The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to lose talented defender Michael Kayode to the Italian senior team, report has indicated.

​Kayode has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since last season. He joined Brentford from Fiorentina in 2025, and he has been a consistent performer ever since.

​Last season, he featured in 37 games, contributing one goal and one assist. He was a solid rock at the back and became famous for his long throws, which consistently caused trouble for opponents and led to goals for his club.

​However, Nigeria had taken notice of Kayode since his days at Fiorentina, and there have long been calls to draft him into the national team setup.

​The obstacle, however, has been that the 22-year-old currently plays for the Italian youth setup. Although he has Nigerian roots, he is eligible for Italy because he was born there and obtained his citizenship when he turned 18.

​Consequently, he has represented them at the Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. Still, there was hope that as long as he did not feature for the senior team, he would remain eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

​Those hopes are now set to be dashed, as he has been called up to the Italian senior team for the upcoming international break.

​They take on Belgium, Turkey, and France in their opening fixtures of the new UEFA Nations League, and if Kayode features in those games, under FIFA rules, he will no longer be eligible to play for Nigeria even if he later decides to switch allegiances.

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The United States has refused to issue visas for members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s delegation, including his communications team, for this week’s trip to the UN General Assembly, Iranian state media reported Monday.

Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to enter the United States since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

“In an unprecedented hostile move by the US government, (US President Donald) Trump has denied US visas to certain members of the president’s high-level delegation, including members of his communications team,” state news agency IRNA reported.

The Mehr news agency also carried the story, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency, and added that Pezeshkian will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

The US has authorised the Iranian delegation to travel for the UN General Assembly but will, like last year, put restrictions in place.

Iran’s delegation will not, for instance, be allowed to purchase luxury goods or other items, the State Department said on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, part of the delegation to the UN, left Iran on Sunday evening for a stopover in Qatar.

Iran says it has conveyed to the US, via Qatar as mediator, conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping route, which it has choked off since the war began.

The United States, in turn, is imposing a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

AFP

According to Sport, Bernardo Silva is gradually losing his place at Real Madrid, having started only once in the last five La Liga matches.

In the last two La Liga rounds, Bernardo Silva featured for only 8 minutes: he did not play against Elche and came on as a late substitute against Atlético Madrid, providing an assist for Rüdiger’s goal. Meanwhile, Barcelona, who were close to signing him this summer, are leading La Liga and play a style that suits him better.

The 32-year-old Portuguese midfielder can negotiate with any club after his contract with Manchester City expires. Although he wanted to join Barcelona, his wage demands and insistence on being an undisputed starter failed to convince Flick, who could not guarantee him regular playing time given the fierce competition in Barcelona’s midfield.

A few days ago, Deco admitted that Bernardo was a candidate Barcelona considered this summer. The Barcelona sporting director said: “We have our own criteria, and he is not in the position we are looking for. Moreover, there are economic issues and playing time involved; he wants to play. If his opinion differs from ours, there’s nothing we can do.”

Bernardo Silva also attracted attention from Atlético Madrid, but ultimately chose to join Real Madrid. He started in the first two LaLiga matches against Espanyol and Real Sociedad, but his playing time significantly decreased before the international break, starting only one of the last five league matches—Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. In the Champions League, he was unavailable due to suspension against Inter Milan.