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      Fulham snap up Sassuolo centre-back Marlon Santos in £13.75m deal as Scott Parker looks to sort defensive problems

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      FULHAM have reportedly snapped up centre-back Marlon Santos from Italian club Sassuolo for £13m as Scott Parker looks to strengthen his side’s defence.
      The deal will be finalised soon with part of the transfer fee to go to Barcelona, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

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      Santos is seen as the answer to Fulham’s defensive woesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali confirmed the negotiations and said: “We had an offer from Fulham, an important one, so we are evaluating it and the negotiations are in progress.
      “We’ll see over the next few days if we can conclude them.”
      Santos, 25, left Barca in 2018 to join Sassuolo for an inital fee of £5.5m, with the Serie A side to pay another £.5.5m when he had played 50 games.
      The Brazilian likes to get stuck in the action and last season he averaged 1.7 tackles per game.

      He’s also a good passer of the ball and last season he completed an average of 94.3 per cent of his passes, 60.9 passes per game, as well as 2.7 long balls.
      This isn’t the first time Santos has been linked with a move to the prem, and both West Ham and Southampton were associated with his signature before he moved to Serie A two years ago.

      But the Hammers were thought to be worried by the six-footer’s lack of physicality compared to more traditional Prem defenders.

      He is seen by Parker as the answer to Fulham’s defensive woes as the newly-promoted club have already let in seven goals in just two Premier League matches.

      Speaking on the goals his side have conceded Parker said: “You cannot give up goals that we have given up.
      “You can’t expect to score four or five goals to win football matches in this league.”
      Fulham have shown their desire to stay in the league by bringing in a total of seven new players this summer, including keeper Alphonse Areola from PSG.

      Scott Parker talks about the challenges of being head coach at Fulham More

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      Inter Milan sign Arturo Vidal in tiny £900,000 transfer from Barcelona as ex-Juventus star returns to Serie A

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      INTER MILAN have completed the signing of Arturo Vidal from Barcelona for just £900,000.
      The Chilean reunites with manager Antonio Conte, who he previously worked with at Juventus between 2011 and 2014.

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      Vidal’s final appearance for Barcelona came against Bayern MunichCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Vidal, 33, will look to add to his amazing tally of 11 league titles in four different countries.
      The combative midfielder left Juventus a year after Conte, spending three years at Bayern Munich before arriving at Camp Nou in 2018.
      He made 96 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 11 times and making ten assists.

      Vidal took to social media to thank Barca for “two wonderful years”, while the club itself placed on record its thanks for his “commitment and dedication”.
      And stars Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez also paid tribute to their departing fellow South American.
      The former wrote: “I only knew you from facing up against each other and you always seemed a phenomenon, but after I was lucky enough to get to know you personally and you surprised me even more.
      “They were two years sharing a lot and you made yourself noticed a lot. The dressing room will miss you, Arturo.”

      While Suarez, who himself appears set for Atletico Madrid, added: “To have you as an opponent was unbearable because of how great you are as a player, but to have you as a team-mate, friend and to know you as a person, you are even greater!”

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      Vidal links up with Chilean compatriot Alexis SanchezCredit: Reuters

      Vidal’s final appearance for Barcelona came in the 8-2 drubbing against Bayern Munich, and he immediately did not feature in new manager Ronald Koeman’s plans.
      He has been let go for under £1m because of Barcelona’s sheer desperation to offload high-earners in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – while also only having nine months remaining on his contract.
      Vidal joins compatriot Alexis Sanchez at Inter Milan, as Conte attempts to mould a squad capable of ending Juventus’ Serie A dominance… that he started.

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      Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez both paid tribute to their departing friendCredit: Getty – Contributor

      Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal looks close to vomiting as Bayern Munich celebrate one of their eight goals More

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      Juventus in Morata transfer talks for £9m loan and £41m option to buy with Luis Suarez joining Atletico as replacement

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      JUVENTUS have reportedly turned to Alvaro Morata after failing with a bid for Barcelona striker Luis Suarez.
      Passport issues mean the Uruguayan will not be able to complete his £13.5million move to Juventus before the October 5 transfer deadline.

