Done Deal! Chelsea complete Morata signing from Real Madrid

England champions Chelsea have completed the signing Alvaro Morata reported to be around £60M on a five-year-deal.
The Spain international, who won La Liga and the Champions League, scored 20 goals last season after rejoining Real from Juventus.
Morata will now join up with the squad on their pre-season tour of Asia.

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“I am so happy to be here,” he told Chelsea’s official website. “It’s an incredible emotion to be part of this big club. I am looking to work hard, score as many goals as I can and to win as many trophies as possible
Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo said: “We believe he can make a great impact for Chelsea and look forward to seeing him in action.
“Alvaro has proven class at the highest level and his quality will be a huge asset.”

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The 24-year old is the Blues’ fourth signing this summer, after goalkeeper Willy Caballero, defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Chelsea are preparing to face Arsenal in Beijing on Saturday.

Arsenal are preparing a £45 million bid for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk,

Arsenal are preparing a £45 million bid for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk, according to the Daily Express .

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen to keep improving his squad ahead of the new season, and is also targeting Celtic striker Moussa Dembele to replace Alexis Sanchez.

Paris Saint-Germain are plotting a €150 million bid for Marco Asensio

Paris Saint-Germain are plotting a €150 million bid for Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio, according to Don Balon.

NEYMAR TOLD TO LEAVE BARCELONA

Les Parisiens are still targeting Monaco's Kylian Mbappe, but should he join Madrid then the Ligue 1 giants will instead move for the young Spanish star.

RUMOURS: Neymar told to leave Barcelona

Neymar is being encouraged to leave Barcelona by one element of his entourage so that he can step out of the shadow of Lionel Messi, claims Sport.

PLANE CARRYING BRAZILLIAN PLAYERS RAN OUT OF FUEL BEFORE CRASHING

The Brazilian moved to Camp Nou in 2013 and is under contract until 2021, with his current release clause standing at €200 million.

The likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are all expected to be interested if Neymar becomes unsettled enough to look to leave Barcelona.

TEACHERS STRIP THEIR MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS HALF NAKED TO FLOG THEM FOR COMING LATE AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN CAMEROON

Arsenal legend Ian Wright concedes Gunners must accept £30m bid for Theo Walcott amid Everton rumours

Arsenal great Ian Wright concedes the Gunners should accept a £30m offer for Theo Walcott after speculation surrounding interest from Everton .

Talk has centred around a £30m offer for the England international from the Toffees, with the player in need of securing regular first team football with the World Cup on the horizon.

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And while Wright insists he will "always love" the former Southampton starlet, he accepts that the time could be right to move on if the money is right."Sad to see the amount of disrespect that Theo gets from the fans. I'll always love him, but if it is a 30 million bid, got to take it," Wright tweeted.
TOP 100 MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYERS

NFF President Amaju Pinnick And Super Eagles Coach Gemot Rohr Visit Carl Ikeme In UK Hospital

The Super Eagles goal keeper is battling Leukemia. He's having his chemotheraphy sessions in a hospital in London and today got a visit from NFF president Amaju Pinnick and Super Eagles coach Gemot Rohr...

Manchester City complete signing of Kyle Walker from Tottenham in a deal worth £54m on a five-year contract

Manchester City have completed the signing of Kyle Walker from Tottenham in a deal that could cost £54m.

The England defender has signed a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium until 2022 and becomes City's third major signing of the summer.

Pep Guardiola was determined to sign a quality right back following the departure of Pablo Zabaleta and Walker is rated one of the best full-backs in the Premier League.

City will pay an initial £45m, £5m more in 12 months’ time and another £4m in add-ons — a total surpassing the previous world-record £50m Paris Saint-Germain paid Chelsea for centre-back David Luiz in 2014.

The 27-year-old, who made over 180 appearances for Tottenham, is thrilled to be playing under Pep Guardiola and feels he can become an even better player at Manchester City.Walker said: "I am thrilled to be signing for City and can’t wait to get started.

“Pep Guardiola is one of the most respected managers in the world and I feel he can help me take my game to a new level.”

