Category: football

Everton have signed Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez for £22m from Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old has signed a two-year deal with an option for a third season in a move that sees him link up with Carlo Ancelotti for the third time, having played under him at Bayern Munich and Real.

Ancelotti signed James from Monaco as Real manager in 2014, but the former World Cup Golden Boot winner failed to truly establish himself in the Spanish capital, before going on a two-season loan to Bayern in 2017, by which point Ancelotti was in charge of the German side.

With one year remaining on his Real contract, James had been deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu by Zinedine Zidane.

“I am really, really happy to be at this great club, a club with so much history, and here with a manager who knows me really well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to achieving great things here – and winning things, which is what everyone’s aim is.

“I’ve come here to try to improve, to get better. I’ve also come here to help the team to win, to play good football – entertaining football.

“I’m convinced, with Carlo and his technical staff, we can achieve big things and one of the big reasons [I signed] was the presence of Carlo Ancelotti.

I have enjoyed some great times with him previously at two different clubs. That was a massive reason to come here.”

James was named in the team of the tournament at last year’s Copa America, where Colombia reached the quarter-finals.

He has 76 international caps and 22 goals – in addition to 25 assists – following a debut against Bolivia in October 2011, netting his first strike the following June in a meeting with Peru.

Rodriguez becomes the second South American midfielder to join Everton during this transfer window after Brazilian Allan arrived from Napoli on a three-year contract.

Newcastle have completed the signing of Ryan Fraser on a free transfer.

The Scotland international left Bournemouth at the end of last season after his contract expired and has signed a five-year deal with Steve Bruce’s side.

The 26-year-old is the second ex-Bournemouth player to join the Magpies on Monday, following Callum Wilson’s £20 million ($26m) transfer.

Ex-Aberdeen winger Fraser spent seven years with the Cherries, having joined in 2013 when they were in League One.

He made 208 appearances for the club as they ascended to the Championship and then the Premier League, where they spent four years before their relegation last term.

The winger says the decision to return to the English top-flight with the St James’ Park outfit was a “no-brainer” after penning a long-term contract.

“I’m absolutely buzzing for it – I came down to see the place the other day and it was all just good things; the manager, the place, the fans, the messages I’ve been getting,” Fraser told Newcastle’s website.

“It was just a no-brainer, really, to play in such a big stadium with such passionate fans, and being back up in the north again is big as well.

“So I’m really looking forward to it and I just can’t wait to show everyone what I can do, help the team and help us get back to where we belong.”

Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Bruce is excited to see Fraser in action for his side next season.

“I’m delighted to bring Ryan to Newcastle United. We have held off big competition to get his signature and that says a lot about what this club has to offer,” Bruce said.

His ability and his contributions on the pitch speak for themselves and I’m looking forward to seeing him getting to work in a Newcastle shirt.

“He has wonderful chemistry on the pitch with Callum Wilson, which excites me, and I hope it excites our supporters ahead of the new season.”

Newcastle, who finished 13th in the Premier League in 2019-20, will start the new campaign with a home match against West Ham on September 12 and host Brighton the following week.

Newcastle United have signed England striker Callum Wilson on a four-year-deal from Bournemouth for about £20m.

The 28-year-old, who has four England caps, made 187 appearances for the Cherries and scored 67 goals.

Aston Villa were also interested in Wilson but withdrew a higher bid of £21m, with the former Coventry City striker preferring a move to Newcastle.

Wilson is Steve Bruce’s third summer signing since the collapse of the proposed takeover of the club in July.

He follows midfielder Jeff Hendrick and goalkeeper Mark Gillespie’s arrival

at St James’ Park on free transfers.

“From the minute I knew Newcastle were interested, it was definitely something that appealed to me,” Wilson told the club’s website.

“It’s a massive club with great history. Along the years, they’ve had great strikers so if I can emulate half of what they’ve done, I’d like to attempt that.”

Bruce, who has also been linked with Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis and Wilson’s former Cherries team-mate Ryan Fraser, says he is “grateful” the club have made the signing happen.

The Newcastle manager said: “Callum is somebody I’ve admired for a long time and I’m delighted to get him. He has done fantastically well at Bournemouth and was deservedly playing centre-forward for England less than two years ago.

“The club has worked ever so hard to get Callum here and we have beaten off competition from a number of clubs.”

Wilson has scored one England goal – on his debut against the United States in November 2018 – and won his most recent international cap in the 6-0 win over Bulgaria in Sofia in October 2019.

The striker is the latest high-profile departure from Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League, with Nathan Ake moving to Manchester City in a £41m deal and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale signed by Sheffield United for £18.5m.

Barcelona forward Ansu Fati broke a 95-year national record to become Spain’s youngest goalscorer at the age of 17 years and 311 days against Ukraine.

Fati – also the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history and Barcelona’s youngest scorer in La Liga – curled home a fine 20-yard shot off the post on his first start.

He had already won a penalty, scored by Sergio Ramos, as he became the youngest player to start a Nations League match.

Ramos added a header in the win.

The Real Madrid defender has now incredibly scored 10 goals in his last 15 caps.

The 34-year-old has 23 goals for his country, as many as the great Alfredo di Stefano.

Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, 19, made his debut as a second-half substitute while new City signing Ferran Torres scored a late fourth with a volley at the far post.

Barcelona and Juventus are negotiating a fee that will allow Luis Suarez to make the move to the Serie A champions.

According to reports, the Uruguay international, Suarez has already reached a personal agreement over a three-year contract worth €10 million (£9m/$12m) per season with the Turin giants.

Suarez is set to sit an Italian language exam in the coming days to get a passport to allow him to make the move.

The 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Camp Nou, which will automatically renew for a further year should he feature in more than 60 per cent of matches.

New Barca boss Ronald Koeman has decided Suarez has no place in his plans for the future and the attacker called for clarity on his place in the squad from president Josep Maria Bartomeu last month.

The Catalan side could release Suarez but it would cost €14m (£13m/$17m) to terminate the former Liverpool star’s contract, which is far from ideal considering the financial issues the club has had to contend with amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Barca are already plotting a move for Inter star Lautaro Martinez to take Suarez’s place and partner fellow Argentina star Lionel Messi up front after the latter confirmed to Goal on Friday that he will stay despite his desire to leave for free this summer .

Koeman’s side have also been linked with a move for Lyon and Netherlands star Memphis Depay, who recently suggested he would be open to leaving the French side in the current transfer window. Lyon coach Rudi Garcia admitted on Sunday that he would not stand in the 26-year-old’s way if Barca made an offer.

Juve, meanwhile, are in need of a new forward after new coach Andrea Pirlo confirmed Gonzalo Higuain will leave a year before his contract expires.

Suarez joined the Blaugrana from Liverpool in 2014 and has scored 198 goals in 283 appearances as he helped them to four La Liga titles and a Champions League crown.

He scored 21 times in 36 games in all competitions last season as they finished second in the Spanish top-flight and crashed out of Europe’s top club competition at the quarter-final stage with an 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.