Premier League
Manchester City re-sign former captain Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan is back with Manchester City after the Premier League champions resigned their former captain on Friday on a one-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months.
The 33-year-old German left City for Barcelona in 2023 on a free transfer after leading Pep Guardiola’s team to the treble.
Gundogan could be available for Saturday’s match against Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium.
“My seven years at Manchester City were a time of pure contentment for me, both on and off the pitch,” Gundogan said.
“I grew as a person and a player, developed a special relationship with the City fans and enjoyed amazing success. It was an exceptional period in my life. To have the opportunity to
return here means so much.”
Gundogan returns after winning 14 major trophies with City, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Although he had been under contract at Barcelona for two more years, he was told the club would not stand in his way if he wanted to leave.
“After just one year it’s already time to say goodbye,” Gundogan said in a social media post.
“I came here to face a new, exciting challenge, and I was ready for it. I have given everything to fight for the team and the club the best possible way in a difficult season.
“Now I am leaving in a difficult situation, but if my departure can help the club financially, it makes me a bit less sad.”
Gundogan made 51 appearances last season, helping Barca to a second-place finish in La Liga.
His return is welcome for City side who sold Argentina forward Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid and are without winger Oscar Bobb for up to four months after the Norwegian broke his leg in training.
Gundogan joined City from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 as Guardiola’s first signing of his managerial tenure.
“Everyone knows the respect I have for Pep — he is the best manager in the world and working with him every day makes you a better player,” Gundogan said. “You feel constantly challenged, which for any professional is exactly what you want. I cannot wait to work with him again.
“Honestly, I cannot wait to wear the City shirt again.”
Gundogan scored 60 goals in 304 appearances for Guardiola’s side, netting twice in City’s 2-1 win over Manchester United in the 2023 FA Cup final, including the quickest in final history, inside 13 seconds.
Gundogan recently announced his retirement from international soccer after 82 appearances, captaining Germany at Euro 2024.
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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