Author: David Great

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 33, wants to fight for his place at Barcelona, who have turned down a bid of £12m from Chelsea. (Deportivo Mundo via Mirror) Barcelona want a fee of about £23m for Aubameyang, who joined them on a free transfer in February. (Metro via Gerard Romero) Chelsea have held further talks regarding a move for Aubameyang. (Mail) Barcelona manager Xavi has asked the club to re-sign Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 35, from Paris St-Germain. (Sun) Manchester United have joined a list of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and West Ham, interested in signing Ecuador defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo, 20, from Brighton. (Mirror) Manchester United offered Cristiano Ronaldo to AC Milan and Inter Milan, but both…

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), says plans are ongoing to deploy drones and other technologically advanced facilities to the country’s borders in its bid to curb smuggling. The Public Relations Officer of Customs, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that technology would help tackle the menace. He said one of the major efforts in that regard was deploying “technology like drones, non intrinsic inspection at the borders and a lot of other things that are in the pipeline.” Bomodi said progress had been made with regard to the concession agreement or modernisation agreement with…

Harry Kane’s equaliser six minutes into stoppage time earned Tottenham a dramatic draw as a fiery London derby at Stamford Bridge ended in an angry confrontation between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte that resulted in red cards for both managers. Tempers were running high throughout as Chelsea twice led before Kane’s glancing header seconds from the end gave Spurs a point. Chelsea dominated the first half and fully deserved the 19th minute lead they earned when their two summer signings combined, Kalidou Koulibaly flashing home a powerful volley from Marc Cucurella’s corner. Spurs struggled to make any sort of impression,…

Nottingham Forest secured a famous win as Taiwo Awoniyi scored the only goal to beat West Ham as Premier League football returned to the City Ground after a 23-year absence. Awoniyi, Forest’s £17m record signing this summer, applied the first-time finish after Jesse Lingard’s effort had been deflected into his path off Hammers defender Ben Johnson. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was Forest’s other hero, denying Declan Rice with a second-half penalty save. The Hammers could also reflect on two strikes from distance that hit the crossbar and another excellent Henderson save from Tomas Soucek as they started the season with successive…

Romelu Lukaku scored less than two minutes into his Serie A return to help Inter Milan beat Lecce in dramatic fashion in the opening game of the season. Lukaku, who re-signed for Inter on a season-long loan just a year after leaving for Chelsea, headed home from close range to open the scoring. Lecce hit back three minutes after the restart through Assan Ceesay. However, Denzel Dumfries sealed all three points with a last-gasp effort from close range following a corner. Inter Milan re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea Inter are aiming to reclaim the Scudetto, having relinquished their crown to…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “immediately give seven million Nigerians who have carried out their voter registration online the time and opportunity to complete the process, so that they can obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs), and exercise their right to vote.” INEC recently disclosed that out of 10,487,972 Nigerians who carried out their pre-registration online, only 3,444,378 completed the process at a physical centre. This represents just 32.8 percent of completed online registration. In the letter dated 13 August 2022 and signed by…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is almost set for the Tinubu/Shettima presidential campaign for the 2023 general elections. Governor Simon Lalong, the Director-General, APC 2023 presidential campaign, said this after inspecting the facilities at the campaign headquarters in Abuja. Dr Makut Macham, the spokesperson for the governor said in a statement on Saturday in Jos, that Lalong was received at the headquarters by the secretary of the presidential campaign council, James Faleke. Macham said that the DG also met with some staff of the campaign team, as part of efforts to ensure a formidable team for the campaign.…

The Bauchi Police Command has commenced investigation into the rape of an 18-month-old baby and murder of a 13-year-old girl in the state. A statement by the spokesman of the command, SP Ahmed Wakil on Saturday in Bauchi, said a 59-year-old man has been arrested in respect of the rape. He said that two suspects were also arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill the 13-year-old girl. Wakil said the mother of the baby, Nenkat Danladi, reported the rape case to Yelwa police station on Aug. 8. The mother told the police that she met the suspect on her bed with…

Kaduna State Government says troops of Operation Forest Sanity have killed scores of terrorists, recovered arms and seven motorcycles in Chickun Local Government Area. The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday in Kaduna. “Security forces recorded a major success in ongoing operations against terrorists, as scores of bandits were neutralised by ground troops and air assets during an operation in Galbi, Chikun local government area,” Aruwan said. “This was conveyed in an operational feedback to the Kaduna state government from the security agencies. According to the feedback, troops of…

Chelsea have agreed personal terms with 21-year-old France defender Wesley Fofana but have had two bids rejected by Leicester City, who want more than £80m. (Mail Online)  Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 25, and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 33, could also be on their way to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea leading the race for the Barcelona players. (Express Online) However, De Jong has told his Barcelona team-mates he is now likely to sign for Manchester United instead. (Metro) But Barcelona are ready to open talks with Chelsea over a deal for Aubameyang. (Metro) Manchester United have held talks with Atletico Madrid over a possible £30m move for 29-year-old Spain striker Alvaro Morata. (The Athletic, via Mail Online)…