Pole position: Monaco race ahead of PSG with James and Moutinho signings

 

Monaco announced the biggest deal of the summer so far - and we're only a few days into it - with their €70 million (£59.5m) capture of Porto's James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho.

Their first foray into the market has put down a marker in France, where Paris Saint-Germain romped to the Ligue 1 title, and should signal a new superpower on the continent.

And, with the Monaco Grand Prix also taking place this weekend, mega-rich owner Dmitry Rybolovlev impressively diverted attention to the footballing side of the principality.

With Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao likely to also be signing for Claudio Ranieri's side on Monday, Monaco could be nudged further ahead of PSG in the headline-grabbing stakes. 
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Can Dortmund stop the Bayern Munich juggernaut?

 

The Champions League final at Wembley Stadium is just a day away, and the big question is: can Borussia Dortmund stop the Bayern Munich juggernaut?

Jupp Heynckes' side has been simply unstoppable this season, romping to the Bundesliga title with a record points tally, booking a place in the DFB Pokal final against Stuttgart and demolishing the mighty Barcelona over two legs on their way to the final.

Dortmund, meanwhile, surprised many by negotiating their way out of a group featuring Manchester City, Ajax and Real Madrid, before eliminating the Spanish giants in the knockout stages.

Jurgen Klopp's men finished a staggering 24 points behind Bayern in second place in the league, but both domestic meetings between the two have ended as 1-1 draws.

Can Klopp mastermind a victory over the German powerhouse, even without the injured Mario Gotze? 
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Injured Gotze ready to 'do a Terry' at Wembley

 

Mario Gotze is in a win-win situation on Saturday at Wembley. Regardless of who triumphs out of Bayern and Dortmund in the all-German Champions League final extravaganza, Gotze can gatecrash either party.

It has been confirmed that the 20-year-old Bayern Dortmund Bayern Dortmund (??) playmaker will miss out on appearing in the game at the home of English football as he lost his battle to recover from a thigh injury but that doesn't mean he has to miss out on the post-match celebrations, just ask John Terry.

The Chelsea skipper has built up a reputation for popping up in the right place at the right time, in full strip, of course, when the ticker tape begins to fall and with Gotze swapping BVB for Bavaria in the summer, he may just be tempted to get involved in the celebrations, whatever the outcome. 

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Project Pen tribute

 

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Bayern & Dortmund given licence to thrill

 

There are only three days until the Champions League final, with two excellent German teams ready to take the field in London.

With Bayern's buying up of star players - including Dortmund's main-man Mario Gotze - one could be forgiven for seeing the Bundesliga champions as some sort of supervillain.

Will Dortmund, led by "Klopp... Jurgen Klopp..." be ready to shoot down Jupp Henyckes' side? Or, after being defeated in the final in two of the previous three years, is it a case of 'You Only Lose Twice' for Bayern?

One thing is for sure: both teams have a licence to thrill! 
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