Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho said on Saturday that he was fit to play after his manager Juergen Klopp said last week that he needed time to get back on the&nbsp;field. 
 
The 26-year-old, who was banned for failing a drug test in April, posted on Snapchat that his fans deserve to know the truth about his situation. 
 
&quot;I accept my situation but I can&#39;t accept the lie. The fans deserve to know the truth. Now it&rsquo;s three weeks since I am fit to play games. I finish all my rehabilitation work. They don&#39;t want me to play also with second team lol! Why, I don&rsquo;t know,&quot; Sakho wrote on Snapchat at 3.05am local time on Saturday. 
 
&quot;Still working hard like Scouse Soldier! Still not talking cos I want speak on pitch,&quot; he said. &quot;I will speak soon for the people who support me and don&rsquo;t understand the situation. 
 
&quot;Still happy to live in my &#39;Liverpool Country&#39; with my family, hope to have chance to play soon to give my best like I try to do always!&quot; 
 
&quot;(He is) still working on (his fitness),&quot; said Klopp. &quot;It&#39;s not about how the player feels. It&#39;s about how I feel and how close the player is. That needs time. It&rsquo;s a long, long time that he didn&#39;t play, for sure.&quot; The sanction was lifted by UEFA but the centre-back has not played since April. 
 
Sakho removed the Snapchat posts early on Saturday morning, Sky Sports reported. 
 
It looks increasingly unlikely that the Frenchman will get that chance, The Guardian said on Saturday. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Says he will expose 'the lie' about his situation at the club

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho said on Saturday that he was fit to play after his manager Juergen Klopp said last week that he needed time to get back on the field. The 26-year-old, who was banned for failing a drug test in April, posted on Snapchat that his fans deserve to know the truth about his situation. "I accept my situation but I can't accept the lie. The fans deserve to know the truth. Now it’s three weeks since I am fit to play games. I finish all my rehabilitation work. They don't want me to play also with second team lol! Why, I don’t know," Sakho wrote on Snapchat at 3.05am local time on Saturday. "Still working hard like Scouse Soldier! Still not talking cos I want speak on pitch," he said. "I will speak soon for the people who support me and don’t understand the situation. "Still happy to live in my 'Liverpool Country' with my family, hope to have chance to play soon to give my best like I try to do always!" "(He is) still working on (his fitness)," said Klopp. "It's not about how the player feels. It's about how I feel and how close the player is. That needs time. It’s a long, long time that he didn't play, for sure." The sanction was lifted by UEFA but the centre-back has not played since April. Sakho removed the Snapchat posts early on Saturday morning, Sky Sports reported. It looks increasingly unlikely that the Frenchman will get that chance, The Guardian said on Saturday. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Liverpool's Sakho courts controversy with Snapchat outburst

Watford have signed striker Jerome Sinclair from Liverpool on a five-year contract, the Premier League clubs confirmed today. 
 
The 19-year-old has made two appearances for Liverpool last season and played one game for Wigan in the Championship during his three-month loan spell during the 2014-15 campaign. 
 
&quot;Watford FC is pleased to confirm it has agreed terms with Liverpool over the transfer of striker Jerome Sinclair,&quot; the club said in a statement on their website. 
 
&quot;The highly-rated forward has penned a five-year deal at Vicarage Road and becomes the Hornets&#39; first new signing ahead of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.&quot; 
 
Watford finished 13th in the Premier League last season and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. 
 
(Reuters)

Jerome Sinclair, the 19-year-old footballer, holds the record as the youngest player to have played for Liverpool

Watford have signed striker Jerome Sinclair from Liverpool on a five-year contract, the Premier League clubs confirmed today. The 19-year-old has made two appearances for Liverpool last season and played one game for Wigan in the Championship during his three-month loan spell during the 2014-15 campaign. "Watford FC is pleased to confirm it has agreed terms with Liverpool over the transfer of striker Jerome Sinclair," the club said in a statement on their website. "The highly-rated forward has penned a five-year deal at Vicarage Road and becomes the Hornets' first new signing ahead of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign." Watford finished 13th in the Premier League last season and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. (Reuters)

Sinclair joins Watford from Liverpool on five-year deal

Danny Rose scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out James Milner&#39;s penalty as Tottenham Hotspur were fortunate to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Saturday. 
 
Erik Lamela nodded Eric Dier&#39;s cross into the path of Rose in the 72nd minute and the England left back controlled the ball and slammed it past Simon Mignolet to extend Spurs&#39; unbeaten start to the season. 
 
Milner beat Michel Vorm from the spot in the 43rd minute after Erik Lamela had tripped Roberto Firmino in the box, as Spurs struggled to deal with Liverpool&#39;s firepower. 
 
