Yaya Toure s absence from the Manchester City first team has nothing to do with a lack of fitness, according to the player s agent.

Toure was the only senior player of six out of contract at the Etihad Stadium at the end of last season to sign a new deal but the 34-year-old is yet to feature for Pep Guardiola s side this term.

Fabian Delph and academy prospect Phil Foden were preferred as midfield options on the bench for Saturday s 5-0 win over Liverpool and Toure was left out of the travelling party for Wednesday s Champions League Group F opener at Feyenoord.

Guardiola told a pre-match news conference that Toure knew why he was not involved but it is between him and me .

The former Barcelona midfielder was left out Guardiola s plans at the start of las…

Michael Keane has signed a new five-year contract with Everton.

The England centre-back, who has made 94 Premier League appearances since joining from Burnley in 2017, became a mainstay under Carlo Ancelotti last season.

The 27-year-old s form saw him rewarded with a recall by England boss Gareth Southgate last week ahead of September s Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.

I have loved my three years at Everton and am looking forward to seeing what the future holds, Keane told Evertontv.

I am learning every day on the training pitch with the manager and all his staff. They have been brilliant and really got across the way they want us to play. The manager is one of the best there has been.

| We’re delighted to confirm that has…

Chelsea s two-window transfer ban will not be delayed while their appeal is heard, FIFA has confirmed.

FIFA s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned Chelsea in relation to 29 cases where the Premier League club were found to have breached regulations relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

Chelsea immediately said they categorically refute FIFA s claims and signalled they would appeal against the decision.

Confirmation an appeal had been filed was made this week and FIFA signalled the ban preventing Chelsea from registering players for two windows will still stand while the appeal is heard.

We can confirm that the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee has rejected the application for provisional measures file…

According to L’Equipe, Edinson Cavani isn’t happy with his current situation at Paris Saint-Germain. The Uruguay international hasn’t had all too much playing time, and the general belief from Edinson is that the Brazilian clique at the club is a big reason for that.

Regardless of whether or not that’s true, losing Cavani could prove to be a big mistake for PSG – especially given that Mbappe and Neymar have also been heavily linked with moves away from the French champions. The 31 year old has had a phenomenal scoring record in the French capital since joining from Napoli in 2013, but it appears as if the club are more interested in their ‘shiny new toys’ so to speak.

If Cavani did decide to look elsewhere then there would undoubtedly be a parade of clubs …

The Netherlands will be aiming to win all three of their group matches for just the third time in European Championship history when they take on North Macedonia on Monday.

Having opened with a 3-2 triumph over Ukraine, Frank de Boer s side saw off Austria 2-0 in their second outing to make sure of their place in the last 16.

Indeed, the Oranje are already certain of finishing top of Group C no matter what the results in the final round of fixtures, though there are no plans to rest and rotate in great numbers.

The Netherlands won three from three in the round-robin stage at Euro 2000, when they went on to reach the last four before losing on penalties to Italy, and then again eight years later, a tournament that saw them knocked out in the quarter-finals by Rus…

Michael Emenalo has been appointed as Monaco s new sports director having left a similar position at Chelsea earlier this month.

The Nigerian spent 10 years at Stamford Bridge, working as technical director since 2011, playing a key role in the development of Chelsea s first team and academy.

During his time at Chelsea, the club won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, the EFL Cup, Europa League and Champions League, with Emenalo helping to shape those successful squads.

And Emenalo is excited by his new venture with the Ligue 1 champions.

This is a wonderful opportunity for me in a high-quality project, he told Monaco s official website.

AS Monaco has shown great progress for several seasons and I am convinced that the future will be jus…

Celta Vigo will not negotiate a sale for highly rated midfielder Gabri Veiga and instead insist on the triggering of his €40million release clause, according to club president Carlos Mourino.

Veiga has been one of the breakthrough stars of the 2022-23 LaLiga season, catching the eye with his exceptional ability on the ball and eye for goal.

The 20-year-old has scored nine in 27 league games this term at a rate of 0.49 goals every 90 minutes, which is the best frequency of any LaLiga midfielder (minimum 1,000 minutes played) and made all the more impressive by the fact none have come from the penalty spot.

While those nine strikes represent a significant over-performance in relation to his expected goals (xG), suggesting a degree of unsustainability, his 5.5 xG …

Everton have moved to alleviate their goalscoring problems by completing the signing of Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun on a four-and-a-half-year-deal.

The Toffees sold Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in a deal said to be worth £75million in the last transfer window and have struggled to fill the Belgian s void, scoring just 25 goals in 22 Premier League matches.

But manager Sam Allardyce s attacking options have been bolstered, with the club having agreed a reported £25million deal with Super Lig champions Besiktas for Tosun.

The deal was announced on Friday, during half-time of the Toffees FA Cup third-round clash with neighbours Liverpool at Anfield.

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— Everton (@Everton)

It feels great to be an Everton player,…

Competition: Premier League

Market: Manchester City to beat Burnley

Odds:

The Premier League returns this weekend for another huge round of fixtures. The matches in midweek saw a number of very surprising results, and this may once again be the case at the weekend as the world s most unpredictable and competitive league continues. With this in mind, league leaders Manchester City travel to face Burnley on Saturday.

Burnley have been very good this season, but they are currently on a run of form that has seen them stall slightly. After 25 games they have won nine, drawn eight and lost eight, while they have scored 20 times and conceded 22 goals. In their last five games they have lost three and drawn twice, which has seen them onto 35 points for…

The Dutch Football Association s (KNVB) Integrity Unit has confirmed there was an attempt to fix the outcome of the Eredivisie match between Willem II and Utrecht in 2009.

The KNVB investigation claims former Willem II defender and Sierra Leone international Ibrahim Kargbo had an agreement with convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal to influence the outcome of the top-flight encounter seven years ago.

The probe also revealed Kargbo and Perumal organised a testimonial between Willem II and Sierra Leone with the aim of manipulating the match for gambling reasons, and made arrangements to influence the outcome of further Sierra Leone matches.

Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant had also cast doubt over the games between Willem II and Feyenoord and Willem II and A…