Business

Chelsea Makes As Big A Splash As It Can By Permanently Signing Mateo Kovačić

Chelsea has made its first, and probably only, move while serving a two-window transfer ban (this summer and next January) by permanently signing the previously on-loan Mateo Kovačić from Real Madrid for a fee that could approach nearly $57 million.

The 25-year-old just completed his first season with the Blues, and with plenty of unforeseen circumstances ahead, Kovačić had to be brought back.

 

Atlético's Pursuit Of 'Next Cristiano Ronaldo' Could Lead To Third-Most Expensive Transfer Ever

According to recent reports from Spanish daily MARCA, Atlético Madrid is planning on making a massive $135 million bid for Benfica wonderkid João Félix. The 19-year-old attacker tore up the Primeira Liga last season, scoring 15 goals while adding seven assists in 26 games.

The fee would double Atlético’s previous transfer record, set when purchasing French winger Thomas Lemar from Monaco last summer for $67 million.

Brilliant Edinson Cavani Goal Seen By No One Thanks To Outlandish Copa América Ticket Prices

Last night, a meeting between Uruguay — eighth-ranked in the world and perhaps the biggest threat to Brazil’s Copa América quest on home soil — and Ecuador was dominated by La Celeste. First half goals from Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Nicolás Lodeiro effectively decided the match, especially so since Ecuador was reduced to 10-men in the 24th minute following a José Quinteros red card.

The opening goal from Lodeiro in the sixth minute was excellent, featuring a pinpoint cross from Suárez and a three-touch masterpiece from the Seattle Sounders attacker.  

The 18 Highest Paid MLS Players In 2019

The MLS Players Association has released data for the 2019 season this week, so now we know who is making the big bucks in this year's MLS campaign. This season's list was chock-full of newcomers, with five of the 18 players on the list for MLS highest paid players 2019 debuting this season for their respective MLS Clubs.

What’s Wrong With The Montreal Impact And How Did It All Start With Didier Drogba?

Grant Wahl’s annual MLS Ambition Rankings have been revealed on SI.com, and there really aren’t any surprises at the top (Atlanta United and LAFC) or the bottom (Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution). And while there have been some feel-good moves (the Columbus Crew greatly rise thanks to new ownership), the list also captures some worrying trends around the league, most notably the malaise surrounding the Montreal Impact.  

FIFA Fails In Bid To Expand 2022 World Cup To 48 Teams

Despite president Gianni Infantino’s last-ditch visit to Kuwait in an attempt to coerce the nation into co-hosting the 2022 World Cup with Qatar in order to expand the field from 32 to 48 teams, FIFA has now admitted failure in its expansion plan. 

The next World Cup will remain a 32-team affair taking place between Nov. 21 and Dec. 18 solely in Qatar.

Costs To Attend Champions League Final Will Make You Glad Your Team Isn’t In It

For the second time ever, the Champions League final will pit two English clubs against one another in what is sure to be an instant classic. Even if the final has a fraction of the drama supplied in the semifinals, we’re in for a treat. But you may want to watch from home, because Champions League final tickets cost are astronomical.

Study: Manchester City Overtakes Manchester United As Premier League’s Most Valuable Club

There’s a new most valuable Premier League club, and it’s not Manchester United. 

Manchester City was rated the most valuable Premier League club for the 2017-18 season in a recent study conducted by University of Liverpool’s Centre for Sports Business Group, as reported by BBC.

The Citizens were valued at $3.11 billion (£2.364 billion) compared to United, which dropped nearly half a billion dollars to $2.75 billion because of “higher wages and lower profit,” according to the study. 

Five Years Later, FIFA Denies DeAndre Yedlin’s Youth Club Solidarity Payments With No Reason Specified

DeAndre Yedlin made a big move after the 2014 World Cup, leaving his hometown club Seattle Sounders for Tottenham Hotspur in August of that year. Five years later, his youth club Crossfire Premier has been denied solidarity payments on the transfer (which cost the English Premier League club about $3.71 million), ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported.

What Do 50,000 Used Beer Cups Look Like? A Beautiful White Football Pitch Thanks To Budweiser

Every four years, hundreds of thousands of fans descend upon a new country, laying waste to incomprehensible volumes of a pale, frothy liquid. The World Cup is a time to celebrate not just soccer, but humanity, and what better way than by consuming the same beverage many anthropologists believe to be impetus behind early mankind giving up its nomadic societies to create what we know today as civilization — beer. 

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