FIVE clubs agree Neymar fee

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has confirmed five clubs in Europe have agreed to pay Neymar's €45 million release clause.

"We don't want to sell the player, but of course there is a release clause in his contract that can be paid," he told ESPN Brasil. "Five European clubs have offered to match the clause.

"I cannot name them because there is an agreement between Santos and the clubs, but they are the most important European clubs. They have asked to speak to the player and obviously we've allowed them to."

He added: "The clubs have behaved ethically. They sought out Santos first and were willing to pay the clause. With this ethical approach, they can talk to anyone - with Neymar's father, with [agent] Wagner Ribeiro, and with the representatives of Neymar."

Real Madrid confirm Varane signing

"Real Madrid and Lens have reached an agreement for the transfer of the French player Raphael Varane, who will be tied to the club for the next six seasons," Real announced on their official website.

The 18-year-old defender emerged as one of the hottest prospects in European football last season, with his assured displays seeing him stand out in a campaign that saw his club relegated from Ligue 1.

He becomes Real Madrid's fourth signing of the summer after signing a six-year contract.

PICTURE: De Gea arriving for his medical at Manchester United

David de Gea is set to conclude his £17.8m move from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United as Edwin van der Sar's goalkeeping replacement after having a medical yesterday.

Arsenal ready to sell Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona

A senior Arsenal official said: "The offer was made formally in writing to our chief executive (Ivan Gazidis), and we said no straight away."

Asked if the club expected another bid, the source said: "Possibly. If it's enough I expect we'll have to sell."

The 24-year-old Gunners captain has already been omitted from all promotional material for the club's new away kit, which is launched today.

Former Barcelona & Chelsea defender Juliano Belletti announces his retirement

Former Barcelona and Chelsea defender Juliano Belletti has called time on his playing career, citing Achilles problems as the reason.

"I want to continue, but my body won't let me," he Tweeted on Monday.

"Today I close my career as a professional football player due to physical problems."

Drogba in fresh Turkish link

Drogba could be on his way to Galatasaray, with the Turkish club offering Arda Turan in exchange for £7m.

Reports are emerging suggesting the £18m-rated 24-year-old could be used as bait to help the Turkish giants bring in Drogba, who is thought to have been made available by Villas-Boas providing the price is right.

Lichtsteiner completes Juventus medical

Stephan Lichtsteiner is on the verge of becoming a Juventus player after he underwent his medical earlier today.

The right-back will join the Old Lady from Lazio after a fee of around €10m was agreed between the two parties.

He will be the club’s fourth new major signing of the summer after moves for Andrea Pirlo, Reto Ziegler and Michele Pazienza.

Dos Santos eyes Spurs exit

After making just five appearances under Redknapp during the 2010/11 campaign, the 22-year-old forward is finally hoping to secure a permanent exit from the north London club, with offers on the table from La Liga rivals Sevilla and Real Zaragoza.

"I still don't know where I am going but thank God things are going well now and I have some offers," Dos Santos told As.

"I will have to wait and see which is the best one."

Alex McLeish targets Ashley Young's replacement

McLeish needs to fill the void left by Young's departure and he is keen on ADO Den Haag star Verhoek.

The Dutch winger, like Young, can play on either wing and McLeish has had scouts watch him in the past.

And McLeish is ready to make a move for the 24-year-old as he would be available for a cut-price £5m, with Verhoek's contract due to expire next year.

Arsenal have signed Ricardo Alvarez

Arsenal appear to have beaten off competition from Palermo for Velez Sarsfield star Ricardo Alvarez, who has recently led his side to the Argentinian league title.

Palermo owner Maurizio Zamparini told local media: "We were interested in Alvarez, we were very close to him in January.

"We lost him due to our mistake, and I know that he has already signed for Arsenal."

Wolfsburg tell Diego that to leave

VfL Wolfsburg have told Brazilian playmaker Diego he has no future with the Bundesliga club.

"After the discussion we had, it was clear that working together would be a problem and that it would be better if we went our separate way," coach Felix Magath said.

Wolfsburg said the player will continue to train with the team but has been ordered to find a new club.

