MANCHESTER, England  ●  Uruguayan right-back Guillermo Varela has completed his move to Manchester United. The 20-year-old has signed a five-year contract.

Varela impressed in a two-week trial at Carrington in May and will now vie with Chilean striker Angelo Henriquez (signed in September 2012 but loaned to Wigan Athletic shortly afterwards) to become the 11th South American to make a first-team appearance for the Reds.

The defender, who will represent Uruguay at the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey later this month, is looking forward to starting life at Old Trafford next season.

“I’m very pleased to be a part of this club, one of the best teams in the world,” he said. “As everyone in the world knows, this is a huge club that has won everything and I really hope that continues.”

Varela should settle quickly into the United dressing room given the global make-up of the Reds squad.

“I’m very lucky there are quite a few Spanish-speakers here,” he said. “It will certainly help me settle in.”
Source: manutd.com

NEW YORK, NY  ●  Manchester City confirmed on Tuesday that Spain winger Jesus Navas has completed his transfer to the English Premier League club from Sevilla.

City revealed in a statement on their official website that the 27-year-old had completed a medical in New York, where he is currently on international duty with Spain.

Navas will play for Spain at this month’s Confederations Cup in Brazil and will join up with his new team-mates in time for pre-season training.

Sevilla confirmed last week that they had agreed a deal with City for the World Cup-winning winner, and reports in the United Kingdom indicate that the Spanish side will receive an initial fee of £14.9million ($23.2m, 17.5 million euros).

“Manchester City is an exciting project and this is the right moment for me to take this step. I’m very happy with the opportunity and the decision,” Navas told City’s website.

“The Premier League is a competition where the football is very fast and will suit the way I play. I’m really looking forward to it.

“City have been successful in recent years and are continuing to make a great team and I’m honoured to now be part of it.

“I’m going to a great club in England and I want to continue developing my game there.

“The club has put a lot of faith in me and I want to repay them out on the pitch.”

Navas’ arrival takes City’s summer spending to close to £45 million following the capture of Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk last week.

The news is likely to be followed by confirmation that Manuel Pellegrini is to take over as manager.

The 59-year-old Chilean’s appointment has been expected since he left Malaga last week and, despite the perceived delay, is still thought to be a formality.

Navas has spent his entire career to date with Sevilla and has twice won the UEFA Cup.

Casemiro

MADRID, Spain  ●   Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid with the Spanish club saying on Monday it had exercised an option to buy the youngster who had been on loan from Sao Paulo.

The 21-year-old played on loan for Real’s B team Castilla in the second division for the second half of last season but also debuted with the senior squad under Jose Mourinho.

Local media reported the deal was worth 6 million euros (5.1 million pounds).

Real also said on their website (www.realmadrid.com) that their France striker Karim Bezema had undergone minor surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee on Monday.

Benzema underwent the procedure at the Centre Orthopedique Santy in Lyon, France, and was attended by Real’s medical services, the club said.

Local media reported the 25-year-old was expected to be fit for the start of pre-season training at Real on July 15.

The Brazil midfielder was pictured having a medical in Manchester as sources close to Shakhtar said a fee had been agreed between the two clubs.

Sky Sports News reported that Fernandinho will cost City £34 million and the Daily Mail said his price will be £22 million while ESPN believes City would rather pay a sum in the region of £20 million. He has a €50 million release clause in his contract with the Ukrainian champions but City have been adamant they will not pay that much.

Fernandinho, 28, has long been a target of City’s, and the path was cleared for him to join the 2012 Premier League champions when Shakhtar completed deals for Brazil midfielders Fernando and Wellington Nem, from Gremio and Fluminense respectively.

Shakhtar’s deals could also pave the way for Liverpool to make a bid for the Ukrainian club’s £22 million-rated attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

MADRID, Spain  ●   Spain winger Jesus Navas will leave Sevilla after 10 seasons and join up with international team mate David Silva at English Premier League side Manchester City, the La Liga club said on Monday.

“Sevilla FC has accepted the English club’s offer, taking into account the wishes of the player, who will have to pass a medical,” Sevilla said on their website (www.sevillafc.es).

“Navas … wants to continue his successful sporting career in English football, more precisely at a club at which he can continue to develop as a footballer, as he has publicly stated on various occasions in recent months,” they added.

Navas has been tormenting defenders with his electric runs down the right wing since making his top-flight debut for Sevilla in 2003.

The 27-year-old was a key part of the team that won the UEFA Cup in 2006 and 2007 but was unable to take up a place in the Spain squad for many years due to fears about travelling away from his Andalusian home.

He overcame his anxiety to help the Iberian nation win their first World Cup in 2010 and was part of the squad that defended Spain’s European crown last year.