Txiki Begiristain, the Club’s Director of Football, added: “Kyle is a fine full-back, one capable of producing quality at both ends of the pitch.“We’ve followed his progress at Tottenham and have been really impressed by how he has developed. He is now one of the best right-backs in the Premier League and justifiably an England regular.

“I am sure he will be a success at Manchester City this season and beyond.”

Walker, who will wear the number two shirt, follows in the footsteps of Bernardo Silva and Ederson who made big money moves earlier in the summer.

Jermain Defoe sobs as he joins six-year-old Bradley Lowery's family at funeral

Bradley Lowery's best pal Jermain Defoe sobbed as he walked closely behind the little boy's family in an emotional funeral procession through the streets of his hometown this morning.

The former Sunderland striker, wearing a while football shirt and smart black trousers, pressed a tissue to his face as he looked around - visibly moved by the incredible turnout for the six-year-old.

Defoe, who struck up a close friendship with Bradley, walked behind a beautifully decorated, white hearse, while the youngster's mum, dad and brother were seen hand-in-hand behind his small coffin.

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Spider-Girl and the Flash, were also seen attending the service.

Bradley - whose smile touched hearts across the world - is being laid to rest by his heartbroken parents, Gemma and Carl, in County Durham today.

The couple have been joined at their son's funeral by other relatives and friends, including Defoe, who struck up an incredible bond with the youngster.

Defoe, 34, who was inspired by Bradley's "courage and bravery", flew back from pre-season training in Spain so he could attend the service.

The striker previously revealed how there was an "instant connection" between the pair.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or but Lionel Messi remains the greatest player in history, according to Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique.

The Real Madrid star led Zinedine Zidane's side to La Liga and Champions League success last season, while Messi ended the 2016-17 campaign with only the Copa del Rey to his name. 

And though the Argentine outscored Ronaldo in the Spanish top-flight 37 goals to 25, Pique believes that the Real forward's winners' medals will count towards him being named the best in the world for the fifth time and levelling Messi's record.

"Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Champions League and the League," Pique said to Qatar television show One. "So he is a favourite."Lionel Messi is still considered the best player in history, though, and then there are other options."

Pique has been at the forefront of the Clasico battles over the years and is often the figurehead of the Catalan side of the rivalry. 

The Spain international has enjoyed verbal and physical battles with his Blancos opponents and has been openly critical to the club and its players. 

Real captain and international colleague Sergio Ramos has taken the brunt of the verbals, though Pique insists it is all in good nature and they are merely defending their colours.

"The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is very big. Ramos defends Real Madrid as I do with Barcelona," he said.

Mertesacker ‘definite’ about Sanchez staying at Arsenal, Ozil urges star to stay

Arsenal duo Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil would hope that Alexis Sanchez stays with the English premier League club next season.

Sanchez, who helped his country Chile to second place at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, has not extended his contract with the Gunners which expires next season.

The 28-year old has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League rivals, Manchester City, in the past weeks, but nothing has been said officially by either clubs.

But while Ozil has urged the Chilean superstar to stay, Mertesacker believes Sanchez is “definitely” staying through next season.

“I hope Alexis stays but I don’t know what the status is to be perfectly honest,” Ozil told Sky Sports

“But I value him a lot as a player and he’s very well-suited to the game Arsenal play.

“From a personal view I would really appreciate it if he stays. However, it’s the player’s decision after all and there’s not much more I can comment on that.”

Speaking also to Sky Sports in Australia, Arsenal captain, Mertesacker, who is retiring next season to take charge of Arsenal’s U-18 academy, said, “Yes, definitely (about Sanchez staying).

“He’s (Sanchez) now on holiday so it’s quiet in terms of conversations. But he’s a warrior on the pitch.

“I think he wants to come back as quickly as possible — he hates holidays, he hates to calm down. I’m looking forward to playing alongside him in my last season and he thinks the same.”

The Gunners are preparing for the start of their pre-season tour in Australia, and are set to face Sydney FC on Thursday in their first match of the tour.

Lacazette scores first Arsenal goal from Iwobi assist

Arsenal record signing Alexandre Lacazette made a mark during his unofficial debut for his new club by coming off the bench and scoring a goal on Thursday.

