..::Football III::..

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No resentment from Atletico fans if De Gea joins Real, says Resino

Atletico Madrid fans will not resent David de Gea for joining Real Madrid, according to the club's former goalkeeper and coach Abel Resino.

Goal understands that United have given up hope of convincing the Spaniard to ignore interest from Real, but the club are keen to extract the highest possible fee from the Spanish giants.

De Gea is expected to make the move to Madrid either this summer or next, when his contract with United expires, and Resino does not foresee any ill will from the keeper's former team if the transfer happens.

"I don't think the fans would hold it against him if he signed for Real Madrid," Resino told Marca. "It's true, though, that this sort of scenario used to be more difficult.

"For example, I would have been hard-pressed to go to Real Madrid. I couldn't imagine Casillas at Atletico or Barca now either, but it's not like De Gea played for Atleti for that long.

"There's no longer such a strong sense of belonging."

He added: "I gave De Gea his debut for Atletico Madrid [against Zaragoza]. Everyone wanted him to be loaned out because he hadn't played much."

 

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Spain win Under-19 European Championship

Spain have won the Under-19 European Championship after beating Russia 2-0 in the final on Sunday.The two nations met in the group stage, with Russia winning 3-1, but La Rojita produced a clinical display to get revenge and claim the trophy for a seventh time.

Real Madrid youngster Borja Mayoral made it 1-0 with a header in the first half, before Villarreal's Matias Nahuel wrapped up the victory in the 78th minute.

It is the third time in five years that Spain have won the competition.

 

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Congratulations Spain U19!​

 

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Walcott will not rush into new Arsenal contract

Theo Walcott says discussions over a new contract at Arsenal are under way, but he is in no rush over signing.

The 26-year-old attacker agreed to a new £90,000-a-week contract in 2013, of which he is heading in to the final 12 months, and is happy to allow negotiations to extend past the start of the new season.

"My agent has talked to the club, I enjoy playing for this club so I am just letting them crack on with things and I’ll continue playing football," he told reporters."If it happens it happens. We’ll just play the waiting game and see what happens but I’m sure it won’t be long.

"It’s not in my thought process at all. You don’t want to dwell on it, you want to play well and if it happens it happens."I won’t let that delay the way I’m going to be playing this season. I can’t let that affect me, I want to do well for this club.”

Walcott has struggled for fitness in the previous two seasons, featuring just 27 times in the Premier League since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury against rivals Tottenham in early 2014.

However, after returing to fitness, the former Southampton man believes he must be viewed by his goals and wants to build on an impressive conclusion to last term."I didn't want the season to end. It was a frustrating season for me. When you have been out for such a long time, it is difficult to get into a winning team," Walcott added."It’s my first pre-season for two years now so I want to work hard and get fit. It’s a really exciting year for myself personally and I think this team can go very far.

"I’m always going to be judged on goals, I’ve been very happy with my goal record when given the opportunity. That is all I can do."

 

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Sterling: Man City can dominate Premier League & Champions League

Raheem Sterling believes Manchester City are capable of dominating the Premier League and Champions League.

Sterling completed his move from Liverpool to City last week for £49 million - making him the most expensive English player in history and the club's record signing.

And the 20-year-old, who could make his City debut in their International Champions Cup clash against Roma in Melbourne on Tuesday, is relishing the opportunity to challenge on all fronts in Manchester.

"It was about the direction they are going - in recent years they have come a long way," Sterling told reporters. "They just seem like they are progressing and looking to dominate in England and in Europe.

"[The] Champions League is always a good thing to be involved in. As a young player you want to be challenging yourself in the best competitions, against the best players and with the best players.

"It's a competition that gives me an opportunity to show my ability on the biggest platform.

"This team has great players - it's a really good squad but players like [Sergio] Aguero, [David] Silva and Yaya [Toure] can only improve you."

 

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Gotze must not give up on Bayern, warns Beckenbauer

Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer has warned Mario Gotze that "giving up is the worst thing to do" amid suggestions he will be joining Juventus this summer.

The attacking midfielder, 23, joined from Borussia Dortmund for €37 million two years ago but has been used intermittently by coach Pep Guardiola after struggling to establish consistent form.

With Arturo Vidal on the verge of a €40m move to the Allianz Arena, Gotze fuelled rumours he could consider going in the other direction in an interview with Goal on Saturday, though Beckenbauer thinks jumping ship would be a terrible choice."I'd stay with Bayern if I were him," he told Kicker. "That's where he has the best conditions available and the best education.

