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You'll have noticed that one of the most popular Leeds chants is one in which the supporters proclaim their status as European champions – when in reality, the club have never before lifted the top continental prize.

So why do Leeds supporters sing this chant in particular? Goal takes a look.

Leeds supporters sing champions of Europe because they feel as if they are the deserved and rightful winners of the 1975 European Cup final, which they lost to Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

The German side were 2-0 winners on the day, but the 1975 final has been shrouded in controversy due to several infamous refereeing decisions that worked against Leeds' favour – with Leeds fans believing that they were robbed of the trophy.

Leeds had dominated the game but were unable to put their chances to bed, coming deliriously close on several occasions, outplaying their German counterparts in the first half and even having a goal disallowed - with referee Michel Kitabdjian denying the West Yorkshire side a penalty twice.

The first penalty shout came in the 23rd minute when Bayern Munich skipper Franz Beckenbauer clearly came into contact with the ball on his left arm inside his own penalty area, and the second arriving 10 minutes later when Beckenbauer tripped Allan Clarke inside the box.

Leeds came close to scoring early in the first half, with Billy Bremner being denied a goal from five metres out by a reflex save from goalkeeper Sepp Maier. 

Peter Lorimer scored a goal that was disallowed a minute later, after Bremner was deemed to have been in a tight offside position within the box. 

Controversially, the referee had initially pointed to the centre circle (which signifies a goal being scored), but Beckenbauer insisted for him to confer with the linesman - who had not originally raised his flag for offside.

After this consultation, the referee deemed that Bremner was offside - causing Leeds fans to protest and riot in anger.

Despite having been on the back foot for over two-thirds of the match, Bayern scored in the 71st minute following a counter-attack spell.

Shaken, Leeds were unable to re-assert their dominance, with Gerd Muller doubling the scoreline 10 minutes later to ensure the German outfit were crowned European champions.

Leeds fans were angered by the result and the seemingly biased refereeing, with the final minutes of the match and Bayern's lap of honour interrupted by them hurling seats onto the pitch.

The violence reached a boiling point in the streets of Paris later that evening when the visiting English supporters brawled with the police, with Leeds then handed a three-year European ban (which was never upheld due to Leeds' failure to qualify for Europe until 1979-80).

Former Leeds manager Jimmy Armfield has said that he believed his team were robbed of the final.

“I’ve always felt we were robbed,” he said. “What should have been a great day wasn’t a great day in the end.”

“That final against Bayern Munich must go down as the most one-sided in the history of the European Cup,” former player Clarke has stated.

“How a team who played like we did could end up as the losing side I’ll never know. Well, I do. We were cheated out of it.

“In my mind we were champions of Europe that night.

“I love that our fans sing about us being champions of Europe because it reminds everyone what really went on.”

"He was very suspicious," Bremner said of the French referee, although he later admitted Leeds did not play as well as he had hoped.

"We were well in command of that game, but I don't think we were as professional as we should have been that night because we were caught by a couple of sucker punches."

CSKA Sofia defeated BATE Borisov 2-0 in Thursday’s Europa League game with Ali Sowe finding the net.

The Gambia international, who was also on target in team’s 2-1 triumph over Sirens in the first qualifying round, gave Stamen Belchev’s men the lead inside Bulgarian Army Stadium.

The hosts had more of ball possession from the blast of the whistle, but the visitors defended well to halt their massive attacking raids.

Pavel Niehajczyk had the opportunity to give BATE Borisov a 32nd minute lead but his header hit the crossbar. However, he was fouled goalkeeper Gustavo Busatto who fouled him in his attempt to score from rebound – an action that prompted the referee to award a penalty.

The resultant kick was saved by Busatto. It was the third consecutive penalty the Brazilian was saving in his last six games.

A minute into the half-time break, it was Sowe who fired past goalkeeper Denis Scherbitski having reacted quickest to a rebound from Georgi Yomov’s shot on goal.

The Belarusian Premier League started the second-half on a brighter note but they were unable to convert few chances that came begging.

In the 55th minute Enrique Rafael drilled in from the left and fired in the goal, but the Belarusians’ goalie saved.

Senegal’s Younousse Sankhare fired a powerful shot outside the penalty area but it went inches away from the goal post. In the reactive attack, Maxime Scavis tested Busatto’s reflex, but it crashed over the crossbar.

Substitute Graham Carey sealed the win for CSKA Sofia thanks to his 90th minute effort as they marched into the competition’s third qualifying round where they will face Faroe Island's B36 Torshavn on September 24.

While Sowe was in action from start to finish alongside Central African Republic's Amos Youga, Guinea international Jules Keita came on as a 73rd minute substitute for Georgi Yomov whereas Sankhare who was handed a starter's role came off for Tiago Rodrigues after 68 minutes.

