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It has been reported that Serie A giants AC Milan are going to try to recruit Arsenal centre-back Jakub Kiwior during the January transfer window.

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AC Milan want to sign Kiwior Arsenal signed centre-back last January Milan suffering from defensive injuriesWHAT HAPPENED?

The gifted 23-year-old was acquired by the Gunners for £20 million from Spezia in January of last year, but he has only made intermittent appearances for the North London team thus far. This season, Kiwior has made ten appearances across all competitions; however, most of them have been cameos off the bench. Italian publication Calciomercato claims that AC Milan have been closely monitoring the defender for the past few weeks and are keen on bringing Kiwior back to Serie A. Due to multiple injuries, AC Milan are presently missing Simon Kjaer, Pierre Kalulu, Mattia Caldara, Malick Thiaw, and Marco Pellegrino in defence.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Calciomercato also reports that Antonio D'Ottavio, the sporting director of Milan, and Geoffrey Moncada, the technical director, have been "working intensely for a few days" to attempt to recruit him "on a loan deal with an option to buy." At the moment, Arsenal are hesitant to let Kiwior go, however, "discussions will continue" over a possible agreement over the upcoming weeks.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kiwior's career peaked while playing for Spezia in Serie A, so perhaps a loan return to Italy can help him regain his form. In light of this, it will be intriguing to watch if AC Milan can entice the defender away from the Emirates during the next winter.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KIWIOR?

Arsenal have games coming up thick and fast and with the season-ending injury suffered by Jurrien Timber, Kiwior may well be in the running to start one of those games with the Champions League group stage game against PSV being one of the key opportunities considering the game is a dead rubber for both sides having secured their places in the next round.

Wayne Rooney is looking to lure one of Lionel Messi’s former team-mates to Birmingham, with ex-Inter Miami star Josef Martinez now a free agent.

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Martinez released at end of 2023 seasonSpent one season at DRV PNK StadiumWanted in England by Blues and LutonWHAT HAPPENED?

The Venezuela international striker was released by the MLS outfit at the end of the 2023 campaign. He moved to DRV PNK Stadium in January and hit 12 goals through 40 appearances – helping to secure a historic Leagues Cup crown alongside all-time great Messi.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He was informed that his services were no longer required as Inter Miami continue to be linked with a move to add ex-Barcelona star Luis Suarez to their ranks. Martinez is generating plenty of interest and is not expected to be without a club for long.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to , Martinez is registering on the recruitment radar at Birmingham. New Blues boss Rooney has suffered three defeats at the start of his St Andrew’s reign, but ambitious plans are being drawn up by NFL legend Tom Brady and his fellow investors in the West Midlands.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Martinez’s wage demands are expected to determine whether or not Birmingham remain in the race for his signature, with Premier League outfit Luton also said to be keen. Rooney needs to get some big earners off his books before bringing any more in, which could happen during the January transfer window.

Portugal stormed to a record-setting 9-0 win without Cristiano Ronaldo, but Danilo Pereira has sought to defend the absent superstar.

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Superstar forward serving a suspensionMissed latest Euro 2024 qualifierHistoric victory secured in his absenceWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo was forced to sit out a Euro 2024 qualifier against Luxembourg after collecting three yellow cards in Portugal’s campaign so far. He had figured, playing the full 90 minutes, in a 1-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Goncalo Ramos led the line with Ronaldo forced to watch on from afar, and bagged a brace as Portugal recorded their biggest win of all-time – having previously enjoyed three 8-0 successes. Questions have been asked of whether they need Ronaldo in order to compete at next summer’s European Championship.

WHAT THEY SAID

Danilo insists that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner remains an integral part of Roberto Martinez’s plans, telling reporters after a demolition job against hapless Luxembourg: "If Cristiano Ronaldo was here, the result would also be like this. He would help with goals and assists. It wasn't because of his absence that this game was won by eight or nine goals."

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Ronaldo, who is 38 years of age, now has 201 caps for his country and a historic haul of 123 international goals. He will be hoping to maintain impressive form at club level for Al-Nassr, where he has hit 12 goals this season, and keep himself in contention to play a leading role for Portugal at another major tournament.

