Angel Di Maria join Manchester United tour

Angel Di Maria is expected to join Manchester United on their tour of the USA on Saturday despite speculation about a move to Paris St-Germain.

Reports suggested the French Ligue 1 champions were ready to announce Di Maria's £45m signing this weekend.

But the Argentina winger has told boss Louis van Gaal he will return with the other players who have had extended breaks because of international duty.

"I expect him tomorrow," said Van Gaal in San Jose on Friday.

"We have communicated on that. Di Maria, Marcos Rojo and Javier Hernandez have responded."

After wins over Club America and San Jose Earthquakes, United face Spanish champions Barcelona on Saturday (21:00 BST), before completing their tour with a game against PSG on Wednesday, 29 July.

Manchester United US pre-season tour
Opposition	Date	Venue
1-0 v Club America	Friday, 17 July	Century Link Field, Seattle
3-1 v San Jose Earthquakes	Tuesday, 21 July	Avaya Stadium, San Jose
v Barcelona	Saturday, 25 July	Santa Clara
v Paris St-Germain	Wednesday, 29 July	Soldier Field, Chicago

Di Maria, who arrived at Old Trafford for £59.7m from Real Madrid last summer, will not be at the Barcelona game in Santa Clara, although his absence was always planned.

The United manager was speaking alongside captain Wayne Rooney at a news conference at the Avaya Stadium to preview the game against the La Liga champions, which will attract a crowd of over 60,000.

The Dutchman, 63, confirmed goalkeeper David De Gea, a Real Madrid target, would play after missing the first two tour games through injury, but new signing Bastian Schweinsteiger will not.

Van Gaal on transfer stories

"I never answer the question because I cannot. I want to but it is not good for Manchester United, for the players and for me.

"Every word is one word too much. I have read a lot of interesting players that Manchester United could buy. It is not true with every player but I cannot say that."

Rooney talks trophies and transfers

"The players we have brought in are experienced and successful.

"I am sure they will add a lot to the team. I can try to help them learn about the history of the club and what is expected to be at this club and be successful. But it is down to the players to prove themselves and create their own history.

"A lot of work has been put by the manager and the backroom staff on the personalities of the players before they came in. From what I have seen, they will be great signings."

Rooney has won five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy during his time at Old Trafford.

Rooney on facing Barcelona

"They have been probably the best team in Europe over the last few years.

"It is down to us to prove we are as good as them. Tomorrow will show us where we are. At the beginning of last season the manager told us it would take a while to adapt to the changes. As a group of players we didn't think it would but obviously it did.

"From Christmas, I felt we understood exactly what the manager wanted from us and did well, particularly in the big games. It was the games we expected to win where we disappointed ourselves."

Bayern Munich agree Arturo Vidal deal while Thomas Muller is priceless

Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and say "priceless" forward Thomas Muller will not be sold this summer.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed they have received offers for Muller, 25, who was reported to be a target for Manchester United. 

He added: "There are some players who don't have any price tag. We would be out of our minds to sell Muller."

Vidal, 28, has agreed terms with Bayern and will have a medical this weekend.

The German champions will pay a reported £26m for the player, who is on holiday after helping Chile win the Copa America last month.

Arturo Vidal he

Bayern have already signed midfielder Douglas Costa from Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart goalkeeper Sven Ulreich and former Stuttgart midfielder Joshua Kimmich this summer.

Long-serving midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been their highest-profile departure - the 30-year-old having joined Manchester United.

Rummenigge, speaking on Bayern's pre-season tour of China, also said no talks are planned to discuss a contract extension for coach Pep Guardiola.

The former Barcelona boss, who has been linked with a future move to Manchester City, reaches the end of his deal next summer.

Rummenigge said: "I can't currently think of any reason why Pep would leave us. Maybe we'll just meet for an espresso and clear everything.

"But if Pep doesn't want to stay, our world would not fall apart."

