“No it was not my last match for Nice. I will be at Amiens on Saturday,” said Seri, who sports daily L’Equipe reported had agreed a four-year deal with Barcelona over the weekend. A transfer for up to 40mn euros ($47mn, £36.7mn) has been mooted as the Catalans desperately look to strengthen their squad with the proceeds of Neymar’s world record 222 million-euro move to Paris Saint-Germain.
But Nice have reportedly been reluctant to negotiate so far and Seri added: “I don’t know much about it. I said to everyone to leave me to concentrate on the Champions League and that after we would see if I stayed or went.”
Seri joined Nice in 2015 from the Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira and has been outstanding in the last two seasons as the French side have finished fourth and then third in Ligue 1.
Man City owners, Guardiola’s brother take over Girona
Manchester City’s parent company, the City Football Group, have purchased a major stake in La Liga side Girona, the Spanish club announced yesterday.
The City Football Group and the Girona Football Group, owned by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s brother Pere Guardiola, have purchased 44.3% of Girona each, with the remainder of shares held by a fans association.
The clubs have been working on the deal since 2016, with Manchester City loaning Girona five players this summer: Pablo Maffeo, Aleix Garcia, Douglas Luiz, Marlos Moreno and Larry Kayode. irona were promoted to La Liga for the first time in their 87-year history after finishing second in the second division last season. They drew 2-2 with Atletico Madrid on Saturday in their first match.
Girona become the six side the City Football Group has stakes in, joining Man City, Australian side Melbourne City FC, MLS franchise New York City Football Club, Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, and Uruguayan team CA Torque.
Swansea land Hull’s Clucas
Swansea signed Hull midfielder Sam Clucas for a reported £15mn ($19mn) yesterday. Clucas agreed a four-year contract with the Premier League club and is expected to step into the role played by Gylfi Sigurdsson before the Iceland international moved to Everton last week. The 26-year-old is Swansea manager Paul Clement’s first signing since Sigurdsson’s £45mn transfer.
Clucas shone for Hull last season despite their relegation from the top-flight and appeared three times in the Championship this season before missing last weekend’s match against QPR as speculation mounted about his future. After being released by Leicester as youngster, Clucas revived his career with a spell at the Glenn Hoddle Academy.
Spurs sign keeper Gazzaniga
Tottenham signed Southampton goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga for a reported £2mn (2.2mn euros, $2.5mn). Gazzaniga agreed a five-year contract and will compete with Michel Vorm to fill the role as the main understudy to Tottenham’s first-choice keeper Hugo Lloris.
The 25-year-old Argentine, who spent last season on loan at Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, started his career at Valencia before moving to England with Gillingham in July 2011. Gazzaniga is Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino’s second signing since the end of last season, following the arrival of Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez for a reported club record £42mn.
Pochettino had previously worked with Gazzaniga during his spell in charge at Southampton.
Meanwhile, Highly-rated full-back Kyle Walker-Peters said he was ‘buzzing’ after signing a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur that ties him down until 2020. Walker-Peters came through the Spurs academy and was named man-of-the-match on his Premier League debut in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United earlier this month.
German prospect Sabiri joins Huddersfield
Young German midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri signed for Huddersfield Town from second tier Germans Nuremberg, the in-form Premier League new boys announced. The Moroccan-born 20-year-old signed a three year contract for an undisclosed fee, with Huddersfield having the option to extend it by a year. Sabiri caught the eye at the back-end of last season, scoring five goals in seven appearances for Nuremberg. Huddersfield have won both their Premier League matches thus far.