After weeks of speculation, Shinji Kagawa will be joining Manchester United.
Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United agreed to a transfer fee, which may end up being as much as £18 million — more than 18 times what Dortmund paid for Kagawa initially. The now-former Dortumund attacker and current Japanese international agreed to terms with the Red Devils as well, with the move being completed pending a physical and Kagawa being approved for a work permit, which should not be an issue considering his presence for the Japan national team.
Kagawa, 23, will provide a necessary jolt to the United attack, which stagnated at times this past season and was heavily reliant on Wayne Rooney. Kagawa scored 29 goals in all competitions in the last two seasons at Dortmund.
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AMPAIPITAKWONG SIGNS IN THAILAND
Anthony Ampaipitakwong will be attempting to blaze a unique trail in Thailand.
The former University of Akron standout and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder has joined Thai side Buriram United on a transfer from MLS, though deals of the transfer have not yet been released. The club unveiled Ampaipitakwong as its new signing, though, and the player himself confirmed the move on his official Twitter account Monday evening.
After four standout years at Akron, Ampaipitakwong was a second-round draft pick of the Earthquakes in 2011, and after playing in 12 games and accounting for two assists as a rookie, he did not see the field with the first team in his second season with the club.
OLIC OUT OF EURO 2012
Croatia's hopes at the European championship took a bit of a hit with the word that former Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic has been ruled out for the tournament with a thigh injury.
Olic, who is set to join Wolfsburg this summer, was a projected starter for Croatia, but he was hurt in a friendly against Norway over the weekend. Everton's Nikica Jelavic and Dnipro's Nikola Kalinic will be charged with filling his void for Croatia, which is currently ranked eighth in the world but finds itself in a tough group with Spain, Italy and the Republic of Ireland.
SOUTH AFRICA FIRES COACH
After one poor World Cup qualifying result extended South Africa's winless run to nine matches, coach Pitso Mosimane has been shown the exit by the South African football federation.
Mosimane was axed following the Bafana Bafana's 1-1 home draw with Ethiopia, which opened the second round of African qualifying for the tournament. The result comes after the embarrassing 0-0 draw with Gabon last year, when he and his team thought it needed just a tie to qualify for the African Cup of Nations when they actually needed a victory.
Mosimane's assistant, Steve Komphela, will take over on an interim basis for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts.
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Do you see Kagawa sparking United's attack and having success in the Premier League? What's your take on Ampaipitakwong's move? Do you see Croatia getting out of the group stage without Olic? Think South Africa has been underachieving since the World Cup?
Share your thoughts below.