Paul Pogba revealed he had "thought a lot" about returning to Juventus after sealing his Serie A comeback, as he blamed his Manchester United struggles on multiple factors.

Having left United following the end of his contract in June, Pogba sealed a return to Juventus on Monday, six years after departing the Turin giants to head to Old Trafford in a then-world record £89million (€105m) deal.

The 2018 World Cup winner won four consecutive Serie A titles in his first spell with the Bianconeri, scoring 34 goals in 178 appearances for the club.

Despite lifting the EFL Cup and Europa League trophies in the 2016-17 season, Pogba largely struggled to live up to his lofty price tag with United.

His presence could not prevent the Red Devils from failing to win any silverware in the five years that followed his first campaign back in England.

While Pogba confessed a Serie A return had been in his thoughts for some time, the France star insisted he did not regret his Premier League move and felt he had grown as a player at United.

"I am happy to go home, this is how I feel here," Pogba said at his unveiling on Tuesday. 

"You have all seen the welcome of the people, but this is something more than a dream. I am very, very happy.

"The messages from the Juventus fans have always pleased me, even though I was focused on doing well at United. 

"Last season, there was only one year left [on my contract], I thought a lot about my return, and here I am. Now I am happy.

"I believe in destiny, I'm happy with the choices I've made in my life. Life is like this, sometimes you make choices that don't go your way, but I'm happy with the years in Manchester. 

"I grew up, I learned, I became a man. I wasn't wrong. God wanted this, and I'm just very happy to be here at Juventus today. 

"My heart told me that Juve was my destination. I felt inside that this was where I wanted to return, and I made my decision."

Pogba played under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick during his troubled spell in Manchester, and the midfielder believes the absence of continuity at United held him back.

"Changing coach every year is hard - this was a difficult aspect for me," he added.

"Then there were a few injuries, but I think it was also a mental thing; playing and not playing makes you lose the pace. 

"There is a bit of everything; coach, team, position -. all this has blocked me a bit. 

"Now, however, I have left, and you will see another Paul. I can do better than I have in recent years."

Pogba says the presence of Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri, who oversaw two of his four Scudetto triumphs, was a big factor in his decision to return.

"Even in Manchester I often talked to him, we have always had a great relationship and even before coming here I talked to him," Pogba revealed.

"I spent many beautiful years with him, coming back here today means doing it at the right time and with the right person."

Juventus begin their bid for a first Serie A title since 2020 when they host Sassuolo on August 15, after taking part in high-profile friendlies against Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has said he would "like to stay" at Stamford Bridge, though admitted he does not know what his long-term future holds.

The Italy international has just one year remaining on his current deal at the club, and reports have linked him with a return to Serie A.

Jorginho – who joined Chelsea from Napoli in 2018 – made 47 appearances in all competitions for Thomas Tuchel's men in 2021-22, scoring nine goals, all of which were penalties, and addressed his future during pre-season preparations in Los Angeles.

"Of course, I love Chelsea. I feel very well here and of course, I'd like to stay," he said. "But you know, there is a lot going on and we don't know.

"I am here now, I have a contract and I love to be here. I feel very well here, so I don't think about moving anywhere.

"For many years now [there has been speculation about his future]. Every single year. I don't think like this. I just think about where I am and focus 100 per cent.

"I'm at Chelsea and I think about Chelsea 100 per cent."

Of Chelsea players, only Thiago Silva (68) made more interceptions than Jorginho's 65 in all competitions last season.

The 30-year-old has won a Europa League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup with the London club. He addressed his future ahead of the 2022-23 season, when he intends to challenge for silverware again.

"The motivation is that I do what I love," he added. "This was my dream when I was a kid.

"I dreamt that I could win – and so if I win the same title it is still special. I look at my medals every day and love them. It's why I want to win more.

"One of the [motivations is to win the Premier League], I still have a few left. I need to work really hard to achieve those trophies and that is what I do.

"What really counts is the results at the end of the season. So I prefer to talk at the end of the season about what we've done."

Robert Lewandowski was back on Bayern Munich duty as the Barcelona target showed up for pre-season fitness tests on Tuesday.

