Barcelona to up offer for Shakhtar's Chygrynskiy

Barcelona are set to offer Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk 25 million euros for their central defender Dmitro Chygrynskiy, according to reports Wednesday.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has kept a close eye on the 22-year-old Ukrainian as he bids to reinforce his squad before the transfer deadline on August 31.

"He knows how to play football, and we need to sign him," Guardiola told Catalan television channel TV3 earlier this week.

Shakhtar are currently unwilling to sell but Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo claimed Wednesday Barcelona have "pulled out all the stops" in a bid to sign Chygrynskiy. Click to read more...

Reid to quit Thailand for Stoke number two role

Peter Reid has confirmed he will be leaving his current job as coach of Thailand to take up an offer to serve as assistant to Stoke manager Tony Pulis.

Reid still has three years left on his contract with the Thai FA but he told BBC Radio Stoke that he had reached an agreement with his current employers which would allow him to leave his post.

"Once everything was sorted out with the Thai FA, which was important because I did have three years left on a deal there and I didn't want to upset anyone there, I was delighted to say yes and be part of it," Reid said on Wednesday. Click to read more...

Portugal name newboy Liedson to salvage World Cup dream

Brazilian striker Liedson, who recently became a Portuguese citizen, was on Wednesday named in the Portugal squad for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Hungary.

Coach Carlos Queiroz has turned to the 31-year-old Sporting Lisbon player with his team struggling to make up ground in the qualifying race for the 2010 finals in South Africa.

Portugal, World Cup semi-finalists in 2006, are currently in third place in Group One with nine points. They are four behind Hungary and seven behind leaders Denmark.

Liedson has played at Sporting since 2003 and is the third Brazilian to play for Portugal following Deco and Pepe. Click to read more...

Inter Milan reach deal to sign Real's Sneijder

Inter Milan have reached a deal to sign Dutch international midfielder Wesley Sneijder from Real Madrid for five years for around 16 million euros, Spanish radio reported Wednesday.

The 25-year-old, who had reportedly been refusing to budge from the Spanish giants, will earn four million euros (5.7 million dollars) per year under the deal compared to around 3.5 million euros at Real, radio Onda Cero added.

Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport likewise reported Sneijder was on his way to the San Siro following an afternoon of meetings with the Real hierarchy. Click to read more...

Wenger vows to attack United

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger plans to go on the attack as his team bid for revenge in Saturday's Premier League showdown at Manchester United.

Wenger believes Arsenal were too timid as they slumped to a 4-1 aggregate defeat against United in the Champions League semi-finals last season.

But the Gunners have made a flying start to the new campaign and travel to Old Trafford on the back of four successive wins after securing their place in the Champions League group stages with a 3-1 win over Celtic on Wednesday.

That play-off second leg victory followed hot on the heels of crushing Premier League victories over Everton and Portsmouth and Wenger is convinced Arsenal are in the right frame of mind to make amends for that lacklustre European exit against United.

Wenger was encouraged by the way his young team set the tempo during a goalless draw at Old Trafford in the league late last season and will send them out to do the same again on Saturday. Click to read more...

Redknapp vows to keep Pavlyuchenko at Tottenham

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp insists Roman Pavlyuchenko will not be heading home to Russia despite the 27-year-old striker being linked with a 10 million pound move to Spartak Moscow.

Redknapp admitted that the player, who scored in the 5-1 League Cup second win at Doncaster on Wednesday, is desperate to cement his place in Russia's World Cup squad and needs to be playing regular first team football.

"His people came down the training ground, they wanted to have a meeting with me to talk about him," Redknapp said. "He doesn't want to go and they don't want him to go. He's very happy.

"His only concern was missing out on the World Cup as he needs to play for Russia but it wasn't a case of him wanting to leave. He's got no issues with the club, he's very happy in London, happy at the club. I don't think anything's going to happen." Click to original source...

Penders' Rumours: Henry set for Liverpool?

OK transfer lovers, it's ya weekend bonanza of making up news, gossip and more news.

Hot off the press today:

Walcott, Young, VDV, Henry and lots of made up stuff!Young pacey Theo Walcott won't be playing this afternoon against Portsmouth because of a back problem. I know that Arsene Wenger loves him a lot but I still cannot rule out a move to Manchester City. I just think it makes lots of sense, especially if VDV gets a move to the Emirates.

