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AC MILAN, ROMA JOIN RACE FOR NORWICH MAX AARONS.

AC Milan and Roma have joined the list of clubs who want to sign Max Aarons from Norwich City.

Both Italian clubs intend to submit a bid to Norwich for 20-year-old Aarons in the near future.

Barcelona and Bayern Munich also want him if they fail to sign Ajax’s 19-year-old USA international right-back Sergino Dest.

Aarons, however, would like to wait a little longer to see how the situation with Dest develops, with both Barcelona and Bayern having previously expressed concrete interest in the highly-rated England U21 defender.

It was reported earlier this month that Barcelona had agreed personal terms with Aarons over a loan move to La Liga.

But the deal broke down after Norwich were reluctant to let the defender leave because there was no obligation to buy at the end of the loan.

Earlier reports from Germany also showed that Bayern were prepared to pay €20m (£18.3m) to sign Aarons permanently, while Bayer Leverkusen have also been keen on the defender.

£30m-rated centre-back Ben Godfrey has also attracted interest from AC Milan, and from Leverkusen.

Aarons enjoyed an impressive 2019/20 campaign under Daniel Farke, excelling in 40 appearances in all competitions, despite Norwich’s relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

He is under contract at Carrow Road until June 2024.

Aarons could become the second player to move elsewhere in the window following Norwich’s demotion to the second tier, with Jamal Lewis having already joined Newcastle United for £15m.

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LEIPZIG SIGNS ALEXANDER SORLOTH.

RB Leipzig have completed the signing of Norway international striker Alexander Sorloth from English Premier League club Crystal Palace.

The 24-year-old, who scored 33 goals in 49 appearances whilst on loan at Trabzonspor last season, has signed a five-year deal.

“I made up my mind to join Leipzig soon after the talks,” Sorloth told the club website. “The club impressed in the league last season, and made people stand up and take note in the Champions League.

“The attacking football favoured by Julian Nagelsmann suits my playing style perfectly. I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.”

Sorloth top scored in the Turkish Süper Lig and domestic cup in 2019/20, with 24 and seven goals respectively.

It marked a career-best return for the 24-time Norway international, who has also played in the Netherlands (Groningen), Denmark – where he hit 10 goals and won the league title with Midtjylland – England (Palace) and Belgium (Gent) since leaving his homeland in January 2016.

He started out in the youth ranks of Rosenborg and made his professional debut for the club, but it was his 13 goals in 26 games for Bodo/ Glimt in the 2015 Tippeligaen that gave his career wings.

“We’ve signed our number one candidate for the attack in Alexander Sorloth,” commented Leipzig sporting director Markus Krösche. “He’s a physical and technical player, who’s strong in the air and a good finisher. Alexander has all the attributes you need as a footballer.

“He had a fantastic season in Turkey, where he showed himself to be a goalscorer and provider. We’re looking forward to working together to achieve our stated goals for the season ahead.”

Sorloth, whose Bundesliga debut could come as soon as Leipzig’s Matchday 2 encounter with Bayer Leverkusen on 26 September, is an international teammate of Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland. The duo scored twice apiece in Norway’s 5-1 UEFA Nations League win over Northern Ireland on 7 September.

The Norwegian represents the fifth new face of the post-Timo Werner era, following the arrival of Benjamin Henrichs (AS Monaco, loan), Hwang Hee-chan (Red Bull Salzburg), Josep Martinez (Las Palmas) and Lazar Samardzic (Hertha Berlin). Angelino has also re-signed for the club on another loan deal from Manchester City.

Sorloth will wear the No.19 shirt.

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JUVENTUS SIGN ATLETICO’S ALVARO MORATA ON A YEAR LOAN DEAL.

Juventus have completed a loan deal to sign Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid, the club announced on Tuesday.

Morata, 27, landed in Turin on Monday to finalise his move to re-join the Italian champions.

