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- Sampdoria up their bid for Vietto
Italian club U.C. Sampdoria have upped their bid for Atlético Madrid striker Luciano Vietto from €16 million to €20 million. This follows earlier reports that reigning Ligue 1 champions Monaco have joined a handful of other clubs in the hunt for the Argentine.
The €20 million offer from the Serie A side would allow Atlético to break even on the €20 million transfer fee paid to Villarreal in 2015 to bring Vietto to Madrid. That would be remarkable for a player who has scored 1 (one) league goal for Atleti.
Given the ongoing interest from multiple clubs it is possible that Atlético may engineer a bidding war and hold out for offers that will allow them to turn a profit on the 23-year-old.
- Filipe sits out practice
AS are reporting that Filipe Luís remains sidelined with a foot injury and did not train with the team yesterday. It is unclear at this time if he will be available for Atlético’s LaLiga opener against Girona this weekend, and it’s a troubling prologue to an important season for the 32-year-old.
- Around the League: Ronaldo hit with 5 game ban
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been served a 5 game suspension by the Royal Spanish Football Federation for his actions in the first leg of the Supercopa de España against Barcelona. One game is for the red card he received after his second yellow in the 82nd minute, and the additional four games are for shoving referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea afterwards.
Real are expected to appeal the punishment, and may have a case for the red card suspension—his second yellow was for simulation, a debatable call upon video review. The additional four games, however, are already the minimum ban a player can receive for making contact with the referee, of which he is clearly (though not maliciously) guilty.
If the suspension holds, Ronaldo will miss the second leg of the Super Cup and Real Madrid’s first four league fixtures against Deportivo (A), Valencia (H), Levante (H) and Real Sociedad (A).
What do you think? Has Ronaldo been hard done, or should the Football Federation have dropped the hammer and thrown the maximum allowable 12 game suspension at him? Let us know in the comments!