The medical heroes that saved the life of Denmark player Christian Eriksen at UEFA EURO 2020, and Danish national team captain Simon Kjær, are the recipients of the 2021 UEFA President’s Award.

The accolade is a mark of homage for their vital contributions in coming to Eriksen’s aid when the 29-year-old Inter Milan midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during Denmark’s UEFA EURO 2020 group stage match against Finland at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on 12 June.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin described the recipients of the award – which recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities – as “the true heroes of EURO 2020. It is indeed a great honour for me to present them with the UEFA President’s Award.

“This year, the President’s Award transcends football,” he said. “It serves as an important and eternal reminder of just how precious life is and puts everything in our lives into the clearest perspective,” he added.

“I would also like to send my very best wishes to Christian Eriksen and his family as he continues his recovery.”

A message from Christian Eriksen

“I would like to thank Morten [Skjoldager], Morten [Boesen] and the medical team who helped in Parken on 12 June. You did a fantastic job and saved my life.

“Also a big thanks to my friend and captain Simon and my teammates in the Danish team for your support, both on 12 June and afterwards.

“Thanks to all the fans who have sent messages to me and my family. It means a lot and has given us strength and support. Thank you.”

Arsenal will listen to offers for captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 32, and will not stand in the Gabon striker’s way if he expresses a desire to leave the club before the transfer window deadline. (Telegraph – subscription required)

The Gunners are determined to support under-pressure manager Mikel Arteta following defeats in the opening two games of the Premier League season. (Mirror)

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will not drop his valuation of England striker Harry Kane and could even refuse a British record bid of close to £150m from Manchester City for the 28-year-old. (Telegraph- subscription required)

Chelsea are considering a late loan move for Atletico Madrid and Spain midfielder Saul Niguez, 26, while the Blues have offered new contracts to central defenders Antonio Rudiger, 28, of Germany and Denmark’s Andreas Christensen, 25. (Telegraph – subscription required)

England midfielder Declan Rice plans to turn down any offers of a new contract from West Ham as the 22-year-old feels he is being priced out of a move this summer. He has three years left on his current deal and the Hammers have an option to extend that by a further year. (Times – subscription required)

Chelsea are hopeful of signing French defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla with the 22-year-old said to have a £77m release clause in his contract. The two clubs had hoped Blues centre-back Kurt Zouma, 26, could be included in the deal only for the Frenchman to reject the chance to join the La Liga side. (90Min)

Manchester United remain interested in Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 18, but feel the France international would prefer to move to Paris St-Germain or a Spanish club. (ESPN)

West Ham are looking at Lille’s French midfielder Jonathan Bamba, 25, as a possible alternative to signing England international Jesse Lingard from Manchester United. (Express)

Crystal Palace are prepared to pay £10m to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, 22, but the Gunners are holding out for closer to £20m. The England Under-21 record goalscorer has also attracted interest from Germany this summer. (Athletic – subscription required)

Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira, 25, is close to joining Fiorentina on loan with the Uruguay midfielder having spent last season at Atletico Madrid, where he helped Diego Simeone’s side win La Liga. (football.london)

Brazil midfielder Willian, 33, is set to leave Arsenal on a free transfer to join Corinthians in his homeland, with talks at an advanced stage. (Mail)

Wolves are ready to make a £7m bid for 29-year-old Cardiff City and Wales striker Kieffer Moore. (Football Insider)

Manchester United defender Phil Jones is ready to consider a loan move to a Championship club, with the 29-year-old English centre-back having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford. (Football League World)

Newcastle United and West Ham could compete with Burnley to sign Ivory Coast left-back Maxwel Cornet, 24, from Lyon. (90 Min)

Everton have had a bid for 18-year-old Canada-born forward Daniel Jebbison, who represents England at youth level, turned down by Sheffield United. Aston Villa, Brentford and Leeds are also interested in the teenager. (Teamtalk)

Manchester City are set to make a final push to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane this week. The future of the England captain, who made his first appearance of the season as a substitute in Spurs’ win at Wolves, remains uncertain with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy determined to hold on to the 28-year-old. (Telegraph)

Tottenham are also weighing up a possible £40m offer for Wolves winger Adam Traore with Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo keen to be reunited with the Spain international, who he managed for three years at Molineux. (Telegraph)

Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland, 21, whose £64m contract clause will become active in January. (Marca – in Spanish)

Tottenham remain interested in Lyon and France midfielder Houssem Aouar, 23, who is also wanted by Juventus. (Calciomercato – in Italian)

