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The 27-year-old, who can play on either side of the defence, will replace Filipe Luis at left-back following the defender's move to Chelsea
La Liga champions Atletico Madrid have signed Zenit full-back Cristian Ansaldi on a season-long loan deal.
Ansaldi, who has been capped by Argentina on three occasions, is capable of playing on either side of the defence, with his arrival announced on Friday after the 27-year-old passed a medical.
Atleti's sporting director, Jose Luis Perez Caminero, said: "Ansaldi is a player who's going to help us increase the group's competitiveness.
"He's a full-back who can play at both sidelines, with a great defence level and offers many variables on the attack.
"He will bring plenty with his versatility. We are very pleased with this agreement."
Ansaldi's arrival helps compensate for the recent departure of Filipe Luis, who left Atleti last month to join Chelsea.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu have already arrived at Camp Nou, but the club's spending may not be over yet
Barcelona could yet make further signings before the end of the summer transfer window, according to club president Josep Bartomeu.
Five players - Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Jeremy Mathieu - have already arrived at Camp Nou for a combined cost of around €156 million.
And Bartomeu has now revealed that new boss Luis Enrique may well add several more new faces to his squad before the September 1 deadline.
He told reporters: "The transfer window isn't over yet, it ends in a months' time. I think we still have some things left to do this summer."
Reports in Spain suggested that Camp Nou sporting director Zubizarreta and coach Luis Enrique will be meeting on Friday to finalise transfer plans, with young Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Marquinhos seen as the first-choice option.
Barca are desperate to do as much business as possible this summer with a potential 14-month transfer ban looming for breaking rules involving the international transfers of players under the age of 18.
The club were initially banned from buying any players for that period starting from April, but Fifa agreed to put that suspension on hold after the Blaugrana lodged an appeal.
The club's spectacular plans for the renovation of their stadium have been brought to a halt amid an investigation by the European Commission into alleged "illegal public help"
Real Madrid's plans to renovate the Santiago Bernabeu have been suspended by the Spanish High Court amid an investigation by the European Commission into alleged corruption.
Madrid unveiled their proposals for the spectacular stadium in January, with the all-new Bernabeu to include a shopping centre complex and a hotel in an area to cover 12,250 metres adjacent to the ground - almost half of which is currently unoccupied land and would be given to the club as part of the agreement.
In order to approve those plans, Madrid's government approved changes to the city's General Urbanisation Plan from 2011.
However, the European Commission has opened an investigation into possible "illegal public assistance" by part of the government towards the club.
A group of ecologists have also filed an official complaint claiming that Madrid reneged on a previous agreement to build an underground car park and a walkway giving access to the stadium in 1991.
"The club never fulfilled its part and ended up owing the government €2.8 million," a statement from the action group Ecologistas en Accion AEDENAT read.
The Spanish High Court have decided that the European investigation means there are sufficient grounds to bring a halt to the €400m project.
The Madrid government dismissed the High Court ruling in a statement on Friday which read: "The agreement between the Madrid government and Real Madrid, which is supposedly the cause of the procedure opened by the European Union, has nothing to do with the modficition of the [urban] planning. Therefore, it makes no sense to halt these modifications when they have absolutely no relation to the proprietary agreement."
Madrid, meanwhile, have 10 days to lodge an official appeal against the High Court decision.
The Italian gave little away when quizzed on the future of the Argentina international, but did rule out the prospect of Diego Lopez leaving the club
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said he had "no news" over the futures of Angel Di Maria or Diego Lopez as rumours grow that the pair are set to be sold.
Di Maria has long been linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United said to be eager to sign the Argentina winger ahead of the new season.
Lopez is reportedly a target for Monaco and Chelsea, but Real coach Ancelotti is not expecting either player to leave the European champions in the near future.
When asked about Di Maria, who has been given an extended break following his World Cup exploits, the Italian said: "No news. He's still on holiday and will come back to training with Real Madrid on 5 August, as is planned."
