..::Football III::..

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Brondby 2-1 Liverpool: Ibe impresses as Reds fall to defeat

Liverpool began their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 loss against Danish side Brondby, with Ferhan Hasani netting a stoppage-time winner for the hosts.

Brendan Rodgers included a mixture of youth and experience in his starting XI, with the likes of Daniel Agger, Philippe Coutinho and the returning Fabio Borini, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, all featuring.

The Reds went behind in Denmark, however, as a mistake by Suso led to Christian Norgaard curling home past Brad Jones to give the hosts the lead.

Rodgers rang the changes at half-time and it was substitute Jordan Ibe who made a significant impact early on in the second period, racing down the left-hand side before squaring for Peterson to tap home for the equaliser.

Brondby continued to threatened, however, with Thomas Kahlenberg and Hasani both smashed the crossbar with free-kick efforts, with the Macedonian netting a last-gasp winner after a jinking run past two defenders.

 

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Barcelona without Adriano for up to six weeks

Barcelona will be without utility man Adriano for between four and six weeks due to an irregular heartbeat.

The cardiac problem was discovered during a formality pre-season medical check-up and it means the Brazilian - who regularly fills in at the back for Barca - could miss the start of the new Liga season when it kicks off on the weekend of August 23.

"Adriano Correia has undergone electrophysiological study treatment to treat an abnormal heart rhythm encountered in medical review of pre-season," a statement on the Catalunya club's website read.

"He is expected to be out of action for approximately four-to-six weeks. The player will maintain a separate training schedule during this period.

"Adriano is one of the first team players who had been put under the command of Luis Enrique at the start of pre-season. The Brazilian had not done work on the pitch yet, though."

The health issue looks set to harm Adriano's chances of sealing away from Camp Nou this summer, with Napoli, Roma and Liverpool all having been suggested as possible destinations should new boss Luis Enrique deem the 29-year-old surplus to requirements.

 

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Valencia sign Andre Gomes from Benfica

Valencia have signed Andre Gomes from Benfica, the Spanish club have confirmed.

The 20-year-old midfielder joins from the Portuguese giants after playing a key role in his side's Europa League campaign as they marched to the final before losing on penalties to Sevilla.

Despite his involvement in Europe, he failed to get regular first team football in the league as Benfica finished first ahead of Sporting and Porto.

And now the Portugal Under-21 international has opted to join Los Che and the club announced on their official website that he will undergo a medical later this week.

"Andre Gomes will take a relevant medical examination on Thursday, July 17 to become a new player of Valencia CF," a statement read.

"The medical will take place at 12:45 (CET) at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna."

 

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Terry: Costa proved himself against Chelsea last season

John Terry has backed Diego Costa to shine at Chelsea after being impressed when coming up against the striker last season.

Costa completed his move from Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, two weeks after a deal was agreed to bring the 25-year-old to the Premier League.

The Brazil-born forward played against Chelsea last term, scoring in the second leg of a Champions League semi-final as Atleti triumphed 3-1 on aggregate.

And Costa's efforts over the two legs were enough to convince Terry that he has what it takes to make an impact in the Premier League.

"First of all, his movement and his strength are really good – I was really surprised by it," Terry told Chelsea's official website.

"I think everyone remembers the square-up we had in the first 10 minutes of the first leg of our semi-final game against Atletico Madrid last season, after which I thought, 'fair play'.

"He holds the ball up very well, he has got great movement and he is really physical, but he is very clever with his strength and the way he uses his body. I think he could be a very good signing for us."

 

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Khedira holding crunch Madrid talks amid Arsenal & Chelsea interest

Arsenal and Chelsea target Sami Khedira is holding crunch talks with Real Madrid to decide his future, according to the player's agent.

The Gunners are willing to match Real Madrid's €25 million valuation of the midfielder, but have baulked at suggestions the player wants a €250,000-a-week salary.

Khedira has just one year remaining on his current deal, with Jorg Neubauer admitting an extension is "not close", but insists no offer has yet to be accepted for the World Cup winner.

"We are not in talks with Arsenal," Neubauer told The Daily Telegraph. "I don't think a fee has been agreed, otherwise I would have been told.

"When a club have an interest I am sure they will call me and we will speak about things. The same goes for Chelsea.

"We are talking to Real Madrid about his contract, but nothing is close to being decided. Sami has just returned from the World Cup and has gone on holiday."

