MARCUS RASHFORD IN TALKS OVER £40M MAN UTD TRANSFER EXIT

Marcus Rashford looks set to leave Manchester United (Picture: Getty)

Marcus Rashford is in talks to complete a permanent transfer away from Manchester United after his dream move to Barcelona fell through.

Rashford, who featured for England at this summer’s World Cup, hoped to earn a permanent move to Barca after a largely impressive loan spell.

The 28-year-old scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists to help Barcelona retain their La Liga title and go deep in the Champions League.

Barca boss Hansi Flick appeared keen for Rashford to stay at the Nou Camp but a deal always looked unlikely after the Spanish champions spent £70m to sign his England teammate Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United.

Rashford is therefore due to return to Old Trafford after a break following his World Cup commitments but Manchester United are not planning to reintegrate him into Michael Carrick’s squad.

As a result Rashford, who is available to sign for £40m for clubs other than Manchester City and Liverpool, is searching for a new club.

According to The Sun, Rashford is in talks with Turkish giants Fenerbahce, who are ready to ‘break the back’ to secure his signature.

Rashford has likely played his last game for Man Utd (Picture: Getty)

Fenerbahce are desperate to reel in rivals Galatasaray next season and believe Rashford can help them do just that.

Rashford is in talks with Fenerbahce after being recommended a move to Arsenal by the likes of Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and David Seaman.

Discussing Arsenal’s reported interest in Rashford during the World Cup, Manchester United legend Ferdinand said: ‘I would take Rashford. For £40m, I’m sweeping Rashford off his feet.’

Rashford wanted to stay at Barcelona (Picture: Getty)

Ex-Old Trafford midfielder Paul Scholes added: ‘That would be a great move, a great move for both parties. I think Arsenal would be a great move for him and the club.’

Mikel Arteta is keen to welcome a new winger to the Emirates Stadium but his current focus is on Real Madrid and Brazil superstar Vinicius Junior.

Meanwhile, Barcelona boss Flick has discussed the club’s decision not to sign Rashford, insisting he will ‘miss’ the England star.

‘You don’t know what happens with players who are on loan – our situation is not easy for that,’ Flick said last week.

- Louis Sealey

JOSÉ MOURINHO'S MANAGERIAL JOURNEY

 

PREVIOUS MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGERS HAVE BEEN SACKED THE PAST WEEK 😲

 

FENERBAHCE VS. FEYENOORD | 5-2 (6-4 AGG) | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

 

JOSÉ MOURINHO ROW WITH TURKISH FA EXPLAINED AMID RACISM ALLEGATIONS AND STRONG DROGBA STATEMENT

Galatasaray have accused Jose Mourinho of racism (Image: Getty Images)

Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has defended Jose Mourinho after Galatasaray accused the Fenerbahce head coach of making "racist statements" against Turkish people.

Galatasaray said they intended to launch criminal proceedings against Mourinho and would also submit complaints to governing bodies UEFA and FIFA over the "derogatory" remarks, which they say were made in the aftermath of Monday's feisty 0-0 draw against Fenerbahce in Istanbul.

What was said?

In his post-match press conference, ex-Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mourinho said that the Galatasaray bench were "jumping around like monkeys" following an early tackle.

The 62-year-old also lauded the decision to bring in Slovenian Slavko Vincic to officiate the game and claimed it would have been a disaster if the match would have been refereed by a Turkish official.

Vincic, who refereed last season's Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, was drafted in by the Turkish football federation after recent controversies involving Turkish referees.

A statement from Galatasaray read: "Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.

"We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.

"Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce - an institution professing to uphold 'exemplary moral values' - in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager."

The statement was posted on the Galatasaray club website under the headline: "Say no to racism."

Didier Drogba statement

Less than 48 hours since the controversy struck, Drogba, who worked with Mourinho during their time at Chelsea, has jumped the defence of his former manager and claimed he is not racist.

In a passionate statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Drogba said: "Dear @GalatasaraySK. You know how proud I was to wear the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Turkey!! We all know how passionate and heated rivalries can be, and I've been lucky enough to experience it.

"I've seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for 25 years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent) is there to prove it. Let's focus on our games, support our brilliant lions and let's win the league to get close to our 5 [star emoji].