The Polish striker would hope to make his Bayern exit as painless as possible, after making it clear to the club he is determined to move on before the new campaign starts.

That meant he obliged a commitment to undergo physical checks at the Barmherzige Bruder hospital in Munich, arriving just after 09:00 local time, according to reports.

Newspaper Bild said Lewandowski arrived back in Germany from his holidays on Monday evening, before showing up to the hospital in a green Bentley.

He is said to have spent around an hour there, before departing. It remained to be seen whether, or when, Lewandowski would follow the hospital visit with a trip to Bayern's Sabener Strasse training ground.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta last week said his club had made an offer for Lewandowski and were awaiting a response.

German media reports said a further bid was expected this week, with Germany's Sky Sport saying a final offer of €50million, plus add-ons, was set to be submitted.

Lewandowski, who turns 34 in August, scored 50 goals in all competitions last season to lead all players across Europe's top five leagues.

Bundesliga champions Bayern have signed Sadio Mane from Liverpool since the end of last season, but they have also indicated they hope to keep Lewandowski.

If Lewandowski remains a Bayern player come the weekend, it could mean he faces an awkward appearance in front of the club's supporters.

Bayern will stage their team presentation event at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, which includes a welcome for new signings and an open training session for Julian Nagelsmann's squad.

That is followed by a pre-season trip to the United States for Bayern, who are due to play against DC United and Manchester City on that trip.

Lewandowski has entered the final year of his Bayern contract and would be able to leave on a free transfer at the end of that deal.

Per Mertesacker believes the signing of Gabriel Jesus is a statement of intent from Arsenal as the Gunners aim to return to the Champions League.

Jesus signed for Arsenal earlier in July, joining from Premier League champions Manchester City in a deal reportedly worth £45million.

With Erling Haaland's arrival at City, Jesus was deemed surplus to requirements and will instead lead the Gunners' attacking line as Mikel Arteta's team look to improve on last season's fifth-place finish.

Jesus has not been the only new arrival, with midfielder Fabio Vieira, winger Marquinhos and goalkeeper Matt Turner also joining.

Mertesacker, who manages Arsenal's academy, believes the club's transfer business has shown how determined they are to qualify for Europe's elite club competition.

He spoke to Sky Sports about the deal for Jesus, who scored twice in a 5-3 friendly win over Nurnberg on Friday.

"The way that we could convince him to come fairly early in the transfer window, not waiting too long, I think that we are proactive," Mertesacker said. "We are making our points clear to the players’ families and agents. We have got the right arguments and players are willing to come to us and bring us back to the Champions League and where we belong."

Two players returning to Arsenal's squad after spending parts of last season out on loan are Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Nelson helped Feyenoord reach the final of the Europa Conference League, where they lost to Roma, the Italian club where Maitland-Niles spent the back half of the campaign.

"To see them in the leagues of Europe, they went to Holland and Italy. Fantastic experience for them, hopefully they'll benefit from it," said Mertesacker of the returning loanees.

"Whether that's here with us or whether they need to go somewhere else, that's obviously the decision of [technical director] Edu and Mikel."

Nani is relishing the prospect of a Manchester United reunion after joining A-League side Melbourne Victory.

The 35-year-old former Portugal star has moved to Australia on a two-year contract, with his Victory deal announced on Tuesday.

Nani left United eight years ago and has since had spells at Sporting CP, Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Orlando City and Venezia.

He could line up against United on Friday, however, with his new team facing the Premier League giants in a friendly at the MCG.

Nani, who won the 2007-08 Champions League and four Premier League titles with United, was asked about his prospects of playing in that game.

"I would like to, I don't know. I just arrived in the country, and it's a long flight, so there are lots of things to do," Nani said.

"The body must be ready to compete. I think the fans and everyone expecting me to be able to perform with all my qualities, so playing that game could be not a good idea, but as a player I always want to play, so give me five minutes and I will be ready."

Nani won 112 caps for Portugal, scoring 24 goals for his country.

As his international career was winding down, so Bruno Fernandes was emerging as a candidate to come into the Portugal side and stamp his own mark.

