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MOROCCO AND PSG AWAIT HAKIMI NEWS AHEAD OF AFRICA CUP

PSG's Achraf Hakimi suffered a severe ankle injury and faces a 6-8 week lay-off. Coach Walid Regragui confirms the "leader" will be in the squad, but can Hakimi beat the clock to play in Morocco's home tournament opener?

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Achraf Hakimi injury update - COURTESY/PHOTO

According to Foot Mercato, 27-year-old Achraf Hakimi has set the lofty goal of being well enough to play against Comoros on December 21. 

The team confirmed that the Paris Saint-Germain defender sustained a serious ankle sprain during Tuesday's loss to Bayern Munich. Although a fracture was prevented, an internal ligament injury has occurred. Although RMC Sport is aware that Hakimi would need at least six weeks and possibly two months to recuperate, the defender is eager to play in the opening match because the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is being held in his home nation. 

Foot Mercato knows that this is the goal Hakimi has set for himself. Walid Regragui has addressed Hakimi's predicament, although the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan defender will not be playing during the forthcoming international break. 

"We will exert every effort to ensure that he is fully prepared to face the Comoros. And he will be there even if he is unable to play. He is the leader and our greatest player," the Morocco boss declared on Friday. The PSG player will undoubtedly be a member of Morocco's squad, but it is now a race against time for him to be healthy enough to contribute to the competition. 

FABRIZIO ROMANO: LIVERPOOL IN ADVANCED TALKS TO KEEP SZOBOSZLAI

Fabrizio Romano reports Liverpool is in advanced talks with Dominik Szoboszlai over a new contract. The Reds are pushing to secure their potential future captain on a long-term deal with an improved salary.

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Liverpool negotiate new contract to secure Szoboszlai’s improved salary - Photo Credit: Phil Noble/Reuters

Taking over as sporting director in 2024 was not an easy task for Richard Hughes. Prior to starting a plan to rebuild the Reds' team, he had to deal with contract concerns.

The summer saw the realisation of this strategy, but it is only the beginning. Hughes still needs to plan to replace some of the club's ageing players, even if he has cut ties with many of the old guard.

It is irrelevant how long Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah will remain at Liverpool. Their contracts, which end in the summer of 2027, are not certain to be fulfilled by either of them.

It is possible that he could go much earlier for the former candidate.

There are other factors to take into account. At the conclusion of the season, Andy Robertson's contract will expire. Ibrahima Konate's does, too. It is unclear if they will both remain at the club.

Liverpool is working on transfers at the same time. Even though Hughes made a significant investment during the summer transfer window, his team is not flawless.

Hughes will need to add more stars in order to create the proper combination because the Reds lack balance.

especially at centre back, where Liverpool lost out on Marc Guehi in the closing hours of the transfer season.

However, they have also been attempting to sign a left-winger for a while, and Antoine Semenyo might become available next year, which would be a great addition to the Reds' roster.

Hughes will create a core group in the process that will be able to produce a super team for many years to come, even after its star players, like Salah and Van Dijk, have long since left.

For Hughes and Michael Edwards, this has always been the objective. They are aware that staying at the top for decades is more challenging than actually reaching it.

It is quite easy to collapse, particularly when legends retire and characters change.

Liverpool is aware of how simple it is. They experienced it in the 1990s, and following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in the middle of the 2010s, they witnessed Manchester United's stunning decline.

Finding the present members of the team who can step up and lead this group will undoubtedly be a crucial aspect of the future.

With a contract with the club through 2028, Dominik Szoboszlai is now the front-runner for that position. But Liverpool wants to extend his contract because they believe he may be a captain in the future.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on his YouTube channel that negotiations between Liverpool and Szoboszlai's team are presently progressing.

"Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai are new contracts that Liverpool is working on," Romano stated.

"There has already been some very preliminary discussion with Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, and negotiations are currently moving forward between Liverpool and Szoboszlai on a new deal.

"Let me clarify. The negotiations are not yet at their conclusion. Although we have not reached a verbal agreement with Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool and Szoboszlai are still in communication.

So, a conversation is going on. The good news is that Liverpool is willing to increase his pay.

Even though Dominick Szoboszlai was already receiving a competitive wage, his results have been outstanding.

"Gravenberch is also performing extremely well; therefore, Liverpool wants to retain both players for the long run. However, in the last few days, Liverpool has made progress in their negotiations with Dominik Szoboszlai.

"A discussion and a negotiation are currently underway. Once more, the negotiation is far from over.

"There is still work to be done, so it is not a done deal, but there is a great connection, and Liverpool is attempting to move quickly on this one with Dominik Szoboszlai."

ENZO MARESCA HAILS ESTEVAO WILLIAN FOR ENERGIZING CHELSEA WIN AGAINST WOLVES

Teenager Estevao Willian inspired Chelsea's 3-0 comeback win over Wolves, lifting a nervous Stamford Bridge. His assist for Joao Pedro sealed the victory, sending the Blues to 2nd in the Premier League.

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Estevao Willian sparked the magic - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Estevao Willian "increased the spirit" in a nervous Stamford Bridge before leading Chelsea to a 3-0 victory over Wolves to take second place in the Premier League, according to Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca.

After dominating the bottom team in the league without making any progress, the home team was jeered off at halftime.

Six minutes into the second half, Malo Gusto's headed goal lifted the stadium, and when the Brazilian teenager was sent on, he instantly set up Joao Pedro for a second goal, dramatically changing the atmosphere.

Even though Pedro Neto scored the third goal from Alejandro Garnacho's cross, Estevao once again appeared to be in the spotlight.

"Before this game, I was really anxious," Maresca stated. "These are the most difficult games. Everyone believes it will be simple.

"I can see why many were upset in the first half because we did not score. People adore such type of player, so when Estevao entered the game, the energy level increased.

As he gets used to English football, the 18-year-old has mostly only made substitute appearances in the league.

The boy, who arrived to London from his home Brazil in the summer, had complained about the cold weather, and the manager told him to anticipate things to get worse before they get better, Maresca claimed this week.

His debut in blue has been scorching on the field, and even while he was just warming up, his impact was enough to captivate home fans during a game that they seemed to be losing interest in.

"His talent is evident," Maresca remarked. "We are working to provide him the appropriate minutes and assist him in adapting.

"He needs time to adjust after coming from Brazil, but he will start games for us in the future."

With 21 goals from 11 games, Chelsea is now leading the division in scoring, although it would have been hard to believe that after a slow first half.

Garnacho, who has been impressive since joining from Manchester United, set up two of the goals, which came within 22 minutes of the second half.

"His physical condition was not excellent because he came from a club where he was not training 100%," Maresca added. He is gradually getting better.

He is aware that in order to play with us, he must be proficient both on and off the ball; otherwise, he will not participate. We are quite pleased with him.

In the dugout for what appears to be the final time that Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards is in talks to take over, Wolves interim manager James Collins looked at the team's strengths despite the fact that they were eight points outside of safety.

"The boys are working hard together," he remarked. They are quite cohesive and do not have any small cliques.

"We need to improve; there is still work to be done. There are still more games to play. Chelsea will not be the defining factor of our season.

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