Paris St Germain have announced the departure of Georginio Wijnaldum to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq.

Wijnaldum has agreed a three-year contract with the club who are managed by former Rangers and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard.

The 32-year-old midfielder joined the Ligue 1 champions on a free transfer from Liverpool in July 2021, but spent last season on loan at Serie A side Roma.

A statement on PSG’s official website read: “Dutch international Georginio Wijnaldum has joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq FC on a permanent transfer. The club would like to wish Georginio all the best for the rest of his career.”

Wijnaldum, who has 90 caps for the Netherlands, becomes the latest high-profile player to sign for a Saudi Pro League club this summer.

He will be reunited at Al-Ettifaq with Jordan Henderson, who captained Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League success during their time at Anfield together.

Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique is preparing for the usual intensity in his side’s game against Lyon despite both teams’ below-par starts to the season.

PSG finally got up and running with victory over Lens, following draws with Lorient and Toulouse. On Sunday, they visit a winless Lyon side who are kept off the bottom of Ligue 1 only by Clermont.

“We have prepared for tomorrow’s game in the same way as every game at Paris St Germain – with a serious approach, with professionalism,” Enrique said at a pre-match press conference broadcast on the club’s website.

“Lyon are a big historic club. They are one of best sides in this league and have very good players, a very good coach who I know well and played with at Barcelona, Laurent Blanc.

“It will be a tough game at a fantastic stadium with a brilliant atmosphere, the kind we like to play in. It will certainly be a difficult game. We have prepared as well as we can to try to get the three points.”

Deadline-day signing Randal Kolo Muani is still recovering from an ankle injury, but fellow newcomer Bradley Barcola will be in the squad against his former club.

Enrique said of Barcola: “He is good at dribbling down the wing and he can play as a number nine inside. We really like him and he strengthens the squad for the future as well. I think it is a great signing.”

The pair’s arrivals will increase the competition for places up front, but asked if that could push another recent recruit in Goncalo Ramos to the bench, Enrique played down any concern.

“I didn’t know Goncalo Ramos was going to be a substitute,” he said.

“I want 20 starters, not 11, 12, or 13. If we have 22 starters we are ready for any competition. That is the aim.

“There are very few substitutes here.”

Presnel Kimpembe, Lee Kang-in and left-back Nuno Mendes remain sidelined for Sunday’s game.

Lyon are without Alexandre Lacazette and Dejan Lovren, but could welcome back goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who has trained with the squad for the first time since a pre-season facial injury.

Lopes’ return would be a boost to a defence which conceded four goals in Lyon’s previous home game against Montpellier.

Lyon manager Blanc said: “He is recovering very well. There will certainly be a discussion with the medical staff to make a decision. It’s good news to see him training with us.

“This game against Paris can help us to launch our season. Hosting Paris is not necessarily ideal to relaunch yourself, but maybe it can be the chance to erase the bad things that happened against Montpellier.

“Paris played a great match against Lens. They are a team with a lot of very good individuals.

“Anything is possible, but regardless of the system, it is PSG we are up against.”

Paris St Germain have signed Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt on a five-year contract.

The deal has reportedly cost PSG 90 million euros to bring the 24-year-old France forward back to his native Paris.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “We are delighted to welcome Randal Kolo Muani — a proud Parisien and Frenchman – to Paris Saint-Germain; to his city and his home.

“We have worked incredibly hard to get this transfer over the line.

“Randal is a fantastic French international player and is committed to PSG and our project. I’m so excited to see Randal in a PSG jersey, giving everything for the club.”

Kolo Muani began his career at Nantes before moving to Eintracht, where he scored 26 goals in 50 appearances last season.

Jude Bellingham was on target twice as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Almeria 3-1 and maintain their winning start to the new season of LaLiga.

Sergio Arribas had the hosts in front in the third minute of Saturday evening’s contest but England midfielder Bellingham – who netted in the opening day win at Athletic Bilbao – levelled the scores 16 minutes later.

