Updates :'I'd be worried signing Costa'

Paul Merson says he would be worried about signing Diego Costa after his behaviour at Chelsea but he adds that Atletico Madrid hold all the cards.

The Blues striker has refused to return to the club for pre-season training, preferring to stay in Brazil, and he has said that he wants to go back to Atleti rather than stay at Stamford Bridge.
But Soccer Saturday pundit Merson says he would be concerned about signing Costa if he was a manager after his refusal to honour his contract.
"I'm a big fan of his football wise - I don't agree with his behaviour now - and on the pitch, he is a top player, but I'd be worried about buying him," he said on The Debate.

"When people do this, there is something wrong with you if you're doing something like this. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't do that.
"I couldn't do it, Mark [Schwarzer, his fellow guest on The Debate] wouldn't do it and I know a lot of footballers who wouldn't.
"So there has got to be something in his make-up. Why would you buy someone who has got that in them to get up one morning, go home and say 'I'm not coming back'?"

While Costa may favour a move to Atletico Madrid, they are currently under a transfer embargo until January 2018 but Merson believes that if a transfer was to happen, the La Liga side would have the power.
"Atletico Madrid could be talking to another Spanish club and saying 'we will buy him and you take him on loan for six months for us'," he added.
"It seems at the moment, Atletico Madrid are holding all the cards. They don't have to put in a £50m, £40m or £30m bid. They know that he wants to come and could say 'we'll give you £10m to take him off your hands'."

Former Blues goalkeeper Schwarzer believes Chelsea are doing the right thing by asking Costa to return and believes that the only person the situation affects is the striker himself.
"What they [Chelsea] should do is keep doing what they're doing. They've demanded that he comes back and he isn't. It'll go to FIFA or UEFA and they will try and sort it out through the legal procedures," he told The Debate.
"In the meantime, the one person it really affects and is detrimental to is Diego Costa. His career is now at a standstill.

"Like Merse was saying, if Mr Abramovich decides 'I've had enough, I don't care who he is or how much I'll lose on this deal', although he won't actually because what Costa has done for the club he has made back tenfold already in what he paid in transfer fees.
"In the end, I think they are going to look at it as if he isn't going to play ball, he can stay there and we won't pay him."- SKY

PL news : Jermain Defoe pushing for start against Watford

 Defoe is in contention to make his first Bournemouth start in the Premier League against Watford on Saturday.

Eddie Howe's men are at home for the visit of the Hornets as they look to avoid a second consecutive defeat to kick-off the new season.
Bournemouth lost 1-0 at West Brom last week, a match in which new signing Defoe only appeared as a second-half substitute, but the England striker is now likely to start.
"Jermain didn't have a knock but he felt a tightness in his groin after the Valencia pre-season game," said Howe.

"He felt it until before the West Bromwich Albion game but he came on in that game and is in contention to start this weekend."
Howe comes up against Marco Silva for the second time this year on Saturday having lost to the Portuguese in his first league match in charge of Hull City in January.
The Cherries boss was full of praise for the Watford boss and the way he has adapted to life in England.

"Marco Silva is very friendly, very knowledgeable and did his research on the Premier League so he's got a very bright future," said the Bournemouth boss.
"We have had some really good battles with Watford over the years. 
"We have won some and they have won some. It is very competitive. We need to get our momentum going and get our tempo going and if we can do that then hopefully we will get a result." - Goal

Transfer updates : Spurs agree deal for Sanchez

Tottenham have had a bid accepted by Ajax for defender Davinson Sanchez that could be worth up to a club-record £40m, according to Sky sources.

The highly-rated centre-half was Ajax's player of the year last season and was also a target for Barcelona and Inter Milan.
Sanchez has won two caps for Colombia and scored six goals in his first season in Holland's Eredivisie, making a total of 43 appearances after signing last summer from Atletico Nacional.

Ajax had told Sky Sports News earlier this week that they had informed Sanchez they did not want to sell him this summer but have now been convinced to part with their prized asset.
The 21-year-old missed Ajax's first league game of the season - a 2-1 defeat to Heracles Almelo - with the management claiming he was not in the right state of mind to play.

Sanchez, who started against Manchester United in the Europa League final in May, would become Spurs' first signing of the summer.
Spurs have been in the market for a new centre-half and pulled out of negotiations to sign Argentinian Juan Foyth from Estudiantes because Mauricio Pochettino felt they were demanding too much for the youngster.
Kevin Wimmer is a target for West Brom and his departure would leave Spurs short of cover at centre-half behind experienced options Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and the versatile Eric Dier.
Sky sources understand no official bid has yet been made for Wimmer, but Albion have approached Spurs to ask whether they are prepared to sell. - Sky Sports

Transfer news : Barca 'negotiating' Coutinho deal

Robert Fernandez, Barcelona sporting director says the club are in talks to sign Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho.

On Thursday, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said "nothing had changed" despite comments from Barca's general manager Josep Segura suggesting a deal for the Brazilian was moving closer to completion.
Barcelona have already had two bids - the latest being £90.4m - rejected by Liverpool this summer, prompting Coutinho to hand in a transfer request at Anfield.

Fernandez says he is confident Barca can complete a deal for both Coutinho and Borussia Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele.
Fernandez said: "We are negotiating and that is the truth. With all respect to both clubs, logically in a negotiation you need time to reach agreements for them and for us.

"We still have days ahead and we would like to go forward with this. It is true and I recognise this, that they are two players we feel like bringing here."
Liverpool have been adamant they are unwilling to enter into any negotiations for Coutinho and rejected his transfer request last Friday - SKY

Best FIFA Men's Player award : Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta & Neymar among nominees

Andres Iniesta is one of the more surprising names on the 24-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Player award for 2017.

The Barcelona captain has been included despite having been restricted to just 13 starts in La Liga last season, largely due to injury problems.
Holder Cristiano Ronaldo, Barca star Lionel Messi and new Paris Saint-Germain signing Neymar are on the list, while Juventus duo Paulo Dybala and Gianluigi Buffon are named after impressing en route to the Champions League final.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane is on the list, having finished top of the Premier League goalscoring charts for the second campaign in a row, although Spurs' season ended in disappointment, as they failed to win a trophy.

Real Madrid full-backs Dani Carvajal and Marcelo have been included after consistently strong displays in their side's league and Champions League double in 2016-17.
Alexis Sanchez, N'Golo Kante, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eden Hazard are the other nominees who played for Premier League clubs last term.

BEST FIFA MEN'S PLAYER NOMINEES

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) Leonardo Bonucci (AC Milan, Juventus in 2016-17) Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) Paulo Dybala (Juventus) Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) Eden Hazard (Chelsea) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Free agent, Manchester United in 2016-17) Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) Harry Kane (Tottenham) N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) Marcelo (Real Madrid) Lionel Messi (Barcelona) Luka Modric (Real Madrid) Keylor Navas (Real Madrid) Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona in 2016-17) Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) Luis Suarez (Barcelona) Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)

The list was compiled by a panel of former football greats including Diego Maradona, Cafu, Carles Puyol, Edwin van der Sar and Jay Jay Okocha.
A final trio of nominees will now be decided by a combination of a public vote, which runs between August 21 and September 7, as well as input from national team captains, coaches, and a panel of media representatives. - Goal