Compiled by Ranjika Perera
* Lukaku’s price set at € 120 m (Rs. 28.4 billion)
According to Goal website, the reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan could sell Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea if they receive an offer around € 120 m. They have already rejected the initial bid of € 100 m, (Rs. 23.7 b) from the Champions League winners last week. The offer also included Marcos Alonso but they are not interested in a player exchange deal, unless they get the desired amount.
The blues are still hopeful that they could use the financial difficulties at Inter by making a big offer for Lukaku. Lukaku is back with the Italian champions for pre season preparation which suggests he wants to stay. Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta, speaking to the media, said, “Lukaku is not for sale. Lukaku is an important piece on the chessboard available to Simone Inzaghi.”
* Fabinho dots down five-year deal at Anfield
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has agreed to spend his peak years at Anfield by signing a new five-year contract extension. The 27-year-old Brazilian joined Liverpool in 2018 from Monaco and has become one of the key players under Jurgen Klopp. When Liverpool faced a crisis with the lack of defenders, he filled in at centre-back or right-back.
Liverpool issued a statement on the website, saying “Fabinho has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool FC. The midfielder put pen to paper on fresh terms at the Reds’ pre-season training camp in Evian on Tuesday (3).”
Speaking to the public, Fabinho said, “I’m delighted to have signed a new contract with the club. Since the beginning of the conversation, I was really positive about it because it’s what I wanted - staying in this club, keep playing for Liverpool. Now this is official and I’m really happy.”
* Premier League teams to continue taking the knee
Players from all 20 Premier League clubs will continue to take the knee before matches in the upcoming season to highlight their opposition to racism. The Premier League said they “support wholeheartedly” the decision that has been made. A ‘No Room For Racism’ sleeve badge will also be worn by players and match officials on their shirts.
In a joint statement, Premier League players said: “We feel now, more than ever, it is important for us to continue to take the knee as a symbol of our unity against all forms of racism.”
The opening game of the 2021/22 season sees newly-promoted Brentford at home to Arsenal on 13 August. However, Brentford, who were promoted after winning the Championship play-off final, stopped taking the knee in February, stating it was no longer having an impact.
* Barca still not allowed registering new signings (including Messi)
Barcelona are far from being able to officially renew Lionel Messi’s contract. The competition will have to decide whether the work done thus far is in accordance with the regulations. Barcelona’s Director Joan Laporta said on Monday, “We want more flexibility from the league to be able to include more signings. The negotiations with Messi are well underway, but we are fixing several issues on both sides.”
However, La Liga are not going to compromise their regulations. The main reason behind it is the fact that the league already knows that other clubs are not going to approve. Meanwhile, allowing more excesses in salary caps is letting clubs make financial losses. You would be essentially letting them have salaries that they can’t afford to pay because they don’t earn enough. That, ultimately, would compromise the viability of the league.