The striker enjoyed a successful loan spell at Juve during 2014-2016 where he scored 27 goals, including a strike in the 2015 Champions League final against Barcelona.

The Spain international won two Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia trophies in his two-year stint at the club.

Juve initially tried to sign Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko but those deals failed to materialise.

Juve have signed Morata, Arthur, Felix Correia and United States men’s international Weston McKennie since Andrea Pirlo took charge of the club.

Morata will play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in a strong forward line as Juve aim to clinch a 10th consecutive Serie A title

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LIVERPOOL AGREE ISMAILA SARR FEE DESPITE DIOGO JOTA ARRIVAL.

Liverpool have “agree a fee” for Watford forward Ismaila Sarr “worth £36m” days after Diogo Jota arrived from Wolves.

The Reds bolstered their attacking line-up over the weekend as the Portuguese forward arrived in a £45m deal.

Jurgen Klopp’s side already boast one of the best front-threes in football as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino grabbed 57 goals between them last year.

But reports from France Football have it that the Premier League champions are close to getting another goal-hunter in.

Sarr may have suffered relegation with Watford in his debut season but the Senegalese international impressed with six goals in 30 games.

And it has seen the Reds reach an agreement with the London side for a price which could rise to €40m [£36m].

Liverpool are even discussing the 22-year-old’s salary, according to the report, which could be see him earn €7m [£6.4m] per year.

A deal for the forward would see the Anfield side beat rivals Manchester United to his signature after they were “offered” the player by Watford.

But comments by the forward suggest that the champions always had the edge because of fellow Senegalese international Mane in their ranks.

And the feeling is mutual, with Liverpool’s No.10 saying at the start of last season: “The first day [Sarr] signed I sent him a message to say good luck and that I was happy for him.

“He’s rapid. I think defenders will struggle. Last time I was speaking to Robbo (Andy Robertson) I said ‘Watford have a really good player.

“‘I will need to help you more otherwise Ismaila Sarr will kill you, because he is a good dribbler and very, very fast’.”

It comes as the Reds could let academy star Rhian Brewster go to make way for Sarr.

While they are already lining up another forward for next summer, with PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe staying in “regular contact” with the club.

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LUIS SUAREZ AGREES TERMS WITH ATLETICO MADRID FOR A MOVE TO DIEGO SIMEONE’S SIDE

Barcelona’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid and may arrive at the Wanda Metropolitano on a two-year deal, according to local reports from the Madrid club.

Barca’s new manager Ronald Koeman has already told the 33-year-old that he is not part of his plans. Since arriving at Camp Nou in 2014, Suarez has scored 198 goals in 283 games and won four La Liga titles, four Copa del Rey championships and one UEFA Champions League title. Since Neymar departed for Paris Saint-Germain, Suarez has been the most effective partner for Lionel Messi.

That partly explained why Messi told Barca he wanted to leave after the club made it clear that they no longer wanted Suarez.

Of course, before the transfer can be completed, Suarez and Barca must settle their compensation problem. There’s still one year left on Suarez’s contract with Barca. The 33-year-old wanted his last-year salary but the club did not want to pay him that much. According to the latest report by Catalan radio station RAC1, Barcelona have agreed to end Suarez’s contract by paying him part of the agreed salary.

That news should motivate Atletico Madrid to speed up in selling Diego Costa. Rumors suggest Fenerbahçe are interested in landing him, but so far there has been no concrete offer.

Meanwhile, Juventus who almost signed Suarez but called the deal off in the end because of a passport problem, are interested in bringing back Alvaro Morata on loan from Atletico Madrid, according to reports.

Morata played for Juventus in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, winning two Serie A titles and reaching the Champions League final with the club.

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BARCELONA HAVE BIDS REJECTED FOR NORWICH STAR, MAX AARONS

Barcelona have had two bids rejected for Norwich City defender Max Aarons as they look to replace Nelson Semedo, sources have confirmed.

Barca first made contact with Aarons’ agents over a transfer in May and have already agreed on personal terms with the right-back.

