Transfer news LIVE updates: Man Utd agree Lukaku fee, Chelsea blow, Liverpool Keita boost

Transfer news LIVE updates: Man Utd agree Lukaku fee, Chelsea blow, Liverpool Keita boost

TRANSFER NEWS is coming thick and fast with the window now officially open. Clubs have begun completing deals and Express Sport brings you all the latest and breaking news.

Transfer news live updates: Follow here for the latest news and done deals from the Premier League and across Europe

Thursday 6 July

13:25: Manchester United only dropped their pursuit of Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata when they realised Romelu Lukaku was still available.

The Manchester Evening News claim Lukaku was in fact Mourinho's main target all along.

And over the last fortnight it became apparent that Lukaku wasn't heading to Chelsea, leaving United to make their move.

It is claimed the recent developments on Lukaku's failed move to Chelsea has been the reason for talks stalling in Morata's proposed transfer.

United cooled their interest in the Spain international as they turned their focus to Lukaku.

12:30: The first set of Premier League matches to be broadcast on Sky Sports and BT Sport have been announced.

Find out which Premier League games will be broadcast live for the months of August and September here.

11:50: Barcelona are ready to make their move for Arsenal star Hector Bellerin.

Spanish publication Sport claim Barca's first offer will be £26.2m (€30m).

However, the Catalan giants know that fee is well below Arsenal's asking price and instead they are treating it as a way to open talks with the Gunners to get them to listen.

Barca know their toughest test is to convince Wenger into selling his star right-back and only then will they try to settle on a fee.

10.30: Manchester United have agreed a £75m fee for Romelu Lukaku.

The Everton striker is now set for talks and a medical at Old Trafford.

Lukaku was expected to return to Chelsea this summer but now a deal is in place for him to join Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho is keen for a striker to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic and had been set on Alvaro Morata.

But that deal has slowed with Real Madrid playing hard ball over a fee and now United have moved for Morata.

10:00: James Rodriguez could end up rejecting Manchester United to stay at Real Madrid.

Don Balon claim the Colombia star's salary is enough for him to be content with life at the Bernabeu.

Take into account the money he has accrued through various sponsorship deals, and it makes him one of the world's wealthiest athletes under the age of 25.

Reports yesterday said United were closing in on a deal for a player Zinedine Zidane has supposedly deemed surplus to requirements. 

09:30: Graham Dorrans has arrived in Glasgow to complete a move to Rangers.

The 30-year-old Scotland international flew into Glasgow on Wednesday night after the English Championship club accepted a bid from Ibrox.

The midfielder's arrival is a ray of light for Rangers fans after a bleak 24 hours which saw them crash out of Europe, see winger Barrie McKay depart in an initial £500,000 deal and also suffer defeat in the Supreme Court.

The club was still reeling from their shock 2-0 defeat in Luxembourg by Progress Niederkorn when five Supreme Court judges unanimously dismissed an appeal by the liquidators of oldco Rangers, BDO, over the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBT) at Ibrox in the first decade of the century.

09:20: Huddersfield have signed their ninth player in the current transfer window with defender Scott Malone joining the Premier League side from Championship team Fulham on a three-year deal, the West Yorkshire club announced.

The 26-year-old played in 42 matches last season in his first and only season at Fulham with his impressive performances earning him a spot in the Championship Team of the Year.

Fulham finished sixth in the league and reached the play-off semi-finals, where they lost to Reading.

"Scott is a good physical presence and is a very capable defender, plus he adds a lot going forward," Huddersfield manager David Wagner told the club website (www.htafc.com).

"He shows good football intelligence to time his forward runs and can setup goals for teammates and scoring them himself."

09:00: Chelsea have made a £22million offer for Real Madrid ace Danilo, according to Spanish publication Don Balon.

Juventus are also said to be keen on signing the 25-year-old defender and their initial £17.5m bid was swiftly rejected by Los Blancos.

The report claims Madrid president Florentino Perez wants to recover most of the £28m they paid to sign him from Porto in 2015.

08:15: Manchester United have been told they can sign Gareth Bale for around £88million this summer.

Spanish publication Diario Gol claim Madrid chief Florentino Perez has already been pushing for Bale's departure and has sounded out United and Paris Saint-Germain to explore the possibility of a transfer.