&quot;A draw&#39;s probably the fair result,&quot; Rose told Sky Sports. &quot;In the first half, Vorm was our man of the match but I thought we played much better in the second.&quot; 
 
Tottenham missed the presence of suspended Mousa Dembele as Liverpool, who had been toothless in a 2-0 loss at Burnley last weekend, ran riot during the first 45 minutes. 
 
The hosts suffered a setback in the 28th minute Kyle Walker was replaced by new signing Vincent Janssen, although it was Liverpool&#39;s Mane, a 34 million euro ($38 million) signing from Southampton, who dazzled in the first half. 
 
Stand-in goalkeeper Vorm was twice called out of his area to tackle the outstanding Mane and made an excellent save to deny Philippe Coutinho from close range as the visitors created chance after chance during the first half and Spurs&#39; resistance ended when Lamela clipped Firmino. 
 
&quot;Philippe had a brilliant chance,&quot; Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren told Sky Sports. &quot;I think if we went 2-0 up it&#39;s a different result. 
 
&quot;We always want to win so we&#39;re not satisfied. We&#39;re just missing a few goals more.&quot; 
 
Tottenham started slowly last term and looked set for their first defeat of season when Mane tapped in at the back post from Adam Lallana cross, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. 
 
Simon Mignolet produced two excellent saves to thwart Lamela and Toby Alderweireld as Spurs sought an equaliser before Rose&#39;s decisive intervention, although Harry Kane was again off the pace and his goalless start to the season continued. 
 
&quot;Ultimately, we&#39;re disappointed,&quot; Milner said. &quot;We didn&#39;t do enough in the second half so it was probably a fair result in the end.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Tottenham missed the presence of suspended Mousa Dembele as Liverpool ran riot in the first 45 minutes

Danny Rose scored a second-half equaliser to cancel out James Milner's penalty as Tottenham Hotspur were fortunate to come from behind to draw 1-1 with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Saturday. Erik Lamela nodded Eric Dier's cross into the path of Rose in the 72nd minute and the England left back controlled the ball and slammed it past Simon Mignolet to extend Spurs' unbeaten start to the season. Milner beat Michel Vorm from the spot in the 43rd minute after Erik Lamela had tripped Roberto Firmino in the box, as Spurs struggled to deal with Liverpool's firepower. "A draw's probably the fair result," Rose told Sky Sports. "In the first half, Vorm was our man of the match but I thought we played much better in the second." Tottenham missed the presence of suspended Mousa Dembele as Liverpool, who had been toothless in a 2-0 loss at Burnley last weekend, ran riot during the first 45 minutes. The hosts suffered a setback in the 28th minute Kyle Walker was replaced by new signing Vincent Janssen, although it was Liverpool's Mane, a 34 million euro ($38 million) signing from Southampton, who dazzled in the first half. Stand-in goalkeeper Vorm was twice called out of his area to tackle the outstanding Mane and made an excellent save to deny Philippe Coutinho from close range as the visitors created chance after chance during the first half and Spurs' resistance ended when Lamela clipped Firmino. "Philippe had a brilliant chance," Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren told Sky Sports. "I think if we went 2-0 up it's a different result. "We always want to win so we're not satisfied. We're just missing a few goals more." Tottenham started slowly last term and looked set for their first defeat of season when Mane tapped in at the back post from Adam Lallana cross, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. Simon Mignolet produced two excellent saves to thwart Lamela and Toby Alderweireld as Spurs sought an equaliser before Rose's decisive intervention, although Harry Kane was again off the pace and his goalless start to the season continued. "Ultimately, we're disappointed," Milner said. "We didn't do enough in the second half so it was probably a fair result in the end." (Reuters)

EPL: Rose equaliser denies Liverpool victory at Tottenham

Manchester United are among several leading English Premier League (EPL) clubs to reject invitations from the Football League to have their academy sides play in the revamped English Football League Trophy. 
 
United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were missing when the draw for the knockout tournament, which traditionally has just been made up from the 48 clubs involved in English football&#39;s third and fourth tiers, was made today. 
 
But Premier League champions Leicester City have agreed that their academy side will take part, with Chelsea also set to have their fledgling players compete in a tournament amid suggestions that Trophy matches would cause fixture clashes for top-flight academy teams, who already had sufficient matches in a season. 
 
In a bid to give a higher profile to the competition, officials announced in June that 16 &#39;category one&#39; academy outfits had been invited to take part. The new tournament will see 64 teams divided into 16 groups of four, on a north/south regional basis, each group containing one &#39;invited&#39; club. 
 
Then the top two from each group will go forward to a regional knockout round of 32, with the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals all open draws ahead of a final at London&#39;s Wembley Stadium on April 2. 
 
