Transfer Talk Antoine Griezmann announces he is staying at Atletico Madrid

June 18, 2018 admin Transfers 0

ESPN FC’s Stewart Robson breaks down the latest transfer rumours surrounding Paul Pogba, Rafinha and more in Rumour Rater.

The transfer window is open, and Transfer Talk has the latest rumours making the rounds. Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer.

TOP STORY: Griezmann is staying at Atletico

Antoine Griezmann has finally — and we mean finally — put an end to speculation about his future. After months of speculation — and a 40-minute television special to announce his decision to boot — Griezmann has confirmed he will stay at Atletico Madrid for the foreseeable future.

There has been a lot of speculation in recent days that the France striker would be staying but Thursday Griezmann confirmed those thoughts with one tweet.

“My fans, my team, MY HOME!!!”, said the forward about a club he has called “home” since 2014.

The 27-year-old had been linked with a move to Barcelona or Man United but chose to stay on in Madrid.

Atletico Madrid also did their part in keeping their star man, first lining up a move to sign highly-rated winger and Griezmann’s France teammate Thomas Lemar and yesterday agreeing to a contract extension with centre-back Jose Gimenez.

So that is that. Griezmann is staying put and Atletico Madrid can finally rest easy… for now at least.

LIVE BLOG 

23:00 BST: That will do it for today’s Transfer Talk Live blog, remember to check back in a few hours for all of our World Cup content and the latest rumours, links and completed deals from around the football world. Enjoy the games tomorrow!

22.55 BST: If reports out of Italy are to believed, Man United may need to move on from midfield target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

The Lazio midfielder is valued at more than €90 million by Lazio sporting director Igli Tare and has been closely linked with Man United over the past year.

Juventus though claim to have a deal with the Serbian. Juve general director Luciano Moggi claiming on Italian TV station 7 Gold, that the Bianconeri have already agreed to deals for both Savic and Portuguese right-back Joao Cancelo. 

As a disclaimer, Moggi has been known to spout off a bit of Juve transfer business so this report must be taken with a huge grain of salt. That being said, Milinkovic-Savic has been rumoured to Juve for a while and Juventus have a habit of locking up the best talent in Italy.

Stay tuned.

22.37 BST: Napoli have been handed a deadline to pay the release clause for Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri.

Seri’s agen Franklin Mala has told the Italian club that they are Seri’s desired choice but that they have only one month to pay the clause.

Speaking with CalcioNapoli24, the agent had the following to say about his client’s future: “His €40m release clause expires on July 15, so they have to pay it by that date. After July 15, Nice can ask for any amount.”

Mala also said Seri has been in contact with two Premier League sides, with many speculating Man City are one of those aforementioned clubs.

22.17 BST: Are West Brom weighing a move for Werder full-back Robert Bauer?

Reports from Belgium’s Voetbal Belgie claim that the Baggies are on of three British slubs interesting in the 23-year-old. 

Fellow relegation-sufferers Stoke and Swansea are the two other clubs mentioned in the article. The full-back played 16 games last season for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and has experience playing for Germany at the Under-20 and U23/Olympic levels.

21. 52 BST: Leeds have already been in the market for a striker and could be set to lose another one to Serie B.

Brescia is owned by former Leeds owner Massimo Cellino, who according to reports could be interested in signing 27-year-old Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson.

Antonsson scored seven times last season while on loan at League One side Blackburn, helping Rovers earn automatic promotion.

21.25 BST: — DONE DEAL — Nottingham Forest have wrapped up a double signing.

Forest have made a double swoop for Benfica’s Joao Carvalho and Diogo Goncalves. 

An attacking midfielder, Carvalho, 21, joins Forest for a club-record £13 million fee, while Goncalves, a winger and also, 21, will join the Nottinghamshire club on loan for the 2018-19 season.

Both players have been key players for Portugal at underage international level and also got a taste of Champions League football last season with Benfica.

20.45 BST: Celtic have reportedly agreed to a fee of around £10 million with PSG for young striker Odsonne Edouard.

Celtic still need to agree to personal terms with 20-year-old forward, who last season on scored 11 goals in 29 games for the Hoops.

20.15 BST: — DONE DEAL — Celta Vigo have announced they have signed Mexico defender Nestor Araujo from Santos Laguna.

The 25-year-old defender has 27 caps for Mexico but will miss the World Cup due to injury.

19.43 BST: Sticking with Chelsea, according to French outlet Le 10 Sport, Arsenal have had a £20 million bid rejected for Blues player David Luiz.

Arsenal have made defence a priority under new boss Unai Emery, signing Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus and reportedly nearing a deal with Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

Luiz is known more for going forward than defending but having just turned 31,and coming off of a season in which he barely played, the Brazilian should still have some miles left in the tires.

19.20 BST: Good news for Chelsea fans. With earlier reports saying that Real Madrid are closing in on Roma goalkeeper Alisson, there is hope that Thibaut Courtois could stay at Stamford Bridge.

