Neymar To Escape Chelsea Clutches As He Nears Real Madrid Move

Chelsea look to have missed out on long-time target Neymar with the Brazil forward set for a move to Spain with either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The 19-year-old had pledged his future to Santos but now his agent has admitted the Primera Liga giants are battling to sign the highly-coveted star.

Wagner Ribeiro said: ‘Barcelona want him next year, Madrid want him now. The numbers being talked about by both clubs are good, but Neymar would prefer a move to Real.

‘The main problem is that the kid (Neymar) wants to play in the Club World Cup against Barcelona, and Santos are using their force to make him choose Barca. Nevertheless, Neymar would prefer a move to Madrid.’

It’s thought the Spanish champions are prepared to pay a higher fee for the tricky forward, and are willing to let him remain at Santos for another season while Real want him immediately to bolster their thin attacking line.

Newcastle Want Daniel Sturridge On Loan

Newcastle are ‘desperate’ to snap up Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge, either on loan or through a £20 million deal, according to the Daily Mirror.

Sturridge starred for Bolton on loan from Chelsea last season, and the starlet has continually insisted that he wants to be part of the Blues line up next season. But considering the striker will be competing with the likes of Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba for a spot in Chelsea’s forward line, Sturridge could be poised for a permanent move to another club.

Newcastle have been strongly linked with Turkish striker Mevlut Erdinc, and though Alan Pardew has revealed an offer is on the table for the Paris Saint-Germain striker, Erdinc has insisted he’s happy in France.

Sturridge, who has been on Newcastle’s radar for some months, would appear to be the perfect fit for the position Erdinc was to take at St James’ Park.

Chelsea have reportedly quoted Newcastle £20 million for Sturridge, though the club is considering taking the youngster on loan for the first year to see how he fits into the squad before making such a big-money purchase.

Chelsea may be more keen on loaning their young star again, should Sturridge agree to the deal to leave Chelsea, as Andre Villas-Boas looks to start building his squad with younger players and long term goals in mind.

Pardew admitted on Friday that a cleanout of players would continue at Newcastle, which may mean that the club is looking to build it’s finances to have the budget to purchase a player of Sturridge's caliber.

Gunners Capture Campbell

Arsenal has reached an agreement which will see highly-rated Costa Rica international Joel Campbell join the club.

It is understood that the Gunners will part with a fee of just under £1million for the 19-year-old forward.

Campbell has made just three senior appearances for Deporivo Saprissa, one of Costa Rica's top clubs, but has already caught the eye of many European scouts.

His potential is clear for all to see and he was included in his country's squad for the 2011 Copa America.

He scored his first international goal in a 5-0 victory over Cuba at the Gold Cup and followed that up with an assist in a 2-0 victory over Bolivia at the Copa America.

Campbell was unable to prevent Costa Rica from slipping out of that tournament at the group stage, but he left Argentina with his head held high.

Arsenal have moved quickly to see off the competition for his signature and have a $1.5million (£930,000) deal in place.

Juan Carlos Rojas, president of Deporivo, confirmed the agreement to DNA Radio and said the transfer would be 'very beneficial to both Campbell and Costa Rican football'.

The youngster is set to take part in the U20 World Cup later this month, giving him another opportunity to impress.

It is expected that Arsenal will then send him out on loan as he has not played in 75 per cent of Costa Rica's games.

He is, however, considered to be an exciting prospect for the future and Arsenal have seen off interest from Italy and Spain in securing his services.

Man United Plan £25m Bid For ‘New Kaka’

Manchester United is chasing Brazilian starlet Paulo Henrique Ganso the midfielder dubbed the new Kaka.

The 21-year-old is widely expected to leave Santos in January after the Club World Cup, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side head the queue of leading European lights chasing his signature.

AC Milan, Paris St Germaine and Tottenham are also in the hunt.

But United hope to steal a march on their rivals by striking a deal now to take the attacking midfielder when the competition ends.

Officially, Santos rate Ganso at £45million, although Hotline understands an agreement has been reached between his agent and the Brazilian outfit which could see him leave for around £25m.