They host Ludogorets on Sunday in a Week Six Bulgarian topflight outing. As it stands, they are third in the log having garnered 11 points from five games.

Stefano Pioli was pleased to see AC Milan come through a potentially tricky test at Shamrock Rovers in Europa League qualifying.

The Rossoneri were clear favourites in Ireland and progressed with a 2-0 win following goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hakan Calhanoglu.

But head coach Pioli felt Rovers represented tough opponents, particularly with AC Milan's season just starting.

"I'm satisfied because it was not easy," Pioli told Milan TV. "The first official match always involves many difficulties.

"I knew we had prepared well, but they are a good team and they were better prepared than us. It was a positive game to improve our condition. There were more good things than bad things tonight.

"We knew it could be the match of their lives for them, but it could also be for us. If we don't reach the Europa League, what we did last season would be partially nullified.

"We played well and won the game; it was just the first. I liked the team on the pitch. I am satisfied. We have to grow, improve, yes, but it was a tough game and we faced it well."

He added: "Victory was our goal and we did it, in my opinion, by playing good football.

"We weren't lucky in the draw, Shamrock were first in the standings, the next opponents [Bodo/Glimt] will be even stronger. They are 14 or 15 points ahead in the Norwegian league."

Bodo/Glimt currently sit 13 points clear of their nearest Eliteserien rivals, Molde, and are unbeaten in their 17 league matches this season.

AC Milan, by contrast, are undefeated in 14 games, their longest run since 2008.

"We will have to find another performance of another level. The pressure was all on us, we will have to be good at managing it and knowing how to live with it," Pioli said.

Calhanoglu spoke of his joy at starring again in tandem with Ibrahimovic, for whom he provided a first-half assist before netting himself.

"I hope to continue like this," the midfielder said. "We have a great feeling together. Thanks also to the team that we are so strong. We must continue like this."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to have more faith in on-loan striker Odion Ighalo, according to former Nigeria forward Victor Ezeji.

Ighalo’s arrival from Shanghai Shenhua in January raised eyebrows but he responded with five goals in eight appearances in the Europa League and FA Cup.

However, he didn’t play more than 20 minutes in a single Premier League match during 2019-20.

With his extended loan deal expiring in the new year, Ezeji thinks Ighalo needs to look elsewhere as he won’t get enough chances at United – despite it being his boyhood club.

“Every coach believes in his starting XI and to be very fair to Ighalo, the Covid situation did not help him, because if not for Covid, [Marcus] Rashford would still have been out until the end of the season,” Ezeji told Goal. 

“And when Rashford recovered, because of the belief Ole has in Rashford, he had to bring him back into the team.

“And then you can see that [Anthony] Martial was firing on all cylinders, same as [Mason] Greenwood, so there was no way Ole was going to drop any of those guys for Ighalo.

“But where I will fault Ole is that even when these guys are not meeting up in some games, I think he should have tried Ighalo.

“It wasn’t really nice that a player’s contract was renewed and you didn’t even allow him to play up to 20 minutes of any Premier League game. That is not encouraging. It makes a player lose all the confidence he has built over time.”

Ezeji believes that if he had been given more of a chance, Ighalo could have earned himself a dream permanent move to Old Trafford.

“If Ighalo was still having regular games to play, probably his confidence would have grown and probably Manchester United would have even tried to buy him permanently, but that didn’t happen,” he said.

“Ighalo had to cut down his wages just to be in Manchester. I think he has achieved his dream of playing for them, but now it’s for him to look elsewhere.”

United start their Premier League campaign with a home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday, with Ighalo likely to start on the bench. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked up where he left off last season as he opened his 2020-21 account with a goal in Milan's 2-0 Europa League second qualifying round win over Shamrock Rovers.

The veteran striker scored 11 times in 20 appearances after signing a short-term deal with the Rossoneri last term and he looked sharp in his first competitive outing for this campaign in Dublin.

Ibrahimovic fired the Serie A side into a 23rd-minute lead when he collected Hakan Calhanoglu's clever pass.

Calhanoglu perhaps outshone even Ibrahimovic on the night, though, and he got the goal his performance deserved midway through the second period to make sure of Milan's progress to a home tie with Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.

Ibrahimovic ended the previous season with five goals in his last four appearances and he looked in the mood early when heading Calhanoglu's free-kick over.

Jack Byrne, Shamrock's own dangerman, then threaded a brilliant pass through to Aaron Greene, whose low effort was kept out by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Ibrahimovic would soon open his account.

Defender Roberto Lopes failed to clear his lines and Theo Hernandez and Calhanoglu were both involved in Milan's build-up, the latter turning the ball around the corner for Ibrahimovic to produce a clinical finish.

