Romelu Lukaku offered to Atletico Madrid as part of exchange deal to bring Diego Costa to Chelsea this summer

Romelu Lukaku has been offered to Atletico Madrid as part of Chelsea’s attempts to seal a deal for Diego Costa.
But it is understood the Belgian will have to overcome his reservations about moving to Spain because of the risk of racist abuse and the soft punishment Villarreal received when a fan threw a banana at Dani Alves.
Costa is Jose Mourinho’s prime transfer target this summer and the Chelsea manager wants business concluded quickly.
 
 
The 25-year-old, who is expected to make the Spain squad for the World Cup, has scored 27 goals this season but has a buy-out clause in his contract of about £32million.
Chelsea are exploring ways of agreeing a deal and Lukaku has been put forward as an option for part-exchange.
Lukaku then said he would like to stay at Everton for another season, but Mourinho responded by insisting he would decide the player’s fate.
Now, with Mourinho wanting a more experienced figure spearheading his team, Lukaku is being offered as a makeweight.
But despite Atletico’s pole position in La Liga and place in the Champions League final, Spain’s repeated controversies with racism have made Lukaku reluctant to a switch.

Atalanta fined £33,000 after fans throw banana onto pitch during Milan clash

Serie A club Atalanta were fined 40,000 euros ($55,000) on Monday after a banana was thrown onto the pitch during Sunday's 2-1 win at home to AC Milan.

Serie A's disciplinary tribunal also ordered that their Curva Nord stand be closed for one game but suspended the sanction for one year. A statement said the sanction will only be implemented if a similar offence is committed during that period.

The banana landed near Milan's Guinean defender Kevin Constant who picked it up, showed it to the referee and handed it to team mate Nigel de Jong, who threw it off the field.

 

Milan players sarcastically applauded the section of the Atalanta fans where the banana was thrown from.

Atalanta said in a statement on their website that club president Antonio Percassi had telephoned Milan's chief executive Adriano Galliani to personally apologise.

Spain's Villarreal were fined 12,000 euros by their football federation after a fan threw a banana at Barcelona's Dani Alves during a La Liga match in April. The Brazilian picked up the fruit and ate it.

The supporter was banned for life by the club.

Italy and Spain have long battled racism among soccer fans.

Liverpool star Luis Suarez picks up double award while Tony Pulis gets Prem gong

LUIS SUAREZ has been named Barclays Player of the Season.

  

The Liverpool star bagged 31 goals and made 12 assists in 33 Premier League appearances to help the Reds finish second.
Suarez also collected the Barclays Golden Boot for finishing the campaign as the top goal-scorer in the Premier League.
Tony Pulis was crowned the Barclays Manager of the Season.
The Crystal Palace boss completed mission impossible by guiding the Eagles to an 11th-place finish after joining the club when they had only four points and were bottom of the table.

Pulis was presented with his award at last night's LMA awards dinner.
The Barclays Golden Glove award was jointly won by Chelsea's Petr Cech and Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny.
The two goalkeepers kept 16 clean-sheets each this season - Cech doing so in 34 appearances and Szczesny in 37.
This is the third time that Cech has won the award and the first time for Szczesny.

I'll make Man Utd great again! Louis Van Gaal issues blueprint for success at Old Trafford

LOUIS VAN GAAL has vowed to make Manchester United a force again.

  

The Holland boss will be confirmed as the new United manager this week on a £7m-a-season deal at Old Trafford.

The deposed champions will announce his appointment with Van Gaal currently leading the Dutch squad in a training camp in his homeland to prepare for the World Cup in Brazil.

He will start work with the United squad for the first time when the club embark on their pre-season tour of America in July.
But the former Ajax, Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss is convinced his new players will buy into his coaching philosophies and has vowed to let them express themselves.
Van Gaal reckons that is what sets him apart from other coaches and said: "I think it's my philosophy because it binds players with my training.
"In my career, I have had a lot of players who are fascinated by that philosophy. They find it nice to take part in it because it's attacking, technical and tactical.
"They can show their qualities more than ever. You have to play as a team and not as individuals.
"That's why I'm always going back to the vision, then the team, and then which players fit in my system, a 4-3-3, because I'm always playing that.

"If a young player can do it, then I select him. If it's an older player, it doesn't bother me. It's not the most important factor. Age is not important."
Van Gaal confirmed that he intends to make Ryan Giggs his No.2 at United.
He was expected to bring Patrick Kluivert to Manchester as his assistant, but as Starsport exclusively revealed last week, Van Gaal has had a change of heart and will offer Giggs the role instead.
Van Gaal admits he likes to keep an existing member of the coaching staff with him when he starts work at a new club.
He realises Giggs will have a huge role to play in helping him rebuild the team and will provide a crucial link between himself and the dressing room.

 

England star Wayne Rooney heads to Portugal in bid to secure his World Cup fitness

England's star striker flew out to Portugal yesterday - a week before the rest of the squad arrive for a five-day warm-weather training camp - to make sure he's super-sharp for Brazil.

The 28-year-old has taken TWO fitness trainers with him as he knuckles down for football's greatest show on earth.

Rooney was yesterday named in boss Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for the finals which get underway on June 12.
He missed Manchester United's last three games of the season with a groin problem and also chipped a bone in his foot last month.
In South Africa four years ago, Rooney arrived with a nagging ankle injury and had a miserable time, taking his number of goalless games at World Cups to eight.
"Wayne's so determined to be up and running when we get there on the 19th," said Hodgson.
"He's going to Portugal with two fitness coaches.
"I don't know exactly who but (Manchester United fitness coach) Tony Strudwick has been in touch with us.
"He wanted to know about the pitch in Vale de Lobo.