Author: David Great

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed a four-year contract with AC Milan, the two teams announced on Friday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but British media reported that the 27-year-old, who joined Chelsea aged eight, was signed for an initial fee of 16 million euros ($17.47 million). “After 19 years as a Chelsea player, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has left the club and completed a permanent transfer to AC Milan,” Chelsea said in a statement. “A dedicated professional and a friendly and popular person throughout Cobham (training ground), Loftus-Cheek departs having made 155 appearances – in which 13 goals…

Chelsea have completed the signing Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson on an eight-year contract from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old scored 13 goals in 38 appearances for the La Liga side last season, including nine in the final eight league games. … Nic Jackson! ???? pic.twitter.com/IRFcrXnXf6 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 30, 2023 He is the Blues’ second summer signing after the £52m deal for France striker Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig. “He is a young player with big potential,” said co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley. “We believe he is ready for this next step in his…

When liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to join the US Supreme Court, she was expected to bring a different view on racial matters than Justice Clarence Thomas, its only other Black member and a staunch conservative. That dispute was front and center on Thursday when the two justices publicly battled in sharply worded, dueling opinions as the court, in a blockbuster decision, effectively ended affirmative action policies in which colleges and universities consider race as a factor in student admissions. Such policies have been used by many schools for decades to boost their numbers of…

Chelsea’s Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, 30, has rejected a second offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal – worth €45m (£39m) a year – as he only wants to leave for Inter Milan. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian) Aston Villa have agreed a £35m deal to sign Spain defender Pau Torres, 26, from Villarreal. (Guardian) Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber, 22, is set to undergo a medical with Arsenal after they agreed an initial fee of 42m euros (£36.2m) with Ajax. (De Telegraaf – in Dutch) West Ham are still waiting for Arsenal to present an acceptable payment plan for the £105m purchase of England midfielder Declan Rice,…

A Lagos Federal High Court has scheduled the trial of three merchants and a company accused of trafficking fake medicine into Nigeria for October 11 and 12, 2023. Bernard Chinweuba, Valentine Duru Ndukwe, and Duru Valentine Chinwike are the dealers to be tried before Justice Ayokunle Faji’s court, while Vanchris Pharmaceuticals Nigeria Limited is the pharmaceutical business mentioned in the alleged crime. The dealers were charged with importing bogus pharmaceuticals such as Diclofenac Tablets BP 50mg (Diclosa 50), Coldtime Anti-cold Tablets, Sonidrex Tablets, 50mg, and Collcap (Chlorpheniramine Maleate Capsules BP 4mg). The dealers from 9, Olorogun Street, Idumota, Lagos, were…

Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy raped a young woman then told her “it’s fine, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women”, a jury has heard. The 28-year-old is accused of attacking the woman, aged 24 at the time, at his £4m mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020. He is also accused of the attempted rape of another woman, aged 29 at the time, who said he also attacked her at his home two years before. The footballer denies both charges. He is on trial at Chester Crown Court. The jury of six women and six men have been…

N’Golo Kante has purchased Belgian third-tier club Royal Excelsior Virton, a club statement said. The France midfielder, 32, will take over from Flavio Becca as chairman of the club based near the Luxembourg border on 1 July. It is the same date he will join Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ittihad from Premier League Chelsea. “Flavio is obviously extremely happy to be able to hand over the keys of the club to N’Golo Kante,” Royal Excelsior Virton said in a statement. “[He is] a player of great class, not only for his footballing qualities but also and above all for…

President Emmanuel Macron convened a crisis meeting with senior ministers on Thursday after riots spread across France overnight over the deadly police shooting of a teenager of North African descent during a traffic stop. Police made 150 arrests nationwide during a second night of unrest, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said, as public anger spilled out onto the streets, notably in the ethnically diverse suburbs of France’s big cities. The epicentre of the unrest was in Nanterre, a working class town on the western outskirts of Paris where the shooting of the 17-year-old boy identified as Nahel took place. “The last…

The British government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, London’s Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday in a judgment that gives a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to stop migrants from arriving on small boats. Reuters reports that the three senior appeal court judges ruled, by a majority, that Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country. 40 missing in Italy migrant boat mishap More to follow…

England midfielder Declan Rice, 24, has been given permission to undergo a medical at Arsenal as they hold talks with West Ham over how to structure a £105m deal. (Talksport) West Ham boss David Moyes is targeting Everton’s Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, 21, Juventus’ Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria, 26, and Manchester United’s England defender Harry Maguire, 28. (Mirror) Man Utd are set to formally approach Brighton for Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, 21, after making initial contact this week. (Sky Sports) The Red Devils will also hold talks with Chelsea this week to break the impasse over a deal for England midfielder Mason Mount, 24. (Telegraph – subscription required) Bayern Munich are ready to offer £80m to try and sign striker Harry…