Latest Football Transfer Stories And Titbits For the 20th of July 2015

Our man Paul Ayorinde as compiled top transfer stories for the 20th of July 2015

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Done Deals:

– Eibar have announced the signing of defender Ivan Ramis from Levante on a one-year deal.

– Valencia have agreed a deal with Club Brugge for goalkeeper Mathew Ryan, subject to a medical.

– Sevilla have completed the signing of Brazilian defender Mariano Ferreira from Bordeaux on three-year deal.

Today’s reports and rumours:

– Manchester United have made a record offer for Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller, according to reports in Munich.

– According to Sky Sports sources, Chelsea agree to sell defender Filipe Luis to Atletico Madrid for around £15million.

– Crystal Palace are set to sign Chelsea forward Patrick Bamford on loan, according to reports.

– Manchester United will not sell Jonny Evans before signing a replacement, according to reports.

Karim Benzema of France
Photo Credit: FIFA

– Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is open to discussing a possible move to Arsenal, according to reports in Spain.

– Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri says he has spoken with veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso about staying, and he is now waiting for a decision.

– Napoli winger Dries Mertens assures he’s staying with the club for the coming season. ‘I love playing for this team’.

– Fiorentina defender Facundo Roncaglia has agreed a deal with Marseille, the player’s agent reveals.

– Arsenal have been linked with a move for Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, according to reports.

– Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta reveals Arturo Vidal ‘wanted a different experience’ and insists Paul Pogba is not for sale.

– According to reports, West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has identified Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon as possible replacements for Stewart Downing

– Lazio are preparing to hold talks with Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho, according to reports in Italy.

– Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed his decision to sign striker Radamel Falcao was based on the recommendation of defenders John Terry and Gary Cahill.

– Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici is reportedly flying to Germany, with Schalke forward Julian Draxler his main objective.

– Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool have swooped to sign Christian Benteke because the Reds desperately need to improve their firepower.

– Chelsea striker Loic Remy has reportedly said he has no intention of leaving the club this summer.

– Roma and Manchester City will reportedly use tomorrow’s friendly in Melbourne to negotiate for Edin Dzeko.

– Stefan Savic is close to completing a move from Fiorentina to Atletico Madrid after arriving in Spain for a medical today.

– Manchester United are happy to rely on Wayne Rooney to lead the line in the event they do not sign another striker,according to Sky Sports sources

– Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta says Bayern Munich’s Mario Gotze has ‘the right characteristics’ for Juventus.

– Atletico Madrid midfielder Mario Suarez has undergone his Fiorentina medical in Italy, according to reports.

– Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria wants to join Paris Saint-Germain, but the English club want £52million for the Argentine, according to reports in France.

– Reports in Portugal suggest Porto Coach Julen Lopetegui is urging the club not to sell Alex Sandro to Juventus.

– Juan Quintero’s proposed move to Bologna could be set to collapse, after Porto demanded more money

– Galatasaray are reportedly keen on signing Roma winger Gervinho on loan.

-The agent of Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez says there is no deal in place for his departure.

– According to reports in France, PSG have not received any formal offer from AC Milan for the transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

– Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing OGC Nice attacker Alassane Pléa, according to reports.

Raheem Sterling
photo credit: Kamran Hussain
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

– Raheem Sterling has denied that he “threw a sicknote in” during his final days as a Liverpool player in order to force
through his move to Manchester City.

– Ajax will move for Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny if Manchester United signs Jasper Cillessen, according to reports.

Football tit bits:

– The FIFA president Sepp Blatter walked out of a press conference after being showered with fake dollar bills by the
British comedian Lee Nelson. Nelson, whose real name is Simon Brodkin, illegally gained entry to the Fifa headquarters in Zurich and poured dozens of fake banknotes over the stage around where Blatter was seated after announcing himself as a North Korean World Cup delegate.

– Celtic striker Nadir Ciftci will miss the first six games of the domestic season after being found guilty of a biting offence.

– Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk says he encounters racism in “almost every game” in Russia and the Brazilian fears it could tarnish the country when it hostsmthe 2018 World Cup.

– Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will play for Everton again at Goodison Park after agreeing to feature in Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial,which is against Villarreal.

– FIFA have announced that they will hold an extraordinary congress to elect a new president on 26 February 2016.

NFF Vice President Akinwunmi Harps On NFF’s World Cup Vision

The 1st Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation, Bar. Seyi Akinwunmi has reiterated that the plan of the present NFF Board and Management is to win the FIFA World Cup for Nigeria.

Akinwunmi said this on Sunday in Port Harcourt while addressing players and officials of the U-23 National Team, after its 2-1 victory over Congo in an African U-23 Championship qualifying game.

He said the NFF is proud with the display put up by the boys against Congo as this is what many Nigerians have been yearning for, and from what the boys have shown, they are at the verge of playing for the Super Eagles.

“Even though we should have beaten the Congolese by a wider margin, the NFF is happy with your display. I am sure that you players and the Coaches also feel that you should have won by a wider margin. Nonetheless, you have made us proud, you have made us proud not with the scoreline but with the football you played.

“A lot of Nigerians have been calling on television and the radio thanking us that we have shown Nigerians that we have footballers who are committed to winning a football match‎, and that is commendable because we believe that one day very soon, Nigeria can win the FIFA World Cup. In fact the plan of the present NFF is to win the FIFA World Cup. What has been lacking much of the time has been the passion for the badge on your chest.”

Akinwunmi said the players should at all times remember that there are millions of Nigerians who pray and fast for the team to win a match and as such they must realise that they carry the passion of millions of Nigerians. Challenging the boys to go to Congo and outscore the Devils so as to make sure of a place at the 2nd African U-23 Championship, the 1st Vice President commended the players for the high level of discipline.

Shehu Dikko, NFF’s 2nd Vice President,

Also speaking at the same reception, the NFF’s 2nd Vice President, Mr. Shehu Dikko said the boys have shown that they are the future of Nigeria football, adding that its not always all about winning, but about the future‎.

Assuring the boys that the Federation will do give every support to make the team soar in Congo and all the way to the All-Africa Games, the African U-23 Championship and next year’s Olympics, Dikko then urged the players to take advantage of the elite player program, that will help the players to keep fit and stay in shape.

“As for the league we have the program that’s called the elite player program, so any player who is not playing in the league and who wants to play in the league at least to keep in shape, you can come to us in the LMC, we can get you a club, we will pay you to play for a club‎ and you don’t have to be contracted to the club.”

He added that it is the best way to go for the players to keep playing day in, day out before they secure contracts abroad.

Responding, the captain of the side, Azubuike Okechukwu thanked the NFF for their support and on behalf of the players promised Nigerians that they will take the battle to the Congolese in Pointe Noire and do the country proud.