Guardiola, 44, has led Bayern to the domestic title in his first two years in Germany but not beyond the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho admits it may take huge fee to land John Stones

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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho admits it may take a huge fee from to land Everton defender John Stones.

The Premier League champions had a bid reported to be in the region of £20million rebuffed by the Toffees last week, with manager Roberto Martinez criticising the Blues for the way they handled their approach.

Unperturbed, Chelsea are expected to up their offer for the 21-year-old - who they view as a long-term successor to John Terry - but Mourinho knows Everton will not let him go without a fight.

"That is the market now," Mourinho has told several national newspapers.

"You only pay it if you want to. If you don't want to pay it, don't pay. It's as simple as that.

"The market has no rules or limits from season to season."

After the summer departures of Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz, Everton's defensive numbers are already on the light side and Martinez has insisted he is not interested in selling any of his stars.

But Mourinho, who has risked further upsetting the Merseysiders with a "smaller club" comment, is determined to test that resolve.

"It's a good market. That's why smaller clubs, if they have interesting young English players, they use that in the right way for them," he said.

"I don't criticise them. They play the market for themselves. If the big clubs don't want to go over certain limits, they have to make a decision."

PSG offers £45m for Angel Di Maria

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Paris Saint-Germain have made a formal offer of £45m plus bonuses for Manchester United's Angel Di Maria, according to reports in France.

The Argentine looks as though he could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer after an indifferent first season.

United shelled out a British record transfer fee of £59.7m for the Real Madrid winger last summer but he has failed to hit the heights expected of him.

And, according to RMC, PSG have now made an opening bid of £45m plus bonuses for Di Maria in an attempt to lure him to Paris.

Untied's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has flown home to address the matter and an outcome is expected soon.

PSG are ready to offer Di Maria a four-year deal worth £134,000-a-week to join, although the 27-year-old is hoping for around £30,000 more than that.

Brendan Rodgers: Mario Balotelli's Liverpool future up to him

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli's future at Anfield is in his own hands, says Reds manager Brendan Rodgers.

The 24-year-old Italy international is not part of Liverpool's pre-season tour and Rodgers offered no guarantees he will remain at the club.

"I'm not sure, that will entirely be up to Mario," said the Northern Irishman.

Balotelli signed from AC Milan last summer for £16m but has scored just four times for the Reds, who are set to sign Aston Villa's Christian Benteke.

With Liverpool building their pre-season around friendlies in Thailand, Australia and Malaysia, Italy international Balotelli has been training on Merseyside, alongside Jose Enrique and Fabio Borini, who both appear surplus to requirements.

M

Rodgers, who has signed six new players this summer, added: "Mario is obviously not on tour but working hard and training well with a number of other players at Melwood.

"He is working hard to get fit and we will see when the season begins."

Former Manchester City forward Balotelli scored only once in the Premier League last season in a troubled campaign.

In December, Balotelli apologised for a social media posting which appeared to contain anti-Semitic and racist references and which earned him a one-match ban from the Football Association.

The following month, Rodgers revealed the player had not been good enough in training to regain his place in the side.

And in February, former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard accused Balotelli of showing disrespect to acting skipper Jordan Henderson when he took the winning penalty in a Europa League tie against Besiktas.

Balotelli has made just five Premier League appearances for Liverpool in 2015.

Louis van Gaal criticises Bastian Schweinsteiger

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has criticised Bastian Schweinsteiger’s performance during the Red Devils’ 3-1 victory over San Jose Earthquakes.

The midfielder, a new arrival from Bayern Munich, played the second half in the US with the club already 2-1 ahead.

Andreas Pereira added a third in the second half but the Dutchman was not happy with his side's showing after the break in the friendly.

"The first half, I was satisfied," said Van Gaal, who made 10 changes at half-time.

"But the second half I think we played very badly. A lot of unnecessary ball losses. The only highlight was the goal from Pereira."

And midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was singled out for criticism.

"He was also bad," Van Gaal said of the £15million signing.

