Soccer-PSG sign French goalkeeper Chevalier from Lille
(Reuters) -Paris St Germain have signed French goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier from fellow Ligue 1 club Lille on a contract until 2030, the European champions announced late on Saturday.
Media reports said Chevalier has joined PSG for a fee of around 40 million euros ($47 million), with the 23-year-old in line to succeed Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has a year left in his contract with the Paris-based club, as the number one custodian in Luis Enrique's team.
"I am a kid that is living his dream. Ever since I was small I wanted to play at the very highest level," Chevalier said in a statement.
"I'm really delighted to be here. I will wear this shirt with passion and ambition."
Calais-born Chevalier graduated from Lille's youth academy and played on loan for Valenciennes before becoming the first-choice keeper at his parent club during the 2022-23 season.
He was named Ligue 1's goalkeeper of the year for the 2024-25 season by the UNFP trade union for professional footballers in France.
"Lucas is one of the leading goalkeepers in France and Europe and a fantastic addition to our team - as we continue to build everything for the long-term based on the collective," said PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Ligue 1 and Champions League winners PSG face Tottenham Hotspur for the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
($1 = 0.8592 euros)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare; Editing by William Mallard)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Fans and family honour 'Palestinian Pele' killed in Gaza
GAZA CITY: The "Pele" of Palestinian football hoped to keep scoring goals until he was 50. A US tank shell dashed that dream a decade early, his family said, killing Suleiman al-Obeid as he queued in southern Gaza this week to collect food. Obeid's widow, Doaa al-Obeid, now clutches the blue-and-white number 10 shorts he wore for his Gaza club, Al-Shati, one of the only mementoes she has of her late husband, as she and her five children mourn the revered 41-year-old striker. "This is the most precious thing left behind by him," she said. The family have few other belongings of Obeid, whose home was destroyed in a bombardment earlier this year. They now live in a tent among the ruins of a neighbourhood of Gaza City. Obeid, likened by fans to Brazilian great Pele for his skills and goalscoring, hit headlines this week after Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah criticised a tribute to Obeid by Europe's governing body UEFA that did not mention the cause of death. "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?" wrote Salah. The Palestinian Football Association said Obeid was killed in an attack by the Israeli military in southern Gaza while waiting to collect aid at a distribution point. His family said it was a tank shell that killed him. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment and has not publicly commented on Obeid's death. Obeid, who had played for the Palestinian national team, was still playing for his club in Gaza when the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023. Hamas attacked Israeli towns and villages killing more than 1,200 people. Israel, in response, has laid waste to the Gaza Strip, a coastal enclave housing more than 2 million people, and killed some 61,000 Palestinians. Most have been killed by airstrikes, artillery and gunfire, but a growing number are starving to death. 'THIS PLAYER WAS A GAZELLE' Obeid kept playing throughout the hardship, his widow Doaa said. "He used to go training every day and never stopped, not a single day. Even during the crisis of war, in the midst of rockets, shelling and mass killing, he would go and play. He used to gather his friends and loved ones and go play with them," she said. The Palestinian Football Association says hundreds of athletes and sports officials are among those killed by Israel's assault, with most sports facilities now destroyed. Palestinian football fans say they will focus not on Obeid's violent death but on his legacy. "Children called him the Henry and Pele of Palestine," said Hassan al-Balawi, a barber in Gaza City, in a comparison also with French great Thierry Henry. "This player was a gazelle – when we stepped onto the pitch, we enjoyed watching him. All Palestinian football fans enjoyed Captain Suleiman al-Obeid."
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Florian Wirtz wins Germany Player of the Year after Liverpool move
LIVERPOOL'S club-record signing Florian Wirtz has been named Germany's player of the year, further cementing the attacking midfielder's status as a rising star. Wirtz, whose £100 million ($134 million) transfer fee with add-ons could rise to £116 millon in what would be a British record, secured 191 votes among German sports journalists, putting him comfortably ahead of runner-up Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, who garnered 81 votes. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in June, part of a spending spree that has seen players including French forward Hugo Ekitike and Hungarian leftback Milos Kerkez join the squad as Liverpool bid to retain the Premier League title. Wirtz has been hailed as one of the 'top players in the world. He is world class,' by former Leverkusen coach and ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is the new boss of Real Madrid. After joining, Wirtz told Liverpool's website that he 'would like to win everything every year!' 'In the end, we want to be successful,' he said. 'Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious,' he added. Wirtz played a key role in Leverkusen's greatest season as they claimed a first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup in 2023/24 without losing a single game domestically under Alonso. Their only defeat that season, during which Wirtz was crowned Bundesliga player of the year, came in the Europa League final to Italian side Atalanta, denying Leverkusen a memorable treble. A return of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen is evidence that he carries a threat both as a creator and a goalscorer. Liverpool are already blessed with an abundance of forward options -- including Mohammed Salah -- but the club are banking on Wirtz's creativity to help maintain the 33-year-old's prolific goalscoring and ease the burden of carrying the Liverpool attack. - AFP
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Florian Wirtz named Germany's Player of the Year
BERLIN: Liverpool's club-record signing Florian Wirtz has been named Germany's player of the year, further cementing the attacking midfielder's status as a rising star. Wirtz, whose £100 million ($134 million) transfer fee with add-ons could rise to £116 millon in what would be a British record, secured 191 votes among German sports journalists, putting him comfortably ahead of runner-up Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, who garnered 81 votes. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in June, part of a spending spree that has seen players including French forward Hugo Ekitike and Hungarian leftback Milos Kerkez join the squad as Liverpool bid to retain the Premier League title. Wirtz has been hailed as one of the "top players in the world. He is world class," by former Leverkusen coach and ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is the new boss of Real Madrid. After joining, Wirtz told Liverpool's website that he "would like to win everything every year!" "In the end, we want to be successful," he said. "Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious," he added. Wirtz played a key role in Leverkusen's greatest season as they claimed a first-ever Bundesliga title and the German Cup in 2023/24 without losing a single game domestically under Alonso. Their only defeat that season, during which Wirtz was crowned Bundesliga player of the year, came in the Europa League final to Italian side Atalanta, denying Leverkusen a memorable treble. A return of 57 goals and 65 assists in 197 games for Leverkusen is evidence that he carries a threat both as a creator and a goalscorer. Liverpool are already blessed with an abundance of forward options – including Mohammed Salah – but the club are banking on Wirtz's creativity to help maintain the 33-year-old's prolific goalscoring and ease the burden of carrying the Liverpool attack.--AFP