"How can my "Dad" be a racist [man tipping two hands emoji]. Come on guys [red and yellow love heart emoji, and three star emoji]."

- Kieran King

GALATASARAY REMAIN UNBEATEN IN TURKISH SÜPA LIG

 

FENERBAHCE ISSUE STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO JOSE MOURINHO 'RACIST COMMENTS'

Jose Mourinho has been accused of making ‘racist statements’ by Galatasaray (Picture: Getty)

Fenerbahce have issued a strong statement in response to accusations that Jose Mourinho made ‘racist statements’ following Monday’s 0-0 draw against Galatasaray.

Galatasaray said the club planned to launch criminal proceedings against the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager after it was claimed he made ‘derogatory statements’ about Turkish people.

The Turkish league leaders also confirmed their intention to submit complaints to governing bodies UEFA and FIFA after the comments made by Mourinho in the aftermath of last night’s stalemate.

Fenerbahce, who Mourinho joined in the summer, have come out fighting and issues a passionate defence of the 62-year-old.

A statement read: ‘A statement made by our Technical Director Jose Mourinho after the match was completely taken out of context and an attempt was made to deliberately distort it.

‘As every sensible person can see and understand; these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism.

‘Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach. We would like to inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that was made in order to take the competition off the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.’

Jose Mourinho’s side drew 0-0 with Galatasaray (Picture: Getty)

Mourinho had made comments about the Galatasaray bench ‘jumping like monkeys’ after an early challenge and the match being better because it was not officiated by a Turkish referee. Slovenian Slavko Vincic refereed the contest.

A statement from Galatasaray said Mourinho ‘has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people’ since taking over at Fenerbahce in June 2024.

‘Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,’ the statement said.

‘We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.’

Describing Mourinho’s conduct as ‘reprehensible’, it said rivals Fenerbahce professed ‘to uphold ‘exemplary moral values”.

The statement was posted on the club website under the headline: ‘Say no to racism.’

Mourinho was defended by Fenerbahce vice-president Acun Ilicali, who told Sky Sports News: ‘Jose Mourinho is just describing the emotion of the bench by using the word monkey, that’s all.

‘When I say you are running like a rabbit, I don’t say that you are a rabbit. So when I say you are jumping like a monkey, it doesn’t mean you are a monkey.

‘You can clearly understand that Jose Mourinho had no intention to be racist, in the words or behind the words or around the words. That’s a very clear situation that is trying to be manipulated by Galatasaray’s board, and we are used to it in Turkey.

- James Goldman

JOSE MOURINHO DEMANDS TV EXPERTS SOLVE FENERBAHCE LB PROBLEM

Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has appealed to the "experts" in the Turkish media to help him solve his left-back dilemma for their next Europa League game against Olympique Lyon.

The Turkish outfit is without injured left-back Jayden Oosterwolde and Mert Müldür, who is suspended following his sending off in Wednesday's Europa League 2-0 home defeat to Athletic Club.

"If you look at our next [Europa League] match against Olympique Lyon, Müldür is suspended, who is going to play left-back?" Mourinho said. "If anyone of you can help me, if any one of the experts of TV can help me. Who is going to play left-back?"

Fenerbahce, who have won two and lost two of their six Europa League games, are hoping to win the Super Lig title this season for the first time since 2014.

Saturday's 1-0 league loss at Besiktas, which ended a five-game winning run, left them second in the standings, six points adrift of Galatasaray.

Mourinho is clearly frustrated with selection dilemmas.

"Sometimes you [media] look at things without knowing the reality of the things well," he said.

"I don't know because unfortunately I can only say a few words of Turkish, if we as a club give you the right information to understand situations. I would love to have all of my players available. You see how difficult it is for us. We didn't have a single midfielder on the bench [against Athletic]."

Jose Mourinho has appealed to the Turkish media to solve Fenerbache's left-back dilemma. Photo by Ahmad Mora - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Asked about signing reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window, Mourinho said: "I'm happy with my players. I don't throw my players under the bus. Don't expect me to come here and to tell you that I would like to have better players.

