Lyon have completed the permanent signing of Karl Toko Ekambi from Villarreal for an initial fee of €11.5million.

The striker signed on loan with an option to buy in January and scored two goals in eight Ligue 1 appearances, also providing an assist.

Lyon have taken up the option to sign the 27-year-old permanently for a fee that could rise to €15.5m and includes a 15 per cent sell-on clause, which stands at 50 per cent if any such sale happens before September 15 this year.

The Cameroon international, who will be eligible to face Juventus in the Champions League last-16 second leg if the competition resumes, has signed a four-year contract with OL.

The permanent arrival of Karl Toko Ekambi confirms Olympique Lyonnais ambition to give ourselves the m…

Verdict: Over 3.5 goals scored yes

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Benfica currently sit at the top of the standings, and they are looking to take another step towards the title. They will visit Portimonense on Wednesday, a struggling side that currently sits in relegation zone with nine left games in the schedule. Kick-off for this match has been scheduled for Wednesday at 19:15 GMT.

Portimonense

Portimonense are coming off a 1-0 home win over Gil Vicente the last time out. That result should boost the team s confidence ahead of this fixture, but their recent performances have been less than inspiring. The home side enter this matchup having won just one of their last five contests (W1, D2, L2). To make things even more complicated, they also boast a W1, D3, …

Defending champions Pohang Steelers put their AFC Champions League challenge back on track Wednesday with a narrow 2-1 victory, but Japanese powerhouse Gamba Osaka were held 1-1 at home.

South Korea s Pohang regained their winning touch after a surprise loss to Adelaide United last week, with a dramatic last few minutes against Japan s Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Steelyard.

Pohang looked comfortable after skipper Hwang Jae-Won put them in front with a powerful header on 54 minutes but Sanfrecce defender Tomoaki Makino was brought down in the box with just one minute left.

Bulgarian defender Ilian Stoyanov stepped up to convert the penalty but Sanfrecce lost concentration and Pohang struck back in injury time when Brazilian forward Almir prodded home a rebound fro…

Everton manager David Moyes has dismissed reports that he is set to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as boss of Manchester United.

It was claimed this week that Ferguson has told the Old Trafford board that he wants Moyes to replace him at the end of next season, when it is believed the United chief will finally retire after 25 years in charge.

Moyes has an impressive record during his eight-year spell at Everton, leading the club to a top four finish in the Premier League in 2005 as well as reaching the 2009 FA Cup final.

But the Scot has moved to play down his chances of taking over from Ferguson at United.

It was Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane being mentioned not long ago, Moyes told the Daily Record.

When my players are linked with clubs i…

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo expects Antoine Griezmann to stay at the club for a long time despite speculation over a move to Manchester United.

The France international has long been linked with a possible transfer to Old Trafford and a report in England this week claimed talks with the player have reached an advanced stage.

United are said to be willing to meet Griezmann s €100million release clause and head coach Diego Simeone has stated he will not force any player into staying with Atletico.

But Cerezo claims he is unsure of any prospective offer from Jose Mourinho s side and is adamant Griezmann will not be sold.

I don t know what the interest from Manchester [United] will be, he told television show Minuto #0.

I can say that…

Bojan Krkic has joined Mainz on loan from Stoke City until the end of the season.

The capture of the former Barcelona forward was considered to be a major coup when he arrived at the Potters in 2014 and he scored four goals in 16 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign before a serious knee injury curtailed his season.

Bojan returned to action and played 27 times in the top flight last term, but the 26-year-old has found his game time limited this season, making just nine Premier League appearances, four of them as a substitute. 

He moves to the Opel Arena to find Mainz, who face Borussia Dortmund at home on Sunday, 11th in the Bundesliga table.

Das ist die neue Nummer 10 von !

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17:00 SPAL vs Fiorentina 

Gaining a long list of admirers from across Italy after their return from football s enforced break, Fiorentina have managed to sneak themselves back into the top-half of the Serie A standings. Putting on what was a rampant display in midweek and helped by a Federico Chiesa hat-trick on Wednesday night, the Purples marched to a rampant 4-0 win against Bologna on home soil. While they might have once again missed out on a chance to secure a European return this season, Head Coach Giuseppe Iachini has certainly turned around Fiorentina s issues after a woeful campaign last year. Really bouncing back from their 2-1 defeat away at a high-flying Roma last weekend, Sunday s guests have lost just one of their last eight Serie A appearances and have collected …

Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich came from behind to claim a 3-2 win over Olympiacos in Champions League Group B on Tuesday.

Bayern have taken one point from their past two Bundesliga matches but made it three wins from three in Europe thanks to Lewandowski s predatory instincts after Youssef El-Arabi put Olympiacos in front.

The Poland international equalised before the break and poached another just after the hour-mark taking his tally for the season to 18 before Corentin Tolisso grabbed the pick of the goals with a spectacular curling effort.

Guilherme s deflected strike reduced the deficit 11 minutes from time, setting up a tense finale, but Manuel Neuer and Bayern held on to take another stride towards the last 16.

Back in the goals w…

Inter Milan have signed young centre-back Andrea Ranocchia from Genoa for an undisclosed fee, the club said Wednesday.

Ranocchia, who signed a five-year contract with Inter, joins the reigning European champions in a co-ownership deal that will see him stay at Genoa on loan for the coming season.

The 22-year-old, who has represented Italy at under-21 level, spent the last two seasons on loan at Bari having began his career in Serie B with Arezzo.

He has yet to play for Genoa since signing for them in 2008.

As part of the deal, Inter have also sent promising young forward Mattia Destro on loan to Genoa for next season.

Destro was top scorer for Inter s under-19 team last season, finding the net 18 times.

Although champions of Italy and Eur…

Former Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has been appointed as the new manager of Sweden.

The Dane succeeds Janne Andersson, who stepped down following the team’s failure to qualify for Euro 2024, and becomes Sweden’s first foreign manager.

Tomasson has signed a contract which covers the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup and will be automatically extended if Sweden advance.

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