Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Dutch teenager Sepp van dan Berg from PEC Zwolle.
The 17-year-old defender will become the Premier League club s first signing of the transfer window pending international clearance.
Liverpool did not disclose the fee involved although it is reported to be an initial £1.3million and stated only that Van den Berg had signed a long-term contract.
Van den Berg became Zwolle s youngest ever player when he debuted aged 16 in March 2018 and went on to make 22 appearances in the Eredivisie.
It s just an amazing feeling, Van den Berg told his new club s website.
It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it s a dream come true. I am really excited.
I ve seen what kind of players from the academy…
Jordi Cruyff seems to be a key part of Victor Font s masterplan for Barcelona, yet the Dutch coach insists he is committed to Shenzhen FC.
Cruyff – son of Barca legend Johan – played for the Blaugrana in the 1990s.
The 46-year-old is currently in charge of Chinese Super League side Shenzhen, having been appointed in August.
However, Font, who is one of the leading candidates for the Barca presidency, which was vacated by Josep Maria Bartomeu in October, wants Cruyff to return to the club as part of a revamped leadership team.
A hypothetical organisation chart released by Font has Cruyff installed as sporting director.
Former Barca great Xavi, who currently coaches Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd, would operate above Cruyff in the hierarchy,…
Josh King and Callum Wilson spoiled Burnley s European qualification party with second-half goals to help Bournemouth earn a 2-1 win at Turf Moor on the final day of the Premier League season.
The Clarets were already guaranteed a seventh-place finish before Sunday s game – their highest top-flight position since the 1973-74 campaign, when they placed sixth.
It looked like they would end 2017-18 with a return to winning ways after four matches without a victory, before King levelled with a fine strike and Wilson netted the winner in injury time.
Chris Wood had given Sean Dyche s side a first-half lead, inadvertently diverting Ashley Westwood s goal-bound effort past Asmir Begovic in the 39th minute.
Jeff Hendrick squandered a good opportunity to put the…
Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe believes new coach Thomas Tuchel shares the club s attacking mentality.
Tuchel was appointed to replace the outgoing Unai Emery on Monday, having been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund in May 2017.
Emery led PSG to a domestic treble this season but did not have his two-year contract extended at Parc des Princes.
And Mbappe believes Tuchel is well-suited to his new job and is looking forward to getting started under the German.
I faced him with Monaco [in the Champions League in 2016-17], he told Le Parisien. His teams are used to playing [with offensive style] and at PSG, we also have players who like to play, so it s a good basis to start.
This is a new chapter in the book of Paris Saint-…
Hull City s owners – Assem and Ehab Allam have failed in his latest attempt to change the club s name to Hull Tigers after the Football Association rejected their request.
Chairman Assem Allam has been trying to change the club s name for the past two years to incorporate Tigers the club s nickname into their official moniker, a move that has caused ructions within the club s support.
A first application in December 2013 was rejected five months later, but a second bid for the coming season was submitted after an independent tribunal found fault in that initial process.
However, the FA has once again rejected the Allams application, confirming their decision in a statement released on Saturday.
It read: The FA Council has rejected Hull City’s applicat…
Stefan de Vrij insisted Inter are not thinking about ongoing speculation over Mauro Icardi s future with the Serie A club.
Icardi is set to leave after being told he can depart Inter, with the former captain not wanted by new head coach Antonio Conte.
The 26-year-old star endured a turbulent 2018-19 campaign after he was stripped of the captaincy amid conflicting views of an apparent knee injury and internal disagreements with the club s hierarchy.
Icardi continues to dominate headlines, with the Argentina international reportedly prepared to see out the final two years of his contract but Inter defender De Vrij told Sportitalia: The Icardi issue doesn t concern us. We re only thinking about what we have to do.
De Vrij was speaking after Inter opened th…
Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to play with arrogance as he believes his club is the biggest in the Premier League.
Former Arsenal captain Arteta is preparing to lead the Gunners out for the first time as head coach at Emirates Stadium against Chelsea on Sunday, having started his tenure with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth in midweek.
The Spaniard is quickly seeking for a solution to arrest the side s dismal run of form, which has left them 12th in the Premier League following Saturday s matches.
Arteta acknowledges there has been a lack of belief in the team of late a crisis he does not expect Arsenal to suffer from with 13 top-flight titles and a record 13 FA Cup triumphs to their name.
There are some non-negotiables. The demands we put on the team, the comm…
Manchester United’s key midfielder Paul Scholes is likely to make his return to the centre of United’s defence after having had to sit out for two months with a knee injury.
The thirty four year old Scholes jarred his knee badly in his side s Champions League clash against Aalborg BK in late September.
He has been back on the training ground for two weeks and could be in the line-up come kick off time against Blackburn Rovers in tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final at ld Trafford.
It was initially forecast that Scholes would only be ready for action at the beginning of 2009.
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Arsene Wenger may still talk up his Arsenal side s title prospects but the manager knows the FA Cup third round tie with Plymouth Argyle is almost as important for the Gunners as the Premier League.
Wenger brought the curtain down on a miserable year by confidently declaring his current side to be on the verge of greatness.
That may look wildly optimistic after a year that began badly with the horrific leg-break suffered by Eduardo da Silva and was later marred by the extraordinary in-fighting that led to William Gallas being stripped of the captaincy and further long-term injuries to Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas.
With Matthieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb and Gilberto Silva all having left in the pre-season without being adequately replaced, it seems as if Arse…
Luis Fernandez has backed fellow former France international Zinedine Zidane to take over at Real Madrid after Rafael Benitez s tenure as coach comes to an end.
Benitez was appointed as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti in June following two seasons at Serie A side Napoli.
Ancelotti s dismissal in May came a year after he guided Real to an historic 10th UEFA Champions League title.
Spanish-born Fernandez, who enjoyed managerial stints at Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol and Real Betis and is currently in charge Guinea s national side, was disappointed by the decision to part company with Ancelotti but feels Real are preparing to eventually hand the reins to Zidane.
Zidane spent five seasons at Real as a player – winning La Liga and famously scoring the dec…