SPORTS

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Liverpool signed Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk on Wednesday for a reported £75 million ($100 million, 84 million euros) in a deal that makes him the world’s most expensive defender. Van Dijk has been linked with a move to Liverpool for several months and the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Harry Kane insists he still has room for improvement after the Tottenham striker’s treble set a Premier League record and took him above Lionel Messi to finish as Europe’s leading scorer. Kane’s 22nd-minute header in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over Southampton at Wembley was his …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP |  Jose Mourinho says Manchester United are struggling to compete with Manchester City’s financial might and the sum of nearly £300 million he has spent on transfers is not enough to win the Premier League. A 2-2 draw with Burnley on Tuesday saw United lose …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane said beating Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for goals in a calendar year was a “great feeling” after he netted a hat-trick on Tuesday. Kane’s three goals in a 5-2 rout of Southampton also guaranteed he would finish as …

Paris, France | AFP | Russia being banned from the Winter Olympics stole the headlines but may also have overshadowed an otherwise sorry year for sport in terms of scandals. It was a particularly damaging year for sporting officials, not least from the world of football and FIFA in particular. Former …

Burnley, United Kingdom | AFP | Mauricio Pochettino saluted “fantastic” duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli after Tottenham revived their challenge for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win at Burnley. Kane scored a hat-trick to take his total of Premier League goals in the calendar year to 36, equalling …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Barcelona further tightened their vice-like grip on the La Liga title by sweeping aside eternal rivals Real Madrid 3-0 on Saturday to leave the European champions 14 points adrift down in fourth place. Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal were on target for the …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola said Sergio Aguero had earned the right to determine his own Manchester City future after the Argentinian striker scored a brace in a 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth. The build-up to Saturday’s contest was dogged by talk of Aguero’s supposed discontent at the …

Leicester, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho slammed his Manchester United stars after they conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against 10-man Leicester that left them 13 points adrift of leaders Manchester City. United were already trailing in City’s wake, but Harry Maguire’s 94th-minute leveller at the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | English third-tier footballer Joe Thompson will enjoy a “special” Christmas after his second return from battling cancer on Saturday, exactly a year since being diagnosed. The 28-year-old Rochdale midfielder has twice beaten Hodgkin lymphoma and came off the bench for the last 18 minutes of …