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Atletico Madrid have made Eibar's Marko Dmitrovic their top goalkeeping target in the transfer window, with the Serbian being eyed to provide back-up for Chelsea-linked Jan Oblak between the sticks.

With Oblak's current understudy Antonio Adan looking increasingly likely to join Portuguese side Sporting CP, the Rojiblancos see Dmitrovic as the ideal replacement for the 33-year-old former Real Madrid youth player.

Sources close to the situation have revealed to Goal that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic is complicating matters, however, as Dmitrovic's €20 million (£18m/$24m) buyout clause is steep for a man who would likely be playing second fiddle to first choice Oblak.

On the other hand, what does work in Atleti's favour is the fact that the 28-year-old, who continues to improve under the guidance of Jose Luis Mendilibar, has only one year left on his contract, meaning Eibar have a decision to make if they do not want to lose him for free next season.

As such, an agreement between the sides could be reached to see Dmitrovic swap the Basque Country for the Wanda Metropolitano at a price lower than his release clause, providing the Serb is open to being behind Oblak in the pecking order.

Oblak, widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, remains an undisputed starter under Diego Simeone and Goal reported in July that Chelsea would have to pay the Slovenian's full €120m (£110m/$138m) buyout clause if they want to act on their interest.

Current Blues shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga is no longer Frank Lampard's automatic first choice after a string of error-strewn performances and the club are actively looking to replace him as Willy Caballero deputises in the meantime.

With few teams having cash to spend, it seems unlikely that another side would gamble on the former Athletic Club man, though, and any move for Oblak would surely require Kepa being moved on first.

Should Atletico fail in their pursuit of Dmitrovic, the Spanish capital club will turn to Olympiakos's Jose Sa or Granada's Rui Silva.

Simeone's men return to action in the Champions League on Thursday when they face RB Leipzig in Lisbon for a spot in the semi-finals.

Azam FC have welcomed the latest move by the Tanzanian government for clubs in Mainland Premier League to continue signing 10 players from a foreign land.

On Tuesday, Minister for Information, Culture, Artists, and Sports Dr. Harrion Mwakyembe confirmed the majority of clubs wished for the quota-rule to remain the same rather than reducing it by half hence the decision to uphold the same.

“Clubs can continue signing up to 10 foreign players to strengthen their teams,” Mwakyembe told reporters.

“We had to involve others before reaching the decision and carried out a poll where 977 people participated.

“809 voted in favour of allowing teams to sign up to 10 foreign players and we have no problem with it. Only that the ministry has recommended that those foreign players should learn the Swahili language.”

Azam, who have already signed five new players so far this window, have become the first club in the top-flight to support the move by the government with CEO Abdulkarim Amin ‘Popat’ terming it as good news.

“It is a great decision, otherwise, the clubs to have been affected if the government chose to trim the number could be us (Azam), Simba SC, and Young Africans (Yanga SC) because we have more foreign-based players,” Amin is quoted by Daily News.

“We have received the decision wholeheartedly and we thank the government for listening to opinions made by football fans in the country.

“Until now, most countries have not yet opened up their borders that is the setback we are facing to finish the deals but soon, everything will be done.”

On making the decision, the minister also opined on the quality of the players to be signed by teams in the country.

“It will be good if players signed are of good quality and of exceptional talent,” Mwakyembe continued.

“If possible, we should have players from countries ranked below 50 in Fifa rankings joining the teams; this is just an opinion and not a law.”

The Board of Sports will continue regulating the imports made by the teams in the Tanzania Mainland League and other divisions in the country.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) picked September 9 as the date to kick off the 2020-21 Mainland Premier League campaign.

Barcelona have confirmed one positive Covid-19 test, but their upcoming Champions League clash with Bayern Munich is not in doubt.

Barca have revealed that an unnamed member of the squad has contracted coronavirus, but the player in question was not included in Quique Setien's final shortlist for Friday's quarter-final tie against Bayern.

The club have released a statement via their official website, which reads: "Following PCR tests conducted this Tuesday afternoon on the group of nine players due to begin the pre-season today, one of them has tested positive for Covid-19.