Coach Vicente del Bosque typically uses Navas as an impact player who enters the fray late in the game when the opposition defence is tiring.

It was Navas who picked up the ball deep in the Spain half in the 2010 World Cup final against Netherlands and his burst of speed up the line set in motion the move that culminated in Andres Iniesta’s winning goal.

Despite his slight frame, he is a tenacious tackler and ball winner but has been criticised at times for a lack of goal-scoring prowess and did not find the net at all for Sevilla in 37 La Liga appearances last season.

He has made 22 appearances for Spain, scoring two goals.

●  Real Madrid made the first addition to their squad of the close season on Monday when they exercised an option to buy defender Daniel Carvajal back from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

The 21-year-old right back, a product of Real’s academy and a Spain Under-21 international, has agreed a six-year contract, Real said in a statement on their website (www.realmadrid.com).

Carvajal was voted the best right back in the Bundesliga by German daily newspaper Bild last season, when he scored one goal and made seven assists for Leverkusen. He will compete with Spain international Alvaro Arbeloa for the right back slot.

“He (Carvajal) has made the definitive jump in quality in the Bundesliga and has established himself as one of the most promising defenders in Spanish football,” Real said.

● Atletico Madrid have moved to fill the gap left by the exit of Colombia striker Radamel Falcao by signing promising Brazilian forward Leo Baptistao from La Liga rivals Rayo Vallecano.

Baptistao, who is 20 years-old and has an Italian passport, has agreed a five-year deal, Atletico said on their website (www.clubatleticodemadrid.com) on Monday.

Baptistao made 28 appearances for Rayo last season, scoring seven goals and helping the modest Madrid-based club finish in eighth place.

Falcao last week sealed a move to ambitious French club Monaco for a reported fee of more than 50 million euros ($65 million).

Atletico did not disclose financial details of the deal to sign Baptistao, who is valued at six million euros on transfermarkt.com, a website that tracks football transfers. ($1 = 0.7716 euros)

Maarten Stekelenburg

LONDON/ROME  ●   AS Roma’s sporting director Franco Baldini has confirmed that the Italian club have agreed a deal with Fulham for goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

The Roma and Dutch national goalkeeper could complete the move by the end of Tuesday.

Fulham, who initially tried to sign the 30-year-old during the January transfer market, will cost around €3.5m.

With Mark Schwarzer’s contract at Craven Cottage coming to an end, Fulham manager Martin Jol has moved quickly to seal a deal for the 30-year-old shot-stopper, who has grown unsettled at the Stadio Olimpico in recent months.

Baldini revealed the successful negotiations after being quizzed about reports he is set to take over as director of football at Tottenham, after he flew to London on business last week.

“I went to London for the sale of Stekelenburg at Fulham,” Baldini told Corriere dello Sport.

“There were questions to be answered, but I closed a deal subject to the usual conditions.”

Fulham are believed to be paying in the region of £4m for Stekelenburg. They have already agreed deals for defender Fernando Amorebieta and midfielder Derek Boateng as they look to rebuild ahead of the new campaign.

The answer, though, is easy.

The Colombia forward, known as ‘The Tiger’, has joined for a transfer fee reported by media to be more than 50 million euros (42.6 million pounds) and for a net annual salary of 14 million euros at a Ligue 1 club situated in a special tax status area.

That would put his salary above the two players widely regarded as the best in the world, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Falcao will also be representing a newly promoted team.

The club have a great history but appear in front of an average crowd of 5,000 – something former players such as Thierry Henry have complained about in the past.

Falcao leaves an Atletico Madrid side who have just beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to win the King’s Cup final and finished third in La Liga to qualify for the world’s most prestigious club competition, the Champions League.

Atletico usually attract 50,000 fans a game at the Calderon and the club the 27-year-old Falcao was expected to join were big-spending Chelsea who have won the Champions League and the Europa League in the last two seasons.

After two-year spells at Porto and Atletico, achieving back-to-back top scorer awards as he helped the two clubs win the Europa League in 2011 and 2012, he could probably have had the pick of the continent’s top sides.

But the move is not as clear as it seems. Falcao is a modern player in every sense of the word in that he is also part-owned by a third party who helped finance his moves to Porto and Atletico.

Falcao, a devout Christian, was in floods of tears as he returned to the pitch after his final home game for Atletico last weekend and it is easy to believe the transfer is not his preferred choice.

His agent is Jorge Mendes, one of the most influential in the game, with a stable that includes figures such as Jose Mourinho and Ronaldo and the three players Monaco have already attracted this month.

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev’s money has secured James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from Porto while Ricardo Carvalho has joined from Real Madrid.

Atletico support huge debts, including one with Mendes’s company who helped finance their purchase of Falcao, and they will have been keen to raise as much cash as possible from their prize asset.