"Mario has to prevail… Giving up is the worst thing he can do. This is the sort of situation a footballer always encounters, at some point he has to take it on."Guardiola insisted Gotze would not be departing his squad this summer at a press conference on Sunday during Bayern's pre-season tour of China.

Gotze, whose Bayern contract runs out in 2017, scored the World Cup-winning goal for Germany last summer as Joachim Low's men defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra-time.

 

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Arda Turan will not be loaned out - Luis Enrique

Barcelona have no intention of loaning out €41 million signing Arda Turan, according to head coach Luis Enrique.

There have been suggestions – including by newly-elected president Josep Maria Bartomeu – that the Catalans could allow the versatile Turkish attacker to spend the first five months of 2015-16 at another club.This is due to Barca's Fifa-imposed transfer ban for 2015, which does not prevent Barca from signing players but forbids them from fielding new arrivals until the next calendar year.

However, Luis Enrique has insisted he wants Arda and Aleix Vidal - who have joined from Atletico Madrid and Sevilla respectively so far this summer - to work with the squad for the rest of the year, despite the prospect of hampering their match-fitness.

"They cannot play until January and that does not favour us, but I want the new transfers around until then," the coach said at a pre-season press conference in Los Angeles, USA.

"It is not being contemplated nor will it be contemplated to loan out Arda Turan."

 

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Thiago: It's not been easy at Bayern Munich

Thiago Alcantara has bemoaned how injury has complicated his three seasons as a Bayern Munich player but says he feels "fantastic" ahead of 2015-16.

The midfielder, 24, did not make his first appearance for Pep Guardiola's side until April in the previous campaign due to a long-term knee problem picked up 12 months earlier.

Having also missed much of the opening three months of his first season at the Allianz Arena, Thiago opened up about how problematic injuries have been, though he believes he is in peak shape once again.

"I feel fantastic to be able to join Bayern's pre-season from the start for the first time," he told the club's official website. "I've not had an easy time of it so far, the knee injury weighed on me a lot."I missed almost an entire season, so to me it feels like I'm only in my second season. I'm 100 per cent again now and plan to achieve a lot with this team."

Thiago, who joined from Barcelona for an initial fee of €20 million in 2013, dismissed any notion of individual goals as he claims his focus is completely on helping Bayern thrive in 2015-16."There isn't much time until the Supercup against Wolfsburg [on August 1]," he added. "After this pre-season tour of China, we can start working on polishing our game.

"It's not about me and my targets, I'm just a small part of this phenomenal team. I'm here to win matches and silverware with Bayern and of course our aim is to win as much as possible."I want to support the team as best I can. My dream would be to bring the Champions League back to Munich."

Thiago was on the scoresheet as Bayern saw off Valencia 4-1 in a pre-season clash on Saturday.

 

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Pellegrini tight-lipped on Sergio Ramos & De Bruyne

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has refused to comment on speculation linking his side with moves for Sergio Ramos and Kevin de Bruyne.

Manchester United have been the leading candidates to sign Real Madrid centre-back Ramos this summer, although there appears to be a deadlock in the club's attempts to bring him to Old Trafford as part of any deal that would see David De Gea go the other way.

City are rumoured to be waiting in the wings should their rivals' attempts falter, and Goal understands they are awaiting developments on De Bruyne's contract talks at Wolfsburg before making their interest firm.

But Pellegrini refused to go into detail when quizzed, saying of De Bruyne: "I don't talk about rumours, about names. We know the players that we want. For the moment we just have [Fabian] Delph, [Raheem] Sterling and Patrick Roberts.

"We'll see, in the future maybe will arrive more players. I can't talk with you about names because I'm not sure who will come."

And on Ramos he went into less detail: "I don't want to talk about rumours, about names. Because that's just speculation."

City have been through a tumultuous summer so far, signing Sterling from Liverpool for £49m only after an ugly PR war between the England man and his former club, before adding Delph for £8m less than a week after he pulled out of a move and committed his future to Aston Villa.

Roberts, though, was brought in for £11m from Fulham in far less controversial circumstances on Sunday.

The 18-year-old, who has represented England at U-16, 17, 18 and 19 level, had a year left on his contract at Craven Cottage.

He has been linked with a loan move to help gain first-team football next season, but Pellegrini says he has not yet made a decision: "We will see what is the best for his future and the future of the club. I cannot answer at this point."

