Olympiacos is looking to strengthen at left-back and has settled on Red Star Belgrade's Tiknizian as its top choice. The club is waiting for Red Star to be eliminated by Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Champions League qualifiers before making its move, banking on close ties between the two clubs. Olympiacos has alternative targets should that deal fall through, but Tiknizian remains the priority.
Olympiacos coach Mendilibar is focused on Tuesday's return leg against Nijmegen, calling qualification essential. He is relying on Fortounis and Ese to make the difference in the Netherlands on August 11. Mendilibar had planned to use Fortounis as a substitute in the first leg too, but an injury to Retsos forced him to field Smailovic instead.
Panathinaikos chasing four more signings
Panathinaikos is working on both a second leg against CSKA 1948 and a wave of new signings. Since January the club has done little but buy players, with owner Alafouzos spending whatever it takes for each deal. He plans to keep doing so until the transfer window closes, since Panathinaikos wants four more additions: two midfielders, a starting one and a backup, plus a central defender and a winger. That leaves Kotsolis with plenty of work still to do, and he will be judged on the results.
PAOK has identified striker Robby Ure of Sweden's Sirius as a target, though a deal looks difficult. The Thessaloniki club could raise its offer, but Sevilla is favorite to sign him, and the prospect of a move to Spain's La Liga has understandably excited the player. PAOK would need something of a small miracle to land him and is already turning its attention to other names on its list.
Will Spanoulis call up Antetokounmpo?
Basketball fans are waiting to see who Spanoulis calls up for Greece's World Cup qualifying games. The national coach had said everyone would be available for August's matches and was firm on the point, so it follows that Antetokounmpo should join the squad. There is a question over insurance costs the Hellenic Basketball Federation would have to cover, but that should not affect Spanoulis's decision. To stay true to his word, the coach needs to call up Antetokounmpo; whether he actually plays would then be up to the federation and the player himself.