However, they have been unable to strike a deal with Norwich, with an initial offer to take Aarons on loan with an option to buy next summer for around €20 million knocked back by the Championship club.

A second offer has also been turned down but sources asay that Barca haven’t completely given up hope of landing the England under-21 international yet after making him their No.1 full-back target.

Sources at the Catalan club have revealed that Semedo could leave in the next week, with talks at an advanced stage with a Premier League side.

Barca hope to sell Semedo for over €30m. They plan to re-invest that money on a younger right-back to compete with Sergi Roberto this season.

Aarons, 20, has emerged as their preferred option but they are also managing a number of alternatives in case they are unable to find a breakthrough in negotiations with Norwich.

Ajax defender Sergino Dest has also been followed by Barca for a while and is another name on the table if Semedo is sold in the coming days.

In the case of both Aarons and Dest, Barca face competition from Bayern Munich. Sources close to the United States international confirmed that youthe Bundesliga champions are in pole position.

That would clear the way for Barca to move for Aarons, although they have also sounded out the chances of doing deals for Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot.

Barca could still push ahead with signing a full-back even if Semedo stays. However, they cannot buy until they offload players, which is why they initially proposed a season-long loan when negotiating for Aarons.

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LIVERPOOL COMPLETE £45M SIGNING OF WOLVES FORWARD.

Liverpool have reportedly completed the signing of Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a £45 million deal.

As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Premier League champions,
Liverpool have completed the signing of Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The player is set to pen a five-year contract with the Reds.

The 23-year-old Jota came through the youth ranks at Portuguese outfit Gondomar, before joining Pacos Ferreira. In 2016, he signed for La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, but was immediately loaned out to FC Porto, where he impressed. The following summer, he joined Wolves, who were in the Championship at the time, initially on loan, before making the transfer permanent in 2018.

Since joining the Black County outfit, the Portuguese forward has accumulated 131 appearances, scoring 44 goals and setting up 19 more. A versatile attacker, Jota has been used mostly on the left flank, but has also often operated as part of a two-pronged attack alongside Raul Jimenez.

Liverpool had been heavily linked with a move for Jota’s teammate Adama Traore all summer. Understandably so, considering that the reigning English champions are lacking quality backup for their first-choice frontline of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

However, instead of Traore, the club seem to have moved in on Jota, with the report claiming that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been a long-term admirer of the Portuguese. And while it is yet to be announced officially, the Echo is claiming that the transfer is a done deal.

As per the report, Liverpool will be shelling out £41 million for the signing of the forward, with another £4 million in add-ons. Jota is expected to put pen to a five-year contract with the Premier League champions. He is set to become the Reds’ fourth most expensive player behind Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Naby Keita.

It is further claimed that Liverpool will have to pay around just 10 per cent of the guaranteed transfer fee across the next twelve months.

Jota will become Liverpool’s third signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Kostas Tsimikas and Thiago Alcantara, who joined the club only on Friday. After a rather subdued start to the transfer window, Liverpool have made a huge statement with two brilliant signings on a single day.

Jota’s signing is not the only deal that Liverpool have struck with Wolves on Friday. The Reds have also agreed to the sale of defensive prospect Ki-Jana Hoever in a deal worth an inital £9 million with a further £4.5m in add-ons.

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ASTON VILLA SIGN LYON’S BERTRAND TRAORE.

Aston Villa have signed forward Bertrand Traore from Lyon on a four-year contract after agreeing a deal worth around £17m plus £2m in add-ons.

Traore, who knows Villa coach John Terry from his time at Chelsea, becomes their fourth major signing of the window.

Villa have already broken their transfer record to sign Ollie Watkins from Brentford on a five-year deal, while Matty Cash has also joined on a five-year deal from Nottingham Forest and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has arrived from Arsenal.

Lyon also retain a 15 per cent sell-on clause on the 25-year-old, who has experience of playing in the Champions League for the French club last season, while he also scored four times in 32 appearances in all competitions.