They have not stood in the way of their number nine and the fans seem to have accepted it too.

While Sergio Aguero’s move to Manchester City in 2011 generated a backlash against the Argentine as he forced the deal through, Atletico supporters seem to have given Falcao their blessing to leave.

“I don’t think about why he is leaving, and where he is going, rather in what he has given us,” said coach Diego Simeone. “He has always given his all and we have to be grateful to him.”

Falcao was brought to Atletico to replace Aguero and it quickly became apparent they were different types of strikers.
While Aguero created and scored goals, delighting fans with his trickery and dribbling skills, Falcao was an out-an-out goal-scorer who was happiest inside the area and powerful in the air.

Once he was reunited with former boss Simeone, who had coached him at River Plate, Atletico established a pattern of play that suited the forward.

The Madrid outfit made the most of limited resources, using over-lapping wing backs to put crosses in the area, employing midfielder Koke’s abilities at set pieces and combining that with a hard-working team ethic.

The pugnacious Diego Costa provided the perfect foil as a physical second striker coming in off the flanks and Falcao only really struggled when his supply lines were cut.

He shone in Atletico’s biggest games.

Falcao netted twice in the 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2012 Europa League final and grabbed a hat-trick against Chelsea in the European Super Cup last August as his team romped to a 4-1 victory.

He turned provider for Costa, brilliantly setting up the equaliser in Atletico’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the King’s Cup final two weeks ago.

Only Messi and Ronaldo have scored more than his 28 goals in La Liga to date, with match left to play.

Falcao will be more than their equal when it comes to salaries next season, even though the trio are unlikely to cross paths again at least for another season.

Philippe Coutinho

LIVERPOOL, England   ●    Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho has joined Liverpool from Inter Milan.

The 20-year-old Coutinho was signed in a deal worth around €10 million ($13.5 million US) on Wednesday, a day before the January transfer window closes.

He is Liverpool’s second arrival this month following the signing of England striker Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for £12 million (about $19 million).

Coutinho says Liverpool “are the club that have been interested in me and that have showed this interest so I know they believe in me and my football.”

His contract was only described as “long term” by Liverpool.

LIVERPOOL, England  ●   Everton have abandoned plans to sign Leroy Fer after problems with the Dutch midfielder’s medical, the club announced on Wednesday.

The English Premier League side had agreed a fee with Fer’s club, FC Twente, but the 23-year-old’s proposed move started to unravel when he arrived for his medical in Liverpool.

“We were very excited at the prospect of Leroy coming to Goodison but unfortunately the transfer did not go smoothly, there were some issues,” Everton chief executive Robert Elstone told Sky Sports.

“I think our fans will understand that we had to put the club and the club’s finances first.

“There are other options for us and we will work hard on them. It will not be for want of trying,” he added, just a day before the transfer window closes.

Fer, nicknamed ‘The Bouncer’ because of his forceful on-field style, would have been the Toffees’ first signing of the January window if the deal had gone through.

However, he has missed nearly two months of the Eredivisie season after suffering a knee injury while on Netherlands duty in September and concerns over his fitness led Everton to pull the plug on his proposed move to Goodison Park.

Fer has made two full international appearances and has played for the Netherlands alongside Johnny Heitinga, who scored Everton’s winner in their FA Cup fourth-round victory over Bolton on Saturday.

After the match, Everton manager David Moyes indicated he wanted to sign either a midfielder or a striker before the end of the January window.

Kei Kamara

NORWICH, England   ●    Norwich City have made their first signing of the January transfer window with just a day left, with the Premier League side announcing the arrival on loan of Sporting Kansas City striker Kei Kamara.

However, the deal – which the Canaries hope will see the Sierra Leone international stay at Carrow Road until May 6 – depends upon the forward receiving immigration clearance.

Norwich have however secured permission from 28-year-old Kamara’s parent club for him to play in the Major League Soccer off-season.

“I’m delighted to bring Kei to the football club, one of Major League Soccer’s best players over the last few seasons,” Norwich manager Chris Hughton said.

“There is no doubt it is a big jump to make into the Premier League, but it is an exciting challenge both for him and us here at the club to prove his talent,” Hughton added.

“Kei also adds some valuable competition up front alongside the current striking options we have here at the club.”

Kamara was born in Sierra Leone but left when civil war engulfed the African state and emigrated to the United States, before settling in Los Angeles.

He joined Columbus Crew from Orange County Blue Star in 2006 and had brief spells with rival US teams San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo before arriving at Sporting Kansas City in 2009.

Kamara has scored 31 goals in 98 games for Kansas.

Norwich are currently six points above the relegation zone but have been struggling of late, losing five and drawing one of their last six league games and they were on the receiving end of a massive FA Cup shock when they were knocked out by non-league Luton last weekend.