Liverpool
England captain Steven Gerrard has announced his retirement from international football.
The Liverpool midfielder won 114 caps for his country after making his debut in a 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley in 2000.
“I have enjoyed every minute of representing my country, and it is a sad day for me knowing that I won’t pull on the England shirt again,” Gerrard, 34, told the English FA’s website.
Gerrard’s appearance at the World Cup in Brazil last month was the sixth time he had represented England at a major tournament, but it ended in failure as Roy Hodgson’s side went out at the group stage.
Gerrard said he was retiring from internationals in part to ensure he can keep playing to a high level with Liverpool.
“This has been a very difficult decision, one of the toughest I’ve had to make in my career. I have agonised over this since coming back from Brazil and have spoken to family, friends and people close to me in the game before coming to this point.
He said he also felt indebted to Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager.
“Most importantly, Brendan has been fantastic and obviously I have to look after my body as much as possible to ensure I can give everything when I take to the field,” Gerrard said. “To ensure I can keep playing to a high level and giving everything to Liverpool Football Club, I believe this is the right decision, and having Champions League football back at Anfield is another big factor in my decision.”
Meanwhile, the Queens Park Rangers striker Loic Remy has travelled to the US to have a medical ahead of a move to Liverpool, who flew to Boston on Sunday to begin their pre-season tour. They were expecting to be joined by the 27-year-old Frenchman last night. Remy, who scored 14 goals on loan at Newcastle last season during QPR’s year out of the Premier League, is likely to be confirmed as their fifth summer signing, for a fee thought to be around £8 million (Dh50.1).
Juventus
Patrice Evra has joined Juventus from Manchester United for a fee that could rise to £1.5 million (Dh9.4m), the Serie A club announced. The 33-year-old France international has signed a two-year contract with the Italian champions after ending his eight-and-a-half year stint at Old Trafford. Evra was linked with a move to Juve earlier but signed a one-year extension with United in May. However, the full-back would have been competing for a starting berth at United against the big-money summer signing Luke Shaw.
Dynamo Moscow
Marseille’s France international Mathieu Valbuena has signed a €7m (Dh34.7m) deal with Dynamo Moscow, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported on Monday.
The move comes following Valbuena’s participation at the World Cup, where ‘the little bike’ as the pocket-sized 29-year-old is known helped France reach the quarter-finals.
There Didier Deschamps’ French side came unstuck 1-0 to eventual winners Germany.
Valbuena joined Marseille in 2006, winning the Ligue 1 title with the south coast club in 2010.
He has turned out 38 times for his country, scoring six goals.
The new Russian season gets underway on August 1.
Manchester City
Manchester City’s Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo revealed Monday he faces “months” on the sidelines with a foot injury.
The Spain international, who played the first half of the Premier League champions’ friendly over Hearts on Friday, has broken the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
“I want to let you know that it’s going to be hard for the next few months, I fractured my 5th metatarsal and will be out a few months,” Negredo wrote on his Instagram account with an accompanying picture of him wearing a protective boot.
“I will be back stronger than ever. I will return with a vengeance.”
Negredo limped off before the break in the 2-1 win over Hearts.
Sevilla
Sevilla have officially completed the signing of Liverpool forward Iago Aspas on a season-long loan.
The Spanish striker passed a medical on Friday after the two clubs agreed a deal, which includes the option to buy permanently, earlier in the week and the paperwork has now been finalised.
Aspas, 26, moved to Anfield from Celta Vigo last summer but had a disappointing season and made just 15 appearances, the majority as a substitute, and scored one goal.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia says Fernando Torres would be welcomed back to the La Liga champions with open arms if he opts to leave Chelsea, while also playing down speculation that centre-back Miranda will be the next Atletico player to move to Stamford Bridge.
Torres has been linked with a summer move back to Atletico, where the Spain international came up through the ranks to captain the first team before moving to Liverpool in 2007.
And despite the striker failing to recapture his explosive form with Atletico Madrid since moving to Chelsea for £50m (Dh313.4m) in January 2011, Garcia insists the 30-year-old would fit right back in at Atletico.
“I speak to him (Torres) a lot and he still feels very strongly about this club,” Garcia told a press conference.
“His life has been defined by what he experienced here and he is another option just like any other that the media have mentioned. Any great player that can come here will be welcome.”
Should Torres move back to Atletico it would reverse the flow of players moving in the opposite direction this summer, with Chelsea having already signed striker Diego Costa and left-back Filipe Luis from the Spanish side for a combined £48 million, as well as ending goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ loan spell in Madrid.
Now Chelsea - despite manager Jose Mourinho saying the club’s summer transfer dealings are now over - are reported to be interested in luring Atletico defender Miranda to west London too, but Garcia does not believe his Brazilian teammate is going anywhere.
“If we took every transfer story seriously we would only have about two or three players left here,” he said.
“The club has to manage these things, but Miranda is an important player for us.”
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