Ancelotti revealed that Iker Casillas will start Saturday's International Champions Cup clash with Manchester United in Michigan and the Super Cup encounter with Sevilla on August 12, but insisted no deal has been struck for Lopez to move on.
He said: "Diego Lopez looks good, as always. He is working hard and is very professional. There's no news on his exit. He's a Real Madrid player and won't play (against United) because I want to give Iker some minutes as he will play the Super Cup."
Levante keeper Keylor Navas is reportedly set to join the Madrid giants, but the Madrid boss refused to discuss a potential move for the Costa Rica international.
"We had problems with the goalkeeping situation last year and I don't want to talk about Navas, a goalkeeper who right now isn't Real Madrid's."
Real Madrid will have their eyes on Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium today, as Radamel Falcao looks to complete a comeback from injury.
Almost eight months after he tore his cruciate ligament for Monaco, the Colombia international is set to make his first appearance for the Ligue 1 outfit in a friendly against Valencia.
Leandro Jardim’s men are in London to play the Emirates Cup, with games against Los Che and The Gunners.
And AS, citing L’Equipe, report that the European champions are keen to see how the goalscorer will react after such a long period out of the game.
Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for the forward, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men will only table an offer if they deem Falcao to have recovered fully.
Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to rule out the possibility to returning to Manchester United.
The Portugal international left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2009, for a then record fee of €94m.
He has since gone on to become one of the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but admitted in 2012 to being ‘sad’ and was once more linked with a move back to the Premier League side last summer.
And with his contract set to expire in 2018, the 29-year-old has claimed that he ‘loves it’ in Manchester.
“Of course, it was one of my favourite clubs, Manchester, everyone knows that every time when I speak about Real Madrid I should speak about Manchester United, I love it there,” he is reported as saying by the Manchester Evening News.
“I was 18-years-old, I win everything there. The people treat me like a god there so I appreciate it and in the future nobody knows.”
Musacchio set to join Tottenham, admits Villarreal coach
By George Ankers
Aug 3, 2014 21:59:00
The 23-year-old centre-back excelled for the Spanish side last season and is now set to complete a move to White Hart Lane
Villarreal coach Marcelino accepts that centre-back Mateo Musacchio is set to join Tottenham.
Spurs had been considering an offer for the 23-year-old after he was voted the Spanish club’s player of the season in 2013-14 and are now on the verge of completing a deal.
Marcelino now "expects" Musacchio to make the switch to White Hart Lane, despite how difficult he sees the task of finding a replacement.
He told reporters: "It's a situation with three parties: the player, the buyer and the club in the middle and, as I have said many times, if the club sell an important player it's because the right conditions to do so have been met.
"Things will change quite a lot [for this team]. The quality and level of [Musacchio] will make it difficult to find a replacement.
"It's always more complicated to adapt the team to a new defender than to a forward or midfielder [and] it's not easy, at this level, to find a new defender. It won't be easy [to replace him] but the solution, for better or worse, will be found soon."
The coach lamented that, having already wanted to bring in another centre-back this summer, he would now have to find two.
"Mateo is a very important player for Villarreal," he added. "He's an excellent player and will be a difficult loss to cover, especially as he plays in a tough position to reinforce."
Official: Real Madrid complete Keylor Navas signing
Aug 3, 2014 18:44:00
Carlo Ancelotti's side have finalised the arrival of the Costa Rica goalkeeper from Levante on a six-year deal
Real Madrid have completed the signing of Keylor Navas from Levante on a six-year deal.
The goalkeeper was one of the best performers in La Liga last season with Levante and followed up his stellar 2013-14 by starring with Costa Rica at the World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals thanks to his heroics between the sticks.
Levante president Quico Catalan confirmed last week that his club were in talks with Real over a potential transfer and the European champions have now completed the formalities of the deal.
