De Gea confirms United offer

David de Gea has confirmed that he is edging closer to a move to Manchester United, with terms set to be discussed.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper was spotted in England on Monday arriving for his medical.

David-De-Gea.1 An £18million move from Atletico Madrid has been touted for some time, but was put on hold as De Gea helped Spain to European U21 Championship glory.

With that tournament having reached a conclusion on Saturday, he is now free to complete the switch and is making rapid progress in pushing through a deal.

Invite

With physical examinations out of the way, the youngster has revealed that he is set to take in a tour of Old Trafford and discuss personal terms.

De Gea wrote on his Twitter account: "I have been invited by Man U to see the club and the city with my family and to be given an offer."

United plan to make the highly-rated Spanish shot-stopper their long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar, who has opted to hang up his boots.

Sir Alex Ferguson recently revealed that he had been chasing De Gea for 'quite a while' and it appears as though he may be about to get his man.

Sky Sports

Essien exit rumours rubbished

Michael Essien's agent has sought to rubbish rumours suggesting his client could be ready to leave Chelsea.

Reports have suggested that the midfielder may be moved on this summer as incoming Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas attempts to stamp his authority on the Stamford Bridge squad.

michael-essien Speculation regarding the Ghanaian's future has alerted some of Europe's top clubs to his possible availability, with AC Milan and Bayern Munich waiting to pounce.

It was claimed that Bayern were ready to test Chelsea's resolve with a formal offer, with it unclear where Essien fits into Villas-Boas' thoughts.

His representative insists there is nothing in the rumours, though, with the 28-year-old still very much part of the Blues' plans for the upcoming campaign.

Fabien Piveteau told MTNFootball.com: "There's absolutely no chance of Essien leaving Chelsea.

Focused

"It is not true that the club's new coach Villas-Boas wants to release Michael.

"In fact, the new coach knows Essien very well having worked at the club before and he knows what Michael can do for the club.

"Michael is also focused on staying at the club because he has a very good relationship with the team's supporters, the new manager and the club owner

"He is not leaving."

Villas-Boas was part of Jose Mourinho's coaching team at Chelsea when Essien was snapped up for £24million from Lyon in the summer of 2005.

Sky Sports

Gerrard enthused by Reds progress

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says the club now have in place the right structure to start winning trophies again.

Steven_Gerrard The Reds' last piece of silverware was the 2006 FA Cup, in which Gerrard played a starring role, but the England midfielder feels they are now better placed to end that drought.

"What I can say to the fans is that Liverpool will be back among the trophies sooner rather than later because we are moving in the right direction," he said.

"We have got fantastic players, the structure of the club is healthy from top to bottom and when that is the case then the team won't be too far away from winning."

greater chance

Gerrard also believes Liverpool's wait for another league title, which now stands at 21 years, has a greater chance of being ended.

Despite a total of 18 league titles over the years, Liverpool have yet to claim the Premier League crown.

The Merseysiders saw their tally of titles overhauled by Manchester United in 2010/11 and Gerrard is determined to help the Anfield aces get back on level terms.

"We will get the championship again. It's difficult to say when because that adds a lot of pressure to the team," he added.

Gerrard missed the final weeks of last season with a troublesome groin injury but expects to be fully fit and firing for the new campaign when Liverpool hope to be pushing strongly for honours.

Premier League

English Giants Fight for Starlet Hicham Khaloua

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are all keen on Spanish starlet Hicham Khaloua, skysports.com understands.

Hicham The 16-year-old is currently with Spanish second division side Cartagena, where he is already training with the first team.

Known as Hicham, the young striker has a hugely impressive record at youth level and last season scored over 40 goals.

He is now attracting interest from around Spain with Real Madrid, Barcelona and the big-spending Malaga all keen to recruit him.

As Hicham is 16, he cannot yet sign a professional deal and that has again put the English sides on alert, who can sign him and only be due to pay minimal compensation.

And skysports.com understands that the interest from England is very strong, with United, City, Liverpool and Chelsea all looking to sign him.

Hicham, of Moroccan descent, is a Spanish citizen and is ready to play for Spain's youth setup.

All the clubs interested were understood to have been in Spain at the weekend to watch Hicham in action as he played for his regional side Murcia.

Hicham is expected to decide his future in the coming weeks, but it seems he could very well be heading to England.

Sky Sports

Five clubs meet Neymar price

Barca, Real, Man City, Chelsea and Makhachkala all bid for Brazilian.
Santos have confirmed that five clubs have met Neymar's release clause of €45million (£40.3million) and they have been given permission to talk with the Brazilian sensation.

neymar.1photo : skysports.com

The clubs are understood to be Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

It was previously believed that Real and Chelsea, who have been tracking Neymar for years, were leading the chase with the Spaniards in pole position.

