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Alexander Isak was on the brink of a British-record £125mn ($169mn) move to Liverpool from Newcastle Monday on a frantic final day of the Premier League transfer window.The Sweden striker is understood to have arrived at Liverpool’s training ground Monday as a protracted saga neared its end.With the Premier League window due to shut at 1800 GMT, there were a number of big deals yet to be done as clubs scramble to strengthen.Sky Sports reported that Newcastle had agreed a deal to sign Brentford forward Yoane Wissa, while Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was set for a move to Manchester City after being told he was surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain.Struggling Manchester United were understood to have agreed a deal to sign Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for an initial 21mn euros (£18mn, $24.6mn) as they seek to address their goalkeeping problems. But most eyes will be on the expected finalising of Isak’s move to Liverpool.The 25-year-old has made clear his desire to leave Newcastle even though he has three years remaining on his contract. The Anfield club had a £110mn offer for the forward rejected last month and since then he has not trained with or played for Newcastle.Isak is set to become Liverpool’s eighth first-team signing of the summer window, and his purchase marks the second time that they have broken their own transfer record following the capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial fee of £100mn.Arne Slot’s side, who beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday to maintain their perfect Premier League record this season, are also reported to have agreed a £35mn deal to sign Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi.Once the Isak and Guehi deals are completed, Liverpool’s summer spending will reach an eye-watering figure of around £450mn, although there have also been significant departures including Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.Newcastle last week signed German international striker Nick Woltemade for a club-record fee reported to be worth up to £69mn.That paved the way for the potential departure of Isak, who scored 27 goals for Eddie Howe’s team in all competitions last season. The Magpies will have further strengthened their attack with the arrival of Wissa, who on Sunday urged Brentford to “keep their word” and allow him to leave.Now it appears that the DR Congo forward, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season, has his wish, giving Saudi-owned Newcastle extra firepower as they prepare for their Champions League campaign.Donnarumma, who won the Champions League with PSG in May, is poised for a move to City, with the Premier League club understood to have agreed a fee of around 35 million euros.Ederson, City’s long-serving Brazilian goalkeeper, is understood to be on the radar of Turkish side Fenerbahce. Man United have endured poor starts to the season from goalkeepers Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir.The club had been linked with Argentina stopper Emiliano Martinez, who was not included in Aston Villa’s matchday squad for their 3-0 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.But the 20-time Premier League champions appear to have opted for the potential of Lammens over the experience of the World Cup-winning Martinez.United are also understood to have agreed to sell Brazil winger Antony to Real Betis. Villa were reported to have agreed a loan deal for United winger Jadon Sancho and have also signed former Old Trafford defender Victor Lindelof on a free transfer. Sancho has flopped since making a £73mn move to United from Borussia Dortmund in 2021 and spent last season at Chelsea on loan.Villa are also expected to tie up a loan deal for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott. Chelsea signed Brighton winger Facundo Buonanotte on a season-long loan.The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Leicester, scoring five goals in 31 Premier League appearances.Tottenham have reportedly agreed a season-long loan deal to sign PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani.