(AFP)

Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were missing when the draw for the knockout tournament was made

Manchester United are among several leading English Premier League (EPL) clubs to reject invitations from the Football League to have their academy sides play in the revamped English Football League Trophy. United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were missing when the draw for the knockout tournament, which traditionally has just been made up from the 48 clubs involved in English football's third and fourth tiers, was made today. But Premier League champions Leicester City have agreed that their academy side will take part, with Chelsea also set to have their fledgling players compete in a tournament amid suggestions that Trophy matches would cause fixture clashes for top-flight academy teams, who already had sufficient matches in a season. In a bid to give a higher profile to the competition, officials announced in June that 16 'category one' academy outfits had been invited to take part. The new tournament will see 64 teams divided into 16 groups of four, on a north/south regional basis, each group containing one 'invited' club. Then the top two from each group will go forward to a regional knockout round of 32, with the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals all open draws ahead of a final at London's Wembley Stadium on April 2. (AFP)

Premier League giants refuse English Football League Trophy invites

Premier League giants Liverpool are the target of an 800 million pound ($1 billion) takeover bid backed by the Chinese government, British newspaper the Sunday Times reported. 
 
China Everbright, a state-backed financial firm, are leading the bid, backed by the country&#39;s main sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation (CIC), the paper said. 
 
Talks between the Chinese group and Liverpool&#39;s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are ongoing, the Sunday Times said. 
 
But a senior Liverpool source told AFP that although the club was open to outside investment, FSG was not in talks and the club was not the subject of a bid. 
 
On Friday, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said the club was &quot;not for sale&quot;, but admitted FSG were open to the idea of selling a stake. 
 
FSG bought Liverpool for around 300 million pounds in 2010. 
 
China has been making inroads in English football in recent months. 
 
Earlier this month, Liverpool&#39;s Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion announced a deal to sell the club to a Chinese investment group headed by entrepreneur Guochuan Lai. 
 
Second-tier clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, both of whom play in the same Midlands region as West Brom, have both been taken over by Chinese investors. 
 
Wolves were bought by Fosun International, while Chinese businessman Tony Xia took charge of Villa. 
 
Birmingham City, another Midlands clubs, are currently in talks with Asian investors seeking to buy the club from Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, who was jailed for money-laundering in 2014. 
 
Meanwhile, Manchester City announced a 265 million pounds investment deal with Chinese consortium CMC last December. 
 
Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, were beaten 2-0 at Burnley in their second league game of the season on Saturday, having won 4-3 at Arsenal in their opening fixture. 
 
(AFP)

State-backed financial firm China Everbright is leading the bid, the Sunday Times reported

Premier League giants Liverpool are the target of an 800 million pound ($1 billion) takeover bid backed by the Chinese government, British newspaper the Sunday Times reported. China Everbright, a state-backed financial firm, are leading the bid, backed by the country's main sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation (CIC), the paper said. Talks between the Chinese group and Liverpool's American owners, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG), are ongoing, the Sunday Times said. But a senior Liverpool source told AFP that although the club was open to outside investment, FSG was not in talks and the club was not the subject of a bid. On Friday, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said the club was "not for sale", but admitted FSG were open to the idea of selling a stake. FSG bought Liverpool for around 300 million pounds in 2010. China has been making inroads in English football in recent months. Earlier this month, Liverpool's Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion announced a deal to sell the club to a Chinese investment group headed by entrepreneur Guochuan Lai. Second-tier clubs Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers, both of whom play in the same Midlands region as West Brom, have both been taken over by Chinese investors. Wolves were bought by Fosun International, while Chinese businessman Tony Xia took charge of Villa. Birmingham City, another Midlands clubs, are currently in talks with Asian investors seeking to buy the club from Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, who was jailed for money-laundering in 2014. Meanwhile, Manchester City announced a 265 million pounds investment deal with Chinese consortium CMC last December. Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, were beaten 2-0 at Burnley in their second league game of the season on Saturday, having won 4-3 at Arsenal in their opening fixture. (AFP)

Liverpool target of $1 billion takeover bid backed by Chinese govt: Report

Daniel Sturridge scored twice as Liverpool strolled into the League Cup third round with a 5-0 win at Burton Albion yesterday, while Chelsea edged third-tier Bristol Rovers 3-2. 
 
Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Sturridge all scored as Liverpool, last season&#39;s beaten finalists, crushed Championship side Burton, who are managed by ex-Liverpool midfielder Nigel Clough. 
 
Michy Batshuayi marked his full Chelsea debut with a brace against Bristol Rovers, while Victor Moses was also on target as manager Antonio Conte enjoyed a third straight competitive win. 
 
&quot;This was a very serious, professional display from our side,&quot; Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports. 
 
