Man Utd plug defensive gap with record breaking £80m Maguire
August 6 – Harry Maguire has become the world’s most expensive defender after signing for Manchester United from Premier League rivals Leicester City for £80 million.
Finance
Arsenal pay record £72m fee for Lille’s Pepe
August 2 – Arsenal have completed a club-record £72 million deal to sign Nicolas Pepe from French club Lille OSC in a bid to bolster their squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
After 125 years, Bury’s English league status hangs on a bank balance
August 1 – Bury’s 125-year membership of the English Football League could come to an end if club owner Steve Dale fails to provide the EFL with sufficient evidence he can sustain the club.
OGC Nice debuts Ineos sponsorship as Ratcliffe closes in on €100m buy
July 31 – Supporters of Cardiff City and Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas on the closing stages of the Tour de France last weekend, would have seen further inroads into the sports business by Ineos who debuted their shirt sponsorship of OGC Nice last weekend in a friendly in the Welsh capital.
AS Roma to restructure debt with €275m bond offer
July 30 – AS Roma will issue €275 million in bonds to help restructure debt repayments, the Italian club has announced.
Chinese whispers: Real Madrid call off mooted Bale transfer to Jiangsu Suning
July 29 – The high-profile move of Gareth Bale from Spain to China is off after Real Madrid cancelled the deal, with the Welsh international now set to stay at the Spanish club instead of switching to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning for a reported £1 million a week.
Billion dollar Barca: record revenues again for Spanish giant
July 26 – FC Barcelona have broken the billion dollar revenue mark for the second season running, announcing that for the 2018/19 year income rose to €990 million ($1.1 billion).
PSG greenlighted for new €250m training complex in Poissy
July 25 – French champions Paris Saint-Germain have been given the green light to develop a new training centre that would cost the Ligue 1 club a reported €250 million.
AS Roma go crypto with Socios.com Fan Token launch
July 19 – Serie A’s AS Roma is to launch club fan tokens via the Socios.com blockchain-based platform, joining Juventus, PSG and West Ham who already have tradeable fan tokens.
Juve put reported €195m package together for Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt
July 18 – Everyone wanted him but Italian champions Juventus have got him. Matthijs de Ligt, perhaps the best young defender in European football, has signed from Ajax for €75 million.
Billion dollar pay days. UEFA details €3.25bn cash breakdown with €100m+ for CL winner
By Paul Nicholson
July 11- If any reminder were needed of where the real balance of power lies in football, it was delivered yesterday by UEFA’s announcement of how its expected €3.25 billion of revenue in the 2019/20 season will be distributed.
Pique loses tax appeal leaving him with €2.1m to pay
July 10 – Star Spanish and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has lost his legal battle with the tax authorities and will have to pay €2.1 million in penalties and back taxes.
Milan clubs wants new €1.2bn San Siro. Politicians nervous
July 11 – AC and Inter Milan moved plans for a new stadium forward on Wednesday by disclosing a plan to invest more than €1.2 billion in the project.
Spurs dig deep to find record €60m for Lyons’ Ndombele
July 3 – Tottenham Hotspur, who reached the Champions League final in June without having signed a single player for 18 months, have smashed their transfer record by purchasing 22-year-old French rising midfield star Tanguy Ndombele for a club record €60 million from Lyon.