..::Football II::..

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Sao Paulo deny £21.2m deal with Inter for Manchester United target Lucas Moura

Sao Paulo vice-president Joao Paulo de Jesus Lopes has stressed he's unaware of a supposed agreement with http://www.goal.com/en-gb/teams/italy/2/fc-internazionaleInter for the transfer of http://www.goal.com/en-gb/teams/brazil/209/brazilBrazil international http://www.goal.com/en-gb/people/brazil/45824/lucasLucas Moura to San Siro.

The 19-year-old is one of the hottest commodities in the transfer market this summer, with Inter, Manchester United and Real Madrid all said to be vying for his services.

Reports on Thursday suggested Inter and Sao Paulo had concurred on a €27m (£21.2m) deal which could rise to as much as €32m (£25.1m) depending upon the midfielder's performances for the Italian club, but Paulo de Jesus Lopes has denied a deal is in place."I'm not aware of this information. I was with [Sao Paulo president] Juvenal Juvenicio on Wednesday and Thursday," the club's vice-president stated to Lancenet.

Paulo de Jesus Lopes then went on to admit that talks have taken place with Manchester United, but no agreement could be reached."We sat only to negotiate with Manchester United, but their offer was not good enough."Lucas is currently taking part in the London Olympics with Brazil.

 

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Lucas Moura Rumor 1kath Boring wena seen 1kak thiyenne

 

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Lucas Moura Rumor 1kath Boring wena seen 1kak thiyenne

 

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Aquilani joins Fiorentina

Liverpool have confirmed that midfielder Alberto Aquilani has joined Fiorentina.

Aquilani, 28, joined Liverpool from Roma in 2009 during Rafael Benitez's reign, but he struggled with injury in his debut campaign and spent the following two seasons on loan with Juventus and AC Milan.

New Reds manager Brendan Rodgers had indicated he would be happy to accommodate Aquilani this season, and the player's agent insisted on several occasions that he would spend the campaign at Anfield, but he has now completed a move to Fiorentina.A statement on the Reds' official website read: "Liverpool Football Club can today confirm that Alberto Aquilani has completed a permanent transfer to Serie A side Fiorentina.

"The Italian midfielder joined Liverpool in 2009 but made just 28 first-team appearances having spent the last two seasons on loan in his homeland. Everyone at the club would like to wish Alberto all the best for the future."Francesco Della Rocca, who signed for Fiorentina on loan on August 1, believes Aquilani will be a fine signing.

"Alberto is a great player and will do very well with Fiorentina," he said. "He wants to redeem himself after having a less than positive experience with Liverpool. I am convinced that the move to Florence represents a great opportunity to do that."

Fiorentina have also agreed the signings of defender Gonzalo Rodriguez and midfielder Borja Valero from Villarreal.Argentina international Rodriguez, 28, is still to agree personal terms but Valero, 27, has now completed the formalities of his switch.

Villarreal said on their official website: "Villarreal and Fiorentina have reached an agreement for the transfer of Argentinian defender Gonzalo Rodriguez, who will play next season with the Italian club."Midfielder Borja Valero has successfully passed the medical examination and signed his contract with the Tuscan club, so he is officially a Fiorentina player too."

Rodriguez said he would miss Villarreal, having joined the club from San Lorenzo in 2004.
"Everything went very fast and my signing with Fiorentina was closed in no time, but Villarreal is my home and I want to say goodbye as it deserves," he said. "There were eight precious years in which I have experienced many things in this club, so I promise to return next week to say goodbye."

 

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Aquilani will return to Italy national team at Fiorentina

The agent of Alberto Aquilani has voiced his belief that the midfielder will regain his place in the Italy national team after signing for Fiorentina.

The 28-year-old midfielder signed on Friday a there-year contract at the Artemio Franchi after the Viola agreed a permanent transfer with Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

He has not featured for his country since the Azzurri's 2-0 victory against Poland in November, but his representative is confident that this situation will change after Friday's transfer.

"We are satisfied, this is what Alberto wanted and we did not hesitate," Franco Zavaglia told TMW. "Alberto has picked an interesting project and we are sure that we will do very well in Florence.