&quot;There were nice goals, nothing to criticise. It was humid today, not easy for either team. We gave a few players match-time because that&#39;s important. Some only got minutes in pre-season.&quot; 
 
Premier League teams Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull City, Swansea City and Stoke City also went through, Peter Crouch scoring a hat-trick for Stoke in a 4-0 win at Stevenage. But Watford lost 2-1 at home to third-tier Gillingham after extra time and West Bromwich Albion were beaten 4-3 on penalties by League One side Northampton Town following a 2-2 draw. 
 
Klopp handed a debut to Cameroonian centre-back Joel Matip and welcomed back Senegalese winger Sadio Mane following a shoulder injury at Burton&#39;s Pirelli Stadium. 
 
Mane teed up Origi to break the deadlock with a clever back-heel in the 15th minute before Nathaniel Clyne crossed for Firmino to head in the visitors&#39; second goal. 
 
A Tom Naylor own goal just after the hour made it 3-0 and Sturridge came off the bench to complete the rout with a late brace, tapping in James Milner&#39;s cross and slamming home from Mane&#39;s pass. 
 
At Stamford Bridge, Batshuayi put Chelsea ahead in the 29th minute by sweeping in Nemanja Matic&#39;s cross and two minutes later Pedro Rodriguez set up Moses for a tap-in. 
 
Batshuayi claimed a second from Ruben Loftus-Cheek&#39;s cross, but Bristol Rovers scored either side through Peter Hartley and Ellis Harrison to keep Conte&#39;s men on their toes until the final whistle. 
 
Liverpool and Chelsea, League Cup winners in 2015, both entered the tournament in the second round because they are not involved in European competition this season. 
 
Manchester United, holders Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and West Ham United will all enter the competition in round three. 
 
(AFP)

Premier League teams Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull City, Swansea City and Stoke City also went through

Daniel Sturridge scored twice as Liverpool strolled into the League Cup third round with a 5-0 win at Burton Albion yesterday, while Chelsea edged third-tier Bristol Rovers 3-2. Divock Origi, Roberto Firmino and Sturridge all scored as Liverpool, last season's beaten finalists, crushed Championship side Burton, who are managed by ex-Liverpool midfielder Nigel Clough. Michy Batshuayi marked his full Chelsea debut with a brace against Bristol Rovers, while Victor Moses was also on target as manager Antonio Conte enjoyed a third straight competitive win. "This was a very serious, professional display from our side," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports. "There were nice goals, nothing to criticise. It was humid today, not easy for either team. We gave a few players match-time because that's important. Some only got minutes in pre-season." Premier League teams Crystal Palace, Everton, Hull City, Swansea City and Stoke City also went through, Peter Crouch scoring a hat-trick for Stoke in a 4-0 win at Stevenage. But Watford lost 2-1 at home to third-tier Gillingham after extra time and West Bromwich Albion were beaten 4-3 on penalties by League One side Northampton Town following a 2-2 draw. Klopp handed a debut to Cameroonian centre-back Joel Matip and welcomed back Senegalese winger Sadio Mane following a shoulder injury at Burton's Pirelli Stadium. Mane teed up Origi to break the deadlock with a clever back-heel in the 15th minute before Nathaniel Clyne crossed for Firmino to head in the visitors' second goal. A Tom Naylor own goal just after the hour made it 3-0 and Sturridge came off the bench to complete the rout with a late brace, tapping in James Milner's cross and slamming home from Mane's pass. At Stamford Bridge, Batshuayi put Chelsea ahead in the 29th minute by sweeping in Nemanja Matic's cross and two minutes later Pedro Rodriguez set up Moses for a tap-in. Batshuayi claimed a second from Ruben Loftus-Cheek's cross, but Bristol Rovers scored either side through Peter Hartley and Ellis Harrison to keep Conte's men on their toes until the final whistle. Liverpool and Chelsea, League Cup winners in 2015, both entered the tournament in the second round because they are not involved in European competition this season. Manchester United, holders Manchester City, Arsenal, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and West Ham United will all enter the competition in round three. (AFP)

Liverpool cruise, Chelsea squeeze in League Cup

New Italian coach Giampiero Ventura hinted today that striker Graziano Pelle could risk his Azzurri place following a recent move to China and gave Mario Balotelli little chance of returning to the national team. 
 
Pelle, 31, scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Southampton following his arrival from Feyenoord in 2014 and was an integral part of the Italy team that reached the Euro 2016 quarter-finals in France. 
 
But Pelle&#39;s reported 15m Euros (&pound;12.7 million, $16.6 million) move to Shandong Luneng could dent his Italy future if he follows in the footsteps of former Juventus maestro Andrea Pirlo and ex-Bologna star Alessandro Diamanti. 
 
Pirlo&#39;s move to New York City FC and Diamanti&#39;s signing for Guangzhou Evergrande preceded the ends of their respective international careers. 
 