"The player has no symptoms, is in good health and has been quarantined at his home. The club has reported the matter to the relevant sporting and health authorities.

"All persons who have been in contact with the player have been tracked to perform the corresponding PCR tests.

"The player has not been in contact with any of the senior team players who are scheduled to travel to Lisbon this Thursday to compete in the Champions League."

The statement also linked to a page confirming the nine players that had returned to pre-season training, including Pedri, Trincao, Matheus Fernandes, Jean-Clair Todibo, Moussa Wague, Carles Alena, Rafinha, Juan Miranda and Oriol Busquets.

Setien will still take his original 22-man squad to Lisbon on Thursday as the Champions League reaches its conclusion in a revised straight knockout format in Portugal.

All players within that group are still being subjected to regular testing, and as it stands, the fixture against Bayern will go ahead as scheduled.

This latest news comes just two days after a coronavirus scare in Atletico Madrid's camp ahead of their last-eight meeting with RB Leipzig.

Atletico confirmed that two members of their Champions League squad had been forced to self-isolate at home after testing positive for Covid-19, raising fears over the potential postponement of their tie against the German outfit.

However, Atletico announced changes to their preparations to ensure the safety of players and staff in the following club statement: "The corresponding action protocol foreseen for these cases has been activated, which requires new PCR tests to be carried out on the first team and members of the travelling party to Lisbon and the closest contacts of the positive cases.

"These tests will result in changes to training schedules, and in the structure and development of travel and accommodation in the Portuguese capital.

"The club will coordinate the new schedules with UEFA and as soon as there is a new plan, it will be made public."

Barca and Atletico could meet in the Champions League final, with the former set to face Manchester City or Lyon in the last four if they beat Bayern, and the latter in line to tackle Paris Saint-Germain or Atalanta should they overcome Leipzig.

Nantes winger Moses Simon has named Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo as the player he is modelling himself on.

The 25-year-old is a fan of Ronaldo, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, having won five Ballons d'Or in his trophy-laden career across England, Spain and Italy.

Simon, who was named Nantes’ Player of the Year after his outstanding debut campaign at the Ligue 1 club, disclosed his ambition is to keep working hard like the Portuguese superstar who turned 35 in February.

The Nigeria international ended the 2019-20 campaign with five goals and five assists in 25 league games for Christian Gourcuff’s side while Ronaldo played a starring role in Juventus’ Serie A triumph with a contribution of 31 goals and five assists in 33 appearances.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is the player I modelled my game after. I want to keep on working hard and improving like him,” Simon told Tribal Football.

After making a statement during his season-long loan from Levante, Nantes triggered the purchase option and handed Simon a four-year contract in July.

The versatile forward spent a single season in Spain, despite joining Levante on a five-year deal from Belgian outfit Gent.

During his brief stay in the Valencia-based club, Simon played 19 La Liga games and returned a goal in the 2018-19 campaign.

When quizzed about the differences between the Spanish top-flight and Ligue 1, the Super Eagles star cited the level of technicality and the level of physicality, aside from the language barrier.

"I think both leagues are very good, highly competitive and very exciting to play," he added.

"La Liga is more technical, while Lique 1 is more physical. That is the main difference aside from the language too. For me, it is a big honour to have played in both leagues."

Following the abrupt conclusion of the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season due to the coronavirus pandemic in April, the new campaign has been slated to begin on August 21.

Simon’s Nantes travel to the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux for their opening fixture of 2020-21 league campaign against Samuel Kalu and Josh Maja’s Bordeaux on August 22.  

Matheus Fernandes has opened up on his trophy ambitions at Barca while revealing that he takes inspiration from his "personal hero" Sergio Busquets.

Barca reached an agreement to sign Fernandes from Palmeiras for an initial €7 million (£6m/$8m) fee in the winter transfer window.

With the 22-year-old's transfer to Camp Nou not being finalised until July, he was sent out on loan to Real Valladolid for the second half of the 2019-20 campaign, but was made to wait for his La Liga debut amid the coronavirus crisis.

