Football Mag

Christian Eriksen might end up in the Spanish capital after all, but it's Atletico Madrid who are now linked with a move for the Dane should they not be able to finalise a move for James Rodriguez this summer. The Colombian is the priority, but the Tottenham playmaker is a Plan B worth considering and one that hasn't been ruled out. It has to be remembered that although James himself is open to moving to the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, a move can only happen if Real Madrid are willing to negotiate with their cross-city rivals and agree an affordable deal, with Napoli now seemingly priced out. Fearing that Madrid will ask for too much, Diego Simeone, Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Andrea Berta have put the possibility of the Danish international on the table. Eriksen is determined not to extend his Spurs contract, which ends in 2020, and has been on Los Blancos' radar for some time, but Zinedine Zidane doesn't want him in his squad.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he is “working on one or two” transfer deals as he seeks to further bolster his ranks at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have already snapped up Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the summer window. Speculation suggests there are more arrivals to come, with Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Leicester defender Harry Maguire considered to be top targets. Solskjaer has stopped short of revealing the identity of those he has his sights set on, but concedes that every effort is being made to bring in more proven talent. Quizzed on his recruitment plans, the United boss told reporters ahead of an International Champions Cup clash with Inter: “Well, as I said, we are working on one or two. My objective here is that we have got to get ready for the games and the training sessions.”

Inter boss Antonio Conte has expressed his admiration for Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku, who continues to be linked with a move to San Siro. Lukaku scored 26 goals across all competitions in his debut season for United but was less prolific in the 2018-19 campaign, facing criticism amid concerns over his fitness in particular. Speaking ahead of his side's pre-season clash against the Red Devils in the International Champions Cup on Saturday, Conte confessed he "likes" Lukaku as a player before also conceding the Nerazzurri are in dire need of attacking reinforcements. “You know very well I like this player [Lukaku]," the Italian coach began. "Today Lukaku is a player of United and this is the reality. This is the truth. “For sure it’s not easy to play without a striker at the beginning of the season like this. The market is still open."

Frank Lampard suffered his first defeat as Chelsea manager as Leandro Damiao's late strike gave Kawasaki a 1-0 friendly win in Yokohama. The pre-season contest had appeared to be heading for a goalless draw at the Nissan Stadium, until Brazil striker Damiao headed home with just two minutes to go. Despite the result, however, Lampard will still have taken much from his side's run out in searing temperatures against the J-League champions, with midfielder Mason Mount once again catching the eye ahead of the new campaign. However, it was the introduction of Ross Barkley as one of several half-time changes that gave Chelsea's play some much-needed impetus in the second half, only for Shota Arai to thwart the visitors with a number of smart stops.

Matthijs de Ligt insists his €75 million (£68m/$84m) move to Juventus was driven by personal ambition, with Cristiano Ronaldo having no influence on his decision to head for Italy. After seeing his future become the subject of much speculation over recent months, the Netherlands international has finally brought a long-running saga to a close. The reigning Serie A champions have won the race for his signature, with a highly-rated 19-year-old opting to take on a new challenge in Turin after heading for the exits at Ajax. It had been suggested that a chat with Portuguese superstar Ronaldo after the UEFA Nations League final in June helped to sway De Ligt’s thinking, but he insists that is not the case. “After the Nations League final I was already sure that I wanted to join Juventus, but it was still a big compliment to have Cristiano ask me to join here but it didn't make the difference,” De Ligt told reporters at his first press conference as a Juve player. “I came her

Atletico Madrid have reported Barcelona to La Liga as they continue to pursue an €80 million (£72m/$90m) addition to the transfer which has taken Antoine Griezmann to Camp Nou. A World Cup-winning forward has completed a move from the Spanish capital to Catalunya. Barca have paid out the €120m (£108m/$135m) required to trigger the release clause that existed in his Atletico contract. They believe they have done nothing wrong , but domestic rivals are arguing that an agreement was reached with Griezmann when his exit fee stood at €200m (£179m/$224m). Atletico vowed when a move was announced that they would be opening legal proceedings . That fight has now been taken to La Liga officials and those in power at the Spanish FA (RFEF). Atletico had been planning to take their case to FIFA, in the hope that world football’s governing body could rule in their favour.