Tag: Transfer News

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

SOUTHAMPTON SIGN FRENCH MIDFIELDER DIALLO.

Southampton have completed the signing of central midfielder Ibrahima Diallo from Ligue 1 side Brest for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old has signed a four-year contract and is Southampton’s third signing of the summer transfer window.

“He’s a very smart one, a very clever one, he reads the game very well,” Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told the club’s official website.

“He’s also quick and dynamic, against the ball very aggressive and with the ball also with good decision making, so he is a player who I think fits perfectly in our team.”

Diallo graduated from the Monaco academy before going on to make his name with Brest, a club he signed for permanently in 2019 following an initial successful loan spell with whom he won promotion in 2019.

He caught the eye in Ligue 1 last season where Diallo made 27 appearances, earning him a call-up to the France Under-21 team last month.

Southampton, who beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 on Sunday, next visit Chelsea on Saturday 17 October.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

Vertoghen leaves spurs on a free

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has left the club after eight years.

Vertonghen, 33, made 315 appearances for Tottenham, but leaves after seeing his playing time limited under new manager Jose Mourinho this season.

The Belgian, who departs as a free agent, helped Spurs reach finals in the Champions League and League Cup.

“So my time at the club comes to an end, a sad day for many reasons,” Vertonghen wrote in a post on Instagram.

“I will miss the friends I’ve made here, the staff that make the club run, playing at the amazing new stadium and of course you fans,” he added.

“Thank you for all the support over the years. You’ve been amazing. We had many unbelievable memories but for now, it’s goodbye.”

Vertonghen, who joined Tottenham from Ajax in 2012, did not feature in his side’s last Premier League game of the season, a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

His team-mate, England striker Harry Kane, was among those to pay tribute to Vertonghen and goalkeeper Michel Vorm, who is also leaving.

“It’s been a pleasure sharing a dressing room with them,” Kane said in a caption, alongside a squad picture.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

EVERTON SWEATING ON DEFENSIVE INJURIES AHEAD VILLA CLASH

Everton are sweating over the fitness of their major defenders with Mason Holgate bring the fresh victim after the defender missed training again today.


The Blues have been without the 23-year-old defender for the past two matches because of a shin injury picked up at Spurs over a week ago.
Holgate, who has become Everton’s first-choice centre-back since Carlo Ancelotti came to the club, has been sidelined for the games with Southampton and Wolves – and remains a major doubt for Thursday’s visit of relegation threatened Aston Villa.


Carlo Ancelotti will provide an update on Holgate’s chances of facing Villa, when he holds a virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon. 
The Blues boss will also give greater clarity on the fitness of Andre Gomes who was ruled out of the Wolves game after picking up a knock on his ankle.


Yerry Mina was forced off after just 31 minutes of Sunday’s game at Molineux with an unspecified muscle injury and it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the Villa clash or given the time to fully heal and not rushed back.


Following the Wolves game, Ancelotti said: “Yerry had a muscular problem.
“Unfortunately, when you only have two days to recover, the player doesn’t recover properly and to have an injury like this can happen.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Barcelona offer Coutinho to Arsenal & Newcastle

The Liga giants are eager to get the former Liverpool star off their books and may be willing to sanction a loan switch to a Premier League suitor

Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to Arsenal and Newcastle in an ongoing bid to free up squad space and funds that will allow them to launch a raid on Inter for Lautaro Martinez, Goal has learned .

Barca snapped Coutinho up from Liverpool in the winter window of 2018 , but have seen little return on their investment.

A season-long stint at Bayern Munich has only served to raise further questions of the 28-year-old’s form and fitness .

Barcelona are now looking to put another deal in place, with the Liga giants aware that they cannot incorporate another sizeable salary into their plans for 2020-21.

There is acceptance on the part of the Blaugrana that they are going to struggle to find a European suitor willing to take on both Coutinho’s wage and a sizeable transfer fee.

With that in mind, they have started to seek out potential landing spots, and Arsenal and Newcastle have been sounded out, with both clubs having been heavily linked with the midfielder in the past.

No answer has been received from either club as yet, with the Gunners and Magpies continuing to mull over the terms of a deal and their respective standings for next season – on both sporting and financial fronts.