Calhanoglu looked determined to double his side's lead in the second period, producing a bicycle kick that came back off the crossbar and then forcing Alan Mannus into a sharp save with a vicious free-kick.

Eventually he did find a way through when brilliantly picking out the top-right corner of the net following Alexis Saelemaekers' lay-off to make sure of the win.

Victor Boniface scored his second Europa goal ever in Bodoe/Glimt’s 3-1 triumph over Zalgiris Vilnius on Thursday.

Aside from his goal, the Nigeria youth international also bagged an assist as his Norwegian outfit strolled past the Lithuanian A Lyga outfit.

The teenager came in the game having opened his Europa account in the 6-1 drubbing of Kauno Zalgiris in the first qualifying round.

Kjetil Knutsen's men started the game brightly with Philip Zinckernagel putting the hosts ahead after 20 minutes inside Aspmyra Stadium.

Six minutes later, Ghana's Francis Kyeremeh provided Romania's Liviu Antal with the assist as Alyaksey Baha's men drew level.

In the goal-laden first-half, Boniface handed Bodoe/Glimt the lead with his 32nd-minute effort with captain Ulrik Saltnes providing the assist.

The visiting side came out stronger in the last 45 minutes, albeit, they were unable to level matters owing to their wastefulness in front of goal as well as some brave goalkeeping from Nikita Khaykin.

Knutsen’s team guaranteed victory with Patrick Berg’s 81st-minute effort after converting the Nigerian youngster’s pass.

After ensuring Bodoe/Glimt’s passage into the third qualifying round, Boniface was replaced by Norway’s Ole Amund Sveen in the 89th minute.

For the Lithuanian outfit, Kyeremeh came off for Croatia's Marko Karamarko in the 68th minute.

Thanks to his result, the Norwegian elite division outfit will face either Greece's OFI or Apollon Limassol for a chance to reach the play-off round.

19-year-old Boniface joined Glimt from Real Sapphire on March 4, 2019. In his maiden season plagued by a ligament injury, he scored once in eight domestic league games - accruing 365 minutes of action in the process.

He was selected to represent the Flying Eagles at the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations but had to withdraw from Paul Aigbogun’s squad due to injury.

Boniface returns to action with his team in Sunday's Eliteserien fixture against Brann. In the ongoing 2019-20 campaign, he has found the net six times in 17 league outings.

Bodoe/Glimt, unbeaten in their last 19 games across all competitions lead the log having garnered 47 points from 17 outings – 13 points more than second-placed Molde.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is facing a premature end to his tenure after a vote of no confidence was called against him.

A group of club members known as ‘Mes Que una Mocio’ - More Than a Motion – triggered the vote after collecting 20,687 valid signatures in support. 16,520 were needed in order to open the referendum.

Bartomeu’s presidency is nearing an end anyway, with the next elections currently scheduled to take place over March 20 & 21 next year.

Barcelona now have 10 business days to put together a commission to give the green light and organise the schedule for voting, which should commence in mid-October.

Bartomeu's removal would require a majority of 66 per cent, with a minimum turnout of 10 per cent of the club's members, or socios.

If the vote is successful, Bartomeu would be immediately removed and a provisional board would oversee the election, which would be brought forward to December.

Victor Font, former president Joan Laporta, Jordi Farre and Luis Fernandez are all set to stand for election, and all four are thought to have signed the petition for the vote of no confidence.

Lionel Messi cited a long-standing dispute with Bartomeu as one of his key reasons for wanting to leave the club in an exclusive interview with Goal.

“I told the club, including the president, that I wanted to go," Messi said. "I've been telling him that all year. I believed it was time to step aside.

“I believed that the club needed more young players, new players and I thought my time in Barcelona was over. I felt very sorry because I always said that I wanted to finish my career here."

The depth of feeling against Bartomeu among the club’s fans is made clear by the fact so many signatures have been gathered despite there being no games at Camp Nou since August 8, and no fans allowed in. No such vote in the last 40 years has garnered such support, though there have been others in recent years.

The Mes Que una Mocio website explained their reasoning for calling the vote: "We know that the next election will take place in 2021. However, the current economic and sports situation at the Club forces us to act today.

"The excessive judicialization of the club, the lack of transparency of this Board, that has involved the Club in several court cases, and failure of achieving goals in sports, are just some of our reasons to promote this initiative.

"The vote of no confidence is intended to remove the worst administration in the history of the Club."

Jose Mourinho has refused to speculate over talk of Gareth Bale's imminent return to Tottenham Hotspur, as the Real Madrid man closes in on a dream homecoming to his former club.