After an embarrassing exit from the 2023 tournament, soon attention will turn towards the next four-year cycle – but who will be in the team in 2027?

We'll get this out of the way: picking how the United States women's national team should line up at the 2027 World Cup is an almost impossible exercise. So much can change in four years, especially for a team that looks set to usher in a new era. A new coach is surely coming in, as are new players, and projecting what all of that can combine to look like is a fool's errand.

But we'll play the fool and try and project what the USWNT will look like four years from now. The 2023 World Cup is over, but what will the U.S. look like by the time the 2027 tournament rolls around?

We know some key figures will be gone, with Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz having confirmed their retirements. Others like Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher and Crystal Dunn may not be around in four years time as they play into their mid-to-late 30s.

There's also an Olympic tournament just one summer away, which could slow the USWNT's true rebuild. Does the new coach use that tournament to blood young stars or lean on the likes of Morgan, Naeher and Dunn one last time in pursuit of Olympic gold?

Either way, there will be big changes by 2027, but what are they? GOAL breaks down how the U.S. should line up at the next World Cup…

GettyGK: Casey Murphy

Casey Murphy has been with the team for three years now, earning 14 caps, and it seems like it may be her time to fully step up. Naeher will be 39 by the time the next World Cup rolls around and, while she could very well be playing at the goalkeeper position, it seems unlikely.

Murphy, meanwhile, will be 31 and in the prime of her career, giving her a chance to start going forward.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLB: Emily Fox

Emily Fox started as an inverted right-back at this past World Cup to accommodate Dunn, but she will probably switch back to the left at some point soon. Fox, 25, wasn't bad on the right, but she's clearly better on her preferred side.

She'll have this World Cup experience to build on, which will be helpful as she looks to have an even better cycle this time around.

GettyCB: Naomi Girma

Based on this World Cup, write Naomi Girma's name on the teamsheet in Sharpie. The 23-year-old central defender was the USWNT's best player Down Under, putting in several starring performances as the U.S. conceded just one goal. It's frightening to thing that she's still a relative newcomer for club and country, isn't it?

Girma will only get more comfortable as she earns more experience. Look for her to be one of the best in the world by the time 2027 rolls around, if she isn't already.

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GettyCB: Alana Cook

Bizarrely, Alana Cook didn't play a minute at this World Cup, but don't sell your stocks in her just yet. Vlatko Andonovski earned plenty of criticism for his unwillingness to trust Cook, as he instead went with Ertz in central defense. Cook was one of two USWNT outfield players not to see the field, which seemed impossible at the start of the tournament due to the lack of depth in her position.

Cook, though, is only 26 and will be right in her prime in four years' time. She isn't going anywhere and, even if she isn't a starter by 2027, she'll certainly be in the mix.

City and United account for six of the spots after both teams notched impressive victories against Chelsea and Fulham respectively

Getty Images1Anthony Martial | Manchester UnitedMartial was directly involved in two of Man Utd's three goals against Fulham, scoring one and assisting another.AdvertisementLaurence Griffiths2Sergio Aguero | Manchester CityThe Argentine striker scored with all three of his shots on target against Chelsea, netting his 11th hat-trick in the Premier League.Laurence Griffiths3Raheem Sterling | Manchester CitySterling netted a brace and created two goal-scoring chances in Man City's 6-0 win over Chelsea.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty4Paul Pogba | Manchester UnitedPogba scored with both of his shots on target against Fulham, netting two of Man Utd's three goals at Craven Cottage.

GOAL takes a look at how the U.S. could line up against Canada in the Nations League final.

The U.S. men's national team heads into the Nations League final riding high after their best performance against their fiercest rival in quite some time. To put it lightly, the U.S. took Mexico apart, dominating them all over the field in a straightforward, yet still overly chaotic, win.

In an ideal world, the U.S. would simply run it back in Sunday's final against Canada, deploying the same team to keep the momentum moving. This isn't an ideal world, though, due to that aforementioned chaos.

Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest will both miss the finale after earning straight red cards in the win over Mexico. Neither dismissal has been overly criticized, as both were sent off for matching the passion of the game, but the fact is that the U.S. is now somewhat shorthanded for a big game against a solid Canada team.

