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Chelsea meet Juventus over Rugani as deal grows closer

Chelsea representative Fali Ramadani met with Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici on Wednesday to discuss a deal for centre-back Daniele Rugani, Goal understands.

The talks in Milan are understood to have gone well, with the 23-year-old defender nearing a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are thought to be offering €40 million (£36m/$47m) for Rugani’s services, while Juventus are holding out for €50m (£45m/$58m).

The two sides should be able to find a compromise over that €10m gap, especially if Chelesa were to offer add-ons to bolster their €40m offer.

The Blues are set to offer Rugani a contract worth €4.5m per season.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has prioritised the signing of Rugani, whom he managed during the defender’s spell at Empoli between 2013 and 2015.

Rugani has been capped seven times by Italy and is highly regarded, but has yet to establish himself as a regular starter with Juve.

Stuck behind veterans like Giorgio Chiellini, Medhi Benatia and Andrea Barzagli, Rugani made just 26 total appearances in 2017-18, six more than he made the previous season.

Following the €100m purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Old Lady are looking to balance their books by selling off multiple players.

In addition to Rugani’s likely exit, Juve are also looking to part ways with prolific striker Gonzalo Higuain.

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Nantes sign former Manchester United full-back Fabio

Former Manchester Untied defender Fabio da Silva has signed for Nantes from Middlesbrough, bringing his 10-year spell in English football to an end.

The 28-year-old full-back joins the Ligue 1 club on a three-year contract and will wear the No.2 shirt.

“I’m very happy to join FC Nantes,” Fabio told the club’s official website.

“I’m really looking forward to training and being ready to help my team-mates.

“I already know them a bit because I have seen matches on TV, I know some players and to be honest, I am very enthusiastic!”

After starting his career at Fluminense, Fabio made the move to Old Trafford in 2008-09 along with brother Rafael under Alex Ferguson but rarely featured for the first team.

A loan to Queens Park Rangers came 2012-13, as he made 21 appearances and 13 starts for the London club, who finished bottom of the league and were relegated.

Fabio then moved to Cardiff City in January 2014, having made only 23 Premier League appearances for United, though he did play in 14 Champions League matches for the Red Devils.

The defender made 13 starts for Cardiff down the stretch but the club were relegated to the Championship at the end of that season.

Fabio went on to be a regular in the Bluebirds’ back four in the Championship until he secured a move back to the Premier League with Middlesbrough in 2016.

The defender made 24 appearances in the Premier League that season, with 21 starts. However, another relegation followed, with Fabio playing 24 games last season for Boro in the Championship, starting 18 of them.

After 11 years in the UK I cannot wait to start this new challenge at @FCNantes I feel honoured to join this famous club and I look forward to helping Nantes achieve its goals. #AllezFCNantes Thanks to the team @KeySportsMGMT pic.twitter.com/FeIL2k7uNB
— Fabio Da Silva (@Ofabio3) July 18, 2018

The two-time Brazil international will now get another shot at top-flight football after signing a three-year contract at Nantes.

Nantes finished ninth in Ligue 1 last season, 41 points behind winners Paris Saint-Germain.

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Marcelino rewarded with one-year Valencia extension

Marcelino has been rewarded for a fine first year in charge of Valencia with a new contract that runs until the end of the 2019-20 season.

The 52-year-old took over at the end of the 2016-17 season following the removal of Cesare Prandelli and has now secured a one-year extension to his existing deal after leading his side to fourth place in La Liga last term.

Valencia have been hampered by instability since December 2015, with the head coach role changing hands six times, but the appointment of Marcelino and regular goals from Spain striker Rodrigo helped seal a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.

Valencia CF have reached a complete agreement this Wednesday to extend Marcelino García Toral´s contract for a further season until the 30th of June 2020 as the first team coach,” the club signalled in a short statement.

“Valencia CF are delighted to have finalized such an agreement.”

Marcelino began his coaching career with Sporting’s ‘B’ team and moved up to the Gijon side’s first XI as he embarked on a rather nomadic path through Spain.

