Ibrahima Konate has revealed how his phone was ringing all over the place following reports on Monday that Liverpool are working to finalise a deal for the RB Leipzig defender.

The highly rated centre-back was part of the France team that defeated Russia at the European Under-21 Championship on Sunday, a much-needed result after they had lost their opener at the tournament.

There was no rest for Konate on Monday, however, as stories circulated that Liverpool are hoping to wrap up his signing ahead of next season.

The Athletic detailed how the Premier League champions have made significant progress  in their pursuit of the 21-year-old, who is said to have a €40million release clause.

Konate, though, is only focused on the remainder of the season, desp…

Spain s all-time leading goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso has backed a group of 15 players who are refusing to represent the national team under head coach Jorge Vilda.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) claimed last week that 15 of La Roja s players had pledged not to play for the side while Vilda retained his position, citing impacts on their emotional state .

The RFEF has since offered its support to Vilda, describing the players behaviour as harmful .

However, Barcelona s Ballon d Or winner Alexia Putellas, who has played 100 games for Spain, joined the rebellion by posting a statement from the disgruntled players on social media on Friday.

Hermoso was not among the initial group of 15 to write to the RFEF, but the striker – who has scored 46 interna…

South Africa have failed to reach consecutive World Cup finals despite beating Botswana 4-1 in their final group game of Caf qualification.

Bafana Bafana needed to win to have any chance of making the play-offs for the finals in Brazil next summer but Ethiopia s 2-1 win at Central African Republic scuppered their hopes.

The crowd tried to roar the side to an opener from the start and, in the 27th minute, their prayers were answered when Siphiwe Tshabalala s corner was headed by Bernard Parker as a flick-on to the far post where Orlando Pirates new striker Kermit Erasmus nodded his first international goal into the roof of the net.

Doncaster Rovers star Dean Furman doubled the lead just before half-time following a flurry of missed opportunities by side-footing …

Juventus are out to continue their unbeaten start to the Serie A season when they visit Chievo on Wednesday.

Antonio Conte s side have won three and drawn one of their opening four league games to get their bid for a third straight Scudetto off to a strong start.

Their latest success did not come without complications though, as they had to come from behind to defeat Chievo s neighbours Hellas Verona 2-1 at the Juventus Stadium on Sunday.

Fabrizio Cacciatore put the away side ahead, but Carlos Tevez equalised before Fernando Llorente scored the winner in first-half injury time on his first start for the club.

And the Spain international is targeting further improvement as he settles in Turin.

I normally take a bit of time to hit top form and knew I d have t…

According to L Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain youngster Colin Dagba has signed a new deal with the French club. The 20 year old joined the French champions back in 2016, and in that time he s slowly been establishing himself as a defender to watch in the realms of European football. Over the summer it seemed as if RB Leipzig might be able to lure the Frenchman over to Germany, with his former deal being set to expire in 2020.

Now, with a salary increase to boot, Dagba has committed himself to PSG until at least 2023. This can only be good news for the club given the troubles they ve been having in the transfer window as of late, with their inability to lure major names to the club.

Dagba re-signing may not seem like a big deal to some, but perhaps this marks the start of a…

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford says he would be prepared to give his all if he were selected by England for the European Under-21 Championship.

Mourinho stated in October that it made no sense for Rashford to be called up for the finals in Poland given that he is an established part of the senior England set-up.

There are also suggestions that the United boss is concerned at the prospect of the 19-year-old missing a whole pre-season for his club, with Rashford having struggled for consistent form following his explosive debut campaign of 2015-16.

Rashford says the final decision over his potential inclusion in Aidy Boothroyd s squad will be out of his hands, but he has made it clear that he would enjoy the challenge of more tournament football.