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      Alvaro Morata is being eyed by Juventus for a return to the club, according to reportsCredit: Reuters

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      Former Juve target Luis Suarez could head to Atletico Madrid as the striker’s replacementCredit: Reuters

      That has forced the Serie A champions to look elsewhere with Edin Dzeko and Moise Kean among those on their wishlist.
      But another former Juve star, Morata, is now on their radar.
      According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the club have offered £9million to take the Atletico Madrid forward on loan.

      A further £41m fee is on the table to make that deal permanent at a later date.
      Such a move would reportedly enable Atletico to swoop for Suarez.
      Diego Simeone’s side were linked with the 33-year-old over the weekend as his move to Juventus collapsed.
      Suarez has been told by new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman that his time at the Camp Nou is over.

      Reports on Monday suggested his contract had been terminated, allowing him to leave for free.

      Barcelona are keen to shift some of their highest earners off a huge wage bill
      A tally of 21 goals and 12 assists appeared to show the veteran forward’s worth before the Dutchman’s arrival, which is heralding a major clearout.
      Like Barcelona, Atletico are hard hit by the coronavirus crisis and must sell before they can buy this autumn.
      Morata, 27, cost the Madrid club £58m when signing from Chelsea in July, following an 18-month loan spell.
      A productive two-year stint at Juventus earlier in his career saw the Spaniard win a pair of Scudetto titles and reach the 2015 Champions League final.
      And Morata has come into view after Suarez’s Italy switch was binned.
      Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici told Sky Sports Italia on Sunday: “Suarez can be removed from that list.

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      Morata was a big hit in Turin during his first stint at JuventusCredit: AP:Associated Press

      “The time it takes to get the passport is longer than the transfer deadline or the moment we can hand in the Champions League squad lists.
      “We evaluated the Suarez option when it was proposed to us. He was in the process of getting Italian citizenship, so we evaluated the possibility of registering him in time.
      “It is not possible, so he was never really close.”

      Alvaro Morata claims only Spanish players passed to him while at Chelsea More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo scores with assist from Aaron Ramsey as Juventus open Serie A season with 3-0 win vs Sampdoria

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO began where his record-breaking last season left off by clinching Juventus’ 3-0 opening-day win over Sampdoria in boss Andrea Pirlo’s first match.
      And it was Aaron Ramsey who teed up Ronaldo’s late goal, suggesting the Arsenal legend can make up for his patchy debut campaign in Serie A.

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      Cristiano Ronaldo fires home Juventus’ third goal late on against Claudio Ranieri’s SampdoriaCredit: Reuters

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      Ronaldo scored late in the 3-0 win to give Andrea Pirlo a win in his first match as a managerCredit: Reuters

      Former Atalanta winger Dejan Kulusevski grabbed a debut opener early on.
      But Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria defended well for the rest of the first period and created reasonable chances after the break.
      That all changed, though, once Leonardo Bonucci doubled the champions’ lead on 78 minutes, pouncing on a rebound when Weston McKennie’s shot was saved.

      Ronaldo’s fine finish then made up for him hitting the bar earlier as the home side impressed in their first match since Maurizio Sarri’s sacking as manager in August.
      Sampdoria can feel slightly hard done by to lose so heavily.
      But they had no-one in front of goal like Ronaldo.

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      Juventus goal-taker Cristiano Ronaldo takes the congratulations of goal-maker Aaron RamseyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Aaron Ramsey notched an assist to reward Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo for starting himCredit: AFP or licensors
      The ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United frontman, 35, ended last term with Juve’s highest individual tally for a season – 37 goals.

      And on the way he reached 50 Serie A strikes quicker than any player before, needing just 61 matches.
      This time out, his match-sealer against Sampdoria rewarded Juventus’ dominance after they spluttered over the line in the title race last month.

      Cristiano Ronaldo throws lavish party for girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez More

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      Leicester confirm Cengiz Under loan transfer after teasing fans with hilarious Undertaker tweet

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      LEICESTER CITY have completed the loan signing of Roma winger Cengiz Under – after teasing fans with a hilarious tweet.
      The Foxes shared a picture of a hat and leather jacket made famous by WWE legend The Undertaker on the King Power pitch… just 30 minutes before announcing they had taken Under for the 2020-21 season.

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      Leicester City have signed Cengiz Under on loan for the season from Roma

      They also added the umlaut – the double dots – over the letter “u” in their Twitter bio for good measure to emulate the 23-year-old’s surname.
      It is understood the East Midlands outfit have the option to make the transfer permanent next summer.
      The star has spent the last three seasons in Serie A and will join up with his new team-mates ahead of tonight’s clash against Burnley.