Arsenal failed in an attempt to sign Manuel Locatelli before the 23-year-old Italy midfielder joined Juventus on a two-year loan, despite offering Sassuolo more money than the Serie A giants, according to the Neroverdi’s CEO Giovanni Carnevali. (Gazzetta di Modena – in Italian)

Tottenham are chasing England Under-21 attacking midfielder Noni Madueke, but PSV Eindhoven have told the north Londoners it will take a bid of £40m to sign the 19-year-old, who left Spurs to join the Eredivisie club in 2018. (Mirror)

Spurs also look set to sign highly-rated Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, 18, from Metz with French club’s president Bernard Serin confirming they are in “advanced talks” with the Premier League side for a deal that will exceed 10m euros. (Le Republicain Lorrain – in French)

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke accidentally revealed that captain Granit Xhaka has signed a new contract with the club in his match programme notes before Sunday’s defeat by Chelsea. Switzerland midfielder Xhaka, who has been linked with Roma, has penned a new “long-term” deal according to Kroenke. (Mail)

Southampton are edging closer to completing a 7.5m euro (£6.4m) deal to sign Torino defender Lyanco, 24, as the Saints continue their search to replace Jannik Vestergaard. (Tuttosport via Sport Witness)

Everton have had an approach for 19-year-old Scottish defender Nathan Patterson knocked back by Rangers and it is unclear if the Toffees will return with a second bid. (Liverpool Echo)

Chelsea and Italy defender Davide Zappacosta, 29, is set to join Atalanta on a four-year deal. (Sky Sport Italia – in Italian)

Burnley are prepared to make a club record £15m move for Lyon left-back Maxwel Cornet, 24, with the Turf Moor club in talks over a four-year deal for the Ivory Coast international. (Sun)

Roma are interested in signing France defender Clement Lenglet from Barcelona with Jose Mourinho keen to bolster his defensive options before the transfer window closes. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian)

According to reports from BBC sports, N’Sakala, 31, fell to the ground in the 70th minute and was taken to hospital, but the cause is not yet known. Besiktas reported their left-back was conscious, and the decision was precautionary.

Besiktas say defender Fabrice N’Sakala is “doing much better” after collapsing during Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig match with Gaziantep.

“The Congolese international left-back was taken to the hospital immediately,” his club said in a statement on Sunday. “The early reports have shown that he is in better condition and doing quite well.

“Besiktas have thanked those football lovers who have shown concern.”

The incident comes two months after Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Euro 2020 group-stage match against Finland in Copenhagen.

Source: BBC sports

David Beckham has held talks with Lionel Messi about joining Inter Miami when the 34-year-old Argentina striker’s PSG contract expires in 2023. (Mirror)

West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice, 22, is unhappy at the £100m price tag the club have put on him, effectively pricing him out of a move this summer. (Sunday Telegraph)

AC Milan want to sign Manchester City and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 27, in £45m deal. (Star on Sunday)

Fiorentina and Serbia’s 21-year-old striker Dusan Vlahovic is Tottenham’s top target if Harry Kane leaves this summer. (La Repubblica – in Italian)

Tottenham turned down a swap deal involving Bayern Munich’s France midfielder Corentin Tolisso, 27, that would have seen France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, 24, join the Bundesliga giants. (Sky Sport Germany – in German)

Ndombele wants a move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. (AS – in Spanish)

Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici has opened talks with Juventus over a move for Ndombele, in a swap deal that would see United States midfielder Weston McKennie, 22, join the north London club. (Tuttosport – in Italian)

Everton have joined Bologna and Eintracht Frankfurt in the race to sign French defender Malang Sarr, 22, from Chelsea. (Gianluca Di Marzo – in Italian)

Manchester United remain interested in Wolves and Portugal’s 24-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves. (Sunday Express)

Newcastle will hold talks with Everton over a move for Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez, 30, at the request of manager Steve Bruce. (Calcio In Pillole, via Star)

AC Milan are close to finalising a deal for Chelsea’s French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, 27. (Calciomercato – in Italian)

Manchester City would be keen on Barcelona’s young Spanish midfielder Ilaix Moriba, but only if they could sign the 18-year-old on a free transfer. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish)

Anderlecht are working on a deal to sign Manchester City’s English midfielder Liam Delap, 18, on loan. (Football Insider)

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender David Luiz, 34, is a target for Flamengo. The Brazilian is a free agent after leaving Arsenal at the end of his contract this summer. (Globo, via Sun)

Southampton hope to finalise a deal for Torino’s Brazilian defender Lyanco, 24. (Mail on Sunday)

Burnley will go head-to-head with Crystal Palace in pursuit of Watford’s English midfielder Will Hughes, 26. (Mail on Sunday)

Southampton are hoping to complete a cut-price deal for Celtic’s Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie, 26, whose contract expires in January. (Sun)