A statement on their official website read: "Real Madrid CF and Levante UD have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Keylor Navas, who is linked to the club over the next six seasons.
"The player will be presented on Tuesday, August 5, at 13:00CET at the Bernabeu, after undergoing the relevant medical examination."
Navas, 27, was Levante's first-choice goalkeeper last season, having previously played second fiddle to Gustavo Munua at the Valencia-based club.
During the World Cup, he kept clean sheets against England and Italy, before also remaining unbeaten for 120 minutes against the Netherlands, who ultimately saw off Costa Rica in a penalty shoot-out to reach the semi-final.
The midfielder explained that Madrid is his home and that he wanted to spend the forthcoming years with the Rojiblancos, but admitted it was hard to reject the Catalunya club
Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke has explained why he rejected a move to Barcelona, saying he could not bear to leave the Vicente Calderon.
The 22-year-old had been linked with the Camp Nou club following a stellar 2013-14 season in which he helped the Rojiblancos lift La Liga and reach the Champions League final.
Striker Diego Costa and left-back Filipe Luis both left Atletico this summer for Chelsea, but Koke decided against joining Lionel Messi and Co. despite their intense interest due to his desire to continue to impress under Diego Simeone.
"The truth is that part of me said it was difficult to say no to Barca but I wanted to continue at home for many years at Atletico," he told AS.
"It wasn’t time to leave. This is my home, where I feel wanted and the club didn’t need to sell. How was I going to leave at the best time for Atletico?
"It’s not easy to say no to Barca and their interest was appreciated. It means the work I’ve done has paid off. But I’m at home here.
"I’m just another player at Atletico, a player who gives everything for his team and does what Simeone asks. I’m not the best or the flagship, the banner. The most important thing to me is to make a better Atletico and be a team player, which is ultimately what matters.
"The new signings are great players, they’re all important and I believe they will all contribute a lot to the team. They hope to do things right and that is something Simeone values highly."
The 40-year-old is adamant that he can help lead his new club back into Europe's top competition after they finished eighth in La Liga last term
Valencia coach Nuno Santo is targeting a return to the Champions League after succeeding Juan Antonio Pizzi at Mestalla this summer.
The Europa League semi-finalists could only finish in eighth place in La Liga last term and have missed out on the continent's top club competition for a second consecutive season.
However, Nuno believes that he can restore them to the top four and lead them back among the European elite.
"I don't hide [the fact] that we have the wish, the desire to be in the Champions League next year," he told reporters.
"I think it's possible because we are a big club. The position of Valencia is none other than fighting for the Champions League.
"The club has a big project inside of it and we expect all the things to come true. Our ambitions are clear."
Nuno witnessed his side clinch the Emirates Cup at the weekend thanks to a 2-2 draw with Monaco on Saturday and a 3-1 victory over Benfica the following day.
And the Portuguese expects his charges to kick on before the Liga opener with Sevilla on August 23.
"We are building a team and that's the main goal at this moment in the season," he added.
"I'm sure that on August 23 we're going to be stronger than we are today. We're going to be more united. We're going to have more weapons to use.
"Our supporters can count on us to work hard and to fight for everything that we can."
The striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Champions League winners, but is focused on his current club for now
Radamel Falcao has insisted that he is focused on Monaco amid ongoing reports linking him with a summer transfer to Real Madrid.
The Colombia international already caught the attention of the Santiago Bernabeu side in 2013, but a transfer eventually never materialised as he opted to leave Atletico Madrid for Monaco instead.
Madrid have kept a close eye on his situation at the Ligue 1 outfit ever since, though, and are now reportedly ready to make another move for the prolific striker.
Nevertheless, Falcao is not thinking about a transfer just yet and is ready to give his all for Monaco having recovered from a serious knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup.
"I am not aware of any Real Madrid interest. I am not thinking about any other club than Monaco at the moment," Falcao was quoted as saying by AS.
"I have to continue to work hard for Monaco and play when and wherever the coach needs me."
