Aberdeen manager Barry Robson is confident his squad can show the energy needed against St Mirren on Sunday following their European exploits.
The Dons came from two goals down late on to seal a 2-2 Europa League play-off first-leg draw against Swedish champions BK Hacken in Gothenburg on Thursday night.
They are now looking for a first cinch Premiership win of the season when they travel to Paisley on Sunday.
“In my experience of doing it a lot of years under Derek (McInnes), and I did it a lot of years as a player with international and European football, so I know the demands of it,” former Dundee United, Celtic, Aberdeen and Scotland midfielder Robson said.
“But if you’ve got a good mentality it helps you a lot. We know St Mirren will be really fresh, which is great for them, but we know we have a fit team, we have a young team, we have an an energetic team.
“So we will be able to bring that again at the weekend, I have no fears on that.
“And it comes back to the squad that we are trying to build, that we have built. We have got players that can come in and affect the game and bring speed to it.”
Robson, who made Finland defender Richard Jensen his 11th summer signing on Wednesday, added: “It’s a squad effort, it always is and always will be, especially in this day and age with the speed of the games.
“Different types of games are going to need different types of players. We have tried to build a squad that can cover all bases.”
Robson has been keen to keep his players grounded after their late fightback in Sweden.
“It’s half-time and I’m not getting carried away,” he said.
“I wanted the players to go over to applaud the fans after the game because they had spent a lot of money and time to go over there and help them, and the fans did help them.
“But I tried to get in pretty quickly and right after the game my mind was on St Mirren.”
Ireland complete their World Cup warm-up fixtures on Saturday by taking on Samoa in Bayonne.
Head coach Andy Farrell is due to reveal his final 33-man squad for the tournament on Sunday afternoon.
Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points ahead of the match at Stade Jean Dauger.
Selection looming large
Ireland’s World Cup hopefuls have one final audition as they anxiously await news on selection.
Farrell will cut his current 39-man squad down on Sunday afternoon, with six players set to suffer disappointment.
He was initially scheduled to make his decisions public on Monday before opting to bring forward the announcement by 24 hours.
Iain Henderson, who will captain the side on Saturday, admits the situation has increased tension in the camp but insists the unfortunate players will be well supported.
Squad split
Only a few spots appear undecided, leaving a handful of peripheral players battling it out.
It is unclear whether Farrell will go for a 19-14 split of forwards and backs, or opt for 18-15.
The former would likely mean Stuart McCloskey and Keith Earls, who are set to start this weekend, and Jacob Stockdale and Ciaran Frawley, who will not be involved, are competing for one position.
Rookie forwards Cian Prendergast, Jeremy Loughman, Tom Stewart and Diarmuid Barron are among the others in danger of missing out.
Injury issues
A possible complication for Ireland’s final squad is the fitness situations surrounding a small number of players.
Back-rower Jack Conan has not played since limping off with a foot injury against Italy on August 5, while prop Dave Kilcoyne (hamstring) has also not featured since that game.
Undoubtedly the biggest potential problem for Farrell comes at hooker. Dan Sheehan is undergoing treatment on a foot ligament issue and Ronan Kelleher (hamstring) is yet to feature this summer.
The head coach has expressed confidence the four will be available for France.
Discipline matters
England’s sticky situation surrounding the suspensions of Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola has brought disciplinary matters into greater focus.
Ireland coach Farrell is wary of there being “cards everywhere” at the moment following Vunipola’s Dublin dismissal last Saturday.
With captain Johnny Sexton poised to complete his three-match ban, Ireland certainly do not want any further suspension setbacks on the eve of the World Cup.
Farrell says his side are striving to be rugby’s most-disciplined team.
Samoa a “different animal”
Ireland are seeking to maintain momentum by registering a 13th consecutive win.
They last faced Samoa during the pool stage of the 2019 World Cup in Japan, which ended in a resounding 47-5 win, despite Bundee Aki’s first-half red card.
Skipper Henderson believes Ireland’s upcoming opponents have been improved significantly during the past four years.
“They pose huge threats, they’re definitely a different animal to the last time we played them,” he said.
Premier League clubs have spent a fraction under £2billion in this summer’s transfer window already – with a week of business still to go.
