By FRANCO PANIZO
Radamel Falcao is one of the strikers who is most in demand right now, and Atletico Madrid has set the amount that it will take for someone to pry him away from them.
Atletico Madrid GM Miguel Angel GIl Marin put a price on Falcao on Tuesday, saying the team will not be able to afford the Colombian striker if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Gil Marin put the price tag at €60 million ($77.2 million), but insisted that Falcao and all the players that the coach wants will stay if they can secure a berth into next year's competition.
Falcao currently has eight goals in six games for Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club is currently tied with Barcelona for first place in La Liga with 19 points from seven games played. The top three clubs in La Liga earn an automatic berth into the Champions League while the fourth-place finishers go into the tournament's qualifiers.
Here are more stories from around the world of soccer:
BUSQUETS HANDED TWO-GAME SUSPENSION
Sergio Busquets will have to wait until at least November before he can participate in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League run again. UEFA banned Busquets two matches after he was ejected from the club's 2-0 win over Benfica last week because of violent conduct, and he will miss the home match against Celtic on October 23 and the return leg in Scotland on November 7. The Barcelona midfielder can appeal against the ruling within three days.
ROMA ANNOUNCES NEW STADIUM PLANS
If AS Roma have their way, they will be playing in a new 60,000-seat stadium by 2016. Roma president James Pallotta said the club has a list of three sites for a new stadium and that the investment could be worth more than $258 million. Roma, who currently share Stadio Olimpico with city rival Lazio, want their own stadium to increase revenue. The most likely location for a stadium is Tor di Valle, in the southwest of the city.
ROONEY SET TO BE ENGLAND CAPTAIN ON FRIDAY
Wayne Rooney has accomplished a lot from an individual standpoint in his career, but this Friday will mark a first for him. Rooney is set to be England's captain in a competitive game for the first time when the Three Lions battle San Marino in a World Cup qualifier on Friday. First-choice captains Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are expected to miss the game due to injury and suspension, respectively.
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What do you think of the price Atletico put on Falcao? Agree with Busquets getting a two-game suspension? Think Roma will get a new stadium by 2016? Do you see England winning with Rooney as captain?
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