Courtois seems to have his heart on Real Madrid but if that falls through, maybe a return to Chelsea is in the cards after all. 

18.48 BST: Norwich City have received a boost in their pursuit of a new striker.

Canary target Marvin Ducksch’s move from St. Pauli to newly-promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf is now reportedly off.

The 24-year-old scored 18 times this past season on loan for 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel and reportedly has a fan in Norwich’s German manager Daniel Farke. 

18.32 BST: — DONE DEAL — Just because the World Cup has started doesn’t mean transfer season slows down.

The San Jose Earthquakes are not slowing down anyway. The MLS side announced on Thursday they have signed Vitesse centre-back and Georgia national team captain Guram Kashia via Targeted Allocation Money.

The 30-year-old has 64 caps for Georgia and has previously played alongside new San Jose teammate Vako Qazaishvili with both Vitesse and the Georgian national team.

18:00 BST: West Ham could be busy this summer — the Mirror reports that they are closing in on moves for Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and defender Alfie Mawson as well as being hopeful of signing Lazio winger Felipe Anderson

17:30 BST: As the World Cup begins, the man whose goal won the last one could be on his way to the Premier League, according to the Mirror. It reports that Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gotze “wants to move to England to revive his career” and is interesting clubs including Arsenal and Everton.

17:00 BST: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has dismissed reports that Luka Modric could leave in the summer, saying: “I did not hear that Luka must leave Real and I really can’t imagine this, and I don’t want to.”

16:30 BST: Juventus are looking at Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt as a potential summer signing, according to reports.

16:15 BST: League One Bradford have made their fourth signing of the summer already, bringing in defender Anthony O’Connor on a three-year deal.

16:00 BST: Manchester United have no desire to sell Anthony Martial after the striker’s representative revealed that he wants to leave after talks over a new contract stalled, the Mail reports.

15:45 BST: Celtic and PSG have agreed a fee for striker Odsonne Edouard, the Herald reports, saying it is likely to be a new record for the Scottish champions at around £10m.

15:20 BST: The Northern Echo reports that Newcastle have turned down a bid from Belgian club Anderlecht for goalkeeper Matz Sels, with a follow-up offer appearing unlikely.

15:05 BST: More on Felipe Anderson now — the Mail reports that West Ham have offered £25 million plus another £5 million in add-ons for the Lazio winger, but that is still around £10 million short of the Italian club’s valuation.

14:50 BST: Rangers midfielder Jordan Thompson has decided that he does like to be beside the seaside, signing a two-year deal with League One Blackpool.

14:25 BST: Atletico Madrid recently announced the signing of Thomas Lemar from Monaco, and they could be about to sign teammate Djibril Sidibe too. AS is running with Telefoot’s initial story on a potential €25 million deal.

14:10 BST: Marca and several reports in Italy say that Roma goalkeeper Alisson is in talks with Real Madrid. The Brazil No. 1 has been heavily linked with Liverpool.

13:45 BST: Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann is announcing whether he will leave the club for Barcelona tonight, in the form of a LeBron James-inspired documentary…

13:35 BST: Strong social media game, though it seems a bit much for announcing that Alan Hutton has extended his contract…

13:30 BST: Le Parisien reports that Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Liverpool are all interested in Porto left-back Alex Telles.

13:20 BST: Former Chelsea midfielder Maniche has stirred the pot regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s future. He told AS that Ronaldo should leave Real Madrid if he wants to find motivation again.

13:10 BST: It has been a busy summer for West Ham so far, and Diario AS reports that they have made an offer to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez.

New West Ham director of football Mario Husillos is reportedly keen to bring the 32-year-old Jimenez, a player he knows well from his time at Malaga last season, to London.

12:45 BST: Some big news from the Championship, as Nottingham Forest targets Diogo Goncalves and Joao Carvalho have been spotted by A Bola at Lisbon airport. It is believed Carvalho will join in a £13 million deal, a club record, while Goncalves will join on loan.

12:15 BST: Various reports in Italy say West Ham are edging closer to signing Lazio winger Felipe Anderson.

12:05 BST: Marseille are interested in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze, France Football says. Gotze has recently been linked with a reunion with his former boss Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

12:00 BST: Simone Zaza could make a return to Serie A club Sassuolo after representatives of Valencia made a trip to Italy, according to Sky in Italy.

Zaza started his career at Sassuolo, scoring 13 goals in 33 games in his final season there before joining Juventus. He scored 19 goals in 59 games for Valencia.

11:45 BST: Mundo Deportivo says Barcelona will only pursue Bayern Munich’s Thiago if he is cheap, and will otherwise look at Gremio’s Arthur or Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong.

11:20 BST: Do not expect to be reassigned in Spain, Mark…

11:15 BST: Newcastle’s Mikel Merino is the subject of strong interest from Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis and Real Sociedad, according to AS.

