By FRANCO PANIZO
Alejandro Bedoya must have made quite the impression on Rangers FC.
Having just agreed to a pre-contract with Bedoya that would see him join the club during the winter transfer window, Rangers wants to acquire the U.S. national team midfielder sooner. Manager Ally McCoist said he'd like for Bedoya to join the club now, meaning an immediate transfer could still be in the works between Rangers and Bedoya's current club, Orebro SK.
Before Bedoya and Rangers agreed to a pre-contract, Orebro had rejected a proposed bid for the 24-year-old from the Scottish heavyweight.
Here are some more stories from around the globe:
ARGENTINA FIRE BATISTA
Sergio Batista's term as Argentina coach has come to a close. The Argentina Federation canceled Batista's contract on Monday, letting the coach go after only 12 months and 17 matches. Batista, a World Cup-winning player in 1986, paid the price after Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa America that it hosted. The Argentina Federartion is hoping to appoint a successor within a week, and Argentina-born Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino has recently been linked with the job.
MESSI, RONALDO, XAVI AMONG THOSE NOMINATED FOR EURO AWARD
Leo Messi, Cristano Ronaldo and Xavi all spearhead the 10-man list for the inaguaral UEFA Best Player in Europe award. Replacing the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, the trophy will be given to the winner on August 25 during the draw for the Champions League group stages. The other seven players nominated are Andres Iniesta, Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Pique and Manuel Neuer.
AQUILANI SET TO JOIN FIORENTINA ON LOAN
Alberto Aquilani might once again be playing in Serie A, as Fiorentina is close to acquiring the Italian on a season-long loan from Liverpool. Aquilani just recently returned to Liverpool from a year-long loan to Juventus, but the Reds have a surplus amount of midfielders and are on the brink of allowing Aquilani to leave once again.
ARGENTINA LEAGUE TO BE RESTRUCTURED
River Plate won't be playing in the second division of Argentina past this season. Not because they are going to win promotion via games, but rather because of a radical change made by the Argentina Federation. Starting with the 2012-2013 season, Argentina will combine its top two divisions to form one 38-team campaign. The idea was put forward by AFA president Julio Humberto Grondona and was passed by 15 of the 20 top-flight teams.
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Do you see Rangers acquiring Bedoya this summer? Think it was the right move to let Batista go? Wondering why Argentina is switching to a 38-team league?
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