The 28-year-old has a contract with Monaco until the summer of 2018.
The Spain international will be out of action for a brief period after picking up a knock on the training pitch
Barcelona have confirmed that influential midfielder Xavi has sustained a calf injury in training on Monday and faces a brief spell on the sidelines.
The 34-year-old played the second half of the Catalans' 1-1 friendly draw against Nice at the weekend and scored their only goal from the penalty spot.
Nevertheless, his preparations for the 2014-15 campaign have now suffered a minor setback.
"Xavi Hernandez suffered a slight calf strain in his left leg during training Monday morning," a statement on the official Barcelona website reads.
"Club doctors will decide when he can return to training over the next few days."
Speculation had been rife about a potential move away from Camp Nou for the Spain international, but technical director Andoni Zubizarreta confirmed last month that Xavi had opted to remain at the club.
The midfielder made 29 appearances in La Liga last term, scoring three goals to help Barcelona to second place, and will hope to play more football under new boss Luis Enrique this season.
Xavi: Barcelona hoping Suarez suspension is reduced
By Mark Doyle
Aug 5, 2014 17:44:00
The Uruguay international is banned until the end of October because of his bite on Giorgio Chiellini at this summer's World Cup
Xavi has admitted that he and his Barcelona team-mates are hoping that Luis Suarez's suspension is reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Uruguay international was hit with a four-month ban from all football-related activity for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during this summer's World Cup.
Suarez is challenging the severity of the suspension and Xavi would love to see Barcelona's star summer signing cleared to return to action before the end of October.
"Luis is among the best strikers and players in the world," the midfielder told reporters on Tuesday.
"He had a spectacular season with Liverpool and is a great signing.
"I have a good relationship with him. He is a great person and we welcome him with open arms.
"Hopefully, CAS will help to reduce the suspension as much as possible."
Xavi was speaking at a press conference called to announce his retirement from international football.
The Spain international was quizzed on a number of issues, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who endured a turbulent 2009-10 season at Barcelona.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker has often spoken negatively of his former Camp Nou colleagues but Xavi says he has never had a problem with the enigmatic Swede.
"I maintain a great relationship with him," he told reporters on.
"He is a great person who left his mark, although it was only one year and had a very good season."
The club were hit with news on Friday that their proposals for a new stadium had been halted, but Los Blancos are now set to challenge the ruling
By Alberto Pinero & Ben Hayward
Real Madrid plan to appeal the decision by a Spanish High Court to suspend the proposed €400 million renovation of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos disclosed plans for the spectacular project in January, revealing that the redeveloped stadium would include a shopping centre complex and a new hotel, as well as further improvements to the current structure, such as a retractable roof.
But the club were hit with the news on Friday that the High Court had halted the proposals, after the European Commission opened an investigation into "alleged public help" from the Madrid government.
The city authorities released a statement that same day claiming there were no grounds to halt the proposed plans, while the club were given 10 days to challenge the High Court decision.
A Madrid representative has now confirmed to Goal that the club are preparing an appeal and are confident the decision to halt the renovations will be overturned in the coming weeks.
Madrid hope to complete the brand-new Santiago Bernabeu stadium by 2018.
Diego Lopez’s future could be settled soon as reports in Spain claim a move from Real Madrid to Milan may be completed ‘in the next few hours.’
Marca claim this morning that the departure of Kaka from the Serie A club has freed up space to sign Lopez, who is surplus to requirements at Madrid following the arrival of Keylor Navas.
It’s claimed that Milan lack confidence in any of their three current goalkeepers, hence the interest in Lopez. Moncao were also in the frame but it’s thought the Rossoneri have a clear run with the Ligue 1 club backing out.
Lopez’s €4.5m-a-year wage would be covered by Kaka’s move to MLS and the possible departure of Kevin Constant.
The clubs are said to have a good relationship, which would allow the transfer to go ahead in as smooth a manner as possible.