 

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Gotze: There's no truth in Juventus talk

Mario Gotze has claimed there is "nothing" in rumours he is considering swapping Bayern Munich for Juventus this summer in a bid to get more game time.

The 23-year-old featured 48 times for Pep Guardiola's men last season, although there remains the perception that he is not considered a starter in the coach's best XI.

Following Gotze's glowing praise of the Scudetto holders in his exclusive interview with Goal on Saturday, rumours surged that he would be willing to leave the Allianz Arena for Serie A.

Pep Guardiola tried to silence the talk by insisting the Germany attacker is part of his 2015-16 plans and the player himself has now tried to quash continued speculation regarding his future."Regarding the rumours that I want to change clubs, there's no truth in them," Gotze told Bild.

Gotze also responded to the ridicule he has received for being quoted by Chinese news agency Xinhua as saying that he "likes Chinese food, especially sushi" - the famous Japanese cuisine."I said that, yes, but they missed out the second part," he added, before claiming the full quote was: "I like Chinese food, especially sushi – so Japanese food and Asian food in general."

Gotze was one of the few members of Bayern's squad who did not feature for in their 4-1 win over Valencia – the first of their three pre-season matches in China.
Bayern are back in action on Tuesday against fellow European heavyweights Inter, with their competitive campaign kicking off on August 1 in a DFL-Supercup clash with Wolfsburg.

 

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Even Messi needs a rest - Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique says Lionel Messi has been left out of Barcelona's pre-season tour of the United States due to needing a rest.

The Barcelona No.10 skippered Argentina to a major tournament final for the second successive season, though once again they had to settle for a runners-up medal.

Luis Enrique has confirmed Messi has been allowed an extended break as a result of his exploits in the past year and bemoaned how top clubs must travel the globe in the build-up to their domestic campaigns.

"Messi is not in the US because he needs a vacation," Luis Enrique told reporters in Los Angeles, USA on Sunday. "His energy might seem eternal, but he needs a rest sometimes.

"I prefer not to tour, there are more problems than positives. It's a pleasure to come to countries such as the US but there are aspects such as jet lag which aren't ideal.

"We could be doing the same training sessions at home. Then again, it's nice to take part in friendly competitions and we'll try to prepare in training with these games in mind."Having already won the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey in 2015, Luis Enrique wants to complete the sextet by winning the Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup before the new year.

"I do not question whether it'll be a quiet season, I am simply challenged to make it an historic season," he continued. "To begin with, I want three more trophies this year."

 

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Adelaide United 0-2 Liverpool: Milner & Ings settle friendly clash

James Milner scored for the second pre-season game in a row as Liverpool beat Adelaide United 2-0 on Monday.

The former Manchester City midfielder broke the deadlock midway through the second half at the Adelaide Oval when he met Jordon Ibe's low cross.

Another new signing, Danny Ings, then put the result beyond doubt to match the Reds' dominance of the game, with Clyne the supplier before the England Under-21s international rounded the keeper to finish.

Divock Origi started up front on his own, supported by the likes of Milner, Ibe and Adam Lallana, but the former Lille man struggled to make much of an impact.

Liverpool made much the brighter start, though, and pegged Adelaide back inside their own half, both Origi and Ibe testing goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic before Adelaide's Craig Goodwin almost embarrassed Simon Mignolet with an inswinging corner from the right that nearly crept under the crossbar.

Milner stung the palms of Galekovic from 20 yards in the 38th minute as the game remained scoreless at the interval.

Dejan Lovren had the opening chance of the second period but the defender's downward header from Jordan Henderson's corner bounced into the turf and over the bar.

A sweeping Liverpool move found Ibe on the right in the 57th minute and the winger's low shot passed narrowly wide of the left-hand upright.

Lallana, who netted a fine curling effort against Brisbane, went close to another spectacular finish only for Galekovic to palm the ball away.

But the breakthrough arrived in the 67th minute as Ibe sent in a low first-time cross from the right and Milner stretched out his left leg to divert the ball home.

In a rare attack for the hosts, Tarek Elrich pounced on a loose ball and let fly from 25 yards only to see his effort strike the outside of the post.

And Ings, who ought to have scored from Henderson's free kick shortly beforehand, sealed victory when he ran on to Ibe's through-ball, rounded the keeper and slotted home.