The France striker, who completed a £52million move to the Emirates earlier this month, scored the second goal in their 2-0 pre-season victory over Sydney FC in Australia.

The ex-Lyon man showed some nice touches immediately after entering the field and fired home his first ever Arsenal goal in the 84th minute.

It was Nigerian forward Alex Iwobi, who also started from the bench and was introduced in the 68th minute for Mesut Ozil, that made the assist for Lacazette’s goal.

The Gunners’ skipper Per Mertesacker scored the first goal before the break with an acrobatic finish.

Arsenal had the chance to double their lead in the second half but Danny Welbeck’s penalty was saved after it had been wrongly awarded for handball when the ball indeed hit the Sydney FC defender’s back.

Iwobi’s pinpoint cross to Lacazette from the right flank was then finished effortlessly to hand the Arsene Wenger’s men a comfortable win, as their pre-season tour in Australia begins on a high note.

The Gunners will face Western Sydney Wanderers next, before taking on Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Benfica and Sevilla in the next few weeks.

Manchester United Beat Barca And Real Madrid To Top Forbes List Of Most Valuable Football Team On The Planet With £2.85bn Valuation

What makes Man Utd's rise to the top of the Forbes list more remarkable is that the club has gone up 11 per cent from �2.57bn in 2016, despite not having won the league or Champions League since 2013. 

Chelsea, and Manchester City were among four Premier League sides ranked in the top 50, but Liverpool and Arsenal dropped out of the list.

According to Forbes.com, ''The cutoff to qualify among the world's most valuable sports franchises is higher than ever, up 18% this year to $1.75 billion. There are 36 franchises worth at least $1 billion that did not make the top 50. Credit soaring TV contracts for the rising franchise values, as well as labor deals with players that almost ensure profitability barring outrageous spending on payroll by an owner.''

''No sports league is as profitable as the NFL where the average team earned an operating profit (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $91 million and no one banked less than $26 million. The boffo profits helped 29 NFL teams rank among the 50 most valuable franchises (only the Bengals, Lions and Bills missed the cut). Other sports include eight MLB clubs and seven each from the NBA and European soccer.''

'The Dallas Cowboys lead for the second straight year at $4.2 billion. Jerry Jones' team unseated Real Madrid last year as the most valuable sports team. The Spanish soccer powerhouse had ranked No. 1 for three straight years.''

Defending champion Andy Murray knocked out of Wimbledon

The 2016 Wimbledon champion and home favourite, Andy Murray, could not advance to the semifinal of the tournament after falling to Sam Querrey on Wednesday.

The world number one lost in a five-set thriller 3-6 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-1 to the 29-year-old American 24th seed, who has now become the first American man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

This is the second time in a row that Querrey is sending out the defending champion at Wimbledon; the world No. 28 also stunned Novak Djokovic in 2016 in the third round.

Murray’s previous attempt to defend his Wimbledon crown ended in the same stage, as he fell to Grigor Dimitrov in 2014.

30-year-old Murray seemed to be struggling with hip injury as he lost to Querrey – who now plays Marin Cilic, who defeated Gilles Muller also in a five-set match on Wednesday – in the semifinals.

“I’m still in a little bit of shock myself,” Querrey told the BBC after this victory.

“That last point I was just hoping to hit the serve. I’m just thrilled right now.

“I didn’t start my best but I just kept with it, kept swinging away.

“And I really found my groove in the fourth and fifth set and everything seemed to be falling my way then.”

Meanwhile, Murray’s defeat means second seed, Novak Djokovic, who plays Tomas Berdych later on Wednesday, could overtake him as world number one if he makes it to Sunday’s final and wins the title.

Top 100 Most expensive players

Romelu Lukaku has completed his transfer from Everton to Manchester United for a fee of €85 million, making him the most expensive transfer of the summer so far.

However, the Belgium forward is still only 6th on the list of the biggest transfers in football history, which, of course, is still topped by his new team-mate Paul Pogba, who made a record-breaking €105m switch from Juventus to United last summer.