Still searching for their first win of the new season of Qatar Stars League (QSL), Al Duhail aim to put it across Al Rayyan in their third round clash at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today at 6.30pm.Runners-up of the last season, Al Duhail have so far logged one point from their opening two games while Al Rayyan have three points. Al Duhail were held 1-1 by Al Shahania and lost 1-2 to Al Wakrah whereas Al Rayyan beat Al Sailiya 3-1 and lost 2-4 to Al Shamal in their respective two rounds. Al Duhail’s coach Djamel Belmadi expressed concern while speaking ahead of the tie but hoped for his side to get back to winning ways.“There are many reasons that led to the team’s poor results at the start of the league, but it will suffice to mention one of the most important reasons: not playing consecutive matches during preparations for the new season, which may have led to a lack of harmony. We must play at our usual level and style on the field during matches from start to finish,” he said.“We haven’t achieved any victories in previous matches, and facing Al Rayyan is always difficult due to the strength and large fan base of the opposing team,” he added. Team captain Bassam al-Rawi, said, “We are not under any pressure. All teams are exposed to such things, and it is possible to stumble. The team has some new players and our performance is improving from one match to the next. However, we will not wait long, and we hope that The Al Rayyan match is the beginning of Al Duhail’s recovery and return to its usual level.”Al Duhail would be missing their goalkeeper Salah Zakaria, who was sent off in their last match, and Al Rayyan would look to exploit the Red Knights’ cautious approach.Al Rayyan coach Artur Jorge said, “We are ready to face Al Duhail. In the previous match, we made some mistakes that affected the result. Our goal now is to do our best. We’ve trained hard this week to be ready for victory.”The side’s Brazilian player Gregory da Silva said, “I came from a different continent, and I’m trying to adapt as quickly as possible. As for the match, we’ll go in wanting to win. We have confidence and we strive to get the three points.”Al Sadd to meet Al GharafaDefending champions Al Sadd will meet Al Gharafa at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today at 8.30pm. Al Gharafa have so far garnered six points while Al Sadd have three points to their credit. Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said his team wants to go into the international break with a win in this match.“It is important for us to win the last match before the FIFA international break. It’s important to enter the break feeling positive. We certainly want to achieve another good result for the team,” he said.“Al Gharafa have started the season strongly but we are confident of putting in a good performance on home turf and in front of our fans. It’s important for us to regain our balance after the first match. I think we performed well last week and showed improvement, and we want to continue building on that,” he added.Al Sadd player Pedro Miguel, said, “We know Al Gharafa have distinguished players and a strong squad but we also have great players. Our fans may not have been very happy with our loss in the opening match but that’s football. You can’t always win, and what matters is how you respond. We are preparing well for the upcoming matches and with time, we are improving step by step. Against Al Gharafa, we will show everyone that we are ready for the entire season.” Meanwhile Al Gharafa are looking at the return of their Romanian forward Florinel Koeman to add more muscle to their squad.Coach Pedro Martins said, “Koeman’s return to training will give the team greater options. The match against Al Sadd will be exciting and difficult. We must focus defensively without compromising our style and identity. Calm and focus are our path to achieving our goals.”The Cheetahs’ Spanish striker Joselu said, “We believe that a victory will put the team in a strong position with nine points. Al Sadd are a tough team, but we have a special team spirit this season, and we are confident in our ability to achieve a positive result with the support of our fans.”ROUND THREE SCHEDULETodayAl Rayyan vs Al Duhail at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (6:30pm)Al Sadd vs Al Gharafa at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (8:30pm)FridayAl Arabi vs Umm Salal at Al Thumama Stadium (6:30pm)Al Shahania vs Al Wakrah at Khalifa International Stadium (8:30pm)SaturdayAl Sailiya vs Al Shamal at Al Bayt Stadium (6:30pm)Qatar SC vs Al Ahli at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (8:30pm)

Superstar striker backs his side to collect more trophies following an exceptional campaign in 2024-25The RSL and King’s Cup champions begin their title defence away to Al OkhdoodSuperstar striker Karim Benzema is calling on Al Ittihad to “achieve even more” as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) champions begin their title defence when the highly anticipated 2025-26 season gets underway this week.Al Ittihad were the dominant domestic team last season, winning the RSL trophy by eight points to reclaim the title they last won in 2023, before claiming a historic double by defeating Al Qadsiah in the Kings Cup final with a 3-1 victory.Benzema scored twice in that final to conclude a phenomenal second season in Saudi football.The legendary French forward scored 25 goals across both competitions, including 21 goals and a further nine assists in the RSL. In addition to the team trophies, Benzema picked up the ultimate individual accolade by being named the Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season.Reflecting on the success of last season, Benzema said: “I’m very happy finally to have won the league and the cup, which were very important. For me the most important thing is collective trophies. Then, to win an individual award, as I always say, it’s thanks to all my teammates at the club. So, thank you to them, and thank you to the fans as well.