Fernandes was eventually handed his first taste of Spanish football when Valladolid were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano on June 20, and went on to appear in two more games for the club before joining up with his new team-mates at Barca.

The Brazilian is hoping he can help the Blaugrana fight for silverware across multiple fronts in the coming years, and would like to see out the remainder of his playing days in Catalonia after completing his "dream" move.

Fernandes told Barca's official website: "I want to win major trophies. It has always been my dream to play for Barca, and now I have got that chance I want to make the best impression possible - and if possible finish my career here."

"I have always had ambition and I always wanted to play alongside such great players, the kind of players that influenced me as a kid, and to follow in their footsteps.

"When I heard Barca was interested it was so rewarding to know that I have been doing things right. Because if a big club comes calling, that’s because you have been doing a good job."

The former Palmeiras star went on to admit that although he always looked up to Barca legends Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, Busquets was the man he always tried to model himself upon.

"I have admired many players, but most of all Busquets," said Fernandes. "I always took inspiration from Busquets. There were others, like Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, who were all role models for me.

"I am so proud that people compare me to such a great player, my personal hero. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do what he did in a Barca shirt, but I hope to have a good career here, doing all I can to make a contribution to FC Barcelona."

The midfielder added on the challenge of playing in Spain's top flight: "I had always dreamed of coming here and playing for Barca in La Liga.

"I think this is where the best football in the world is played. I had a few doubts before coming onto the field for the first time, but once you get the ball and hear the fans behind you, you know what to do and it all goes right. I think this is one of the best leagues in the world."

Sofapaka FC's hopes of landing former Gor Mahia captain Musa Mohammed have reached a dead end.

The 2009 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions were keen on landing the Kenya international, whose contract with the newly crowned Zambian Premier League champions Nkana FC had expired. 

However, it was not the case, as the player reportedly demanded a huge sign-on fee which the Kenyan side was not ready to part with.

"Musa is an exceptional talent, and the coach [John Baraza] was keen on working with him," a source close to both the player and the club told Goal.

"The only obstacle was on the sign-on fee where the player wanted Ksh 6 million before committing. It was too much for the club; the club is now working on plan B to ensure everything is seamless by the start of the new campaign."

When reached for comment, club owner Elly Kalekwa was not keen to reveal the details but he confirmed the deal is off.

"We did not agree on some things and we decided to chase other targets," the Congolese told Goal on Wednesday. 

"Sometimes also the coach decides who he wants to work with, in the team, so if he again recommends otherwise, we have to follow because he is the one who will work with these players and not the management."

Recently, the 29-year-old has been linked with a move to the 27-time Tanzania Mainland League champions Yanga SC.

"Yanga are still negotiating with my agent and so we can just wait and see how the talks will proceed. It is just my hope everything will turn positive," Mohammed told Goal in an earlier interview. 

Should Musa opt to join the Wananchi, the former Gor Mahia and Kenyan Premier League (KPL)-winning captain will be playing for the fourth club in his career.

Mohammed featured for K'Ogalo from 2010 to 2017 before moving to Albania for a short stint with KF Tirana. When he ended his contract with the European club, he returned home before moving to Zambia in 2018.

Should he cross to the Tanzanian league, he will be linking up with his international compatriot Farouk Shikalo, who joined the club right after the African Cup of Nations finals in Egypt in 2019.

Joao Felix hopes to emulate Antoine Griezmann's rise under the stewardship of Diego Simeone, whose style of football the Portugal star insists he has no problem with at Atletico Madrid.

Atleti stumped up €126 million (£113m/$148m) to sign the prodigious forward from Benfica after Griezmann departed for Barcelona, beating several suitors across European football to his signature.

It has been a hit-and-miss debut campaign for Joao Felix, who has so far scored eight goals and provided three assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.

Inconsistent form and injuries mixed with flashes of brilliance have been the story of his season, but the 20-year-old still harbours ambitions of becoming a star at Atleti like Griezmann before him.

"If I can do what Griezmann has done or improve it, it will be fine because he has made history in this club," Joao Felix told Marca. 

