Barca sign Lenglet from Sevilla
BARCELONA:BARCELONA have completed a deal to sign highly-rated French defender Clement Lenglet from Sevilla for €35.9million, with the player set to sign a fiveyear contract.
Lenglet, 23, had long been identified as a target for Barca, with reports linking them with a move for much of the 2017-18 season.
The defender made the switch to Spain in January 2017, leaving Nancy – for whom he was captain – and seamlessly fitting into Jorge Sampaoli’s team.
Even after Sampaoli’s departure, Lenglet continued to be a mainstay under Eduardo Berizzo, Vincenzo Montella and Joaquin Caparros last term, featuring 35 times in La Liga. He becomes the fifth centre-back in Barca’s squad, but Thomas Vermaelen, Samuel Umtiti and Yerry Mina have all been the subjects of transfer speculation.
RUIZ LEAVES TROUBLED SPORTING FOR SANTOS
LONDON:COSTA Rica skipper Bryan Ruiz has left troubled Portuguese club Sporting to sign for Santos and begin a new chapter in his career, the Brazilian team announced on Wednesday. “A new challenge in my career,” the attacking midfielder wrote on twitter. “Very happy and proud to have arrived at a great club @Santosfc.”
Nine Sporting players quit the Lisbon club last month after an attack in May on a training camp by hooded supporters, in which Dutch forward Bas Dost was injured and the dressing room was vandalised.