Efforts to bring in alternative options, such as Argentina international Lautaro , can only be made if money is saved and raised elsewhere.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Premier League set to decide new Transfer deadline date

Premier League clubs are expected to approve proposals to open their summer transfer window on July 27 and close on October 5.

All 20 Premier League clubs had until 5pm on Monday to cast their vote on a plan to open the window the day after the season ends – and close 10 weeks later.

Importantly, clubs are also expected to agree to a two-week extension to the 10-week window, when Premier League and EFL clubs can continue to buy, sell or loan players from each other.

Top-flight clubs will not be able to carry out any transfers with each other – or any foreign clubs – during this two-week extension which will end on October 18.

The compromise solution allows EFL clubs a fortnight to carry out sales, purchases and in particular loans with Premier League clubs.

It also allows Premier League clubs to carry out the vast majority of their business before UEFA’s October 6 deadline for Champions League and Europa League registrations.

Categories
football Sports News Transfer News

LIVERPOOL GETS THIAGO BOOST AS BAYERN BEGINS SEARCH FOR THE SPANISH REPLACEMENT

Bayern Munich have reportedly identified two potential replacements for Liverpool transfer target Thiago Alcantara. The Reds are keen on signing Thiago this summer and the player has reportedly already agreed personal terms to link up with Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Thiago was poised to sign a new contract with Bayern before deciding on a U-turn following interest from Premier League champions Liverpool. Le 10 Sport claim Bayern are preparing for the potential departure of several midfielders, with Javi Martinez and Corentin Tolisso also tipped to leave the club. Bayern announced the signing of Tanguy Kouassi, but the former Paris Saint-Germain is still only a raw talent at 18 years old.

As a result, the German giants are now eager to raid two Premier League clubs for midfielders. Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko and Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele are attracting Bayern’s attention.

Bakayoko has struggled at Chelsea since a big-money move from Monaco in 2017 and has spent most of his time as a Blue out on loan. The Frenchman was hoping to join PSG or AC Milan and Chelsea are ready to listen to offers. Chelsea want around £31million for Bakayoko, but any deal for Ndombele is likely to be far more complicated.

Ndombele is Tottenham’s record signing and only joined Spurs last summer from Lyon in a £53.8m deal.

Though his debut season at Tottenham has not been perfect, the 23-year-old is still adapting to the Premier League and Jose Mourinho’s style of management. Bayern will be tempted to try and agree a loan deal with Tottenham, similar to the ones they struck with Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho and Real Madrid for James Rodriguez.

However, Tottenham will be wary by the fact Bayern decided against buying either midfielder when their loan deals expired. Bayern’s pursuit of midfielders, however, will be a boost for Liverpool and Thiago. Liverpool are not expected to do any major transfer business this summer and are hopeful of negotiating a knockdown price for the Brazilian star.

Categories
Uncategorized

JOSEP BARTOMEU CONFIRMS XAVI WILL BE NEXT BARCA MANAGER

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that Xavi will become manager of the club “sooner or later”.

Xavi enjoyed a glittering playing career at Camp Nou, making a club-record 767 appearances during his 24-year stay from La Masia to his 2015 exit.

The former Spain international has turned his hand to management since retiring last year, taking charge of Qatari side Al Sadd, where he finished his playing career.

Barcelona approached their former captain after sacking Ernesto Valverde in January, but instead appointed Quique Setien, whose own future has already come under scrutiny with Xavi again linked to the post.

“Xavi will be Barca’s coach, sooner or later. But right now we are not looking for a coach, we are with Quique,” Bartomeu told press men.

“Quique Setien will coach the team in the Champions League and these last two Liga games that are left. We have had a very atypical season, we will play in August and he will be the coach. If we overcome Napoli, we will be in Lisbon.

“Our will is to fulfil contracts and Setien has one. We went to Setien’s house to speak about the future, the plans for next season. He will probably be there and I am very interested to hear what he thinks.

“He has a lot of time for Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati. We have seen Pedri and Francisco Trincao in form, there is hope.”

Barcelona have a history of appointing former players as managers, with Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Johan Cruyff among the most notable.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Bayern Munich have signed Leroy Sané from Manchester City. £54.8m fee

Bayern Munich has ended a long pursuit and finally signed Germany winger Leroy Sane from Manchester City.

