It was during his family holiday in Liguria, a coastal retreat in the north-west of Italy, when serious doubts over Antonio Conte's Chelsea future first began to emerge.

Manchester United are confident of closing a deal for Chelsea's Nemanja Matic after hitting a wall in their efforts to take Eric Dier from Tottenham Hotspur.

FAI CEO John Delaney said yesterday that the organisation should continue to "take certain risks" to develop the game in Ireland. Delaney, who was addressing the association's annual general meeting in Kilkenny, said the FAI should have "clear, long-term ambitions for football" in Ireland.

Manchester City hopes of making Monaco's Benjamin Mendy the world's most expensive defender moved a step closer on Saturday night, with fellow left-back Aleksandar Kolarov departing for Roma to clear the decks.

West Ham have signed Marko Arnautovic for a club record fee that will net Premier League rivals Stoke up to £25million.

The importance of Ireland qualifying for the World Cup was made clear at today's FAI AGM in Kilkenny.

Wayne Rooney scored his second pre-season goal for Everton in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Genk.

Michy Batshuayi was on target in each half as Chelsea recorded a 3-0 friendly victory over Premier League rivals Arsenal at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium.

Wilfried Zaha has accused Manchester United and Liverpool fans of 'calling him a black monkey' on Instagram.

Wilfried Zaha claimed he was racially abused on social media on Saturday, shortly after his Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer accused West Brom's players of targeting the winger during a pre-season friendly.