Data released by financial services firm Deloitte showed that as of 12pm on Friday top-flight teams’ spending had reached £1.95bn.
That is already higher than the total, record figure calculated by Deloitte for last summer – £1.92bn.
Deloitte said spending was £500m higher this summer compared to the same point last year, suggesting the final total could be around £2.5bn.
Two of this summer’s deals so far have been worth over £100m – Arsenal’s signing of Declan Rice from West Ham and Chelsea’s recruitment of Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
Premier League clubs’ net spend is calculated at £825m by Deloitte, 25 per cent lower than last summer (£1.1bn), which the firm attributes to a more active global transfer market.
Calum Ross, assistant director in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, said: “For the second year in a row, the summer transfer spending by Premier League clubs has surpassed the previous record and looks set to rise above £2bn for the first time before the window closes on September 1.
“This sensational level of spending appears to be the new norm for Premier League clubs. They are generating unprecedented levels of revenue, which for some clubs is combined with the receipt of significant investment from new ownership.
“As we approach the end of the transfer window, it remains imperative that clubs manage the buying and selling of players carefully and remain compliant with relevant financial regulations.
“Sustainable business plans are essential to support continued competitiveness and long-term growth.”
Chelsea’s spending in the last three windows – since a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly took charge – is believed to be edging close to the £1billion mark.
Max Verstappen picked up where he left off by posting the fastest time in opening practice for the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who has won 10 of the 12 rounds so far and will match Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories if he triumphs again on Sunday, finished 0.278 seconds clear of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton took third spot for Mercedes, three tenths adrift of Verstappen, with Sergio Perez fourth in the other Red Bull.
Verstappen dominated the opening half of the Formula One season to establish a 125-point championship lead in his pursuit of a third straight world title.
On Thursday, Hamilton raised the prospect of the Dutchman winning all of the remaining 10 rounds, and on the evidence of the first running, he will head into the weekend in front of an expectant Zandvoort crowd as the clear favourite to continue his commanding streak.
For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion said his goal for the second half of the season is to finish runner-up in the drivers’ standings.
The 38-year-old is currently fourth, 41 points behind Perez, who occupies second spot, and he will be relatively pleased with his opening salvo. Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished 11th, the best part of a second down.
Haas announced ahead of this weekend’s race that Nico Hulkenberg will be retained for a second term with the American team.
But the veteran German crashed out of practice after losing control of his machine through the penultimate corner. With his Haas beached in the gravel, the running was suspended.
Over at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc was only 16th, three spots ahead of Robert Shwartzman, a junior driver for the Italian team who stood in for Carlos Sainz for first practice.
McLaren driver Lando Norris finished sixth, one place behind Williams’ Alex Albon.
Second practice gets under way at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
Captain Iain Henderson has urged Ireland’s World Cup hopefuls to set aside any lingering anxiety about selection and play their way into Andy Farrell’s final squad.
Head coach Farrell will reveal his 33-man group for the tournament on Sunday afternoon in Dublin, having decided to bring forward the announcement by 24 hours.
Players have one final chance to secure a return ticket to France during Saturday evening’s warm-up clash with Samoa in Bayonne, with six set to suffer disappointment.
Ulster lock Henderson, who is preparing for his third World Cup, admits tension has increased in camp ahead of the looming cut.
“Close to half the squad haven’t been in this position before,” said the 31-year-old.
“What the players are focusing on is how they’re going to put their best foot forward for Faz (Farrell) to get a good glimpse of them.
“He knows each one of us pretty intimately at this stage and I feel that the final step that the players can take is to actually go out and show it again in the Test match this weekend.
“I think there is a type of anxiety there but the players are well used to being put in sticky situations, selections for cup finals, selections for tours, selections for Six Nations games.
“Obviously this one carries a slightly different weight but we’re a really tight-knit group, the guys who are feeling probably the worst about it are probably the best supported.”
Farrell has regularly insisted all 33 places in his squad remain up for grabs.
Yet, in reality, only a few spots appear undecided, leaving a handful of peripheral players battling it out.
It is unclear whether the Englishman will go for a 19/14 split of forwards and backs, or opt for 18/15.