"He has done it very well, he has grown a lot with El Cholo [Simeone], and if I do it the same, better for me."

Some pundits have suggested that Joao Felix's attacking nature is at odds with the rigid nature of Simeone's coaching style.

Simeone has maintained Joao Felix will show his best form once he has fully adapted to La Liga, though, which the Portugal international agrees with.

"Many people say one thing, others say another, but I am here to play Cholo football and I do what he asks," he added.

"Let's see. I'm adapting to Spain, doing my football, I'm meeting the club and always thinking of improving."

Joao Felix's situation has been likened to that of Sergio Aguero, who scored just six La Liga goals in 38 appearances in his debut campaign at Atleti before becoming a fan favourite and earning a move to Manchester City.

"Kun is now a great player, but when he was at Atletico, I was five years old and I don't remember anything," Joao Felix, who overtook Aguero as the youngest Champions League goalscorer in Atleti history, said of such a comparison. 

"It's good to break records, all the players like to make history and of course I'm happy to be part of Atletico's history and to have surpassed a player like Kun." 

As for the criticisms, Joao Felix says the comments of others do not affect him.

"No, you [the media] do your job and I try to do mine, if things don't go the way you like it, I don't care," he said.

"As I said, I play because I like it and I am not worried about what the press or others think.

"I try not to see [the criticism], but there are some that I hear or come to me, but what am I going to do? Listen and follow my work."

There is high interest in Joao Felix this week as he returns home with Atleti to complete a Champions League campaign disrupted by coronavirus with the tournament being finished in a one-match knockout format in Lisbon.

Atleti face RB Leipzig in the quarter-finals on Thursday and Joao Felix is excited to be playing on home soil.

"Yes, the Champions League is always the high point of any player and even more so playing it here in Lisbon, at home, I am very happy and it is very good for me," he said.

Thomas Tuchel is convinced Neymar will play a pivotal role for Paris Saint-Germain against Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Neymar was on target in both legs as PSG dispatched Borussia Dortmund in the last-16 and has been in fine form since returning to action after Ligue 1 was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic in April.

The Brazil international scored in warm-up friendlies against Le Havre, Waasland-Beveren and Celtic before notching the winner in the Coupe de France final against Saint-Etienne.

Tuchel is banking on Neymar again coming to the fore, particularly with Kylian Mbappe set to be limited to the role of substitute following an ankle injury sustained in the meeting with Saint-Etienne.

"I have the impression there's always a lot of pressure on Neymar. You can't imagine the pressure that's on Ney. But he is a lad who likes that, who's used to playing with that pressure," Tuchel told his pre-match news conference.

"We're glad he has the possibility of finishing the match with Kylian - they like playing together a lot.

"He likes the big matches and he likes decisive matches. He's a player you can trust in the big matches.

"I'm absolutely convinced he will put on a big performance and that he holds the keys for us, he has the mentality for situations like this."

PSG defeated Lyon in the Coupe de la Ligue final on July 31 to complete a domestic treble, with a final friendly against Sochaux taking place last week.

The squad travelled to Lisbon for the Champions League finale following a short training camp in Faro and Tuchel believes they are ready for the challenge of knockout football.

"It is hard to play against Atalanta. It is a huge challenge but there are always possibilities," he said.

"It will be a tactical game, but also a mental game. Our latest training sessions were a good mix of concentration and team spirit. We suffer together, but we also fight and play together.

"We all have the feeling we've prepared in the best fashion. For us it was really important to win the two finals.

"It wasn't easy to restart after a four-month pause and then four weeks' preparation to play two finals as the big favourites. That was a big challenge mentally for the players but to win was the best preparation for this tournament."

Manchester United have been urged by Rio Ferdinand to continue their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, with the ex-defender claiming that the England international is the best young player in the world “bar none”.

It is understood that Sancho is the Red Devils' top transfer target this window, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to add more quality to a side that has seen a dramatic upturn in form since signing Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes in January.