"I would like to have Jayden Oosterwolde available because for us it's really hard [without him]. But don't worry, we are going to qualify [in the Europa League]. We have two games left to get three points, and we'll get that. We are going to be stronger in the second half of the season."

Mourinho, meanwhile, clarified the comments he made earlier this week about wanting to see Athletic star Nico Williams play for Real Madrid one day.

"I love Nico Williams and when I said that I would like him to wear the Madrid jersey I didn't remember that Real Madrid has Vinícius [Júnior]," he said on Wednesday.

"I said it because I'm a Blanco [Madrid] fan and as a Blanco, you always think that way. Real Madrid has Vinícius, who is incredible, but I love this kid [Nico] who has incredible quality. He's a player that I love."

- Adriana Garcia

JOSÉ MOURINHO MOCKS REFEREE AFTER RED CARD AGAINST MAN UNITED

Jose Mourinho showed his frustration after being shown a red card in Fenerbahce's draw with Manchester United. Serhat Cagdas/Anadolu via Getty Images

Jose Mourinho mocked the "incredible" explanation of the referee after he was shown a red card during his Fenerbahce side's 1-1 Europa League draw against former club Manchester United on Thursday.

Mourinho was shown the red card just before the hour mark amid a heated dispute with the referee, which seemingly included some colourful language, after Fenerbahce were denied an appeal for a penalty.

After initially saying he didn't want to speak about the non-penalty, Mourinho ridiculed the referee's account of the incident.

"He told us something incredible," Mourinho told TNT Sports. "He told that at the same time he could see the action in the box and my behavior on the touchline.

"I congratulate him because he is absolutely incredible, his peripheral vision. During the game, 100 mph, he had one eye on the penalty situation, and he had one eye on the bench and my behaviour. So that's the explanation he gave me. That's why he's one of the best referees in the world."

Mourinho was previously given a four-game European ban for abusing the referee when his Roma side lost in the Europa League final to Sevilla in May 2023. And he cited that incident as a reason he wouldn't be appealing his red card on Thursday.

"If I appeal, I will get six months," Mourinho said later during his news conference. "Since the Sevilla-Roma final there is nothing to do."

Mourinho even quipped that he would take a job in the future with a club not in European competition.

"The best thing I have to do is when I leave Fenerbahce, I go to a club that doesn't play in UEFA competition," he said. "So, if any club in England from the bottom of the table needs a coach in two years, I'm ready to go."

Man United led early from Christian Eriksen's 15th-minute goal only to see Youssef En-Nesyri equalize in the 49th, heading home unmarked from close range on a cross from Allan Saint-Maximin.

The result keeps Fenerbahce unbeaten with five points from three games, but Mourinho said he believed his team should have gotten more from the game.

"It would be fair to say that we did an extraordinary match and we were better than them, so good result for Man United," he said to TNT Sports.

"My boys played an amazing match," he added. "We played against a team that is at a superior level to us. We finished the game with a centre-back playing at right-back and a right-back at left-back. We had to do a crazy puzzle, but our performance was extraordinary, and I couldn't ask for anything more from the players."

Mourinho led United to win the Europa League in 2017 during his 2½ years at Old Trafford. He took the Fenerbahce job this past offseason.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

JOSE MOURINHO DUBBED 'CRYNG ONE' BY GALATASARAY AFTER LOSS

PA

Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho was called "the crying one" by Galatasaray following his team's 3-1 home loss in the Istanbul derby on Saturday.

It marked Fenerbahce's first Super Lig defeat of the season and left Mourinho's side trailing league leaders Galatasaray by five points.

Mourinho, who famously described himself as a "Special One" during his first spell at Chelsea, left the stadium on Saturday without attending the postgame news conference.

Galatasaray posted on their official X account a Photoshopped image of a book titled "The Crying One," with an image of Mourinho looking sad on the cover with the caption: "On sale in stores around Kadıköy."

With Fenerbahce down 3-1 after 63 minutes, Galatasaray posted "Seems like we're cooking a special one tonight."

The club also posted a photograph of Mourinho behind Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk during the game with the caption "the winner one."

Mourinho, who took over at Fenerbahce in the summer, six months after being sacked by Roma, recently labelled himself "The Foreign One" when addressing his need to adapt to Turkish football.

