All the top stories and transfer rumours from Friday’s national newspapers…
Mendy claims he slept with 10,000 women after committing sexual assault
The rape trial of former Manchester City defender Mendy continues today, with The Sun revealing more details today. In footage revealed in court today, Mendy boasted to his victim during the sexual assault, bragging that he had slept with 10,000 women.
The court released the video of the police interview with “victim number two” during today’s hearing. The name of the woman was not released for privacy reasons.
In the video, the woman says that Mendy took her phone, viewed her photos and took it upstairs to her bedroom.
The victim tried to retrieve her phone and Mendy took her up to the bedroom, where Mendy then locked the door with a fingerprint lock, which only Mendy could open.
The victim recalled the situation stating, “I told Mendy that I just wanted my phone back, I didn’t want to have sex with you, I wanted to leave.”
Mendy responded, “I assure you, I just wanted to see you. You can’t go out anyway.”
The woman told the police that she took off her clothes because she felt it was the “lesser of two evils”: “I thought if I took my clothes off I wouldn’t have sex with him.”
She said that after she had taken off her clothes, Mendy pinned her to the bed and raped her. She was raped three times in the space of 20 minutes. She claimed she was feeling pain in her body and was bleeding.
“Mendy was saying I was too shy and I said I wasn’t shy, I just didn’t want to have sex with you. And Mendy said, ‘It’s okay, I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.'”
“He also said that you can come here every night and not have to tell anyone. It’s like it’s a privilege.”
“What disturbed me was how many times I said no at the time to no avail. I was conscious and kept saying no, but it was clear to me that he wasn’t listening. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life and I hope that what I said will not be misinterpreted.”
During the court hearing the day before, another woman, codenamed Victim I, accused Mendy of forcibly exposing his genitals to her.
Mendy, who had met Victim I in Barcelona in 17 years, told her, “I will kidnap you when people are not looking.”
The following morning victim I was in the shower at Mendy’s home when Mendy entered the room and molested her. The victim kept trying to cover her private parts with a towel and underwear but she struggled against Mendy, who then removed his underwear to show the victim his private parts.
Victim I said, “Mendy then said to me, ‘Are you scared? You don’t have to be scared.'”
“I kept thinking, ‘Where are his friends? Why didn’t any of them come over? Do I have to scream? But is there a point in screaming? He’s on his own turf, what can I do?”
British police lock up man who racially insulted Son
The Athletic reports that English Metropolitan Police have locked up the man who insulted Son in the Premier League stands at the weekend, and Chelsea FC are also investigating the incident.
The man made a racist gesture in the stands at Stamford Bridge
The scene pictured above took place during Tottenham’s second round Premier League match against Chelsea, when Son was preparing to kick off in the corner and was met with abuse from some of the fans in that corner, with the man clearly visible in the match footage making a racist gesture of pulling the corner of his eye.
In some European and North American internationals, pulling the corner of the eye (slanty eye) can also be called squinting, meaning to mock the smaller eyes and equal facial features of Asians, with some racist tendencies.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “A man was identified by police after the Chelsea v Tottenham match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 14 August. The man went to a police station in south London on Wednesday 17 August and he is not currently under arrest but has been told to keep in touch with police at all times as part of the investigation into this incident.”
This is not the first time Son has been subjected to a racist incident in the UK.In April 2021, Son was suspended from three season ticket holders after he was subjected to racist abuse online following Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, and in 2019, a West Ham United fan was fined for racist gestures towards Son during a match.
Meanwhile, the FA is also investigating the post-match clash between Chelsea boss Tuchel and Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte.
Man Utd are considering Carrasco
Manchester United are reportedly eyeing another Atletico Madrid player, this time they are targeting Carrasco.
Exclusive sources from the Telegraph say that Carrasco is a key target for United in the final two weeks of the transfer window and that the 28-year-old Belgian international will be allowed to leave for £25.5m.
