Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence with a 0-0 draw at home to Lorient on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe watched from the stands amid his ongoing contract dispute with the French champions.

After a summer of flux at the Parc des Princes filled with new arrivals and Lionel Messi’s departure, it is the Mbappe stand-off that continues to dominate the headlines.

The France captain has refused to sign an extension to his PSG deal, meaning he can leave for free next year, with Real Madrid long seen as his preferred destination.

PSG want to sell him now and bring in a significant transfer fee for a player who cost €180 million from Monaco in 2017.

New coach Luis Enrique on Friday said he hoped a solution can be found, but Mbappe has not been allowed train with the first team and was left out of the squad to face Lorient.

Instead he sat alongside fellow 2018 World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele, who completed his transfer from Barcelona earlier in the day, as Luis Enrique handed debuts to six players.

Goncalo Ramos started in a new-look attack with Marco Asensio and Lee Kang-in, while Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez began in defence as Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte lined up in midfield.

Neymar missed the season opener because of a viral infection, although the club are reported to be open to selling both the Brazilian and midfielder Marco Verratti if a suitable offer is made.

Ramos, who has joined on an initial loan deal from Benfica, nearly grabbed his first PSG goal inside 10 minutes when his bending effort was superbly clawed away by Yvon Mvogo.

Lorient captain Laurent Abergel hit the outside of the post from distance after pinching the ball deep in PSG’s half, but both sides struggled to create clear chances.

PSG controlled possession but lacked penetration until Fabian Ruiz forced another fine stop from Mvogo after latching onto Carlos Soler’s cut-back.

Ramos then glanced a header wide and Vitinha shot narrowly over as PSG had to settle for a point.

MARSEILLE UP AND RUNNING

Marseille came from behind to beat Reims 2-1 at the Velodrome as Portuguese striker Vitinha struck the winner.

Japan international Junya Ito volleyed Reims ahead early but Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi curled in a brilliant equaliser from 25 yards.

Ito had the ball in the net again before half-time but saw his effort ruled out after replays showed the ball went out of play in the build-up.

Vitinha, signed from Braga in January, also had an effort disallowed but scrambled home with just over 15 minutes left as Marseille bounced back from their midweek defeat in the Champions League

“It’s a step forward compared to Panathinaikos,” said Marseille coach Marcelino, who watched his side lose 1-0 in Greece in his first game in charge.

They must overturn that deficit on Tuesday in order to stay in the hunt for a place in the Champions League group stage.

“It was an important match because we were coming off a defeat. The big teams have to react quickly after a setback,” added Marcelino.

“It’s a confidence boost for everyone. This win helps us enormously, to believe in our ourselves and to keep striving to get better.”

Arsenal began their Premier League title challenge by beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 on Saturday as Alexander Isak scored twice in Newcastle’s 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa.

After finishing second to Manchester City last season, Arsenal have splashed over £200 million on new signings to try and claim their first title for 20 years.

Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all made their debuts at the Emirates and Arsenal should have had a far more convincing scoreline to show for their performance.

Eddie Nketiah opened the scoring after some sublime skill by Gabriel Martinelli opened up the Forest defence.

Bukayo Saka then curled into the top corner from outside the area, but the Gunners were guilty of not killing the game off.

Forest had barely threatened until the introduction of Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Former Manchester United winger Elanga marked his debut with a fine run and cross for Awoniyi to score in his fifth consecutive Premier League game eight minutes from time.

“We were super dominant,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. “There’s no question that we deserved to win the game.

“We have to be more ruthless and more critical of ourselves to be more pushy and kill the games.”

Victory ensured Arsenal did not lose any early ground on City, who began the defence of their title with a 3-0 win at Burnley on Friday.

NEWCASTLE DEBUTANTS SHINE

Newcastle finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years and their rise under the control of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund shows no sign of stopping.

Italian international Sandro Tonali enjoyed a dream debut as he fired the Magpies into the lead after just six minutes.

