Mandzukic: West Ham United have reportedly made an approach for Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic as the Bianconeri close in on Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain. According to Croatian site Vecernji.hr, West Ham aim to take advantage of Higuain’s imminent move to the Serie A champions by swooping for the Croatian forward Mandzukic.
Cuadrado: Milan have emerged as favourites to sign Juan Cuadrado and are reportedly in talks with Chelsea. The Colombia international spent last season on loan at Juventus and rediscovered his confidence after a difficult spell in the Premier League. Cuadrado is believed to be eager to a return to the Serie A where he played his best football at Fiorentina under Vincenzo Montella, who is now at the helm of Milan.
Marseille: Marseille have signed Aaron Leya Iseka, the younger brother of their departed striker Michy Batshuayi, on loan from Anderlecht. Belgium international Batshuayi left for Chelsea earlier this month for a reported £33 million. And his 18-year-old sibling, known by their mother’s surname, has made the temporary switch to help fill the void.
Tenerife: Tenerife and their midfielder Marc Crosas face an investigation after pictures emerged of Crosas appearing to have speared an endangered baby shark during a training camp on the island. Both the player and the club have apologised following the incident during a training session on the beach at Las Teresitas, in the resort of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but that was not enough to appease Santa Cruz’s deputy mayor Zaida Gonzalez who promised “disciplinary proceedings”.
Bradley: Sampdoria and Torino are trying to lure former Roma and Chievo midfielder Michael Bradley back to the Serie A. The US international, who turns 29 this week, left Italy to play for Toronto FC in January 2014. According to Il Corriere dello Sport newspaper, both Samp and Toro are hoping to persuade Bradley to join them.
Cresswell: West Ham are facing an anxious wait to discover the full extent of Aaron Cresswell’s knee injury after the defender was forced off towards the end of their pre-season victory over Karlsruher on Saturday. The 26-year-old left-back, who has missed just one Premier League match over the past two seasons, was left in pain on the pitch following a heavy challenge from Karlsruher midfielder Grischa Promel and immediately signalled to the bench to leave the field.
Sassuolo: Sassuolo are expected to agree a loan deal for Juventus teenager Pol Lirola over the next few days. The Spanish right-back, who turns 19 in August, is one of the most talented players in the Juventus youth team. He is currently with the senior squad on their summer tour in Australia.
UEFA Under-19 final: France vs Italy 4-0.