The pair were team-mates at Sporting for a short time and could now go head-to-head, with Nani saying he had yet to speak to Fernandes about his Melbourne move.

"Not yet, we had to be a little bit quiet about this transfer," Nani said. "I know there will be time for us to meet here and talk about everything."

Nani was impressed with Melbourne boss Tony Popovic's plans, persuading him to try his luck in Australia for the first time.

He said: "I had some clubs interested in me, but Melbourne Victory is a club that has been trying to contact me for a long time. I had the opportunity to talk with the coach and had great feelings, and that was one of the good reasons to make me come here."

Gareth Bale's new Los Angeles FC team-mate Jose Cifuentes has explained why he decided to hand over his squad number to Major League Soccer's latest star import.

Bale signed for LAFC in June after leaving Real Madrid on the expiration of his contract.

The Welsh winger, who turns 33 this week, has signed a one-year deal with the MLS team, though that deal can be extended through to 2024.

With a World Cup campaign with Wales on the horizon in Qatar, Bale has the chance to stay at the top of his game in California, and he will be able to do so while wearing his preferred shirt number – 11.

Bale has worn the number 11 for his country for over a decade, while he also wore it in his last season at Tottenham in 2013-14, and his first seven campaigns with Madrid.

With the number occupied by Erik Lamela when Bale returned to Spurs on loan in 2020, the forward took number nine, while he was given the number 18 last season for Los Blancos.

However, even though Cifuentes was already wearing 11 for LAFC, he was happy to hand it over to Bale.

Writing on his official Instagram account, Cifuentes said: "[Number] 11 has accompanied my career at LAFC from the beginning and although it is special and has an important meaning, I have decided to give it to Gareth, who has used that number much longer than me.

"My interest is to contribute so that my team-mates, the club and the fans feel supported by me and with this gesture I want to demonstrate that.

"Let's stay together because we need each other to achieve the goals."

Cifuentes scored twice in LAFC's last game, a 3-2 derby win over LA Galaxy, with only Carlos Vela and Cristian Arango having managed more MLS goals than the midfielder among his team-mates so far in 2022.

Bale's MLS debut is likely to come against Nashville later this week.

Value in the transfer market is always hard to gauge, but that feels especially true in the Premier League in this window.

Sadio Mane has left Liverpool for £35million, and Raheem Sterling is on his way out of Manchester City for £45m. Meanwhile, Southampton have reportedly asked for £75m for midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

That comparison is perhaps not fair on Ward-Prowse – Saints' most important figure – but it illustrates how erratic these fees can be.

It is slightly tricky then to establish who might be the most valuable Premier League player, yet why not have a go?

Inspired by Bill Simmons' NBA trade value list for The Ringer, ranking the 64 most valuable basketball stars, Stats Perform has put together an equivalent Premier League top 20.

Of course, there are key differences between how the markets work in the NBA and the Premier League, so a brief explainer is required before complaints come from fans of one or two clubs...

This is not a ranking of the 20 best Premier League players but rather the 20 most valuable – or 20 most difficult to sign.

The following factors have all been considered: how important these players are to their clubs, how replaceable they are, how proven they are, how likely they are to be sold now or in the near future, and how much they would cost if they were to move, influenced by ages and contract situations.

So, let's dive in...

1. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool's chief creator from right-back, unique in his passing ability and set-piece quality. The Reds will have an extremely tough time when they come to replace the England man; fortunately, that will not be any time soon, with the Anfield favourite a local boy, a Liverpool fan and under contract until 2025.

2. Phil Foden – Manchester City

Although perhaps still not quite the main man at Etihad Stadium, Foden is City's answer to Alexander-Arnold. Having waited so long to bring an elite talent through their academy, the champions will be in no rush to sell him – especially as Pep Guardiola is such a big fan.

3. Erling Haaland – Manchester City

If Alexander-Arnold and Foden are completely unattainable for rival clubs, there remains a possibility Haaland's stay at City could last only a few seasons, as Real Madrid and Barcelona are likely to again be interested soon enough. But City could command a huge fee for one of the most sought-after strikers in European football.

4. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City

It is perhaps no surprise City feature so prominently in this list, although there is a balance to consider. Their financial might means there is little motive to move on a star name, but they are also well placed to sign a replacement. Even at 31, there is nobody who could feasibly replace De Bruyne.

5. Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool

Replacing Van Dijk is a similarly tough ask. Liverpool are not afraid to cash in if it benefits the team, but it is difficult to imagine how losing their highly influential centre-back – undoubtedly the best in the Premier League – could ever be beneficial.

6. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Having seen Mane depart, Salah likely would not even have featured on this list had he not agreed a new contract. Now, though, both he and Liverpool are committed to one another for three more years. In the immediate future, Salah remains the Reds' leading man in attack.

7. Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United

It says a lot for the state of the United squad that Fernandes is the only Red Devil to be included. Cristiano Ronaldo is old, on a short-term contract and wants to leave, while Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford endured tough seasons. Fernandes ultimately did, too, but his quality is proven, and he will hope for an improved campaign under Erik ten Hag.

8. Son Heung-min – Tottenham

Spurs have a little more security now with Champions League football assured, surely able to keep Son happy – not that the outstanding forward ever appears too downcast. Son is now 30 but shows little sign of slowing after the best goalscoring season of his career.

9. Harry Kane – Tottenham

Son is just ahead of his strike partner on account of Kane pushing for a move last year. That was an unsuccessful bid, though, and City moved on with Haaland. Kane could perhaps be a candidate to replace Ronaldo, but again Tottenham have Champions League football while United do not.

10. Ederson – Manchester City

A move away from the division's elite attacking stars: Ederson simply could not be better suited for City's style of play, an outstanding goalkeeper with the passing range to fit into their midfield. A rival club surely would not even try to prise Ederson away.

11. Alisson – Liverpool

Liverpool do not rely on Alisson's ability with his feet in quite the same fashion, but there is very little between he and Ederson. Still just 29, the Brazil number one will keep his place between the posts at Anfield for the foreseeable future.

12. Reece James – Chelsea

The first Chelsea player on the list is James, who matches Alexander-Arnold for talent but might be seen as a more attainable transfer target for now. With the Blues still in the early stages of their new ownership, it is tough to tell exactly where they fit into the Premier League's hierarchy.

13. Mason Mount – Chelsea

As above, Chelsea would not have wanted to sell Mount under the previous regime and likely will stand firm again, but keeping players of his ilk relies on the club remaining as successful as they have been over the past 20 years.

14. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal

This Arsenal team is packed with young, hungry, talented players, few of whom their fans would like to see depart. But the Gunners have also long since been positioned as sellers to the elite clubs. Saka, the best of the bunch, could attract attention soon enough.

15. Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle United

As with Chelsea, there is an element of the unknown around Newcastle. With big money and big ambitions, they could eventually join City in having the wealth and status to keep just about any player. Guimaraes – outstanding after talking up a Champions League title bid while still in the relegation zone – looks to be in for the long haul.

16. Declan Rice – West Ham

Rice might have more suitors than Guimaraes right now, but he might also be a more straightforward buy. Although David Moyes suggested £150m would be "the minimum" required to recruit Rice, a player of his talents will want to play in the Champions League – and the Hammers look to have missed their chance.

17. Darwin Nunez – Liverpool

Nunez could jump into the top three in a year's time, yet he still has only two seasons with Benfica on his CV and so will have to continue to prove his class in one of Europe's big five leagues before being ranked alongside Haaland.

18. Kai Havertz – Chelsea

Chelsea are already again having to rebuild the rest of their front line this year, so the future of Havertz appears secure. Despite netting the winning goal in the Champions League final a year ago, it feels like there is still more to come from the forward.

19. Ruben Dias – Manchester City

Besides those listed above, so many of City's outstanding players would be relatively easy to replace given their transfer budget and the pull of working with Guardiola. But the club have consistently lost leaders in recent seasons, so Dias is a key man for the coming years.

