Football news LIVE: Football fixtures latest, Premier League announcement expected, Arsenal match OFF – updates

City fancy Chelsea target Leao

Man City are reportedly considering a bid for AC Milan star Rafael Leao.

Chelsea are keen on the versatile striker after having a summer bid rejected.

But Calciomercato claims Pep Guardiola sees Leao as the ideal fit for his attack.

The Portugal international is currently stalling on a new Milan deal and is keen on playing in England.

Arsenal face Newcastle Tielemans battle

Arsenal have reportedly been joined by Newcastle in the race for Youri Tielemans.

The Gunners remain keen on the midfielder despite refusing to meet Leicester’s £25million price-tag this summer.

But Jeunes Footeux claims Newcastle are now preparing to swoop for Tielemans in January.

The Belgian is out of contract next year and Toon are hopeful a £17m winter offer can see them beat Arsenal to his signature.

Erik eyes shock Oblak swoop

Man Utd are reportedly lining up a move for Atletico Madrid goalie Jan Oblak.

Jeunes Footeux claims new boss Erik ten Hag has not been won over by David De Gea.

And he is now ready to target Oblak, who is out of contract next summer.

United could even move for him in January and are prepared to double his wages to £300,000 a week.

Morning football fans

Manchester City survived a major scare to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at the Etihad.

Erling Haaland scored a dramatic late winner against his former side to make it two wins out of two in the Champions League so far.

Meanwhile Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw against Red Bull Salzburg in Graham Potter’s first match in charge.

The Blues are BOTTOM of Group E.

Juventus suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home against Benfica to make it back-to-back defeats.

They are now six points behind PSG and Benfica in Group H.

And there was woe for Rangers at Ibrox after they lost 3-0 to Napoli in their rearranged clash.

In other news, Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City scheduled for October 19 has been postponed to create a date for the Gunners to play their Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven.

The European match was initially scheduled for Thursday night but was postponed due to a lack of police resources ahead of the Queen’s state funeral next Monday.

Uefa rules dictated that the Gunners had to find a new date to fulfil the fixture before the World Cup or forfeit the game.

Arsenal chiefs remained confident that it would not come to that, and have managed to squeeze the match in on October 20 by having their previously scheduled fixture against City called off.

And finally, Alan Pardew has been named as the new manager of Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.

The 61-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the option of a further year.

Pardew is set to take charge of his first game on Sunday against champions Olympiacos, who boast former Real Madrid star Marcelo in their ranks – while James Rodriguez is on the verge of joining.

Toney set for England call-up

Gareth Southgate will deliver potential World Cup heartbreak on Thursday.

The England manager is set to name his Nations League squad to face Italy and Germany.

And a number of stars are sweating in the knowledge missing out will virtually end their chances of featuring in Qatar.

Tyrone Mings, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford hope for recalls after being overlooked from previous squads.

But Rashford — who last played for the Three Lions when he missed a shootout penalty in the Euros final — has  been struggling with a knock.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is set for a first call-up and that could be bad news for Roma hitman Tammy Abraham.

Champions League results

Here is the full rundown on tonight's results.

Comeback complete!

Didn't we just talk about City being the comeback kings!

Never. In. Doubt.

And surprise, surprise, who else could it have been?

Erling Haaland.

Sensational.

That's 13 goals already this season.

John Stones equalises!

And there's the response!

WOW!

John Stones unleashed a thunderbolt from distance - think Vincent Kompany against Leicester! Emphatic!

City are pushing for the winner!

Shock at the Etihad!

Manchester City are trailing 1-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund!

And it's English star Jude Bellingham with the second half goal at the Etihad!

The Citizens have just under 20 mins to try and salvage a result.

If any team in world football can come back, it is the comeback kings themselves.

Billion Euro men

Football clubs today will do anything to keep hold of their prized possessions.

So they hand their stars huge contracts with hefty release clauses inserted in them to put off any potential buyers and/or get a massive transfer fee.

But who would be the most costliest?

It certainly isn't Andreas Christensen the Barcelona new boy who has had a whopping £430million release clause slapped onto that deal.

He doesn't even feature in the top ten!

Click HERE to see the top ten.

De Gea on Wigan transfer

Man Utd goalkeeper David De Gea reveals he almost joined Wigan 12 years ago.

The Spaniard, 31, was third choice at Atletico Madrid when Roberto Martinez’s team came knocking.

And De Gea admitted he was very close to moving in a £9million deal.

He told BT Sport: “I was in Atletico and it was the same season I made my debut and I was like the third keeper and not even count for the team much, just training. Nothing else.

“So Wigan got in contact with me just to sign for them and I was very, very close to sign for Wigan.”