“I said before: one way or another, I was going to win in Saudi Arabia. Thanks also to the people who put their trust in me. We won trophies all together. I’m someone who doesn’t give up until I achieve my goals. It was a lot of hard work, so I’m super happy and I hope it continues.”The former Ballon d'Or winner also reserved special praise for Al Ittihad’s supporters, adding: “We’re lucky to have the best supporters in Saudi. Whether at home or away, they’re there.They sing, they push us forward. We always need what’s called the ‘12th man’, the support of the fans. There’s a real connection with the supporters, and we thank them for the trophies by giving everything on the pitch. It’s really important for us to have fans like ours, and I hope we can continue this way.”Benzema and his Al Ittihad teammates are naturally taking plenty of “confidence” from last season’s success into the new campaign. However, the club captain is aware that winning the double again will be more challenging than ever ahead of their season-opener away to Al Okhdood on Saturday.The RSL is the most competitive it’s ever been, with clubs across the Kingdom recruiting top talent to strengthen their squads, while Al Ittihad will also have to balance domestic duties with a return to the AFC Champions League Elite.Asked how Al Ittihad can reach new heights, Benzema said: “You just have to look at what we did last year, take everything we did – all the moments that helped us win those trophies – and achieve even more this year. Because the opponents will be tougher. Teams have strengthened. Now, every team wants to beat Al Ittihad. We need confidence and ambition.“We can’t always predict the future. But what I can say is that we’ll fight until the end and we’ll do everything to win more trophies, which are the most important thing in football. And above all, to bring joy to everyone.”Benzema, one of the greatest strikers in history and a five-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid, was one of the headline names to spearhead this new era for Saudi football when he swapped the Spanish capital for Jeddah in 2023.In the two years since, the RSL has solidified its status as the leading league in Asia and made a notable impact on the global stage when Al Hilal reached the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals this summer, which included a statement win over English Premier League giants, Manchester City.Benzema has seen the remarkable progress first-hand and expects a bright future for football in the Kingdom: “The level of football in Saudi is rising every year. There are very good Saudi players, and I think with hard work, and with the arrival of European players and European coaches, Saudi football can rise even higher.”

The Spanish coach Felix Sanchez of Al Sadd emphasized the significant importance of the upcoming match against Al Gharafa, scheduled for Thursday, in the marquee fixture of the third round of the Doha Bank Stars League.Speaking to the media ahead of their 2025-2026 season Doha Bank Stars League Week 3 match against Al Gharafa, Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said, "We expect a difficult match. Al Gharafa have started the season strongly, but we are confident of putting in a good performance on home turf and in front of our fans towards achieving a positive result."It's important for us to regain our balance after the first match. I think we performed well last week and showed improvement, and we want to continue building on that to compete at our best in front of our fans."It is important for us to win the last match before the FIFA international break. It's important to enter the break feeling positive. We certainly want to achieve another good result for the team."Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said, "Koeman's return to training will give the team greater options. The match will be exciting and difficult against the defending champions. We must focus defensively without compromising our style and identity. Calm and focus are our path to achieving our goals.""Your support makes the difference. We rely on you in difficult moments, and I trust your strong presence to support the players."

The draw for the unified group stage of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League will take place on Thursday, in Monaco, France.The same procedures as last season will be adopted, featuring a league phase comprising 36 teams in a single group.Twenty-seven teams have already secured their qualification for the competition based on their league standings, along with the winners of last season's Champions League and Europa League, and seven teams that advanced from the qualifiers.The teams have been divided into four pots based on their UEFA coefficients, starting with Pot 1.Each team will be drawn individually, and then eight opponents will be selected for them via UEFA's automated system.Pot 1 includes reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (France), Real Madrid (Spain), Manchester City (England), Bayern Munich (Germany), Liverpool (England), Inter Milan (Italy), Chelsea (England), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), and Barcelona (Spain).Pot 2 features Arsenal (England), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Atalanta (Italy), Villarreal (Spain), Juventus (Italy), Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany), and Club Brugge (Belgium).Pot 3 comprises Tottenham (England, Europa League winner), Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands), Napoli (Italy), Sporting CP (Portugal), Olympiacos (Greece), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), Bodo/Glimt (Norway), and Marseille (France).Pot 4 includes Monaco (France), Pafos FC (Cyprus), Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan), Galatasaray (Turkey), Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium), Athletic Bilbao (Spain), and Newcastle (England).The remaining four teams for the league phase will be determined later today through the second leg matches of the qualifying round.