Pos.	Player	Clubs	Year	Fee
1	Paul Pogba	Juventus - Manchester United	2016	€105m
2	Gareth Bale	Tottenham - Real Madrid	2013	€100.8m
3	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United - Real Madrid	2009	€94m
4	Gonzalo Higuain	Napoli - Juventus	2016	€90m
5	Neymar	Santos - Barcelona	2013	€86.2m
6	Romelu Lukaku	Everton - Manchester United	2017	€84.8m
7	Luis Suarez	Liverpool - Barcelona	2014	€82.3m
8	James Rodriguez	Monaco - Real Madrid	2014	€80m
9	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus - Real Madrid	2001	€77.5m
10	Kevin De Bruyne	Wolfsburg - Manchester City	2015	€75m
11	Angel Di Maria	Real Madrid - Manchester United	2014	€74.6m
12	Zlatan Ibrahimovic	Inter - Barcelona	2009	€69.5m
13	Raheem Sterling	Liverpool - Manchester City	2015	€69.1m
14	Kaka	AC Milan - Real Madrid	2009	€65m
15	Edinson Cavani	Napoli- PSG	2013	€64.5m
16	David Luiz	Chelsea - PSG	2014	€62m
17	Angel Di Maria	Manchester United - PSG	2015	€61.6m
18	Oscar	Chelsea - Shanghai SIPG	2016	€60.3m
19	Luis Figo	Barcelona - Real Madrid	2000	€60m
20	Fernando Torres	Liverpool - Chelsea	2011	€59m
21	Hulk	Zenit - Shanghai SIPG	2016	€58.6m
22	John Stones	Everton - Manchester City	2016	€58m
23	Hernan Crespo	Parma - Lazio	2000	€56m
24	Alexandre Lacazette	Lyon - Arsenal	2017	€52.4m
25	Gianluigi Buffon	Parma - Juventus	2001	€52m
26	Eliaquim Mangala	Valencia - Manchester City	2014	€51.7m
=27	Alex Teixeira	Shakhtar Dontesk - Jiangsu Suning	2016	€50m
=27	Bernardo Silva	Monaco - Manchester City	2017	€50m
29	Anthony Martial	Monaco - Manchester United	2015	€49.3m
30	Christian Vieri	Lazio - Inter	1999	€49m
31	Gaizka Mendieta	Valencia - Lazio	2001	€48m
32	Mesut Ozil	Real Madrid - Arsenal	2013	€47m
=33	Rio Ferdinand	Leeds - Manchester United	2002	€46m
=33	Ronaldo	Inter - Real Madrid	2002	€46m
=33	Juan Mata	Chelsea - Manchester United	2014	€46m
36	Christian Benteke	Aston Villa - Liverpool	2015	€45.8m
=37	James Rodriguez	Porto - Monaco	2013	€45m
=37	Joao Mario	Sporting CP - Inter	2016	€45m
=37	Granit Xhaka	Borussia Monchengladbach - Arsenal	2016	€45m
40	Leroy Sane	Schalke - Manchester City	2016	€43.9m
41	Andriy Shevchenko	AC Milan - Chelsea	2006	€43.3m
=42	Robinho	Real Madrid - Manchester City	2008	€43m
=42	Radamel Falcao	Atletico Madrid - Monaco	2013	€43m
44	Juan Sebastian Veron	Lazio - Manchester United	2001	€42.6m
45	Alexis Sanchez	Barcelona - Arsenal	2014	€42.5m
46	Rui Costa	Fiorentina - AC Milan	2001	€42m
=47	Javier Pastore	Palermo - PSG	2011	€42m
=47	Thiago Silva	AC Milan - PSG	2012	€42m
=47	Jackson Martinez	Atletico Madrid - Guangzhou Evergrande	2016	€42m
=47	Henrikh Mkhitaryan	Borussia Dortmund - Manchester United	2016	€42m
=47	Mohamed Salah	Roma - Liverpool	2017	€42m
=52	Lilian Thuram	Parma - Juventus	2001	€41.5m
=52	Corentin Tolisso	Lyon - Bayern Munich	2017	€41.5m
54	Andy Carroll	Newcastle - Liverpool	2011	€41.3m
=55	Pavel Nedved	Lazio - Juventus	2001	€41.2m
=55	Shkodran Mustafi	Valencia - Arsenal	2016	€41.2m