But now it has emerged that they are not alone in the race for his signature, with Barca and City also showing their hand.

The outsiders of the five are Anzhi Makhachkala - although they have plenty of finances and they would hope their current Brazilian contingent, which includes Roberto Carlos, could help push a deal through.

Now the clubs in question are set for talks, according to Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro.

Release

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

"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.

"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."

Ribeiro also took time to have a dig at Chelsea over their previous attempt to land the 19-year-old.

"Last year, Chelsea's attitude was different. Their first action was to seek out the player's representatives," he stated.

He also remains confident that, after helping Santos lift the Copa Libertadores earlier this month, he could stay put and reject the move to Europe.

"These clubs can come along and make their offerings, but if he wants to stay at Santos he can say no and continue at Santos," he concluded.

Sky Sports

City move for Savic

Manchester City are understood to have made a move for Partizan Belgrade starlet Stefan Savic.

City have been linked with a string of defenders and, with Jerome Boateng looking likely to depart for Bayern Munich, manager Roberto Mancini will be looking for reinforcements.

Bolton's Gary Cahill has been tipped to move to Eastlands, but Savic now appears to be at the top of their agenda.

Serbian sources claim City have opened the bidding with a €7million offer for the 20-year-old stopper.

But Partizan are believed to be looking for at least €10million for the Montenegro international, who is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe.

Partizan's sporting director Mladen Krstajic insisted that a deal had not yet been struck.

"Savic is still here with us, so he has signed nothing yet," he told Blic.

The Serbia media claim that Partizan would like to keep Savic for their Champions League qualifying campaign, through July and August, before letting him depart for England.

"If the time comes for me to leave Partizan, it would be difficult - but that is our life in sport. But for now I have no transfer information," said Savic.

Savic joined Partizan last summer after previously spending time on trial at Arsenal and, although he would not automatically qualify for a work permit, his huge potential would almost certainly see him granted a move should City finalise terms.

The likes of AC Milan, Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Porto are also understood to have been tracking Savic in recent months.

Sky Sports

Morgan: Jamie O'Hara has pulling power

Jamie-O-Hara

Photo : footballfancast.com

Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Steve Morgan thinks Jamie O'Hara will help to attract new signings to Molineux.

The midfielder completed his permanent move from Tottenham Hotspur last week after an inspirational loan spell in the second half of last season.

O'Hara helped keep Wolves in the Barclays Premier League and scored in the final day defeat to Blackburn Rovers and the strike proved crucial in securing safety.

Wolves are chasing the likes of Reading's Matt Mills and Morgan is hopeful that the perceived quality of O'Hara and other established first-team players could prove valuable.

Morgan said: "Other players will be attracted to Wolves by the likes of Jamie. But there's also Wayne Hennessey, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt... I could go on and on.

"There's a lot of very high quality players here and I am quite excited about next season because I think we are getting ourselves a really good squad.

"Compared to this time last year they all have an extra year's experience. And last season was definitely an experience - a fraught one at times!

"But I think we can look back at some of the silly errors that were made in some matches. You think that if we could stamp even half of them out it would make a massive difference to where we finish in the league."

Premier League

Man Utd's Nani 'not going anywhere'

Manchester United winger Nani has insisted he is "not going anywhere" despite the arrival at Old Trafford of England international Ashley Young and reported interest from abroad.

nani.1 The 24-year-old Portuguese said he would fight for his place with the Premier League champions after Young, who also plays on the wing, completed a transfer from Aston Villa worth about $25-32 million last week.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere," Nani told the Straits Times during a visit to Singapore.

"There's going to be more competition for places and, at a club like United, you always have to be on your toes to stay hungry for trophies."

Young's arrival has sparked intense speculation about Nani's future after he was linked with moves to Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

He said he has not discussed his role next season with manager Alex Ferguson, who is rebuilding the team after their 3-1 mauling by Barcelona in last month's Champions League final.

"No. Why should I?" he said, according to Singapore's MyPaper on Tuesday, adding that Young's signing should bolster the team.

"The club know what's good for the team when they signed him," Nani said.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved

David de Gea nears switch to Manchester United

MANCHESTER United manager Alex Ferguson is set to push his summer spending close to £50million later this week when he completes the signing of goalkeeper David de Gea.

David-de-Gea It is understood the Atletico Madrid star arrived in the city for a medical just two days after helping Spain Under-21s to victory in the European Championship in Denmark.

With United having opened negotiations with the Spanish club some weeks ago, it was only the highly-rated 20-year-old’s involvement in that tournament which held up the deal.

But with no problems expected with his medical De Gea is likely to complete his move, reported to be worth around £17million, in the next few days.

He will be the third new recruit at Old Trafford this month, following the arrival of Blackburn’s England Under-21 international Phil Jones and Aston Villa winger Ashley Young.