The Welshman has endured a difficult last few seasons in La Liga, having fallen out of favour at Santiago Bernabeu.

He originally joined Los Blancos in 2013 from Spurs in a world-record deal, where he proceeded to prove his worth across a memorable string of performances, helping to fire them to domestic and international glory.

Yet his relationship with the coaching set-up at Madrid, led by Zinedine Zidane, has soured in recent years, with a move to China ahead of last season pulled at the last minute, and just 20 games notched up in the susbsequent campaign.

The 31-year-old is expected to take a flight on Friday to London to iron out the final details of what is widely expected to be a season-long loan move back to the Premier League, but Spurs boss Mourinho - who left Madrid only months before Bale arrived seven years ago - has shut down chatter on the matter, citing a respect for the fact he remains currently contracted in the Spanish capital.

"I cannot comment, I don't comment on something that I don't know," the Portuguese stated after his side came through a Europa League qualification victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria, thanks to late goals from Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele.

"For me, at this moment, until I'm told Gareth Bale is a Tottenham player, I still think and feel and respect the fact that he's a Real Madrid player, so I'm not going to comment on a Real Madrid player."

Bale is not expected to feature immediately upon his return to Spurs, with the player still nursing the after-effects of a knee injury.

Nonetheless, he may prove to be a much-needed cog in Mourinho's plans, with his Madrid team-mate Sergio Reguilon also expected to join him after both players were previously courted by Manchester United.

Tottenham lost their Premier League opener to Everton at the weekend - with another former Madrid man, James Rodriguez, helping to condemn them - and face a hectic three games in five days now, starting on Sunday with a trip to Southampton, followed by a Carabao Cup clash against Leyton Orient on Tuesday and a long journey to Macedonia to face Shkendija on Thursday.

Champions League winners Bayern Munich will face off against Europa League champions Sevilla in this year's edition of the Super Cup, UEFA's annual showpiece match.

Goal brings you everything you need to know about the UEFA Super Cup 2020, including when and where it takes place, how to watch it live and more.

What is the UEFA Super Cup?

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match contested by the champions of the continent's two main club competitions - the Champions League and the Europa League.

Traditionally, the game serves as a curtain-raiser to celebrate the new European club season.

It is usually takes place in August ahead of a September restart for clubs, but this year the final was postponed due to delays and complications surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak.

Dutch sports journalist Anton Witkamp came up with the concept in 1971 and it has gone through a number of changes since its inception.

Initially, the competition incorporated two matches - home and away legs - but it has been a single-game decider since 1998, with games taking place at neutral venues.

When is the UEFA Super Cup 2020?

The 2020 edition of the UEFA Super Cup will be played on Thursday September 24.

It will kick off at 10pm local time, which means 8pm BST in the United Kingdom and 3pm ET in the United States.

Where is the UEFA Super Cup 2020 being held?

This year, the game will be hosted at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, which holds a capacity of 67,215. It will be the first time the venue has hosted the Super Cup.

The Super Cup was initially going to be held at the the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal, on August 12.

But following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that caused the postponements of the previous season's club finals, UEFA decided to award the rescheduled Champions League final to Portugal, and postponed and relocated the Super Cup to Budapest.

How to watch the UEFA Super Cup 2020 live on TV

In the United States (US) the Super Cup can be watched live on television through CBS All Access. It can also be streamed live online using TUDN.com.

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport 1 and it can be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.

Will there be fans at the UEFA Super Cup?

The ticket application portal for the game closed on September 9.

UEFA made 3,000 tickets available for the supporters of each team, with a reduced capacity of 30 per cent in the stadium.

The Super Cup will be used as a pilot to see fans return to venues amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Safety precautions between stadium-goers will be applied throughout the game, with ticket holders from overseas obligate to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test performed within three days of entry, and must depart the country within 72 hours after their entry.

Additionally, masks are required at all times as is a 1.5m distance from other attendees.

Who won the last UEFA Super Cup?

Liverpool are current holders of the Super Cup after beating Premier League rivals Chelsea in last season's final through a penalty shootout.

Regular time ended with a score of 2-2, with the Reds defeating the west Londoners 5-4 on penalties.

Liverpool were unable to defend their title after being eliminated from the 2019-20 Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid during the round of 16 stage.

Jose Mourinho says he never doubted Tanguy Ndombele’s quality following the midfielder’s match-winning performance against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Europa League qualifying.

Spurs were set for an embarrassing early exit from Europe when Ndombele was introduced from the bench, 1-0 down to the Bulgarian side with half an hour to play.

The Frenchman scored the winning goal after Harry Kane had equalised from the penalty spot and generally impressed in a positive performance. Ndombele completed 100 per cent of the passes he attempted in the game, 21 out of 26 of which came in the attacking half.