"I always felt well here but I did make a mistake," said Diego. "Now it is all about finding the best solution for the club and myself."

Nani to stay at Manchester United

Nani has been linked in the media with a move away from United, with Real Madrid a mooted destination. The player fanned flames over a possible move when stating recently: "I am fine at Manchester United, but it is good to hear there are other clubs interested. Would I like to work under [Jose] Mourinho? Yes, but at this moment I am fine at Manchester United."

However the same can't not be said about Wes Brown and Darron Gibson, as the pair look destined to exit Manchester United this summer.

Photo: Neymar involved in Copa Libertadores brawl

The young Brazilian could be seen kicking an opponent in a brawl that started once the final whistle was blown and Santos beat Penarol 2-1 on aggregate to win their first Copa Libertadores win since 1963.

Ashley Young signs 5-year deal with Manchester United

“Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Aston Villa for the transfer of Ashley Young,” a statement on the club’s website read.

“The player passed a medical in Manchester this week and has agreed a five-year contract.”

United did not give details of the transfer fee but local media estimated it to be around 15 million pounds ($24 million). It is their second English signing this month, having brought in defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers.

Roma close in on Barcelona's Bojan Krkic

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini told Gazzetta dello Sport: "The negotiations are going well and we hope to conclude the deal soon. We reached an agreement with Barcelona and with the player last night."

Barcelona board spokesman Toni Freixa said today that the European champions were looking at Roma's offer for Bojan but that no deal had yet been finalised.

He said on his club's website: "We have an offer, but it is still being studied and assessed."

He added: "Clearly, when you receive an offer and the club considers it, it is because there is a possibility of it going through."

PHOTO: Ashley Young arrives for Man Utd medical

The following photographs show Ashley Young arriving at Bridgewater Hospital for his medical before meeting officials from Manchester United.

His signing is expected to be announced within the next 48 hours.

Chelsea confirm Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager

A statement on their website read: “Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce that Andre Villas-Boas will be the club's new manager.

He has signed a three-year contract and will start work immediately.

Andre was the outstanding candidate for the job. He is one of the most talented young managers in football today and has already achieved much in a relatively short space of time. His ambition, drive and determination matches that of Chelsea and we are confident Andre’s leadership of the team will result in greater successes in major domestic and European competitions.

Andre will bring his coaching experience back to a club he is already very familiar with, having previously worked here for three years. He has always been highly regarded at Chelsea and everyone here looks forward to welcoming him back and working with him.”

Fowler dreams of Liverpool return

"If I'm being honest I would love to (come back to Liverpool one day) but it's not really my choice!" Fowler told Al Jazeera Sport.

"If I could walk there tomorrow I would but it's not the ideal world as we all know.

"Eventually that is obviously the aim to try get and get back there and be a part of that club again because I was there since I was 11 and it's a big part of my life."

Liverpool pay £370,000-a-week for five flops

Our team cannot be sure on how much a player earns as that information is not accessible for us. However, we can work with the numbers we hear hooped around in reports when these players sign their contracts to join the club.

While studying Liverpool’s current roster, we have identified five ‘flops’ that cost the club a hefty £370,000-a-week on wages, (and have only scored 4 Premier League goals between them for the club)
The list comprises from:

1) Joe Cole: £100,000-a-week
2) Milan Jovanovic: £90,000-a-week
3) Alberto Aquilani: £80,000-a-week
4) Paul Konchesky: £50,000-a-week
5) Christian Poulsen: £50,000-a-week

Total Sum: £370,000-a-week

Marveaux denies failing a medical at Liverpool

"Frankly, those rumours aren't anything," he told L'Equipe. "I am perfectly fit, and capable of playing again.

"I resumed individual training sessions at Rennes late last season and I could have played the last match if the club wanted.

"I am a little disgusted to read rumours like that because I know it could affect the rest of my career."

Samba wants Arsenal move

Anuradha Desai, chairperson of the Venkys group who own Blackburn, admitted that Samba was keen on a switch to Arsenal but Blackburn Rovers are eager to keep him for at least another year.