After Tony Kroos had seen an effort ruled out for VAR at the end of the first half, former Birmingham midfielder Bellingham put Real ahead on the hour and Vinicius Junior made it 3-1 with 17 minutes remaining.

Athletic Bilbao were 2-0 winners at Osasuna, with goals inside the first 20 minutes from Inaki Williams and Gorkua Guruzeta doing the damage. The hosts had substitute Chimy Avila dismissed late on.

Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo drew 1-1, with Oscar Mingueza earning the visitors a point in the last minute after Ander Barrenetxea had opened the scoring for Sociedad midway through the first half.

In Italy, champions Napoli opened with a 3-1 win at Frosinone, with Viktor Osimhen on target twice.

Abdou Harroui’s seventh-minute penalty had newly-promoted Frosinone ahead but Matteo Politano and Osimhen turned things around by half-time, before the latter sealed the points with 11 minutes remaining.

Lautaro Martinez netted in each half as Inter Milan beat Monza 2-0 at San Siro, while substitute Federico Bonazzoli got the only goal 15 minutes from time as Verona – who survived last season with victory over Spezia in the relegation play-off – won at Empoli.

Fiorentina were 4-1 victors at newly-promoted Genoa, with Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonaventura, Nicolas Gonzalez and Rolando Mandragora making the points safe before Davide Biraschi replied for the hosts.

A late penalty from Zakaria Aboukhlal earned Toulouse a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain.

Kylian Mbappe, absent from the squad for the opening-weekend goalless draw with Lorient after a dispute over his future left him training separately from the first team, came off the bench to score a penalty just past the hour mark.

However, Aboukhlal’s spot-kick meant a second successive draw for the capital club.

Lyon are propping up the table after a 4-1 home loss to Montpellier. Mousa Al-Taamari (2), Arnaud Nordin and Akor Adams were on target for the visitors, with Alexandre Lacazette getting a red card for Laurent Blanc’s struggling hosts having netted their only goal of the game when they trailed 3-0.

In the opening round of Bundesliga action, Donyell Malen’s 88th-minute goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Cologne.

Augsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach shared eight goals in a 4-4 draw, while there were also wins for Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart.

Luis Enrique said Kylian Mbappe is in a good state of mind to return to his Paris Saint Germain side ahead of Saturday’s Ligue 1 meeting with Toulouse.

The striker was absent from the squad for the opening-weekend goalless draw with Lorient following a tumultuous summer in which a dispute over his future left him training separately from the first team.

The 23-year-old has only a year to run on his current contract and has stated his reluctance to sign renewed terms, but has been brought back into the fold and is in line play on Saturday.

The manager said he is happy to have a player of the World Cup-winner’s ability available as he looks to win the title in his first season in charge.

“I am very happy to have a world-class player like Kylian,” said Enrique. “He is in great shape, he has a lot of desire, a very good state of mind.”

It will be PSG’s first game in Ligue 1 since world-record signing Neymar departed to sign for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Enrique managed the Brazilian during the time together at Barcelona, winning the Champions League in 2015, but the 31-year-old had recently made clear his desire to leave the club he joined for £190million in 2017.

He made 173 appearances for PSG after signing from Barcelona in 2017, helping the club win 13 trophies, including five Ligue 1 titles, as well as reaching the final of the Champions League in 2020.

The manager said that despite Mbappe’s return there would still be attacking reinforcements required following Neymar’s departure.

“He is a world-class player and I wish him well for the future,” said Enrique.

“We still need to strengthen (in attack) because it is the where we had the fewest recruits. We still have work to do on how they complement each other.”

The former Barca manager, who replaced Christophe Galtier as manager of the Ligue 1 champions in July, said he is yet to select a new team captain and yet may yet allow his squad to pick whom they wish to lead them this season.

“There are four captains (in the squad) – that something that is defined by the players, not by the coach. I want him (who the players choose) to be their captain, not my captain.”