Ventura, officially unveiled as Chelsea manager Antonio Conte&#39;s successor today, said the circumstances surrounding Pelle and those players &quot;could not be compared&quot;. 
 
But he added: &quot;A player has to be strong, psychologically and mentally&quot;, to feature for Italy while playing outside of Europe. 
 
&quot;Diamanti, despite being a quality player, lost it (Italy place) when he went to China.&quot; 
 
Pelle scored twice for Italy in France last month but was one of several players to miss the target in an error-strewn 18-shot penalty shoot-out that Germany won 6-5 to advance to the semi-finals. 
 
Ventura said the striker, at least on paper, remains part of his plans but admitted the long-haul travel could complicate matters. 
 
&quot;I have to consider all the 23 players who were at the Euros because of what they achieved. Plus, there will be many others because we&#39;re moving forward,&quot; he explained. 
 
&quot;As for Pelle, apart from his missed penalty, he had a positive campaign. But China is far away. Let&#39;s see why he moved.&quot; 
 
Balotelli, meanwhile, will have to reignite his troubled club future if he is to have any chance of remaining an Italy international. 
 
Having spent a mediocre last season on loan at AC Milan, Balotelli was told recently by Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp to find a new club. 
 
Ventura said the door would remain open but that the troubled star was &quot;at a crossroads&quot; in his career. 
 
&quot;For me he&#39;s exactly the same as all other players when, a) he plays, and b) he is professional,&quot; added Ventura when asked about Balotelli. 
 
&quot;In terms of his character, he could do much better. The fact he&#39;s not playing at Milan, that Liverpool have abandoned him, means that he is at crossroads. 
 
&quot;The few times that Balotelli has really wanted to be a footballer, he has shown his quality. I have no prejudice, but his football must do the talking.&quot; 
 
A respected tactician, Ventura comes to the post after a five-year spell with Torino. 
 
Tasked with qualifying Italy for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he now hopes to convince rock-solid Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli to extend his international career. 
 
The sixty-eight-year-old coach also intends to build on Conte&#39;s two-year spell in charge by steering the new generation through the ranks. 
 
&quot;I haven&#39;t spoken to Barzagli yet but if I want to take up where Conte has left off it&#39;s obvious that he would be a crucial player for us,&quot; added Ventura, whose first game in charge is a friendly against beaten Euro 2016 finalists France in Bari on September 1. 
 
&quot;We have a lot of upcoming players and I want to bring them through. But we have to be patient and give them time to come through gradually.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Graziano Pelle is all set to leave Southampton for Chinese Super League's Shandong Luneng

New Italian coach Giampiero Ventura hinted today that striker Graziano Pelle could risk his Azzurri place following a recent move to China and gave Mario Balotelli little chance of returning to the national team. Pelle, 31, scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for Southampton following his arrival from Feyenoord in 2014 and was an integral part of the Italy team that reached the Euro 2016 quarter-finals in France. But Pelle's reported 15m Euros (£12.7 million, $16.6 million) move to Shandong Luneng could dent his Italy future if he follows in the footsteps of former Juventus maestro Andrea Pirlo and ex-Bologna star Alessandro Diamanti. Pirlo's move to New York City FC and Diamanti's signing for Guangzhou Evergrande preceded the ends of their respective international careers. Ventura, officially unveiled as Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's successor today, said the circumstances surrounding Pelle and those players "could not be compared". But he added: "A player has to be strong, psychologically and mentally", to feature for Italy while playing outside of Europe. "Diamanti, despite being a quality player, lost it (Italy place) when he went to China." Pelle scored twice for Italy in France last month but was one of several players to miss the target in an error-strewn 18-shot penalty shoot-out that Germany won 6-5 to advance to the semi-finals. Ventura said the striker, at least on paper, remains part of his plans but admitted the long-haul travel could complicate matters. "I have to consider all the 23 players who were at the Euros because of what they achieved. Plus, there will be many others because we're moving forward," he explained. "As for Pelle, apart from his missed penalty, he had a positive campaign. But China is far away. Let's see why he moved." Balotelli, meanwhile, will have to reignite his troubled club future if he is to have any chance of remaining an Italy international. Having spent a mediocre last season on loan at AC Milan, Balotelli was told recently by Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp to find a new club. Ventura said the door would remain open but that the troubled star was "at a crossroads" in his career. "For me he's exactly the same as all other players when, a) he plays, and b) he is professional," added Ventura when asked about Balotelli. "In terms of his character, he could do much better. The fact he's not playing at Milan, that Liverpool have abandoned him, means that he is at crossroads. "The few times that Balotelli has really wanted to be a footballer, he has shown his quality. I have no prejudice, but his football must do the talking." A respected tactician, Ventura comes to the post after a five-year spell with Torino. Tasked with qualifying Italy for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he now hopes to convince rock-solid Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli to extend his international career. The sixty-eight-year-old coach also intends to build on Conte's two-year spell in charge by steering the new generation through the ranks. "I haven't spoken to Barzagli yet but if I want to take up where Conte has left off it's obvious that he would be a crucial player for us," added Ventura, whose first game in charge is a friendly against beaten Euro 2016 finalists France in Bari on September 1. "We have a lot of upcoming players and I want to bring them through. But we have to be patient and give them time to come through gradually." (AFP)