"We don't want to let Chris go," Desai told the Mail on Sunday. "I'm confident that we can keep him and I hope he'll stay.

"I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition."

Barca make Fabregas contact

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has revealed Barcelona have made contact about a possible move for Cesc Fabregas.

"Yes, they have spoken to us about Cesc," Hill-Wood admitted to the Sunday Mirror.

"They have been in touch. But so far they have not made a bid and we do not want to let him go.

"But he comes from Barcelona so it is understandable if he wanted to go back. However, they have not made an offer so far."

Blackburn: United were in touch with Jones before permission granted

Anuradha Desai, chairperson of the Venkys group,told the Mail on Sunday: "We have reasons to believe that the player's agent and maybe the player had been in touch [with United] for two to three months before permission was granted.

"I was ready to take Manchester United on, ready to go to a tribunal if that's what it led to. But we spoke at length to Steve Kean and we knew Phil wanted to go to United.

"We concluded that the person who would be most damaged by a delay and legal action was Phil. That wasn't fair on him. There was a release clause for £16.5m and the total deal was £4m more with the add-ons. We wish Phil well.

"Phil is an outstanding young English player and I'm proud of the role Blackburn played in developing him. We made him an enormous offer to stay with us and we wanted to keep him."

Tottenham Hotspur: Modric not for sale

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has issued an official statement stressing that Luka Modric will not be allowed to leave the club to join Chelsea.

The statement read: "I wish to make it absolutely clear, as I have said previously, that none of our key players will be sold this summer. We are building a team for the future to consistently play at the highest level and retaining quality players is crucial to that.

"In respect of Luka Modric, we are not prepared to sell, at any price, to Chelsea Football Club or any other club.

"We made our stance on this issue abundantly clear in writing to Chelsea. They chose to ignore it and then subsequently made the offer public.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, let me reiterate that we shall not enter into any negotiations whatsoever, with any club, regarding Luka.

"We now consider this matter closed."

Rafael & Sylvie Van der Vaart renew their wedding vows

Rafael and his adorable missus Sylvie have renewed their marriage vows in Las Vegas

 

Newcastle beat Liverpool to Marveaux signing

Newcastle United have beaten Liverpool to the signing of French midfielder Sylvain Marveaux.

He will officially join Newcastle on July 1.

"It's a great coup to have signed Sylvain, who has received interest from a number of other clubs," said Toon chief Alan Pardew.

"He may not be well known to many of our fans but he is a real talent and a player we have been keeping an eye on for some time.

"It's been a good couple of days for us on the transfer front."

Modric: I want to join Chelsea

"I want to leave Tottenham as friends," Modric is quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. "I have enjoyed my time there, but now it is right for me to look at another club."

"I have an arrangement with the chairman," he said. "When I signed my new contract, he said that, if another club came to sign me, they would consider the offer."

CONTROVERSY: Aston Villa appoint McLeish as manager

Aston Villa appointed Alex McLeish as their new manager, less than a week after the Scot quit arch-rivals and neighbours Birmingham City.

"I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa's," McLeish said on the club's website.

"I know that some of our fans have voiced concerns and I can understand why.

"It will be up to me to convince you that I am the right man to drive the club forward and I intend to give absolutely everything to prove that I can be a success at the club".

West Ham sign Kevin Nolan

Relegated West Ham have confirmed the signing of Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan on a five-year contract.

Nolan said: "It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but obviously once I knew that they wanted me, they have shown a certain hunger and desire to make sure I become a West Ham player.

"Having the chance to link up with Sam again is a massive thing and obviously coming to such a massive club is great for me. I'm very sad to leave Newcastle but I'm coming to another massive club in my eyes and hopefully I can start off and be as successful as I was there.

Tottenham reject Chelsea's offer for Modric

Sky Sports sources and various newspapers are reporting that Tottenham have turned down a £22million offer from Chelsea for Luka Modric.

The Croatian playmaker is regarded as one of the Premier League's most creative and stylish performers with both Chelsea and Manchester United interested in acquiring his services.

The Blues are expected to return with an improved offer that will further test Tottenham's resolve.