20. Cristian Romero – Tottenham

As long as Spurs are trying to keep Antonio Conte happy – and their business so far in this window suggests that is the case – Romero is unlikely to be going anywhere. The centre-back was superb after arriving at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January.

Chelsea have reportedly turned their attention to Bayern Munich winger and Germany international Serge Gnabry.

The decision was made to pivot away from Leeds United winger Raphinha after Barcelona seemingly moved into pole position for the Brazil international, with Chelsea then deciding to test the waters for former Arsenal forward Gnabry.

He is coming off his highest-scoring Bundesliga season, having netted 14 goals and contributed six assists in 34 league fixtures, scoring another three goals in the Champions League.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA GEAR UP FOR GNABRY BID

Despite it being widely reported that Chelsea have secured Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for fee of around £45million, the Blues are clearly not satisfied with their winger stocks. 

This was further fuelled by reports the club tried to include Christian Pulisic or Hakim Ziyech along with cash in a deal for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, with Ziyech now appearing likely to land a move to Milan.

The Daily Mail claims Chelsea have enquired about Gnabry, 26, who debuted with Arsenal as a 17-year-old in 2012, but his time at the Gunners fizzled out with injuries before a loan move to West Brom, resulting in Werder Bremen scooping him up in a bargain £5m move.

He scored 11 goals in his first season in the Bundesliga to earn a move to Bayern, where he has tallied 171 games and 63 goals across four Bundesliga campaigns, winning four consecutive league titles.

ROUND-UP

– The Mirror is reporting that Barcelona's top priority is to sell Frenkie de Jong to fund their move for Leeds' Raphinha, while the Manchester Evening News claims top Manchester United officials are in Spain ironing out the details for the Dutch international's switch to Old Trafford.

– TalkSPORT claims that if United's chase of De Jong falls through, they are prepared to target Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves or Leicester City's Youri Tielemans.

– Wolves have rejected an offer worth over £20m from Everton for 22-year-old midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, according to The Telegraph.

– According to the Irish Independent, 21-year-old Nathan Collins will become the most expensive Irish player ever when he completes his £20.3m move from Burnley to Wolves this week.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Ousmane Dembele has decided to stay on at Barcelona, shunning interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Arturo Vidal has terminated his contract with Inter as he closes in on a move to Flamengo.

The 35-year-old joined Inter in 2020 and signed a deal until 2022 that included the option for an additional year.

According to reports last month, Inter could pay Vidal a €4million severance fee to cut ties after the first two years of the contract.

Vidal made just two Serie A starts in the 2021-22 campaign, and therefore the Nerazzurri were reportedly eager to move him on.

They confirmed on Monday that the two parties agreed to the mutual termination of Vidal's contract.

That news will not have come as much of a surprise to supporters given Vidal was spotted arriving in Rio de Janeiro last week accompanied by Flamengo personnel before posing for photographs with supporters.

Should Vidal join Flamengo, it will mark his return to South American football after 15 years away.

Chile international Vidal left Colo-Colo for Bayer Leverkusen in 2007 and spent four years in the Bundesliga before moving on to Juventus, where he remained until 2015.

He then returned to Germany with Bayern Munich, before spending two years at Barcelona.

Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Sevilla to sign Ludwig Augustinsson on loan with an option to buy.

The move is subject to the 28-year-old left-back securing a work permit, but as a regular at international level with Sweden, that is not thought to be an issue.

Augustinsson joined Sevilla from Werder Bremen last August.

Although he was never considered a first-choice pick in Andalusia, Augustinsson did manage to make 27 appearances over the course of the season as a back-up to the injury-prone Marcos Acuna.

However, only nine of those outings were as a starter in LaLiga, and his future in Seville never looked entirely secure given Julen Lopetegui often opted to play central defender Karim Rekik ahead of Augustinsson at left-back.

Reports suggest the total value of the deal – including the purchase option – is £3.8million (€4.5m), and the expectation is Augustinsson will be the understudy to France international Lucas Digne.

Augustinsson is the second player to swap the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan for Villa Park this year after Diego Carlos.

Yacine Adli "always" had Milan in his mind while spending last season on loan at former club Bordeaux, and he arrives in Serie A with high expectations of what he could achieve.

