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FC Barcelona have reportedly expressed interest in signing former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, surprising fans and pundits. The French midfielder, currently with Al-Ittihad, is seen as a low-cost midfield option, with Barcelona hoping to secure him on loan.
The 33-year-old Frenchman currently plays for Saudi PL side Al-Ittihad, but might consider a return to Europe following an impressive Euro display. N’Golo Kante‘s previous tenure with Chelsea ended last summer due to an injury-plagued season. However, his move to the Saudi league allowed him to regain fitness and hone new skills. This resurgence secured him a starting position in the French national team, where he won two POTM awards at the 2024 Euros.
Kante turned out nearly 50 times for Al-Ittihad last season, while chipping in with four goals and six assists. After narrowly missing out on the Euros best team, the midfielder is now being seen as a cost-effective option for the team. The club has struggled to replace Sergio Busquets in midfield, with recent signings failing to meet expectations. Kante’s defensive skills have prompted the Catalan club to consider a loan deal, with new manager Hansi Flick also keen.
() JUST IN: N’Golo Kante has emerged among the candidates at Barcelona as a ‘low-cost midfield signing’ – they’d like to get him on loan, although that looks to be unlikely. @tjuanmarti #Transfers pic.twitter.com/rqZnszXe8Y
— Reshad Rahman (@ReshadFCB) July 21, 2024
The former Chelsea star might have to take a pay cut to join the Spanish side, but Barca may face stiff competition from EPL giants West Ham. Barcelona is also reportedly interested in signing Adrien Rabiot, who has left Juventus as a free agent.
FC Barcelona hopes to land three transfer targets during the summer transfer window
Barcelona aims to secure three major transfer targets this summer to reclaim their lost dominance and glory in European football. The club is reportedly focused on signing three Euros 2022 winners.
Despite financial difficulties, the club is reportedly close to signing three Spanish stars: Nico Williams , Dani Olmo , and Mikel Merino. Adding these players to the current squad would significantly elevate the team’s level and create a strong partnership with 17-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal . All four were part of Spain’s Euro-winning squad.
Moreover, the club is aiming at a major squad overhaul under new manager Hansi Flick. Previously, the German manager intended to sign Joshua Kimmich and Bernardo Silva but was unsuccessful.
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‘In the next hours…’ – Romano drops Leoni update as 18y/o set to touch down in Liverpool today
Giovanni Leoni is set to become Liverpool’s third defensive signing of the summer transfer window, with the deal expected to go through sooner rather than later. It’s a transaction which has escalated rapidly, with Florian Plettenberg reporting on Wednesday afternoon of a ‘full verbal agreement‘ before Fabrizio Romano gave it the ‘here we go’ treatment a few hours later, announcing (via X) that a €35m (£30.1m) move has been agreed. The latter also outlined that the 18-year-old will come straight into Arne Slot’s senior squad, with a loan move not being discussed at any stage, and that it took minimal persuasion on Richard Hughes’ part as the centre-back had completely wanted to join the Reds. Leoni due to arrive in Liverpool today ahead of £30m transfer Late on Wednesday night, Romano took to X again with further details on Leoni’s immiment arrival, with the teenager due to have a medical imminently as the transfer nears completion. The reporter posted: ‘Understand Giovanni Leoni will fly to Merseyside on Thursday, in the next hours as deal with Liverpool is sealed! All documents have been approved and LFC have just authorised Leoni to fly for medical tests. Here we go, 100% confirmed!’ Leoni arrives in Liverpool with an excellent reputation Liverpool fans who’d been dreading the prospect of going into the new Premier League season with only three senior centre-backs can now breathe a huge sigh of relief that, thanks to the ever-proactive Hughes, we’re about to have additional cover in that position on the eve of our opening match. The Bournemouth game tomorrow night will almost certainly be too soon for Leoni to feature, and he still has to come through the medical before we can say without any fear of contradiction that he’ll be a Reds player, but it seems to be just a matter of time before the deal is made official. That the Merseysiders are paying £30m for a defender with only 33 senior appearances (half of which came outside Serie A) attests to how highly the Italian is rated and how high a ceiling the Anfield hierarchy believe he has. The 18-year-old is set to initially provide backup to Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, with he and Joe Gomez (who’s back in training this week) on hand to step in when required. Leoni is set to arrive in Liverpool with a ringing endorsement from one of his nation’s greatest-ever coaches in Arrigo Sacchi, a two-time European Cup winner with AC Milan, who described him in Gazzetta dello Sport as ‘a great coup’ and a ‘decent guy, hard-working, humble and very determined’. Those qualities should ensure that the teenage defender fits in perfectly at Anfield – Richard Hughes, you’ve done it again!
Double boost for Arne Slot as Liverpool duo return to training ahead of Premier League opener
Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
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Nuggets Receive Huge Russell Westbrook News During NBA Offseason
It has been a busy offseason for the Denver Nuggets as they have reshaped their roster around their core of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Denver began their offseason by trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson in a trade that not only landed them a three-point sharpshooter in Johnson but also helped free up cap space. With the extra cap space, the Nuggets signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency and they also acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings. By making these moves, the Nuggets have been able to upgrade their bench, which was a massive issue for them last season. While the Nuggets clearly had the goal to upgrade their depth this offseason, one of their key players from last season will reportedly not be returning next season. Russell Westbrook not expected to return to Nuggets According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Russell Westbrook is set to sign with a new team this summer in free agency as he will not be returning to Denver. “It appears that Westbrook, who spent the first 11 years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, will play for his sixth franchise in seven seasons. He won't be returning to the Denver Nuggets after a roller coaster season in which Westbrook finished seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year voting,” MacMahon wrote. This is a massive report by MacMahon, but also one that is not a major surprise as it appeared as though the Nuggets were not interested in bringing back the former NBA MVP. Of course, Westbrook played a key role for the Nuggets last season both off the bench and in the starting lineup, though his minutes were cut at the end of the season after Denver fired former head coach Michael Malone and replaced him with David Adelman. With Westbrook now unlikely to return to Denver for next season, MacMahon mentioned in his report that the Sacramento Kings are viewed as the favorites to sign him, though there should be other teams that also show interest in adding the veteran guard to their roster next season.
NASCAR makes decision on victory celebrations after Connor Zilisch fall
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