Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Brazilian leftback Filipe Luis from Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, the English Premier League club said on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Luis is expected to join Chelsea after the two clubs agreed a fee reported to be 20 million euros (US$27 million), according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
“Atletico Madrid and Chelsea have reached an agreement for the transfer of Filipe Luis pending a medical by the English club,” Atletico said in a statement. “The Brazilian footballer communicated to us at the end of the season of his wish to join the London club.”
Photo: AFP
Chelsea have been in search of a leftback after allowing Ashley Cole to leave on a free transfer at the end of last season and Luis, who joined Atletico in 2010, is looking forward to a new challenge.
“I never thought about leaving Atletico, but I took the decision because of the offer which came from Chelsea,” Luis told a press conference in Madrid. “A change of team gives new hunger and ambition, and I was worried about being too comfortable here. A footballer’s career is very short, and I want to finish it in a strong and spectacular way.”
Luis helped knock Chelsea out of the UEFA Champions League last season and he will become the second Atletico player to join the west Londoners during the close season after striker Diego Costa completed his move to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
“I have always liked Chelsea a lot. I watch a lot of the Premier League and it is a club where you can feel the warmth of the fans,” said Luis, who has been capped four times by Brazil. “When we played there in the Champions League I felt comfortable in their stadium and when the offer came I thought it was the ideal team for me to play for in England.”
Midfielder Tiago Mendes, a former Chelsea player, is also expected to rejoin Jose Mourinho’s side after his contract at Atletico expired, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has spent the last three seasons on loan at the Vicente Calderon, is returning to Stamford Bridge.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
RSS