He has struggled for playing time since Mourinho’s arrival at the club, and there have been plenty of rumours linking him with a move away from north London.

However, Mourinho says he has always believed in Ndombele’s ability – but he maintains he had question marks about his professionalism.

“Tanguy is in a process of evolution,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.

“Last season he wasn't. Last season he was stuck in a situation where I couldn't see evolution. In this moment he's training very, very well.

“He's recovering from his injury, he's recovering physically and today he gave us what we needed in this last 30 minutes.

“In this moment, I believe in Tanguy. I never doubted his quality. Never. I doubted in some moments his motivation and commitment and professional attitude.

“In this moment I believe in him. Today we made this decision together to not start the game because he also feels that he needs a bit more but in this moment I think that Tanguy can do well for us.”

Mourinho said in early July that he believed Ndombele could still come good at Spurs despite his underwhelming start, and fans will no doubt be hoping he can now kick on.

"Football is full of players with difficult starts,” he said.

“Luka Modric in Real Madrid, after six months he was elected the worst signing of Real Madrid history by the fans and press, a few months later he was champion, then European champion and then voted the best player in the world.

“When the talent is there, many things can happen with adaptation, but if the talent is there anything good can happen."

Former Borussia Dortmund striker Ibrahim Tanko believes Ghana's approach to securing the services of dual nationals to represent the country at senior stage has contributed to their low success rate.

The West Africans have set their sights on augmenting their current team with players of Ghanaian descent abroad, with Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah and Brighton and Hove Albion right-back Tariq Lamptey are high on their wish list.

Ghana's low success rate in winning over dual nationals in recent times does not look good in any way, casting doubt over their latest bids.

“There is a lot of Ghanaian talent abroad, especially in England, Germany, and Holland but we always wait for them to play first-team football before they get our attention," Tanko, a former Ghana international and assistant coach, told Wontumi Sports.

"If we want to integrate them into our national team, we need to start early. A player like Tariq Lamptey has the potential of playing for the England national team because he plays in England."

Ghana's struggles in recent times have not been helped by reports about the use of black magic, popularly known as 'juju', by members of the Black Stars.

Tanko believes former Ghana internationals based abroad could be deployed to help convey the right message to the current targets.

“In Germany, we have Otto Addo, Eric Addo in Holland, Adu Tutu is also in Austria and Razak in Denmark," Tanko said.

"If we ask these former players to speak to the youngsters, they can convince them because they have experience in dealing with players.

"I know the Turkish FA have an office in Germany because they know they are Turkish players who are based in Germany. So if we do the same, we will get these players.”

Ghana have also targeted Belgium youth attacker Francis Amuzu, former Netherlands U21 star Derrick Luckassen, current Netherlands youth striker Brian Brobbey, former France youth defender Enoch Kwateng and France-born duo Elisha Owusu and Alexander Djiku to play for the Black Stars.

“There are a lot of perceptions about how Ghanaian footballers play the game,” Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member and Black Stars Management Committee chairman George Amoakoh told Nhyira FM.

“Destructive tendencies in the game, those who deliberately want to injure you and cut short your career.

“Then the usual unending speculations, especially about Ghanaian players using 'juju' to play football.

“Even those [players in the diaspora] who were raised here and go to Europe to play there, most of them because of 'juju' don’t want to play for Ghana.

“It's a very big problem we are trying to unravel and make right."

Anderlecht teenager Jeremy Doku, who was approached for a switch of international allegiance from Belgium to Ghana earlier this year, snubbed the Black Stars to make a competitive senior appearance for his country of birth earlier this month and become permanently cap-tied to the Red Devils.

Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker is in Istanbul as he readies himself for a medical at Trabzonspor after the two clubs agreed on a season-long loan move with an option to buy.

The move comes at the request of Trabzonspor's head coach Eddie Newton, who played for Chelsea and then spent almost a decade working behind the scenes at the club.

Newton got to know the 25-year-old while heading up the loan department and he briefly spent time on Frank Lampard's coaching staff before moving to Turkey in the winter.

Initially, Newton moved to work as the assistant manager but he now manages the club after winning the Turkish Cup in his brief time as caretaker boss.

Baker has already been pictured arriving in Istanbul airport and he will now fly to Trabzon to complete his medical at his new club.

He is not the only arrival from England with Stoke City's Benik Afobe already having arrived on loan for the ambitious Super Lig side.

The Chelsea loanee played in two friendlies with the Blues ahead of the move to ready himself. He recently faced Wimbledon in a behind-closed-doors match that ended 1-1 with Victor Moses netting a second-half goal from the penalty spot.

The academy graduate has lost his way in recent seasons despite having been considered one of England's top talents previously in his career.

