March 2016 - Soccer Wiretap

Atleti Signs Kevin Gameiro From Sevilla For $37.1M

Jul 31, 2016 6:20 PM

Kevin Gameiro has joined Atlético Madrid on a four-year deal from fellow La Liga side Sevilla.

Gameiro, 29, scored 67 goals in three years at Sevilla and though no financial details of the transfer were released, media reports suggested Atlético signed the France forward for an initial fee in the region of £28 million ($37.1 million).

“Atlético Madrid and Sevilla FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Kevin Gameiro to our club. The striker, who will sign for four seasons, will travel to Madrid this evening,” Atlético said in a statement. “The transfer is contingent to the French player successfully undergoing a medical examination.”

Gameiro’s arrival is also likely put an end to Atlético’s hopes of re-signing Diego Costa from Chelsea. 

Reuters

Tags: Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Jamie Vardy Describes Decision To Turn Down Arsenal As 'Easy'

Aug 1, 2016 1:09 PM

Jamie Vardy said it was an easy decision for him to turn down the chance to join Arsenal to remain with Leicester City on an improved contract.

Asked if it was an easy decision to commit his long-term future to Leicester, Vardy, who said he did not have a medical with Arsenal, replied: "Yes. I have always said how close knit the lads are. We are like a band of brothers.

"Personally, I think the club is only going one way and that's forwards, so there's a lot of unfinished business and I want to be part of it."

N'Golo Kante left Leicester for Chelsea but Vardy hopes Riyad Mahrez commits long-term to the club.

The England international said: "It [Mahrez signing a new deal] would be brilliant for the club, but like you say it is nothing to do with me. There's nothing I can do, so we will have to wait and see what the club do."

Asked if he has tried to persuade the Algeria international to stay, Vardy replied: "No, it is his decision. Obviously we have a lot of banter thrown around the pitch, but it is up to Riyad at the end of the day so we will have to wait and see what his plans are and what the club do."

ESPN

Tags: Arsenal, Leicester City, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Marco Verratti Committed To PSG, Won't Join Real Madrid

Jul 31, 2016 6:17 PM

Marco Verratti says he remains committed to Paris Saint-Germain amid potential interest from Real Madrid.

Verratti missed a significant amount of time last season with a groin injury.

Real were reported to have lined Verratti up as a possible alternative to Paul Pogba.

"I'm flattered that a club like Real Madrid is interested in me," Verratti told Spanish news agency EFE. "But I have made the decision to stay in Paris and be successful with PSG. Before I get tired or the club doesn't want me any more, I want to win something big here."

Press Association

Tags: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Arsene Wenger Finds Transfer Market 'Quite Scary'

Jul 30, 2016 8:35 PM

Arsene Wenger has railed at the transfer spend of some of his rivals this summer. Wenger believes Arsenal has a talented enough team to compete for their first Premier League title in 12 seasons.

“I personally believe that no matter what you do, it’s never enough. In the Premier League, every club is hugely ambitious. With the cheques that everybody signs, it’s quite scary. But I believe we know what we have to do.”

Of the quick turnaround Wenger said: “It’s tough for us. We are in a very hard training programme at the moment, so you never know how tired the players are when you go into the games. But it was good to see that we were in good shape. We’ve had two hard days in our training sessions just before we played today, and it was good to see that everybody did well.”

Joseph D'Hippolito/The Guardian

Tags: Arsenal, IQ, Misc Rumor

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United Could Part Ways With Bastian Schweinsteiger, Adnan Januzaj

Jul 28, 2016 7:06 PM

The future of several Manchester United players are in doubt as they remake their roster under Jose Mourinho.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Adnan Januzaj are two players that could be moving on.

Paris Saint-Germain have been linked to Schweinsteiger.

Andy Hunter/The Guardian

Tags: Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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United Agrees To $133M Transfer With Juventus For Paul Pogba

Jul 29, 2016 3:31 PM

Manchester United have agreed upon a $133 million transfer with Juventus for Paul Pogba.

United hope to come to an agreement over the final fees this weekend.

Pogba could have a medical in Miami by Friday evening.

The last detail that needs to be resolved is over the €25 million fee for his agent Mino Raiola, with Juventus having previously insisted that United must pay the sum in total. United hope to bring that number down by at least €10 million.

Jose Mourinho was even considering setting a deadline on the deal for next week.

The possibility of Real Madrid bidding on Pogba ultimately forced United to meet the asking price of Juventus.

Miguel Delaney/ESPN

Tags: Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Francis Coquelin Preparing To Play Center Back

Jul 28, 2016 11:16 AM

Francis Coquelin is preparing to play as a center back due to a number of injuries, including Per Mertesacker.

Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny were left behind as Arsenal traveled to the United States for two preseason fixtures.

Coquelin is primarily a defensive midfielder.

Press Association

Tags: Arsenal, IQ

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United Expects To Complete Paul Pogba Transfer Within 48 Hours

Jul 28, 2016 11:57 AM

Manchester United expects to complete a transfer with Juventus for Paul Pogba within the next 48 hours.

United have lodged a fresh offer of around €110 million with €10 million in add-ons (equivalent to £100 million in total) and Juventus are also insisting on a future payment of around €5 million if Pogba extends his contract with José Mourinho’s side.

United are in advanced talks with Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola about his €20 million fee which Juventus have insisted United must pay in full before the transfer is completed.

It would cap a busy summer for Mourinho after moves for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Real Madrid also lodged interest in Pogba though they seemed uncomfortable with the transfer price.

