Football rumours: Brentford monitoring Norwich striker Josh Sargent

Gonzalo Higuain s first AC Milan goal salvaged a 1-1 draw at Cagliari but Gennaro Gattuso s men are already falling off the Serie A pace.

Making his first appearance after serving a doping ban, Joao Pedro gave Cagliari an early lead when converting a rebound that Gianluigi Donnarumma perhaps should have saved.

Giacomo Bonaventura missed two great first-half chances to equalise but Higuain hit the target at Sardegna Arena on Sunday, in the process getting off the mark following his move from Juventus.

However, having thrown away a lead to lose at Napoli after their opener against Genoa was postponed, Milan languish in the bottom half after taking only four points from their first three games of the season.

Cagliari took the lead inside four minutes, Don…

Thomas Tuchel is keen to continue using Neymar as a number 10 for Paris Saint-Germain to involve him in more attacking plays.

Neymar has primarily operated from the left since joining PSG from Barcelona in August 2017, but this season Tuchel has at times deployed him in a central playmaking role.

The Brazilian started on the wing against Rennes on Sunday but was shifted to the middle in the second half and played a key role in the Thomas Meunier and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting s goals.

On Tuesday Tuchel explained why he likes to use Neymar in that area when addressing the media ahead of PSG s Ligue 1 clash with Reims.

Of course he likes to be there and we like to have him in the number 10 position because he is involved in every attack, not only from the l…

Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies has been diagnosed with a bruised skull following an incident in Saturday s Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund.

Davies was caught in the head by Jude Bellingham s foot after the pair challenged for a loose ball during the 2-2 draw at Signal Iduna Park.

The Canada international received treatment for the injury in the first half before being substituted at half-time.

Bayern confirmed on Sunday that the 21-year-old suffered a bruised skull , though did not give any timescale for his return to action.

Alphonso Davies has been diagnosed with a bruised skull following last night s game.

Get well soon, Phonzy!

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN)

Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was not happy wi…

Javier Tebas has declared there cannot be any negotiation for a European Super League, despite LaLiga s biggest clubs continuing to back the breakaway competition.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, along with 10 other European clubs, including LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid, announced in April their intention to form a new league.

The project was swiftly shot down, with UEFA, European governments, other clubs and fans condemning the proposal.

Under significant pressure, the six Premier League clubs involved – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham quickly withdrew their interest, with Atleti, Inter and Milan all following suit.

However, Madrid and Barca, along with Juventus, remained involved in the project, with Los B…

Four suspected ringleaders of what is believed to be European football s biggest fraud scandal went on trial in Germany on Wednesday, accused of fixing more than 30 matches across Europe.

The quartet, who have not been named, could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty of fraud in a trial that will question the integrity of lower league football across the continent.

The trial will focus on 32 games played in Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Switzerland, mostly last season, where it is alleged dozens of players or referees were bribed to influence the matches.

In total, police have investigated nearly 300 games in 15 countries in a surveillance operation which has spanned the continent.

Bets totalling two million euros (2.8 million…

Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Pacos de Ferreira midfielder Diogo Jota, .

The highly rated footballer was on the verge of joining Benfica in the January transfer window, but los Colchoneros eventually managed to win the chase for his signature.

Jota will be joining Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window and he has already agreed a deal until June 2021 at Vicente Calderon.

The 19-year-old winger has been one of Primeira Liga’s star performers this season, having managed 9 goals and 8 assists in 24 league outings.

Jota had come through the youth ranks at Gondomar and he went on to join his current club in 2013.

The youngster went on to show some promise during his maiden season in the first team before exploding …

Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers have been served with a winding-up petition from Her Majesty s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over unpaid PAYE and VAT in November.

Bolton have racked up huge debts since falling out of the Premier League in 2012 and announced a deficit of £172.9million in April of this year.

The Lancashire club s crisis deepened when players failed to receive wages on time for November.

Bolton have now fallen foul of HMRC, with a club statement reading: Bolton Wanderers can confirm that the club has now received a winding-up petition from HMRC in respect of unpaid PAYE and VAT for the month of November.

Despite requests from the club to HMRC to give it further time to either conclude a sale or raise additional funds, HMRC has proce…

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has signed a new long-term contract at Anfield, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Lovren joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2014 and has made 105 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, scoring four goals.

He has been a mainstay of Jurgen Klopp s defence this season, with Liverpool battling to secure a Champions League spot as the campaign enters its final weeks.

The exact length of the 27-year-old s new deal was not confirmed, although reports suggest he is now committed to Liverpool until 2021.

“This is one special day for me, my family and for the club also.”

Dejan Lovren on his new contract with :

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

I think this is one special day for me and my family,…

Hulk has reiterated his desire to play for Palmeiras but admitted it will be difficult for him to leave Shanghai SIPG.

The Brazilian left his native country in 2005 and had stints in Japan, Portugal and Russia before heading to the Chinese Super League in 2016.

Hulk scored 13 goals as Shanghai SIPG won the CSL in 2018 but has poured cold water on suggestions he could join the Brazil champions next year.

There is always speculation about me and Palmeiras, precisely because of the affection I have for the team and I have made it clear I identify with Palmeiras, Hulk told reporters.

It is a wish and desire of mine to return to play in Brazil, but it s something that is a bit complicated to happen at the moment.

I have two more years of my con…

What the papers say

Manchester United have identified 21-year-old Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite as their top transfer target this summer, according to the Daily Star. Branthwaite has a deal with the Toffees until 2027.

The Daily Mirror says United will pursue Branthwaite regardless of boss Erik ten Hag’s future at the club, with the England Under-21 international valued at £75million.

Meanwhile, Everton are said to be interested in Hull defender Jacob Greaves, Football Insider reports, with the 23-year-old likely to leave the club if they miss promotion to the Premier League.

The i says Tiago Pinto, who was formerly at Roma, is interested in taking over the sporting director role from Dan Ashworth at Newcastle, who looks to be headed to Manchester Unite…