Barcelona enter race for prolific former La Liga striker valued at €30m

According to reports in Spain, AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca has emerged as an alternative to Luciano Vietto for Barcelona this summer.

The Atletico Madrid starlet is seen as the primary target for the Catalan giants, but they risk losing out on him as he looks set to move to Sevilla on loan.

In turn, according to Mundo Deportivo, Bacca has emerged on Luis Enrique's transfer radar, with the Colombian international set to leave the San Siro ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The Rossoneri accepted a €30m offer from West Ham United for the 29-year-old, but he has twice turned the Hammers down as he wishes to sign for a club that will feature in the Champions League next season, as noted in the report by the Spanish media outlet.

Further, it's added that Barca will face competition from Napoli, but as of yet the Serie A outfit haven't been able to offer a satisfactory package to prise him away from their domestic rivals.

Nevertheless, it's no surprise that Bacca is potentially being considered by Barca, as he left Spain last year with a record of 49 goals in 108 games as well as two Europa League trophies during his time with Sevilla.

He continued his impressive goalscoring record with 18 in his first season in Italy, and it appears it may well be his only campaign in Serie A as he now looks set for a second spell in La Liga.

The report goes on to add that Mario Gomez is also an alternative for the Blaugrana, although his salary could be an obstacle that makes a move impossible.

Enrique has seemingly decided that he requires another striker in his squad ahead of the new season, with Bacca having to fight to try and displace Luis Suarez from the starting line-up.

Given that they will be competing on numerous fronts over the next nine months or so, it's no surprise that the Spanish champions are looking to add quality and depth where possible.

Source:7mSports

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Premier League closer than ever to introducing winter break

RICHARD SCUDAMORE says a winter break in the Premier League is closer than ever.

 

BACKED: Big Sam likes the idea of a winter break

 

New England boss Sam Allardyce has led fresh calls for a mid-season rest to boost the country's international hopes.

But any shake-up of the congested fixture list cannot be introduced until 2019, when the new £5bn TV deal ends.

Premier League executive chairman Scudamore says discussions are on-going about a post-Christmas break.

"If it can practically work we are up for listening to it"- Richard Scudamore

"He's (Allardyce) been very consistent and has been calling for it for a lot time, as has every England manager," said Scudamore.

"But there are more prospects for it than I can remember.

"The Football League and the FA, Martin Glenn (chief executive) particularly, wants to see it happen.

"We are having discussions but it's not easy due to the calendar of different competitions. If it can practically work we are up for listening to it.

"We are open minded and keen if we can make it work. We all know what we have to do to create space and something has to give.

"It would have to be decided by the next TV market which is sometime at the end of 2017 and the start of 2018."

England suffered an embarrassing Euro 2016 crashing out at the hands of Iceland.

But Scudamore believes the strain of the Premier League is not to blame.

He said: "We did our own post-Euros discussion and there is nothing we saw that put us off the journey.

"In other words, we know we're producing good players, we saw nothing that said 'Oh, Christ'.

"Whereas, if you go back to England-Croatia (a 3-2 home defeat in 2007 that cost England qualification for Euro 2008), Steve McClaren and the umbrella, we were so angry we went and got Ged (Roddy, the Premier League's director of football development).

"We said, 'We have to change, we have to change', but we saw nothing in the Euros, either from other teams or from ourselves, quite frankly, that said we have to change the journey."

Scudamore was speaking at the launch of Premier League 2, a new Under-23 league introduced to succeed the current Under-21 set-up.

Changes include club's reserve games mirroring first-team fixtures.

 Source:7mSports

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Pep Guardiola to smash £100m spending mark as Manchester City eye three new signings

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola's summer spending is far from over, as he intends on taking his total output beyond the £100m mark.

The Spanish tactician has already signed two marquee names in Nolito and Ilkay Gundogan this summer, but that is merely just the start of things to come.

According to The Guardian, the City coach is closing in on deals for Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Marlos Moreno, as reaffirmed by Manchester Evening News editor James Robson below.

City confident they'll land Sane and Jesus. Close to breakthrough on Sane price. Jesus ‘very' close

— James Robson (@JamesRobsonMEN) July 26, 2016

Currently, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss total spend stands at £36.5m, with Gundogan, Nolito and Oleksandr Zinchenko being added to his squad.

The Guardian go on to add that Schalke want £41.8m for Sane, which in turn will make him the most expensive summer signing of the bunch by a significant distance.

Elsewhere, Jesus is valued at around £26 by his current club Palmeiras, while Moreno has reportedly agreed to a move to City for a fee in the region of £8m.

In turn, City are expected to negotiate some of the fees involved and look to reach compromises with the respective clubs. Based on the figures offered in the report, that should take their total spending to £103.8m by the time the transfer window closes, provided Guardiola doesn't move to add more personnel in the next few weeks.