"His goal is to regain his place in the Italy national team while playing at Fiorentina, considering he is a quality player."

Aquilani spent the last season on loan at AC Milan, but the Rossoneri decided against buying him outright at the end of the campaign even though he had made 31 competitive appearances for the club.

"We have nothing to say about that," Zavaglia added. "They had the chance to sign him, but they decided not to. There is nothing more to add."

 

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Krasic: I cannot wait to play for Fenerbahce

Milos Krasic has spoken of his excitement to have joined Fenerbahce, saying that he 'cannot wait' to play his first match for the club.

The Serbia international completed a 7 million euros transfer to the Istanbul club on Thursday after becoming increasingly frustrated at his lack of first-team chances at Juventus under coach Antonio Conte.

Krasic admitted that he is delighted to have finally found a new club after months of speculation and revealed he has been told wonders about the Turkish giants.

"Reto Ziegler told me incredible things about the club and the fans," he told FBTV. "He seemed to be impressed from his time at Fenerbahce and he would gladly join this team again some time.

"The Super Lig is difficult to win. There are many aggressive and tricky teams. I want to adapt to this league as soon as possible.

"Nikola Lazetic and Zoran Mirkovic told me great things about Istanbul and Fenerbahce. I was excited when I went to the Sukru Saracoglu stadium. I cannot wait to play a match in the Fenerbahce shirt."

The 27-year-old was then asked about the intense rivalry between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, and he said that he is eager to help his new club defeat their domestic rivals.

"I know about the rivalry, Mateja Kezman told me all about it," he said. "Scoring against Galatasaray would be great, but winning as a team is more important."

Fenerbahce and Galatasaray next meet on August 12 in the Turkish Super Cup.

 

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Juventus confirms Pogba deal

Juventus has announced on its official website that it has completed the signing of Paul Pogba from Manchester United.

The 19-year-old had already featured for the Bianconeri in the club's 1-1 friendly draw against Benfica, but only now have the Serie A champions announced the deal.

Pogba has signed a four-year deal which will keep him at Juventus until 2016 after his contract with the Red Devils expired at the end of last season.

"I am very happy to be here, it is a real honor," he told Juventus' website. "I have been told that there is a very good standard of play and the fans support their favorites.

"I hope they take me and support me in the same way."

Pogba, an Under-19 international for France, is a product of the Le Havre youth academy, but left the French side for Manchester United in the summer of 2009.

He made his Premier League debut against Stoke City in January 2012, but he found playing opportunities very hard to come by at Old Trafford, but only lined up in three top-flight games for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

 

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Alvaro Pereira could leave Porto in the summer

The agent of Porto defender Alvaro Pereira is refusing to rule out the possibility of his client leaving the club before the transfer window closes.

The Uruguay international was close to signing for Chelsea last summer, but a transfer failed to materialize as Porto held out for the 30 million euros written in the full back's release clause.

His future remains a fervent source of conjecture, though, and Pereira called on the club to understand his position and facilitate a transfer this time around.

Napoli, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have all been credited with an interest in the 26-year-old, but the Uruguayan's representative insists he has not yet been approached by any club with a view to a transfer.

"I spoke with Alvaro last week and he is calm," Flavio Perchmen told Antena 1. "We are waiting to find out if there is any offer.

"We think everything will go well and that he can leave the club, but right now we do not have any concrete offer.

"Right now, he is 100 percent at Porto. Last year, there was a 98 percent chance of him leaving, but the remaining two percent prevailed.

"Therefore, if someone makes an offer, we will look at what is best for the player and the club."

Pereira, who joined Porto from Romanian side Cluj in 2009 for 4.5m euros, was part of Uruguay's squad which won the Copa America in 2011.

 

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Manchester United expects 'a better Chicharito' for the upcoming season

Following a difficult second season at Manchester United that saw his goal tally cut nearly in half, Mexican striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez is being tipped for big things by his manager.

"This season, we'll see a better Chicharito," Sir Alex Ferguson told the Daily Mail.

Hernandez scored 20 goals after arriving in Manchester for the 2010-11 season, but United's underwhelming performance in the 2011-12 saw Hernandez's playing time reduced, resulting in a final tally of 12 goals.