Dortmund's sporting director, Michael Zorc, however, has stated that the club's prized asset will not be leaving before the end of the 2020-21 season, with the German outfit having set a deadline of August 10 for any interested parties to get a deal over the line.

Goal recently confirmed that United have not given up hope of signing Sancho despite Zorc's comments though, and Ferdinand has backed the 20-year-old to sparkle for the Old Trafford side should they eventually come to an agreement with Dortmund.

“He is fantastic,” the former centre-back told BBC Radio 5 Live. “If he does come he'll be an added value in terms of quality, no doubt.

“Manchester United need top players who are going to have an effect on their first XI and I think Jadon Sancho falls into that category.

“If you look at successful Man Utd sides over the years, successful periods, there were players fighting for every position and if you substitute one out and you brought one in there was no change in the quality or the output.”

Ferdinand's old club have struggled to hit the heights of years past since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, with the likes of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho failing to win the hearts of fans and pundits alike.

Solskjaer's ongoing squad rebuild has given the United faithful renewed optimism, however, and Ferdinand feels that a return to “attacking, vibrant football” - as well as Europe's premier club competition – means his former side are heading in the right direction.

“That's been the most pleasing point,” he added. “He's ticked a box in terms of getting the team back into the Champions League, which I think would have been his remit at the beginning when he got his hands on the reins.”

New Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA FC) signing Samson Kigozi has opened up on why he signed for the side and what he wants to achieve during his stay.

The 22-year-old winger became the seventh signing to be unveiled at the Lugogo-based giants after he landed from Uganda Premier League (UPL) rivals Police FC ahead of the new season, which is set to kick off on October 17.

Kigozi, who scored a total of five goals in all competitions for the Law Enforcers, penned a three-year contract that will run from August 2020 until August 2023.

Kigozi has now revealed to the club’s official website, why he signed for the 13-time UPL champions.

“When joining KCCA I knew the kind of competition I am to face and I am ready for this. I am going to work hard and see that I fit into the manager’s plans," he said.

“KCCA has great players and is a great team so I know of the competition I am bound to face at my new home but such challenges make great players. I am ready for this.

“I feel so happy about joining KCCA. It is a dream come true. This is a team of trophies with great players and coaches and with great history and success.

“I want to play at the highest level, I want to compete with the best on the continent and at KCCA I have a chance to play in Caf competitions.

“This will give me more exposure as a player. The fans should expect a hardworking man and one who is ready to help the team achieve its goals.”

On signing the player, KCCA coach Mike Mutebi said: “I have really followed [Samson] for a very long time and I know he is one kind of a player, who can help us achieve our targets for the new season.

“I know we will be competing in several competitions and it is good to have such players, he can score goals and he proved that with Police last season and can also set up the goals, so he is a good addition to my squad.”

He was part of the Uganda squad preparing for the 2020 African Nations Championships (Chan) finals that were scheduled to be held in Cameroon before it was postponed owing to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kigozi has now become the seventh signing for the Mike Mutebi led side, after Lwanga Charles, Mugume Ashraf, Mazengo Stefano, Iguma Denis, Bright Anukani and Brian Aheebwa.

KCCA are keen to beef up their squad after losing the league title to Vipers SC when the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) moved to end the top-flight prematurely owing to the pandemic.

Vipers, who were by then topping the table, were declared champions and will represent the country in the Caf Champions League while KCCA, who were second, will take part in the Confederation Cup.

Chennai City FC, India's lone representative in Asia this season, have quite a task on their hands as they prepare for the resumption of the AFC Cup.

After the Coronavirus pandemic played spoilsport and brought all live sports to a standstill, the AFC Cup group stages were also halted with just one round of games completed in several groups.

Group E of the AFC Cup, which contains teams from the South Zone, is now set to resume at a centralised venue in Maldives. Chennai City's campaign kicks-off again on October 23 against Maldives' TC Sports Club, as of now.

However, the team have a very tough task ahead of them to prepare themselves for the rest of the group stages, given the Covid-19 situation in India.

The cases are rising fast in India, and especially Chennai where the team was set to play their AFC Cup home matches before the pandemic struck. As thing stand, Chennai City have currently no choice but to observe how the situation develops.