Pole vault world record holder Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis will aim to win a fifth successive Diamond League title Wednesday in Zurich, the Swiss city hosting the circuit's finals just two weeks before the world championships in Tokyo."I have to be focused, I can't slack," said the US-born Swede, who has been in electric form, setting a 13th world record, of 6.29m, in Budapest earlier this month."High expectations are better than no expectations. It's a good problem, honestly," he said of the public's perception of the current state of the pole vault competition."It's bringing people to watch us, jumping high."Asked whether the 6.30m barrier could soon be breached, Duplantis played a straight bat."I try to maximise my days as much as I can. And if I feel like that on the day, it's a day that I have the possibliity to break the world record, I'll go after it."It would be amazing to do it here, it'd probably even more amazing to do it in Tokyo."It really is just a beautiful circus act that we do and I think we can entertain anyone anywhere in the world."Duplantis will compete in one of six field disciplines held at a street event on Zurich's Sechselautenplatz, directly in front of the city's iconic opera house.Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh will resume her rivalry with Australia's Nicola Olyslagers in the women's high jump while there is also the men's long jump, the women's pole vault, and the shot put for both male and female throwers."I'm ready to jump!" said Mahuchikh, the Ukrainian who set a world record of 2.10m last year."I started my season very well. The main thing now is to get in shape for Tokyo," she added in reference to the September 13-21 worlds in the Japanese capital."It's exciting, it's the main competition of the season. I'm going to Tokyo to protect my title."Lyles v TebogoThe remaining 26 Diamond League champions will be crowned in the course of a bumper programme at the Letzigrund Stadium tomorrow.The array of global stars on show includes the likes of Olympic 100m and 200m champions Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo.They face off in the men's 200m, with Botswana's Tebogo hunting a first ever Diamond League title and US sprinter Lyles looking to win the trophy for a record-breaking sixth time."With Weltklasse Zurich being the last race before the world championships, I am looking to run something special," said Lyles, who had to be happy with 200m bronze at the Paris Olympics in a race won by Tebogo.Olympic and Diamond League champion Julien Alfred also lines up in the women's 100m, while 800m star Emmanuel Wanyonyi and 400m hurdles ace Femke Bol will also be looking to defend their series titles.The majority of athletes have qualified for the Diamond League finals thanks to points accrued in the 14 meets to date, while a handful will compete in Zurich on global or national wildcards.There is, however, no place for Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men's 1,500m.The Norwegian, who has struggled with an achilles injury since winning double world indoor golds in Nanjing in March, was refused a wildcard because rules stipulate that he must have competed in at least one Diamond League meet during the outdoor season.He instead heads to a training camp in the Japanese city of Kyoto ahead of Tokyo to fine-tune preparation for a tilt at a 1,500-5,000m double.

