There’s no athlete in the world of sport quite like Diego Costa. On his day, he’s a brutally effective striker who blends determination, power, physicality and a mean goalscoring streak. On that same day, Costa also demonstrates a red hot temper, a clear lack of self-control and a penchant for the absurd.
French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has had a very good time in Mexico while playing for Tigres, and it looks like his tenure has drawn the eyes of some of his compatriots. It's been reported that Tigres are now interested in signing Caen striker Andy Delort to join his countryman in the attack.
From ESPNFC:
In hindsight, Leicester City’s €15.5 million purchase of French defensive midfielder Nampalys Mendy was an exact like-for-like replacement for the eventual sale of breakthrough star N’Golo Kante.
Not that Leicester City supporters will be okay with seeing Kante leave, especially to EPL rival Chelsea.
Graziano Pelle, who scored 11 Premier League goals in 30 appearances for Southampton last season, is about to make as much money as Zlatan Ibrahimovic after accepting a transfer to Chinese side Shandong Luneng.
The Italian international had been wanted by the likes of Chelsea and Everton, but he’s decided to leave Southampton in a £13 million transfer while signing a contract that will pay him £13.6 million per year for two years.
Jorge Sampaoli has just arrived in Sevilla after leading Chile to their 2015 Copa America title, but his plans for the club’s upcoming season are already running full steam ahead.
The former Chile manager, he resigned in January of 2016, watched with pride as La Roja once again captured the Copa this June. Now, he will be looking to match their success with his own at Sevilla.
Managing Sevilla will be the biggest club test of Sampaoli’s coaching career, and it’s an excellent opportunity to prove that he’s one of the finer managers in the world.
20-year-old Mexican phenom Hirving Lozano is reportedly on the verge of joining Manchester United.
Lozano enjoyed a breakout season with Pachuca. Photo: @101greatgoals | Twitter
Arguably the most promising Brazilian striker since Alexandre Pato broke into the scene, Gabriel Jesus is already making waves in Europe, as giants like Barcelona and Manchester City are already reportedly battling for the signature of this 19-year-old wunderkind.
With the transfer season in full swing, agents around the world are trying to coax the most money possible out of the players they represent. One of the ways agents do this is by leaking select information to the media in order to strengthen their position in negotiations, whether that means a player’s current club improving that player’s contract or a prospective club increasing its offer in order to outbid the competition.
Dare to Zlatan. Is there anyone more mercurial, more intense , or more of an egomaniac than Zlatan Ibrahimovic? His posturing and his infamous Zlatanisms flirt with satire so much, it's not even clear how serious he actually is. Zlatan is so quoteable that journalists around the globe froth at the mouth to get a flashy one-liner from the outspoken Swede, something which he derives great enjoyment from.
Could Andres Guardado and Carlos Vela be headed to Atlanta United in the near future? It's possible, according to ESPN.
SB Nation's Atlanta United Blog, Dirty South Soccer, reported that John Sutcliffe, ESPN's Mexico National Team insider, had said that ATL United is interested in the two Mexico standouts (ESPN has evidently removed the video).