It must be noted AFC's 2022 World Cup qualifiers, set to be held in October and November, have been postponed to 2021.

With restrictions still in place with regards to free movement in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, it is tough for the club to assemble their squad. Even if they do, finding practice facilities or even accommodation for their players is a challenging task right now.

It must be noted that Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Chennai Cuper Kings are holding a limited five-day camp for their local players at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.

"Training is out of the question right now. We also don’t know how we’ll assemble the squad right now. The cases in Chennai and Tamil Nadu are fluctuating and there doesn’t seem to be a solution in sight. We don’t know when the borders will open," club owner Rohit Ramesh told Goal.

He also admitted that bringing back head coach Akbar Nawaz who is in Singapore is also an issue for the club.

"First thing, we are not sure how we will bring the players within the state together. Then, we will need to bring the players outside the state. But because of the travel restrictions and quarantine protocols in each state, it is a bit tough. We also don’t know how we will bring the head coach back from Singapore right now. It will be a monumental task to assemble the squad in Chennai. 

"The training facilities are another issue for us. Most of the facilities and hostels have been given for Covid purposes. Private grounds are not available right now. Even if we get the players together and get facilities to train, where we will put them up is a problem because the hospitality industry is completely closed right now. That will be a challenge too."

Then there is the issue of travelling to Maldives from India. Currently, international travel is not completely open and there is also the isuse of quarantine protocols and other logistical nightmares the club has to consider.

What Chennai City have done currently is approach the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and see if they can somehow get to Maldives much earlier and conduct their pre-season training in the island nation.

Resumption of live sports is not yet permitted in India and it is very unclear when it might be. Hence, Chennai City feel it would be better for them to conduct their pre-season in Maldives in a bio-secure environment rather than in India.

Then again, the developing situation in Maldives also needs to be monitored.

"What we have done is send a mail to AFC explaining our situation and we are trying to see if AFC can accommodate us for pre-season in Maldives itself. We might try to push off to Maldives by October first week itself. Maybe the coach can come straight to Maldives or we can drive down to another city and take a flight to Maldives. All this is still unclear. AFC has acknowledged our request and have asked us to inform them of the developing situation in the country. 

"More or less, we are looking to do the pre-season in Maldives, if things are better there. If not, it is going to be very difficult for us to assemble, go to Maldives without practice and then take part in the tournament," Rohit said.

Then there is the matter of overseas players. Signing foreign stars in such a situation at a short notice is also a cumbersome task and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Lions play an all-Indian squad in the AFC Cup. However, if there is a situation where they could secure the services of a foreign player, the club will conduct due diligence.

"Till a week ago, we were looking into fielding an all-Indian squad. We are also contemplating if we can get any foreigners to join us. We’ll have more clarity on whether we need reinforcements and whether we can get these reinforcements in time to play the tournament by the month end when our budget for the season will also be clear.

"If I sign players and they cannot travel because the situation is different in each country, then we are in a fix. We don’t want such complications. In such cases, it is pointless to fight with the player also in terms of contractual obligations. 

"We are also looking at options as to which countries are open when it comes to travel. Our options are limited but we are looking at what we can do."

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown life out of gear across the world. It has certainly stirred the pot for Chennai City in what should have been a memorable first ever season in Asia. However, overcoming tough challenges is nothing new for the former I-League champions. It remains to be seen how they maneuovre themselves in Maldives.

Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has told AFC Leopards to forget about their day-to-day dreams of signing Peter Thiong’o.

The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) transfer window swung open on August 10 with Ingwe repeatedly being linked with a move to land the services of the Homeboyz midfielder, whose contract at the club is coming to an end in December.

Shimanyula has now told Goal they are not ready to negotiate on the transfer of the player since he remains part of the team and that no team, including AFC Leopards, have approached the club for his services.

“I want to repeat here very clearly because all this are just rumours, we have not talked to any team including AFC Leopards for the services of Thiong’o,” Shimanyula told Goal on Wednesday.