Because of that, B.J. Callaghan has some massive decisions to make in his second game in charge. How does he replace two key players, both of whom were spectacular against El Tri? Does he make any other changes in the XI, potentially at striker or centerback? And how does he balance a midfield that is now without both McKennie and Tyler Adams?

GOAL takes a look at what lineup Callaghan should go with for Sunday night's final!

GettyGK: Matt Turner

No wasting time here; Turner is starting.

He was rarely tested against Mexico, as the USMNT bossed the game, but one would expect Canada to provide a bit more pressure due to their elite-level attackers.

AdvertisementImago ImagesLB: Antonee Robinson

After another solid performance against Mexico, Robinson will almost certainly remain in the XI.

Any slight chance that he'd be benched went out the window when Dest was sent off, as the USMNT's lack of depth at fullback means he'll be in the XI again.

Getty ImagesCB: Miles Robinson

Thursday night's win was exactly the type of performance that showed why, given all he's been through, many remain so convinced by Robinson.

He's all the way back from his horrible Achilles injury, as evidenced by his fantastic effort against Mexico. The Atlanta United star had an answer for everything Mexico threw at him, which is why he should remain in the XI.

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GettyCB: Chris Richards

Why ruin a good thing?

This centerback spot is one that will be up for grabs, with it likely coming down to Richards or Walker Zimmerman. The latter, of course, has the experience edge and will also be well-rested, having only come on for a cameo against Mexico.

But the Richards-Robinson partnership worked really, really well against El Tri, who never really bothered that duo. It's a tough call, for sure, but it seems like a good idea to keep that pairing together as a reward for their solid performance.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are "almost unstoppable" amid tight title battle.

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Guardiola says title rivals "almost unstoppable"Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City in three-way battleJurgen Klopp's side lead with two points covering top threeGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

As the title battle between Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal has started to slowly boil towards the end of the season, Guardiola has admitted that his side will have to strive hard to retain the title as both the Gunners and the Reds do not seem to be in the mood to drop points.

AdvertisementWHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

Speaking to the media, Guardiola said: "How they [our opponents] are playing, even Aston Villa but especially, Arsenal and Liverpool. They are scoring three, four, five goals a day. So that means they are almost unstoppable."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

So far in February, Arsenal have defeated West Ham by six goals, scored five against Burnley, and put three past both Newcastle and Liverpool. Meanwhile, Liverpool bagged three against Burnley, and put four past Brentford and Luton Town. Currently, Klopp's men lead the pack on 60 points with City one behind on 59 and Arsenal on 58 with 12 matchdays remaining.

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE TITLE RACE?

Liverpool will have the chance to extend their lead as they are the first of the title contenders to play on the next matchday. The Reds take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday, March 2, while Manchester City take on city rivals Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal end the matchday with a Monday evening kickoff against Sheffield United.

PSG have made transfers worth close to €2 billion in their quest for European supremacy

Paris Saint-Germain have significantly inflated an already wild transfer market ever since new owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) acquired a majority stake in the club in 2011.

In their ultimate mission to be crowned champions of Europe, PSG have splashed the cash on numerous high-profile signings over the last decade or so.

We all remember when they changed the transfer market forever by spending a world record €222 million on Neymar in 2017, followed by the second-most expensive transfer in history when they parted ways with €180m to bring Kylian Mbappe on board two years later after a successful loan spell.

There have been far more high-profile transfers over the course of the last two decades or so, though, so let's take a look at their spendings each season and at their most-expensive arrivals of the 21st century.