"The one highlight was Pereira."

Newcastle United sign Aleksandar Mitrovic

Newcastle have signed Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic for £13m - subject to a work permit.

The Serbia international, 20, has signed a five-year deal with Steve McClaren's side.

He becomes United's second summer signing following the £14.5m arrival of PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

"This is a club with a very big history and the fans are a big part of that. There will be pressure here, for sure, but I like pressure," said Mitrovic.

"I also know about the famous players who have played for Newcastle United, like Alan Shearer, who is a hero of mine. I hope I can play like him for this club. It will be an honour."

Mitrovic scored 36 league goals in his two years in Belgium, including 20 last season to be the league's top scorer.

He cost the Belgian club £4.3m when they signed him from Partizan Belgrade two years ago.

Mitrovic, who was also a reported target for Chelsea, scored an injury-time equaliser in the Champions League against Arsenal last season.

"He's moved from Partizan Belgrade to Anderlecht, he has had to adapt to a new league, and will do so again," McClaren told BBC Newcastle.

"He's got experience of Belgian football, experience of the Champions League and international football, just breaking into the scene.

"We just want to get the boy training and in our team."

Louis van Gaal confirms Manchester United will sign a new striker

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed the club are in the process of recruiting a new striker.

Senior sources at the Red Devils were insistent last week the Premier League side were not after a new front man, but after United's 1-0 win over Club America at the weekend Van Gaal hinted a "surprise" signing might be in store.

And on the eve of United's second tour match in California against the San Jose Earthquakes, the United boss again dropped a cryptic clue which suggested a forward could be coming to Old Trafford.

"He is in the process," Van Gaal said bluntly when asked about his "surprise" signing.

When asked whether United were close to signing the striker in question, Van Gaal said: "No. It is not a striker that the media has written, but you have to wait and see.

"The transfer period is open until September 1. You have to wait."

United have been linked with a number of forwards in the last few weeks, including Paris St Germain's Edinson Cavani, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.

A German newspaper claimed United had bid £70million for Lewandowski's team-mate Thomas Muller on Monday, but sources at Old Trafford denied an offer had been tabled.

Chelsea defender Filipe Luis set for £15m return to Atletico Madrid

Chelsea have agreed to sell defender Filipe Luis back to Atletico Madrid, according to Sky Sports.

The Blues have reportedly recouped £15m of the £15.8m they paid the La Liga side for the Brazilian left-back last summer.

Luis struggled to make an impression at Stamford Bridge last season, making just 26 appearances as Cesar Azpilicueta’s consistent performances kept him out of the side.

And it appears Blues boss Jose Mourinho has decided to cut his losses, with Luis ignoring reported interest from Inter Milan to return to the side he won the La Liga title with in 2014.

The agreement is the latest in a number of deals to go through between the two clubs, after Luis, Diego Costa and on-loan Thibaut Courtois moved to west London last summer.

Luis's departure is expected to see Chelsea step up their interests in Augsburg defender Abdul Baba Rahman, who is also being monitored closely by Roma.

Zach Johnson win the Open

Final leaderboard
-15 Z Johnson (US) (Won after four-hole play-off), M Leishman (Aus), L Oosthuizen (SA); -14 J Spieth (US), J Day (Aus); -11 D Willett (Eng), J Rose (Eng), S Garcia (Spa), J Niebrugge (US) (a); -10 B Koepka (US), A Scott (Aus)
Selected others: -9 L Donald (Eng), M Kaymer (Ger), A Chesters (Eng) (a);-7 P Mickelson (US); -5 P Lawrie (Sco); -4 D Johnson (US). Full leaderboard

American Zach Johnson claimed his second major title with victory in a three-man play-off on a thrilling final day in the 144th Open Championship.

The 2007 Masters winner finished a shot ahead of South African Louis Oosthuizen and three ahead of Australian Marc Leishman over four extra holes.

Earlier, the three ended on 15 under to lead a competitive field at St Andrews.

