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News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona and Real Madrid were paired together in Friday's Copa del Rey semi-final draw, with Real Betis meeting Valencia in the other last-four tie.
The draw means Spain's two biggest clubs will play each other three times in the space of four weeks, with Madrid hosting Barca in La Liga on March 2.
Thirty-times winners Barcelona, who have won the last four editions of the competition, will host Real in the first leg on Feb. 6, with the second leg coming on Feb. 27 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Betis will play at home to Valencia in the first leg and visit Mestalla in the second, with both ties being played on the same dates.
The final will be played at Betis' Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville on May 25.
Barca overcame a 2-0 deficit from their quarter-final first leg against Sevilla, thrashing the Andalusians 6-1 in the return leg to progress 6-3 on aggregate.
Real Madrid had a more comfortable path to the last four, beating Girona 4-2 at home and winning 3-1 away for a 7-3 aggregate win.
Betis meanwhile beat Espanyol 4-2 on aggregate, with Valencia overcoming Getafe 3-2 on aggregate by scoring twice in stoppage time in their 3-1 victory in the second leg at Mestalla.
Barca agree deal to sign Brazilian Emerson in July
Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign 20-year-old Brazilian Emerson from Atletico Mineiro for 12 million euros ($13.73 million) and the right back will join the club in July, the Spanish champions said on Thursday.
The Brazil Under-20 international, who has made 23 appearances for Mineiro, will spend the rest of this season on-loan at fellow Spanish top flight side Real Betis.
Emerson is Barca's fifth signing of a busy January following the loan arrivals of Jeison Murillo and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The club also announced that Ajax's Frenkie de Jong will join in the close season, while Munir El Haddadi left the club to join Sevilla and Denis Suarez departed for Premier League Arsenal on loan.
Barcelona also reached a deal in early January to sign Jean-Clair Todibo of Toulouse, with the Frenchman initially set to join at the end of the season.
Barca issued a statement late on Thursday, however, saying the 19-year-old would instead be joining the club immediately.
"Barcelona and Toulouse have arrived at an agreement for the French player Jean-Clair Todibo, with whom Barca had previously agreed to incorporate beginning on July 1, 2019, to instead join the Catalan club with immediate effect," Barcelona said.
"The 19-year-old will sign for the next four and a half seasons, through the end of the 2022/23 season."
Crystal Palace seal late Batshuayi loan deal
Crystal Palace have signed Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on loan until the end of the season, the Premier League clubs have confirmed.
Palace completed the deal for the 25-year-old Belgium striker minutes before the transfer window closed on Thursday.
Batshuayi, who arrived at Chelsea from Olympique de Marseille in 2016, made 20 appearances in the London club's 2016-17 Premier League title-winning campaign.
He netted one goal in 15 La Liga appearances during a loan spell at Valencia in the first half of this season.
Fulham sign winger Markovic from Liverpool
Fulham have signed Serbian winger Lazar Markovic on a free transfer from Liverpool for the remainder of the season, the London club confirmed on Friday.
Fulham said Markovic, who has played 34 times for Liverpool but not once this season, was signed after being recommended by compatriot Aleksandar Mitrovic, and club owner Tony Khan said the 24-year-old would strengthen their attack.
"Lazar Markovic is a gifted young player. We're pleased to welcome him from Liverpool for the remainder of the season. He has the support of our manager," Khan said.
Fulham's next game is a trip to CrystalPalace for a Premier League clash on Saturday.
Galatasaray sign Mitroglou on loan from Marseille
Greece striker Konstantinos Mitroglou joined Galatasaray on an 18-month loan deal from French side Olympique de Marseille on the final day of the January transfer window, the Turkish club said on Thursday.
Galatasaray will pay 30-year-old Mitroglou 1.5 million euros ($1.72 million) for the 2018-19 season and 2.6 million euros for 2019-20 season, the Turkish club added.
Mitroglou, who has 64 caps for Greece, scored three goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances this season.
Galatasaray are second in the Turkish championship, six points behind leaders Istanbul Basaksehir.
Crouch returns to Premier League with Burnley in Vokes swap deal
Former England international Peter Crouch returned to the Premier League on Thursday at the age of 38, signing a short-term contract to join Burnley from Stoke City with Wales striker Sam Vokes heading in the opposite direction.
No financial details of the deals were disclosed, but British media reported that Vokes was valued at around 9 million pounds ($11.81 million).
Crouch was part of the Stoke team relegated to the second-tier Championship last season but has not started a game since September.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool forward, whose deal with Burnley runs until the end of the season, has previously played for six Premier League clubs in his career and scored 108 top-flight goals.
He also won 42 caps for England, scoring 22 goals between 2005 and 2010.
Despite his age, Crouch said he still had the ambition to play at the highest level.
"I still want to achieve things," he told Burnley's website.
"I want to get more games and I would love to add to the 100 Premier League goals.
"My game has probably changed a little bit. I'm not 25. But my attributes haven't waned. I never really had blistering pace, so I haven't lost that. I know I can impact games at this level."
Vokes, who waved goodbye to Burnley fans after the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday, has signed a 3-1/2-year contract at Stoke, having struggled to secure a regular starting place of late at Turf Moor.
The Wales international won two promotions to the Premier League with Burnley in his seven seasons with the club, scoring 62 goals in 258 appearances.
"It's great to have it finally done," he told Stoke's official website https://www.stokecityfc.com/news/vokes-delight "It has been a long day and a lot of waiting around but I am delighted - I just can't wait to get started now."
The 29-year-old joined Burnley from Wolverhampton Wanderers and was part of the Wales team which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
"Burnley was a huge part of my life, I really found my home there and I made a lot of good friends there, but it was time for me to move on - and what better club to do that with than Stoke City," Vokes added.
Leicester sign Belgium's Tielemans on loan from Monaco
Leicester City have signed Belgium international Youri Tielemans on loan until the end of the season from AS Monaco, with midfielder Adrien Silva moving the other way in a swap deal.
Tielemans, 21, who played at last year's World Cup in Russia, has scored five times in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco this season, and is widely considered to be one of the brightest young prospects in European football.
"I'm really excited to get going," Tielemans told Leicester's official website.
"The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and when I was young, I always watched Premier League games. I'm really happy to be here and I'm excited to get started."
Tielemans started his career with Anderlecht and signed his first professional contract at the age of 16.
He is the youngest Belgian to play in the Champions League and got 35 goals in 185 games in all competitions for Anderlecht over four seasons, helping them win two league titles.
Silva, who joined Leicester from Portuguese club Sporting in 2017, has failed to make an impact at the Midlands outfit.
The 29-year-old has made two league appearances and the last time he played for the club was in the League Cup last November.
