Sun, Sep 01, 2013 page18

• SOCCER SHORTS

  • Agencies
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  ENGLAND

  Spurs to sign Eriksen

  Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal to sign Ajax’s Denmark international Christian Eriksen, the Premier League club said on Friday. Eriksen, a crafty playmaker who has been capped 37 times for his country, becomes the latest attacking addition to the north London club’s burgeoning ranks. The 21-year-old will be Tottenham’s seventh transfer-window acquisition and with media reports putting the fee in the region of ￡12 million (US$18.6 million), the move is likely to take the club’s spending to more than ￡100 million. Eriksen joined Ajax in 2008 from Denmark’s OB Odense and played 161 games for the club, scoring 33 goals. He won three Dutch championships between 2011 and this year.

  SPAIN

  Bale has boots waiting

  Gareth Bale’s boot sponsors Adidas are taking no chances when it comes to the Wales international’s possible presentation at Real Madrid and already have a pair waiting in the Spanish capital, Spanish sports daily As reported on Friday. With a deal to take the Tottenham Hotspur winger to the Bernabeu apparently imminent, As published a photo on its Web site of what it said was the box Adidas sent by courier to Real’s Valdebebas training facility. It also showed a shipping document with the player’s name on and “shoes” listed as the contents. The paper also reported that a deal was in place in which Real will pay Spurs 84 million euros (US$110.8 million) for Bale, plus a possible 7 million euros more, linked to performance. Spanish media reported this week that Adidas had already started selling Real shirts with Bale’s name on at their store in Paris.

  FRANCE

  PSG leave out Sakho

  Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender Mamadou Sakho, who has asked to leave the club, was left of the squad for yesterday’s Ligue 1 home game against En Avant de Guingamp amid media reports he is on his way out. The 23-year-old France international has not played a single minute this season and has fallen behind Brazilians Thiago Silva and Alex, who are coach Laurent Blanc’s favored pairing. French broadcaster beIN Sport, whose chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi is also chairman at PSG, reported on Friday that the French champions had agreed to sell Sakho to Liverpool for 23 million euros (US$30.33 million). Media reports have also linked him with a move to AC Milan. Sakho, who has 14 international caps, asked to leave the club after France coach Didier Deschamps left him out of this month’s friendly in Belgium because of his lack of competitive action.

  BULGARIA

  Players fight each other

  Beroe Stara finished with eight men after two players were sent off for fighting with each other during halftime, before beating Neftohimik Burgas 2-0 on Friday to move up to fifth in the Bulgarian league. Beroe ’keeper Ivan Karadzhov and his Portuguese teammate Elio Martins were shown straight red cards by referee Ivaylo Stoyanov after exchanging blows on their way to the dressing room. Beroe were reduced to eight men when Brazilian midfielder Elias received a second bookable offence for diving midway through the second half, but the Stara Zagora-based side held their two-goal lead from the first half. Pirin Gotse Delchev goalkeeper Abdi Abdikov was sent off for hitting a teammate during his club’s 5-1 loss at Cherno More Varna in the Bulgarian league in April. Abdikov was banned for four matches.
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