Villa equalised almost immediately through one of their own new signings Moussa Diaby.

But Unai Emery’s men, who also ended last season strongly to qualify for Europe, collapsed after Isak restored Newcastle’s lead.

The Swedish striker calmly slotted home his second just before the hour mark.

Harvey Barnes then came off the bench to exemplify Newcastle’s new-found strength in depth as the former Leicester winger teed up Callum Wilson to make it 4-1 and then rounded off the scoring himself in stoppage time to put Eddie Howe’s men top of the table.

NO CAICEDO, NO PROBLEM

Brighton shrugged off the absence of Moises Caicedo to thrash newcomers Luton 4-1.

The Ecuadorian is set to become the most expensive player in Premier League history after a £110 million deal was agreed with Liverpool.

However, Caicedo reportedly still prefers a move to Chelsea, who have had a series of bids rejected by Brighton.

Luton were making their top-flight return after 31 years, having risen from the fifth tier of English football in the past 10 seasons.

But they were outclassed at the Amex as Solly March headed in Kaoru Mitoma’s cross to open the scoring.

Joao Pedro opened his Brighton account from the penalty spot in the second-half before Carlton Morris reduced Luton’s arrears from the spot at the other end.

But late goals from Simon Adingra and Evan Ferguson gave a fairer reflection of Brighton’s dominance.

“Not one of the best games in my time, but we need much time to reach the same level, the same quality of play of last season,” said Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.

“We won a very tough game. I’m really pleased.”

Everton’s need for a striker was laid bare as the Toffees wasted numerous chances in losing 1-0 at home to Fulham. Bobby Decordova-Reid scored the only goal at Goodison Park 17 minutes from time.

Crystal Palace were also 1-0 victors at promoted Sheffield United thanks to Odsonne Edouard’s second-half strike.

West Ham began life without Rice with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth as Dominic Solanke’s equaliser for the home side cancelled out Jarrod Bowen’s opener.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery was disappointed with his side’s 5-1 capitulation away to Newcastle United, but even worse was the loss of key defender Tyrone Mings to a first-half injury.

Mings went to ground after a seemingly innocent tussle with Newcastle forward Alexander Isak, and after a lengthy break for treatment he was removed from the pitch on a stretcher in the 31st minute and taken to a local hospital.

Tyrone Mings right knee snapping watch closely as he puts his right foot down the knee snaps #NEWAVL pic.twitter.com/fWAqLd26Uc

The injury to Mings comes days after the Birmingham side lost Emiliano Buendia to a serious knee injury that will reportedly keep him out for up to eight months.

“It doesn’t look good. He is injured. This week has been very tough. We lost Emi Buendia and today we lost Tyrone Mings, two important players in the squad,” Emery told the BBC.

“Everything this week is not working well but we are going to react. I want to be positive with the players we have, and we can change the situation.”

Villa’s defence fell apart after Mings left the field and Newcastle rattled in four second-half goals, lifting the home side to the top of the table to the delight of coach Eddie Howe.

“We’re very pleased. It was a tough game, Aston Villa are a very good team. We knew we had to be at our best. We scored five, we could have scored more but they were also in the game,” Howe told the BBC.

“It was a tight game decided by our ruthlessness in front of goal. Everything clicked for us today … Now we have to go to Manchester City, which is the hardest place to go. We’ve got to embrace the challenge and then of course, Liverpool, but we will focus on Man City first,” he added.

Manchester United kick-off their season at home to Wolves on Monday with fresh hope they can end a 10-year wait to win a Premier League title despite the lingering uncertainty over the club’s future.

Nine months on from an announcement by owners, the Glazer family, that they were exploring a sale of the club, the process has stalled.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe appeared locked in a battle for control of the club during several rounds of bidding.

However, supporters’ hopes that a new owner could be in place by the start of the new season have been dashed.

