Report: Chelsea’s Cahill in line for shock Liverpool transfer

Reports have emerged that Chelsea and England defender Gary Cahill could make a shock move.
Cahill, 30, has lost his starting spot in Chelsea’s central defense to young French international Kurt Zouma and ahead of the 2016 European Championships this summer England’s vice-captain is concerned that a lack of minutes for the Blues will compromise his starting spot with the Three Lions.

After arriving from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012 for $12 million Cahill has been a regular at Stamford Bridge but despite signing a new four-year deal in December he has only started one Premier League game since interim boss Guus Hiddink arrived.
Cahill was a favorite of Jose Mourinho’s but now he appears to be questioning his Chelsea future and multiple outlets in the UK are reporting that Liverpool is leading the race for the powerful defender if the Blues decide to let him leave. That’s a big if, but bookmakers have slashed odds on Cahill’s next club being Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp has been linked with moves for Schalke’s Joel Matip and Borussia Dortmund’s Neven Subotic so far during this window as a string of injuries to central defenders has left the German coach short. If Cahill was to switch Stamford Bridge for Anfield he’d be a regular starter, probably alongside either Mamadou Sakho or Martin Skrtel, and he’d add real stability to the Reds’ shaky defensive unit.

Chelsea selling an experienced defender to a PL rival would seem a little odd but given Cahill’s age and eagerness to play regularly during the prime years of his career, perhaps this would be a good fit as he’d certainly be a key player for Liverpool.
Let’s see where this one goes, but I like the move for Liverpool if they can pull it off.

Biafra: Dutch Lawyers File Complaint Against Buhari at The Hague

A Biafra supporter cries during a rally in support of Nnamdi Kanu in Abuja, December 1, 2015. Dutch lawyers have filed a case against Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari for alleged crimes against humanity against pro-Biafran activists.

The pro-Biafran activist group led by the imprisoned Nnamdi Kanu has filed a complaint against Muhammadu Buhari in The Hague, accusing the Nigerian president of war crimes.
Thousands of people in southeast Nigeria have demonstrated in recent months, demanding independence for Biafra. Kanu, the leader of one of the most prominent activist groups—the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—was arrested by Nigerian security forces in October 2015 on charges of ethnic incitement and sedition. He remains in detention and was refused bail by a federal high court in the capital Abuja on Friday.
Goran Sluiter, a lawyer at Dutch human rights legal firm Prakken d’Oliveira, filed the complaint with the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Friday. Sluiter tells Newsweek that there has been “an intensification of violence and crimes committed against Biafrans since Mr Buhari became the Nigerian president.”

There have been numerous reports of pro-Biafran protesters being killed in clashes with Nigerian security forces during demonstrations. More than 20 protesters and two police officers have been killed since October 2015, AP reported, with about 200 people detained across the country. Inspector General Solomon Arase, Nigeria’s chief of police, warned protesters in December to stop their activities or face “the full weight of the law.”
“Nigeria is already a long time on the agenda of the [ICC] prosecutor and Nigerian courts are not dealing at all with these crimes. The time really has come for the ICC to act,” says Sluiter.
The complaint was filed on behalf of 17 unnamed victims and alleges to set out evidence of crimes against humanity—including torture and murder—committed by Nigerian security forces against pro-Biafran protesters.

Ndubuisi Osuala, the coordinator of IPOB’s branch in the Netherlands—which he says numbers around 200 official members—says the group wishes to see Kanu released and Buhari prosecuted for overseeing crimes against Biafrans. “What every IPOB member, every Biafran citizen wants is the release of our great leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is a freedom fighter,” says Osuala. “Secondly, we need the International Criminal Court to bring justice and equity to our case…[President Buhari] has to be prosecuted and face the justice for what he did.”
Osuala also says that his group wants independence for Biafra but is seeking it by peaceful means. “We need to get freedom by peace and that is why we are protesting,” he says. “We are not terrorists, we are not killing people.”

Buhari has previously refused calls for Kanu to be released, describing the activist—who is based in the U.K. and runs the underground media outlet Radio Biafra— as a flight risk.
Femi Adesina, a media advisor to Buhari, declined to comment on the ICC case and told Newsweek that while Kanu’s case was ongoing, the Nigerian presidency would rather not comment on the matter.