Paris St-Germain and France forward Kylian Mbappe, 22, is on Manchester United‘s list of potential targets for next summer. (ESPN)

France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, 24, has told Tottenham he is open to leaving the club. (The Athletic – subscription required)

Tottenham are close to a deal for Metz and Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, 18. (90min)

Granada’s Portuguese defender Domingos Duarte, 26, is also a target for Tottenham. (Express)

West Ham are eyeing a potential move for Sevilla and Netherlands striker Luuk de Jong, 30. (90min)

Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, 26, is set to put an end to speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United by signing a new contract at Bayern Munich. (Goal)

Sheffield United face competition from Serie A side Atalanta for a loan deal for Manchester United and Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo, 19. (TuttoAtalanta, in Italian)

Manchester United are in talks with the agent of Monaco’s 21-year-old French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni over a move this summer. (Mirror)

Leeds have agreed personal terms with Club Brugge’s Dutch winger Noa Lang, 22. (Voetbal Belgie, in Dutch)

Manchester United’s 20-year-old English left-back Brandon Williams reportedly had a medical at Norwich on Friday. (Football Insider)

Inter Miami are confident of beating Newcastle to the signature of Midtjylland’s Brazilian playmaker Evander, 23. (Sun)

England midfielder Jesse Lingard, 28, is ready to leave Manchester United before the transfer window closes unless he believes he is going to play regularly for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team this season. (Times – subscription required)

Liverpool are preparing a new contract offer for Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 29, which would be the most expensive in the club’s history. (Athletic – subscription required)

Sheffield United are interested in signing Manchester United and Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo, 19, on loan. (Sky Sports)

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski is ready to seek a new challenge away from Bayern Munich. The 32-year-old still has two years left to run on his contract with the Bundesliga champions. (Mirror)

Chelsea have reportedly held fresh talks with Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. The 21-year-old Frenchman has also been linked with Manchester United over the summer. (Simon Phillips, via Express)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is happy to stay at Arsenal beyond the summer transfer window. Barcelona were said to be interested in signing the Gabon striker but the 32-year-old wants to fulfil his objective of becoming a Gunners legend. (Express)

Brighton are in talks with Benfica over a £25m move for Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, 22. (Mail)

Watford have received no approach for Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr, 23, this summer and remain adamant the player – who has been linked with a move to Liverpool – is not for sale. (Watford Observer)

The Hornets have reportedly let one of their players leave, however, as Nigerian forward Isaac Success, 25, is due to have a medical with Italian side Udinese. (Gianluca di Marzio)

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso insists he has not set an asking price for Manchester City and Tottenham target Dusan Vlahovic. The 21-year-old Serbia striker has already attracted a 70m euros bid from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. (TGR Rai Toscana, via Inside Futbol)

Paris St-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino says France forward Kylian Mbappe, 22, is “calm” despite fresh speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid. (Metro)

Southampton are considering a move for Everton full-back Thierry Small. The 17-year-old has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park amid reports that he has turned down a new contract with the Toffees. (Hampshire Live)

Barcelona want £12.8m for 18-year-old Spanish midfielder Ilaix Moriba. The teenager has attracted interest from Wolves but the Catalan club are yet to receive an acceptable offer. (ARA via Molineux News)

Everton have approached Barcelona with an enquiry about centre-back Samuel Umtiti, 27, with a view to signing the France international before the transfer deadline on 31 August. (Express, via Goodison News)

Manchester United scouts have been spotted in Portugal watching Benfica’s Champions League qualifying play-off win over PSV Eindhoven at Estadio da Luz. (A Bola – in Portuguese)

Manchester City are prepared to go to £150m in a bid to sign England striker Harry Kane, 28, with sources now saying that could be enough to get Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy to open talks. (Independent – subscription required)

If Manchester City fail to secure Kane this summer, the Premier League champions are said to considering Serbian international Dusan Vlahovic, 21, as an alternative. City have reportedly joined the race to sign the Fiorentina striker for 80m euros. (Firenze Viola – in Italian)

Liverpool have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Lille’s Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches, with the 24-year-old set to miss six weeks with injury. (Mirror)

Arsenal could be set for a £34m swoop for Real Madrid’s 25-year-old Spanish playmaker Marco Asensio. (Fichajes – in Spanish)

Tottenham have stepped up their interest in Serbia and Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic after West Ham decided not to pursue the 23-year-old. (The Times – subscription required)

Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, 29, could be set for a drawn-out contract saga with Liverpool. (Times)

Newcastle have placed a £10m price tag on English midfielder Sean Longstaff. The 23-year-old’s contract at St James’ Park expires next summer and Everton boss Rafa Benitez is said to be interested in taking him to Goodison Park. (Mail)