The former would likely mean Stuart McCloskey and Keith Earls, who are set to start against Samoa at Stade Jean Dauger, and Jacob Stockdale and Ciaran Frawley, who will not be involved, are competing for one spot.
Hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, number eight Jack Conan and prop Dave Kilcoyne each have injury problems, albeit Farrell has been upbeat on those issues.
“Everyone’s looking after each other and ensuring whoever is left out will feel as little left out as possible,” said Henderson.
“I feel that the guys really do look out for each other and there’s a genuine care for how each other is feeling.”
Ireland’s World Cup campaign starts against Romania on September 9 in Bordeaux.
Their weekend clash with Samoa is the first meeting between the sides since the Irish won 47-5 at the 2019 tournament in Japan.
“This is their pre-World Cup campaign, similar to ours, coming to a crescendo,” said Henderson.
“It’s an exciting time for them, looking to have a shot at us. We’re looking to play the game we like to play.
“They pose huge threats, they’re definitely a different animal to the last time we played them.”
British underdog Daniel Dubois will draw inspiration from Tyson Fury when he faces world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Dubois (19-1, 18KOs) will walk out at Tarczynski Arena in front of around 43,000 spectators this weekend with the majority inside the Polish venue supporting Ukrainian hero Usyk (20-0, 13KOs) given many Ukraine natives have resided in Poland since Russia’s invasion of their country last year.
While Dubois, 25, can expect a hostile ring walk for his first world title fight, his promoter Frank Warren has been here before.
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It was Warren and his Queensberry Promotions company that made the match-up between Fury and Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which ended with the British heavyweight producing an enormous upset in Germany to claim the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in remarkable fashion.
That was Fury’s maiden world title bout and few gave him a chance, but he pulled off a shock victory on points in Dusseldorf and stablemate Dubois is now dreaming of doing the same in Wroclaw.
“All the great fighters had to do it. Before they were champions, people doubted them and had a lot of things to say,” Dubois told the PA news agency.
“Boxing is made up of opinions so I never take it to heart or let it break me. I am ready to go. Ready to go out there and prove what I need to do.
“Tyson is a good example. Look at what he has done and gone on to achieve now. I just need to get the prayers going and hopefully the big man upstairs hears me.”
Saturday’s show is the start of a busy period for Warren and Queensberry Promotions with a rematch between Joe Joyce and China’s Zhilei Zhang scheduled on September 23 at Wembley Arena.
Meanwhile, Fury is due to step in the ring to take on mixed martial arts fighter Francis Ngannou in a boxing contest on October 28 in Saudi Arabia, but the Briton’s WBC heavyweight title will not be at stake.
A successful couple of months for Warren’s fighters could result in an in-house unification bout at the start of 2024.
Warren told PA: “Every big heavyweight fight our fighters are involved in.
“Regarding Tyson’s future, it all depends on what happens on August 26th so it is an interesting time for the heavyweight decision.
“We’ve seen the odds upset and I just feel it is Daniel’s time. I know he has all the equipment to do it, he can punch from both hands, he has a great jab, good speed and footwork.
“It will all be about his temperament and I believe his temperament will see him through.
“No one gave Tyson a chance and over the years we’ve done a few of those fights, so I hope it is the case again. At the end of the day, Daniel has got a massive opportunity and if it comes out right for him, it would be brilliant.”
Plenty has been thrown at Dubois since the fight was confirmed with his age and lack of experience cited as big weaknesses, while the bookmakers have him as a huge outsider.
The Londoner has fought 20 times since he turned professional in 2017 but notably took a knee which allowed himself to be counted out in the 10th round of a clash with Joyce three years ago due to a grotesquely swollen left eye.
Dubois received a barrage of criticism for ‘quitting’ from current and former boxers. It was later revealed he suffered a broken orbital bone and nerve damage around his eye in addition to retinal bleeding.
After rebuilding his career in America, Dubois now enters his first world title fight at the age of 25 but with more heavyweight bouts than Usyk and a secret weapon in new trainer Don Charles, who was in Derek Chisora’s corner when the Briton pushed Usyk all the way at Wembley Arena in 2020.
Dubois added: “I have been boxing for most of my life so that (age) argument is out of the window. I have the experience and I need to be a veteran in this fight.
“I have to bully him. I have to go in there and be the bully. Be the bully and shake him up.