Should Khedira stay at the Santiago Bernabeu, he could face further competition for a spot in the Blancos XI should his Germany team-mate Toni Kroos be signed from Bayern Munich in the coming days as expected.

 

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De Boer: I would have said yes to Tottenham

Frank de Boer has revealed he was "really close" to joining Tottenham before Mauricio Pochettino was appointed.

The Ajax head coach was heavily linked with the White Hart Lane job and admitted his interest in the role in April before previous first-team Tim Sherwood was sacked at the end of last season.

Tottenham denied an approach, with Pochettino lured from Southampton soon after, but De Boer has insisted he was in the running for the job before the Argentine was hired - and would likely have accepted the role.

"I was really close to a move to Tottenham, but they chose Pochettino," he told AT5.

"It's the same in a corporate company. Eventually the board will vote and they came out with Pochettino.

"If they wanted me, I would probably have said 'yes'."

De Boer is contracted to Ajax until 2017 and led the Dutch giants to their - and his - fourth consecutive Eredivisie title last season, a feat unmatched in Netherlands.

 

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Lahm: Germany need luck to stay champions

Germany captain Philipp Lahm believes that the team need a big slice of luck to stay dominant on the international scene in future years.

Joachim Low's men stormed to the final of this summer's World Cup and defeated Argentina in extra-time thanks to Mario Gotze's goal, ending an 18-year wait for major silverware.

Lahm, 30, had experienced semi-final or final heartache in each of the last four tournaments and he is firmly in the camp that success is decided by fine margins, despite suggesting that Germany's consistency has been unrivalled in recent years.

"The German national set-up over the past eight years have been a great team," he told Bild. "We were always one of the title favourites and always at least reached the last four.

"No other nation has done this. I see no reason why this should it change in the future. Whether it will end up getting enough in the next major tournament, though, also depends on the unpredictable luck factor.

"It helps even if you have experienced losses, but above all it is the triumphs that sharpen your chances at a big tournament like the World Cup.

"You need players who have already experienced everything and participated on the pitch, such as we have in the team.

"As a team, if we meet Spain we would face them with respect. During Euro 2016 they will certainly return to be included as one of the title favourites."

Germany's journey to Euro 2016 will see them need to finish in the top two of a group including Republic of Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Georgia and qualification debutants Gibraltar to automatically secure a place in tournament to be hosted in France.

 

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Ramsey: I will continue silencing critics for Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey enjoyed proving his doubters wrong last season, but has vowed not to allow complacency to creep in.

Ramsey came of age in 2013-14, scoring the winner in the FA Cup final against Hull City and chipping in with a career-best 16 goals in all competitions.

Despite the fact that the 23-year-old spent just over three months sidelined with a thigh injury, Ramsey believes that his performances last term will have silenced his critics.

"I've been through a lot in my short career so far," Ramsey told the club's official website. "I've had a bit of everything so it was nice to have a good season, score the number of goals that I did and be recognised a lot more.

"I've always believed in myself and what I can do, and I think a lot of people realised that last year and that's what I'm more happy about."

Pre-season training recently started at Arsenal and Boreham Wood provide the first friendly opposition for Arsene Wenger's men this weekend.

"It's always important to get a good pre-season in you," added Ramsey. "I want to keep on working on my game.

"Hopefully I can keep improving and get better and better. That's my target now - just to improve on my game and keep on building every season."

 

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Barca confirm Mathieu bid in centre-back pursuit

Andoni Zubizarreta has confirmed that Barcelona have submitted an offer for Valencia centre-back Jeremy Mathieu as the club step up their centre-back pursuit.

Valencia are reported to want €20 million for the Frenchman, who at 30 years old would hardly represent a long-term solution to the void left by Carles Puyol's exit but would patch up the defensive gaps somewhat.

With Luis Suarez, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo and Ivan Rakitic already in the bag this summer, the club's sporting director stressed than Barca's first priority now is to sign a central defender but conceded that many other top clubs are in the same boat.

"Valencia already know our offer and we want to maintain privacy in the negotiations," Zubizarreta told reporters on Wednesday. "Of course we have other alternatives if this falls through.

"Hopefully by La Liga's start we have that centre-back position covered. If we wanted a centre-back before now, we would have signed one.

"We want someone who can put in top performances for many years and that's what we're working on.

"Signing is a centre-back is an objective for 80-90 per cent of the major European clubs so it not only depends on what we want to do - the exception is David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain, that's the only real major movement in this regard."