The ICC was not immediately available to confirm that the complaint had been filed. Once a complaint is filed at the ICC, the prosecutor can decide to open an investigation if there is a reasonable basis for believing that crimes against humanity have been committed. Nigeria is a signatory to the Rome Statute, upon which the ICC’s jurisdiction in based.

Friday’s Transfer Rumor Roundup: Musa to Man United; Zielinski to Liverpool

A report in the Daily Express says that both Manchester United and Leicester City is tracking Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa.
The CSKA Moscow attacker, 23, is said to be valued at around $28 million by the Russian outfit and the lightning-quick forward would add something Leicester has plenty of and United lacks a lot of in attack: pace. The report claims that the Foxes have already had a $22 million bid for Musa rejected. He has scored 10 goals for CSKA this season and can operate out wide or up top.

Musa has scored 46 goals in 153 games for CSKA over the past four years following his move from Dutch side VVV-Venlo, while he also has 11 in 56 appearances for the Nigerian national team. If United don’t want to fork out upwards of $60 million for Sadio Mane then Musa could be their man to add pace and trickery to their faltering attacking. Alternatively Sky Italia is reporting that Leicester have made a $16 million bid for AC Milan’s French forward M’Baye Niang. The 21-year-old has scored twice in eight games for Milan this season. Does this interest mean United are in the driving seat for Musa?

The Daily Mirror claims that Liverpool is lining up a $16 million move for Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski. The Udinese midfielder, 21, is currently on loan at Empoli and has had Juventus, Napoli and Roma all sniffing around him. The Mirror reckons that Zielinski wants to wait after EURO 2016 before making a move as he doesn’t want to jeopardize his spot in Poland’s squad. That said, is a central midfielder really what Liverpool needs right now? With Jordan Henderson, Lucas and Emre Can holding things down and Joe Allen in reserve, you’d think Jurgen Klopp would be focusing on reinforcements up front and at the back.

According to Bordeaux their playmaker Wahbi Khazri is heading to Sunderland for $14 million. A statement on the Ligue 1 club’s website stated he is heading to the Black Cats for talks and outlets in France suggested he will sign a four-and-a-half-year deal. Khaziri, 24, has scored six goals in 13 appearances for Tunisia and has played a key role for Bordeaux in the past two seasons, scoring 14 times in 48 games. His arrival would certainly help relegation haunted Sunderland create more chances as Sam Allardyce‘s side continue to languish in the bottom three with just 15 games of the season to go.

QPR midfielder Sandro, 26, is set to join West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season with a view to a permanent deal. Sandro was said to be agreeing terms at the Hawthorns on Friday and could even play in their FA Cup fourth round tie this weekend. The destructive Brazilian midfielder formerly played for Tottenham Hotspur but moved to QPR in September 2014. He certainly seems like he’s a Tony Pulis type player and is capable of providing a driving force from the center of the pitch.

Report: Leicester City breaks transfer record in signing of Loic Remy

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, who works with ESPNFC, BeIN Sports, and talkSPORT, Leicester City has completed a deal to sign Chelsea striker Loic Remy on a permanent transfer.

According to Jacobs, the transfer will be worth $16.3 million, a transfer record for the club. The report also states that the transfer fee will be paid in full immediately, a rarity in the game these days with many high fees being deferred across several months or years.

Leicester apparently wanted a loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy, but Chelsea insisted on a permanent transfer, and the Foxes obliged.

Remy has seen just 177 minutes this season at Chelsea, scoring one goal. The former Newcastle striker is stuck behind both Diego Costa and Pedro up front, and thus has been the center of many rumors this winter.

Leicester City, meanwhile, are looking to bolster their already strong attack for a title run. The Foxes have Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, both of whom have been prolific this season, but injuries have forced Vardy off the field in recent weeks, and the club knows should either of them go down, the season could be in jeopardy. Bolstering a part of the squad that is already a strength is not an unheard of transfer tactic.

The Foxes currently sit three points atop the Premier League table, ahead of both Arsenal and Manchester City.

Wenger confident Arsenal will land Nwakali, Chukwueze

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Arsene Wenger has confirmed Arsenal are on the verge of signing Nigerian midfielders Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze.

Arsene Wenger is confident Arsenal can complete the signing of Nigerian youngsters Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze before the end of the January transfer window.

