By DAN KARELL
Clubs in France and England are lining up to sign one of Real Madrid’s best players this season ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
Angel Di Maria has plenty of suitors across the world and Spanish publication Marca believes that Arsenal, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and AS Monaco are all preparing bids worth a minimum of 40 million euros ($55 million) for the Argentine left-winger.
Marca reports that while everyone at Real Madrid is focused on the UEFA Champions League final, there are those in the club who would be willing to sell Di Maria and the player himself prefers to have his club future decided before he joins the Argentine squad in Brazil next month.
Di Maria played both on the left and in central midfield this season for Carlo Ancelotti, accruing 50 appearances for Los Blancos in all competitions. The 26-year-old has scored 11 times in all competitions this season as well.
Here are some more stories to start off your Wednesday:
PERALTA MAKES SURPRISE MOVE TO CLUB AMERICA
Club America have made the signing of the summer by taking the man who knocked them out of the 2014 Clausura playoffs away from Santos Laguna.
Mexican national team forward Oribe Peralta has signed with Club America for an undisclosed fee, making the move official before the start of the World Cup in Brazil. America struggled in their first season under head coach Antonio Mohamed, finishing in sixth place and getting knocked out in the Liguilla quarterfinals.
Peralta was named the 2013 CONCACAF Player of the Year and brings to the Estadio Azteca a tremendous strike rate. The 30-year-old scored 19 goals over the Apertura and Clausura, and has scored 60 league goals for Santos Laguna since the 2011 Apertura.
Peralta also scored 10 times for Mexico in its World Cup qualification campaign, though five of them came in the two-legged playoff against New Zealand. Peralta was the star of the 2012 London Olympics, scoring four goals in six games as Mexico won the gold medal.
TERRY SIGNS ONE-YEAR CONTRACT TO REMAIN AT CHELSEA
Chelsea captain John Terry isn’t ready to give up his place in the squad.
The former England international signed a new one-year contract with Chelsea on Tuesday, extending his stay with the London club to a 17th year since joining as a 14-year-old. According to the London Times, Terry even took a pay-cut to remain at Chelsea, though he could earn the same amount of money he currently makes with incentives and bonuses.
The Times report that he cut his salary from $15.27 million to approximately $12.25 million per year.
Terry started and played in 34 of Chelsea’s 38 English Premier League matches this season and helped the team into the UEFA Champions League semifinals where they fell to Atletico Madrid.
QUICK KICKS
UEFA has rejected Benfica’s appeal on Lazar Markovic’s yellow-card ban, keeping arguably Benfica’s top player suspended for the Europa League final on Wednesday. (REPORT)
A young Germany side featuring eight uncapped players drew 0-0 with Poland in an international friendly in Frankfurt. (REPORT)
Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung has retired at the age of 33. (REPORT)
Torino forward Ciro Immobile, who leads Serie A with 22 goals this year, has said he doesn’t plan on joining Juventus or Borussia Dortmund this summer. (REPORT)
Victor Valdes said goodbye to teammates and coaches at Barcelona in an open letter, confirming his intent to move to a new club this summer. (REPORT)
AC Milan have promoted 15-year-old wunderkind Hachim Mastour to first team training, and if he plays against Sassuolo in the final week of the season, he’ll be the youngest ever debutant in club history. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Di Maria moving to the English Premier League? Would you rather see him stay at Real Madrid? What do you think of Peralta’s transfer?
Share your thoughts below.