Barcelona buy defender Mathieu for $27 million
Stoke sign Bojan
BARCELONA, July 23, (Agencies): Spanish giants Barcelona said Wednesday they have bought 30year-old French defender Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia for 20 million euros ($27 million).
Barcelona have been seeking to bolster their defence since Carlos Puyol ended his career.
Though he is not an established French international, Mathieu is recognised as a powerful operator at left back and in central defence. Barcelona called him a “physically imposing defender”.
The Catalan club had made several offers to Valencia for Mathieu who last week issued a public letter calling on the side to negotiate his release.
“I have a chance to play for the world’s biggest club and that’s all I want right now,” he said.
Barcelona said in a statement it had reached agreement on a transfer and Mathieu would sign a four season contract.
“The cost of the transfer is 20 million euros and the buyout clause will be 50 million euros,” it said.
Mathieu played at Sochaux and Toulouse in the French first division until he joined Valencia in 2009.
Stoke City have signed one-time Spain international forward Bojan Krkic from Barcelona on a four-year deal, the Premier League side said on Tuesday.
Bojan, 23, was part of Barcelona’s youth system and scored 26 goals in 104 league appearances before leaving for AS Roma in 2011, having made his first team debut at 17.
He spent time at AC Milan on loan before rejoining the Catalan side last season.
He did not make an appearance for the La Liga giants and was sent on loan to Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam, scoring five goals in 32 matches.
“Anyone who knows European football will be aware of him as a player and the fact that he sees his future at Stoke City is really exciting and an endorsement of the club itself,” manager Mark Hughes told Stoke’s website (www.stokecityfc.com).
“He’s desperate to prove himself in the Premier League and we’re pleased to be able to offer him that platform.”
Bojan, who won a single Spain cap as a teenager in 2008, becomes Stoke’s fifth off-season signing, joining Mame Biram Diouf, Steve Sidwell, Phil Bardsley and Dionatan Teixeira.
Stoke open their league campaign at home to Aston Villa on Aug 16.
Algerian international Yacine Brahimi has signed for five seasons with FC Porto from Spanish club Granada, the Portuguese top flight side announced on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old French-born attacking midfielder has agreed a 6.5 million euro ($8.7 million) deal with a 50 million euro ($67m) buy-out clause, the club said.
Brahimi played up to Under-21 level for the French national side before switching to Algeria.
Capped seven times he impressed during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he scored his first international goal to help Algeria reach the second round for the first time.
Senegalese international defensive midfielder Guirane N’Daw has signed for two years with promoted FC Metz, the French Ligue 1 club confirmed on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old is out of contract with Greek top flight side Asteras Tripolis where he played 32 matches last seasons.
Capped 44 times for Senegal, N’Daw started his career with French side Sochaux in 2002 before moving to Ligue 1 rivals Nantes and SaintEtienne, followed by stints at Real Zaragoza in Spain and Birmingham City and Ipswich Town in England.
He becomes Metz’s fifth recruit for the new season after Venezuelan striker Juan Manuel Falcon, Argentine defender Jose Luis Palomino, French defender Jonathan Rivierez and Franco-Ivorian midfielder Cheick Doukoure.
The club from eastern France were relegated in 2007 and hit rock bottom at the end of the 2011/12 season when they were relegated to the third-tier National level.
But they climbed back into the second division last year and they were top of that since late last year.
Queens Park Rangers have confirmed the arrival of defender Steven Caulker from Cardiff City on a fouryear deal, the Premier League club announced.
He joins former England defender Rio Ferdinand in boosting the defensive options for the promoted west London side, and is reunited with manager Harry Redknapp, who gave him his debut when both were at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 22-year-old joined Cardiff from Spurs last season, playing every match as they were relegated to the second-tier Championship.
“I am very excited to be here,” Caulker told the club website (www.qpr.co.uk). “It was important for me to be back playing in the Premier League, and Harry Redknapp has given me the opportunity to be at this fantastic club.
“Harry was a big factor for me, having worked with him at Tottenham. He was very keen for me to join and that was a big plus, knowing the manager wants you.
“Being able to play with Rio was also a big draw. He has been a role model of mine for many years, along with Ledley King. To have the opportunity to play alongside him was something I felt I couldn’t miss out on.
“Our first aim this season has to be to get to 40 points, to make sure we stay up. That’s our first goal.”
Caulker has made one appearance for England, scoring against Sweden in 2012. No transfer fee was announced.
“I know the ability he has and I think it’s an important signing for the club — for the here and now, and for the future,” Redknapp said.
“I had him at Tottenham and I was very surprised when they decided to let him go last summer, because I thought he had a big future there.”
New West Bromwich Albion boss Alan Irvine was in upbeat mood after England goalkeeper Ben Foster signed a new contract keeping him with the Premier League club on a four-year deal on Tuesday.
Meanwhile defender Andre Wisdom has joined on a season-long loan from Liverpool.
The 31-year-old Foster joined Albion in 2011, initially on-loan from near neighbours Birmingham, before completing a permanent £6 million ($10 million) move in 2012.
“This is fantastic news for everyone connected with the club as Ben’s an extremely important player for us — both on and off the pitch,” Irvine said.
“He’s a great personality, a great character and leads by example,” he added. “This is a magnificent signing for the club.
“Ben is one of the best keepers in the country, which he showed when he played really well for England against Costa Rica at the World Cup,” added Irvine after he reflected on Foster’s performance in a goalless draw, the team’s best result of a disappointing display in Brazil where they lost to both Italy and Uruguay.
Wisdom has become Albion’s sixth pre-season signing, with the England Under-21 international able to play at either right-back or centreback.
The 21-year-old scored on his Liverpool debut in a 5-3 Europa League victory over Swiss side Young Boys in September 2012, going on to make a further 18 appearances that season.
Wisdom made three more appearances at the start of last season then joined Derby on loan for the rest of the campaign, starting 38 games, including the Championship play-off final defeat by Queens Park Rangers.
Irvine said he had been encouraged to sign Wisdom after talking to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
“He said Andre would do a good job for us. That was reassuring. Brendan spoke very, very highly about him.”
Manchester United are prepared to break transfer records in order to give new manager Louis van Gaal the players he wants, according to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
The English giants have already spent over £50 million ($85 million; 63 million euros) on England leftback Luke Shaw and Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera, and Woodward says that they are ready to spend even more.
Some of United’s European rivals have spent big recently. Real Madrid on Tuesday signed James Rodriguez from Monaco for a fee of around £63 million ($107.4m), while Barcelona paid Liverpool around £75 million ($127.8m) for Luis Suarez.
Asked if United were able to pay a similar amount for a player, Woodward said: “It is in our capabilities. The club are not afraid of doing that — spending significant amounts of money in the transfer market.”
United are rebuilding under Van Gaal after a dismal 2013-14 season and Woodward says that in the context, the club will have no qualms about sanctioning big-money signings.
“Whether it’s a record or not doesn’t really resonate with us,” he added, in comments reported by the British media on Wednesday.
“What resonates is a top, top elite player that the manager wants that is going to be a star for Manchester United. We are in a very strong financial position. We can make big signings.
“I get pointed in the direction of a target that the manager wants and there is an assessment of what that might cost and I’ll negotiate hard to do the best I can on the trade.”
United have been linked with a host of players in recent weeks, including Germany centre-back Mats Hummels, Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen, and the Dutch trio of Daley Blind, Stefan de Vrij and Kevin Strootman.