We’re delighted that Bertrand has chosen to come to Villa,” said Villa boss Dean Smith. “He’s a player with immense talent who will really enhance our attacking options.”

The Burkina Faso international joined Lyon from Chelsea for €10m (£9.2m) in June 2017 and scored 33 times in 126 matches across three seasons, enjoying his most productive spell in his first season with 17 goals.

The signing is a major boost for Smith, who has revealed Wesley may not return from his knee injury until next year.

The forward sustained a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury on New Year’s Day against Burnley and Smith has admitted the Brazil international is nowhere near a first-team comeback.

When asked on the player’s potential return, Smith said: “We believed it was going to be a 12-month injury and nothing has told us otherwise yet.

It was quite a bad injury he suffered. He’s back now with us but is not training in any shape or form yet.

“He’s getting full range back into it and the swelling has gone down on his knee now. Hopefully he’ll be back as soon as possible.”

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Higuian set to move to Inter Miami

Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain has left Italian champions Juventus after his contract was mutually terminated and is expected to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami club in the United States.

The 32-year-old joined Juve from Serie A rivals Napoli for a Italian record fee of £75m in July 2016.

At the time it was also the world’s third most expensive transfer.

On Thursday, Inter Miami manager Diego Alonso said Higuain was “finalising negotiations” with the MLS club.

Last week Higuain was greeted at Miami Airport by Jorge Mas, who is one of four co-owners alongside former England captain Beckham.

Former Real Madrid forward Higuain scored 66 goals in 149 games – as well as having loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea – but never quite lived up to expectations.

Last month, new Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo announced Higuain would soon be leaving the Turin club.

“He was a great champion, a great player but the cycle is over,” ex-Italy midfielder Pirlo said.

“We looked each other in the eyes, we talked and we made this decision. I admire him a lot, but we have decided that the paths will separate.”

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THIAGO SIGNS FOUR YEAR CONTRACT WITH LIVERPOOL.

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Reports emerged on Thursday morning that Liverpool had agreed a £25million deal to sign the Spain international. And a deal is now said to be completed for the Bayern Munich star.

Romano claims Thiago promised to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in June that he would join the Reds.

Thiago played a crucial role in helping Bayern win the Champions League only last month.

But that appears to have been his final competitive game for the Bundesliga giants.

Liverpool are set to pay £20m in four instalments of £5m over the four years of the contract.

The extra £5m will be made up by performance-related add-ons.

Klopp was asked about a deal for Thiago on Thursday but refused to give anything away.

Nothing, actually. Absolutely nothing,” he told Sky Sports.

“How it always is, we are not part of speculation. We try to never be. That’s it.

When something is announced, you are the person I will call!”

“It’s completely normal that we have to make another step because other teams will make other steps as well.

“It has nothing to do with being champions, we constantly try to develop and find solutions to the new challenges before we have the problems with them. That’s how football works.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has admitted he is a fan of Thiago but said there had been no sign of the 29-year-old at the club’s Melwood training ground amid reports the player was undergoing a medical.

“When you are at a club like Liverpool, you get linked with players all the time,” Robertson told Sky Sports.

For us, we focus on our squad. Nobody is in Melwood in terms of Thiago or any other player now for a new signing. Until something is signed on the dotted line then we don’t listen to rumours.

“Our aim is to excite fans, we excited them last season. They believed we might have won the league by Christmas time, but we [the players] didn’t.

“If we’re not exciting the fans, we’re not doing something right.

“If the club are exciting the fans with a potential link or potential rumour that we are going to sign this player then I suppose we are doing something right.

I have watched him. He is a fantastic player. A player full of talent. He would add to the quality of squad and probably any team in the world.

“If we get him, great. If we don’t then it is what it is. But we’ll wait and see until it’s confirmed then maybe I can sit down again and talk about his qualities a bit more.”