Jurgen Klopp has hinted Virgil van Dijk is in line for a return as Liverpool gear up for their latest friendly clash, against Hertha Berlin.

Van Dijk hasn’t played for Liverpool since undergoing successful surgery on his cruciate ligament knee injury in October last year.

The 30-year-old missed the majority of the 2020-21 campaign as result and decided against lining up with the Netherlands at the European Championships in order to focus on his recovery, and Klopp has now revealed he is nearing a long-awaited comeback.

The Netherlands international could be in line to make his long-awaited return to action this week after a full recovery from knee surgery

Nine tourists were killed after heavy boulders fell on their tempo traveller in a landslide near Basteri in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.

Multiple landslides triggered by recent rains occurred near Basteri on the Sangla-Chitkul road at 1.25 p.m., resulting in a bridge collapse and damage to some vehicles, police said. A video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows several boulders rolling downhill and smashing into the bridge, causing it to collapse.

According to the police, nine people died and two others were injured after heavy boulders fell on a tempo traveller. The passengers were going to Sangla from Chitkul. In a similar incident, a pedestrian was injured in another landslide in Kinnaur district, they added.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the death of people due to the landslides in Kinnaur.

“Deeply saddened by the news of the death of many people in a landslide in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured people a speedy recovery,” Mr. Kovind tweeted in Hindi.

Mr. Modi said all arrangements are being made for the treatment of those injured and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also expressed grief over the deaths and asked the district administration to ensure immediate relief and rescue operations.

Manchester United are closing in on an agreement to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, Goal can confirm.

While the two sides were not close to agreeing terms at the start of the week, much work has been done to bridge the gap, with a deal now expected to take place for between €45m (£39/$53m) and  €55m (£47m/$65m).

Varane has been one of Man Utd’s top summer transfer priorities since they completed a deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

In recent hours, negotiations have sped up for the World Cup-winning defender, who appears Old Trafford bound

Conventionally, defenders are not known to score goals and headline in a team’s triumph as their primary job is to protect their goal rather than go up and score them.

Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos is the highest-scoring defender among active players and is the only active defender to feature among the top 10 highest goalscoring defenders of all-time.

Current FC Barcelona coach and club legend Ronaldo Koeman is the highest goalscoring defender of all time with a massive 239 goals to his name in club football. 

Sergio Ramos is the highest goalscoring defender among active footballers…

Lionel Messi helped Argentina lift their first international trophy in 28 years in the recently concluded Copa America 2021.

The Argentina talisman scored four goals and provided five assists in the tournament as La Albiceleste bagged their 15th Copa America title. It was also Messi’s first-ever major international trophy win.

With the four goals in the tournament, Messi took his international goals tally to 76 and is now the joint-second highest active goalscorer along with UAE’s Ali Mabkhout. They are behind Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo who has 109 goals to his name.

Lionel Messi is currently the joint second highest active goalscorer in international football after Cristiano Ronaldo…

Son Heung-min has signed a new contract with Tottenham, the Premier League club have announced.

Spurs confirmed one of their biggest stars has agreed fresh terms in a video on Twitter, accompanied with a message in Son’s native Korean language which read “his story continues”.

The South Korea international has signed a new four-year deal, until the summer of 2025.

The South Korean forward has agreed new terms at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, following another impressive campaign in the English top flight

Memphis Depay says playing with Lionel Messi “will be a dream” for him after his unveiling at Barcelona, as he will get the chance to link up with the “best player in the world”.

Depay was officially presented as a new Barca player on Thursday, having been snapped on a free transfer following his departure from Lyon at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

The 27-year-old joins a star-studded squad that is likely to include Lionel Messi, once the final terms of his new contract are finalised, and he can’t wait to work alongside the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The Netherlands international is excited to work alongside a Blaugrana “legend” that he says “can do everything” with the ball at his feet

Contract negotiations between Leon Goretzka and Bayern Munich may have reached an impasse, but the Manchester United target is still hopeful of signing an extension at the Bundesliga giants. 

Goal and Spox have learned that talks have stalled due to differences over salary expectations, although reports that Goretzka is holding out for an annual wage packet of €20 million (£17m/$24m) have been denied. 

Nevertheless, Goretzka believes his future lies at the Allianz Arena and is not considering any other offers. 