After featuring for Mexico in the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 Gold Cup, Hernandez was allowed to stay in England for the upcoming season in order to compete with Danny Welbeck for a starting spot.

Ferguson tipped his cap to Mexican officials who have refrained from taking Hernandez to the Olympic Games in London in order to allow the striker extra rest.

"That was important for him, I'm sure he'll reap the benefits. I think he'll have a top season," Ferguson told the English newspaper.

Hernandez has already been featured in the first few Manchester United preseason games in South Africa.

 

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Ancelotti admires Barcelona's 'mentality'

Carlo Ancelotti believes Paris Saint-Germain's pre-season friendly against Barcelona on Saturday will be an important test for his players.

The Parisian outfit take on Tito Vilanova's side at the Parc des Princes ahead of the new Ligue 1 season, and the 53-year-old wants his side to take note of their opponents' ambition to win matches.

"This match against one of the best teams in the world will be a good test for us," said Ancelotti at a press conference. "What we like about Barcelona is their mentality. We will try to make our own journey in time with the qualities we possess."

When asked about the club's new striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Italian said: "Ibrahimovic is one of the best strikers in the world, and he will be an asset to the team.

"French football is not very different to Italian football. Ibrahimovic will not have a problem adapting."

Javier Pastore, who was present alongside Ancelotti at the press conference, was equally complimentary about his side's next opponents.

"We always want to play beautiful teams like Barca. I'm very happy to go up against them. It's the first time in three years that I've had a full preseason - that must have had an effect on my debut season."

Meanwhile, defender Mamadou Sakho told the club's official website that he too is enthused by the prospect of facing Barca at the Parc des Princes.

"This is the type of game that everyone dreams about. We're at home, hosting Barca, the best team in the world," he added. "What more can you say? To play against those players, those artists who are the best of the best... it will be a great chance for us to measure ourselves as a team.

"On a personal level, to play against those forwards can only make you a better player."

The friendly between PSG and Barcelona kicks off at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.

 

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No clubs are talking to Hulk, says agent

The agent of Hulk has revealed that he has not been in contact with any clubs recently over the sale of the Porto striker.

The forward, who has represented Brazil the Olympics as one of the three over-age players in London, has been linked with a move to Chelsea, while Zenit St Petersburg has recently been credited with an interest.

However, Constantine Theodore has moved to rubbish these claims, and wishes Hulk to remain focused on the competition, despite the on-going speculation surrounding his future.
"We are not talking to any club at this time," he told Globoesporte. "Hulk is totally focused on the games of the Brazilian team in the Olympics in London.

Theodore has not ruled out a move happening before the end of the transfer window though, having until the end of the month to sort out where Hulk will be playing his football next season.
"There is no rush. The European window ends on August 31. And we must remember he also has a contract with Porto."Brazil faces Honduras in the quarterfinals of the Olympic football tournament on Saturday.

 

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No clubs are talking to Hulk, says agent

The agent of Hulk has revealed that he has not been in contact with any clubs recently over the sale of the Porto striker.

The forward, who has represented Brazil the Olympics as one of the three over-age players in London, has been linked with a move to Chelsea, while Zenit St Petersburg has recently been credited with an interest.

However, Constantine Theodore has moved to rubbish these claims, and wishes Hulk to remain focused on the competition, despite the on-going speculation surrounding his future.
"We are not talking to any club at this time," he told Globoesporte. "Hulk is totally focused on the games of the Brazilian team in the Olympics in London.

Theodore has not ruled out a move happening before the end of the transfer window though, having until the end of the month to sort out where Hulk will be playing his football next season.
"There is no rush. The European window ends on August 31. And we must remember he also has a contract with Porto."Brazil faces Honduras in the quarterfinals of the Olympic football tournament on Saturday.

 

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Victor Valdes: Neymar would be a very useful player for Barcelona

Victor Valdes believes that Barcelona would be a suitable destination for Neymar, having been impressed with the Santos star's performances for Brazil at this summer's Olympic Games.