“Yeah, Don will be putting in things that I am not even aware of style-wise and coach-wise. He has a lot of passion and that is what you need.
“You need the bully-the-bull type mentality to go in there and f*** s*** up, as they say. That is what we need to do.”
A defiant Luis Rubiales has said he will not resign as president of the Spanish football federation despite facing widespread criticism and disciplinary proceedings over his behaviour at last Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final.
The 46-year-old kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation after Spain’s victory over England in Sydney.
He had earlier grabbed his crotch in celebration while stood metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter in the stadium’s VIP area.
Football’s world governing body FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday over his conduct, but he told an extraordinary general assembly of Spain’s football federation, the RFEF, on Friday, that he would not step down.
“I will not resign,” he said multiple times.
“I apologise for my mistakes. I’m going to continue fighting as my parents and my coaches taught me. Those who know me, know that we are going to get to the end.”
Rubiales issued an apology via video message on Monday, but Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez described that as “insufficient”.
Hermoso’s interests in the case are being managed by the FUTPRO union, which expressed its “firm and resounding condemnation” for behaviour “which violates the dignity of women” in its own statement issued on Wednesday.
Rubiales is a member of UEFA’s ruling executive committee and a vice-president of European football’s governing body, and is also leading a Spanish bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup finals. FIFA Congress is expected to appoint the hosts of the centenary tournament late next year.
FIFA, in opening proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday, said it remained committed to “respecting the integrity of all individuals, and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary”.
It said Rubiales’ conduct may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs one and two of the FIFA disciplinary code.
That section of the code covers “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”.
The code cites examples of behaviour which could lead to disciplinary measures being taken, including “insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute”.
The high-class Nostrum bids to get back to winning ways in the Sky Bet And Symphony Group Strensall Stakes at York on Saturday.
Sir Michael Stoute’s talented son of Kingman has won three of his five career starts and having missed the first half of his three-year-old campaign through a setback, returned in imperious fashion in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket.
However, things did not go to plan at Goodwood in the Thoroughbred Stakes, with Nostrum struggling to pick up with his usual zest in the testing ground and having to settle for a length defeat behind Epictetus.
With conditions set to be much more in the colt’s favour on the Knavesmire, connections are hoping to see their exciting prospect bounce right back to his best in a contest the Freemason Lodge handler has won twice since 2017.
“He’s in good form, obviously it didn’t work out for him the last day but he came out of the race very well,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.
“We think he’ll have come forward for the run and we’re looking forward to getting him back on a better surface and a more conventional track.
“Hopefully we’ll see the Nostrum we saw at Newmarket again.
“We all called it wrong, we thought he’d have liked the ground the last day as he’s a big horse and he bends his knee a bit.
“We were all wrong and Ryan (Moore) just felt that he couldn’t pull himself out of it, it was gluey.
“There was the factor too that he’d been off the track for so long, there may have been a bounce on his second start – we don’t know but he’s training well and we’re looking forward to seeing him.”
Owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum finished second in this 12 months ago and will attempt to go one better with El Drama, who was beaten only a neck on his first start for Karl Burke in Haydock’s Rose of Lancaster Stakes.
The Spigot Lodge team are also represented by Flight Plan who has shown glimpses of real ability this term and was a also a runner-up when last sighted.
Jimi Hendrix’s Royal Hunt Cup victory earnt himself a step up to Group Two company for the Summer Mile earlier in the season and he has been given another chance to thrive in Pattern company at a track handler Ralph Beckett believes will suit.
He said: “He’s in good form. I felt it was a little bit too quick for him back after Ascot. In retrospect the Summer Mile was quite hard on him.
“I think the nature of this race will set up well for him. I think the flat track will suit him well, he’s not so good on the undulations.”
Five go to post for this Group Three event with Richard Fahey’s hat-trick-seeking Spirit Dancer and Charlie Johnston’s Ganton Stakes scorer Chichester completing the line-up and both bringing smart course form to the table.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has urged midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to learn a lesson after hitting back at “stupid” criticism on social media.
The 25-year-old Brazil international has become something of a cult hero at St James’ Park since his £35million arrival from Lyon in January last year and has established an online following with his regular posts.
