Sports

Manchester United reach deal to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid

Published

2 years ago

August 20, 2022

NewsDirect

Manchester United have reached an agreement with LaLiga champions Real Madrid for the transfer of defensive midfielder Casemiro, the Premier League club said on Friday.

United said that the transfer is subject to the agreement of personal terms, British visa requirements and a medical.

Reuters understands that the 30-year-old is to sign a four- to five-year deal at United with wages of around 16 million euros ($16.1 million) per year.

British media said United had closed on a deal worth up to 70 million euros for Casemiro, who has 63 caps for Brazil.

Earlier, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said Casemiro wanted to leave Real to face a “new challenge”.

“We understand his feeling, I do not think there is a way back,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday.

“Real Madrid loses a player that has linked really well with the other midfielders with more quality, (Luka) Modric and (Toni) Kroos.

“ He is important and has been key to Madrid’s success,” Ancelotti said.

Casemiro’s addition will boost United’s options in midfield, with Ten Hag currently having only Fred and Scott McTominay as the regular players in that department.

United are bottom of the Premier League after losing both their opening games. They host rivals Liverpool on Monday night.

LaLiga and European champions Real signed France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in June from AS Monaco, with the 22-year-old believed to be a replacement for Casemiro.

After joining the Spanish giants in 2013 from Sao Paulo, Casemiro won five Champions League trophies, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and three Club World Cups among other honours.

Sports

Juventus releases statement after order to pay Cristiano Ronaldo’s unpaid wages

Published

8 hours ago

April 18, 2024

NewsDirect

Italian giants Juventus have released a statement after being ordered to pay their former player, Cristiano Ronaldo his unpaid wages.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, ordered the Serie A giants to pay Cristiano Ronaldo his unpaid wages.

The court gave the verdict following a dispute arising from pay reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ronaldo, who now laces his boots for Saudi Super League side, Al-Nassr, told the court he was owed €19.5 million ($20.81 million) by the Turin giants in unpaid wages.

The Court ruling will see Juventus pay Ronaldo around half that amount, with a €9.8 million settlement reached.

The Italian giants quickly moved to make a statement after the ruling, stating, “The arbitration tribunal ruled Juve had to pay half of the sum requested by the 39-year-old Portugal striker.

“They partially granted the request made by [Ronaldo]… ascertaining Juventus’ pre-contractual liability resulting from the failure of negotiations and ordered the defendant to pay an amount of approximately Euro 9.8 million.”

Juventus have also hinted at their desire to contest the ruling in their statement, saying:
“The Company, also with the support of its legal counsel, is reviewing the decision made by the arbitration board, reserving all assessments and initiatives to preserve its rights.”

Sports

Real Madrid knock Man City out of Champions League on penalty shootout

Published

17 hours ago

April 18, 2024

NewsDirect

Real Madrid have progressed to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League after knocking out Man City 4-3 on penalty shootouts on Wednesday.

The Premier League and La Liga giants played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu last week and continued to inflict blows on each other at the Etihad.

Rodrygo put Real Madrid ahead on 12 minutes and for a long time it appeared as though his goal would be enough, but Kevin de Bruyne scored with 15 minutes remaining to send the tie to extra-time.

Neither side found a winner in the extra 30 minutes and Real emerged triumphant from a tense penalty shootout.

Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals after the German giants knocked out Arsenal.

Sports

Aruna lose to Freitas, exit ITTF World Cup

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2024

NewsDirect

Quadri Aruna, Nigeria’s top table tennis player, has exited the International Table Tennis (ITTF) World Cup after losing by 1-3 (12-10, 11-9, 11-9, 3-11) to Portuguese Marcos Freitas in the group stage.

The Men’s singles game on Wednesday at the Galaxy Arena, Macao, China, saw the Portuguese claim the first three sets but a comeback from the Nigerian in the last set was not enough to scale over the line.

Aruna had started his campaign at the World Cup on a good note with a 4-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6) convincing win over Puerto Rico’s Daniel Gonzalez to set the final group 15 tie against Freitas.

Aruna occupied the top spot in the group as Freitas had earlier beaten Gonzalez 4-0 (17-15, 11-7, 11-7, 11-1), but the Nigerian had more points than the Portuguese and was rated number one in the group.

The tie between Aruna and Freitas decides the winner of the group and who will then advance to the knockout of the competition.

With Aruna falling short, Freitas will face Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan in the Round of 16 on Thursday.

The tournament which began on Monday will end on April 21.