The 20-year-old has long been mooted as a transfer target for both the Blaugrana and Real Madrid, and has been in fine form for Brazil, which stormed to the quarterfinal stage with three wins in as many group games.Valdes has been watching Neymar in the tournament this summer, and feels that the Selecao striker has the ability to play in any team and compete at any level.

"I have discovered Neymar by watching the Olympics," he said in a press conference. "I always said that a player with a special talent can fit into any team."He does things that only he can do. This is valuable for any team and especially for a team like Barcelona."

Barcelona plays PSG in its third preseason friendly tomorrow on Aug. 4, where Valdes will face former teammates Thiago Motta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Maxwell.

 

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Barcelona hands Jordi Alba extended leave

Barcelona has handed Jordi Alba extended leave until the middle of next week, after he returned from international duty for Spain.

The full back played a significant role in both the senior side, which emerged victorious at Euro 2012, and the U-23 team, which crashed out of the Olympic Games at the group stage.

Alba touched down in Barcelona yesterday, but new boss Tito Vilanova has given the 23-year-old permission to rest until Aug. 8 after his summer exertions.

Barcelona continues its pre-season preparation against Paris Saint-Germain on Aug. 4.

 

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FIFA Agent: Bojan is happy at Roma

Roma forward Bojan Krkic is happy in the Italian capital and has no desire to leave the club, a FIFA agent close to the Spaniard has stated.

The former Barcelona man is about to begin his second season at Stadio Olimpico, but has been linked with a move to Newcastle United after a disappointing debut campaign.

However, Diego Tavano, who maintains strong ties with the 21-year-old, says the player has no intention of leaving, and also rubbished rumours of interest from Inter.

"There were some teams interested," he admitted. "But Bojan has expressed a desire to stay. It could be an important year for him. He is ready at Roma, and very strong. I think there are foundations for both him and the team to do well.

"Were Inter interested? No, they were just rumors."

Bojan will be obliged to return to Camp Nou at the end of the season, unless Roma are willing to pay €28 million to make his move to Serie A permanent.

 

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Arsenal faces competition for Niang, says Caen president

Caen president Jean-Francois Fortin has confirmed that Arsenal has made a bid to sign M'Baye Niang, but says that there is also interest in the player from Italy and other English clubs.

The France youth international spent time in north London on trial earlier this summer, much to the dismay of the club, which later rejected an initial offer from the Gunners for the 17-year-old.

And Fortin has now stated that Arsenal are just one of a number of clubs interested in Niang's services, and said that he expects the issue to be resolved by the time the Premier League season kicks off.

"Arsenal made me a propostition," he revealed to L'Equipe. "Other clubs are interested: two in England and one in Italy. I think there will be an issue here for a fortnight."

Niang made his first-team debut for Caen in 2011, but was unable to save the club from relegation last season. He has also made two appearances for France at Under-21 level.

 

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I want to do better than last year, says Real Madrid attacker Callejon

Jose Callejon is determined to improve upon his first season in Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid starting lineup as the club aims to defend its Liga title.

The Madrid youth product returned to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2011 after three seasons with Espanyol, and impressed throughout the previous campaign with some fine performances.

"I just want to play. I hope to do better than last year and score more goals. I hope to achieve that aim," Callejon was quoted as saying on the official Madrid website.

"The coach shows he cares about the players. Clearly we all want to row in the same direction and win more titles.

"We have a great squad. These players won a well-deserved Liga title last season, and almost reached the Champions League final. We have the best players."

Madrid will start its title defense against Valencia on the weekend of Aug. 18.

 

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Fiorentina agrees fee with Villarreal over Gonzalo Rodriguez

Villarreal announced on its official website that it has reached an agreement with Fiorentina over the transfer of Gonzalo Rodriguez.

The Serie A side is keen to strengthen its defense ahead of the new season, and the 28-year-old Argentine appears to be the latest addition to head coach Vincenzo Montella's squad.

Fiorentina has yet to agree personal terms with the center back, but Rodriguez is expected to sign a long-term deal with the Viola in the next few days.

He started his professional career with San Lorenzo, before joining Villarreal in the summer of 2004.

Rodriguez has since become an integral part of the Yellow Submarine's first team, making 246 official appearances for the club, but was keen to move on following its relegation from La Liga last season.