Italy's Graziano Pelle, Mario Balotelli receive warning

New signing Sadio Mane scored one goal and made another as Liverpool slickly defeated Barcelona 4-0 in a one-sided friendly match at a sun-soaked Wembley on Saturday. 
 
A 34 million pounds ($44.5 million, 40.1 million euros) capture from Southampton, Mane struck a 15th-minute opener and then supplied the cross from which former Liverpool player Javier Mascherano scored an own goal. 
 
Divock Origi added a third seconds later and substitute Marko Grujic chipped in with a stoppage-time header as Jurgen Klopp&#39;s side registered their sixth win in eight pre-season games. 
 
&quot;I`m happy with the result and with a lot of the game,&quot; said Klopp, who lost James Milner to a first-half heel injury. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t want to over-estimate this game, but it&#39;s still good for us. We didn&#39;t think that we were lower than Barcelona before the game and we don&#39;t think that we&#39;re higher than them after the game.&quot; 
 
Liverpool play Mainz, one of Klopp&#39;s former clubs, in a friendly in Germany on Sunday before tackling Arsenal in their Premier League opener next weekend. 
 
Barcelona&#39;s defeat meant that Paris Saint-Germain won the International Champions Cup friendly tournament for the second year running. 
 
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was missing Neymar, who is on duty with hosts Brazil at the Olympics, but fielded both former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, who hit the post in the first half. 
 
Barca play Sampdoria at the Camp Nou in their final pre-season friendly on Wednesday and face Sevilla in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on August 14. 
 
&quot;From the beginning we saw two teams with completely different rhythms,&quot; said Luis Enrique. 
 
&quot;It was definitely not our best day. But there&#39;s enough days for us to prepare and there&#39;s no doubt we&#39;ll be competitive.&quot; 
 
The glamour game drew 89,845 spectators to Wembley - the stadium&#39;s second-highest attendance - and it was Liverpool&#39;s fans, comfortably in the majority, who went home with smiles on their faces. 
 
With seven friendly matches behind them to Barcelona&#39;s two, Liverpool were the sharper team and they took the lead with a slick goal. 
 
After winning possession on halfway, Adam Lallana surged forward and exchanged passes with Roberto Firmino before teeing up Mane, whose rising shot beat goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. 
 
Liverpool had to weather a succession of Barcelona chances before half-time. 
 
Suarez, facing his former club for the first time, teed up Messi to roll a shot against the right-hand post, while Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved from Arda Turan and Suarez. 
 
Milner, who announced his England retirement on Friday, was again deployed at left-back for Liverpool, but had to give way to Alberto Moreno before half-time. Klopp said he would undergo a scan on Sunday. 
 
Within three minutes of kick-off in the second half, the game was as good as over. 
 
In the 47th minute, Origi&#39;s flick released Mane and his low cross from the right was bundled into the net by Mascherano. 
 
Barely a minute later, Kevin Stewart caught Jeremy Mathieu dawdling on the ball and freed fellow half-time substitute Origi, who coolly beat Barcelona replacement goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. 
 
Grujic, signed from Red Star Belgrade in January, put the cherry on the cake in added time, meeting fellow Serbian Lazar Markovic&#39;s scooped pass with a fine header that looped over Bravo. 
 
(AFP)

Sadio Mane struck a 15th-minute opener and then supplied the cross from which ex-Liverpool player Javier Mascherano scored an own goal

