Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has stayed tight-lipped on the subject of his eight-match ban.
The Argentine was hit with a four-match ban for tapping the back of the fourth official’s head, a two-match suspension for the protests which led to his sending off, plus two one-match bans for sarcastically applauding the official’s decision and for remaining in the stands instead of going to the changing rooms after his dismissal.
Asked about the punishment following Atletico’s goalless draw at Rayo Vallecano late Monday, Simeone said: “I’m not going to make any assessment, I have a lot of respect for those who make the decisions, and silence.”
Benatia to join Bayern from Roma
Bayern Munich are set to sign Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia from Roma on a five-year deal, the German champions said.
“DONE DEAL: #FCBayern and @OfficialASRoma have agreed the transfer of MEHDI BENATIA (27)! Defensive ace set to sign a five-year contract,” Bayern said on their Twitter account yesterday.
Benatia, 27, joined Roma from Udinese last season. He became unsettled, however, publicly accusing the club of breaking pro-mises regarding salary increases.
Bayern were looking to strengthen their defence after Javi Martinez suffered a knee injury in their Super Cup defeat by Borussia Dortmund this month.
Pirlo doubtful
Juve could be without influential midfielder Andrea Pirlo for their league opener against Chievo due to a foot injury.
The 35-year-old midfielder suffered a knock during training this week and it remains to be seen whether he will make it for his team’s clash at the Bentegodi stadium.
The club’s medical staff are expected to give Pirlo a rest before assessing his condition and a decision will be made whether the veteran will form part of Massimiliano Allegri’s squad on Saturday.
Mascherano extends Barcelona stay
Javier Mascherano has signed a new four-year contract with Barcelona.
The deal, agreed before the World Cup, ties the Argentine to the Nou Camp until June 30, 2018, with the option of a further year on top of that.
Mascherano, whose new contract has a buy-out clause of 100m euros (£80m), joined Barca from Liverpool in 2010 for a reported £18m and has won eight titles, including two Primera Divisions, the Champions Lea-gue and the Copa del Rey, during his time in Spain.
The versatile 30-year-old midfielder said: “I’m committed to this club until the final day of the contract. I hope I can live up to expectations of the club.”
Manolas set for Roma switch
Arsenal are set to miss out on the signing of Kostas Manolas with the Greece international set to join Roma.
Media reports in Italy claim the 23-year-old centre-back arrived in Rome’s Fiumicino airport from Athens yesterday morning where he was expected to undergo a medical
Roma have agreed with Olympiakos a €13m transfer fee for the highly-rated defender, who still has two years left in his contract.
Manolas made 25 league appearances last season and scored three goals while he also featured in seven Champions League games for the Piraeus-based club.
No Man. United bid for Daley Blind
Daley Blind’s agent says Manchester United are yet to launch a bid to sign his client.
Blind is understood to be on Louis van Gaal’s transfer shortlist, but the Manchester United manager has not made a move for the Ajax utility man, according to his representative Rob Jansen.
“At this moment Manchester United have not been in touch with me or Ajax about Daley and I’m not sitting here waiting for the call,” Jansen said.
Van Gaal knows Blind well from his time in charge of the Dutch national side.
The 24-year-old son of former Holland international Danny Blind, can operate at left-back or in central midfield, where United are in desperate need of reinforcements.
Gomez eyes return to Germany squad
Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez said he was determined to earn an international recall with Germany after missing the World Cup following a long injury absence.
The 29-year-old, who has won 59 caps and scored 25 goals, last played for Germany in August 2013 against Paraguay.
“I obviously want and I will come back to the national team,” Gomez told reporters.
“The pre-season preparation went well and we are well prepared for the start of the season.”
After a promising start in his first year at Fiorentina, the former Bayern Munich forward suffered a knee injury in September last year that kept him out for months, calling last season “the ugliest of his career”.