United also maintain an interest in Chelsea’s Pulisic and enquired about Anthony to Ajax earlier in the transfer window, although Ajax are not willing to lose the Brazilian.
Carrasco has emerged as a specific target for Manchester United as doubts grow about Crowe’s future at the club. Tenhag is ready to let the restless Portuguese superstar go as he tries to breathe life into United’s new season.
Nice want to sign Marcelo
Ligue 1 side Nice are in contact with Marcelo, who is currently a free agent, according to French media outlet Foot Mercato.
Marcelo, 34, became a free agent after his contract with Real Madrid expired on June 30 this year, and the Brazilian star has yet to decide on his next destination.
However, according to Foot Mercato, Nice are trying to bring Marcelo in and have been in contact with the player’s agent in recent days.
Manchester United hope to announce Casemiro’s signing in the coming days
Casemiro’s departure from Real Madrid and move to Manchester United appears to be a foregone conclusion, according to reports.
Sources from the Telegraph say that United are hoping to officially announce Casemiro’s signing in the next few days. United are currently frantically trying to improve their underperforming squad with less than two weeks left before the transfer window closes, and Casemiro, 30, has already stated his desire to leave Real Madrid and sign a four-year contract with United, which would see his wages increase significantly.
Although Casemiro was not Tenhaag’s initial target – the United boss was previously adamant about signing Frankie De Jong from Barcelona – Casemiro has become a priority for United as the Dutch boss attempts to bolster his midfield with an experienced number six.
Signing the Brazilian international would represent something of a coup for United, who are under immense pressure after their poor start to the season and Ten Hague has asked the club to sign up to five new players in this window. Of these, Casemiro would be the brightest star and although Real Madrid would not have wanted to sell him, out of respect for the great things he has achieved at the club, they have told the player that he has the option to leave if he wishes.
Casemiro still has three years left on his contract with Real Madrid, but his position appears to be under threat after signing Chuameni from Monaco for £67.6 million. Casemiro was named on the bench against Almeria in the first round of La Liga last week, while Chuameni was given the start.
Like Toni Kroos and Modric, Casemiro has been part of Real Madrid’s famous ‘ceremonial midfield’ for years, but he has told his teammates that he is ready to seek a new challenge and that he is interested in a lucrative offer from Manchester United and he has held talks with manager Carlo Ancelotti about it.
Real Madrid president Florentino, who has close ties with the player’s agent Oscar Rivot, has told Casemiro that he can decide his future. Although Real Madrid insists that they have not received an official offer from Manchester United, it is understood that Casemiro has agreed on personal terms with United.
The signing of Casemiro has become a priority for United as Ten Hague was shocked by United’s back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford. He is a more defensive-minded player than Francky De Jong, who is looking increasingly likely to stay at Barca, and although United had long ago agreed to pay Barca a transfer fee of up to £72 million, the player’s strong resistance prevented the deal from going any further and eventually went nowhere.
Paris considered offering Messi new one-year contract
Paris are considering offering Lionel Messi a new one-year contract, according to journalist Darío Montero.
Messi joined Paris in the summer of 2021 and his current contract expires in 2023.
According to journalist Darío Montero, Paris are ready to offer Messi a new one-year contract and are set to meet with him in the coming weeks.
Barca want to sign Messi back next summer and this journalist says that Messi will not decide his future until 2023.
Lewandowski has been frequently stolen in recent days
Sources from Mundo Deportivo say that Lewandowski experienced an unpleasant experience when he arrived at the training base on Thursday afternoon when a thief appeared and tried to steal his mobile phone when he stopped to take a photo with some fans.
Local Catalan media outlet TV3 further revealed that shortly after this another thief managed to get away with his watch worth €70,000. Even more bizarrely, Lewandowski tried to catch the thief himself, but he ended up losing the thief. Luckily, the local police didn’t let the thief get away and he was caught with the stolen goods shortly after he got away with it.