New signing Sadio Mane scored one goal and made another as Liverpool slickly defeated Barcelona 4-0 in a one-sided friendly match at a sun-soaked Wembley on Saturday. A 34 million pounds ($44.5 million, 40.1 million euros) capture from Southampton, Mane struck a 15th-minute opener and then supplied the cross from which former Liverpool player Javier Mascherano scored an own goal. Divock Origi added a third seconds later and substitute Marko Grujic chipped in with a stoppage-time header as Jurgen Klopp's side registered their sixth win in eight pre-season games. "I`m happy with the result and with a lot of the game," said Klopp, who lost James Milner to a first-half heel injury. "I don't want to over-estimate this game, but it's still good for us. We didn't think that we were lower than Barcelona before the game and we don't think that we're higher than them after the game." Liverpool play Mainz, one of Klopp's former clubs, in a friendly in Germany on Sunday before tackling Arsenal in their Premier League opener next weekend. Barcelona's defeat meant that Paris Saint-Germain won the International Champions Cup friendly tournament for the second year running. Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was missing Neymar, who is on duty with hosts Brazil at the Olympics, but fielded both former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, who hit the post in the first half. Barca play Sampdoria at the Camp Nou in their final pre-season friendly on Wednesday and face Sevilla in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on August 14. "From the beginning we saw two teams with completely different rhythms," said Luis Enrique. "It was definitely not our best day. But there's enough days for us to prepare and there's no doubt we'll be competitive." The glamour game drew 89,845 spectators to Wembley - the stadium's second-highest attendance - and it was Liverpool's fans, comfortably in the majority, who went home with smiles on their faces. With seven friendly matches behind them to Barcelona's two, Liverpool were the sharper team and they took the lead with a slick goal. After winning possession on halfway, Adam Lallana surged forward and exchanged passes with Roberto Firmino before teeing up Mane, whose rising shot beat goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Liverpool had to weather a succession of Barcelona chances before half-time. Suarez, facing his former club for the first time, teed up Messi to roll a shot against the right-hand post, while Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved from Arda Turan and Suarez. Milner, who announced his England retirement on Friday, was again deployed at left-back for Liverpool, but had to give way to Alberto Moreno before half-time. Klopp said he would undergo a scan on Sunday. Within three minutes of kick-off in the second half, the game was as good as over. In the 47th minute, Origi's flick released Mane and his low cross from the right was bundled into the net by Mascherano. Barely a minute later, Kevin Stewart caught Jeremy Mathieu dawdling on the ball and freed fellow half-time substitute Origi, who coolly beat Barcelona replacement goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Grujic, signed from Red Star Belgrade in January, put the cherry on the cake in added time, meeting fellow Serbian Lazar Markovic's scooped pass with a fine header that looped over Bravo. (AFP)

Liverpool defeats Barcelona 4-0 at Wembley

Liverpool have finalised the signing of Estonia defender Ragnar Klavan from Augsburg, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday. 
 
Klavan agreed a &quot;long-term contract&quot; after passing a medical at Liverpool&#39;s Melwood training ground. 
 
Klavan will cost the Reds a reported &pound;4.2 million ($5.5 million, 5 million euros). 
 
The 30-year-old has won over 100 caps for Estonia and is well known to Liverpool&#39;s German manager Jurgen Klopp, a former Borussia Dortmund coach, after spending four seasons playing in the Bundesliga. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m really honoured to be part of this amazing club, this amazing team,&quot; Klavan told Liverpool&#39;s website. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s hard to put it into words because it&#39;s been a dream of mine for 22 years to come to the Premier League and be a part of this amazing club, Liverpool. 
 
&quot;The Premier League is the most attractive league in the world and you always have amazing players here. This is the home of football.&quot; 
 
Klavan, who featured in both legs of Augsburg&#39;s Europa League last-32 tie against Liverpool in February, will provide cover at centre-back as Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez are both currently injured and Tiago Ilori is heading to the Olympics with Portugal. 
 
The defender is Klopp&#39;s fifth close-season signing, following the arrival of goalkeeper Loris Karius, defender Joel Matip, midfielder Marko Grujic and forward Sadio Mane. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

30-year-old Klavan has won over 100 caps for Estonia and is well known to Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool have finalised the signing of Estonia defender Ragnar Klavan from Augsburg, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday. Klavan agreed a "long-term contract" after passing a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground. Klavan will cost the Reds a reported £4.2 million ($5.5 million, 5 million euros). The 30-year-old has won over 100 caps for Estonia and is well known to Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp, a former Borussia Dortmund coach, after spending four seasons playing in the Bundesliga. "I'm really honoured to be part of this amazing club, this amazing team," Klavan told Liverpool's website. "It's hard to put it into words because it's been a dream of mine for 22 years to come to the Premier League and be a part of this amazing club, Liverpool. "The Premier League is the most attractive league in the world and you always have amazing players here. This is the home of football." Klavan, who featured in both legs of Augsburg's Europa League last-32 tie against Liverpool in February, will provide cover at centre-back as Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez are both currently injured and Tiago Ilori is heading to the Olympics with Portugal. The defender is Klopp's fifth close-season signing, following the arrival of goalkeeper Loris Karius, defender Joel Matip, midfielder Marko Grujic and forward Sadio Mane. (AFP)

Ragnar Klavan moves to Liverpool in 5 million euros deal

Loris Karius has sacrificed his Olympic dream to try and replace Simon Mignolet as the first-choice goalkeeper at new club Liverpool, the 23-year-old German has said. 
 
