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
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Straits Times
30 minutes ago
- Straits Times
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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. 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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
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
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