Aston Villa have agreed a deal worth in excess of £20m to sign Atletico Madrid star Matteo Ruggeri, according to Marca.

The Villans have had a very busy summer so far after bringing in Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, and Alejandro Garnacho, while they have lost Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Morgan Rogers.

Unai Emery is keen to bolster the squad after they won the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League, and a new left-back to compete with Ian Maatsen is among the priorities, which has seen them move for the Italian.

Aston Villa Agree Deal for Ruggeri

Ruggeri, who has been described as ‘extraordinary’, has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Wanda Metropolitano by Diego Simeone heading into the new season, and Villa have moved to strike a deal for the 24-year-old.

According to a report in Spain, Villa have now agreed a deal worth an initial €18m (£15.4m) plus a further €6m (£5.1m) in add-ons to sign the left-back after making him a top target.

The only thing left is to get the green light from Ruggeri himself before a move to Villa Park is finalised, although it is understood that he is leaning towards accepting the move despite interest from Juventus, Roma, and a late enquiry by Liverpool.

Ruggeri was scheduled to fly to Korea with Atletico Madrid as part of their pre-season training camp, but the deal is now so advanced that he is not expected to be on the flight with his teammates.

It is now expected that he will join up with Emery’s squad this summer and compete for a starting spot for the Villans, with the Premier League outfit delighted to get a deal over the line before the new season begins.

Chelsea are now close to completing the signing of Rayo Vallecano defender Pep Chavarria, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, as details emerge about the agreement.

Chelsea‘s squad strength in depth is well known but it hasn’t stopped them backing new manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer market this summer.

Eight new players have already arrived through the door at Stamford Bridge, including four players with big Premier League experience in Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.

Valentin Barco, Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda are the other new players coming in, but the Blues aren’t finished there as they look to give Alonso the strongest squad possible to push up the Premier League table again next season.

The west London outfit have a big opportunity to do that without the distraction of European football, just as Manchester United did when they ended up in third place last term.

Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia has been a mixed bag of results so far, with a 6-4 win against the Western Sydney Wanderers being followed up by a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, who have also been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in terms of incoming signings.

Chelsea Finalising £16.3m Pep Chavarria Deal

According to GMS sources on Wednesday morning, Chelsea are now finalising a deal worth €19m (£16.3m) plus add-ons for Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, as they look to secure another summer signing for Xabi Alonso.

The 28-year-old has made 125 appearances for the Spanish club, scoring twice and registering eight assists, and provides extra competition in the position following the exit of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.

Chelsea’s current left-back options include Jorrel Hato, while Reece James and Malo Gusto have shown they can also play there if needed, but the addition of Chavarria was much-needed.

Chelsea Players Linked With Exits

via Reuters

As new players continue to arrive at Stamford Bridge, it is natural that others could be on their way out of the club before the September 1 deadline.

Nicolas Jackson is a target for Aston Villa and an enquiry has been made by Unai Emery’s men for the Senegal international, according to GMS sources, but talk of interest from Tottenham Hotspur has been played down elsewhere.

Fabrizio Romano claims that Blues winger Pedro Neto is also a back-up option for Spurs if they fail to land preferred winger targets Savinho and Cody Gakpo from Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, with City themselves keen on Neto too.

The dust has barely settled on the 2026 World Cup, but headlines continue to rage on in relation to FIFA’s biggest competition. President Gianni Infantino has sparked major controversy with his plans to privatise the tournament.

Putting that to one side, FIFA may have another headache coming their way in relation to the 2030 World Cup. As things stand, six teams are in line to host the competition. The three main hosts are Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will each host one game.

As such, fans will be able to watch action in Europe, Africa and South America. This is because the tournament will mark the 100th anniversary of the very first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay. Montevideo, the host city for the 1930 final, is expected to host a dedicated centenary ceremony.

However, two host nations appear to be against the idea of sharing the tournament with another.

Spanish Political Party Question Morocco as World Cup Hosts

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

As reported by Spanish outlet 20Minutos, a bill has been put forward with the intention of convincing FIFA to stop Morocco from co-hosting the World Cup. The report explains that political party Sumar have presented a bill in Spain’s Congress to question the 2030 World Cup plan following the Ceuta migration crisis due to “serious human rights violations”.

The bill has been signed by three members of parliament from United Left (within Sumar) and a fourth member of parliament from the group in the Lower House. It urges the Spanish Government to formally inform FIFA, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Executive of “the need to carry out a specific review and evaluation of the current joint organisation model” of the sporting event.

It emphasises that the organisation mobilises “public resources, commits state guarantees, conditions investments and infrastructures and projects the host countries internationally” and that this obliges those who participate in its organisation to ” effective and continuous respect for human rights, international law and the democratic principles that must govern the actions of public authorities.”

The hope is that, by activating the institutional mechanisms provided by FIFA, a review of the “risks to human rights in host countries” can be carried out and submitted to Congress within six months. Sumar also want an assessment of the “impact of the events that occurred at the Ceuta border on the human rights commitments linked to the tournament” along with proposals for additional action if “serious” breaches of the international and human rights commitments assumed by any of the host countries are proven.

Finally, Sumar advocates for a reform of FIFA’s procedures for awarding and monitoring major competitions, which would include the chance to review or even withdraw host status when “serious” human rights breaches occur.

Portugal’s Green Party Also Speaks Out

REUTERS/Henry Romero

Adding to this, there are those within Portugal who are also against Morocco in light of the Ceuta migration crisis, which has seen an estimated 72,000 migrants cross the border into the Spanish territory in North Africa, resulting in at least 141 confirmed deaths.

The Green Party of Portugal, Livre, have sent a letter to the government of its country (centre-right) and to their Football Federation requesting Morocco’s withdrawal following the migration crisis. A press release stated:

The statement also requested a “re-evaluation of the participation” of the African country. In response to the Ceuta crisis, Livre added:

“This event confirms that there are no political conditions or guarantees of security and loyal cooperation between Morocco and Spain and Portugal to maintain this joint organisation.”