Arsenal and Manchester United have been told to forget about signing Atletico Madrid’s England full-back Kieran Trippier, 30. (AS)

Everton could land Schalke forward Matthew Hoppe for less than the £7m valuation placed on the American due to the German club’s financial situation. The Toffees are one of several teams interested in the 20-year-old and a bid of £4m would still be viewed as good business. (Bild – in German) )

Liverpool are “frontrunners” in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, 21. (Sport1 via Sport1 via Mirror)

Crystal Palace have had a £5m bid for English midfielder Will Hughes, 26, turned down by Watford. (Sun)

Wales forward Gareth Bale, 32, is back in favour at Real Madrid after being reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, having previously fallen out with Zinedine Zidane. (Marca – in Spanish)

Leeds United made a number of attempts to sign Celtic’s Scottish left-back Matthew Anderson, 17, this summer, but saw bids for the teenager rejected. The club are still working on a deal to bring Anderson’s Celtic team-mate, Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde, 17, to Elland Road. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Juventus have beaten Liverpool and Tottenham to the signing of Brazilian starlet Kaio Jorge, 19, from Santos. (Goal)

Manchester United are still looking into the possibility of signing another midfielder. Any deal would need to be financed by player departures due the arrivals of France centre-back Raphael Varane, 28, and England winger Jadon Sancho, 21. (Manchester Evening News)

Former Newcastle and Chelsea star Demba Ba, 36, has left Swiss side Lugano, with the Senegalese playing just 48 minutes for the club. (talkSPORT)

Barcelona are hoping to raise a further 200m euros to reduce their debt through the sales of 27-year-old Frenchman Samuel Umtiti, Brazil star Philippe Coutinho, 29, and Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic, 31. (Goal)

English midfielder Joe Willock, 21, is hoping to break Alan Shearer’s consecutive goals record and make history on his second Newcastle debut against Aston Villa this weekend. (Mirror)

Former West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea striker Demba Ba leaves new club Lugano after just 48 minutes of playing time according to Talksports.

The former Chelsea striker joined the Super League club after becoming a free agent this summer following two years with Istanbul Basaksehir.

He made three league appearances for his new side – as a substitute each time which accumulated to just 48 minutes of action – but has now quit after a change of ownership.

Joe Mansueto, a businessman in the United States and owner of Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire, has now bought the club.

According to Swiss broadcaster RSI, Ba has returned to Paris where he lives and is now a free agent again.

He effectively ended Liverpool’s hopes of winning their first Premier League title in 24 years in 2014 when he scored the winning goal for Chelsea which handed Manchester City the crown.

Ba also netted against Manchester United last year in the Champions League as Istanbul Basaksehir sealed a 2-1 victory over the Premier League giants.

The goal would prove to have huge implications, as United later dropped down to the Europa League

It will be interesting to see where Ba plies his trade next – and you wouldn’t rule out a return to the Premier League.

At a star-studded ceremony in Yaounde on Tuesday, Hosts Cameroon, seeking a sixth title, were put in Group A with Ethiopia, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso, who they will face in the opening match in Yaounde meanwhile, holders Algeria were drawn in Group E where they will also face Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea.

The tournament, which features 24 teams and runs from 9 January to 6 February, will see the winners and runners-up in each of the six groups, plus the best four third-placed teams, reach the knockout phase.

A host of dignitaries attended the draw, including Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe, Cameroon legend Roger Milla and icons such as Didier Drogba, El Hadji Diouf and Samuel Eto’o.

In other draw highlights, Arsenal team-mates Thomas Partey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will meet in Group C after Partey’s Ghana drew Aubameyang’s Gabon. Debutants Comoros make up the group alongside top seeds Morocco.

Nigeria – three-time winners of the competition – have a tough test in Group D where they will face Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.

Sadio Mane’s Senegal, who suffered the heartbreak of losing the 2019 final to Algeria, will take on Zimbabwe, Guinea and Malawi in Group B.

The other tournament debutants, Gambia, will play in Group F alongside Tunisia, Mali and Mauritania.

Two stadiums in Yaounde plus newly-built or refurbished venues in Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua and Limbe will be used in the tournament.

The 2021 Nations Cup had to be postponed twice due to wet weather concerns and Covid-19 and even the draw, originally set for June, was delayed by the pandemic.

Cameroon were selected to stage the 2019 tournament, but fell behind with their preparation and Egypt had to take over at short notice.

Cameroonians continue to prepare and wait for Africa in January 2022 for another interesting AFCON competition with Alot to showcase and display to Africans and the rest of the world.