However, he felt moved to mount a staunch defence of his team after Saturday evening’s 1-0 defeat at Manchester City, who he described as “maybe one of the best teams in the world”, accusing some detractors of having “short stupid memories” in a message since deleted.
Asked about Guimaraes’ response, head coach Howe said: “I’m certainly not going to criticise the supporters here. I think it’s more a lesson for us.
“I choose not to be on social media for that exact reason, because I want a clear thought process. I don’t want to pollute my thoughts with things that I read and avoid certain situations, so I take myself out of that environment.
“The players can choose to be on it, that’s absolutely fine because that’s their individual choice, but I think it’s important that we don’t overly react emotionally to certain things.
“Now, Bruno is a very emotional person and I think you’ve seen on the pitch, it’s so positive for us, that emotion. He uses it brilliantly, he has used it brilliantly to not just perform well, but build a feeling with the supporters because I think the supporters see how much it means to him.
“It’s all positive in terms of that feeling that Bruno has, but this is just maybe a little lesson for him.”
Howe admitted that the advent of social media has brought a new element to the lives of players which can have an impact, both positively and negatively.
Asked how that can be managed, he said: “A lot of the young players now will have been on social media all of their lives or from a certain age, so it just becomes part of their daily routines, potentially, to look and to read and to be in that world.
“Once you’re in it, it’s slightly more difficult to come away from it, whereas when I was growing up, it wasn’t there.”
Guimaraes and his team-mates will hope to do their talking on the pitch on Sunday, when they return to action against Liverpool, the only side to beat them home and away in last season’s Premier League.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has aimed a series of barbs at the newly-enriched Tyneside club and, asked if he had a relationship with the German, Howe said: “I don’t really have a relationship with any manager.
“I’m competing against them, I find it very difficult to have personal relationships with competitors.
“I respect Jurgen a lot. I think he’s done an incredible job. He’s an unbelievable football manager, but I draw the line at friendships because they don’t exist for me.”
Joe Hart stressed a consistency of message will help Celtic deal with major disruption in central defence.
Brendan Rodgers has lost Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh and summer signing Maik Nawrocki to injury for about eight weeks.
The blows came quickly in the wake of Carl Starfelt’s exit, while Yuki Kobayashi will also miss games against St Johnstone and Rangers.
Gustaf Lagerbielke is set to make his cinch Premiership debut against Saints on Saturday, while Liam Scales could come in for his first Celtic appearance in 18 months after spending last season on loan at Aberdeen.
Hart said: “I have had a few different partners to play with this season, but the message has been pretty consistent.
“A large percentage (of games) were obviously Carl and Cam, but we have dealt with things over the two years with people coming in.
“Scalesy went out on loan but he was a big part of the first season. Chris Jullien, Nir Bitton, all sorts has happened over two years and that’s the beauty of this club, we have strength in depth and we look to bring players in who are ready to play.
“We had Gustaf coming in and making his debut and we are going to have to rejig a few things. Such is life, it’s never perfect.
“Gustaf is a big, strong boy, great energy about him, a huge smile on his face but someone who gets over the white line and that smile is gone, and he is all about business. I am looking forward to seeing how he develops and I would love to be there to help him.”
Hart will embrace that task of helping the players in front of him.
“I think it’s a responsibility,” the 36-year-old said. “It’s about consistency. I wouldn’t say I would behave particularly different to a new player than an old player. If you rest and take people for granted, that’s when you could slip.
“We still have the same energy and intensity, and same message that we will be giving to whoever plays centre-half or in the defensive realm of the Celtic team.
“It’s important we are all on the same page, all pushing, all learning from each other and trying to move forward.”
Consistency was also the theme as Hart discussed how Celtic would respond to their Viaplay Cup defeat at Kilmarnock on Sunday.
“You try not to react in this game,” the former Manchester City player said. “It’s a long old season, many, many games. We just try to stay as consistent as possible.
“That’s what we have tried to do this week, get back to what we do best, get home, a home game is big for us and look forward to the St Johnstone game.”
The Rugby Park loss sparked the airing of concerns among supporters over issues such as the club’s transfer policy.
Hart said: “You have got to respect the noise. At a club like this, you’d be disappointed if there wasn’t noise, we’d be disappointed. That’s the levels.