Barca confirm Sanchez talks

"We are optimistic, but this has just begun. We are negotiating for Sanchez," Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu told Chilean newspaper La Tercera.

"We know he is a valuable player; that is why there are so many teams after him. We have to continue talking and we will see what is going to happen in the next few days."

Sanchez, who is also a reported target for Inter Milan, Manchester City and Manchester United, is thought to prefer a move to the Nou Camp.

Aguero hunt still on as Juventus deal denied

Hernan Reguera, who represents the 23-year-old, has insisted that no meeting has taken place in Turin with Juve officials and that his client's future is still undecided.

"Sergio has two agents and we have both been in Argentina, we have not met anyone," Reguera told Spanish newspaper AS.

"We have not been in Italy or anywhere, we are in Argentina working on his future. He is quiet, he has delegated this to us and is now focused on the Copa America."

Brazilian Doni rejects Liverpool

Roma goalkeeper Doni has snubbed a move to Liverpool, according to reports in Italy.

After it was reported that the Italian side had accepted a £1m bid from Liverpool, Doni has turned down the chance to join Liverpool because the Premier League side offered him less than his current deal at Roma.

The experienced goalkeeper could now join Galatasaray if the Turkish side fail to land first-choice target Fernando Muslera from Lazio.

Barton tweets anger after Nolan departure

Joey Barton, who is in the middle of a contract wrangle with the Tyneside club, has reacted furiously to the news of Nolan being close to sealing a move to West Ham, on his Twitter account, and suggested he will follow Nolan out of the exit door along with Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez.

He said: "Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick ... Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD! #mejoseandjonasnext"

Kevin Nolan undergoes West Ham medical

Kevin Nolan is on the brink of a move to West Ham United with the Newcastle United captain having a medical at the East London club.

Nolan, who will turn 29 next week, was a crucial figure in the Newcastle side which won the Championship title in 2009-10, matching Andy Carroll's league goals tally of 17.

Newcastle slammed the Hammers' original £1.5million offer for Nolan, but it now appears a compromise has been reached.

Man City's Boateng agrees Bayern move

"It is true that I have agreed with Bayern on a four-year deal. Now it is up to Manchester to make it work. At the moment they are making things a bit difficult," Boateng told Kicker Magazine.

"It is about the position. Bayern want me as a central defender. That is also an advantage for the national team.

"My dream is to have a starting spot within a year, hopefully at Bayern, and then I want to win the European Championship."

Bayern Munich captain Phillip Lahm has welcomed the proposed deal and confirmed it is now up to City to ensure the move goes ahead.

"Things are not up to Jerome or Bayern Munich, Manchester City will have to agree in the end. At this point in time I do not know what might happen," he told Bild.

"I am unable to make a prediction on this, we simply have to wait and see."

Gervinho to hold Arsenal 'talks'

Lille general manager Frederic Paquet has confirmed striker Gervinho wants to move to England this summer and talks with Arsenal are planned.

Paquet told RMC: "He wants to go and has developed contacts with Arsenal.

"We will soon have talks with them and see what they offer.

"He has expressed a desire to go to England and we will see what happens."

The link with PSG was a non-starter insists Paquet, who added: "Paris St Germain inquired but we are not thinking about strengthening a competitor."

Chelsea undecided over Neymar

According to ESPNsoccernet sources, Chelsea are undecided over whether to pursue their bid for Santos attacker Neymar.

"It is not clear whether a move to Chelsea will go ahead," ESPNsoccernet's source said. "It might be that the price on the player's head is too rich even for Chelsea, but the player is just 19 and has years ahead of him, so it might not be that costly when looking at it from that point of view."

Neymar has a €45 million (£39.6 million) buy-out clause in his contract, and Santos are refusing to accept anything less. The deal would therefore make him by some distance the most expensive teenager in the game.

Potential Pots - Champions League 2011/2012

The following list is only provisional, and should seeded qualifiers fail to qualify for the group stages, other teams may shift to a higher pot than those described here.

