Latest news with #Monaco
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal swap deal suddenly collapsed with £92m target left gutted by mess up
Arsene Wenger was on the verge of completing a £92million move for Thomas Lemar in 2017, but the move collapsed at the eleventh hour, leaving the French star disappointed The collapse of Arsenal 's club-record deal to sign Thomas Lemar for £92million left the France international gutted. The then-Monaco star played an integral role in the French side's surprising Ligue 1 title win in the 2016-17 season. While the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva were all allowed to depart the club in the summer of 2017, Lemar looked to be next as the move to the Gunners beckoned on Deadline Day. The Premier League side had agreed on what would have been a British transfer record fee at the time of £92m to sign the winger, but it was dependent on the sale of Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City on the same day. Pep Guardiola's side had put in a bid for the Chilean on the last day of the window which would have allowed Arsene Wenger to use the proceeds from the sale to buy Lemar. However, the move quickly unravelled after Lemar was set to go on international duty later that day. As he wasn't given enough notice about the transfer by Monaco, the move collapsed as he stayed put in France for an extra year while Sanchez remained at the Emirates despite having a deal in place with City. Ex-Gunners chief Dick Law revealed the details behind the breakdown of the move when speaking exclusively to Goal in 2019. "There were no formal offers for Sanchez until the end of the window when the Manchester City one came in," he said. "So then you run into a pretty simple calculation. "It was the end of the window, literally the last day, and we wanted to be in a competitive position for the Champions League the next season. Were we more likely to compete for a Champions League position with Sanchez or without him? The decision was, we would be more competitive with him. "We did try to get Thomas Lemar that day, but it didn't get done. We thought we had Lemar and then that would have meant Sanchez to Manchester City. It was as simple operation of using the Sanchez money to pay for Lemar. "We had a deal done for Lemar, Sanchez had a deal done with City. But Lemar had been called up for France and Monaco had played the thing out and they ended up playing it out too long. They didn't send a clear signal to the player before he left for the national team and when they did send that signal, Lemar was already there with the French national team on the day of their international match and the deal fell apart. "It was a shame because it would have been interesting to see Lemar at Arsenal, but you have to move on from these decisions and circumstances. You can't sit and dwell on what might have been." After staying put at Monaco for the 2017/18 season, Lemar was asked about the failed transfer during the season, and he admitted his sadness that it didn't work out. "I am not going to hide it; I was a bit disappointed," Lemar said in 2018. "But there is no point fixating on that. I have continued to work so that these clubs might come back for me in the following transfer window." His work certainly paid off as he signed for Atletico Madrid that summer for a reported fee of £62m and remains there to this day. Since leaving Monaco, he has, however, largely failed to live up to expectations - which no doubt has softened the blow for Arsenal - and has just 10 goals and 19 assists to his name from 186 appearances for Atletico. He was converted into a central midfielder by Diego Simeone in 2020, but has since struggled with injuries and form and has consequently made just 11 appearances across all competitions in the last two seasons combined. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Monaco close in on Fati loan signing from Barca
MONACO: Barcelona forward Ansu Fati is expected to join French club Monaco on loan with an option to buy, sources close to the deal said Friday. The 22-year-old Spanish international passed his medical on Friday as Monaco and Barcelona agreed to a season-long loan deal with an €11 million fee (US$12.9 million) to make the move permanent. According to the same source, the contract will not be made official until July 1. Fati burst onto the scene at Barcelona aged 17, but has since failed to live up to initial high expectations. He made 11 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga champions last term, without finding the net. Fati spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Premier League club Brighton, where he scored four goals in 27 outings. With his expected arrival, Fati should become Monaco's third signing of the summer. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is slated to sign for the Ligue 1 side, following on from England international Eric Dier. Pogba was also undergoing a medical with the principality side on Friday. The 32-year-old 2018 World Cup winner is seeking a club after having his contract terminated by Juventus in March while serving an 18-month suspension for doping. The trio should be officially announced to the press on July 3. — AFP
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Barca winger Ansu Fati set to join Monaco on loan with option to buy
MONACO, June 28 — Barcelona forward Ansu Fati is expected to join French club Monaco on loan with an option to buy, sources close to the deal said Friday. The 22-year-old Spanish international passed his medical on Friday as Monaco and Barcelona agreed to a season-long loan deal with an 11-million-euro fee (RM54.5 million) to make the move permanent. According to the same source, the contract will not be made official until July 1. Fati burst onto the scene at Barcelona aged 17, but has since failed to live up to initial high expectations. He made 11 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga champions last term, without finding the net. Fati spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Premier League club Brighton, where he scored four goals in 27 outings. With his expected arrival, Fati should become Monaco's third signing of the summer. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is slated to sign for the Ligue 1 side, following on from England international Eric Dier. Pogba was also undergoing a medical with the principality side on Friday. The 32-year-old 2018 World Cup winner is seeking a club after having his contract terminated by Juventus in March while serving an 18-month suspension for doping. The trio should be officially announced to the press on July 3. — AFP