The Portuguese manager is attempting to lead Fenerbahce to their first Super Lig title in a decade.

Fenerbahce are back in action on Thursday when they host Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in their Europa League opener.

- Adriana Garcia 

TURKISH CLUB FENERBHCE ANNOUNCE JOSÉ MOURINHO AS MANAGER

Mourinho was at Wembley on Saturday for the Champions League final. Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images

 Former Real Madrid boss José Mourinho will be unveiled as the new coach of Turkish Super Lig team Fenerbahce later on Sunday, the club said.

Following days of strong indications that Mourinho was to take charge, the Istanbul club said in a post on X early on Sunday that the Portuguese manager was to attend a ceremony at their Sukru Saracoglu ground.

"Saracoglu is waiting for its new coach Jose Mourinho and its great fans at 19.00!," the post reads.

On Saturday night, Fenerbahce posted a video message from Mourinho, 61, in which he told Fenerbahce fans he would "see you tomorrow in Kadikoy and let's start our journey together."

It's Mourinho's first job since he left Roma in January after two and a half years marked by winning the Europa Conference League in 2022 and a series of disputes with referees.

The Portuguese has not worked outside of the top five European leagues since 2004, when he left Porto after winning the Champions League and joined Chelsea, which was on the rise under then-owner Roman Abramovich.

Since then he has also coached Inter Milan, Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham in a career filled with trophies and off-field controversy.

Fenerbahce finished second to fierce rival Galatasaray in the Turkish league this season and clashed with the Turkish soccer authorities, including by taking its team off the field in the Turkish Super Cup game in protest.

- Associated Press 

FENERBAHCE WALK OFF FIRST MINUTE TO FORFEIT TURKISH SUPER CUP

AA

Fenerbahce players walked off the pitch after one minute of Sunday's Turkish Super Cup match against Galatasaray, forcing the game to be abandoned and conceding the trophy.

Fenerbahce, who fielded their Under-19 team, withdrew from the rearranged match in Sanliurfa about 1,000 km from Istanbul after Galatasaray's Argentine striker Mauro Icardi scored.

Media reported the club had requested the game be postponed ahead of their Europa Conference League quarterfinal, first leg at Olympiakos Piraeus on Thursday but were turned down.

Fenerbahçe president Yıldırım Ali Koç spoke of a "rebellion" in a statement on the club's website, where he detailed alleged injustices going back over the years. "It is time for a 'reset' for Turkish football," Koc said.

Two Fenerbahçe players, İrfan Can Eğribayat and Jayden Oosterwolde, were banned for one match by the Turkish soccer federation last week after a Superlig game against Trabzonspor. Trabzonspor fans had charged onto the pitch after the final whistle. Trabzonspor was ordered to play six games without fans as punishment.

"As the largest sports club in the world, with 30 million fans who embody the national values of their respective countries, we'll continue to stand tall today and in the future, just as we did yesterday," Fenerbahce said on social media Sunday.

The Turkish Super Cup was scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh in December, but was postponed.

Media reported at the time that the two teams would not play the match as Saudi authorities did not allow the players to wear T-shirts featuring the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in the warmup ahead of the evening kickoff.

MAN UTD AGREE DEAL TO SELL MIDFIELDER FRED TO FENERBAHCE

Manchester United have agreed a deal in principle to sell Brazilian midfielder Fred to Fenerbahce, the Premier League club said on Friday.

The 30-year-old Fred, who has one year left on his United contract, is due to fly to Istanbul on Saturday for a medical.

FENERBAHCE STICKER MBWANA ALLY SAMATTA VISITS COCA-COLA PLANT AT HIS HOME CITY OF DAR ES SALAAM | PICTURES

 

MESUT OZIL TRAINS WITH FENERBAHCE FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER ARSENAL EXIT

EUROPA LEAGUE: PODGBA FINALLY SHINES AS MANCHESTER UNITED CLOBBER FENERBAHCE 4-1

Manchester United moved to 2nd place in Group A after beating Fenerbahce 4-1. Paul Pogba made headlines for the right reasons as he scored twice in that game...