Prior to taking the Valencia job he had directed at the likes of Recreativo, Racing Santander, Zaragoza, Sevilla and Villarreal, spending three seasons at the latter up to 2016.

Club Statement | Marcelino García Toral https://t.co/QLqBaBxGH6
— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en) July 18, 2018

Valencia’s pre-season preparations get underway against Galatasaray in Switzerland on Saturday, before further friendlies with the likes of PSV, Leicester City, Everton and Bayer Leverkusen.

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‘Mistakes do not define me’ – Chelsea boss Sarri rejects racism & homophobia accusations

Maurizio Sarri insists “mistakes” in his past do not accurately represent his character and will not overshadow his tenure at Chelsea.

The new Blues boss faced the media for the first time on Wednesday and answered questions over a number of controversies during his coaching career in Italy.

Sarri, 59, was labelled a “racist” and accused of being a homophobe by then-Inter boss Roberto Mancini following a heated exchange in 2016.

Further criticism followed earlier this year when he insulted a female journalist, but the former Perugia and Empoli coach claims past comments are not indicative of his views.

“These were mistakes for sure. I think they do not very well define me, either as homophobic or racist,” Sarri said.

“I am a very open person. I do not have these kinds of problems. I hope I will be able to show this when I am working here and living here.

“These mistakes were made, yes, and when someone makes a mistake they must apologise. To have a professional and ethical attitude is very important.

“I hope you will get to know me better and forget about this.”

Make yourself at home, Maurizio! #CFCSarri pic.twitter.com/4SCvuYORGN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 18, 2018

Left “heartbroken” by an acrimonious departure from Napoli, Sarri has resolved to introduce a sense of fun at Stamford Bridge, where a tense atmosphere developed under Antonio Conte last term.

The Italian hopes to do that by implementing a playing style he described as closer to Pep Guardiola’s approach than that of Jose Mourinho.

“[Mourinho] was won many things repeatedly and in different clubs so I think his track record does not need any description. We are talking about a world level coach,” Sarri said.

“I esteem Guardiola and also other managers. My playing style is closer to Guardiola but I really appreciate both in the same way.

“My goal is to have fun and if possible be competitive in all competitions until the very end.”

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Welbeck & Monreal could leave as Emery targets two more Arsenal signings

Arsenal manager Unai Emery is keen to bring in two more players before the end of the transfer window, but the north London side will have to sell players first in order to raise funds.

The Gunners have already secured the services of Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Matteo Guendouzi in recent weeks and Emery remains keen to add to his squad.

Arsenal had a £70 million ($91m) budget heading into the transfer window, however, and will have to sell before making any additional signings.

They are believed to be willing to listen to offers for the likes of Nacho Monreal, Shkodran Mustafi, Danny Welbeck, Petr Cech, David Ospina, Carl Jenkinson and Lucas Perez.

The arrival of Leno from Bayer Leverkusen means Cech will likely end up on the bench after three years at the Emirates, with Ospina another potential victim of the German goalkeeper’s signing.

Mustafi faces extra competition for a starting berth in defence from Sokratis following his arrival from Borussia Dortmund , with the centre-back enduring a difficult 2017-18 campaign.

Welbeck, meanwhile, has been plagued by injury ever since joining Arsenal from Manchester United in 2014 and has failed to win over his critics over the past four seasons.

Monreal was an important first-team member under Arsenal Wenger last term, but is seemingly not part of Emery’s plans.

Jenkinson and Perez each spent last season away from Arsenal on loan and could be on the move permanently before deadline day on August 9.

Emery has made the signing of a fast, direct winger his main priority in the upcoming weeks, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson currently making up Arsenal’s frontline options.

The former Paris Saint-Germain boss would also like to bring in a new left-back if Arsenal manage to offload Monreal, with the Spanish full-back having been linked with a move to Real Sociedad.

Arsenal are currently preparing for their season opener against Manchester City on August 12, with Emery’s intense training sessions having impressed the squad as they were out on the training pitch until 8pm last week following a double session.

Playmaker Mesut Ozil even decided to cut his holiday short and make an early return after speaking to his team-mates about Emery’s training sessions.

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