11:00 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Paris Saint-Germain could be forced to sell Javier Pastore, Angel Di Maria and Kevin Trapp for cut prices due to FFP restraints.

Pastore has reportedly been in talks with West Ham, while Trapp has been linked with Newcastle.

10:25 BST: Lyon have an oral agreement to sell Rafael to Besiktas, L’Equipe reports. The former Manchester United full-back is out of contract in a year’s time.

10:05 BST: There appears to be a three-way tug-of-war for Valencia right-back Joao Cancelo. According to Tuttosport, Inter, Juventus, and Wolves are all interested in the Portugal international, who spent last season on loan at the Nerazzurri.

09:45 BST: Atletico Madrid are in advanced talks with Argentinos Juniors to sign teenage defender Nehuen Perez.

The Spanish outfit will pay a reported €2.5 million to acquire 90 percent of the 17-year-old centre-back’s rights, according to TyC Sports.

09:30 BST: Sofiane Boufal could make a return to France with Marseille, Nice and Rennes all following his situation at Southampton closely, footmercato.net reports.

The Morocco international, who did not make his country’s World Cup squad, would leave on loan.

09:05 BST: West Ham have made an offer of between €15 and €20 million for Toulouse’s Issa Diop, L’Equipe claims.

08:55 BST: Sky Sports reports that Burnley have made a combined £25 million bid for West Brom’s Craig Dawson and Jay Rodriguez.

08:15 BST: Arsenal’s pursuit for a new goalkeeper is reportedly down to Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno and Paris Saint-Germain’s Alphone Areola, according to kicker.

On Wednesday, Sport Bild reported that Leverkusen would not accept less than €25m for Leno, the value of his now-expired release clause, and that Arsenal would need to made a decision imminently.

08:04 BST: Morelia striker Raul Ruidiaz is on his way to the Seattle Sounders. Maybe.

The Liga MX club announced Ruidiaz’s departure late Wednesday and reported that he would be joining the Sounders — but that seems to be news to the fine folks in Seattle. “I’m not aware of that tweet, so thank you for letting me know.” 

Boateng back to Manchester

Jerome Boateng failed to settle during his first spell in Manchester, but that hasn’t derailed Jose Mourinho’s pursuit of the defender.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the former City centre-back will be allowed to leave Bayern Munich this summer, with United leading the queue for his signature.

Intriguingly, the report mentions that Boateng is “one of two footballers represented by Roc Nation sports agency alongside Romelu Lukaku”.

Mourinho has made it clear he wants an experienced defender to lead a title challenge next season, and the 29-year-old Boateng could fit the bill.

Grealish race heats up

Aston Villa’s young midfielder Jack Grealish is a wanted man, with Sky Sports reporting that Tottenham have made a £15 million bid for his services.

Villa are in serious financial trouble after missing out on promotion to the Premier League, and it appears Spurs hope to take advantage by signing Grealish on the cheap.

They could find the 22-year-old’s price pushed up by a bidding war, however, as Chelsea, Fulham and Leicester prepare to enter the auction.

Grealish was Villa’s talisman in the second half of the season, inspiring a fourth-place finish in the Championship with a string of impressive performances in midfield.

Arsenal close in on treble of signings

Arsenal are edging closer to a triple swoop for Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, reports the Evening Standard.

Bernd Leno is edging closer toward a move from Bayer Leverkusen to Arsenal.

The signing of Torreira would set the Gunners back £26m, with Leno another £20m. Sokratis is expected to sign on July 1 in a £16m deal, pushing the cost of this trio of arrivals to £62m, with Unai Emery reportedly having a £50m budget to spend this summer.

Thus, to balance the books, sales are probably in the offing. The report states that Lucas Perez is likely to leave North London, and Shkodran Mustafi too could be sacrificed in the name of raising funds for further signings.

Tap-ins

– Manuel Pellegrini will return to Manchester City to ask if he can borrow Brahim Diaz on a season-long loan, claims the Sun. The 18-year-old midfielder is highly rated by Pep Guardiola, and is seen as the perfect replacement for the injured Manuel Lanzini at West Ham.

– Antoine Griezmann is expected to announce a decision on his future Thursday, reports Mundo Deportivo. The Atletico Madrid star has been deliberating over a move to Barcelona for what feels like an eternity.

– While the Premier League’s biggest clubs circle Fiorentina midfielder Federico Chiesa, The Athletic reports that La Viola could turn to Atlanta United standout and MLS All-Star Miguel Almiron to fill the void left by the 20-year-old’s expected departure.

– Lazio sporting director Igli Tare is headed to London to finalise the sale of Felipe Anderson to West Ham in a €30m deal, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

– Burnley plan to bid £25m for West Brom pair Jay Rodriguez and Craig Dawson, according to the Daily Mail. The Baggies will reportedly rebuff the offer, despite the duo wishing to speak to the Clarets.

Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*