Petrov joins Villa for pre-season camp

Torino have completed the signing of Afriyie Acquah on a four-year deal, with the Ghana international ending his fruitless two-year stay at Hoffenheim.

The 23-year-old midfielder moved to Hoffenheim from Palermo in 2013 but never featured for the Bundesliga side, instead returning to Italy for a second loan spell at Parma as well as a stint at Sampdoria.

While Acquah had two years left to run on his deal at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Torino have moved to sign the Ghanaian until 2019.

Acquah s form for Parma in recent seasons saw him named in Ghana s squads for the 2014 World Cup as well as the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

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Fabinho nears Manchester City move

Monaco full-back Fabinho is reportedly set to join Premier League giants Manchester City, .

The Citizens aim to recruit the Brazilian defender as a long-term successor to Pablo Zabaleta and they are believed to be in advanced talks with the player s employers.

Everything suggests that the deal taking Fabinho to the Etihad will be finalised next week, with Monaco set to earn a substantial fee in the process.

The Principality club finally purchased the defender s contract in May after he had spent two years on loan at Stade Louis II.

Fabinho largely impressed ever since he joined the club from Rio Ave and was at times used as a holding midfielder in addition to playing at right-back.

The 21-year-old, who …

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has offered his services to hometown club Everton as he looks to secure a move away from Loftus Road, according to the Mirror.

The boyhood Toffees fan is so keen to secure a move to Goodison Park that he has offered to take a fifty per cent pay cut on his £70,000 per week wages.

Barton is currently with Harry Redknapp’s side having spent a year on loan with Ligue 1 side Marsielle, and could feature in the Hoops opening game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

However, the 30 year old has made contact with Everton manager Roberto Martinez to see if he would be willing to sign him.

The controversial player was linked with a move to the Blue half of Merseyside on a number of oc…

Arsenal are considering a January bid for Spartak Moscow midfielder Romulo, Russian media outlet .

It is no secret the Gunners are on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder and they look set to rekindle the interest in their long-term target.

According to Izvestia, Arsenal are ready to offer €12 million for the Brazilian, as well as send one of their hot prospects on a season-long loan to Spartak.

And while the Russian side are not looking to sell the player who is slowly returning to form after a serious knee injury, it is believed that they would accept proposals in the region of €16 million, which is double the amount that they paid for him back in July 2012.

Having been plagued with numerous injuries since arriving in Moscow, Romulo only mana…

Liverpool have finally sealed the signing of forward Christian Benteke from Aston Villa after a lengthy pursuit of the Belgium international.

The 24-year-old has agreed a long-term contract at Anfield after impressing with Villa, where he scored 49 goals in 101 appearances.

It is thought Benteke s release clause was £32.5 million, which would make him the second most expensive player in Liverpool s history after Andy Carroll.

I came here to win trophies, Benteke told the club s official website.  I came here to reach some great goals with the team.

I m very happy to be part of the Liverpool family now and I will do everything to make them happy and work hard for them and my team-mates.

It is the latest transfer in a busy window for manager …

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Looking to build on what has been a real purple patch, Manchester City will welcome Crystal Palace to an empty Etihad on Sunday night.

Manchester City

Starting with the hosts, managing to come past what was a resilient Brighton side earlier in the week, the mood in Manchester City s camp should be at a real high. Securing a 1-0 win against the Seagulls on home soil and still holding a game in hand over both Liverpool and Manchester United, Pep Guardiola s side have played themselves into the title chase. Skyrocketing their way up the table and also managing to secure their spot in the final of this year s EFL Cup, Pep Guardiola s men find themselves enjoying a seven-match winning run across all formats. In fact, not tasting defeat sinc…

Paul Pogba can make the difference for Manchester United and help them win the Premier League title this season, according to club legend Wayne Rooney.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s side overcame an early deficit to defeat Fulham 2-1 on Wednesday, a result that moved them back to the top of the table. 

While Manchester City and Leicester City are just two points adrift – and defending champions Liverpool are six back with a game in hand  Rooney feels his former side have the strength in depth to last the distance. 

United s all-time leading scorer pointed to Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani helping to add a winning mentality to the squad, though Rooney feels Pogba is key to their hopes of success.

Over the last few years Man United haven t been r…

Ecuador have won the opening match of the 2009 South American Under-20 Championships, beating Peru 2-1 thanks to two first half goals from Joao Rojas.

Rojas, who plays his club football for Technico Universitation, first headed home in the fourth minute and added another to double the lead in the 21st.

Peru forward Juan Barros converted a penalty kick in the 27th minute to give Peru new hope.

In the second half, Peru did manage to create more chances than in the first but Ecuador keeper Manuel Mendoza, who celebrated his 20th birthday, made several good saves to defend his side s lead.

As a result, Ecuador now lead in Group A, which also consists of Argentina, hosts Venezuela and Colombia.

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Robinho’s future with Manchester City remains uncertain with the player attracting interest from Barcelona.

The Brazilian forward has been linked on a number of occasions with a move to Barcelona, and the player himself has hinted at his desire to play for the Catalans at some point in the future.

Manchester City and Barcelona officials will reportedly meet in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to resume talks about Robinho s move to the Nou Camp.

The European champions want to take the Brazil international to the Nou Camp in the January window and will put three options on the table.

The first is a six-month loan, including a small fee and Barca paying his £160,000 a week wages, with the option of permanent deal with Barca next July.

The second i…

​Paris Saint-Germain surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 versus Bastia and miss the chance to move level with Ligue 1 leaders Marseille.

Julian Palmieri s outstanding volley from the edge of the penalty area – his first goal since November 2012 – gave Bastia the lead for the first time in the second half, before he added a second in the final minute as they climbed out of the bottom three. 

The first-half goal flurry began early as Lucas Moura and Adrien Rabiot both took advantage of slack Bastia defending to put the visitors two goals ahead.

Any hopes of a routine triumph were thwarted by two lapses in concentration as Ryad Boudebouz converted a penalty after Gregory van der Wiel had handled, and Francois Modesto headed home a late corner.

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