As noted by The Guardian, John Stones also remains on City's radar, but a deal for the Everton defender is still some way off at this stage and hasn't been factored into their report.

There's no denying that City needed investment in the squad this summer, not least because of their disappointing campaign last season which included a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, but in order to give Guardiola the resources to build his own team.

His style of play and direction for his teams are well documented, and City will certainly hope that this initial period of spending is fruitful this season as they look to build the foundations of a long and successful partnership with the Spaniard.

Source:7mSports

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Alexandre Pato set to sign for Villarreal after leaving Chelsea

Alexandre Pato may have found a new club after his slightly disastrous spell with Chelsea in 2016.
Villarreal look set to sign the former Brazillian prodigy, according to Globo Esporte in Brazil, and the forward will be hoping he can rebuild his career in Spain.

The striker signed for Chelsea from Corinthians on loan in January of this year but went on to have a minimal impact at Stamford Bridge, finding the back of the net just once against Aston Villa in a 4-0 thrashing.

Pato's career has been stagnating for some time now ever since persistent injuries and constant partying hampered his time at AC Milan where he was all set to be the next big thing.

Sadly, spells on the sidelines and indifferent form became the nỏm for the striker which prompted him to return to Brazil to try and rebuild his young career from its roots.

Arguably Pato's most memorable moment in a Milan shirt game at the Nou Camp in a Champions League tie when he burst through the Barcelona defence just minute into the game and slid the ball under Victor valdes.

It was a goal which highlighted the tremendous talent the striker possesses, blistering pace comblined with traditional Brazilian flair and Villarreal will be hoping that he can reveal this side of his footballing persona once again.

The Yellow Submarine are a club on the rise after successfully sealing Champions League football for 2016/17 after finishing fourth in La Liga last season.

Cedric Bakambu and Roberto Soldado forged a very effective strike partnership last term and Pato faces a tough challenge to break up the efficient duo.

The proposed move is almost the last chance saloon for the 26-year-old striker, however, it is reassuring that a club of Villarreal's stature are prepared to take what is most certainly a risk, whether it be a calculate one or not.

The time is now for Pato to make himself known to the footballing world again and banish away the demon from his Stamford Bridge nightmare.

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Gonzalo Higuain undergoes Juventus medical after club triggers €94m release clause

Juventus are set to smash their transfer record by signing Gonzalo Higuain for €94m (£78.6m) from Napoli in a move that could accelerate Paul Pogba‘s switch to Manchester United.

According to Sky Sport Italia, the 28-year-old Argentina international has already undergone a medical for the Serie A champions and has agreed a deal worth a basic €7.5m (£6.3m) per season until 2020.

An image of Higuain’s blood test papers, shown to have taken place at Madrid’s Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja, have also emerged online, as seen in the tweet below.

The move will make Higuain the third-most expensive player in football history behind the Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Higuain’s imminent arrival in Turin is a major statement of intent from the club as they look to build upon their dominance domestically on the European stage following their round of 16 exit in the Champions League last term.

Last season, Higuain was in extraordinary form for second-placed Napoli, scoring 36 goals in 35 games – the most that any player has managed in the Italian top-flight since Gino Rossetti struck the same number for Torino in 1928-29.

Should Higuain complete his lucrative move to Juventus, he will likely forge a formidable strike partnership with his compatriot Paulo Dybala, who was Serie A’s second leading scorer with 19 in his debut campaign at the club.

Juventus have been extremely active in the transfer market this summer, adding Miralem Pjanic, Marko Pjaca, Mario Lemina, Medhi Benatia, and Dani Alves to their already star-studded squad.

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Cristiano Ronaldo hopes to recover by UEFA Super Cup date

Real Madrid are almost certain to be without Cristiano Ronaldo's services for the European Super Cup against Sevilla on August 9 in Norway but he believes there is still an outside chance ò featuring.

An injury sustained during the Euro 2016 final is expected to see the Portugal captain sidelined for Los Blancos' first three games of the new season, including their August 9 showdown in Trondheim.

"I'm in a good recovery and hope to return as quickly as posible, '' Ronaldo said.

'' Though I'm practically ruled out for the European Super Cup, when I return to Madrid, I will  reassess.''

'

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Wes Morgan praises Jamie Vardy's loyalty after rejecting Arsenal

LEICESTER skipper Wes Morgan insists Jamie Vardy was spot on to snub Arsenal and stay at the King Power Stadium.

 

England ace Vardy, 29, looked to be heading to N5 earlier this summer when Arsene Wenger’s Gunners met the £20million buy-out clause in his contract.

But rather than make the switch to one of the world’s most prestigious and glamorous clubs, the lethal striker stunned the game by pledging his future to Claudio Ranieri’s Midlands outfit.

One man not shocked at that decision, however, was the Foxes’ inspirational leader Morgan. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Hailing an extremely rare show of loyalty in football’s modern age, the Jamaica international claimed Vardy did not quit Leicester for Arsenal because: He already plays for the champions of England.

