Atletico agree deal to sign Argentine Almada from Botafogo
Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Argentina midfielder Thiago Almada from Brazilian side Botafogo, the LaLiga club confirmed on Tuesday.
"Our club and the Brazilian club have reached an agreement pending confirmation once the player passes the relevant medical examination and initials the contract," Atletico said in a statement.
Local media reports said that Almada is set to sign a contract until 2030 after Atletico paid around 21 million euros ($24 million) for the 24-year-old, who can also play as a winger.
A World Cup winner with Argentina, Almada made his senior debut with Velez Sarsfield in 2018 before joining Major League Soccer's Atlanta United.
With Botafogo he won both the Brazilian Serie A title and the Copa Libertadores in 2024, before joining Ligue 1's Olympique Lyonnais on loan in January this year. REUTERS
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Fan numbers expected to pick up at World Aquatics Championships after initial poor turnout
Egyptian artistic swimmers Zeina Amr and Maryam Samer competing in the women's duet technical preliminary round at the World Aquatics Championships Arena on July 18. SINGAPORE – Over the past two weeks, world-class athletes have put on a show with their dives, flips and bounce shots at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH), though appreciative audiences have been somewhat sparse – the various venues have been half-filled at best, though attendance has picked up as the July 11-Aug 3 meet progresses. While the organisers did not provide figures, The Straits Times observed that the turnout for the water polo sessions at the 3,000-seater OCBC Aquatic Centre was in the low hundreds during the group stage, before it picked up to around 600 for the women's final on July 23. At Sentosa's Palawan Green, where the open water swimming events were held from July 16 to 20, the 400 seats were generally less than a quarter filled. For the July 18-25 artistic swimming events, the 4,800-seater WCH Arena was almost empty during the women's solo free final on the morning of July 22 – a Tuesday – although the crowd swelled to more than 2,000 for the women's team free final on the evening of July 20, which was a Sunday. Responding to ST's queries, a Singapore 2025 organising committee spokesman acknowledged that 'attendance at events varies widely, depending on the timing of the competitions and audience preferences'. He added that based on ticket sales, they expect attendances to further improve, while they also continue their community engagement efforts. Despite the poorly-attended group stage for water polo, things perked up at the OCBC Aquatic Centre during the knockout rounds with a strong foreign following, as flag-waving fans made a ruckus whistling, cheering and jeering as they willed their teams on. Hungarian fan Balazs Borbandi, 35, who works here as a banking professional, said: 'There were days where there were quite few people, and others days where it feels much more lively. 'I feel the organisers should promote the events a bit more, because I was telling my Singaporean colleagues to come and watch, or watch it on TV, but I'm not sure if they were aware or interested.' Donald Day, a 62-year-old Briton who is transiting in Singapore en route to Australia, enjoyed the atmosphere regardless. The former water polo player said: 'Water polo is an up-and-coming sport. It's not as popular as swimming, but it's getting there. There aren't that many top quality water polo events in the UK... So it's nice to come here, where there seems to be more passion and interest.' While Singaporean Jason Ong felt that the regular ticket prices, which range from $10-$140 with concession tickets going as low as $5, were 'very reasonable', he felt more could be done to fill seats for such a prestigious event. He added: 'Perhaps the Government can encourage companies to give time off for employees to go watch some events on their own or with their families, and also work with schools to allow more children to attend and possibly be inspired to play sports recreationally or competitively.' Greek fans celebrating after winning at the World Aquatics Championships water polo women's final against Hungary at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 23. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Artistic swimming coach Julia Beloglazova, who travelled from Russia with her 15-year-old daughter to catch the event, believed that the prices of tickets – ranging from $10 to $90 – could have been a deterrent for fans. She also noted that many spectators in the stands are coaches and family members of the athletes. 'Many tourists are coming and have already paid a lot of money to come here,' said the 50-year-old, who spent about $5,000 on flights and accommodation. 'Maybe people who want to see the show are not coming because maybe they don't understand synchronised swimming as well, but it's also too much to pay for them.' One parent in the stands, Lei Xia, who had travelled from California to support her daughter Karen Xue, an artistic swimmer from the United States, took little notice of the turnout. The 55-year-old said: 'I'm here to cheer for my daughter and the team, so I don't really pay attention to the number of people in the audience, but we've really enjoyed it and we're making good friends here.' American artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez, who is making her seventh appearance at the world meet, said the crowd was not very different from other editions. She recalled competing at a packed Kazan Arena Stadium in 2015, when she made her world championships debut, but said not every competition has attracted such large crowds. The 28-year-old also pointed to the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on viewership and attendance. 'We're always looking for more turnout at our artistic swimming events, not just here in Singapore, but everywhere we go,' said the Olympic and world medallist. 'We're trying to continue to increase the visibility of the sport because when people see it, they love it so it's just trying to get people to know that it's here and to come.' The Singapore 2025 organising committee spokesman said: 'While water polo events held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre saw leaner attendance, which is consistent with recent editions of the world championships, other competitions saw higher interest. 'The artistic swimming team free finals last weekend saw close to two-thirds of the available ticketed seats occupied. Tickets for the remaining events are selling quickly, with between 60 and 80 per cent already sold across the various disciplines.' 'All the high diving sessions, as well as several diving and swimming final sessions are already sold out.' There are also ongoing community engagement efforts with preschoolers from Sport Singapore's Little Nilas programme, young athletes from schools, participants in the Singapore Olympic Foundation's Future Stars Programme, and Singapore Aquatics' affiliated clubs. National artistic swimmer Rachel Thean was understanding of the smaller weekday crowds, noting that most children are in school and voiced her support for the community engagement efforts. The 23-year-old said: 'It's a really good idea to encourage the kids to come down, even though it's during school hours because this is also part of learning.' Fans can also follow the action on free-to-air TV and digital platforms like mewatch. The spokesman added: 'We have already witnessed some amazing matches and performances, and we encourage everyone to come and experience world-class aquatics action for the rest of the Championships.'