A falling out with manager Friedhelm Funkel at his last loan move saw him return early in January from Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf.

"He's in London and supposedly sick, I can't check that," Fortuna Dusseldorf coach Friedhelm Funkel told Bild in January 2019. "Usually he would have been here. I don't know what the reason is that he isn't here.

"What I know is that Lewis Baker wasn't in the squad against Union Berlin [before Christmas] and should have trained with the others at ten in the morning.

"But he just wasn't there during this training session. There was no excuse in advance. When he wasn't playing, he wasn't even in the stadium. All other players who are not part of the squad were there and were happy with the others. He was not. That has some meaningfulness...

This came after mixed loan spells at then Championship sides Leeds United, Reading and Middlesbrough.

The England Under-21 international had a very successful spell at Vitesse prior to that and also won the Toulon Tournament in 2016 before winning the Dutch Cup in 2017.

Chelsea will next look to place a host of other potential loan stars with Jake Clarke-Salter in talks with a host of Championship sides. Baba Rahman and Matt Miazga look set for overseas moves, while Nathan Baxter is also considering his options.

Baxter is operating as the Blues third-choice goalkeeper until they bring in Edouard Mendy from Rennes with talks expected to lead to a medical in the coming days.

Tiemoue Bakayoko's protracted talks with AC Milan are continuing, while Davide Zappacosta will likely end up in Serie A having now been linked with a season-long loan move to Genoa.

Meanwhile, West Brom are on the verge of announcing a deal for Conor Gallagher after he renewed his contract at Chelsea to allow the move to go through.

Chelsea already have 15 players out on loan with Danny Drinkwater, Malang Sarr, Moses, Dujon Sterling, Lewis Bate, Henry Lawrence and Ian Maatsen further names who could join an extensive group out across Europe.

Midge Purce believes there are no limits to what athletes can achieve in the fight against racial inequality - but the silence of some “doesn’t go unnoticed.”

The Sky Blue FC and U.S. national team forward-cum-defender has been a vocal proponent for racial justice, as the United States has undergone another reckoning over race and police violence this summer. 

As the first American sports league to return to the field after the country’s coronavirus shutdown, the NWSL was on the front lines of the collision between sports and social justice. 

The Challenge Cup began in June - the month in which hundreds of cities across the country were flooded by protesters in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota at the hands of police.

Purce said that speaking with many people in her network during that time was both encouraging and exhausting. 

“It was a mentally tiresome experience off the field because of everything that was being dealt with,” Purce explained to Goal. “I had conversations about history, I had conversations about the reality of what it’s like for a black person in the United States and not everyone agreed with me, and that’s difficult.”

Speaking to Goal, North Carolina Courage and U.S. national team forward Jessica McDonald concurred with Purce’s experience.

“I totally understand where she comes from,” McDonald said. “There are people I've come across who just didn’t understand, or they refuse to, so it can be frustrating. People have their own opinions and it just boils down to the fact that this is a very exhausting situation for us as Black people. It’s tiring, it’s draining, it’s exhausting.”

Purce was quick to point out, though, that her Sky Blue teammates have been in her corner throughout.

“I can say that my team had a number of superstars when it comes to being open to understanding things and actually just their initial understanding of race relations and history, so that was a nice thing to see,” she said. 

Another positive, Purce, said, was that the difficult experience she and others had during the Challenge Cup helped fuel the founding of the Black Players of the NWSL.

The coalition “was born out of this sentiment of focusing on creating actionable change rather than changing the opinions of individuals who have already made a choice that they believe what they believe. It's great to come out of that with something that powerful such as a coalition being born.”

As for the actionable change they wish to create, Purce says they will soon announce “very specific goals that we want to achieve.”

Already, Sky Blue FC raised $1,000 for the National Black Justice Coalition during a watch party for their NWSL fall series opener.

Athletes, though, are not in a position to enact real change in the same way a politician is. Creating societal movements is not in their job description and many have shied away from taking a stand in the past. What they do have, however, is a platform and a captive audience who will respond to their words and actions. 

Asked what a band of professional athletes can reasonably be expected to achieve, Purce is idealistic. 

“Realistically there is absolutely no limit,” Purce said. “I genuinely believe that to my core. I think that the number of fields we can create change and influence are so broad that when we get together and we set these goals and these aims I don't think there’s a limit.”

However making lasting change will be much easier if everyone pulls their weight. Though many players of all races have been adament in their viewpoints, others have not. Their silence, Purce said, speaks volumes. 

“Where you stand, how much you use your voice, that’s up to you, but it doesn’t go unnoticed,” Purce said. “People talk about things that they care about, that’s a fact. 

