Stoke swoop for Reds Wales midfielder Allen
Dortmund dismiss City Aubameyang interest
LONDON, July 26, (Agencies): Stoke City have signed Wales international midfielder Joe Allen from Liverpool on a five-year deal, the two Premier League clubs announced on Monday.
Stoke paid £13 million (15.5 million euros, $17 million) to make Allen the club’s second signing of the preseason after tying up a deal for Egyptian teenager Ramadan Sobhi earlier in the day.
Allen was named in UEFA’s team of the tournament as Wales reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016, but the 26-year-old struggled for playing time under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield last season.
“It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for me but I am delighted to have finally been able to put pen to paper,” Allen told Stoke’s official website.
“I was really excited as soon as I heard of the club’s interest and it wasn’t a difficult decision for me to make.
“I am incredibly excited about my future here at Stoke City.”
Allen, who will wear the number four shirt, will fly out to Orlando along with Sobhi on Tuesday to join his new team-mates.
Potters chief executive Tony Scholes added: “Joe is a player that (coach) Mark (Hughes) has admired for a considerable amount of time.
Borussia Dortmund have dismissed reports Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are poised to offer at least £58 million (70m euros, $77m) for star striker Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang.
According to British media, City are in advanced talks with the Gabon international, who scored 39 goals for Dortmund in all competitions last season as they finished runners-up to
Bayern Munich in Germany’s top flight.
“All these rumours have already followed us this summer,” Dortmund team manager Michael Zorc told German daily Bild.
“We can only repeat, as always, that he has a contract with us until 2020 and feels good at Borussia Dortmund -- as it should remain.”
The 27-year-old though has made clear his wish to join Real Madrid, should he quit the Bundesliga.
“Dortmund is a fantastic club which has been decisive for my career,” Aubameyang told German broadcaster ZDF.
“My Spanish grandfather always said that he wanted me to play in Spain one day and if that happens, it will be for Real Madrid.
While Aubameyang insists he enjoys playing for Dortmund, he would “immediately say yes” to Real.
French club Lyon said Tuesday they had rejected a 35-million-euro (£29 million, $39 million) bid from Arsenal for star striker Alexandre
Lacazette.
Lyon called the 25-year-old, who has long been linked with a move to the Premier League having scored 48 goals over the last two seasons, “irreplacable” and said he would not be sold. In May, Lyon president JeanMichel Aulas said the club had dis- missed a 40-million-euro offer from
West Ham United for the prolific
French international.
Serbia left winger Filip Kostic has joined Bundesliga club Hamburger
SV from relegated Stuttgart. Hamburg said Kostic, who has played nine times for Serbia, joined on a five-year deal but no financial details were given.
The 23-year-old Kostic was one of Stuttgart’s better players last season, scoring five league goals.
Hamburg has also strengthened its squad with the signing of 20-year-old Croatia midfielder Alen Halilovic from Barcelona.
Roma coach Luciano Spalletti has warned a trio of Premier League giants off the scent of Greek defender Kostas
Manolas.
Manolas, 25, is a target for some of the “best clubs in Europe” but specifically Manchester City, Manchester
United and Chelsea, according to the player’s agent.
But Spalletti, speaking ahead of Roma’s first full training session in Boston on Sunday, said the 25-yearold was happy in the Italian capital and would not be moving.
“Manolas is a good footballer, like there are many good footballers, so it’s only normal his name has come up in the transfer market -- indeed it is inevitable,” Spalletti said in comments reported on the club’s official website asroma.it.
“But his intentions are clear, so there are no issues. Why not talk instead about the problem of writing about issues that are not there? Manolas will stay with us.” The player’s agent Ioannis
Evangelopoulos upped the stakes with Roma when he told Il Tempo newspaper: “The best clubs in Europe want him. There isn’t just Manchester City, but also United and Chelsea.”
Swansea City are looking to bolster their attacking firepower and are targeting two strikers before the new season, the Premier League club’s chairman Huw Jenkins said. Swansea have signed midfielder
Leroy Fer, defender Mike van der Hoorn and goalkeeper Mark
Birighitti, but striker Alberto Paloschi has joined Atalanta and uncertainty surrounds the future of
Bafetimbi Gomis.
“It’s pretty obvious we need one, maybe two strikers and another player. Three is probably the minimum,” Jenkins said.