“Thiong’o is contracted to Homeboyz until December and we are not ready to do business with any team, and furthermore, AFC Leopards are broke and cannot afford the player, they don’t have money to buy players.

“We are also working round the clock to renew contracts of players that are running down and those that have already ended and [Thiong’o] is one of them, we don’t want to let him go and what I know, AFC Leopards are just making noise on social media and they don’t have money to buy players, let alone afford Thiong’o.”

On his transfer plans for the team, Shimanyula said: “We will definitely work out on bringing in new faces, we have a list from the technical bench which we will work on, the window just started so we are not in a hurry to do the business.”

Thiong’o was part of the Homeboyz squad that did exceptionally well in the 2019-20 campaign where they almost beat Gor Mahia to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title before the season ended prematurely owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

After ending the season, Gor Mahia were declared champions on 54 points, while Homeboyz finished second, seven points behind and they still had a game in hand.

Shimanyula is still adamant Gor Mahia were lucky to be crowned champions for the third season in a row as his side were in a very good position to beat them to the title before the pandemic.

Larrys Mabiala found the net as Portland Timbers beat Orlando City 2-1 to emerge as champions of the MLS is Back Tournament.

The Timbers had edged Philadelphia Union 2-1 in the semi-final, while the Lions blew aside Minnesota United FC 3-1.

In the final staged inside Florida’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Mabiala handed his team a 27th minute lead.

The DR Congo centre back headed past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese a beautiful freekick from captain Diego Valeri.

Mauricio Pereira levelled scores for City in the 39th minute after beating Steve Clarke from close range thanks to a beautiful cross from Nani.

Dario Zuparic restored Giovanni Savarese’s team lead in the 66 minutes after turning in Jeremy Ebobisse's effort – and that proved to be the winner for the Providence Park giants.

Despite his goal, Mabiala was cautioned in the 44th minute by Moroccan-born American referee Ismail Elfath.

“I have three kids and two are toddlers. I’ve had my son calling me every morning crying and asking me when I was going to come back,” the former Nice and Kayserispor star said after the game.

“So we told ourselves we just need to make it worth it, and nobody wanted to go back to our houses without the trophy.”

This win has sealed their place in the Concacaf Champions League next year in what will be their third appearance at the tournament.

No messing around, that's the big message from Brad Maloney to his players as they prepare for the first friendly match after five weeks worth of training in July and August. And to properly measure his players, Maloney will not be pitting his players against those from the same age-groups.

PJ City FC (Aug 12) and Selangor II (Aug 19) have been selected as the opponents, two teams who play their competitive football in the Super League and Premier League respectively. Teams with not only players who are considerably older and more experienced but as well complete with foreign players. 

A difficult task for these youngsters considering this will be their first proper match in any shape or form since March, prior to the Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced by the Malaysian government because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Maloney is definitely throwing the gauntlet at his players to prove their worth.

"We wanted tough opponents and both PJ City and Selangor II are very good teams with senior players, so that will be a good test for our boys to see what level we're at. It's always in the back of your mind (possibility of injuries against older and more experienced opponents), but if you afraid of going onto the pitch to play football, something is not right either.

"What we're really looking at is to get our players their first test and see how long they can last. It'll be good to see how they can gel and see some combination play amongst the team, see what information they have been able to absord in these last two call-ups and put that into play out there on the pitch. 

"So it will be a good test for us. It might be physically challenging but I think for what we're aiming for, it's not a bad thing at the moment," said Maloney before Tuesday's training session.

The Portland Timbers won the MLS is Back Tournament after a 2-1 victory over Orlando City in the final on Tuesday.

Larrys Mabiala's headed opener for Portland was cancelled out by Mauricio Pereyra before half-time at the Walt Disney World Resort.

But Dario Zuparic scored what proved to be the winner for the Timbers in the 66th minute.

It marked a first trophy for the Timbers since 2015 as Portland secured a place in next year's Concacaf Champions League.

Portland took the lead in the 27th minute, Mabiala heading in a lovely set-piece from Diego Valeri.

But Orlando drew level six minutes before half-time after some nice work by Nani.