The highly-rated Germany midfielder’s current deal expires next summer, a fact that has alerted some of Europe’s biggest clubs

Soldiers are leading the rescue in the city of more than 10 million people in Henan province, which has been hit by record rains which inundated the streets and the subway.

Beijing: 

Twelve people died after torrential rains flooded a subway in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, authorities said Wednesday, as shocking images showed passengers struggling against chest-high water inside a train carriage.

Soldiers are leading the rescue in the city of more than 10 million people in Henan province, which has been hit by record rains which inundated the streets and the subway.

The city has experienced “a series of rare and heavy rainstorms, causing water to accumulate in Zhengzhou metro”, city officials said in a Weibo post.

The post said 12 people died and five were injured, while hundreds were rescued from the subway.

The Bayern midfielder would be a top target if he refuses to sign a new deal.

Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are closely monitoring the situation of Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich, according to Bild.

He could be signed on a free transfer next year if his current deal runs out.

China: Using electro-magnetic force, the maglev train “levitates” above the track with no contact between body and rail.

Beijing: 

China unveiled a maglev train capable of a top speed of 600 kph on Tuesday, state media said.

The maximum speed would make the train, self-developed by China and manufactured in the coastal city of Qingdao, the fastest ground vehicle globally.

Using electro-magnetic force, the maglev train “levitates” above the track with no contact between body and rail.

China has been using the technology for almost two decades on a very limited scale. Shanghai has a short maglev line running from one of its airports to town.

While there are no inter-city or inter-province maglev lines yet in China that could make good use of the higher speeds, some cities including Shanghai and Chengdu have started to conduct research.

At 600 kph, it would only take 2.5 hours to travel from Beijing to Shanghai by train – a journey of more than 1,000 km (620 miles).

By comparison, the journey would take 3 hours by plane and 5.5 hours by high-speed rail.

Countries from Japan to Germany are also looking to build maglev networks, although high costs and incompatibility with current track infrastructure remain hurdles to rapid development.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has delivered positive updates on Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez as they continue their returns from injury.

The England international defenders are now in contention to figure in pre-season plans, says the Reds boss.

Gomez has been sidelined after suffering knee ligament damage in November 2020, while Alexander-Arnold saw his Euro 2020 dreams dashed with a thigh problem.

The Reds boss is confident the two England international defenders will figure in his pre-season plans having been nursing knocks.

Incessant overnight rains threw parts of Mumbai out of gear on Sunday with the city witnessing severe waterlogging, disruption of local train services and vehicular traffic.

At least 15 people were killed and four others injured in two separate incidents of landslide and house collapse in Mumbai following the heavy rains that lashed the city.

Following the incessant overnight rain in the city, 12 were killed and two others were injured after a retaining wall collapsed in New Bharat Nagar in Mahul. Three others were killed after few huts collapsed in Surya Nagar in Panchsheel Chawl in Vikhroli east.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which is conducting the rescue operation in Vikhroli, said, “The landslide damaged 15-20 huts constructed at the base of a hillock. There are still over 15 people likely to be trapped under the debris.”

Continuous downpour overnight threw parts of Mumbai out of gear on Sunday with the city witnessing severe waterlogging, disruption of local train services and vehicular traffic. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai in the backdrop of heavy rains, a BMC official said.

Erling Haaland has been reflecting on Jadon Sancho’s £73 million ($101m) move to Manchester United, with the Borussia Dortmund striker “sad” to see a productive source of assists heading through the exits.

A switch to Old Trafford for an England international winger has been mooted for some time, with the Red Devils finally getting a deal done this summer as they tie up the loose ends required to get a talented 21-year-old on board.

Dortmund were reluctant sellers and are disappointed to have seen a prized asset slip their net, with prolific Norwegian frontman Haaland among those now looking to form another partnership that will deliver the same end result.

With an England international winger returning to his homeland at Old Trafford, a Norwegian frontman needs another source of assists

Poland star is top priority after failure to land Haaland.

Chelsea are preparing a bid to tempt Robert Lewandowski away from Bayern Munich, claims the Sun. 

Lewandowski is now the Blues’ top target in attack after they failed in their efforts to sign Erling Haaland, and hope a bid worth £50 million will convince Bayern to sell the 32-year-old.