Juventus and Serie A have confirmed the transfer of Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli to Serie A rivals Juventus, making him the third most expensive footballer of all-time.
The reported fee of £75.3 million (€94m) makes Higuain the most expensive signing in the history of Serie A. Higuain’s 36 Serie A goals last campaign enabled Napoli to finish second in the division.
It's over and done. Kolo Toure has left Liverpool, and he isn't coming back. He's gone to Celtic, where he will presumably get way more playing time and become the most entertaining player in green and white since Thomas Gravesen left.
I'm trying to not be sad, because Kolo wouldn't want me to be sad.
Borussia Dortmund beat Manchester United 4-1 as the Red Devils kicked off their tour of China in Shanghai. Two goals from Gonzalo Castro, a goal from Ousmane Dembele and a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty did the trick for Dortmund, while ex-Dortmund player Henrikh Mkhitaryan pulled one back for United against his old club.
In April of 2013, Mario Gotze became the most hated man in Dortmund after it was announced that Gotze, a product of Dortmund’s youth academy, would be transferring to fierce rivals Bayern Munich.
The timing of the announcement did little to help Gotze’s cause — it emerged on the eve of a momentous Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Munich had met Gotze’s release clause of €37 million and the midfielder was keen to play under Pep Guardiola, much to the annoyance of then BVB manager Jurgen Klopp.
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is more than happy to stay at Bayer Leverkusen and help the club make an impact in the Champions League according to coach Roger Schmidt. And why wouldn’t he be?
Chicharito flourished in his first real opportunity to start week in, week out in Europe. The Mexican striker scored 26 goals in all competitions for Leverkusen, the most he’s scored since his early days in Guadalajara.
After seeing their $115 million offer for Paul Pogba swiftly declined by Juventus, Manchester United have reportedly returned with an improved offer of nearly $122 million.
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:
17-year-old phenom Martin Odegaard’s standing with the Real Madrid first team just became that much more confusing. The latest reports from the Santiago Bernabeu allege that Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez has forced manager Zinedine Zidane to include Odegaard in the club’s pre-season tour against Zidane’s wishes.
I love center back highlight videos. I am not sure why this is, but I can't get enough.
This one is perhaps my favorite. It depicts Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho as a pair of warrior gods who defend Liverpool's goal and honor against all comers and defeat them with ease.