“But we are all on the same page. And when I say it’s not about a reaction, that’s because I feel we are working to our limit the whole time. It’s not about sitting back and thinking everything is going to be OK.
“It’s not going to be a spike in our reaction because we are constantly working to the highest level we possibly can, taking every single training session to the highest level, the post-match analysis and the work with the coaches.
“Even when you are taking time off your legs and you physically can’t be outside, mentally you are trying to learn and trying to discuss.
“That’s why I say it’s not about a reaction because I’d like to think it would be impossible for us to go even harder than we already are.”
England face Fiji at Twickenham on Saturday in a send-off for the World Cup that is fraught with danger given the Islanders have toppled Tonga, Japan and Samoa in recent weeks.
Here the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of the final Summer Nations Series match.
Crisis management
England have yet to set foot in France but already events are conspiring against them. While the disciplinary lapses that have seen Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola banned for dangerous tackles are problems of their own making, the growing number of injuries are a cruel misfortune. Anthony Watson joins Jack van Poortvliet in being ruled out of the tournament before a ball is kicked and there are significant concerns over Tom Curry and Elliot Daly, both of whom face a race against time to be fit for the crucial opener against Argentina on September 9.
Jonny set to answer May day call
Watson’s calf injury that was sustained against Ireland has resulted in a World Cup reprieve for Jonny May, who Steve Borthwick all-but confirmed will be plugging the gap in the 33-man squad. Injury and repeated bouts of Covid-19 have conspired against May in recent times, but the ultra-professional England wing is capable of scoring spectacular tries out of thin air and will bring the kick-chase pressure and aerial threat that was missing in Dublin.
Keep your heads
It is a message that had been drummed into the players – no more cards. In the last four Tests England have been shown three reds and four yellows in an alarming collapse in discipline headlined by Farrell and Vunipola being sent off by the bunker review system. Borthwick is confident their respective four and two-game bans can be absorbed by the depth in their positions, but knows that an underperforming team that has lost four of their last five games must keep 15 players on the pitch if they are to halt the slide.
100 not out
Courtney Lawes becomes only the fifth man to make a century of Test appearances for England when he leads Borthwick’s side out at Twickenham. The achievement is a victory for resilience in the face of persistent injuries and the willingness to evolve as a player. Lawes’ calling card early in his career was as a defensive hitman whose bone jarring tackles were a favourite on highlights reels, but he has since added more layers including a smart carrying game based on footwork, line-out expertise and better handling. Having set out on his 14-year international odyssey as a second-row, he is now the epitome of the modern blindside flanker.
Fiji on the rise
Given Japan’s dispiriting slump since lighting up the 2019 World Cup, Fiji have emerged as disruptors with the heavyweights in their sights. Both Wales and Australia will be eyeing their Pool C encounters nervously as the Islanders, bolstered by the success of their Fijian Drua side in Super Rugby, have added a strong scrum, greater cohesion and superior conditioning to the magical attacking skills that are their bread and butter. Waisea Nayacalevu and Semi Radradra have been paired together in the centres against England, taking star billing in a rotated side that will ask questions at Twickenham even if short of full strength.
Jurgen Klopp dismissed fresh speculation linking Mohamed Salah with a move to Saudi Arabia, insisting the Egyptian forward is “essential” at Liverpool.
Al-Ittihad have snatched Fabinho from Liverpool this summer, signing the midfielder for £40million, and have reportedly renewed their interest in Salah, who still has two years left to run on his contract.
The sums being mentioned are staggering, with a £60m fee touted for the 31-year-old, who could allegedly pocket £155m over two years to become one of the highest paid footballers in the world.
However, Klopp revealed Liverpool have had no contact from any of the big-spending Saudi Pro League clubs, adding any official bids exceeding even £100m for their star asset would be rejected.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle, the Liverpool manager said: “It’s always a bit difficult to talk about media stories because there is nothing to talk about at the moment.
“We don’t have an offer, Mo Salah is still a Liverpool player, obviously for all the things we do, he’s essential and will be. There’s nothing there. If there would be something, the answer would be no.
“My life philosophy is I think about a problem when I have it. At the moment, there’s absolutely nothing. I said already if there is something, the answer would be no.”