Deeply unpopular with fans since they saddled the club with debt in a £790 million ($1 billion) leveraged takeover in 2005, the Glazers are reportedly seeking a world record £6 billion for a sports club.

Protests are planned at Old Trafford on Monday, but they have consistently fallen on deaf ears during the Americans’ nearly two decades in charge.

Despite the uncertainty, United manager Erik ten Hag has again been backed heavily in the transfer market to try and build on a positive first season in charge.

The former Ajax boss overcame a disastrous start to his reign 12 months ago to guide United back into the Champions League and end a six-year trophy drought by lifting the League Cup back in February.

Ten Hag has addressed key positions in a near £200 million outlay on goalkeeper Andre Onana, midfielder Mason Mount and striker Rasmus Hojlund.

Onana, who previously worked under Ten Hag at Ajax, is a more natural fit for the Dutchman’s preference for a ball-playing goalkeeper than David de Gea, who departed United after 12 years as No 1.

Mount was both a fans’ favourite at Chelsea and trusted by a series of coaches at Stamford Bridge only to exit his boyhood club over a contract dispute.

But in spending up to £72 million on 20-year-old Dane Hojlund, there are doubts over whether United have overspent on potential rather than prioritising the present.

An expected offensive to try and land Harry Kane never materialised, as the England captain instead headed to Bayern Munich from Tottenham in his quest for silverware.

United already chasing

Hojlund’s size and speed have earned comparisons to Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland.

But whereas City knew they were already getting one of the world’s most clinical strikers in signing Haaland last year, Hojlund still has much to prove.

Atalanta banked an enormous profit on the player they had signed from Sturm Graz for just £17 million 12 months ago and who scored only nine times during his spell in Serie A.

“We have chosen a striker and we are really happy with our choice,” said Ten Hag as he defended the decision to go for Hojlund over Kane.

“There is a strategy in every decision and we are happy with the squad we have now.”

Hojlund will be missing for the first few weeks of the season due to a back injury, but United can ill afford to let the chance of a flying start go by if they are to wrestle the title back across Manchester from City.

The defending champions cruised to a 3-0 win at Burnley to open their quest to win a fourth straight English title – a feat no one has ever managed.

Arsenal and Newcastle were also victorious on the opening weekend to leave United already chasing.

But Wolves go to Old Trafford in turmoil after losing their manager just days before the campaign started.

Julen Lopetegui stepped down on Tuesday, to be replaced by Gary O’Neil, due to a lack of available funds in the transfer market.

That is not something Ten Hag can complain of, even if the United fans remain unhappy with the owners’ reluctance to let go.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said on Saturday it was a huge disappointment that winger Ousmane Dembele decided to leave and sign for Paris Saint-Germain.

The French side confirmed Dembele’s arrival earlier on Saturday, activating a €50-million clause in his contract to sign the 26-year-old.

Xavi defended Dembele against criticism and frequently hailed the winger, who became a key player in their LaLiga triumph last season after years of struggle at the club following his 2017 arrival.

“For me he was a good kid, a kid who helped us a lot, we made him important, for me he was an important player,” Xavi told a news conference.

“In the end it was a big disappointment, a big disappointment that he decided to go when here he had happiness.

“We bet on him and it’s disappointing for me on a personal level. I think that there was a project here, but he chose to go elsewhere.

“I wish him luck, but in general, it has been disappointing, I would say.”

Dembele signed for Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund six years ago for what was a club record fee of €105 million.

Injuries plagued the 2018 World Cup winner and it was not until Xavi’s arrival that he found consistency at Barcelona.

The Spanish champions start their La Liga title defence on Sunday at Getafe.

Dembele’s departure and a financial agreement announced on Friday for €120 million to sell a third of shares in the club’s digital platform Barca Vision, mean the club were able to register new signing Ilkay Gundogan’s contract with LaLiga.