Meanwhile, Borja Valero has completed his move from El Madrigal to the Stadio Artemio Franchi after passing a medical. The 27-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year deal with the Italian side.

 

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Mourinho: Beckham represents the Olympic ideal and should be playing in London

CARSON, Calif. -- Stuart Pearce baffled a nation (or four) when he spurned David Beckham in his Great Britain roster for the London Olympics. He also confused Jose Mourinho.

“There is something I don't understand,” Mourinho said as part of a self-initiated tangent during a press conference in the Home Depot Center. “I know because I was also inside of that project: if now the Olympic Games are in London, it is because of him. It's because of Sebastian Coe and other people, but he was the most important face of that project. I don't understand why he's not playing. I cannot understand.”

Beckham was part of earlier player pools, and Pearce visited the United States to watch him play in person, but Becks missed the final cut to represent his country in his childhood home of east London. Instead, Pearce included former teammate Ryan Giggs, Micah Richards and Craig Bellamy as the three permitted overage players.

Thus far it hasn't gone poorly for the British. Bellamy scored against Senegal in the opening draw, and Giggs notched in the 3-1 win over the UAE. A 1-0 result against a strong Uruguay side pushed the host through to the knockout rounds.

Still, Mourinho maintains, Beckham could have added to the group. The Real Madrid coach referenced Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, to explain what Beckham adds to a group.

“I think in a group of 18 players you have football qualities to give [and] human qualities to give, the Pierre de Coubertin ideal,” Mourinho said. “I think he's one of the best soccer professionals to express what is the ideal of Pierre de Coubertin. I'm so sorry he's not there.”

The admiration is mutual.

“I think he's an exceptional manager,” Beckham said. “He's an amazing human being as well. What he does for teams and what he does for players, individuals is very special. There's not many managers that can do that.

“He's a very special person and manager. I think what he's achieved in his career, his very short career so far, is amazing."

The 37-year-old revealed that when he tore his Achilles tendon while on loan with AC Milan, an injury which ruled him out of the 2010 World Cup, Mourinho rang him to express sympathy.

“He was one of the first people to call me after I ruptured my Achilles,” the former Madrid midfielder said. “He kept in touch with me. It makes him a great human being.”

The two have met many times – most recently in a 5-1 Los Blancos win in a friendly against the LA Galaxy on Thursday night – but never overlapped at a club.

“Beckham is always very nice to me,” Mourinho said. “He has always very good words to me. I'm so sorry I could never be his coach, because I would love it. Now it is too late because David is in the last years of his career.”

 

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Mourinho: Sahin is free to leave

CARSON, Calif. -- Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin will not face opposition from manager Jose Mourinho if he chooses to leave Los Blancos before the season, Mourinho said Thursday after the club’s 5-1 victory over LA Galaxy.

The 23-year-old Turkish international has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Galatasaray in the offseason. Sahin garnered little playing time in his first season at Real Madrid last year after transferring from Borussia Dortmund before the 2011 season for 10 million euros.

The Portugese manager acknowledged Sahin was frustrated with a lack of playing time.

“The point is, he’s a young boy, he wants to play every match. He wants to be happy to play, he wants to play to be happy,” Mourinho said. “And in Real Madrid with Xabi Alonso, with [Sami] Khedira, with Lassana [Diarra], [Esteban] Granero, [Mesut] Ozil, the situation is not easy.”

Mourinho said the size of a club such as Madrid makes it challenging for young players to break through, especially when they do not perform well at the beginning, which he hinted was the case with Sahin.

“Real Madrid is very difficult. It is not an easy club, because we demand a lot. We have great players, and when you don’t start well, it is difficult to do it.”

Mourinho concluded by saying that the decision of whether Sahin stays or goes lies with the player, and that he would have no problem coaching him if he stayed.

“If he stays, he’s not a problem for me, he’s one more solution,” Mourinho said, before advising the young Turk to consider his heart and his happiness. “We leave [the situation] in his hands. Be happy. Decide what you want to decide, to be happy. If you decide to leave we are going to help you to leave. If you decide to stay, we are going to support you and try to succeed this season.”