Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

Rangers captain James Tavernier has emerged as a target for former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Panathinaikos, with the 34-year-old right-back out of contract this summer. (Daily Mail), external Aberdeen have enquired about taking on loan Rangers midfielder Lyall Cameron, who chose Ibrox instead of Pittodrie when leaving Dundee in the summer, but it is not yet clear whether an option-to-buy agreement is possible for the 23-year-old.

Several presidents of African football federations have told the Guardian they were not informed of the decision until it was surprisingly announced by the Caf president, Patrice Motsepe, on 20 December, prompting claims that the confederation breached its statutes by failing to seek approval at a general assembly. That is based on a contention that major changes to competition formats must be ratified by the 54 member associations, although that has been disputed by senior sources at Caf.

"A lot of things have to fall in place before I think we're ready to expand," says Larman. "But certainly the dream is to get to a larger number of clubs. "The success of the league will depend on strength of the clubs - so all have strong community links or ingrained community involvement. "That's going to be key for them to have financial success, with big portfolios of commercial partners and a strong team off the pitch which is then generating a lot of money to invest in the first team and youth programmes."

In this week's quiz, you'll answer 20 questions about football, covering everything from Italian football to stubborn World Cup defences. Episode 98 will test your knowledge of Serie A geography, Ballon d'Or runners-up, EFL Stadiums, FA Cup-winning managers and more. You may like That's your third Friday Football Quiz of 2026 but we have a huge list of football quizzes, puzzles, teasers and posers to help you into the weekend, all powered by Kwizly.

Manchester United and Manchester City are keeping close tabs on Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, with both clubs considering a summer move for the highly rated 22-year-old, according to TEAMtalk. With just over two years remaining on his contract, Scott could be available for a reduced fee at the end of the season, a situation that has alerted several Premier League giants.

Flamengo are advancing in talks with West Ham over the signing of Lucas Paquetá although sources have told ESPN that the midfielder is most likely to remain with the London outfit until the end of the season. Paquetá, who has 18 months left on his contract with the Hammers, wants to return to Brazil in this transfer window. However, the Brazil international would only leave this month if Flamengo meet the £50 million ($67.2m) asking price requested by West Ham,

Matt Bloomfield is back in the second tier to try to make amends for his relegation with Luton by saving an Oxford United side who have spent too much of the season looking downwards. It took the U's over two weeks to name Bloomfield as Gary Rowett's successor, and his appointment has raised a few eyebrows after leaving the Hatters 11th in League One, with his replacement Jack Wilshire lifting them into play-off contention.

Crystal Palace will discover who they will face in the knockout phase of the Conference League at the draw on Friday, 16 November at 12:00 GMT. After missing out on qualifying directly for the round of 16 by finishing 10th in the league phase, the Eagles will be seeded for the play-off round. It means Palace will be guaranteed to play the second-leg at their Selhurst Park home.

The Oakland A's last played baseball in this city over a year ago, but the franchise still holds both a potential ownership stake in the Coliseum and the decisive ability to reject groups that seek a longer residency there. It is an uncomfortable arrangement that comes at a turning point for the Coliseum property, where lucrative private events could bring an end to live sports played at the iconic stadium.

Arsenal have approached Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi about a free transfer to the Emirates Stadium in the summer. As first reported in my Daily Briefing exclusive here, Guehi is a target for Manchester City this January, but has not yet made a final decision on a move. The England international has been taking his time over a possible exit this month, and the feeling from my sources in the industry is that he's leaning towards waiting until becoming a free agent in the summer.

I'm grateful to the core group of players that I've got. They've taken us to three major tournaments and if they're all fit and well then I'm sure they can have a good summer. Sometimes, I get criticised for not going outside that core group but I believe in them a lot and they've delivered a lot for their country. I've got a difficult choice to make when I come to name my final 26.

We didn't see this coming, and not only because of the fog of pyro lingering over the RheinEnergieSTADION field that furnished us with 11 minutes of first-half stoppage time.

Chelsea and David Datro Fofana are working on a permanent exit this window, with Celtic, Royal Antwerp and Derby County all expressing interest in the 23-year-old forward who is currently on loan at Turkish Super Lig club Fatih Karagumruk. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external Celtic are exploring a possible deal for NK Celje forward Franko Kovacevic, who has scored 25 goals in 28 games this season - including 14 in the Europa League and Conference League. (Sky Sports), external

"I don't know," McInnes said of the prospect of the transfer being fast-tracked. "We don't control that, but it would be nice if we could. "We could do with a couple of signings, if we can, to help us. We've got a couple of injuries, and we'll see where we are. I don't know if that (Mato) can be done, but certainly if it can be done, we'll try it."