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Wednesday Kickoff: Vidic to join Inter; Last World Cup for Klose; and more

Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United gives the thumbs up

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Nemanja Vidic will be taking his talents to the blue side of Milan next season.

Inter Milan announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed the 32-year-old centerback on a free transfer. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Vidic is a world-class player,” Inter president Erick Thohir told Inter.it. “I’m extremely happy to have completed this deal to bring Nemanja to Milan. He’s one of the world’s best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree and charisma will be an asset to the team and help bring through our younger players. He will bring added value to the club and is another piece of the great Inter side we are building.”

Vidic announced last month that he had decided to leave Manchester United at the end of the season when his current contract runs out, allowing him to join another club on a free transfer. Vidic has struggled to keep his place in the first team this season as he recovers from a knee injury.

During his time with Man United, Vidic formed a strong partnership with Rio Ferdinand. The pair lead Man United to five English Premier League titles, three League Cup titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, and one Club World Cup title.

Here are some more stories to start your international soccer day:

KLOSE TO RETIRE FROM INTL. SOCCER FOLLOWING WORLD CUP

Miroslav Klose is ready to call it quits on the international stage following the 2014 World Cup.

The 35-year-old German international forward told Süddeutsche Zeitung in an interview that he’ll announce his retirement from international soccer following this summer’s competition.

“I think that the World Cup in Brazil will be my last (international) tournament,” Klose said, ahead of Germany’s friendly match on Wednesday with Chile. “The way my fitness is at the moment, I believe that I can play for two more years (with a club) at a high level.”

Klose, currently contracted to Lazio, is currently out-of-contract this summer but is working on an extension with the Italian club.

If he plays on Wednesday for Germany, Klose will win his 131st cap. He currently has 68 international goals, tied for the most by a German international with the legendary forward Gerd Müller.

BARCELONA RE-IGNITE INTEREST IN DAVID LUIZ

With Carles Puyol’s departure for Barcelona this summer now set in stone, the club have set about looking for a replacement.

After failing to sign him from Chelsea last summer, Barcelona are again looking to sign Brazilian international defender David Luiz. According to The Telegraph, Barcelona will make a bid worth €30 million for the wild-haired defender. The report states that Barcelona will likely have to offer even more than €30 million for Mourinho to accept the bid.

Barcelona want to sign a defender ahead of the World Cup before his value will likely skyrocket. There’s thought that with Kurt Zouma signed (though currently sent back on loan to AS Saint-Etienne) and John Terry still playing some of his best soccer with Gary Cahill, Chelsea can afford to let Luiz leave at the right price.

QUICK KICKS

Brazilian-born Diego Costa and Argentina-born Gabriel Paletta are both set to debut against their adoptive nations, Spain and Italy, respectively, when the two meet on Wednesday in Madrid. (REPORT)

Croatian veteran Ivica Olic could be headed to Stoke City next season. (REPORT)

Former Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne says that Jose Mourinho blocked his potential transfer to Borussia Dortmund, eventually settling for a move to Wolfsburg. (REPORT)

After a four-game winless streak in all competitions, FC Porto have sacked head coach Paulo Fonseca. (REPORT)

Eintracht Frankfurt defender Sebastian Rode will sign a four-year contract with Bayern Munich this summer. (REPORT)

Arsenal’s winter transfer signing Kim Källström could make his debut as soon as Saturday. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Do you think Vidic can lead Inter to a scudetto? Do you see Klose retiring from international soccer this summer? Do you think Luiz would fit into Barcelona’s plans?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Brazilian-born Diego Costa and Argentina-born Gabriel Paletta are both set to debut FOR their adoptive nations, Spain and Italy, respectively, when the two meet on Wednesday in Madrid. 🙂

    Reply
    • I admit, I found that hard to believe and just double-checked and you are right. Amazing. And Muller did in a time span of only eight years, while Klose has been at it for 13 years. Plus, Muller scored 398 goals for FC Bayern in 453 games.

      Reply
      • Muller was an incredible goalscorer and is often overlooked when people/pundits talk about the all-time greats. I saw him play in the old NASL for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. He was a shadow of his former self then, but with YouTube around now, it’s easy to see from old clips how he had the uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. He was also very good in the air for being relatively short and stocky.

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