Salah, who has scored 187 goals in 308 appearances since switching to Merseyside from Roma in 2017, is just 12 months into a three-year deal which is the most lucrative contract in Liverpool’s history.
It is barely two weeks since his agent, Ramy Abbas, insisted on Twitter Salah remains “fully committed” to Liverpool, and asked whether that remains the case, Klopp responded: “One hundred per cent.”
Corbin Carroll hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to their fifth straight win, 3-2 over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
After the Reds scored twice in the top of the eighth to take the lead, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the bottom half with a walk. Alex Young got Evan Longoria to fly out before Carroll followed with his 22nd home run of the season for a 3-2 lead.
Miguel Castro got the final out of the eighth for the win and Paul Sewald worked around a one-out walk in the ninth for his seventh save since joining the Diamondbacks.
Arizona has won eight of nine to move past Cincinnati and San Francisco into sole possession of the third and final NL wild-card spot.
Merrill Kelly had a stellar start for Arizona, allowing one hit over seven scoreless innings while matching a career high with 12 strikeouts before leaving with an undisclosed injury.
He was warming up in the eighth but grimaced after throwing a pitch. Kelly walked around the mound for a few seconds before leaving the field with Arizona’s medical staff.
Rookie Brandon Williamson was almost as good for Cincinnati, yielding six hits in six shutout innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
Nick Senzel had a pinch-hit home run in the eighth for the Reds, who had a three-game overall winning streak snapped and fell to 0-4 this season against the Diamondbacks.
Jeffers hits late HR as Twins extend Rangers’ slump
Pinch-hitter Ryan Jeffers hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth inning, Michael A. Taylor went deep twice and the Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers 7-5 Thursday, handing the Rangers their seventh straight loss.
The Twins entered the eighth trailing by a run but tied the game when Matt Wallner scored from first on a Carlos Correa double. With two outs, Jeffers pitch hit for Edouard Julien and hit the go-ahead blast off Will Smith.
Royce Lewis and Kyle Farmer also went deep for Minnesota, while Texas came up short despite home runs from Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Leody Tavares.
Twins Reliever Josh Winder held the Rangers hitless in three innings to keep the game close, and Griffin Jax induced a game-ending double play for his second save of the season.
Minnesota expanded its lead in the AL Central to six games with the win, while Texas failed to expand on its one-game lead in the AL West.
Verdugo, Abreu help Red Sox rip Astros
Alex Verdugo and rookie Wilyer Abreu each had four hits and a home run to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 17-1 rout over the Houston Astros.
Verdugo led off the game with his home run and finished 4 for 7, while Abreu was 4 for 5 with a walk.
Every player in Boston’s starting lineup had at least one hit and at least one RBI as the Red Sox had the highest-scoring game of their season.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello earned his 10th win, working around nine hits and three walks to allow one run in seven innings.
Boston has won 10 of its last 15 games but still trails Houston and Seattle by 3 ½ games in the chase for the AL’s final wild card spot.
Rory McIlroy is three strokes behind the leaders at the Tour Championship after he said he suffered muscle spasms going into the tournament as he tries to win his fourth FedEx Cup title.
McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the FedEx Cup after overturning a six-shot deficit in the final round of the same tournament last year.
He said he is “over the moon” to be placed where he is considering the spasms.
“I was at the bottom of a squat, a body-weight squat, and my whole lower back spasmed, seized up. I couldn’t move. I honestly couldn’t address the ball this time yesterday,” McIlroy said.
“So, yeah, I mean, I hung in there and I just felt like if I could get through today, it’s better than it was yesterday, hopefully tomorrow’s better than it was today, and just sort of try to keep progressing.”
McIlroy is sitting on seven under par in tied seventh after he finished the day with the same score as he started with, hitting four birdies and just as many bogeys.
“So I was always going to tee off. It was just a matter of how I felt on the course,” McIlroy said.
“And it got progressively a little tighter as I went, but it will hopefully get loosened up here and just another 20, or 18 hours of recovery and go again.”
There is a three-way tie for the lead between Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley and Viktor Hovland on 10 under par.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is even with McIlroy in seventh spot while Tyrell Hatton is one stroke behind the pair.
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