Fabrizio Romano, Mark Dobson/The Guardian

Tags: Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Eddie Howe Could Succeed Arsene Wenger As Arsenal Manager

Jul 27, 2016 6:06 PM

Eddie Howe has been identified by Arsenal as a possible successor to Arsene Wenger as manager.

Howe was a surprise candidate for the England job that went to Sam Allardyce. Howe is currently manager of Bournemouth.

Wenger is not expected to be allowed to choose his successor but Arsenal will listen to his input.

“We don’t have any sense of nostalgia,” said Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis. “Our support for Arsene Wenger is not based on the history of what he’s done for our football club, as extraordinary as that is.

“We’re very focused on the future. This is one of our core values is that we’re progressive and always moving forward.

“So what’s happened in the past is far less relevant to us as what’s happening as we look forward.

David Woods/Daily Star

Tags: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Misc Rumor

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Real Madrid Not Ruling Out Signing Paul Pogba

Jul 27, 2016 1:20 PM

Real Madrid is not giving up on signing Paul Pogba ahead of the transfer deadline.

Manchester United has been considered the most probable destination for Pogba as they are willing to pay a significantly higher fee than Real Madrid to Juventus.

Speaking at a news conference in Ohio ahead of Madrid's first preseason outing this summer against Paris Saint-Germain, Zinedine Zidane was asked if there was now any chance of Pogba moving to the Bernabeu before the transfer deadline on Aug. 31.

"I don't know. At the moment we are here working," he replied. "Until [Aug. 31] anything can happen. He is not yet a Madrid player. We cannot talk about what will happen."

Madrid appear unlikely to pay anything like the €120 million asking price unless they could first raise funds by selling squad players such as James Rodriguez or Alvaro Morata for significant sums.

Pressed as to whether this meant he had asked club president Florentino Perez to sign Pogba, he said: "Now is not the moment to talk about this.

"Everyone is interested in Pogba. He is a great player and when you are at Madrid, you always want the best. Now we must respect some things -- he is a Juve player. Today I can say nothing."

Dermot Corrigan/ESPN

Tags: Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Misc Rumor, Transfer Rumor

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Javier Mascherano Agrees To Extension With Barcelona Through 2019
Javier Mascherano has a €100 million release clause in his current deal which runs until 2018.

Dermot Corrigan/ESPN

City Confident Of Signing John Stones, Still Deciding On Bonucci
Pep Guardiola sees John Stones as the type of ball-playing central defender he wants for City.

Jamie Jackson/The Guardian

Pep Guardiola Bans Pizza For Manchester City Players
Pep Guardiola has banned pizza for his Manchester City players and will not allow players to train if they're overweight.

Jamie Jackson/The Guardian

Juventus Not Budging From $131.89M Asking Price For Paul Pogba
Despite being happy to join United, Paul Pogba would still prefer to sign with Real Madrid and hasn't given up on the possibility.

Miguel Delaney/ESPN

Lyon Rejects €35M Offer From Arsenal For Alexandre Lacazette
Alexandre Lacazette has been linked with a number of big clubs since scoring 27 league goals in the 2014-15 season.

Press Association

Juventus Completes $103.77M Transfer With Napoli For Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain scored 36 goals last season, which was a Serie A record.

The Guardian

Roberto Martinez Headlines Hull City's Five-Man Shortlist
Roberto Martinez was fired by Everton in May.

Louise Taylor/The Guardian

Napoli Reaches Out To Inter On Mauro Icardi
Inter insists Mauro Icardi won't be sold.

Ben Gladwell/ESPN

United Increase Paul Pogba Bid To $131.7M
Juve are seeking an additional €10 million and have informed United that their €95 million signing of Gonzalo Higuaín from Napoli does not mean they will be forced to sell Paul Pogba.

Alan Smith, Fabrizio Romano/The Guardian

Gonzalo Higuain Close To Joining Juve From Napoli For $103.6M
Gonzalo Higuain joined Napoli from Real Madrid in 2013 for €40 million.

The Observer

Sam Allardyce Confirmed As Manager Of England
Sam Allardyce is England’s fourth manager in the past 10 years.

The Guardian

Juventus, Everton Pursuing Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko
Newcastle values Moussa Sissoko at £35 million.

Andy Hunter/The Guardian

Liverpool Buys Georginio Wijnaldum From Newcastle For £25M
Georginio Wijnaldum has been at Newcastle for a year after joining for £14.5 million from PSV Eindhoven last summer.

Andy Hunter/The Guardian

Julen Lopetegui Hired By Spain As Manager
Julen Lopetegui had been without a job since January after being fired by Porto, his only head coaching job with a major club.

Associated Press

Barcelona Buys Andre Gomes From Valencia For $55.1M
Andre Gomes, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder, has been linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Reuters

Andre Schurrle Signs Five-Year Deal With Dortmund
Andre Schurrle joined Wolfsburg from Chelsea in February of 2015.

Reuters

Dortmund Buys Mario Gotze Back From Bayern For $29M
Mario Gotze was one of Pep Guardiola's first signings in the summer of 2013 but he spent a frustrating three seasons with Bayern.

Matthew Baldwin/The Guardian

United Interested In Also Buying Leonardo Bonucci From Juventus
United brought up the name of Leonardo Bonucci during negotiations over Paul Pogba.

Miguel Delaney/ESPN

Liverpool Accepts $17.2M Transfer Bid From Stoke For Joe Allen
Joe Allen has 12 months remaining on his deal with Liverpool.

Andy Hunter/The Guardian

Mario Gotze Close To Dortmund Return
Mario Gotze's contract expires in 2017 and Bayern made it clear he didn't fit into their long-term plans.

Raphael Honigstein/The Guardian