PSG most expensive incoming transfers

Season

Most expensive signing

Fee

Total spending

2022/23

Nuno Mendes

€48.80M/£44.11M

€147.50M/£132.75M

2021/22

Achraf Hakimi

€66.50M/£59.85M

€89.50M/£80.55M

2020/21

Mauro Icardi

€50M/£45M

€62M/£55.80M

2019/20

Abdou Diallo

€32M/£28.80M

€95M/£85.50M

2018/19

Kylian Mbappe

€180M/£162M

€262M/£235.80M

2017/18

Neymar

€222M/£199.80M

€238M/£214.20M

2016/17

Julian Draxler

€36M/£32.40M

€134.50M/£121.05M

2015/16

Angel Di Maria

€63M/£56.70M

€116.10M/£104.49M

2014/15

David Luiz

€49.50M/£44.55M

€49.50M/£44.55M

2013/14

Edinson Cavani

€64.50M/£58.05M

€135.90M/£122.31M

2012/13

Thiago Silva

€42M/£37.80M

€151M/£135.90M

2011/12

Javier Pastore

€42M/£37.80M

€107.10M/£96.39M

2010/11

Nene

€5M/£4.50M

€9M/£8.10M

2009/10

Mevlut Erdinc

€8.50M/£7.65M

€15.50M/£13.95M

2008/09

Stephane Sessegnon

€8M/£7.20M

€10.50M/£9.45M

2007/08

Zoumana Camara

€6M/£5.40M

€20.50M/£18.45M

2006/07

Pierre-Alain Frau

€5M/£4.50M

€16.70M/£15.03M

2005/06

Bonaventure Kalou

€8.50M/£7.65M

€18.20M/£16.38M

2004/05

Jerome Rothen

€10M/£9M

€27.50M/£24.75M

2003/04

Pauleta

€11M/£9.90M

€34.90M/£31.41M

2002/03

Andre Luiz

€11M/£9.90M

€12.75M/£11.48M

2001/02

Hugo Leal

€9.50M/£8.55M

€19.50M/£17.55M

2000/01

Nicolas Anelka

€34.50M/£31.05M

€62.29M/£56.06M

TOTAL

€1.83B/£1.65B

*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt.

PSG's top 10 most expensive player signingsGetty Images10Javier Pastore | €42 million/£37.80 million | Palermo | 2011

Javier Pastore was one of the first few superstars to arrive at PSG in the initial days of the club's takeover by QSI.

Signed for €42 million (£37.80m) from Palermo in 2011, Pastore eventually spent seven years at PSG, scoring 29 goals in 186 appearances.

It was Pastore who vacated his number 10 jersey and gave it as a gift to Neymar when the Brazilian arrived at the club.

AdvertisementGetty9Thiago Silva | €42 million/£37.80 million | Milan | 2012

A transfer that very much took advantage of Milan's financial turmoil at the time, Thiago Silva signed for PSG for €42 million (£37.80 million) in the summer of 2012.

Milan initially refuted all rumours relating to the Brazilian defender so much so that the club's owner at that time, Silvio Berlusconi, insisted that he would stay at the club.

The whole saga even reached a stage where just 12 days before signing for PSG, Thiago Silva extended his contract with Milan until 2017.

However, the move happened after all mere weeks later, making Thiago Silva the most expensive defender in history at that time.

Getty Images8Nuno Mendes | €48.80 million/£44.11 million | Sporting CP | 2022

PSG initially signed Nuno Mendes on a season-long loan in the summer of 2021.

His performances for the club saw him nominated for Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year award and also saw him rewarded with a place in the Team of the Year.

The Portuguese left-back was so good that PSG decided to exercise their option to trigger his buyout clause of €48.80 million (£44.11m) and sign him on a four-year deal.

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Getty7David Luiz | €49.50 million/£44.55 million | Chelsea | 2014

Just two years after signing Thiago Silva for a world record fee for a defender, PSG broke their own record and brought in David Luiz from Chelsea in the summer of 2014.

Signed for €49.50 million (£44.55 million), Luiz won all four domestic competitions in his two-season spell in France before returning to Stamford Bridge in a €35m (£31.50m) million transfer in 2016.

After another three seasons at Chelsea, Luiz joined Arsenal before returning back to his home country to join Flamengo in 2021.

GOAL takes a look back at the crucial moments that led to Mikel Arteta's side being pegged back by Manchester City

Arsenal’s title dreams are over. After leading the way for so long, the Gunners were overtaken by a relentless Manchester City, and Pep Guardiola’s side have now disappeared into the distance.