The Qatar Stars League continues with preparations for the 2025-26 QSL Cup aligning with modern formats used in several continental and international tournaments. This is part of a development plan that includes raising technical standards, increasing the number of matches, enhancing competition and exposure, providing young players with the opportunity to gain experience, and developing competitions for Second Division teams. To clarify all details related to the tournament, the match system, and the levels, the organization held a meeting with the participating clubs (First Division and Second Division) on Monday. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Qatar Stars League: Ahmed Salman al-Adsani, Director of Competitions; Abdullah Saleh al-Sulaiti, Director of Media and Communications; Ahmed Abdullah al-Sayed, Head of Football Operations; and representatives from several clubs and media outlets. The meeting included the following: - An explanation of the tournament system and the draw mechanism. The participating teams (20 teams) will be divided into five levels, each containing four teams. The process of determining the five levels will be based on the final standings of the teams in the First Division and Second Division Leagues for the previous season (2024-2025). A draw will be conducted to determine the matchups. According to the tournament system, during the league stage, each team will play 10 matches over 10 weeks against teams of different levels (two matches from each of the five levels). The tournament will begin on September 1, 2025. A Technical Meeting for the tournament was also held, attended by representatives of the Foundation, the participating clubs, and the Referees Department of the Qatar Football Association. The new conditions and system were reviewed, and it was emphasized that the first and second-placed teams will qualify directly for the quarter-finals. Teams ranked third through fourteenth will also advance to the next stage, with six knock-out matches played, from which six teams will advance to the quarter-finals. The organizational procedures, guidelines for match-day operations, and confirmation of the home and away kits for each team were also discussed.

Manchester United remain without a Premier League win this season after being held 1-1 at Fulham Sunday, while a Jack Grealish-inspired Everton opened their new stadium with a 2-0 victory over Brighton.Ruben Amorim's United were left to rue Bruno Fernandes' wayward first-half penalty as they were pegged back at Craven Cottage.Rodrigo Muniz's own-goal put United in front on the hour mark, but Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to rescue a point for Fulham.Amorim is seeking an upturn on a disastrous 15th-placed finish last season, but so far his new £200mn ($270mn) forward line of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, who again started on the bench, is yet to fire.Despite an encouraging performance, United lost 1-0 to title-chasing Arsenal in their season opener last weekend and will feel another two points slipped away in west London.Fulham, though, felt the visitors got the better of two controversial calls.United's penalty was awarded after a VAR review for grappling by Calvin Bassey on Mason Mount.Fernandes is normally reliable from the spot, but blasted his effort high over the bar.When United did finally get their first goal of the season it came via a Fulham body as Muniz deflected Leny Yoro's header into his own net.However, the home side were furious that this time VAR did not intervene for a push by Yoro on Bassey.Fulham still managed to rescue a point when former Arsenal midfielder Smith Rowe's run into the box was not tracked and he turned in Alex Iwobi's cross 17 minutes from time.Everton's new eraAfter an emotional goodbye to Goodison Park, the club's home since 1892, Everton are hoping the move to a new 53,000 capacity stadium will rekindle their bygone glory days.Only four clubs have won more English top-flight titles than Everton's nine.However, they have not won a major trophy for 30 years and spent their final seasons at Goodison battling relegation."We're trying to find a way of moving the club on. I think this is a big step forward for Everton," said manager David Moyes.Grealish has so far been the marquee new addition to Moyes' squad and showed glimpses of the talent that saw Manchester City pay Aston Villa £100 million for him four years ago, providing the assist for both goals.Iliman Ndiaye scored the final goal at Goodison against Southampton in May and made more history with the first goal at Everton's new home.Grealish was the creator with a drilled left foot cross that Ndiaye timed his run perfectly to meet at the back post on 23 minutes.Brighton should not have come away from Merseyside empty-handed but wasted a series of chances.Kaoru Mitoma struck the bar and Jan Paul van Hecke's effort came back off the post, while Danny Welbeck spooned over with the goal gaping.James Garner doubled Everton's lead early in the second period with a blistering strike from Grealish's lay-off.Brighton still had the chance to set up a nervy finale, but Jordan Pickford saved Welbeck's poor penalty to round off a memorable afternoon for the Toffees.Nuno no goNottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo insisted he wants to remain in charge after his side's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.Callum Hudson-Odoi rescued a point for Forest after Ismaila Sarr's first-half opener for Palace.Nuno said on Friday his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis had deteriorated as odds on him being the first Premier League manager of the season to be sacked were slashed."That is nonsense. That does not make any kind of sense," said the Portuguese coach on whether he is trying to engineer an exit from the club.