The club was boosted by the news on Friday that goalkeeper Sergio Rico has been discharged from the hospital,  three months after he sustained a head injury following an accident with a loose horse.

Neymar is the latest star name to take his talents to the Saudi Arabian Pro League after completing a move to Al Hilal.

The 31-year-old has joined from Paris St Germain in a deal that could go up to 100 million euros (£86.3m).

The Brazil forward add to the list of stars of world football to turn his back on a major European club, following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Neves, Sadio Mane and N’Golo Kante to the Middle East.

The move ends a six-year stay at PSG, who he joined from Barcelona for a world-record £200m fee in 2017.

He leaves the Parc Des Princes having scored 118 goals in 173 matches and won five Ligue 1 titles.

Neymar was left out of Luis Enrique’s squad for the opening league game of the season and did not feature in the Spaniard’s plans.

PSG chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi told the club’s official website: “It is always difficult to say goodbye to an amazing player like Neymar, one of the best players in the world

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“I will never forget the day he arrived at Paris St Germain, and what he has contributed to our club and our project over the last six years. We had a great moment and Neymar will always be a big part of our history.

“I would like to thank Neymar and his family. We wish Neymar all the very best for the future and his next adventure.”

Neymar joins former Wolves captain Neves and ex-Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly at Al Hilal.

Kylian Mbappe has been reintegrated back into Paris St Germain’s first-team squad following “very constructive and positive discussions” between the club and their star asset.

The France captain’s future has been the subject of intense speculation all summer amid his preference of a move to Real Madrid and he was recently barred from senior training amid a fraught stand-off.

He watched on from the stands as PSG began their Ligue 1 title defence in underwhelming fashion with a goalless draw against Lorient on Saturday, with Neymar another conspicuous absentee from the matchday squad.

But PSG confirmed on Sunday Mbappe had returned to first-team training, amid links the 24-year-old forward is ready to extend his contract with the club beyond next summer.

PSG said in a statement on their social channels: “Following very constructive and positive discussions between Paris St Germain and Kylian Mbappe before the PSG-Lorient game, the player has been reinstated into the first-team training squad this morning.”

Mbappe, who had been given permission to speak to Al Hilal after the Saudi Pro League club tabled a world-record bid of £259million last month, has just one year left to run on his existing PSG deal.

He has so far refused any extension and would be able to negotiate a free transfer in January but it has been reported he will commit to PSG until 2025, allowing the club to sell him to Real next summer.

The 2018 World Cup winner, who is PSG’s all-time leading scorer with 212 goals in just 260 appearances, could come into the reckoning for head coach Luis Enrique next weekend at Toulouse.

Enrique had said ahead of the Lorient fixture he was optimistic that the impasse between PSG and Mbappe would be swiftly resolved.

“It is something that has already happened in the past and there was a positive solution before I was here,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“I hope and wish that, just like in the past, the same thing will happen again and that the club and the player will reach an agreement.”

England international Jude Bellingham scored on his LaLiga debut as Real Madrid began their league season with a 2-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao.

Bellingham, who joined Real from Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, scored his team’s second goal eight minutes before half-time.

Rodrygo had opened the scoring nine minutes earlier, and it proved a dominant display by Real, with Bellingham at the heart of it.

Saturday’s other two LaLiga games finished as draws, with Real Sociedad being held 1-1 at home by Girona and Real Mallorca claiming a point by the same scoreline at Las Palmas.

Takefusa Kubo put Socieded in front after just five minutes at the Reale Arena, but Artem Dovbyk’s header in the 72nd minute secured a share of the spoils.

Las Palmas went in front through Jonathan Viera’s 29th-minute penalty, but the home side could not hold on to that advantage and Antonio Raillo equalised in the second half.

Paris St Germain saw their Ligue 1 campaign begin in frustrating fashion as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Lorient at Parc des Princes.