      Under already knows one familiar Foxes face as he is a team-mate and the “best friend” of Caglar Soyuncu.
      The pair are international pals for for Turkey, with Under making his debut four years ago and earning 21 caps.
      Speaking to LCFC.com, Under said: “I can’t wait to go to Leicester and start training.
      “I’ve always wanted to play in England and this is a great opportunity to play in the Premier League.

      “I will try to help my team-mates on the pitch and off the pitch and I believe that I can improve my performance every day. I think I am fast and can create lots of chances for my colleagues.

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      The Turkish international is best friends with Foxes defender Caglar SoyuncuCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Wrestling hero The Undertaken made the hat and leather jacket combination iconic and led to the brilliant tweetCredit: Handout

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      “I feel very good because my best friend plays for Leicester City.
      “I am very happy to be able to play with Caglar and I always watched Leicester’s games because of him.”
      Under joined Italian giants Roma from Istanbul Basaksehir in 2017 and became the youngest Turkish player to score in the Champions League when he made his debut in February 2018.
      Like Soyuncu, he is a product of the Altinordu youth system and progressed to their first team before earning his Basaksehir move.
      A year later, though, he was snapped up by Roma and has scored 17 goals in 88 appearances, reportedly attracting interest from Arsenal and Manchester United.
      And Brendan Rodgers will be desperate his new signing – who follows Timothy Castagne through the door at the King Power this summer – hits the ground running.

      Under took to Twitter to show his appreciation to both Roma and Leicester

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      Leicester had some fun on their Twitter account on Sunday morning

      – 88 Roma apps- 17 Goals- 12 AssistsTurkey winger Cengiz Ünder joins Leicester City on a season-long loan from the Serie A club 🦊 pic.twitter.com/i2iXNXwCXi
      — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 20, 2020

      The right-wing area was somewhere the Foxes needed to strengthen and Under is expected to replace Ayoze Perez out wide.
      Under also took to Twitter to thank both his parent club for the opportunity to advance his career as well as Leicester ahead of his new venture.
      He wrote: “Three years ago, when I walked into this door, I came to show a great challenge.
      “During my time here, I loved not only AS Roma, but also the city of Rome, the culture, the people of this wonderful city.
      “I’m sincerely thankful to all of fans for the love and support that shared with me since my first moment here.
      “After our unique time together, I have a new challenge ahead of me.
      “Thanks to Brendan Rodgers, all the staff and management, for trusting me in this new chapter. I can’t wait to reflect my passion to the field.”

      Leicester’s Caglar Soyuncu looks back to playing at his first club in Turkey More

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      Juventus ‘contact Everton over Moise Kean loan transfer return’ but Toffees only want to sell 20-year-old forward

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      JUVENTUS are reportedly interested in bringing Moise Kean back to Turin after a disappointing spell at Everton.
      The Toffees paid £25million to sign the striker last year, but his first season in England did not go to plan.

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      Moise Kean scored in Everton’s midweek win over Salford in the Carabao CupCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      According to Goal, the Serie A champions are chasing a loan deal for Kean, 20.
      However, Everton are said to prefer an outright sale and will demand an obligation to buy if he leaves on loan.
      Carlo Ancelotti has asserted that the Italian will be a first-team player for Everton this season.

      After only scoring twice in 2019/20, Kean netted in his side’s beating of Salford in the week having come off the bench against Tottenham.
      And Ancelotti believes the youngster will compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin for his lone striker role.
      The Everton boss, 61, told reporters: “I know that for a striker it’s important to score. Not for me, it’s important to have a good performance.
      “I think he played a good game, he was involved in a lot of offensive situations, he scored the penalty. But I don’t know how he felt after the penalty.

      “Honestly he had a good performance in my opinion, he could have scored before.

      “But Moise Kean is a player that we count for the season, this is for sure. As central strikers we have Dominic who’s doing well, and we have him.”
      Juventus are undergoing something of a squad revamp this summer, flogging aging stars Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain.
      Edin Dzeko is set to arrive from Roma in the coming days to provide a foil to Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.
      Piedmont-born Kean joined the Old Lady at the age of ten and became the club’s youngest-ever debutant in November 2016.
      Despite netting six consecutive goals for club and country in the spring of last year, he was allowed to leave for the Premier League.