 

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Benteke to Liverpool? 'I don't know what you're talking about', says Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has reacted incredulously after being asked how Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke will fit in at Anfield.

Benteke is reported to be undergoing a medical ahead of a £32.5 million transfer after the Reds matched the big-money release clause in his contract at Villa Park.

But speaking after his side beat Adelaide United 2-0 in a pre-season friendly on Monday, Rodgers was caught off-guard in a seemingly innocent pitch-side interview with local network Channel 9.

Reporter: "Where are up to with Benteke, what can we expect from him?"

Rodgers: "Er, I don't know what you're talking about."

Reporter: "Haha, come on. Where's that at?"

Rodgers: "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

The repeated deadpan response and meaningful stare from Rodgers prompted an awkward silence before the clearly startled journalist steered the interview back into calmer waters.

And while the Liverpool manager regained his composure to offer a classy endorsement of Australia and its football fans, a final icy glance appeared to confirm the brazen line of questioning did not go down well with the former Swansea City boss.

 

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'Vidal's a special warrior' - Heynckes lauds incoming Bayern star

Arturo Vidal has been branded a "special warrior" by former coach Jupp Heynckes, who thinks Bayern Munich are bagging a top player.

The Chilean midfielder is on the verge of joining the Bundesliga champions after Juventus accepted a €40 million offer, ending his four-year spell in Turin.

Heynckes, who retired from coaching after winning the treble with Bayern in 2013, worked with Vidal at Bayer Leverkusen and lavished praise on the 28-year-old when asked about his qualities.

"Arturo is not just limited to being defensive, he also gives impetus to those up front," he told Kicker. "There aren't many players like him.

"He is an excellent conqueror of the ball; he's scarily good in one-on-one duels; he excels at running and tackling; and he has a special warrior-like quality. He just plays really good football. He'll ensure balance in Bayern's midfield."

Vidal was arrested and charged with drink driving after crashing his Ferrari during the Copa America in Chile, but Heynckes downplayed the midfielder's alleged recklessness."His actions off the pitch must not be overstated, but Vidal is a rascal," he added. "When on the pitch, though, if he's given a clear order and told to avoid being excessive in force then he's in control."

Heynckes tried to bring Vidal with him when he swapped Leverkusen for Bayern in 2011, but the recently-crowned Copa America winner chose to join Juventus instead.Vidal has won four successive Scudetti and a Coppa Italia in his time with the Bianconeri, in addition to a Champions League runners-up medal last season.

He is widely seen as being Bayern's replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger in the centre of their midfield following the German's decision to leave for Manchester United earlier in July.

 

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Mourinho: Terry and Cahill backed Falcao signing

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that he consulted with central defensive duo John Terry and Gary Cahill before bringing in Radamel Falcao on loan.

Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Mourinho opted to recruit Falcao, after the Colombian endured a difficult year at Manchester United.

But Mourinho, who revealed that the striker took a pay cut in order to prove wrong his critics in England, says that his centre-backs still saw in the Monaco-owned forward the skills that made him so feared at Atletico Madrid.

"I spoke with Gary and John a lot and we think the bright movement is there, the movement to get freedom in the box to score goals is there," he told reporters.

"Our players had difficulty to control him all the time and we feel the potential is there. Let's see if he can improve his confidence, his happiness.

"If the fact we have a good community of Portuguese people, plus the guys who were with him in Atletico [Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Filipe Luis]... let's see if this situation can help him.

"I watch Portuguese football regularly and in Porto he was very good.

"When he was at Atletico, I was in Real Madrid, so there were a few years where I was with him all the time.

"Last season I watched our game against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge a few times because of him."

 

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Dortmund: Reus injury nothing serious

Borussia Dortmund have soothed fears that Marco Reus has suffered another serious ankle injury, insisting that his latest knock is "nothing serious".

The Germany international pulled up in training on Monday, sparking concern that a player who was forced to sit out last year's World Cup was facing another lengthy spell on the sidelines.However, Dortmund have promptly reassurred their fans that there is nothing to worry about.

"Marco Reus has a slight ligament problem," read a post on BVB's official Twitter account. "It's nothing serious."In addition, coach Thomas Tuchel subsequently revealed that the attacker should be fit to return to training later in the day.

Meanwhile, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has admitted that the Bundesliga outfit are considering bringing in a replacement for striker Ciro Immobile, who has been allowed to join Sevilla on a season-long loan.