Despite creating numerous chances, PSG could find no way through resilient opposition and will feel it was a case of two points dropped.

Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Marco Verratti, meanwhile, who have all been linked with moves away from Paris, were left out of the matchday squad by boss Luis Enrique.

And Marseille claimed a comeback victory against Reims at Stade Velodrome, with Vitinha’s 73rd-minute goal securing a 2-1 win after Junya Ito had given Reims the lead and Azzedine Ounahi equalised.

Paris St Germain have confirmed the signing of Ousmane Dembele on a five-year deal.

The forward joins from Barcelona, who said the fee was 50.4million euros (£43.5m).

Since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a fee reportedly worth up to £135.5m, Dembele made 185 appearances and scored 40 goals for the LaLiga giants.

Dembele’s time at Barcelona also saw him win three Spanish league titles, two Spanish Cups and two Spanish Supercups.

The 26-year-old has been capped 37 times for France and featured at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, where Les Bleus finished as runners-up.

Dembele told the club website: “I’m delighted to be joining Paris St Germain and can’t wait to play for my new club. I hope I can continue to grow here and make all the club’s fans proud.”

Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique is hopeful a solution can be found to the club’s ongoing contract dispute with forward Kylian Mbappe.

The France captain’s future is facing uncertainty following links with a move to Real Madrid and reports earlier this week that he has been frozen out of first-team training.

A decision not to sell Mbappe this summer could result in PSG losing him for nothing next year but when asked about his future, Enrique stressed that the club is “bigger” than anyone else.

“It is something that has already happened in the past and there was a positive solution before I was here,” the PSG boss told a press conference.

“I hope and wish that, just like in the past, the same thing will happen again and that the club and the player will reach an agreement.

“That is what I would like. The club’s philosophy is very clear, the club is bigger than any players, any coaches, and that is something I fully agree with.”

Mbappe is not the only player linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes with reports suggesting Marco Verratti and Neymar may also be looking to leave.

According to reports in France earlier in the week, Brazil forward Neymar has indicated he wants to leave the club – but Enrique remained tight-lipped about the futures of those players.

“With regards to the players you mentioned, Marco Verratti and Neymar, conversations with the players are private,” he added.

“I will not talk about what they have said, what I have said, I don’t think that is professional, I prefer to keep that internal.

“Of course my words say something but my actions say more and the actions that I take will show my ideas.”

PSG have been linked with Ousmane Dembele throughout the transfer window and Enrique hinted that a deal for the Barcelona forward is close.

He said: “Ousmane Dembele isn’t a PSG player today, I don’t know what exactly the situation is but he is not a PSG player yet.

“He is 99 per cent but not 100 per cent, he won’t be in the squad tomorrow of course.”

PSG’s Ligue 1 title defence begins on Saturday with a home fixture against Lorient, who beat them 3-1 in the league in April.

This will be Enrique’s first match in charge of the team since replacing Christophe Galtier at the start of July and he is looking forward to getting started with the club.

Enrique said: “I’m very happy to be playing this first home match, and I hope we win and that there’s a good atmosphere so that we can all have a good time together.

“Since I arrived, I’ve been put in the best possible conditions, now I’m trying to build a team and I’m motivated to do that.”

Kylian Mbappe and his representatives refused to meet with Al Hilal officials in Paris on Wednesday to discuss a possible world-record transfer to Saudi Arabia, it has been reported.

Mbappe’s club Paris St Germain are understood to have given the Saudi Pro League side permission to speak with the France striker over personal terms after receiving a £259million bid for the player in writing.

An Al Hilal delegation was reported to have been hoping to sell their project to Mbappe in Paris while finalising the signing of Brazil striker Malcom from Zenit St Petersburg.

But, according to French sports newspaper L’Equipe, Mbappe and his team have refused to enter into any discussions with the Saudi club and he has never considered the option.

