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Villarreal sign highly rated Velez midfielder Caseres

Villarreal have secured the signing of highly rated Argentine midfielder Santiago Caseres from Velez Sarsfield on a five-year deal.

The Yellow Submarine have been on the hunt for a defensive midfielder following the departure of Rodri to Atletico Madrid and Caseres, 21, is the man selected to fill the void.

After playing in 11 games in 2016-17 in Argentina’s top division for Velez, Caseres broke out in 2017-18, featuring in 23 contests, all starts, for the side that finished 14th in the table.

Though that was Caseres’ first full year with the Velez first team, in that time he has reportedly drawn admiring glances from numerous European clubs, with Atletico said to have been one of them.

This season he has become a crucial part of Gabriel Heinze’s side and is said to have collected Velez somewhere in the region of €10 million (£9m/$12m).

Villarreal have finished in fifth place each of the last two La Liga campaigns and have had a busy summer to date.

The club have added Miguel Layun from Porto and Ramiro Funes Mori from Everton to shore up the defence.

They have also brought in forwards Gerard Moreno and Karl Toko Ekambi to aid in attack.

#Villarreal have come to a transfer agreement with @Velez for @santycaseres5 , who will play for the Yellows for the next five seasons. Pure talent and Argentinean spirit for the midfield. Welcome, Santiago! https://t.co/E9kbOdyQBr
— Villarreal CF English (@Eng_Villarreal) July 16, 2018

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Record income revenue for Barcelona as club tops €900 million

Barcelona announced a record income for the club with the board of directors closing the accounts corresponding to the 2017-18 season at €914 million (£809m/$1.07b).

On the field, the club saw plenty of success in La Liga, reclaiming the title in 2017-18 after a disappointing year prior had seen them cede the crown to rivals Real Madrid.

The campaign nearly saw Barca run through the La Liga season undefeated, though a loss to Levante in the penultimate game of the season denied them that honor.

However, they still set records on the field, having maintained the longest undefeated start to a season in La Liga history.

And now, the club are setting records off the field as well.

Barcelona’s income figures resulted in an operating profit of €32m and a net profit of €13m.

The figures are in line with the Catalan side’s strategic plan of reaching €1 billion of income in 2021.

Last year, Barca managed an income of €708m, which had been the previous record.

The club will present additional detail of the year-end figures, as well as the new budget, before the next general meeting.

The board of directors also expressed their congratulations to Samuel Umtiti and Ousmane Dembele for their achievements with 2018 World Cup winners France.

Barcelona will start International Champions Cup play on July 28 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.

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Alexis shows off Ronaldo-like hairstyle for new season

Alexis Sanchez is gearing up for the new season with Manchester United with a fresh new look.

The Chilean winger helped United to a second place finish in the Premier League last term after joining from Arsenal in January.

The Red Devils are looking to make a stronger challenge for the title in 2018-19 after finishing 19 points behind Manchester City, and will be hoping Sanchez is at his best from the beginning.

And although the 29-year-old will be late in joining his team-mates on their tour of the United States because of an administrative issue, he is getting his hairstyle ready before he makes the trip.

Sanchez took to Instagram to show off his new streamlined look, which appears similar to the style a previous United No.7, Cristiano Ronaldo.

“New style, new season,” he posted alongside a video and pictures showing it off.

Sanchez scored two goals and set up three in 12 Premier League appearances for United last season but faced criticism for his performances.

His transition to life at Old Trafford was not all smooth, however, as he opened up about the difficulty of adapting to his new surroundings.

New Style, New Season Nuevo look , Nueva temporada

Een bericht gedeeld door Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) op 16 Jul 2018 om 5:38 (PDT)

And after a disappointing campaign with Arsenal prior to the January move, and missing out on the 2018 World Cup after Chile failed to qualify, Sanchez will be looking to rebound with a strong season at Old Trafford.

Sanchez’s team-mates will be in action this week as Manchester United kick off their U.S. tour with a friendly against Liga MX side Club America in Glendale, Ariz. on July 19, followed by a matchup with the San Jose Earthquake of Major League Soccer.

The Red Devils kick off their International Champions Cup slate against AC Milan on July 25.

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Tim Cahill confirms retirement from international football

Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer Tim Cahill has retired from international football after appearing in a fourth straight World Cup for the Socceroos.

Cahill came off the bench against Peru in Russia with that brief cameo in a 2-0 loss set to be his final minutes in the green and gold.

The 38-year-old confirmed his retirement from the national team on Tuesday as he ponders his club future after seeing his contract expire with Millwall.

— TIM CAHILL (@Tim_Cahill) July 17, 2018

With 107 Socceroos caps to his name, Cahill has bagged an even 50 goals for Australia – including the nation’s first ever World Cup goal in 2006 against Japan.

Just two appearances shy of matching the all-time record for Socceroos caps, there was some specualtion Cahill might play on until 2019 with Australia looking to defend their Asian Cup crown.

He has however decided to hang up the green and gold jersey with the announcement leaving his club future very much up in the air.

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Over 10 per cent of Croatia’s population welcomes World Cup heroes home

Croatia were greeted by an estimated half-a-million fans on the streets of Zagreb on Monday, as they returned home to a remarkable reception after losing in Sunday’s World Cup final.

Despite the undoubted individual quality available to coach Zlatko Dalic, few expected Croatia to go as far as they did in Russia.

Croatia’s preparations for the tournament were by no means perfect, considering Dalic was only appointed as the replacement for the sacked Ante Cacic last October with one last qualification group game to go.

He ultimately led them into the play-offs and then to Russia, where they picked up three wins in the group stage – including a brilliant 3-0 triumph over Argentina.

Penalty shoot-out victories over Denmark and Russia followed in the last 16 and quarter-finals, respectively, before a 2-1 win against England in extra-time saw them reach their first ever World Cup final.

Though star midfielder Luka Modric took home the Golden Ball for the tournament’s top player, Croatia came unstuck in the final, losing 4-2 to France.

However, the defeat did not dampen the spirits of those at home as the team returned from their best-ever World Cup performance.

According to the welcoming ceremony’s presenter, local police estimated 550,000 people – well over 10 per cent of the country’s 4.2 million population – took to the streets of capital city Zagreb throughout the day to see their heroes return, with the Croatia team travelling from the airport in an open-top bus.

A route that would usually take approximately 30 minutes took them over four hours, as the Croatian public greeted them as if they were royalty.

Although Croatia’s Russia adventure did not end with victory in the final, they are clearly seen as champions in the eyes of the public.

pic.twitter.com/4zkvObONq2
— Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) July 16, 2018

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