Potter Out already trending

Chelsea fans called for Graham Potter to be sacked after he announced his first Blues line-up to take on Red Bull Salzburg.

Some supporters attempted to get #AzpilicuetaOut trending on Twitter after the captain was named alongside Thiago Silva in defence for the Champions League group E clash.

One fan was annoyed by Mason Mount starting given the England international has failed to register a goal or an assist in seven games this season.

He said: "Mount starts… #potterout."

Another fan commented: "I don't see Fofana and I do see Havertz. #PotterOut."

And a third said: "Benching Fofana and Koulibaly for Azpilicuta? PotterOut."

Ball boy wonder

The Liverpool ball boy famous for assisting Trent Alexander-Arnold against Barcelona in 2019 has scored a HAT-TRICK in the UEFA Youth League.

Oakley Cannonier made a name for himself aged just 15 in the second leg of the Reds' Champions League semi-final with Barca three years ago.

With Liverpool having already come from three goals down to level the tie at 3-3 at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp's men went in search of a fourth.

And when it went out for a corner, Cannonier quickly threw the ball to Alexander-Arnold and enabled the Reds full-back to fizz it across for Divock Origi to convert - with Barca caught napping.

But Cannonier has now begun to make waves as a player.

The Leeds-born 18-year-old netted a hat-trick against Ajax on Tuesday night as Liverpool won 4-0 at their training ground.

Celtic banner fury

Celtic fans mocked the death of The Queen with two disgraceful banners at their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.

It was announced before the game that there would be no minute's silence or national anthem played before kick-off.

Celtic players took to the field wearing black armbands in tribute to The Queen, who sadly passed away last Thursday.

But a section of the Celtic support is well known for it's anti-monarchy stance and they seized the opportunity in front of a massive TV audience to make their feelings known with two shocking displays.

One simply read: "f*** the crown."

A second banner read: "Sorry for your loss Michael Fagan."

That was a swipe referring to Fagan, who broke into Buckingham Palace twice in 1982.

City keen on Etihad expansion

EXCLUSIVE - Man City are looking to increase the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to over 60,000, writes Martin Blackburn.

The home of the champions currently holds 53,500 but they are exploring ways of extending the North Stand behind the goal.

City already have planning permission to do the work – having obtained it prior to adding a third tier to the South Stand back in 2015.

While there is no set time frame in place, club sources say the project is back on the table and they are doing their research on various different configurations.

Matching up the two ends behind the goals is one option but so too is combining the tiers.

Ways of adding more corporate areas to the Stadium, which has been City’s home since 2003, are also being looked at.

Arsenal rejected Erling Haaland

Arsenal and Liverpool turned Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland down when he started out at Molde because they thought he was a “target man”.

Haaland has been on fire at City ever since his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund as he has already registered a staggering 12 goals and one assist in eight matches across all competitions.

But things could have turned out differently as the Reds and the Gunners were offered the star striker when he was 17 years old and starting out in Norway.

That is according to Molde’s former chief scout John Vik, who claims English clubs, such as Liverpool and Arsenal, were strongly advised to snatch the Norway international before it was too late.

But none of them listened to Vik, who worked under former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the time, because they thought he was too big for a centre-forward

Now, the former scout insists they must all be “kicking themselves” amid the Norwegian’s ongoing success.

Read more HERE.

Pogba's family feud

Paul Pogba's brother has been taken into police custody in connection with the blackmail plot against the Juventus star, according to reports.

The former Manchester United midfielder claimed in August he was the victim of an £11million plot by childhood friends and his own sibling.

Paul, 29, told authorities the group requested the money for "protection services" stretching back 13 years, it is understood.

And now Le Monde report Mathias Pogba, 32, decided to turn himself in to the authorities investigating the case.

Then the journeyman footballer, who lived with Riyad Mahrez before playing for Wrexham, is then said to have been placed in custody.

It is alleged three other suspects have also been taken into custody yesterday and today.

Neither Paul nor Mathias' lawyers have responded to contact from Le Monde.

Liverpool eye up Gomes bid

Liverpool are preparing a bid for Brazilian wonderkid Joao Gomes to help refresh the club's midfield, according to reports.

Jurgen Klopp has told the Liverpool hierarchy he wants a new midfielder amid fierce criticism of the current dynamic Liverpool have at their disposal.

This had led the clubs scouts to search for a new midfielder to freshen up things.

Consequently, they have landed on 21-year-old Flamengo prodigy Gomes.

But despite the long distance and time difference between the UK and Brazil, it has not stopped Klopp from watching his games.

Journalist Julio Miguel Neto has reported Klopp is keen on the midfielder, with The Reds manager said to have watched him for "a long time."

Padrew back in business

Alan Pardew has been named as the new manager of Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.

The 61-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the option of a further year.