Gervinho Joins Gunners' Ranks

Arsenal has completed the signing of striker Gervinho from Lille for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £10.6million.

The Gunners announced last week a deal had been agreed for the Ivory Coast international and the paperwork has now been approved, with Gervinho penning a long-term contract.

The 24-year-old told Arsenal's official website: "It's a great feeling to be an Arsenal player.

"I'm very happy. I've always dreamed to play for this club. I've achieved this dream now and I am so happy.

"It's one of the most beautiful days of my life."

Aguero Prepared To Take A Pay Cut To Join Man City

Carlos Tevez is heading out of Manchester City – with Sergio Aguero ready to take his place.

Tevez came on for fellow countryman Aguero as Argentina were knocked out of the Copa America by Uruguay, with the unsettled City star missing the decisive penalty in a shoot-out.

And Aguero, the Atletico Madrid star he replaced, is lined up to fill his £40million boots if Tevez leaves City, possibly for Corinthians of Brazil.

Aguero is so keen to come to England he will even take a pay cut to make it happen. City is poised to give him a lucrative contract worth £160,000 a week – which is well short of what he makes at present.

Aguero is on £6m a year AFTER tax. To earn that at City he would need a huge £240,000 a week.

He could make nearer that at Juventus, but his father-in-law Diego Maradona is against that move.

Chelsea Set To Sign Young Belgian Keeper Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed teenage goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is having a medical ahead of his move from Belgian champions Genk.

The Londoners agreed a fee for the 19-year-old at the weekend and the keeper is discussing personal terms.

The 6ft 6in Belgian international impressed hugely last season, making 40 appearances in the Pro League.

"We received an enormous offer that gave us no choice but to let him go," said Genk director Dirk Degraen.

"I have mixed feelings about this transfer - (we) wanted Thibaut to stay a bit longer."

The club added that Chelsea's offer was "by far the largest bid" they had ever received for any of their players.

Villas-Boas confirmed: "There is an agreement between the two clubs.

"[Now] we will decide what is best for him."

Asked whether Courtois could challenge for a first-team spot this season, Villas-Boas added: "It seems unfair for me to make any comment on him but as soon as he is a Chelsea player we will see what kind of future he has."

Courtois was first choice for Genk last season and also received his first call-up to the senior Belgium squad.

The young keeper said recently: "Chelsea sees me as the successor to Petr Cech. It won't happen in one or two years, but in three, four or five years.

"I can therefore work on my development in peace."

Manchester City Agree Carlos Tevez Sale To Corinthians

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said that an agreement has been reached for the sale of Argentina striker Carlos Tevez to Corinthians.

A £39m bid from the Brazilian club was rejected last week, with City believed to be holding out for £50m.

Tevez, 27, had said he wanted to leave the Premier League outfit to spend more time with his family in his homeland.

"We have an agreement with Corinthians but Carlos now is still a City player," Mancini told Sky Sports News.

The Sao Paulo club, backed by revenue from a new television deal, wants to make Tevez a landmark signing by taking him back to the club where he previously enjoyed success.

Moving to South America would also help to solve Tevez's problem of being separated from his two children.

Corinthians president Andres Sanchez claimed last week that Juventus had entered the race to sign Tevez but added his own club would not increase their offer.

However, Tevez's adviser Kia Joorabchian revealed a few days ago that a deal with Corinthians was "close", with the player himself keen on a return to the club he previously represented in 2005 and 2006.

The former West Ham forward, who joined City from Manchester United in the summer of 2009, is under contract with Mancini's side until June 2014.

Last season Tevez was joint top scorer in the Premier League, with 20 goals.

Asked whether Tevez would now be discussing personal terms, Mancini replied: "I don't know this. I repeat, at the moment, Carlos is still a City player."

Mancini is currently on his club's pre-season tour of North America and added: "I want to wait. At the moment we are here, we are working with the other guys. We should think about this."

If Tevez does go, his 23-year-old fellow countryman Sergion Aguero, who is rated at £45m by Atletico, is regarded as a natural replacement.