

He started just 15 times in his 40 appearances for the Bundesliga champions, though he may now have the chance to impress in the Premier League with Ten Hag's resurgent Red Devils.

CONTE GETS PORRO AS DOHERTY AND SPENCE DEPART

It appeared Tottenham may not secure the services of attack-minded wing-back Porro, formerly of Girona and Manchester City, after it seemed negotiations had come to a halt with Sporting.

But Spurs confirmed the 23-year-old's arrival late on, with Porro signing a five-and-a-half-year deal after a reported £40m (€45m) move from Sporting, who signed Barcelona's Hector Bellerin as a replacement.

That transfer saw Djed Spence, who only signed from Middlesbrough in a deal worth up to £20m in July, sent out to Ligue 1's Rennes for the rest of the season on loan.

Fellow full-back Matt Doherty also made way as he joined Atletico Madrid on a six-month contract, with Spurs terminating the 31-year-old's contract to "enable him to join another club".

OTHER DEALS

Bournemouth paid their second-highest transfer fee in history for Illya Zabarnyi, parting with a reported £24m (€27.2m) for the Ukraine centre-back from Dynamo Kyiv.

Gary O'Neil's Bournemouth added a second signing soon after, confirming the arrival of Sassuolo midfielder Hamed Traore on a loan that will become permanent on a five-year deal in June.

Nottingham Forest continued their spending after signing Atletico centre-back Felipe on a deal that will run until 2024, while Jonjo Shelvey also arrived from Newcastle United on a deal until 2025, and a move for Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas on loan was reportedly nearing.

Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace bolstered their midfield by bringing in Naouirou Ahamada for a reported £10.5m (€12m) fee from Stuttgart, while Arsenal's Albert Sambi Lokonga joined on a six-month loan.

Leeds United's Diego Llorente joined Jose Mourinho's Roma on loan until the end of the season, with an option for a permanent transfer reportedly worth €18m (£15.9m).

Ayoze Perez is another Premier League player who will spend the second half of the term on loan, with the Leicester City forward moving to LaLiga side Real Betis.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's Serbia team-mate Sasa Lukic traded Torino for Fulham in a transfer reportedly worth £8.8m (€10m) including add-ons, signing a contract until June 2027.

Lukic will likely be joined by Arsenal full-back Cedric Soares after Marco Silva's side reportedly agreed to bring the former Southampton defender on a six-month loan.

Outside of England, Borussia Dortmund and Belgium midfielder Thorgan Hazard completed a short-term loan move to Eredivisie title hopefuls PSV.

Newcastle United have reportedly pushed Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to the top of their extended transfer wish-list.

Calvert-Lewin, 25, is in his seventh season with Everton, which has been highlighted by a pair of terrific seasons in 2019-20 and 2020-21 where he combined for 29 of his 46 total Premier League goals.

He missed three months this past campaign due to a fractured toe, and spent the first two months of the current season on the sideline nursing a knee injury, resulting in only one league goal since May.

Despite his lack of production in recent months, Calvert-Lewin already has 11 senior international caps for England under his belt, and could be viewed as a depreciating asset due to Everton's struggle in the relegation zone.

 

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE IDENTIFY CALVERT-LEWIN AS TOP FORWARD TARGET

According to The Sun, Newcastle want to secure Calvert-Lewin this month as he is "right at the top" of their list of targets.

The report states he is valued at £35million, and Everton are bracing themselves for bids as they sit 19th after just three wins from 19 matches.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph adds Newcastle are in discussions to send striker Chris Wood on loan to Nottingham Forest, as well as listing a number of players the club have expressed interest in.

They include Calvert-Lewin's team-mate Anthony Gordon, Chelsea trio Conor Gallagher, Hakim Ziyech and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Manchester United's Scott McTominay.

 

ROUND-UP

– The Athletic are reporting Brighton and Hove Albion have rejected a £55m bid from Chelsea for 21-year-old midfielder Moises Caicedo.