Barca also registered defender Ronald Araujo’s renewed deal with the Spanish league.

Other players are yet to be registered but Xavi said he was confident he would have almost everybody available against Getafe.

“I’m 90 percent sure of having almost everyone,” said the coach.

“Everyone is a making a big effort, we’re optimistic.”

Jude Bellingham said “it was really special” to score on his Real Madrid debut in a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in their opening La Liga match.

Despite concerns at both ends of the pitch, Carlo Ancelotti’s side earned a convincing victory at the San Mames to kick off their title bid, with Rodrygo Goes opening the scoring.

Madrid, who lost Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema to big-money Saudi football in the summer, are still heavily linked to Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe as a replacement, as the transfer saga drags on.

Brazilian duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo worked well as a strike duo, with Bellingham in the No 10 role at the tip of a diamond midfield offering ample support.

“It’s really special, the most important thing is the win,” Bellingham told Real Madrid TV.

Los Blancos goalkeeper Andriy Lunin started in place of regular stopper Thibaut Courtois, who is set to miss the majority of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.

The Ukrainian was solid, although he may soon be behind Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the pecking order, with the Spaniard set to join on loan according to various reports.

Ancelotti, who will take over the Brazilian national team at the end of this campaign, handed defender Fran Garcia his second Madrid debut after his return from Rayo Vallecano.

However it was Bellingham’s name that stood out and the 20-year-old demonstrated why Madrid paid over 100 million euros ($110 million) for him.

“I’m very happy to play with (Bellingham), he’s a great player, and I’m sure he’ll help us a lot this season,” said Rodrygo.

Ancelotti also hailed the England international on his fine debut.

“(He was) very good, he’s got personality, being here motivates him a lot,” said Madrid’s coach.

“He’s a fantastic player, a very important signing — he’s out of the ordinary.”

Comfortable win

Madrid took the lead before the half-hour mark when Dani Carvajal hooked the ball back to Rodrygo, who slotted past Unai Simon at his near post.

The goalkeeper managed to force David Alaba’s header onto the post and thwarted Vinicius after he burst into the box, but Bellingham soon added Madrid’s second.

The England international netted in unorthodox fashion, volleying Alaba’s corner into the ground and over Simon.

Bellingham stood still, facing the home fans with arms wide in celebration, as if announcing his arrival to La Liga — drawing a rebuke from Athletic captain Iker Muniain.

“I’ve always been taught if you try and hit the target you can score,” said Bellingham.

“I didn’t make the best contact with it, I was a little bit lucky, but it worked.”

The midfielder nearly carved out another for Rodrygo with an inviting cross, but the Brazilian narrowly failed to make contact with an attempted bicycle kick.

Former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde made a triple change at half-time to try and pull Athletic back into the game.

Madrid were forced into a change themselves early in the second half when Eder Militao hurt his knee and was replaced by Antonio Rudiger.

Bellingham continued to impress in the second half, bursting forward from deep into dangerous territory, but the move eventually broke down.

Wearing former Madrid midfielder Zinedine Zidane’s number five, the former Birmingham City man started as he means to go on.

Vinicius, making his first away appearance in La Liga since being racially abused by Valencia fans in May, was occasionally whistled by Athletic supporters.

The forward made way in the final stages for another debutant, Joselu, whom Madrid loaned from relegated Espanyol, as Los Blancos saw out their opening weekend win with ease.

“(Valverde) could have taken 11 players off,” Athletic defender Oscar de Marcos told Movistar.

“In the second half we were better but we couldn’t lay a glove on them.”

Elsewhere Real Sociedad were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Girona.

The Basque side, who finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League, went ahead when Takefusa Kubo struck but were pegged back by Artem Dovbyk’s header.

Antonio Raillo earned Mallorca a 1-1 draw at promoted Las Palmas, who took the lead through Jonathan Viera’s penalty.

Champions Barcelona start their title defence at Getafe on Sunday.