 

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Besiktas confirm Ba signing

Demba Ba has completed his move from Chelsea to Besiktas, the Turkish club and player have confirmed.

Since moving to Stamford Bridge from Newcastle United in January 2013, the Senegal international has scored 14 goals in 51 games for the Blues.

The 29-year-old soon fell behind Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto'o in the pecking order, however, and the arrival of Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid this summer has freed him to look for a new club.

Besiktas confirmed the move on with a statement on their website before Ba followed suit via his official Twitter page.

"I feel so happy because Besiktas fans interest me a lot and the construction of the new stadium impressed me," Ba added. "I'm so excited to play for this club.

"I really want to play. I want to show my potential to everybody quickly.

"Besiktas is a big club and I want to be a part of this. The fans were very warm to me when I arrived here. I hope our close relationship will go on."

Eto'o has since left the club, while the future of Romelu Lukaku continues to be speculated upon after two season-long loan deals.

The Belgium international, who scored one goal at the World Cup, insists he will not settle for irregular first-team football this season and is open to leaving Chelsea permanently.

 

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Atletico replace Courtois with Oblak

Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Jan Oblak on a six-year deal in an attempt to fill the void left by Thibaut Courtois' return to parent club Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho has publicly insisted that the Belgian shot-stopper will not be loaned out for a fourth successive season to the Vicente Calderon by the Blues and the signing of the Slovenian goalkeeper suggests that Diego Simeone is ready to move on.

The 21-year-old was part of Benfica's treble-winning team last season, making 25 appearances between the sticks for Jorge Jesus' men, and is reported to have set La Liga's holders back a hefty €16 million.

"Atletico Madrid and Benfica have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jan Oblak to our club, pending medical examination and the physical signing of the contract by the player," the club stated on their website .

"The Slovenian keeper will commit for the next six seasons."

Atletico sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero is confident that Oblak - who has three senior Slovenia caps to date - has one of the brightest futures of any young shot-stopper on the planet.

"He is a goalkeeper with great quality and a great future, which will benefit us greatly," he said.

"He is one of the goalkeepers with the best potential in the world and we are very happy with to have him. This is great news for our club."

Oblak joins fellow new goalkeeping arrival Miguel Angel Moya in the scrap to fill Courtois' boots for Atletico in 2014-15.

 

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Kroos reveals imminent Real Madrid arrival

Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed that he will go to Real Madrid to thrash out the final details of his transfer in the next couple of days.

The Germany star, 24, was pivotal in Joachim Low's World Cup-winning team this summer and Castrol's Fifa index suggested he was the best player in the tournament.

His performances in Brazil - and for Bundesliga champions Bayern over the past couple of seasons - have landed him firmly on Real Madrid's radar and Carlo Ancelotti looks close to securing his first big transfer coup of the summer.

"Tomorrow or in the next few days I will go to Real Madrid," Kroos told AS while holidaying in Majorca.

He added, when asked how his mood was following Germany's heroics in Brazil: "Of course I'm delighted right now, how could I not be after winning the World Cup?!"

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had already paved the way for Kroos' exit by suggesting that the Bavarians would cash-in on the midfielder for the right price.

Kroos, who has been with Bayern since 2006, looks set to head into a Blancos midfield which currently includes Xabi Alonso, Asier Illarramendi, Sami Khedira, Angel Di Maria, Luka Modric and Casemiro.

 

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Juventus la kiyanawa Vidal wa sell karanne naha kiyalaanemanda targets godak miss wenawane

mehema giyoth ganne kawada manda
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Louis Van Gaal Unveiled as new Manchester United Boss

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Welcome to Manchester United LVG!

Congratulations & Good Luck LVG!

Manchester United ayeth hoda place 1kakata gamu

 

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Klose to make decision on Germany future

Germany striker Miroslav Klose will make a decision on the future of his international career within the week, the player has said.

Joachim Low's men were crowned world champions after they beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final tthrough Mario Gotze's extra-time volley.

Klose found the net in his side's 7-1 demolition of Brazil in the semi-final to become the competition's all-time top goalscorer and the 36-year-old Lazio forward said he will reveal whether Germany's fourth World Cup victory will mark his final international game.

"It is outstanding. This crowns everything. We were second once, third twice - it is world class, I still cannot comprehend it," Klose told the DFB's official website.
"The team performance was important, we wanted to stay calm also because we knew that we have more quality. "I don't know yet if I go on for the national team. I'll have a couple of nights to sleep on it and then make the right decision."Klose also claimed credit for inspiring Gotze, as he was substituted off the pitch for the man who scored the match-winning goal.