      The move was quickly criticised by Kean’s father, who felt he was too young to leave Italy.
      Biorou Jean told Centro Suono Sport last year: “Sending my son to England was a mistake, because he’s still too young.
      “He’s not feeling good at Everton, I didn’t like this transfer.
      “I hope he can come back to Italy as soon as possible, I hope he goes to Rome, but the important thing is that he comes back here.”

      Moise Kean shows he has great ball control as he trains with Everton squad More

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      Juventus make transfer record loss on Gonzalo Higuain after releasing £75m striker to join Inter Miami on free

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      JUVENTUS have made a record £75million loss on striker Gonzalo Higuain, after they allowed him to join Inter Miami on a free transfer.
      The Argentine joined the Old Lady from Napoli for what was, at the time, a record fee for the club.

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      Inter Miami have unveiled Gonzalo Higuain as their latest recruit

      But four years on, they’ve let him leave for nothing, just to get his £270,000-a-week salary off the wage bill.
      This ranks as the biggest loss ever made by a club on a transfer, as pointed out by journalist Richard Jolly.
      Higuain, 32, now joins up with David Beckham’s Inter Miami, MLS’ newest franchise.

      The ex-Real Madrid forward was signed by Juventus after an astonishing spell with Napoli.
      Higuain bagged 91 goals in 146 games for Juve’s Serie A rivals.
      And this tally included a record-breaking 36 in just 35 league games in his final season at San Paolo.
      He initially hit the ground running at Juventus too, bagging another 36 in his first season in Turin.

      But his importance began to wane at Allianz Stadium.

      And when Cristiano Ronaldo joined from Real Madrid in 2018, Juventus tried to flog their former star attacker.
      He initially moved to AC Milan on loan, scoring six times in 15 appearances – before finding himself at Chelsea in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.
      His five goals in 17 games at Stamford Bridge were largely forgettable, however, with two coming in one game against Huddersfield.
      Following the arrival of Maurizio Sarri at Juve upon his return, Higuain was given an unlikely reprieve with the Italian giants.
      But eight strikes in 32 Serie A games later, and with Sarri having been given the boot, Higuain has finally said his Juventus goodbyes for good.

      He joins an Inter Miami side struggling badly at the bottom of MLS’ Eastern Conference.
      Becks’ team, featuring ex-Stoke winger Brek Shea and Scotland international Lewis Morgan, are bottom of the table having won just two of their 11 games under coach Diego Alonso.
      But with Higuain now among their ranks, they will expect to swiftly add to their measly tally of just nine goals scored.

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      Higuain had an underwhelming spell at Chelsea in 2019Credit: Reuters

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      Pirlo confirms Higuain’s Juventus contract will be terminated with striker free to find a new club this summer More

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      Man Utd outcast Chris Smalling wanted by Inter Milan in season-long loan transfer with obligation to buy as Roma stall

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      MANCHESTER UNITED outcast Chris Smalling is wanted by Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan.
      The 30-year-old England defender is not part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans for this season.

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      Inter Milan want to sign Man Utd defender Chris Smalling

      He is being forced to train away from the main Red Devils squad, as talks over a transfer continue.
      And Inter have now joined rivals Roma in chasing the centre-back, who wants a return to Italy.
      The Nerazzurri are prepared to pick-up his £120,000-a-week wages for the entirety of his 12-month loan deal.
      And SunSport understands there will also be an obligation to buy Smalling at the end of the move.

      Roma are still trying to land the ex-Fulham ace after his successful spell with the club last year.
      But they are growing frustrated with negotiations and are NOT willing to pay his full weekly wages.
      It is understood Smalling – contracted at United until 2022 – is desperate to return to Serie A, but could be forced to stay in England with Fulham interested.
      Conte has snapped-up a number of Premier League stars in recent years including Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young.

      However, Inter are looking to offload defenders before making a move for Smalling, to raise funds.
      Diego Godin is closing in on a switch to Cagliari while Milan Skriniar is being eyed in a £60m move by PSG.
      Elsewhere, it emerged today United youngster James Garner has joined Watford on a season-long loan.

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      Ray Parlour says the Mason Greenwood mistake has been dealt with at Man Utd More