The forward was expected to miss the start of the season with Barcelona because of his back injury but the youngster passed a medical and could be ready to feature against Elche
Barcelona forward Neymar could be ready for the start of the season after passing a medical on Wednesday.
The Brazil international sustained a fractured vertebra in his country's quarter-final win over Colombia after a robust challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga.
With initial projections suggesting Neymar could miss up to six weeks of action, the 22-year-old was considered a doubt for Barcelona's league opener against Elche on August 23.
However, the club confirmed on Wednesday that Neymar, along with three team-mates who appeared in the World Cup, had passed his medical and would now face "intense training".
A statement from the Catalan giants read: "The four World Cup semi-finalists, Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves and Neymar, who trained with their colleagues on Tuesday, returned to the club for their medical tests.
"They all passed with flying colours and are now set for three weeks of intense training in the build-up to the start of official matches in three weeks’ time."
Defender Adriano (abnormal heart rate) is continuing his recovery, while midfielder Xavi and new signing Jeremy Mathieu went through seperate training exercises.
Josep Maria Bartomeu says the striker turned down better offers to come to Camp Nou and described Lionel Messi's value to the Camp Nou side as "limitless"
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu claims there is no clause in Luis Suarez's contract which forbids him from biting players
Suarez was bought for €88 million shortly after Uruguay's exit from the World Cup this summer following a three-and-a-half-year spell with Liverpool, but he is unlikely to play until late October due to a four-month ban he was given by Fifa for biting Giorgio Chiellini.
The incident was the third time that the forward has been caught biting an opponent but the club chief has faith that Suarez can put his tendency to bite players behind him at Camp Nou.
"We didn't rethink our decision and we told Luis that after the bite. He knows that he did wrong," Bartomeu told CNN. "He apologised. That's very important for us. That means he knows that he did not do things properly.
"There's going to be a way of managing Luis Suarez, because at Liverpool he was a perfect player. Liverpool fans can tell it, our supporters can tell it.
"'What if he bit someone again?' is a question that a lot of people ask us. We cannot talk about something that could not happen. We don't know.
"What we know is that we accept this responsibility and he also wants this responsibility. There is no biting clause. Although, if the clause did exist we wouldn't say it, but it doesn't exist."
Bartomeu also revealed Barca spoke with the player about a deal before this summer's tournament in Brazil and says Suarez turned down more lucrative offers in favour of joining the Spanish giants.
"Barcelona made first contact with the player before the World Cup. I told him he was at the right age and experience to take the plunge," he added. "We knew many years ago that Suarez loves our club, that he loves the city.
"As such, everything was perfect to accept Luis Suarez. We knew he had better offers, but Suarez decided to come to Barcelona."
Bartomeu then went on to describe Lionel Messi as invaluable to Barca due to the example he sets to other young players at La Masia.
"Messi represents more than goals and trophies. He represents the spirit of a young player who arrives at La Masia and grows at our club," he said.
"The value of Messi to the club is unlimited."
Finally, Bartomeu claims he himself learned a significant amount from former coach Pep Guardiola and hinted that the current Bayern Munich boss could be among a number of ex-Barca players who could consider returning to the club in the coming years.
"I've learned a lot from Pep Guardiola. He's a genius. People who carry Barca in their heart come back to help the club.
"After 2022, many of the players who are here now, or are at other clubs, will come back as coaches, sporting directors, presidents because, at the end of the day, we're one big family."
It is reported that Manchester City are considering rivalling Real Madrid for the signing of Radamel Falcao.
The Monaco forward, who missed this summer’s World Cup with knee ligament damange, has been linked with a move to Los Blancos throughout the summer.
However, reports in the Italian Press claim that the Premier League outfit have now joined the race for the Colombian and may even look to take him on loan in order to comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.
Should City beat the European champions to Falcao, it is likely they would allow Stevan Jovetic to join Juventus.