The former Manchester United star beat his man down the left before crossing, with Pereyra putting away the equaliser.

However, another Portland set-piece led to the Timbers restoring their lead.

Valeri's corner caused problems before Zuparic turned in Jeremy Ebobisse's effort for what proved to be the decisive goal.

This is Portland's second piece of silverware after they also lifted the MLS Cup in 2015.

Los Angeles FC striker Diego Rossi finished as top scorer at the tournament with seven strikes to his name, while Timbers' Sebastian Blanco contributed a tournament-high five assists. 

Portland's win in the final has booked their place in the Concacaf Champions League next year in what will be their third appearance at the competition. 

Marten de Roon has stuck by his promise to make pizza for more than 1,000 people if Atalanta win the Champions League.

Atalanta face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals in Lisbon on Wednesday as they look to continue their dream run.

De Roon said earlier this year he would make pizza for the fans in Bergamo if the Serie A club go on to win Europe's premier club competition.

Speaking ahead of the meeting with PSG, the 29-year-old midfielder is sticking by that plan.

"As I said, if we win the Champions League there will be pizza for more than 1,000 people," De Roon told a news conference.

"However, if we lose, we will try to reach that goal again next year. I can't support us losing. We will try again next year and we will see how it goes."

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Atalanta's quarter-final will consist of a single game rather than two legs and De Roon believes this benefits his side against a team as strong as PSG. 

“Playing only 90 minutes against such a strong side is easier than facing them over two legs," he told France Football. 

“We can cause an upset, even if it will be difficult. We will give our best. At the time of the draw, I thought it would be a fantastic game.

“After the first leg of the group stage, we didn’t think we could get this far. We wanted to win the last two games to qualify for the Europa League and instead it went well for us.

“The break after the championship has been good for us. We played a lot and it wasn’t easy.

“We don’t run more than the other, we do it better, given that we spend most of the matches in the opposition’s half of the pitch. Our goal is to get the ball back as high up as possible.”

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini is desperate for his side to continue their great run in the Champions League and called on them to prove they belong among the best clubs in the world. 

"We are proof that even a team without a European heritage can do well and achieve important goals through playing, enthusiasm and other things," he said. 

"We have a responsibility to ourselves not to disappoint. We want to continue to show that Atalanta can sit at the table of the biggest clubs."

Yassine Bounou has now turned his attention to Sunday’s Europa League semi-final encounter with Manchester United.

The 29-year-old who is on loan from Girona was one of his side’s heroes as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at the MSV-Arena.

Bounou’s biggest moment was when he saved Raul Jimenez’s first-half penalty which proved decisive for the Spaniards before Lucas Ocampos headed home two minutes from full-time to guarantee victory.

In the process, he became the second African to save a penalty in the Europa League since Algeria’s Rais M’bolhi for CSKA Sofia against Porto in December 2010.

Following this result, they will now square up against the Red Devils – who beat Copenhagen 1-0 after extra-time on Tuesday - in their quest to reach the tournament’s final.

While praising his team for a job well done, the goalkeeper stated that Sevilla are now thinking of their next fixture versus Ole Gunnar Solskajer’s team.

"I'm very happy with the work of all the team. We faced a very well-organised team, hard-working at the back, waiting for the counter with quick players upfront. We kept going and got our reward,” Bounou told club website.

"Very exciting, both for us and for the Sevilla fans. The Europa League is an important competition for the club and we'll go with that excitement, not thinking about anything else. We'll think about the next match and nothing else.

"During the season the team was always growing, but now the aim is very clear and you can see that in the players' performances.”

In the just-concluded 2019-20 Spanish topflight season, the former Wydad Casablanca and Atletico Madrid man featured in six games as he played second fiddle to Czech Republic international Tomas Vaclik.

Even at that, he sees himself as a key member in Julen Lopetegui’s star-studded squad.

"I always enjoyed and felt like an important player at Sevilla, beyond playing or not,” he continued.

“I always felt like I was on the boat. I always gave the best of me from where I played, and now that it is my time to play, even more so."