Jordan Spieth's hopes of a Grand Slam were ended as a 69 left him 14 under along with Australia's Jason Day (70).

Joint halfway leader Danny Willett and fellow Englishman Justin Rose both carded two-under 70s, as did Spaniard Sergio Garcia, to finish joint sixth on 11 under.

American Jordan Niebrugge also hit a 70 to finish 11 under and claim the Silver Medal for leading amateur ahead of Ireland's Paul Dunne, the joint overnight leader, who shot a disappointing 78 to drop to joint 30th on six under.

Australian Adam Scott was in contention but a poor back nine gave him a one-under 71 and a share of 10th on 10 under.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who claimed back-to-back Open titles in 2007 and 2008, started well with three birdies from his first five holes but struggled after a double-bogey on six and ended up carding a three-over 75 to finish joint 20th on seven under.

How the play-off was decided

Johnson struck just 15 putts over the first 12 holes of his final round on Monday to record seven birdies and his skill on the green again came to the fore in the play-off.

The 39-year-old holed challenging putts on the first and second to claim a birdie and a par and go one shot clear of Oosthuizen and two ahead of Leishman.

Leishman, who had followed his stunning third-round 64 with a six-under 66 on Monday to head the leaderboard after missing the cut by a shot, fell out of contention with two pars.

This left 2010 Open winner Oosthuizen, whose birdie on the last gave him a 69 and a shot at the Claret Jug, to challenge Johnson but after a par on the third extra hole he pushed his putt on the last just wide to give the American the win.

Spieth Slam hopes dashed

Masters and US Open winner Spieth started well in pursuit of a 2015 Grand Slam, birdying three of the first seven, but a wayward tee shot and then a hugely over-hit putt on the par-three eighth ultimately led to a double bogey that looked to have cost him dear.

But such is the ability and cool temperament of the 21-year-old, he hit back with successive birdies either side of the turn before sinking a 30-foot putt to join the clubhouse leaders.

However, a bogey on the road hole 17th left him needing a birdie on the last - and when his chip rolled back off the green his hopes were left hanging on a putt that proved too much for the world number two.

The leading Brits

A run of four successive birdies from 11 to 14, helped Sheffield-born Willett to 11 under and joint sixth place, eclipsing his previous best Open finish - the tied 15th he managed at Muirfield in 2013.

US Open champion Rose famously finished fourth as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998 but his own 11-under overall score gives him his best finish in 12 Opens as a professional.

Luke Donald (68) and Anthony Wall (70) both ended on nine under for a share of 12th, but it was a bad day for Scottish pair Paul Lawrie and Marc Warren, who carded a 73 and 74 respectively to finish five under and tied for 40th.

The nearly men

Spaniard Garcia remains without a major title after claiming a 20th top-10 finish in one of golf's top four tournaments, courtesy of a round of 70 that began well but tailed away, courtesy of bogeys at 12, 13 and 17, to an 11-under finish.

It was another emotional finale for Jason Day, who was visibly upset after his par on the 18th left him one shot short of the play-off. His only consolation is an impressive ninth top-10 finish in his 19th major.

American Dustin Johnson continued his slide from the majestic to the mediocre, suffering a hangover from the three bogeys that ended his efforts on Sunday by dropping another three shots on the front nine to tumble further down the leaderboard.

A second successive three-over 75 left the US Open runner-up a disappointing four under overall and to reflect on another missed opportunity.

Amateur hour

Irishman Dunne, 22, was calmness personified on Sunday with a superb six-under 66 to take a share of the overnight lead but looked far less assured during Monday's final round, starting with two bogeys as his professional rivals racked up birdies.

Birdies at the third and fifth steadied the ship but a poor back nine comprising four bogeys and a double bogey saw him plummet to six under and fourth in the race for the Silver Medal.

That honour went to American Niebrugge, whose final-round 70 saw him finish two shots ahead of compatriot Oliver Sneiderjans (67) and England's Ashley Chesters, who followed Sunday's 67 with a three-under 69.