"Before Mario came in to play for me, I told him: "You can make it happen"," Klose said.Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said the effort of Low's group was extraordinary, and he made special mention of the squad members who were on the bench in Rio de Janeiro.

"We enjoy the moment, incredible. Thanks to all of Germany for support. We have felt that here, as you stood behind us. Today is celebrated everywhere, we give full throttle here," the Bayern Munich man said.

"Incredible performance, but as the guys have called off the bench, I have never experienced something like that. This gives so much power, the only reason why we won the cup."

 

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Montpellier owner criticises Cabella over Newcastle move

Montpellier owner Louis Nicollin has criticised Remy Cabella’s decision to join Newcastle United this summer.

The 24-year-old moved to St James’ Park in a deal worth just under €15 million.

But while Nicollin admits the midfielder has the ability to prosper in the Premier League, he feels the France international should have left Ligue 1 for a more successful club.

"He wanted to go. I wasn't happy, but I told him, "Congratulations"," Nicollin told Foot Mercato.

"In England, there is Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, which are above Newcastle, but Newcastle is a club with a lot of French [players]. He likes them, so great.

"Personally, I wouldn't go to Newcastle. But hey, I'll see him when he plays against a club in London.

"He has what he wants, fine, we'll see. But in any case, he has the ability to succeed in England, that's for sure.

"He is frail, but he's hard to catch."

 

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Wycombe Wanderers 0-5 Chelsea: Ivanovic & Terry on target in friendly rout

John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic both found the net as Chelsea kicked off their pre-season preparations with a comfortable victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park.

With the exception of veteran Mark Schwarzer in goal, Jose Mourinho fielded a young starting XI for the friendly, with midfielder Marco Van Ginkel back in the side after missing most of last season with a cruciate ligament injury.

Patrick Bamford - making his first senior appearance for the Blues - broke the deadlock on 21 minutes when he expertly steered Nathan Ake's hooked cross past Matt Ingram.

An injury to Todd Kane midway through the half gave Chelsea fans a first glimpse of Kurt Zouma, who signed in January but was loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the remainder of the season.Mourinho made eight changes to his side for the second half, introducing Terry and Ivanovic at the back.

On as a half-time substitute, Izzy Brown doubled Chelsea's lead on 48 minutes when he latched onto Jay Dasilva's pinpoint cutback to smash the ball beyond Ingram.

Terry steered home a third from Jeremie Boga's corner four minutes later, while Ivanovic made it four when he headed in another Boga delivery on 67 minutes.

Wycombe were already well beaten but Brown added another layer of gloss to the scoreline when he curled into the top corner after a neat passing interchange with three minutes remaining.

 

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Roma complete Iturbe signing

Roma have announced they have signed Juan Iturbe from Hellas Verona, paying €22 million to secure the 21-year-old on a five-year deal.

The 21-year-old made a shock move to the Stadio Olimpico after he was close to joining Serie A champions Juventus. However the player failed to reach a personal agreement with the club and the resignation of coach Antonio Conte saw the move break down completely.

Roma quickly pounced on their rivals' inability to sign the youngster, who scored eight league goals for Hellas last season, and have signed the player on a five year contract.

"AS Roma announces that it has signed a contract with Hellas Verona for the definitive acquisition of the rights to the player Iturbe for a fee of €22 million," a statement on the club's official website read. The capital club also revealed the player will receive "up to a maximum of €2.5m" per year, adding "The player signed a contract of employment of five years, expiring on 30 June 2019."

 

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Madrid agree to pay €10m Keylor Navas clause

Real Madrid are set to sign Levante goalkeeper Keylor Navas after the European champions agreed to meet his €10 million buyout clause.

The capital club initially valued Navas at around €8m but were told last week that they would have to match the player's minimum fee release clause if they wanted to prise the highly-rated shot stopper from the Valencia-based team.

The Spanish giants have responded by agreeing to pay the €10m required to acquire the services of the 27-year-old, who was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers at the World Cup as Costa Rica made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament before losing on penalties to Netherlands.

Levante, who finished 10th in La Liga last season, must offload the goalkeeper soon before they lose him for free with his contract expiring in June 2015.

The club are already set to announce Navas' replacement, as they are close to signing 24-year-old Diego Marino from Real Valladolid.