Here are the latest top stories from around the world of football on Thursday, June 9.
Grealish wants to bring England form to City
Jack Grealish hopes to transfer the freedom he feels in an England shirt to Manchester City having admitted he "played a bit safe" at times following last year's £100million switch. The 26-year-old established himself as a Three Lions fan favourite last summer thanks to his swagger and fearlessness on the pitch and down-to-earth nature away from it.
Grealish helped Gareth Southgate's men reach the Euro 2020 final before City made him the most expensive English player in history, triggering the eye-watering buyout clause at boyhood club Aston Villa. The attacking midfielder ended his first season at the Etihad Stadium as a Premier League champion but many of his club performances lacked the pizzazz shown in his 20 minute cameo in Tuesday's 1-1 draw in Germany.
Grealish's name was chanted by the away fans before his introduction at the Allianz Arena, where the substitute injected new life into Southgate's side.
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"That's what the manager asked me to do - go on and be myself and try and create and that's what I did," he said. "I feel sometimes when I'm here I can try and play with as much freedom as possible. I felt like I did that today."
Asked if he has played with more freedom for country than club, Grealish said: "I do think that, yeah. I feel at times I've played a bit safe at City but when I come here I feel like even in training I feel like I train really well, score goals, get assists and whatnot. When I come on the pitch... it's hard to explain. I do feel like I play with a lot more freedom here and hopefully I can transfer that into my club football and keep on improving."
Southgate won't be too loyal
Gareth Southgate insists he will not be too loyal to the England players who have been integral to his team in recent years as he claimed the current crop would "die for each other" on the pitch. The Three Lions battled back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Germany in their Nations League group clash on Tuesday night.
Harry Kane's late penalty, his 50th England goal, cancelled out Jonas Hofmann's opener as Southgate's side extended their unbeaten run against Germany to three games. Of the 14 players who featured in the draw at the Allianz Arena, West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen was the only one who was not part of the squad beaten on penalties in the final of Euro 2020 last summer.
Seven of the starters against Germany were also in the line-up that lost to Croatia in the last four of the 2018 World Cup. Asked if he can be too loyal to those players, Southgate replied: "No. We're totally open-minded. Bukayo (Saka) came out of the pack and we didn't hesitate putting Jude (Bellingham) into the fray, which was an incredible experience for him.
"But to win big matches there's a huge amount of qualities that are needed. It's not just about talent. You've got to have knowhow and awareness. They tested us tactically without the ball to such a high level, with the movement and runs they made, the techniques, so the reading of the game and communication on the pitch is vital. That group of players have played together a lot and on those nights it's vital.
"Of course we want to try to develop others and bring that competition and to give them the similar sorts of experiences, which indirectly Jude ended up getting. But that's a process."
Liverpool confirm exits
Liverpool have confirmed the departure of seven players including striker Divock Origi when their contracts expire at the end of this month. Goalkeeper Loris Karius and former first-team players Sheyi Ojo and Ben Woodburn have also been released, along with three members of the club's academy.
Origi spent eight years on Merseyside and sealed the Reds' stunning comeback to sink Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League in 2019.
Announcing his departure, Liverpool wrote: "Divock Origi will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June. Thank you for an incredible eight years of service and leaving us with so many special memories. @DivockOrigi, Liverpool legend".
Karius became notorious for his error-strewn performance in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid, and spent much of his subsequent Anfield career on loan. Ojo made 13 senior appearances, scoring in the FA Cup win over Exeter, while Woodburn became the club's youngest goalscorer - a title he still holds - when he scored in the League Cup match against Leeds at the age of 17.
Academy players Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Luis Longstaff - who made first-team appearances in domestic cup competitions - have also been released.
Lacazette rejoins Lyon
Former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette has rejoined Lyon on a three-year deal. The 31-year-old former France international was a free agent after seeing out his contract with the Premier League club, which officially expires on June 30.
Ligue 1 side Lyon confirmed on Thursday morning that they had resigned the player they sold to the Gunners in 2017.
A club statement read: "Olympique Lyonnais are very proud and very happy to announce the return to the club of Alexandre Lacazette, a product of the club's academy, for the next three seasons. Out of contract at English club Arsenal, the French international has signed a three-year deal through June 30, 2025."
Lacazette joined Arsenal on a five-year deal from Lyon for a club record £46.5million in the summer of 2017 and scored 71 goals in 206 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners. At the time of his move to London, he had won 11 senior caps for France and has since made a further five appearances. Lacazette scored six goals and made eight assists in 36 appearances for Arsenal during the 2021-22 season as they finished fifth in the Premier League, just missing out on a Champions League place.