Daily Sport reported that the thieves took advantage of Lewandowski’s stop to sign autographs for fans to open the passenger door and pull the watch off Lewandowski’s wrist. The thieves buried the watch under a tree at one point after they got their hands on it so they could retrieve it later. During the chase after the thief, Lewandowski was also involved in a car accident.
The latest news says that the police have returned Lewandowski’s stolen watch to its owner.
Juventus haven’t settled a deal with depe yet
According to Di Marzio’s personal website, Juve wanted to take Milliko on loan but were rejected by Marseille.
The report states that Juventus’ goal remains to strengthen their forward line and their first choice is Barcelona striker Depay. However, Depay has still not negotiated his release with Barca, so Juve have also still not been able to reach an agreement with Depay on a transfer.
Depay is a player Allegri insists he wants to sign and Juventus are confident of signing Depay internally, but Juve are prepared to do a double take and will see Milik as the main option if they cannot sign Depay.
The report also states that the offer Juventus made to Marseille was for the loan of Milik, and Marseille did not want to loan him out, so they rejected the offer. Juventus were not too concerned though, as they always thought they could sign Depay.
FIFA 23 and Marvel link up to launch 22 World Cup hero cards
FIFA 23 has teamed up with Marvel to launch the FUT World Cup Heroes card, which comes in 22 cards. The foreign media has revealed one after another the Marvel style posters of 15 of the players, each with an overpowering superhero name as well.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Manchester United hope to announce the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro for close to £60m in the next few days and are also now fully turning their attentions to PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo who will cost around £34m.
An alternative option to Gakpo is the Atletico Madrid forward Yannick Carrasco, who is priced at £25.5m, after United failed with a bid of £67.6m for Ajax’s Antony who was their first choice.
Chelsea want to push ahead with a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a stop-gap solution before looking at long-term targets next summer including RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku.
Manchester United and Chelsea are leading a number of Premier League clubs poised to embark on a £500m gold rush over the final two weeks of the summer transfer window.
West Ham United’s legal row with their London Stadium landlords over beer prices at their home matches has intensified after the cost of the cheapest pint was cut by just 20p for their Europa Conference League game against Viborg.
Police have shelved an investigation into whether Azeem Rafiq had red wine forcibly poured down his throat by a former Yorkshire player while he was still a child, citing “evidential difficulties”.
Wasps are being pursued by HM Revenue & Customs over an unpaid tax bill.
THE TIMES
Chelsea are optimistic that a deal for the Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can be reached as further talks are scheduled this week.
The Premier League is further ahead of its European rivals than ever before in terms of finances – but the increasing gap from the Sky Bet Championship is a cause for concern, according to a new report.
Calls have been made for a public inquiry into the Yorkshire racism scandal amid claims that the county was not given a fair hearing by MPs over the Azeem Rafiq affair.
DAILY MAIL
Crystal Palace co-owner Josh Harris has an involvement in private equity firm Apollo, who are in exclusive talks to purchase a minority stake in Manchester United.
Fulham are set to strike a deal with Roma for out-of-favour winger Justin Kluivert on an initial loan with option to buy for £10m, with Cottagers manager Marco Silva desperate to add to his attacking options to stave off relegation fears.
Manchester United are considering a move for Everton’s Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
THE SUN
Manchester United have suffered yet another blow in their pursuit of a summer transfer target as Jurrien Timber extended his contract with Ajax.
Manchester United share prices on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have skyrocketed amid Jim Ratcliffe’s interest in buying the club.
Paris Saint-Germain have banned their squad from drinking Coca Cola and Ice Tea as new football advisor Luis Campos made the decision to employ a nutritionist for the squad as one of his first major moves at the club.
A Manchester City fan has been banned for three years for the pitch invasion that saw Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen attacked.
DAILY MIRROR
Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their eighth signing of the summer as they prepare to beat the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United to the signature of Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.
Virgil van Dijk accepts that Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford has taken on “massive” proportions, with both teams’ stuttering start to the season.
Apex Football News 