Mbappe’s PSG future has been in serious doubt since it emerged in June that he would not extend his existing deal through to 2025, meaning he would become a free agent next summer and be able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with another club as early as January.

PSG have not confirmed the reports that Mbappe has snubbed Al Hilal’s approach, but are understood to be convinced that Mbappe has already agreed a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer.

Parisian sources have said the 24-year-old would benefit from a 160m euro (£138m) signing-on fee if he wound down his existing contract and moved to the Spanish capital in 2024.

Kylian Mbappe must head to either LaLiga or the Premier League if he wishes to compete at the top level, believes ex-Barcelona forward Hristo Stoichkov.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is the subject of another visible public struggle over his future with the Ligue 1 champions amid a contract stand-off.

Having turned down joining Real Madrid last year in favour of a new two-year deal at Parc des Princes, the World Cup-winning forward is now refusing to sign an extension.

That has led to the 24-year-old being dropped for his side's pre-season tour of Asia, and Stoichkov believes Mbappe must force the move abroad if he is to truly challenge himself.

"He is a great player," he told Stats Perform. "We have spoken off camera and he has told me that his greater dream is to win the Ballon d'Or. It is difficult to reach his level and even more so to stay at that level.

"Perhaps PSG opted for him, for [Lionel] Messi, for Neymar, for Sergio Ramos and for [Gianluigi] Donnarumma to have a competitive team and be able to win the Champions League, but it couldn't be.

"If Mbappe wants to compete big, he has to go to the Spanish league or the Premier [League]. In England, there are teams that can sign him, [like] Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal.

"But he has to choose the path where he feels most comfortable because it won't be easy. He will have a lot more pressure and with the press on him.

"Kylian is a great guy and very humble. Some say that he is arrogant, but he is not. He is very well off, and he knows very well what he wants to do.

"Hopefully sooner or later Kylian will have the opportunity to lift the Ballon d'Or because he deserves it."

Following a decade-and-a-half dominated by the powers of Mbappe's former team-mate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the illustrious duo's departure from Europe has effectively ended a sporting era.

Stoichkov believes Mbappe sits near the summit of a new group of players looking to be considered the best in the world, predicting a great rivalry with Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior.

"Now begins another era with big names, as in mine there was Roberto Baggio, [Michael] Laudrup, me, Michel, [Emilio] Butragueno, [Jurgen] Klinsmann or [Lothar] Matthaus, many great players.

"Then this time came with two phenomena like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo where the two always fought. Now comes another with a litter of fantastic players.

"Haaland, Mbappe, Vinicius, Pedri, Gavi, other players who can get close. In the coming years, we will see a great rivalry between Haaland, Mbappe and Vinicius who are the strikers who make the big difference."

Former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has been named as the new manager of Paris St Germain following the sacking of Christophe Galtier.

The French club parted company with Galtier on Wednesday despite his success in leading them to a record 11th Ligue 1 title in his first season in charge.

Enrique, who had been out of work since stepping down from his role with Spain after last year’s World Cup, has signed a two-year deal.

A statement read: “Paris St Germain is pleased to announce the appointment of Luis Enrique as head coach of the professional team. The Spanish coach has signed a two-year contract.”

Galtier’s position had been the subject of speculation since PSG exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage.

His team went on to pip Lens to the domestic title by a single point but the 56-year-old’s eventual departure came as little surprise.

His exit and replacement by Enrique is not the only change at the club this summer with seven-time world player of the year Lionel Messi having also departed. The future of another star player, Neymar, is also uncertain.

Enrique, 53, will spearhead a renewed attempt to succeed on the European stage.

The Spaniard said: “I am delighted to arrive in Paris to live a new experience there. It’s so exciting to meet new people, to live in this city, to learn a new language and above all to coach PSG.”

Enrique, who had a distinguished playing career with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Spain, has also had spells coaching Roma and Celta Vigo.

He led Barca to the Champions League in 2015 and also won LaLiga twice with the Catalan giants before spending four years with the Spanish national side.

