Motta signs on at PSG for one more year
Italian international Thiago Motta has signed on for an extra season at French giants Paris Saint-Germain, the club announced on Tuesday. Motta, 34, joined PSG in January 2012 from Inter Milan and his contract was set to expire on June 30, but it has been extended until June 30, 2018. "The adventure continues and I am very happy," the defensive midfielder said on the PSG website. Brazilian-born Motta, who has played for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, was important to PSG, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. "Without doubt Thiago is one of those who has contributed much to the growth of Paris Saint-Germain, in France and on the international scene," he said on the club's website.
Le @PSG_inside est heureux d’annoncer la prolongation du contrat de Thiago Motta jusqu’au 30 juin 2018. #Motta2018 pic.twitter.com/Cj7h6zhjMF
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 4, 2017
Leicester set to announce Sevilla captain Iborra
Sevilla are set to lose captain Vicente Iborra to Leicester City after the Spanish side announced on Tuesday they had agreed to sell the midfielder to the former Premier League champions for a reported €14 million (Dh58.4m). Iborra, 29, has spent the past four years with Sevilla since joining from Levante in 2013, scoring 30 goals in 172 games. He has won three successive Europa League titles and helped the team qualify for the Uefa Champions League in the last two campaigns. The club said Iborra would travel to Leicester to undergo a medical before signing his contract and returning to publicly bid farewell to Sevilla. "Iborra has shown exemplary behaviour in his time at the club and has won the unanimous respect and love of all Sevilla fans," Sevilla said in a statement. "His achievements with the club are colossal but he will also be remembered for his leadership on and off the pitch, and for the dignity with which he wore the captain's armband."
Chelsea willing to break record for Sandro
Premier League champions Chelsea are reportedly prepared to break their club transfer record to sign Juventus wing-back Alex Sandro. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, new talks were held between Chelsea and Juventus on Monday and it is now up to the player whether he wants to swap Turin for London. Juventus are keen to retain the 26-year-old Brazil international and have offered him a new contract in the hope he will stay. Chelsea, meanwhile, are willing to match the £60 million (Dh285m) valuation Juventus have placed on Sandro to get the deal pushed through. Should the transfer materialise at that price, it would eclipse the £50m Chelsea paid Liverpool for Spanish striker Fernando Torres in January 2011. However, Chelsea could end up breaking their transfer record in successive deals, with the Daily Telegraph also reporting that manager Antonio Conte has demanded the re-signing of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker left Chelsea for Everton in 2014 for £28m, but could return to Stamford Bridge if Chelsea match Everton's £100m valuation.
Everton plot Rooney return
Everton's busy summer recruitment drive could include a deal to take Wayne Rooney back to Goodison Park, according to reports in the British media. Rooney, 31, faces an uncertain future at Manchester United after seeing himself marginalised last season and had previously stated he would only ever consider signing for one other Premier League side - boyhood club Everton. Manager Ronald Koeman has been heavily backed in the transfer market this summer, and the Dutchman is expected to further bolster his squad with Rooney. United and England's record goal-scorer, Rooney left Everton in 2004, winning five Premier League titles and the 2008 Uefa Champions League during his 13 years at Old Trafford.
Terry shuns Premier League for Aston Villa
📸 JT is a Villan...#WelcomeJT #PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/UEKEeGBRNJ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 3, 2017
John Terry chose to join Championship club Aston Villa having ruled out a Premier League move following 22 years with champions Chelsea. Terry, 36, made over 700 appearances and won 15 major honours with Chelsea, but left the club at the end of his contract this summer. He signed a one-year deal with Aston Villa on Monday after snubbing more lucrative offers to remain a top-flight player. "Playing against Chelsea just doesn't sit right with me, to be honest," he told Press Association Sport. "Whether that's different in a year's time, I don't know. The raw emotion of leaving the club after so long there...(playing against them) just didn't sit right with me. I had a lot of big financial offers to play in the Premier League and still play at the top, but once I took that decision out of it - that I wasn't playing in the Premier League - this was an easy one for me. For a few weeks I switched off and a lot of managers gave me a lot of time and respect to make my decision and come to terms with it. After 22 years at Chelsea it took a few weeks longer than I probably predicted. They were 22 fantastic and unbelievable years that I will never forget but I'm excited about this challenge here of getting us up."