The attacking midfielder, who turns 22 later this month, officially signed for Milan last August but remained in Ligue 1 for the 2021-22 campaign.

It ended up being a miserable one for Bordeaux, who finished bottom of the table and were then hit with a further demotion to the third tier due to their financial difficulties. The sanction was upheld after an initial appeal.

Adli knew his future was already settled, and with Bordeaux in turmoil, he unsurprisingly had greener pastures in his thoughts for much of the season.

While he was attempting to help Bordeaux dig themselves out of a hole, Milan were fighting – and ultimately won – a Serie A title battle, clinching their first Scudetto in 11 years.

As such, Adli has designs on grand achievements at San Siro.

Speaking to reporters at his official presentation on Monday, Adli said: "[Last season] wasn't an easy one. I always played my best for Bordeaux, I tried to focus on my role in the team there, although I always had Milan in mind – to get here and do my best.

"I've been wanting to arrive here in the best shape possible. I already knew some of my team-mates, but I have to adapt to the new surroundings.

"My French team-mates have adapted quickly to the club. I arrive with a different experience and in the team of the Italian champions. I arrive with humility and respect to achieve the greatest goals.

"I followed very closely the Milan games last season, and I saw a strong, tight, collective effort, especially towards the end of the season when no false moves could be made.

"A successful team like Milan can only aspire to [win] the Scudetto. It's not easy because in Italy there is a lot of competition. Once again this year we will try to confirm ourselves as Italian champions, we will try to defend this title in the best possible way."

The Paris Saint-Germain youth product joined Bordeaux in 2019 and developed into one of Ligue 1's most promising young players.

A technically gifted midfielder, Adli is most at home in a creative role, with much of his time on the pitch for Bordeaux spent in a central attacking position behind the striker.

Over the course of his three years with Bordeaux, only nine players (minimum of 1,500 minutes played) averaged more than his 1.6 open-play chances created in Ligue 1.

Sixteen bettered Adli's 15 assists over the same period, though seven of those came in the 2021-22 campaign alone, and it should be noted he was a young player in a team who never finished higher than 12th.

Admittedly, his productivity suffered significantly in the second half of 2021-22, managing to set up just one goal after the turn of the year, but again he was in a side who were in free fall as they lost 11 times and won only three games in 2022.

Despite his struggles and those of Bordeaux, Milan appear to have acquired a talent who will provide guaranteed creativity behind the forwards.

As a French attacking midfielder moving to Italy from Bordeaux, Zinedine Zidane was always likely to be mentioned during Adli's presentation, yet it was instead a former Rossoneri attacker he highlighted a particular admiration for thanks to a connection with George Weah.

"I had the chance to train with Timothy Weah [at PSG], and he always advised me to watch Roberto Baggio as an example because I could learn a lot from him – and so I did," Adli said.

"Great champions like him and Zidane are players to look up to but without trying to emulate them because [their status] is unattainable.

"I believe it's important to create your own path and work every day to get better."

Paulo Dybala would be an ideal signing for Serie A champions Milan, according to former Rossoneri striker Hernan Crespo.

Argentina international Dybala's seven-year spell with Juventus officially came to an end on June 30 when his contract expired.

The 28-year-old is not short of potential suitors, with Juve's Italian top-flight rivals Milan, Roma, Napoli and Inter among those reported to hold an interest.

Dybala scored 115 goals in 293 appearances across all competitions for Juventus, and Crespo believes his compatriot's style of play is perfectly suited to Milan.

"He would be an ideal player for Milan. He is precisely the element they are missing," Crespo told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He guarantees quality to the entire attacking department and can either work with the central striker or two wide players. Finally, he can also finish attacks himself.

"His movement would benefit a centre-forward like Olivier Giroud or Divock Origi, and also a winger like Rafael Leao. 

"I repeat: Dybala is a champion. It is always better to have him on your side than playing against you."

Milan finished top of Serie A last season for the first time in 11 years, despite their joint-leading goalscorers in the division – Giroud and Leao – managing just 11 goals each.

