Chelsea confirm signing of Higuain

Chelsea have signed Juventus striker  Gonzalo Higuain on loan for the rest of the season. The 31 year cut short his loan spell at the San Siro with AC Milan to move to England.

He scored just six goals in 15 appearances for Milan, the last of which was over a month ago.

Chelsea have an option of extending the loan spell to the entirety of the 2019/2020 season if they pay a fee of €18m according to a statement by Juventus. 

There is also an option for Chelsea to buy him out right if they pay a fee of €36m at the end of this season.

The Argentine international reunites with Maurizio Sarri whom he played under at Napoli, a combination that gave the former his best season as  player with 36 league goals four seasons ago.

Speaking of his move to Stamford Bridge to the club's website, the former Real Madrid striker said;

When the opportunity to join Chelsea presented itself I had to take it," 

"It's a team I've always liked that has a lot of history, a wonderful stadium and they play in the Premier League, a league I've always wanted to play in.

"I now hope I can give back that trust Chelsea have shown me out on the pitch. I can't wait to start and I hope to adapt as soon as possible."

The future of Alvaro Morata is now expected to be clarified in the last week of the transfer window, with the striker to set to be sold or loaned out for the reminder of the season.

Mario Balotelli joins Marseille from Nice

Italian international Mario Balotelli has joined Marseille on a six month deal after he was released from his Nice contract.

The 28 year old was unveiled on Wednesday after he passed his medical.

In his time at Nice, he plundered 43 goals in 76 appearances in all competitions.

He had become an outcast in football terms, despite playing for some of the top clubs in Europe, including the two Milan clubs, winning the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, and playing a pivotal role for Italy as they got to the final of Euro 2012. Manchester City and Liverpool are some of the club's he has featured for.

He has been able to rebuilt his reputation as good scorer in France initially under the guidance of Lucien Favre, who is now manager at Borussia Dortmund. But Nice manager Patrick Vieira has decided to dispense of him after both had a row in December.

Barca confirm signing of £65m Ajax midfielder

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Ajax and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong for a fee of £65m with the deal set to be completed in the summer when he joins the Catalan side.

The 21 year old has signed a five year contract for an initial £65m, with the fee expected to rise by another £9.5m in add-ons.

Besides being a midfielder, he can also play in defence. He was linked to other top European clubs such as Manchester City, PSG and Juventus. 

The La liga leaders have moved quickly to secure his signature to further cement its long association with Dutch footballers.

Since joining Ajax from Willen II in 2015, he has gone on to make 65 appearances for the Dutch giant in all competitions.

Standing at 5ft 11in, he has won five caps for the Netherlands.

Dele Alli adds to Spurs injury woes

Spurs midfielder Dele Alli has been ruled out until March after scans confirmed he had suffered a significant hamstring injury. 
He limped off in the win against Fulham on Sunday.

His injury compound an already desperate situation for Spurs after previous ankle injury to key striker Harry Kane.

It means the club's two main attacking forward are now out until at least March. While Son Heung Min remain with South Korea at the Asia Cup.

It means since the first semi final against Chelsea in the EFL Cup two weeks ago, Spurs have lost their two most important forward to injuries.

In a statement, the club confirmed the severity of the injury.

Following scans and clinical assessment, we can confirm that Dele Alli has suffered a hamstring strain, sustained during Sunday's match.

"Dele will now undergo a period of rehabilitation with our medical staff, with the expectation of returning to training in early March."

Reacting to hid injury, the England international tweeted this: "Gutted. I will do everything in my power to return as quick as possible. Thank you for all the messages."

Mikel Obi set for return to England after Boro medical

Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi is set for a return to England according to reports on Tuesday that he had a medical at the Riverside stadium with Championship side Middleborough.

The 31 year old two year contract at Chinese Super League side expired in December and both sides decided to part ways.

When confirmed, he is expected to add his technical qualities to a side that his built in the image of their manager for being obdurate.

Tony Pulis' side lie in the play-off places in fifth in the England second tier six points off the automatic promotion position.

It remains to be seen whether his return to England would serve as a catalyst for a return to the Super Eagles after he was left out of the entire squads that featured in the Afcon qualifiers since the World Cup in Russia.

Bendel Insurance set for first top flight home game in 12 years

League: NPFL Group AMatch: Bendel Insurance v Kwara United
Venue: Uniben Sports Complex, Benin City.
Time: 4pm

Bendel Insurance are set to play their first home game in the Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL in 12 years when they file out against Kwara United at the University of Benin Sports Complex on Wednesday.

The Benin Arsenal opened their campaign with a hard fought 1-1 draw against Remo Stars in Ijebu Ode last Sunday, after veteran striker Charles Omokaro added to the two goals he scored in the NNL play-offs by opening the club's account for the season.

Kwara United were the winners in a five goal thriller on Sunday against Enyimba in Ilorin as they came from behind twice to secure the three points.

Bendel Insurance traditional home ground the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is undergoing reconstruction so, their home matches will be played at the Uniben Sports Complex.

Hector Bellerin out till next season with ACL injury

Hector Bellerin has become the third long term injury victim at Arsenal this season after the club confirmed that he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee. 

He is now expected to be out for at least nine months, and would not be back until next season. 
His injury adds to the defensive injuries that has been a feature of the club's season, with Rob Holding also a victim of an ACL injury a couple of months back.

Hector Bellerin had gone down in the 72nd minute crutching his left knee in Saturday's win over Chelsea, before he was carried off on a stretcher.

The club confirmed the fears of Unai Emery in a statement on Tuesday.

"Further to the injury sustained during our match against Chelsea on Saturday, we can confirm that Hector has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee," 

"Hector will undergo surgery to repair this in the coming days. The rehabilitation process is expected to take between six to nine months and therefore rules Hector out of action for the remainder of this season.

"Everyone at the club will now be working as hard as we can to ensure Hector is back on the pitch as soon as possible next season."

Prior to the injury, Bellerin has featured 19 times in the Premier League this season, 18 of which have come as starts.

In his absence, Maitland-Niles is now expected to feature more in the coming months, as veteran right back Stephan Lichtsteiner has struggled to adapt to the pace of the league.