Atletico agree deal to sign Argentine Almada from Botafogo
"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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
8 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Barcelona legend Xavi's application for Indian football coaching job was a hoax, AIFF says
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed on Saturday that a job application attributed to former Barcelona manager and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez for the India head coaching role was a hoax. The AIFF's national team director told The Times of India on Thursday that Xavi's name was on the list of applicants. The report also quoted an AIFF technical committee member saying the his candidacy was deemed too expensive to pursue. "The AIFF received an email furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine," the AIFF said in a statement. It had not been previously reported that the AIFF had also received an application purporting to be from Manchester City manager Guardiola. The AIFF Technical Committee said it had reviewed 170 applications for the Indian men's head coach role, narrowing the list to 10 before short-listing three candidates. The AIFF sacked former India manger Igor Stimac in June last year before appointing Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who left the job this month and returned to his role as coach of Indian Super League team FC Goa.
The National
11 hours ago
- The National
Andrea Pirlo appointed as new manager of Dubai side United FC
Italian football great Andrea Pirlo has been named as the new manager of UAE second-tier side United FC. The ex-AC Milan and Juventus midfielder has signed a two-year deal with the club, also known as Dubai United, who play in the UAE First Division League, one tier below the country's top-flight Pro League. It will be a fourth managerial role for Pirlo, 46, who has also had spells in charge in charge of Juventus, Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey and most recently, Sampdoria. "Pirl' brings with him a unique footballing vision and valuable coaching experience from spells at Juventus and Sampdoria," the'club, who finished fourth last season, said in a statement. 'His arrival marks an exciting new chapter for United FC and reflects the club's growing ambition in the UAE football landscape.' Club President Ilie Cebanu added: 'We are proud to welcome Andrea to the United FC family. He embodies the values and ambitions of our club, and we believe he will be a key figure in taking us to the next level.' As a player, Pirlo is widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his generation known for his effortless control, calmness in possession and pinpoint passing ability. Pirlo's 26 goals from free-kicks in Serie A is second only to Serbian defender Sinisa Mihajlovic in the all-time Italian top-flight list. He started his playing career at Brescia before joining Inter Milan in 1998 where he spent three seasons – which included spells out on loan with Reggina and back in Brescia – before moving to the AC Mila where he would play 400 games, scoring 41 goals and provide 71 assists. It was at the San Siro's other club that Pirlo would establish as one of the world's finest over the next nine-and-half seasons that would see the Rossoneri win two Uefa Champions Leagues, Uefa Super Cups and Serie A crowns, as well as on Fifa Club World Cup and one Coppa Italia. The silverware kept on coming after moving to Juventus in the summer of 2011 as Pirlo lifted the Serie A title in all of his four seasons with The Old Lady, as well as winning the Supercoppa Italia twice and the Coppa Italia. He would make 164 appearances for Juve, scoring 19 goals and assisting a further 38 before spending the twilight of his playing career in the MLS with New York City FC. For the national team, would play 113 games, scoring 13 and assisting 25, scoring in the 2006 World Cup final shoot-win over France that would see Italy crowned world champions for the first time in 24 years. Pirlo's coaching career has failed to hit the heights of his playing one, despite replacing the sacked Maurizio Sarri as Juventus manager in August 2020 just one week after being put in charge of the Under-23 side. 'The decision for Pirlo was very natural, in the Juventus style, because he is someone who played for us, has always been in contact with everyone here and it felt natural,' said Juventus' chief football officer Fabio Paratici after the 41-year-old's appointment. 'We also believe he is predestined for greatness. He was as a player and we are confident he can do the same as a coach.' But despite tasking charge of a side looking to make it 10 successive Serie A titles for Juve – and having the likes of Leo Bonucci, Dejan Kulusevski and Cristiano Ronaldo in his squad – Pirlo's reign lasted just one season. They finished fourth in Serie A and were knocked out in the Champions League last-16 for a second successive season – beating Atalanta to win the Coppa Italia was not enough to save Pirlo and he was sacked the same month. 'It's been an intense, complicated year but still wonderful. When I got the call from Juventus, I never thought about the risk I was taking,' Pirlo said, who was replaced by former Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri. 'This adventure, despite an unexpected ending, made it even clearer what I would like my future to be, which I hope will be just as complete and fulfilling as the one I experienced as a player.' His next managerial job arrived in the summer of 2022 was appointed as manager of Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk but was again sacked after less than a year with the team ninth in the Super Lig table. A month later, and he was back in Italy, this time taking over at Sampdoria, who had just been relegated to Serie B. The team finished seventh in his first campaign but Pirlo lasted just three games in the second after securing just a single point leaving with Sampdoria 19th in the table. Pirlo's first game of the new UAE First Division League season sees United FC travel to the outskirts of Sharjah to take on Al Dhaid on September 20.
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Liverpool add more firepower with signing of Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt
Liverpool have completed the signing of France Under-21 international Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported £69 million, the Premier League champions confirmed late Wednesday. The 23-year-old striker passed a medical and agreed personal terms earlier this week before joining Arne Slot's squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, with the club announcing he will fly out to Hong Kong later this week. 'Hugo is a player with huge potential and the hunger to develop further,' Slot said. 'He adds something different to our attacking options.' The deal, which includes a further £10m in performance-related add-ons, could see the final fee rise to £79m. It takes Liverpool's summer outlay past the £250m mark as they continue to reshape their squad following last season's title win during Slot's first season at Anfield. Ekitike, who scored 22 goals in 48 appearances for Frankfurt last season, was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and helped the German side to a third-place finish. His breakout year in Germany came after a difficult stint at Paris Saint-Germain, where he struggled to find regular playing time behind Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Liverpool turned to Ekitike after being priced out of a move for Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, who is valued at £150m by the Magpies. Both Newcastle and Manchester United had shown interest in the French forward, but Liverpool acted decisively to secure his signature. His arrival comes at a time of change in Liverpool's frontline. Diogo Jota's death in a tragic car crash in Spain last month left a gaping hole in the squad. Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez is understood to be available for transfer, and Luis Diaz continues to attract interest from Bayern Munich, who had a bid rejected last week. Ekitike joins new recruits Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in a rapidly evolving Liverpool side under Slot's stewardship. 'Hugo has improved tremendously in his 18 months with us and has been a real asset to the club,' said Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche. 'We're proud of what he's achieved and wish him all the best for this next chapter.' Ekitike began his professional career with Reims, before joining PSG in 2022 and moving to Frankfurt initially on loan in early 2024. He is the latest big-money departure from Frankfurt after forward Omar Marmoush joined Manchester City for a reported $73 million in January. Marmoush was the team's top-scorer at the time, but Ekitike responded with his best performances in a Frankfurt shirt to help the team finish third in the Bundesliga to secure Uefa Champions League qualification.