That move has to happen very soon. It just has to. Am still also hoping that Chamakh gets his move from Bordeaux. Can't bare a season of more speculation surrounding the Moroccan. Click to read more...

Everton close in on new signings

Everton are looking to sign Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin and Valencia's Ever Banega as David Moyes splash the cash.

Everton manager Moyes is also chasing Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin, who has handed in a transfer request at Fratton Park.

Aston Villa are the Toffee's main rivals to sign Distin and according to Sky Sports News, the Villians have launched an official bid.

Russia winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is already set to join Everton before they head out to Czech Republic for Thursday's Europa League play-off second leg. Click to read more...

Penders' Rumours: Anderson to Spurs

ESPNSTAR.com's transfer guru Andy Penders brings you the rumoured ins-and-outs as the transfer window draws to a close!

Wow. Making the headlines today is Luca Modric distancing himself from a move to Manchester United!
I feel quite chuffed about that piece of news because we spoke about it yesterday.

See, there is some substance in this transfer bloggy thing.

Although to quote the Sporting Life: If you want to get Luka Modric's full take on that bonkers link with Manchester United, here you go. Hahahaha. Too funny. Click to read more...

Lescott completes City move

Joleon Lescott has finally completed his move to from Everton to Manchester City.

The 27-year-old defender signed a five-year deal with the Eastlands outfit tonight.

Lescott completed his medical and agreed personal terms yesterday after City had a bid, reportedly worth £22million, accepted by Everton on Sunday but there was a brief delay to the England star's transfer going through as a minor wrangle was resolved.

Confirmation of the transfer takes Mark Hughes' summer spending beyond £120million. Click to read more...

Atletico Madrid emerge in Champions League qualifying

Atletico Madrid will seek to take a temporary, yet lucrative step, out of the huge shadow cast by neighbours Real on Tuesday by completing a qualifying round win over Greek side Panathinaikos to take their place in the Champions League group stage.

The prospect of missing out and having to skulk around the fringes of the continental game in the Europa League, successor of the UEFA Cup, is unthinkable to Atletico, given their need to glean some bragging rights in Spain's football-mad capital.

With Real having spent some than 250 million dollars pre-season on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso there is a need for the "rojiblancos" to show they can make a decent fist of maintaining their own profile. Click to read more...

Hooliganism mars Hammers fightback

West Ham survived a League Cup scare at the hands of London neighbours Millwall on Tuesday in a second round clash that was overshadowed by serious crowd trouble before and during the match.

Playing a quality of football that belied their current status in the third tier of English football, Millwall got within three minutes of knocking their Premier League hosts out of the competition after being given a first-half lead by Neil Harris.

But an 87th-minute equaliser from Junior Stanislas sent the tie into extra-time and a second goal from Stanislas, from the penalty spot, and a Zavon Hines strike wrapped things up for the Hammers. Click to read more...

Fabregas ruled out of Celtic clash

Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of Arsenal's Champions League clash against Celtic midweek with a hamstring injury, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday.

The Gunners captain could, however, return for Saturday's Premier League trip to Manchester United.

Both Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey are in contention Wednesday as the Gunners look to defend a 2-0 lead, with manager Arsene Wenger set to rotate his side.

Czech winger Tomas Rosicky has returned to training following a hamstring problem and could be match fit by the weekend.

However, England forward Theo Walcott (back), reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (knee), France winger Samir Nasri (broken leg) and defender Johan Djourou (knee) all continue their rehabilitation.

Everton sign Bilyaletdinov from Lokomotiv

English Premier League side Everton have signed Lokomotiv Moscow skipper Diniyar Bilyaletdinov on a five-year deal, both clubs announced on their official websites Tuesday.

The 24-year-old midifelder, who has played for Lokomotiv since 2004, signed a deal with the Liverpool side late Monday in the German city of Hamburg, where he had undergone a medical examination.

No financial details of the deal were disclosed.

Bilyaletdinov won the Russian league title with Lokomotiv in 2004. He played in all Russia's matches at Euro 2008 where they reached the semi-finals. Click to read more...

Sneijder Inter signing imminent: press

Wesley Sneijder is on the verge of joining Inter Milan, according to Italian press reports on Tuesday.

The Dutch attacking midfielder is surplus to requirements at Real Madrid following the big-money signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka and has been linked with a move to the Italian champions for several weeks.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho is known to be in the market for an attacking midfielder who can play at the head of his midfield diamond formation and now seems to have got his man. Click to read more...