=55	Sadio Mane	Southampton - Liverpool	2016	€41.2m
58	Roberto Firmino	Hoffenheim - Liverpool	2015	€41m
=59	Marc Overmars	Arsenal - Barcelona	2001	€41m
=59	David Villa	Valencia - Barcelona	2010	€40m
=59	Sergio Aguero	Atletico Madrid - Manchester City	2011	€40m
=59	Radamel Falcao	Porto - Atletico Madrid	2011	€40m
=59	Hulk	Porto - Zenit	2012	€40m
=59	Axel Witsel	Benfica - Zenit	2012	€40m
=59	Javi Martinez	Athletic Club - Bayern Munich	2012	€40m
=59	Eden Hazard	Lille - Chelsea	2012	€40m
=59	Fernandinho	Shakhtar Donetsk - Manchester City	2013	€40m
=59	Ederson	Benfica - Manchester City	2017	€40m
69	David Luiz	PSG - Chelsea	2016	€39.6m
=70	Michy Batshuayi	Marseille - Chelsea	2016	€39m
=70	Antonio Rudiger	Roma - Chelsea	2017	€39m
72	Didier Drogba	Marseille - Chelsea	2004	€38.5m
=73	Michael Essien	Lyon - Chelsea	2005	€38m
=73	Fernando Torres	Atletico Madrid - Liverpool	2007	€38m
=73	Dimitar Berbatov	Tottenham - Manchester United	2008	€38m
=73	Gonzalo Higuain	Real Madrid - Napoli	2013	€38m
=73	Diego Costa	Atletico Madrid - Chelsea	2014	€38m
=73	Eric Bailly	Villarreal - Manchester United	2016	€38m
=73	Mats Hummels	Borussia Dortmund - Bayern Munich	2016	€38m
=73	Andre Silva	Porto - AC Milan	2017	€38m
=81	David Beckham	Manchester United - Real Madrid	2003	€37.5m
=81	Luke Shaw	Southampton - Manchester United	2014	€37.5m
83	Jackson Martinez	Porto - Atletico Madrid	2015	€37.1m
=84	Filippo Inzaghi	Juventus - AC Milan	2001	€37m
=84	Wayne Rooney	Everton - Manchester United	2004	€37m
=84	Edin Dzeko	Wolfsburg - Manchester City	2010	€37m
=84	Mario Gotze	Borussia Dortmund - Bayern Munich	2013	€37m
=84	Arturo Vidal	Juventus - Bayern Munich	2015	€37m
=89	Hernan Crespo	Lazio - Inter	2002	€36m
=89	Arjen Robben	Chelsea - Real Madrid	2007	€36m
=89	Ander Herrera	Athletic Club - Manchester United	2014	€36m
92	Javier Saviola	River Plate - Barcelona	2001	€35.9m
93	N'Golo Kante	Leicester City	2016	€35.8m
=94	Dani Alves	Sevilla - Barcelona	2008	€35.5m
=94	Willian	Anzhi - Chelsea	2013	€35.5m
=96	Xabi Alonso	Liverpool - Real Madrid	2009	€35.4m
=96	Romelu Lukaku	Chelsea - Everton	2014	€35.4m
=98	Nicolas Anelka	Arsenal - Real Madrid	1999	€35m
=98	Karim Benzema	Lyon - Real Madrid	2009	€35m
=98	Willian	Shakhtar Donetsk - Anzhi	2013	€35m
=98	Andre Gomes	Valencia - Barcelona	2016	€35m
=98	Moussa Sissoko	Newcastle - Tottenham	2016	€35m
=98	Renato Sanches	Benfica - Bayern Munich	2016	€35m
=98	Julian Draxler	Wolfsburg - PSG	2017	€35m
=98	Victor Lindelof	Benfica - Manchester United	2017	€35m

As illustrated above, while Pogba's return to Old Trafford saw Gareth Bale slip to second in the all-time standings, the Wales international remains the most expensive British player of all time, thanks to his €100.8m move to Real Madrid in 2013.

The costliest English player in history, incidentally, is Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, who joined from Liverpool in 2015 for €69.1m.