But Bale would only be interested in a return to the Premier League with United able to pay his wages.

Perez has put an £88m price tag on Bale's head and United would need to match that figure before he contemplates selling the Welshman.

07:20: Arda Turan wants to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place, according to his agent.

The midfielder has been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp with Arsenal keeping tabs on him.

But Arda’s representative Ahmet Bulut is confident he'll be with the Catalan giants next season.

“Arda will stay at Barca," he said. 

"He has three years remaining on his contract.

"He will join the training camp due to start on July 12. There is nothing new regarding this."

05:40: Manchester United could complete a move for Real Madrid star Alvaro Morata in the 'coming hours'.

Morata, 24, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer as Jose Mourinho looks to find a long-term replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

But Spanish newspaper Marca claim a deal for him to join United is accelerating after they lodged an improved £66m offer. 

This could be enough to persuade Real to offload him and a deal could reportedly be completed in the coming hours. 

05:15: Antonio Rudiger will complete a £35million to Chelsea next week, according to Amy Christophers.

Reports emerged suggesting Rudiger underwent a medical in LA as he his currently holidaying there following Germany’s Confederations Cup win.

The 24-year-old appears to be edging closer to a switch to Stamford Bridge.

And Yahoo Sports contributor Amy Christophers tweeted: “Antonio Rüdiger will complete his £35million move to Chelsea next week.”

04:35: Antoine Griezmann has congratulated France team-mate and friend Alexandre Lacazette on his move to Arsenal.

Lacazette and Griezmann could have both ended up playing for Atletico Madrid next season if it was not for the Spanish club's transfer ban.

But the Atletico hitman held no grievances over Lacazette opting to join Arsenal.

Griezmann tweeted Lacazette yesterday to say: "Very happy for you amigo! Lots of golazo (goals)!"

Arsenal's frontman replied: "Thank you bro!!!!"

Source by : http://picocurl.com/1FXs

Olivier Giroud says he wants to 'carry on his good journey' at Arsenal

Olivier Giroud says he wants to 'carry on his good journey' at Arsenal

Olivier Giroud has played down talk of a big-money summer transfer by insisting that he wants to "carry on his good journey" at Arsenal.

Lyon have confirmed that Alexandre Lacazette's move to Arsenal should be completed imminently, leading to increased speculation over Giroud's future.

The Ligue 1 club and West Ham have been credited with an interest in signing the France international but he has said he is ready to show he is 'loyal' to Arsenal.

He told the Arsenal website: "I won a few titles in my career, that is an important thing, but there is another thing which is important for me.

"And that's the people remember you as a loyal warrior on the pitch - that you always give your best for the team.

"And that's why I want to carry on my good journey at Arsenal and I always want to give my best.

"I would love to win another title, or maybe more until the end of my contract. The motivation is here, always doing your best to make your family proud."

Giroud, who started just 11 Premier League games last season, recently admitted he would "not settle for another year with such little playing time".

Despite this, the 30-year-old pledged his future to Arsenal in January, signing a new two-and-a-half-year contract.

He joined Arsenal from Montpellier in 2012 and has since scored 98 goals in 226 appearances in all competitions.

Source by : http://picocurl.com/1FN8

Lessons from three T20 games

I want to direct your attention to three recent moments of meditation on the game of cricket, each inspired by the happenings in three different T20 games.

Exhibit 1: On March 9, 2016, two T20 games - internationals, both of them - presented themselves as viewing options to the neutral fan. One was a bilateral encounter between two of the strongest teams in world cricket, the other was a World Cup qualifier between two teams who normally evoke dismissive descriptions, such as "minnow". The former featured South Africa taking on Australia, the latter, Oman taking on Ireland. I like watching high-quality cricket as much as anyone else; I chose Oman v Ireland.

Oman's innings was underway. An "upset" was brewing; a potential Cinderella story was being written. Truth be told, it wasn't much of a contest choosing which game to watch: I picked the one that "meant" something. It would break some hearts and fill others with joy and allow further dreams to be dreamed of. The other game was surely important for those playing, and for those watching at the ground, and possibly even those tuning in to the live telecast in South Africa and Australia. But other than possibly providing some T20 practice before the World Cup there was little riding on the game. There was no larger background context to embed the game into. It would soon be forgotten. I knew the Oman game wouldn't be - especially if the men from Oman won. Which they did.