Ferguson hopes De Gea will be the long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar, who retired at the age of 40 at the end of last season. The arrival of De Gea, aged just 20, adds instant quality with the promise of the realisation of greater potential.

Such is the Spaniard’s reputation that compatriot and Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina, who seems likely to face De Gea when the north-west rivals clash at Anfield on October 15, reacted positively.

“I very much welcome this news because David is a great keeper,” he said.

“When it becomes official he is going to start working to prove in the Premier League what a good goalkeeper he is.”

Following the retirements of Van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville from last season Ferguson has moved quickly to strengthen in three areas, bringing in players who all should have their best years ahead of them.

Liverpool Echo

Ryad Boudebouz claims Reds interest

Algeria international Ryad Boudebouz has claimed Liverpool are eager to sign him.

Ryad-Boudebouzphoto : GettyImages

Boudebouz, 21, has been with Sochaux since 2004 and is under contract until 2013, but the playmaker has revealed he would be open to a move to Anfield.

"The Liverpool interest is solid," he told L'Est Republicain. "There has been contact but we have to take our time, meet the chairman and remain calm.

"I want to sit down and discuss things when we return for pre-season training. If there is an important offer, we will not be able to turn it down. I don't wish to leave Sochaux but if there is an offer on the table, I will think about it."

Meanwhile, Daniel Agger has hailed manager Kenny Dalglish and assistant Steve Clarke for bringing back Liverpool's traditional style of football.

"I like Kenny's playing style and I think it suits Liverpool," he told the club's official website. "It suits the football club and it suits the fans. I was really happy he and Steve Clarke signed their deals.

"Steve has made a big, big impact and he is really good. I can't say enough good things about him. Kenny suits this club. He knows everything about it, and the fans know him. It's positive for the future."

He added: "It is a different way of playing football. The training sessions are enjoyable. People talk about confidence and it is such a big thing in football because it can change from one day to another.

"The main change is about being positive. Playing positive football and that's the biggest difference."

ESPN Soccernet

Arsene Wenger is interested in Joey Barton – EPL debate

Arsenal’s stalwart manager, Arsene Wenger, has often received high criticism for his lacklustre activity during transfer windows. He has insisted in continuing with his philosophy with Arsenal. But with Joey Barton linked to the club, it seems that the past winless six years is actually making him think differently.

Joey-Barton Wenger has maintained his stance on rough tackles and always has his players play seamless football. Barton, currently with Newcastle United, is known for just the contrary. He was instrumental in Newcastle coming back from behind to a 4-4 draw with Arsenal earlier this year.

Joey Barton’s career is plagued with controversy. He was often found in court rather than practicing with his teammates. He is definitely not everybody’s favourite, leave alone being a first choice footballer. But there has been no denying the talent that he possesses.

Wenger’s show of intent has been taken as shocking. But, the move is obvious.  Wenger has to toughen up his midfield. He needs to add more steel to the squad along with the experience.

Arsenal may have failed to win a trophy in the past six years, but given their consistent top four ranking they are a regular feature in the UEFA Champions League, an opportunity Barton is more than likely to cherish.

“I don’t want to leave Newcastle, my family is settled in the area, I’ve got a great working relationship with everybody at the club but if someone came in and, hypothetically, offered me Champions League football, whether I’d signed a five, six or seven-year deal at Newcastle, I’d have to consider it,” admitted Barton.

He has one year still to go on his current contract with Newcastle. They will rather offload him now if they can instead of releasing him for no financial gains next summer.

At Emirates, Barton can move straight in to the first team. He will be able to add a lot of character, experience and bring them the much needed depth. His experience will impart skills on the young squad as well. With Cesc Fabregas touted for a move to Barcelona, Arsenal will have to bring in a player who has the experience and the ability to find the net.

If successful, the player will cost £1.5 million to Wenger. This is a bargain considering the fact that Barton is able to perform well.

The downside to his signing is the baggage that he carries and the reputation that precedes him. He has a lot to bring on to the pitch. But off the field, he can be a tough boy to handle. That is something Wenger must have already taken in to account. Barton must have impressed Wenger for his possession of the ball.

Barton’s aggression in the middle of the field will add a new dimension to the way the game is played by the Gunners. He will be a key member to unleash when they have a lead to preserve. However, it will be interesting to see how Barton goes around his game in the Champions League. With more cultured opposition, his style of play could be brutal and may end up working in the favour of his club.

The criticism associated with Barton’s signing with Arsenal has more to do with the attitude and the tendency to break down psychologically and not his skills with the ball. It is also argued that he may not be able to handle the pressure handed to him at Arsenal.

However way he plays or behaves, his signing is almost certain. The coming season will be followed with much anticipation to see how Barton performs. More importantly, Arsene Wenger will also be tested with his use of the bad boy of English football.

Bettor.com