Sunday’s 3-0 mauling by Brighton means the Gunners now know that if they now lose at Nottingham Forest next Saturday, that the title will officially be City’s. And even if they do avoid defeat, then a win for City over Chelsea 24 hours later will seal the deal.

It’s a hammer blow for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had an eight-point lead at the top of the table just six weeks ago, but have begun to limp over the line while City have been unstoppable in galloping towards the finish line.

GOAL takes a look at some of the key moments from the season that saw an Arsenal side who had looked unstoppable for so long, ultimately have to settle for second best…

Getty ImagesDyche’s debut

This was a game that came one week too late for Arsenal. Everton were a shambles under Frank Lampard, were shipping goals all over the place and looked a very easy team to play against.

But they sacked Lampard just ahead of Arsenal’s visit and replaced him with Sean Dyche, who took charge of the Toffees for the first time against the Gunners.

Goodison Park was a cauldron on the day, and a fired up Everton looked a completely different side as they inflicted a first league defeat in 14 games on Arsenal.

AdvertisementGettyLee Mason’s mistake

It feels like a long time ago now, but the draw against Brentford when VAR Lee Mason forgot to draw the offside lines and so awarded Ivan Toney an equaliser that should have been ruled out was costly for Arsenal.

Ultimately, it’s not going to prove decisive in terms of the league table, as City are going to win the title by more than two points, but at the time it meant that Arsenal went into their home game against City on the back of two games without a win.

Who knows what would have happened had they go into that match on the back of a 1-0 victory rather than a 1-1 draw? It could have given them the confidence boost they needed to overcome Pep Guardiola’s side.

Getty ImagesSaliba’s injury 

The sight of William Saliba limping off during the first half of Arsenal’s Europa League last-16 second leg against Sporting CP was a worrying one. But no-one would have expected his back injury to have quite as big an impact on Arsenal’s season that it actually did.

The hope was that Saliba would be back relatively swiftly, but the France centre-back has not featured since, and his absence has had a huge impact on Arsenal’s season.

Arteta’s side have picked up just 15 points from a possible 27 without Saliba, conceding 17 goals in nine games.

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(C)Getty ImagesTomiyasu's injury

What made Saliba’s injury even worse, was that Arsenal also lost Takehiro Tomiyasu in the same game. The right-back suffered a nasty knee injury against Sporting and was almost immediately ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Had Tomiyasu have been fit, it’s highly likely that he would have come in at right-back, allowing Ben White to move inside to partner Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back for the rest of the campaign. That would certainly have made Arsenal a far stronger defensive unit than they have been in recent weeks.

PSV boss Peter Bosz said Ricardo Pepi could have scored with a 'bit of luck' against Heracles on Friday, but that he shouldn't worry bout it.

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Bosz implemented Pepi as winger vs HeraclesAmerican had eight shots, only two on targetBoss says he won't play same role vs BVBWHAT HAPPENED?

After earning his first Eredivisie start for PSV against Heracles on Friday, Pepi followed it with a rather underwhelming performance. However, the 21-year-old was implemented as a left winger by Bosz, who admitted the experiment did not turn out to be all that he thought it would.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT PETER BOSZ SAID

He said: "You are there with [Sergino] Dest behind, so you miss someone who can throw the ball in. The creativity became less and less. Considering the number of chances we created, it was possible. With a bit of luck, Pepi would have scored. But you shouldn't close your eyes, we only played 11 against 11 for 15 minutes. Then we would have had to see how that would turn out. If you have to do it at the end of a match because we are behind and you also have to think about an emergency scenario; then it might be possible. But this would not be my preference against Dortmund either."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Pepi has five goals and one assist in 2023-24 for the Dutch side in the Eredivisie, learning from prolific goalscorer Luuk de Jong at the same time. The American has become used to his bench cameo role with the Dutch club, but has stated he is content knowing he is learning and playing with such a talented attacker like De Jong. Looking ahead to their Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund this coming week, though, Pepi surely will have an itch to play.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PSV AND PEPI?

PSV take on Dortmund in the European competition on Tuesday evening as the Dutch side and their American trio look to gain an advantage in the first leg of the tie. Pepi, meanwhile, will likely be used off the bench in a striker role if needed.