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Going somewhere Paul? Pogba posts cryptic social media message ahead of sealing move to Champions League club after 18-month doping ban
Paul Pogba has shared a cryptic post on social media as he looks set to return to the beautiful game for the first time after an 18-month doping ban from the sport. The former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder was handed a four-year doping ban after returning an adverse drug test. However, that suspension was later slashed to just 18 months. Now, the ban has been served and Pogba is free to play the game once again with many European clubs eager to bring him on board. One of those clubs is set to do just that, with the midfielder now reportedly on the verge of a move to Ligue 1 side Monaco. A medical is believed to be pencilled in at the Champions League side after they reached an agreement on a two-year contract with Pogba earlier this week. Ahead of the move, it appears that the World Cup winner is set to jet off somewhere as he posted a selfie from within an airport departure lounge, accompanied by a four-emoji-long message. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paul Labile Pogba (@paulpogba) The post on Instagram first shows Pogba travelling somewhere with a seatbelt on, while the picture that follows looks to show him smiling in a lounge. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano previously reported that Pogba was set to fly into the principality of Monaco to undergo a medical, before putting pen to paper on a contract, which has led to speculation that Pogba's post is in regards to that. French newspaper Le Parisien reported on Tuesday that Pogba had made 'significant financial sacrifices' to agree terms with the Ligue 1 side, with an agreement having been reached on Sunday. Though he has not actually played a game since September 2023, he has at least been sharing the progress of his training regime on social media in order to reignite his football career. Joining Monaco would see Pogba return to the Champions League after the Ligue 1 side finished third in the league behind Marseille and champions PSG. Despite representing France 91 times and winning the World Cup with Les Bleus in 2018, he has never actually played in the country's top-flight. Having come through the ranks at Manchester United, he joined Juventus before a then-record return to Old Trafford in 2016. From United, he once again joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2022, before his life came crumbling down in his second season back at the Old Lady when he learned of his suspension. The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventus's first game of the 2023-24 season against Udinese, and was given a hefty four-yeard punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor's office in Italy. However, in October 2024 Mail Sport exclusively revealed that the former France international's original suspension had been slashed to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In CAS' final judgement, it was confirmed that Pogba did inadvertently take DHEA, a substance that boosts testosterone that is on WADA's banned list. Crucially, however, the ruling states that DHEA only affects females. In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport last year, Pogba revealed the story of how he found out the news that he would be able to play football again in 2025. 'Here's a funny story: I was trying on a new suit for a film premiere but I didn't have my phone,' Pogba told Mail Sport. 'My wife (Zulay) comes rushing upstairs with my phone screaming, 'It's the lawyer'. I said I would call him back but she said I had to take the call. 'So I went downstairs to speak to him with the suit on! He told me the news and I was silent. Everyone was jumping, so happy but I was in shock. Quickly that happiness turned into a determination. We went through hell. A time of darkness. But this is my second chance, I have to use it. I was pumped.'
eNCA
10 hours ago
- Sport
- eNCA
Monaco close in on Fati loan signing from Barca
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati is expected to join French club Monaco on loan with an option to buy, sources close to the deal said Friday. The 22-year-old Spanish international passed his medical on Friday as Monaco and Barcelona agreed to a season-long loan deal with an 11-million-euro fee ($12.9 million) to make the move permanent. According to the same source, the contract will not be made official until July 1. Fati burst onto the scene at Barcelona aged 17, but has since failed to live up to initial high expectations. He made 11 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga champions last term, without finding the net. Fati spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Premier League club Brighton, where he scored four goals in 27 outings. With his expected arrival, Fati should become Monaco's third signing of the summer. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is slated to sign for the Ligue 1 side, following on from England international Eric Dier. Pogba was also undergoing a medical with the principality side on Friday. The 32-year-old 2018 World Cup winner is seeking a club after having his contract terminated by Juventus in March while serving an 18-month suspension for doping. The trio should be officially announced to the press on July 3.
