Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/525174
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 JUNE 2015 20 THE 28-year-old will put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Turin giants once his contract with Real Madrid ex- pires at the end of this month. A statement from Juventus read: "Juventus FC has today reached an agreement to sign Sami Khedira. "Khedira has agreed terms on a four-year contract with the club which will start on July 1, 2015, and expire on June 30, 2019." Khedira turned down a con- tract extension with Real last year and made just 11 Primera Division appearances for the Spanish giants this season. A World Cup winner with Ger- many in 2014, Khedira joined Real Madrid five years ago from Stuttgart and won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Champions League titles during his first three seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Khedira becomes Juve's second summer signing following the arrival of Argentinian forward Paulo Dybala from Palermo last week. Juve are hoping to keep several of their top players, who have been linked with a move away from the club this summer, with Alvaro Morata insisting he is happy in Turin despite reports linking the Spain international with a switch the other way - to former club Real. Real sold the 22-year-old striker to the Italian outfit last summer for 20million euro (£14.7million) but have the option to buy him back for a set fee of 30million eu- ro (£22.1million) this summer. Morata scored twice to give Juve a 3-2 aggregate win over Real in their two-leg Champions League semi-final last month. Reports in the Spanish media claim new Real coach Rafa Be- nitez is keen to have Morata on his roster for the 2015-16 season but the player has told Span- ish radio station Cadena Ser he is not looking to leave Juve any time soon. Morata said: "No one has said anything to me. It doesn't depend on me but on a lot of people. "This has been a beautiful year. I still have a lot to give at Juven- tus. I'm very happy at Juve." Morata, a target for Arsenal last summer, has enjoyed an impres- sive debut season in Serie A. He scored eight goals and set up five more in 29 league appearances to help Juve clinch their fourth straight Scudetto. Juve also clinched the Coppa Italia this season to win the do- mestic double for the first time since 1995. The Spaniard was also pro- lific in the Champions League, scoring five goals in 12 appear- ances in the competition, as Juve reached the Europe final for the first time since 2003 before bow- ing out in a 3-1 defeat to Barce- lona on Saturday. Meanwhile, Argentina forward Carlos Tevez, who was Juve's top scorer this season, is a reported target of Atletico Madrid while top European clubs, including Barca, are keen to acquire French midfielder Paul Pogba. Reports in the Italian press have also placed Juventus midfielders Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo away from Turin next season. Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Khedira agrees Juventus switch Juventus have reached an agreement to sign German midfielder Sami Khedira on a free transfer, the Italian champions announced yesterday Sami Khedira West Ham name Slaven Bilic as new manager Slaven Bilic is in no doubt he has joined a club going places after being named the new manager of West Ham on a three-year deal THE former Croatia boss, 46, was on Tuesday confirmed as successor to Sam Allardyce, whose contract was not renewed. Bilic, who also had spells in charge of Lokomotiv Moscow and more recently Besiktas, is the man now tasked with guiding the Irons into the Olympic Stadium for the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Sky Bet Bilic Specials The former West Ham defender, spending 18 months at the club from January 1996 before joining Everton, is in no doubt of the po- tential he is taking on. "I am really glad to be back with West Ham United. It is in the Pre- mier League, which is among the best in the world," Bilic said in a statement on the club's official website. "It's a big challenge and you are competing with the best and what better club to do it with than West Ham. "I remember West Ham as a spe- cial club. I love these kinds of spe- cial clubs. My last club, Besiktas, was that kind of club. It's not about the size - West Ham is a big club - there is something special about them - they are cult clubs. "It is a great place to play and I felt like I was at home. It is a big privi- lege and a big responsibility to now be manager and I hope that I will prove it to the board, players and fans." Bilic added: "My first priority when choosing a club is to look at its ambitions. When I spoke to the chairmen and (vice chair) Karren Brady, they made clear that it is not only the fantastic new stadium we are moving into, but they showed their determination and ambition to make what is a big club even big- ger. "I saw their determination and passion that they want to do that. That was the number one reason. I could feel that they really wanted me so it was an easy choice. "I would say to the West Ham fans that I will give my best and together we will achieve great things." Allardyce's departure after four years as boss was announced min- utes after the season-concluding loss at Newcastle. The Hammers made a promising start to the campaign, but finished 12th following a dip in results. However, the east London club did qualify for the Europa League via the Fair Play standings, so will start a competition again on July 2. That gives Bilic little time to get his squad together following a shortened summer break. Co-chairman David Gold had indicated they were determined to "bring in an established manager who has been there and done it". It is believed Bilic was not the only candidate to have been under consideration with the likes of Ra- fael Benitez, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Bielsa, Michael Laudrup, Garry Monk and Unai Emery all said to have been on the Hammers' radar. With the potential of an extended European campaign ahead, West Ham are looking to strengthen the squad. A deal for Sampdoria mid- fielder Pedro Obiang is expected to be one of the first completed.