He is guaranteed Champions League football next season.

He has nothing to prove among the elite.

Morgan, 32, who himself agreed a three-year contract extension last Tuesday, said: “After his fantastic season it was to be expected other teams would be interested in poaching Jamie.

"But he has committed himself to Leicester now and that’s great for the players, the fans and the club.

"Vards did it on the big stage last year. No doubt he can do that again next season – with us – because now he’s even more confident in his ability.

"He knows what he’s capable of producing. Even on the international stage, with England, he comes on and is a threat straight away.

"And he’s proved himself with Leicester. We’ve shown how good we are. We’ve won the league. We are the defending champions. There’s no reason for him to leave us. He’s made the right choice.”

While Wenger’s north Londoners are forced to look elsewhere for a natural, world-class finisher, Vardy and his team-mates are gearing up for their title defence – and the unprecedented challenge of competing against Europe’s elite.

Unquestionably, once they begin their Champions League campaign, the ­spotlight will fall on ex-Fleetwood Town ace Vardy, who cost the Foxes just £1m four years ago.

He was pivotal in Leicester defying odds of 5,000-1 to conquer the English top tier for the first time in their history.

The hotshot scored 24 league goals, including a record-breaking Premier League run of scoring in 11 straight games midway through the season.

But for a two-match suspension near the end of the campaign, he may well have finished up as the Premier League’s leading scorer – rather than one behind England and Spurs rival Harry Kane.

And Morgan predicts Vardy will have no trouble terrorising the finest rearguards in Europe – just as he does those on home shores.

"I’m sure teams will do their research and will know all about Jamie,” said the defender.

"They’ll know about his threat and they’ll try to nullify it. But plenty of defenders have tried to do that before – and so far they’ve failed.

"I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll do against some of the world’s very best defenders.

MATES: Vardy and Morgan were crucial to Leicester's title win

"Vards has always popped up with goals and I feel he will do damage in the Champions League.

"I’ve no doubt he’ll make that next transition.”

With Frenchman N’Golo Kante now at Chelsea, Vardy and Algeria playmaker Riyad Mahrez are the most recognisable faces in Ranieri’s squad.

Not that all the public adulation is confined to the deadly duo, as Morgan revealed that well-wishers mobbed him every step of the way on his summer holidays.

He said: “It was nice to get a break – even if I didn’t quite anticipate the amount of attention I’d receive.

"Everywhere I went in Greece, people were coming up to congratulate me.

"It was the same in Thailand. I suppose it’s to be expected after last season but I’m not sure that I’ll get used to it!"

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Manchester City midfielder wants to stay and fight for his place

SAMIR NASRI wants to stay at Manchester City and has vowed to fight for his place under Pep Guardiola.

 CROCKED:Nải missed most of last season through injury

The former Arsenal midfielder has been doing double training sessions as he attempts to impress the new city boss.

Nasri , 29, has three years remaining on his contract and told friends and club colleagues that he want to be part of the new-look City.

 The France international had an injury-wrecked season last term and will have to compete with emerging youngsters like Kelechi Iheanacho, 19, Aleix Garcia, 19 , and Manu Garcia, 18.

 

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remix new song 2016 by Popexo7

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Liverpool seal £25m deal for Newcastle's Georginio Wijnaldum

• Holland international becomes seventh signing of summer at Anfield 
• Jurgen Klopp: 'I think he can be a great player for us'

 

 Liverpool have completed the £25m signing of Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United. The 25-year-old becomes Jurgen Klopp''s seventh newcomer of the summer, following the moves of Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Marko Grujic, Sadio Mane, Ragnar Klavan and Alex Manninger to Anfield .

 

Wijnaldum scored 11 goals in 38 league appearances last season for Newcatle but could not prevent his side being relegated to the championship.

 

On the prospect of joining up with Klopp on Liverpool's US tour, Wijnaldum told the club website: 

"He seems" a great man, from the outside, because I don't know he works yet and I have to work with him. 

 

"But I always love to watch him, his passion as a trainer, I like how he enjoys the game. He gives something back to the group with his passion so I look forward to working with him."

 

Klopp is also keen to start working with the Dutchman, which is why he is flying out almost immediately to join the rest of the squad.

"I think he can be a great player for us, '' said the manager. '' He has already shown some really good moments in his career but the most exciting and important thing for me and my staff is that there is still so much extra to come from him.

 

'' When I talked to him I could tell that he knows we have to work together to get this level out of him to all be successful for the team.

 

'' He has played a lot for his country already, been captain at a young age in Holland and also been involved in a tough Premier League season, so this experience give him a good foundation for the challenge here, which everybody knows is huge.

 

'' He can play a few positions for us and players that come through the Dutch system usually have a good tactical understanding and flexibility. That's really important.

 

'' I can't wait to get him on the training pitch and for the fans to see him play in a Liverpool shirt.''

 

 

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