He is the fourth new coach at PSG in just over five years after Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pocehttino and Galtier.

PSG said in a statement: “At the end of the 2022-2023 season, Paris Saint-Germain informed Christophe Galtier of its decision to terminate his contract as first-team coach.”

Christophe Galtier has been sacked by Paris St Germain despite leading them to a record 11th Ligue 1 title in his first season in charge.

PSG confirmed on Wednesday that they had parted company with their 56-year-old coach just weeks after Lionel Messi’s goal secured a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg and an unassailable lead at the top of the table.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “At the end of the 2022-2023 season, Paris Saint-Germain informed Christophe Galtier of its decision to terminate his contract as first-team coach.

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“The club would like to pay tribute to his professionalism and commitment, which helped the Rouge et Bleu win a historic eleventh French Championship title and a Trophee des Champions.

“The entire Paris Saint-Germain team would like to thank Christophe Galtier, as well as his assistants Thierry Oleksiak and Joao Sacramento, for their professionalism and commitment throughout the season, and wish them all the best for the rest of their careers.”

Galtier’s departure comes after 36-year-old Messi’s exit for MLS side Inter Miami, with PSG still the dominant force in France but having once again failed in their mission to win the Champions League.

The 2020 runners-up went out in the last 16 last season after a 3-0 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich to prolong owner Qatar Sports Investments’ wait for European success.

Former Spain boss Luis Enrique and ex-Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann have been linked with the impending vacancy in recent weeks, although reports have suggested talks with the German broke down last month.

Chelsea’s owners BlueCo have agreed to buy a stake in Ligue 1 club Strasbourg to take a significant step forwards in their plans for multi-club ownership.

The consortium, which purchased the Premier League club in May last year, are become new shareholders “subject to a consultation process with the relevant employee representative bodies”.

A statement said: “The shareholders of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace today announced an agreement with BlueCo, the consortium which purchased Chelsea FC in May 2022.

“The agreement would mark a new chapter in Racing’s history as the ownership consortium commits to accelerate sustainable investment in the club’s growth, including in the first teams and in the Academy, in continuity with the project implemented by Marc Keller, who would remain president of the club, supported by his current management team.

“Through its involvement and recognised expertise in sport, BlueCo plans to make an active contribution to the development of the model implemented by Marc Keller, first, financially, by providing capital that will enable investment in the men’s and women’s first teams, the Academy and across the club.

“It also plans to provide Racing access to broad resources and collaboration. Racing’s teams would be able to exchange advice and expertise with Chelsea and the other teams which the owners are involved with.

“In accordance with Professional Football League regulations, the project was presented today to the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), whose assessment is expected in the coming weeks.”

BlueCo believe the “strategic investment” would enhance their presence in European football.

A statement said: “It is an honour for us to be part of this historic club. We are committed to preserving the heritage of Racing and are focused on working closely with Marc and his management team to continue the excellent work they have been doing.

“This strategic investment would further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea. We believe it would create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.”

Former France international Keller, who had spells as a player with English sides West Ham, Portsmouth and Blackburn, became Racing’s president in June 2012 with the club in serious danger of liquidation.

It has since returned to Ligue 1 and established itself as a fixture, and played in the Europa League in 2019-20 after winning the League Cup.

Keller said: “The aim is to enable Racing to be even more ambitious and competitive in a football world that has changed considerably, particularly with the massive arrival of foreign investors in many French clubs and the evolution of Ligue 1 from 20 to 18 clubs.

“The arrival of the consortium should enable us to take this step forward.”

The news was confirmed as Chelsea found themselves thrust into the spotlight as a series of players, led by World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, prepare to leave the club for the riches of Saudi Arabia amid speculation that the clear-out could ease their Financial Fair Play worries.

The Blues, under chairman Todd Boehly, have invested in excess of £650million in new signings since the takeover was completed.