Pot One:
Manchester United – Chelsea – Barcelona – Arsenal - Bayern Munich - Real Madrid – Porto – Inter

Pot Two:
AC Milan - Lyon - Valencia – Marseille - Shakhtar Donetsk - CSKA Moscow – Benfica*** - Villarreal**

Pot Three:
Manchester City - Bayer Leverkusen - Fenerbahçe – Olympiacos - Ajax - Zenit St Petersburg - FC Copenhagen - Rangers

Pot Four:
Lille - Borussia Dortmund - FC Basel – Napoli - Otelul Galati - BATE Borisov* - Maccabi Haifa* - Dinamo Zagreb*


***third qualifying round
** fourth qualifying round
* best ranked by Uefa's system to qualify from the second round

Alex McLeish quits Birmingham

Alex McLeish has resigned from Birmingham City and could be set for a move back to the English Premier League with local rivals Aston Villa.

McLeish, 52, chose to end his four-year reign at St Andrews after the club was relegated from the top flight on the last day of the 2010/11 season.

"Birmingham City Football Club can confirm that Alex McLeish has resigned as manager," a statement on the club's website read."

Real Madrid interested in QPR star

Alejandro Faurlin might be ready to make a shock switch from Premier League new-boys QPR to Real Madrid.

QPR adviser and former Napoli coach Gianni Di Marzio confirmed: “Several clubs have asked about Faurlin. Even Real Madrid have been in touch.”

Faurlin snubbed offers from Spain, Italy and Greece to join Rangers for £3.5million in 2009.

One of the deals he rejected was from Inter Milan – who were managed by Mourinho at the time.

Guus Hiddink: No contact with Chelsea

"After the Belgium-Turkey game I went to South Korea. I did not go on holiday," Hiddink said, according to The Mirror.

"I went to one of my projects in the country where I worked during the World Cup of 2002. I do a lot of work for charity there.

"I am busy creating lots of pitches, in particular for handicapped people.

"When I got back to Europe I was confronted with all sorts of stories, saying I had told Chelsea to sign Sneijder. I am not making a fuss about any of the other stories, but I have to make it clear there has been no contact between the club and me in the last couple of weeks.

"I have enough on my plate trying to get Turkey to the Euro finals."

Didier Drogba marries fiancée Lala Diakite in Monaco

Didier Drogba has married long-time girlfriend Lala Diakite in a colourful ceremony before 500 guests drawn from the world of sport and show business in Monaco, France.

The ceremony which is being chaired by Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovic, will last until Monday June 13, according to organisers.

The three-day fiesta sees the assemble of prominent personalities including Samuel Eto’o alongside other football greats, Senegalese singer Youssour N’Dour, American R&B singer Akon and a crop of NBA stars.

Pele: "Neymar needs a bit more maturity"

Pele has called on the striker to improve his mental game, as well as his positioning, telling Globoesporte: "I think Neymar needs a bit more maturity. He is worrying too much about playing for the fans.

"One other thing I was talking about, and I think [Santos coach] Muricy Ramalho will remove that vice from him, is that Neymar has become a left winger.

"A player of his quality cannot just stand there."

Ashley Young agrees personal terms with Manchester United

According to Sky Sports sources, Ashley Young has agreed personal terms ahead of his proposed move to Manchester United from Aston Villa.

Sir Alex Ferguson looks to have pipped Liverpool to yet another transfer target, with Blackburn defender Phil Jones already on course to join the 19-times champions of England.

Liverpool chasing Catania defender

Serie A club Catania say that Liverpool have expressed interest in their Argentine defender Matias Silvestre.

"Top of the list of those moving on is Silvestre," Catania general manager Pietro Lo Monaco told Itasportpress. "I'd struggle to keep him here, considering what a great player he is. There are two Italian clubs tracking him, but Liverpool and Villarreal are also interested in Silvestre."

Terry's car 'had tracking device attached'

England football captain John Terry's car had an electronic tracking device placed on it, Terry's lawyer, Nick Freeman, has said.

"He was the number one target for paparazzi," he said.

"He accepts he is a target and they have a job to do but because of the level of attention he had been receiving for several months, he made a complaint to police.

"Police swept his vehicle and found an electronic device that would have assisted whoever planted it there in knowing his whereabouts."