"We never said we will not sign another striker after selling Ciro," he said. "We continue to discuss this."

 

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Marotta: Vidal leaving Juventus for Bayern Munich

Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed that midfielder Arturo Vidal is leaving the club.Bayern Munich have agreed a €40 million transfer fee with the Bianconeri for the Chile international, who joined the Old Lady from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011.

Vidal played a key role in Juve's revival, helping the Turin outfit win four successive Serie A titles and reach the final of last season's Champions League.However, Marotta has now admitted that the 28-year-old is now set to become the fourth big name to leave the Italian champions this summer.

"Vidal has expressed his desire to embark on a different experience, just like [Angelo] Ogbonna, [Carlos] Tevez and [Andrea] Pirlo," the Bianconeri official told reporters on Monday.

With Vidal on his way to Bavaria, speculation is intensifying that Juve will attempt to persuade Bayern to part company with Mario Gotze, while there has also been talk of a move for Schalke's Julian Draxler.

However, Marotta is keeping his cards close to his chest, adding: "Gotze is a Bayern player and we are not in talks for him.

"As for Draxler? I don't know who'll arrive at Juventus; we only know the kind of player we want."The first aim is to have our squad complete and ready for the start of the new season.

"It's our duty to maintain our trend of success by reinforcing a winning model.
"Our aim is to a) equip the boss with a competitive squad and b) ensure the balance sheets are kept in good order.

"We're happy that we've lowered the average age of the squad. We're already a competitive side."We'll plug the odd gap in the squad if and when the right opportunity arises."

 

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Rooney to play for Everton again... in Duncan Ferguson testimonal!

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will once again pull on an Everton shirt after agreeing to play in Duncan Ferguson's testimonial in August.

Everton fan Rooney came through the youth ranks at Goodison Park and played alongside fellow striker Ferguson after breaking into the first team as a 16-year-old.

The now-England skipper departed for United in August 2004 but he will feature for the Toffees against Villarreal on August 2 to honour a player whom he describes as a "hero".

"As a young lad growing up in Croxteth, Duncan Ferguson was a hero of mine. As a young player at the club, he was an inspiration and, when I broke into the first team, he helped and looked after me," Rooney told Everton's official website.

"I cannot think of a better way to thank Dunc for all he did for me than turning out in his fully deserved testimonial match. Had he not asked me to play, I would have gone and supported him on the day as I am sure most other Evertonians will."

Ferguson is a cult figure at Everton, having scored 72 goals in 191 appearances across two spells at the club, and the Scot spoke of his appreciation that Rooney has agreed to feature in the match.

"I'm absolutely delighted that the wee man has agreed to play in the game," Ferguson enthused. "Everybody knows that we go way back. I knew him as a kid, he's a top man and I'm proud as his friend that he's fulfilled the potential we always knew was there.

"Wayne's a world-class player and I'm genuinely thrilled that he will play on the day."

 

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Juventus make move for Schalke starlet Draxler

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici is travelling to Germany to discuss a deal with Schalke for Julian Draxler, Goal can confirm.

The Bianconeri have lost Carlos Tevez to former club Boca Juniors but strengthened their forward line with the additions of Paulo Dybala, Simone Zaza and Mario Mandzukic.However, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri still wants an attacker capable of playing out wide or in behind the front two and the Serie A titleholders have been heavily linked with Bayern Munich's Mario Gotze.

The Bianconeri, though, are now set for showdown talks with Schalke over the possible acquisition of Draxler, who still has three years to run on his contract with the Bundesliga outfit.Juve are willing to pay €25 million for the 21-year-old winger but his current employers want at least €35m for their most prized possession.

Draxler, who was first capped by Germany in 2012, came through the youth-team ranks at Schalke and - despite recent injury problems - is still considered one of his country's most exciting attacking talents.

 

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It's strange without Xavi - Iniesta

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has admitted life at the club is "strange" now Xavi is no longer at Camp Nou.

The 35-year-old joined Qatari side Al Sadd in May having spent his entire career with the Catalans, and Iniesta says his absence has already been felt."Of course I miss Xavi," he said. "It's a strange feeling now that he's not here but we'll keep doing the right things."

Iniesta, 31, also gave his backing to Josep Maria Bartomeu after he won the club's presidential election ahead of runner-up Joan Laporta."It is very nice for the club. Hopefully we have the same fortune and keep winning titles and doing things well."

Barcelona are currently in the United States for their pre-season tour.