The Bavarian powerhouse said Friday that the 24-year-old former Schalke player has signed a five-year deal through June 2025 and will start preparing for the upcoming season next week.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says, “He is an outstanding player who has proven his qualities over the past few years, especially in the national team. Our goal is to gather the best German players at FC Bayern and the signing of Leroy emphasizes this goal.”

City was already resigned to losing the pacey forward, who had one year left on his contract with the Premier League side. Coach Pep Guardiola said Sane had rejected “two or three” offers to extend his contract.

Bayern is reportedly paying 50 million euros ($56.3 million) for the player, less than half what the club expected to pay last year before he sustained a serious knee ligament injury in the Community Shield against Liverpool on Aug. 4. The injury put a hold on the move and Sane only returned for City as a late substitute against Burnley on June 22. It was his only league appearance since the injury.

Sane is Bayern’s third reinforcement for the new season after the free transfers of goalkeeper Alexander Nubel from league rival Schalke and 18-year-old defender Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi from Paris Saint-Germain.

Sane has five goals in 21 appearances for Germany since making his debut in 2015.

Categories
football Sports News

Lionel Messi’s return to Newell’s Old Boys ‘not impossible’, claims club vice-president

Although Lionel Messi is expected to sign a new contract with Barcelona, Newell’s Old Boys vice-president Cristian D’Amico is not ruling out the return of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Amidst growing tensions at Barcelona, Lionel Messi has been tipped for a return to his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina by the club’s vice-president.

Messi left the Argentine club at the age of 13 when Barcelona came calling in 2000. Although Messi is expected to sign a new contract with the Catalan club, Newell’s vice-president Cristian D’Amico hopes that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner can make a comeback in the future.

“I don’t know if it’s impossible. It’s a decision exclusively made by him and his family. We have to have the best possible context to help make a decision,” D’Amico told TNT Sports.

“When [Diego] Maradona came to Newell’s, nobody thought that he would come either. I hope that something similar can happen with Leo.”

“Obviously we shouldn’t be making things up, this is a delicate subject. What Newell’s doesn’t dream of seeing the world’s best player in their team’s colours? Time will tell maybe, we have to stay calm.”

Ex-Liverpool and Atletico Madrid forward Maxi Rodriguez, who returned to the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa in 2019 for a third stint, called on his compatriot to pick up the pace in coming home.

“I hope he comes at some point. It would be a dream for fans. There’s a family behind him and that can be tricky. But if he is coming, he’d better make it soon or else I won’t be able to play with him at Newell’s!” the 39-year-old joked.

Messi scored his 700th career goal on Tuesday in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw against Atletico Madrid but witnessed his side handing the title initiative over to rivals Real Madrid with the third draw in the last four outings.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

GOING TO LONDON: TIMO WERNER BREAKS LEIPZIG RECORD BEFORE CHELSEA MOVE.

Timo Werner has become RB Leipzig’s all-time leading goalscorer in his final appearance for the Bundesliga club before his move to Chelsea.

Earlier this month, Frank Lampard’s side completed a £53 million deal with RB Leipzig to sign Werner this summer.

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig’s Bundesliga season finished on Saturday and the club secured a third-placed finish with a 2-1 victory over Augsburg. Werner scored twice in that match in doing so he overtook Daniel Frahn to become RB Leipzig’s top scorer in the club’s history with 95 goals.

Werner also equalled another Bundesliga record with his double as his record of 17 goals scored away from home this term is the same as Jupp Heynckes managed in the 1973-74 season.

Werner finished the Bundesliga campaign with 28 goals – which is the highest total from any German player since Mario Gomez, who also scored 28 times in the 2010-11 campaign.

Only Robert Lewandowski scored more in the Bundesliga this season as the Poland international ended the campaign with 34 goals for Bayern Munich. RB Leipzig’s season is not over as they remain in the Champions League, but it has already been announced that Werner will join Chelsea before the competition gets back under way

Speaking after Chelsea completed their move for Werner, Lampard said: ‘I have certainly followed him for a while just as a talented player before I took this job.

He will strengthen us, he is a huge talent who had a fantastic season. ‘I had good conversations with Timo personally. He understands our project and what we want to do as a club. ‘We’re pleased he’s decided to come to us and look forward to him joining next season.