Karius, who has represented his country at the under-21 level, joined Jurgen Klopp-managed Liverpool in May from German side Mainz 05 and will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot. 
 
&quot;I spoke with the manager and we said that it doesn&#39;t make sense for me to go to the Olympics as I would miss the first two league games of the season and of course I want to play in them,&quot; Karius told the British media. 
 
&quot;We agreed together I wouldn&#39;t be going (to Rio). First I spoke with Jurgen and then together we spoke with the German people who wanted me to go. 
 
&quot;The priority is the club. It&#39;s more important that I am available for the start of the season.&quot; 
 
Mignolet, 28, joined the Merseyside club in 2013 and was handed a contract extension in January that would keep the Belgian international at Anfield until 2021. 
 
&quot;Of course I know that a club like this has more competition,&quot; Karius said. &quot;It&#39;s a bigger club and better players means more competition. 
 
&quot;But I am not scared of anything. I&#39;m not a keeper who hasn&#39;t shown his ability.&quot; 
 
The 16-team Olympic football competition is restricted to under-23 players with only three overage players allowed. World champions Germany have been paired with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mexico, South Korea and Fiji in Group C. 
 
(Reuters)

Loris Karius will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot

Loris Karius has sacrificed his Olympic dream to try and replace Simon Mignolet as the first-choice goalkeeper at new club Liverpool, the 23-year-old German has said. Karius, who has represented his country at the under-21 level, joined Jurgen Klopp-managed Liverpool in May from German side Mainz 05 and will vie with current number one keeper Mignolet for a starting spot. "I spoke with the manager and we said that it doesn't make sense for me to go to the Olympics as I would miss the first two league games of the season and of course I want to play in them," Karius told the British media. "We agreed together I wouldn't be going (to Rio). First I spoke with Jurgen and then together we spoke with the German people who wanted me to go. "The priority is the club. It's more important that I am available for the start of the season." Mignolet, 28, joined the Merseyside club in 2013 and was handed a contract extension in January that would keep the Belgian international at Anfield until 2021. "Of course I know that a club like this has more competition," Karius said. "It's a bigger club and better players means more competition. "But I am not scared of anything. I'm not a keeper who hasn't shown his ability." The 16-team Olympic football competition is restricted to under-23 players with only three overage players allowed. World champions Germany have been paired with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Mexico, South Korea and Fiji in Group C. (Reuters)

Karius opts out of Rio to fight for Liverpool first-team spot

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes lack of European football will be an advantage for the club in the Premier League and same will be the case for Chelsea. 
 
Liverpool, who replaced Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp as the club&#39;s manager in October, lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in May and settled for an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. 
 
Chelsea, the 2014-15 league champions, endured a turbulent season last year and finished 10th in the table. 
 
&quot;I think Liverpool have a great chance this year,&quot; Celtic manager Rodgers, whose side suffered an embarrassing defeat to part-timers Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar in the first-leg of their Champions League qualifier, told talkSPORT. 
 
&quot;Liverpool and Chelsea don&#39;t have European football and that&#39;s a huge advantage for you, where you can prepare your team all week for just the one game every week,&quot; he asserted and added, &quot;Of course, you&#39;ll have domestic cup games in between that.&quot; 
 
&quot;But it will be very competitive with the coaches that have come into the Premier League, that makes it exciting and I&#39;m sure it&#39;ll be a fantastic season,&quot; added Rodgers. 
 
Liverpool open their 2016-17 campaign against last season&#39;s runner-up Arsenal on&nbsp;August 14, while new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte will mark his managerial career in England with a feisty London derby against West Ham United&nbsp;two days later. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Chelsea, the 2014-15 league champions, endured a turbulent season last year and finished 10th in the table. Liverpool finished eighth

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes lack of European football will be an advantage for the club in the Premier League and same will be the case for Chelsea. Liverpool, who replaced Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp as the club's manager in October, lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in May and settled for an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. Chelsea, the 2014-15 league champions, endured a turbulent season last year and finished 10th in the table. "I think Liverpool have a great chance this year," Celtic manager Rodgers, whose side suffered an embarrassing defeat to part-timers Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar in the first-leg of their Champions League qualifier, told talkSPORT. "Liverpool and Chelsea don't have European football and that's a huge advantage for you, where you can prepare your team all week for just the one game every week," he asserted and added, "Of course, you'll have domestic cup games in between that." "But it will be very competitive with the coaches that have come into the Premier League, that makes it exciting and I'm sure it'll be a fantastic season," added Rodgers. Liverpool open their 2016-17 campaign against last season's runner-up Arsenal on August 14, while new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte will mark his managerial career in England with a feisty London derby against West Ham United two days later. (Reuters)

No European football an advantage for Chelsea & Liverpool: Rodgers

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