– According to AS, Barcelona would like to sign 26-year-old Wolves forward Goncalo Guedes on a loan with a mandatory buy clause, but Italian journalist Matteo Moretto is reporting Guedes is in Portugal ahead of completing a loan move to Benfica.

Everton are in talks with Rennes about a loan with an option to buy 20-year-old winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, although the Ghana international is expected to cost in the range of £40m (€45m), per GiveMeSport.

– Bild are reporting highly rated 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko – who had interest from Chelsea and Barcelona as he entered the final six months of his contract – is in the final stages of signing a three-year extension with the German club.

Leicester City have offered £10m for 24-year-old Stoke City centre-back Harry Souttar, who was a standout for Australia at the World Cup, per GianlucaDimarzio.com.

Christophe Galtier sucked up another painful Ligue 1 defeat for Paris Saint-Germain and told his World Cup stars they must find their focus again.

PSG began the year with a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1, but that has been clipped to three after defeats to Lens and now Rennes, who beat the Parisians 1-0 on Sunday.

Head coach Galtier will face scrutiny for such domestic losses, given the superstars at his disposal, and he knows he and the team must start to show their best again.

Galtier told Prime Video: "I'm mainly disappointed with our performance. We didn't create anything, we had very few favourable situations.

"We focused on having possession of the ball and we had far too many players who dropped back without having players high enough to secure the Rennes defensive line."

PSG had only eight attempts on goal, their lowest total in a league game this season, and only one went on target. The defeat was a third in their last four trips to Rennes in the league, with the Breton side firmly established as a bogey side for the capital giants.

Galtier pointed to issues with Lionel Messi and Neymar having no obvious targets when looking to move the ball forward, and that situation persisted when Kylian Mbappe came on as a substitute early in the second half, replacing the ineffective Hugo Etikike.

The former Lille, Saint-Etienne and Nice coach said there was an "urgent" need for PSG to get back on track.

"Obviously we're going to have to find a lot more play and connection between the lines," he said. "We knew we would have a difficult match, and we had it. The opposing goalkeeper was barely troubled. We need to find a lot more rhythm, intensity and technical relationship between one another.

"I'm not going to talk about worry, but there has to be awareness. We can find a thousand excuses, but the World Cup is over.

"Even if we have been dispersed for eight weeks, we need to find cohesion and rhythm in our game."

PSG will head to Saudi Arabia next to face a Riyadh Season Team, made up of players from Al Hilal and Al Nassr, in an exhibition game on Thursday.

Al Nassr's new signing Cristiano Ronaldo could be involved in that game, but Galtier wants intense focus from his players when they get a chance to train on the getaway.

They do not have another Ligue 1 game until Reims visit the Parc des Princes on January 29, although there is a Coupe de France tie against minnows Pays de Cassel on January 23.

"We will have 10 days to work," Galtier said.

Lens are their nearest challengers, but Marseille are only five points adrift of PSG.

"The championship is tight," Galtier said. "I'm not used to looking at the standings but I'm concentrating on performance and I have work to do."

Warren Zaire-Emery, at the age of 16 years and 313 days, became the youngest player in PSG's history to start a Ligue 1 match. He played 72 minutes before being replaced by Carlos Soler.

Galtier will gather his players to show them video comparisons with how the team are performing now and how they played prior to the World Cup.

Mbappe was the World Cup's top scorer, while Messi brilliantly captained Argentina to the trophy, being named player of the tournament. Such form has been mostly lacking since resuming PSG duties, but they are not the only ones culpable.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was absent from Qatar 2022 after Italy failed to qualify, said PSG's players are furious by their collective drop-off in performance.

"We are angry, and we have to bounce back immediately after this match, from this defeat, because we have no more time to lose," Donnarumma said, quoted on the club's website.

"It was an avoidable loss. They didn't have many chances but we should have done more. We have to learn from this game. We are upset, but now we have to focus on the next game."

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