“It’s human nature, you talk about what’s important to you and what you prioritize and if among all these killings and everything that we’re trying to do, you feel it’s important to talk about the new froyo you just got but not acknowledge something else that’s going on, I think that’s telling. Especially if you’re a friend.”

Erling Haaland says he is sure Jadon Sancho will be an important player for Borussia Dortmund in the coming season.

The England youngster has been constantly targeted by Manchester United but, with Dortmund adamant he won’t be allowed to leave for anything less than their full asking price, he looks set for another season of Bundesliga football.

Some reports had suggested United had switched their attention to Gareth Bale, but the Real Madrid winger is instead looks set for a return to the Premier League with former club Tottenham.

Sancho scored Dortmund’s opening goal of the season in a 5-0 cup thrashing of Duisburg this week, with Jude Bellingham – also targeted by United earlier in the window – becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer with a debut strike.

Sancho and Haaland struck up an effective partnership last season following the latter’s arrival from Red Bull Salzburg, and the Norway star is eager to see it continue to blossom.

“I think he has been very good throughout the whole pre-season,” Haaland told Viaplay Fotball.

“He will be an important player for us this season.”

“That’s not something that I am involved in,” he replied when asked about the United rumours.

“Those in charge are responsible for that. I am not going to comment too much on that. But if he stays, I’ll be very happy, because he is both a good friend of mine and a hell of a player.”

Though Haaland has been at Dortmund for less than a year, he has also been subject to transfer speculation of his own due to a clause in his contract.

Haaland is widely reported to have a release clause of €75 million (£69m/$89m) in his contract, though reports vary as to whether it comes into play in 2021 or 2022.

He was asked how he sees next year’s transfer window panning out, but remained tight-lipped

“Now I will give you an answer you don’t often get from me,” he said. “And that is: no comment.”

Haaland and Dortmund get their Bundesliga campaign underway on Saturday with a home fixture against Borussia Monchengladbach, who finished two places below them in fourth last season.

Seven Bayern Munich players have made the cut for for the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League positional award shortlists - but there is no room for a nomination for either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo among them.

But there is a place for Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes among a three-man selection in the running for the UEFA Europa League Player of the Year.

Hansi Flick's side stormed to a first European title in seven years with a 100 per cent win record - the first time such a feat has ever been achieved in the competition's history - and secured their second continental treble in history with success against Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon.

It is no surprise then to see them make up more than half of the nominated players up for the tournament's top awards, with the Bundesliga side locking out the trio of defensive nods in its entirety while picking up two in midfield and one apiece among the goalkeepers and forwards.

Barcelona man Messi however - who recently was the subject of a bitter public dispute over his future at the club before confirming to Goal that he would remain with the team - and Juventus star Ronaldo, however, miss out entirely after both saw their clubs underperform with quarter-final and round-of-16 exits.

Robert Lewandowski is rewarded for his superior season as arguably the best striker in Europe, while veteran attacking midfielder Thomas Muller and Liverpool-bound Thiago Alcantara are shortlisted behind him, where they are joined by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

David Alaba, Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich meanwhile are all vying for the top defensive honour, while Manuel Neuer hopes to stake his claim for the best goalkeeper across last season's competition, alongside Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak.

Runners-up PSG make up the three remaining nominees, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe both in the running against Lewandowski while Keylor Navas is selected between the posts.

None of last year's winners - Messi, Liverpool duo Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, and then-Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong - made the cut.

Meanwhile, Portuguese star Fernades has been picked for consideration for the top prize among the man whom he followed at Man Utd, Inter's Romelu Lukaku, as well as then-Sevilla star Ever Banega, now at Al-Shabab.

The make-up of the jury comprised of each head coach from the 32 clubs that made up the group stage of last season's Champions League, as well as 55 journalists representing each UEFA member association.

Jury members picked their top three players in each position, with the combined highest trio making up the eventual shortlist.

Alphonso Davies has helped attract a whole new audience to the Bundesliga, says Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – but he wants to keep the hype around him in check.

The 19-year-old left-back burst onto the scene with a sensational breakout campaign in 2019-20, seizing his opportunity during an injury crisis at the club.

Davies made 43 appearances in all competitions as Bayern won the treble, and starred in the 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the Champions League.

Despite his youth, the Canada international has emerged as a star of North American soccer, with around five million combined followers across Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

“I sometimes follow him on Instagram, the boy is very authentic,” Rummenigge told Goal and DAZN.

“I also took a closer look at his resume and have to say that he is exactly what you expect from a footballer his age.

“He comes from a modest background, is scouted as a great talent by a top club, sees his opportunity and takes it into his hands. It's good for all of us.

“People are of course excited about him. In the stadium, I always think to myself: when he starts, nobody can get away from him.

