Sports
Inter to make €45m Lookman offer next week
Inter Milan are planning to raise their offer for Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman to €45m next week as they intensify their pursuit of the Nigerian international.
Corriere dello Sport editor Ivan Zazzaroni revealed that the Nerazzurri have a summer budget of €100 million from owners Oaktree Capital and will prioritise signing Lookman as their top attacking target.
“Oaktree have made €100 million available.. for transfers,” Zazzaroni wrote in an Instagram post. “Lookman is their priority target.”
The editor predicted that “next week Inter will raise their offer to €45 million” before adding, “Then the ball will be in (Antonio) Percassi’s court, and that of Lookman himself,” referring to the Atalanta chief executive.
Inter’s initial €40m bid was rejected by Atalanta, who are reportedly holding out for around €50m for the 27-year-old winger.
The Nerazzurri had previously issued a deadline to Atalanta and refused to increase their opening offer, with Tuttosport reporting that Inter “cannot and will not match La Dea’s €50m asking price.”
However, Zazzaroni’s revelation suggests Inter are now prepared to compromise as they look to secure their primary transfer target before the new season.
Despite the ongoing impasse between the clubs, Lookman has already agreed personal terms with Inter on a multi-year deal worth around €4m net per season and continues to prioritise a move to San Siro.
The former RB Leipzig and Leicester City man has turned down interest from Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Napoli in order to focus solely on joining the Nerazzurri.
Napoli, under new coach Antonio Conte, had hoped to use Giacomo Raspadori in a swap deal for Lookman, but the Nigerian declined the offer, whilst Barcelona’s interest was hampered by their ongoing financial constraints.
Inter’s willingness to increase their bid comes as Lookman nears full recovery from injury and represents a significant shift from their previous stance of refusing to budge from their €40m valuation.
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The Pinellas County Forensic Science Center has received a request for cremation approval, though no date has been set.
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan has died at the age of 71 following a heart attack. Official reports list acute myocardial infarction as the cause of death. The legendary wrestler, born Terry Bollea, passed away on July 24 in Florida.
According to documents obtained by Page Six, Hogan had also been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, and had been previously diagnosed with atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat condition.
His death has been ruled as natural causes, and the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center has received a request for cremation approval, though no date has been set.
Close friend Eric Bischoff, speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, recalled their last emotional conversation. “He sounded tired… he said, ‘I really want to see you, but I’m kind of embarrassed for you to see me this way.’”
Despite his illness, Bischoff said Hogan’s personality remained unchanged: “It was work for him to have a conversation, but he was the same guy.”
Hogan’s daughter, Brooke Hogan, paid tribute in a heartfelt Instagram post, reflecting on their complex relationship.
“When he left this earth, it felt like part of my spirit left with him,” she wrote. Brooke revealed that their relationship had been strained but noted they had reconnected during his illness.
She added, “We had been through almost 25 surgeries together… then everything started getting covered in a thick veil. It was like there was a force field around him.”
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Luis Diaz said former Liverpool teammate Florian Wirtz told him he would “enjoy” a move to Bayern Munich as the Colombian was unveiled by the Bundesliga champions on Thursday.
The German giants reportedly paid a fee which could rise to 75 million euros ($86.5 million) for the 28-year-old, whose deal runs until 2029.
Heavily linked with a move to Bayern, Wirtz left Bayer Leverkusen and signed with the Reds in June.
Diaz only had a few weeks with the German international at Liverpool but revealed Wirtz’s advice encouraged him to move to the Bundesliga.
“I spoke to Florian a few times and he told me that the Bundesliga is very intense, similar to the Premier League, that it was very physical, the stadiums are always full,” Diaz said Thursday.
“He said that I’d enjoy it. He wished me luck. I thank him for that”.
Diaz arrives as the third most expensive signing in Bayern’s history, but said he was unconcerned about the pressure the price tag would bring.
“I can’t say if I’m worth 70 million. I just want to settle in here as quickly as possible. That’s the most important thing,” he said.
The only two bigger transfer fees paid by Bayern were 95 million euros for England captain Harry Kane in 2023 and 80 million for French international Lucas Hernandez in 2019.
Diaz won the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield.
The winger made 50 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool last season, scoring 17 goals and providing eight assists as Arne Slot’s team clinched the English league title for a record-equalling 20th time.
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FC Barcelona, on Thursday, produced a dominant attacking display to defeat FC Seoul 7–3 in an action-packed pre-season friendly.
The Spanish giants wasted no time asserting their superiority, with Robert Lewandowski opening the scoring in the 8th minute.
Rising star Lamine Yamal quickly followed up with goals in the 14th and 45+3 minutes, the latter coming just moments after Al-Arab had equalised for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.
Earlier, FC Seoul had found the net through Young-Wook in the 26th minute to briefly level the tie before Barcelona pulled away decisively.
Andreas Christensen added a fourth goal for the Catalan side in the 55th minute, setting the tone for a flurry of late strikes.
Ferran Torres and Gavi added goals in the 74th and 76th minutes respectively, before Torres sealed his brace with a second goal in the 88th minute.
FC Seoul’s Han-Min grabbed a consolation in the 85th minute, but it did little to take the shine off Barcelona’s commanding performance.
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