The 69 goals they scored across 38 matches was only the fourth-highest tally in the league, 15 fewer than Inter, who finished two points back in second.

Stefano Pioli's side have already moved to strengthen their forward line during the close season with the addition of free agent Origi following his exit from Liverpool.

Junior Messias has also joined on a permanent basis, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reportedly in talks over signing a new one-year contract to stay on at San Siro.

Fulham have completed the signing of Andreas Pereira from Manchester United on a four-year contract.

The newly promoted team have reportedly paid £10million to sign the midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Flamengo.

Pereira played 75 times for United across all competitions, having started with club's youth system back in 2012. 

The 26-year-old also had loan spells with Granada, Valencia and Lazio prior to his move to Brazil last season.

He will now look to help Fulham retain their Premier League status over the coming years.

After signing his deal, which contains the option for a further year, on Monday, Pereira said: "I'm very happy to be here and I can't wait to start the season with Fulham.

"I want to help Fulham as much as I can to be where they belong. Marco Silva was very important for this. I spoke a lot with him, and he was a key factor in me being here."

Pereira made 40 Premier League appearances across two seasons for United from 2018 to 2020, but then fell out of favour.

"Everyone at United would like to thank Andreas for his years of service and wish him all the best for the rest of his career," said the Old Trafford club in a statement confirming his exit.

The Belgian-born player has one international cap for Brazil, which he earned in 2018.

Pereira's arrival at Fulham follows their high-profile move to sign midfielder Joao Palhinha from Sporting CP, in a deal worth up to £20m.

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of midfielder Cheick Doucoure from Lens.

The Mali international has signed a five-year deal for a reported fee of £18million (€21.3m), rising to over £22m (€26m) with add-ons, and is the third arrival at Selhurst Park since the end of last season, joining Malcolm Ebiowei and Sam Johnstone.

Patrick Vieira guided the club to 12th place in the Premier League in his first campaign in charge, and has now added one of the more impressive performers from Ligue 1 in the 2021-22 season.

Only Aurelien Tchouameni (101), who joined European champions Real Madrid from Monaco last month for a reported €80m fee that could rise to €100m with add-ons, made more interceptions as a midfielder in the French top flight than Doucoure (68) last term.

The 22-year-old scored once and recorded four assists for Lens last season, while only four midfielders in Ligue 1 created more chances from open play than his 41.

Speaking to the club's website after his transfer was announced, Doucoure said: "I'm very happy, I feel a lot of joy and a lot of pride to be a Palace player. I'm proud to be at Palace today."

Vieira will be hopeful Doucoure can fill the void left by Conor Gallagher, who has returned to Chelsea following a successful loan spell at Palace last season.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has urged Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo to not waste time and fulfil his potential amid speculation over a move to Juventus.

Zaniolo scored the winner for Jose Mourinho's Roma in the Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord back in May.

But the 23-year-old, who is one of Italy's hottest prospects, has otherwise been repeatedly frustrated by injuries and failure to deliver when offered the chance to perform.

The winger missed Italy's victorious Euro 2020 campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was absent for the entire 2020-21 term due to a reoccurrence of the same issue.

Zaniolo managed 28 games in Serie A in the 2021-22 campaign – his most since joining Roma in 2018 – but only registered two goals and as many assists, his worst return for the Giallorossi.

As reports grow over a move to Juve, who have recently brought in Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria, Mancini says the clock is ticking for the Italy international to start performing.

Pressed on whether joining Juve would be beneficial to both Zaniolo and Italy, Mancini told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I can't say. I know he needs to understand the luck which has guided him.

"In a flash, he had the national side and Roma, he cannot waste any more time and opportunities."

Sassuolo forward Gianluca Scamacca is another to be linked with a transfer away, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested in bringing the striker to the French capital.

The 23-year-old has seven Italy caps to his name and scored 16 times in 36 league appearances last season, yet Mancini wants to see more from Scamacca.

"He has everything to be a top centre-forward and he knows it," Mancini added.

"But he needs to do a little bit more, above all in terms of character: when the level increases, technical and physical qualities help but aren't enough."