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ringrose concussion forces late change to Lions for second test
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Premiership - Saracens v Sale - StoneX Stadium, London, Britain - May 18, 2024 Saracens' Owen Farrell looks dejected after the match Action Images/Paul Childs/File Photo MELBOURNE - British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell praised Garry Ringrose for selflessly withdrawing himself from the second test against Australia after the Ireland centre's concussion symptoms returned on Thursday. Ringrose was set to form an all-Ireland midfield with Bundee Aki at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday but pulled out after training, ensuring Scotland centre Huw Jones retained the number 13 jersey. Ringrose also missed last week's 27-19 win over Australia in the first test in Brisbane because of concussion. "It's head-related again," Farrell told reporters in Melbourne. "There was no incident. He was feeling good (before). It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry." Aki is one of three changes to the starting team at Lang Park, replacing Melbourne-born Sione Tuipulotu who was nursing a tight hamstring. Irish lock Joe McCarthy injured his foot in Brisbane last week and is replaced by England's Ollie Chessum in the second row, while Andrew Porter comes in for Ellis Genge at loosehead prop. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row Asia 9 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: MOS Dinesh Business Marina Bay Sands sees record second quarter with revenue up 37% to $1.77 billion Singapore What's key to a good life? Most Singapore residents choose emotional and mental well-being Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then boyfriend of $220k Asia South Korea police raid offices of BTS' agency Hybe over share probe Farrell brought his son Owen in on the bench as the tourists look to become the first Lions team to sew up a test series with a game to spare since 1997 in South Africa. The playmaker, who was called up as an injury replacement early in the tour, gets a chance to play his seventh Lions test after leading the midweek team to a 24-19 win over the First Nations-Pasifika XV on Tuesday. Flanker Jac Morgan is another change to the bench, ensuring a Welsh presence in the side after the principality was without representation in a test team for the first time since the late 19th century in Brisbane. Scottish fullback Blair Kinghorn was also named among the replacements after missing the first test because of a knee injury. Farrell said he wanted his squad to make history 12 years after the Warren Gatland-coached team beat the Wallabies 2-1. "We're the privileged ones that get the opportunity to do something special and hopefully create a bit of history," he said "There's a determined Australian side that's going to try and stop us doing that, so it's a hell of a test." The third and final test takes place at Sydney's Stadium Australia on Aug. 2. Team: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Bundee Aki, 11–James Lowe, 10–Finn Russell, 9–Jamison Gibson-Park, 8–Jack Conan, 7–Tom Curry, 6–Tadhg Beirne, 5–Ollie Chessum, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Tadhg Furlong, 2–Dan Sheehan, 1–Andrew Porter Replacements: 16–Ronan Kelleher, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Will Stuart, 19–James Ryan, 20–Jac Morgan, 21–Alex Mitchell, 22–Owen Farrell, 23–Blair Kinghorn REUTERS

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Atletico reach agreement with Feyenoord for defender Hancko's transfer
Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Dutch side Feyenoord for the transfer of Slovak defender David Hancko, the LaLiga club said as they look to close the gap on Barcelona and Real Madrid. Financial details were not disclosed, but Spanish media reported the transfer fee for the 27-year-old Slovakia international to be worth around 30 million euros ($35.30 million). Hancko, who was linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr, has made 140 appearances for Feyenoord since his 2022 move, helping them win the Eredivisie in the 2022-23 season. "Atletico and Feyenoord have reached an agreement over the transfer of David Hancko to our club, pending the completion of the medical examination and the signing of his new contract," Atletico, who finished third behind champions Barca and Real Madrid in LaLiga, said in a statement late on Wednesday. REUTERS