There was a lesson there for cricket administrators, if they had been paying attention. Games of cricket, even when staged between teams who might not be thought of playing "international quality" cricket (a standard that is mysteriously attained the moment a team becomes a Full Member of the ICC), can be as interesting as any played between higher-ranked teams, so long as they mean something. And they can be made to mean something by providing context to them.

Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, they present themselves as viable viewing options to the cricket fan because they too can possess the features of a truly enthralling sporting contest - a visible challenge to be surmounted by dint of sporting skill and pluck. They too can provoke in us those basic instincts which we have cultivated over years of being cricket fans, and which find expression when we view even the simplest cricket encounters of all - a game glimpsed from a moving train, a pick-up game at school, a backyard throwdown.

A game is a game. We just need to find a way to get behind one of the two teams playing. And we are very good at doing so.

Exhibit 2: On February 27, 2016, during India's encounter with Pakistan in the 2016 Asia Cup, Mohammad Amir rocked the Indian upper order with three quick wickets. At one stage - in the third over - India had lost three wickets for eight runs. As Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh battled their way to a safer situation (which, given that this was a T20 game, would quickly become a match-winning situation), a basic cricketing fact became manifest all over again: wickets matter.

For a few brief overs, the most elemental of cricketing situations was upon us. Batsmen were fighting to resist a collapse, keeping their heads above the water. The walls could come down all too easily. For a few brief overs there was no talk of T20 being a batsman's game or a slam-bang silliness meant only for juvenile consumption.

The wickets to fall, taken in the early moments of a game, had seen to that. Once again we could see the bare facts of a cricket clash - that of the bowler straining to break through again, pitted against a defiant batsman determined to resist his depredations. It might have been T20 and not Test cricket, but for a while it didn't really matter. The fear or joy of the falling wicket - and the attendant tension it brought in its wake, one that quickly infused the game's setting - was the same.


Fans and players will find, somehow, within the confines of a T20 game, those aspects of cricket that made them love the game in the first place.

Which brings me to Exhibit 3.

On March 19, 2016, India played Pakistan in their World T20 pool game. In the fifth ball of the 16th over of Pakistan's innings, Umar Akmal was caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja. As the catch was completed, Dhoni and Jadeja celebrated briefly, and then, in more circumspect fashion, began exchanging notes. From a distance, it looked like the kind of conversation that bowlers, fielders and captains participate in all the time; a discussion of strategies and tactics, an airing of views on things that had gone right or wrong in the game. Perhaps Jadeja was pointing out to Dhoni that a "trick" had worked; perhaps Dhoni was pointing out to Jadeja that a piece of advice tendered had been shown to be perspicuous; perhaps the two were congratulating each other on having jointly brought about the batsman's downfall.

At that moment again, everything else dropped away - the occasion, the India-Pakistan hype, the fact of it being a T20 game, even perhaps the cricket to come after that delivery. At that moment, a bowler had taken a wicket, a fielder- his captain - had helped him to do so, and they were comparing notes. Like players always do when they play a game of cricket. At that moment, it could have been the lowliest of games, or the most exalted. At its heart it was still batsman against bowler.

It is all too easy when thinking of the hype that surrounds a T20 game, whether it is in the IPL, the BBL, or the World T20, to lose sight of the basic cricketing realities at its core. The atom of the game - a delivery bowled to a batsman - remains the same. You still need to score more runs than the other team. Everything else is detail. That fact is not lost on the fan or the player - even in the midst of the razzle-dazzle. This is why even the hardened follower of Test cricket can find something to hold his interest in a format of the game that is unmistakably different.

source by : http://atominik.com/2RQp

Puyol: Cristiano Ronaldo is one of football's greats but Messi is better

Lionel Messi is a step above everyone else, including his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, according to ex-Barcelona captain Carles Puyol.The no-nonsense defender continues to be blown away by the improvements that the Argentine makes in his game and also insisted that the rivalry he shares with the Real Madrid forward is something that benefits both players.

"Ronaldo is one of the best players in the history of the game but Messi is better," Puyol told the media at the Under-17 World Cup event in India.

"The competitiveness and rivalry between them is very intense and I think that has helped to improve them both because neither man relaxes.