Aris announced the news on Twitter, writing: "WELCOME TO #ARISFAMILY COACH…"

Pardew is set to take charge of his first game on Sunday against champions Olympiacos, who boast former Real Madrid star Marcelo in their ranks - while James Rodriguez is on the verge of joining.

By comparison, Pardew is set to take over a side sixth in the Greek Super League and a squad that contains former Arsenal star Gervinho and ex-Watford and Burnley striker Andre Gray.

Pardew had been out of work since leaving Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in June.

Origi facing uncertain Milan future

AC Milan are reportedly looking to replace Divock Origi in January.

That’s despite only signing the striker this summer on a free transfer.

And Calciomercato claim Milan chiefs are beginning to regret handing Origi a four-year deal.

The Italians are already without talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, leaving Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao as the only reliable attackers.

Origi is now expected to regain his composure and step up to the plate fast after several injuries.

But San Siro heads are already drawing up plans to sign a replacement in the winter window.

Lille’s Jonathan David is understood to be Milan’s top choice, with four goals and two assists in seven games already this term.

PL chiefs plan for EFL

Premier League club chiefs hope to thrash out a new cash distribution model sending more money to the EFL before next week, writes Martin Lipton.

While club bosses agreed the principles of the proposed "New Deal for Football" in July, the details remain under debate.

The new financial model is the most pressing decision facing the 20 clubs ahead of their first “shareholders” meeting this season.

A phased reduction of parachute payments appears likely, with Prem clubs under pressure to increase the planned £1.6bn in “solidarity” payments over the next three seasons to £2bn-plus.

EFL bosses, though,  will be expected to agree to “merit payments” from the expanded pot, with positions in the final tables determining the shares of the windfall rather than a flat fee.

More critically the EFL and Championship clubs will have to agree to stringent cost controls to prevent them spending money they do not have and coming back with demands for more cash in a year or so.

Tottenham in Edwards cash boost

Tottenham could reportedly pocket £26million should former starlet Marcus Edwards depart Sporting Lisbon.

The 23-year-old, who made just one Spurs senior appearance after coming through the club's academy, was let go in 2019.

Spurs allowed him to make the move to Vitoria on a free transfer in exchange for a 50 per cent sell-on fee.

And after impressing with the Primeira Liga outfit, he was snapped up by Sporting earlier this year for around £9million.

According to the Telegraph, Antonio Conte's side agreed with Sporting to transfer his sell-on clause to his new contract, instead of banking £4.5m.

Edwards' new deal boasts a whopping £52m release clause, which Spurs would be eligible to receive £26m.

Tonight's Champions League fixtures

Here are this evening's Champions League fixtures.

• Shakhtar Donetsk vs Celtic
• AC Milan vs Dinamo Zagreb
• Rangers vs Napoli
• Chelsea vs RB Salzburg
• Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig
• Copenhagen vs Sevilla
• Juventus vs Benfica
• Maccabi Haifa vs PSG
• Man City vs Dortmund

Conte reacts to Spurs defeat

Antonio Conte has reacted to his Tottenham side losing their first game of the season as they went down 2-0 to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

He told BT Sport: “Difficult result. For sure when you lose the game you’re not happy. I think that the game was imbalanced in the second half. I think we could’ve scored, and we tried to win the game, and then in the last 10 minutes… we can do much better.

“They scored with a corner and then we conceded the second goal after 90 minutes. I think it’s a pity but it was a difficult game for sure. We tried to get a win but in the end we lost the game.

“When you arrive, you have to try to fill the box and to be accurate. I think we had two or three situations that we can do much better in.

“But now we have to rest and think about the next game in the Premier League.”

Northern Delights

With the very top talent not as well spread as in the NBA or MLB - our Northern team is dominated by Manchester City and Liverpool players.

Stars such as Ruben Neves, Bruno Guimaraes, James Maddison and Anthony Gordon among others can count themselves unlucky - but there's just such little space among the two sides that have dominated the league for the last five years.

Alisson is our selection in goal, with his team-mate Andrew Robertson at left-back and City star Joao Cancelo at right-back.

Ruben Dias partners Manchester United star Raphael Varane in the middle - the Frenchman one of only two non-City or Liverpool picks.

Thiago and Rodri would make for a fearsome proposition in midfield - while No10 Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best players the league has ever seen.

Sadio Mane would have been a lock on the left flank, but following his departure to Bayern Munich, a spot is left up for grabs.

Luis Diaz probably deserves it on merit, but to put the "star" in All-Star - Cristiano Ronaldo would surely be voted in - despite being scoreless in seven outings this term.

Mo Salah is an easy pick on the right flank, while City's new No9 Erling Haaland is a genuine contender to outscore the south's Harry Kane up front.