The duo impressed at the Under-17 World Cup last year as they guided Nigeria to the title and they have since been linked with a number of high-profile clubs, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Wenger believes Arsenal are set to win the race for the 17-year-old Nwakali and the 16-year-old Chukwueze, though, and expects to see both Diamond Football Academy midfielders to arrive in London shortly.

"The deal for the Nigerian youngsters is progressing well," Wenger said at a news conference.
"I expect it to be done. There are work permit issues and we have to sort medicals. But things are going well.

"We identified Nwakali as a top player, he was the best player at the Under-17 World Cup.

"We will see if we can get it over the line this transfer period."

Arsenal have already brought in Mohamed Elneny from Basel this transfer window and they have also been linked with former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez.

Nevertheless, Wenger has made it clear there will not be any more arrivals apart from Nwakali and Chukwueze.

"Hernandez? Unless people go out, we are not on the verge of bringing anyone in," he added.

"[Danny] Welbeck is coming back. Alexis [Sanchez] is back. We have the number of players we need up front."

Mathieu Debuchy, meanwhile, appears to be on his way out of Arsenal, with Sunderland and Aston Villa keen to sign the Frenchman.

"Debuchy might go somewhere but I don't know where," Wenger revealed.

"A decision has to be made quickly now."

Coquelin ready for Arsenal return

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Francis Coquelin could make his Arsenal comeback in this weekend's FA Cup match versus Burnley after a two-month spell on the sidelines.

Arsene Wenger has confirmed Francis Coquelin is ready to make his comeback for Arsenal after a two-month spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

The French midfielder sustained the knock in Arsenal's defeat at the hands of West Brom on November 21 and has since been out of action.

He recently returned to the training ground, though, and could be involved when Arsenal host Burnley in the FA Cup on Saturday.

"Francis is available to play now because he has passed two weeks of full training," Wenger told the club's official website.

"[Per] Mertesacker is out because of the red card, and everybody else is available, apart from Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck. Tomas [Rosicky] is also available for selection.

"After that it is just a question of selection and decision-making, that is the key."
Wilshere and Welbeck still need a few weeks before returning to the match squad, but the latter is expected to return shortly.

"Jack and Santi are progressing well but they are at least a few weeks away. But these two apart, it is just about competitiveness and match fitness," Wenger added. 

"Danny is not completely ready but he is not far. He needs a game or two because he's been out since last April. The Stoke [under-21] game is too soon because he only had one session with the team, and that is too short."

Australian Plotted ISIS-Inspired Kangaroo Bomb Blast

Sevdet Ramadan Besim, 19, discussed plans to set an explosive-laden kangaroo on police in Australia. This image was posted on his Twitter account and was picked up by Australian media outlets on 18 April, 2015

An Australian teenager allegedly discussed an elaborate extremist plot in which a kangaroo would be stuffed with explosives, painted with an Islamic State (ISIS) militant group symbol and set loose among police officers, a Melbourne court heard on Thursday.
Sevdet Ramadan Besim, a 19-year-old arrested in police raids last April, pleaded not guilty to four charges related to extremism. He is accused of planning an ISIS-inspired attack on ANZAC Day in the cities of Melbourne or neighboring Dandenong last year.
The day commemorates all Australians who have served in conflict, on the anniversary of the 1915 landings at Gallipoli to battle the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

Prosecutors described Besim’s conversation about the kangaroo bomb in a document released by the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“The conversation continues with Besim detailing what he did that day and they have a general discussion around animals and wildlife in Australia including a suggestion that a kangaroo could be packed with C4 explosive, painted with the ISIS symbol and set loose on police officers,” the document said.
Besim discussed the plot with a British accomplice, a 15-year-old boy from the Lancashire town of Blackburn who was sentenced to life in prison in October. He had sent thousands of messages to Besim planning a “massacre” and to behead an Australian police officer. The pair were connected by the Australian ISIS recruiter Abu Khaled al-Cambodi.
Besim wrote to the teenager that he would “love to take out some cops,” the court heard. “I was gonna meet with them then take some heads ahaha.” He is accused of planning to run over then behead a police officer.
The teenager, whose identity cannot be revealed because of his age, suggested in one message that Besim get his “first taste of beheading” by attacking “a proper lonely person.”
Authorities allege that Besim was influenced by radical Islamist ideologies and had pledged support to ISIS. He faces the charges of searching the Internet, engaging in communications and creating a memo with the intent to plan an extremist attack, BBC News reported.