"For me, Messi is the best. I've played with him and he has given me so much happiness. He is always improving and has been consistent for 10 years.

"I actually think that he gets better with every season and that is because of the passion he has.

"Puyol, a European Championship and World Cup winner with Spain, also hopes to see Messi achieve success on the international stage and end any lingering doubts people may have about him.

"I hope that he wins something with his country," Puyol added. "That would mean that aside from winning with his club, he will have won everything with everyone."

source by : http://atominik.com/2RPe

UFC Japan: Latest ‘Fight Night’ card slated for Sept. 23 in Saitama

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is returning to “The Land of the Rising Sun” with its latest “Fight Night” mixed martial arts (MMA) card, official for Sept. 23, 2017 inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Potential fights, as well as broadcast plans, have yet to be revealed.

“Our fervent fan base in Japan is a cornerstone of our success in the region and we are thrilled to bring another action-packed live event to the market this year.” UFC Senior Vice President of International and Content, Joe Carr, said. “Japan has a rich history in MMA and the traditional martial arts, making it an attractive destination for our athletes. There is already huge interest from both our athletes and fans surrounding this event.”

HUGE INTEREST!

The promotion’s last trip to Japan took place in September 2015, when Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson headlined UFC Fight Night 75, also at Saitama Super Arena, first made famous in MMA circles with the now-defunct PRIDE FC.

Expect fight announcements to trickle in over the coming weeks.

source by : http://riffhold.com/1vfl

Manchester City Close to Champion League

Manchester City clinched an emphatic win over West Brom to move back up to third place in the Premier League with one game remaining.
A point in their final game at Watford on Sunday will now be enough to guarantee Pep Guardiola's side a place in the top four and Champions League football, while a win would see them finish third and go straight into the group stage.

This was as straightforward a victory as City could have anticipated at this stage of the season, as two goals in two first-half minutes put them in control against a Baggies side that lacked ambition and did not seriously threaten until the final stages.

First, Sergio Aguero's flick fed Kevin de Bruyne, who burst into the left-hand side of the area before squaring the ball to give Gabriel Jesus an easy tap-in.

One minute and 46 seconds later it was 2-0, thanks to a brilliant first-time finish from De Bruyne after Aguero's attempt to tee up Jesus was cleared into the Belgian's path on the edge of the area.

Yaya Toure made it 3-0 after the break, exchanging passes with Aguero as he marched into the area to slot past Ben Foster.

West Brom managed a late consolation when substitute Hal Robson-Kanu turned in Allan Nyom's low cross.

With the points all but secured by Toure's goal, attention for many City fans switched to Pablo Zabeleta's big send-off.

After nine years with City in which he won every domestic trophy, the 32-year-old Argentina defender is leaving the club at the end of the season.

He started on the bench but the home fans sang his name from kick-off, gave him his first standing ovation of the night in the first half and then exploded into noise when he began warming up.

The ground rose to applaud him on to the pitch when he replaced David Silva on the hour mark, and then cheered every time he touched the ball.

Zabaleta ended the game wearing the captain's armband after Vincent Kompany was substituted and West Brom's belated fightback never threatened to ruin his night.

After an emotional farewell speech at the final whistle, when he was joined on the pitch by his wife and young son, Zabaleta was given a guard of honour by his team-mates as he and his family departed down the tunnel.

Man of the match - Kevin de Bruyne
Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero were also strong candidates but the in-form Belgian edged it thanks to his assist for City's first goal and particularly his finish for their second. De Bruyne's form dipped in mid-season but he currently looks near to his best.

West Brom's form has dropped off a cliff

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was hoping for a City slip here to allow his team back into the top four, had accused mid-table teams of being "on holiday" before the game.

If those comments were designed to sting the Baggies into life, they did not work.

West Brom's form has dropped off the proverbial cliff since they beat the Gunners at the Hawthorns at the end of March, and they never looked like reversing it here.

You could not accuse Tony Pulis' side of not trying at Etihad Stadium, but their effort was mostly defensive - even after they fell behind.

Defeat stretched their winless run to eight games, a run in which they have scored only three goals and picked up two points.

They also drop one place to ninth - slipping below Southampton on goal difference - and the end of the season can seemingly not come quickly enough for them.

Source : http://babblecase.com/1eti