“He's a guy who shot up from 0 to 100. Meanwhile, many football fans who are not interested in the Bundesliga know him.

“His dribbling against Barcelona was seen all over the world. A lot of people were like: What was that? Who is this guy? Let me put it this way: Our New York office is certainly very grateful for Alphonso Davies.”

With three goals and 10 assists in his debut season, plenty are already talking about Davies as the best left-back in the world.

Bayern are in no doubt as to the talent they have on their hands, but Rummenigge wants to keep the youngster's feet on the ground.

“He contributed very well with his skills - especially with his speed - and his great character,” he said.

“But you shouldn't forget that he didn't play a role for us until autumn. It wasn't until a few central defenders got injured and David Alaba moved into the middle that he got his chance.

“He was actually bought as a left winger. But you saw relatively quickly that he was not a dribbler à la Franck Ribery or Arjen Robben. As a left-back, he can best use his extraordinary speed.

“When I see him, I think to myself: 'The boy is like an S-Bahn at full speed'. He's also a good guy.

“Still, we can't make the mistake of hyping him too much. He deserves to be talked about, of course, but he's only 19. We as a club have to deal responsibly with this hype. Even as a 19-year-old you can have a stable character, but you shouldn't overdo it.”

Rangers successfully negotiated a potential banana skin as they won 5-0 at Lincoln Red Imps to reach the third round of Europa League qualifying.

Gibraltar's Lincoln famously defeated Celtic in 2016, but their Old Firm rivals easily came through unscathed on Thursday.

Steven Gerrard's men were comfortable from the moment they took the lead through James Tavernier in the 21st minute, with Connor Goldson adding a second before half-time.

Substitutes Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe got in on the act after the restart, the former scoring twice as Rangers advanced, setting up a tie with Willem II.

Pressure quickly built on the Red Imps goal and Kyle Goldwin was required to bravely block to divert Kemar Roofe's close-range finish wide.

The goalkeeper had no answer to Tavernier's opener, however, as the Rangers captain fired a 20-yard free-kick into the top-right corner after Ianis Hagi was fouled.

And the hosts paid the price again in first-half stoppage time as Hagi was brought down once more, allowing Borna Barisic to loft in a set-piece for the unmarked Goldson to head past Goldwin.

Goldwin expertly denied Greg Stewart with a strong right hand following the restart, and Rangers were given a brief scare as George Edmundson ducked under a free-kick and Allan McGregor had to block from Roy Chipolina.

But yet another Rangers set play prompted the third goal as Stewart headed across goal for Morelos to touch in.

Defoe turned on the edge of the area and saw his low shot deflected beyond Goldwin, who was grateful to see a foul flagged against the former England striker as he quickly netted again.

Rangers would not be denied their fifth as Defoe sent Morelos clear to dink over the helpless goalkeeper and wrap up victory.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says it should be a matter of “principle” that Premier Soccer League (PSL) coaches be handed freedom to make their own signings without influence from club bosses.

The Brazilians tactician is known for his vocal nature when it comes to transfer business, sometimes openly revealing his targets.

He has highlighted the plight faced by some PSL coaches who have players imposed on them by club chiefs before suffering the consequences when results elude them.

“I just feel if results are on the coach, then he must fall on his sword. I just believe that you bring the players, train them and substitute [them],” said Mosimane as per Sowetan Live.

“If you don’t win [the club can say] we allowed you to do that and you did not do that. But you can’t say results are on me but certain things are not on you. Then I will say but that player is not the one I bought. I did not want that one, I wanted this one. That’s why he is not scoring goals. So we can also have an excuse that this is not what I wanted.

“I just believe it is a principle. It is my opinion. I believe it is a principle that if you are responsible for results, if you are going to be fired for the results, get fired for the work that you do.

“That’s my opinion, but I don’t want to say that clubs should do this and that. Yes, everybody has ambitions and there is a player that he likes. Some coaches have won with [clubs signing players for them], some not. The question is what are the chances? It is better I choose the players that I want.

“[But] it is difficult because it is not your club and also, there are roles that are played. Technical directors, what are their roles? If he is here to buy players, then he is responsible for the results.”

In preparing for next season, Mosimane has already signed George Maluleka from rivals Kaizer Chiefs as well as the former Bidvest Wits duo of goalkeeper Ricardo Goss and midfielder Haashim Domingo.

He has also roped in Ex-Black Leopards forward Lesedi Kapinga has been and Grant Margeman from Ajax Cape Town.

The former Highlands Park pair of Mothobi Mvala and the league’s joint-top goalscorer Peter Shalulile are reportedly on their way to Chloorkop as Mosimane also states that he is not yet done with transfer business for the upcoming season.