Early birdies

As on Sunday's third round, the course was there for the taking on Monday morning courtesy of calm, dry weather.

American Brendon Todd paved the way for what was possible in such conditions, going out at 09:40 BST to shoot a six-under 66 and establish an early nine-under clubhouse lead, matched soon after by England's Luke Donald and Germany's two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, who both carded 68.

Phil Mickelson was on course to better both but hammered his tee shot at the 17th way right and on to one of the balconies of the Old Course Hotel as part of a triple-bogey that ultimately led to a three-under 69 and the end of his prospects at seven under overall.

Arsenal in for Man. City striker Dzeko

Arsenal are considering a move for 29-year-old Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko. (Daily Star) 

Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria, 27, wants to join Paris St-Germain, but the Red Devils want £52m for the Argentine. (L'Equipe in French) 

United have lined up Barcelona's Spain international forward Pedro, also 27, as a possible replacement for British record signing Di Maria. (Daily Mirror) 

Newcastle are close to signing Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, 20, for £13.5m and defender Chancel Mbemba, also 20, for about £7.5m.(Daily Mail) 

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for 22-year-old Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and compared the France international to the Eiffel Tower. (Daily Telegraph) 

Mourinho is prepared to end 27-year-old winger Juan Cuadrado's unimpressive spell at Chelsea but will not take anything less than the £26.1m they paid for him in January. (London Evening Standard) 

Also on BBC Sport
One-man teams don't win the Davis Cup - Murray	Awful England folded miserably in Ashes - Agnew
England 'had backsides smacked' by Australia	The Open: Best shots from the third round

Striker Radamel Falcao's desire to prove he can succeed in the Premier League will help the 29-year-old loanee rediscover his best form, says Mourinho. (Guardian) 

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola wants to keep 23-year-old midfielder Mario Gotze, who interests Juventus, Liverpool and Manchester United. (Daily Express) 

Turkish side Fenerbahce, who have already signed Robin van Persie and Nani from Manchester United, want Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon, 28, to be their latest buy from the Premier League.(Sun - subscription required) 

Arsenal have been linked with a move for £30m-rated Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the German club have insisted the 26-year-old is not for sale. (Daily Mirror) 

West Ham and Bournemouth have joined Leicester and Newcastle in attempting to sign 26-year-old striker Charlie Austin from QPR. (Daily Star) 

New Manchester City signing Raheem Sterling says he must now make headlines for the right reasons after an acrimonious departure from Liverpool, but admits he would be "quite happy to lie down" on his sofa for the whole day. The 20-year-old insists, however, that he was ill when he missed training at Liverpool shortly before his £49m transfer. (Sun - subscription required) 

Stoke are ready to break their transfer record after reigniting their interest in £15m-rated Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko, 25. (Stoke Sentinel) 

Aston Villa are in talks with Tottenham about signing striker Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, to replace Liverpool-bound 24-year-old Christian Benteke.(Daily Mail) 

West Brom boss Tony Pulis wants to agree a new contract with Saido Berahino once the season is under way amid speculation Tottenham are interested in the 21-year-old striker. (Birmingham Mail) 

Steve Bruce has admitted he will have to consider his future as Hull manager if his ambitions cannot be matched by the club's hierarchy this season. (Hull Daily Mail) 

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is considering using midfielder Daley Blind, 25, as a left-sided centre-back to help ease his side's defensive issues. (Manchester Evening News) 

Best of social media

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil posted a picture and tweeted: "Flight attendant M1O reporting for duty and assisting the helicopter pilot as good as possible!"

Manchester United summer signing Memphis Depay took time out of the club's pre-season tour of the United States to try on some American football gear at the Seattle Seahawks.

And finally

When asked which Arsenal legend he would like to play for the current team, midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was greeted with roars of laughter when he said Nicklas Bendtner. (London Evening Standard)