Premier League Clubs Reveal Cost Of A Day At The Game

Blackburn Rovers marketing manager Simon Williams believes the club's commitment to making football affordable has helped them produce the best value matchday offer in the Premier League.

A survey by BBC Sport showed Rovers offer better value deals for adults without season tickets, than the rest of the top flight.

Rovers offer £10 adult tickets for several games a season - meaning fans can enjoy the match, a pie, a program and a cup of tea for just £17.50. That's in comparison to Liverpool, where the cheapest day out available is £46.95.

"We made a conscious business decision four years ago to put bums on seats at Ewood Park through cheap season tickets and £10 tickets for certain category games," said Williams.

"And this has been a great success with the fans, pushing our average home attendance up by several thousand to 25,000. That's fantastic considering the town has a population of 130,000.

"The players have gone on record to say how much the atmosphere in the stadium has improved and how it drives them on. So it does make a difference."

Unsurprisingly, clubs in London are generally more expensive, with Arsenal (£100), Chelsea (£87) and Tottenham (£80) having the highest cost of matchday tickets in the country. However, Chelsea's cheapest ticket is £23.50. Champions Manchester United and cross-city rivals City compare relatively well - United's cheapest day out is £35.60 while City's cheapest ticket is £25.

Newcastle United were the only club of the 104 surveyed in England, Wales and Scotland not to disclose their matchday prices.

In a statement, the Premier League said it did not interfere with prices, but made clear that games were expected across the division to be 92 per cent full this season.

The statement said: "Individual Premier League clubs decide at what level to price their match tickets. What is clear is that they all work extremely hard to fill their grounds with varied pricing pitched at fans with different budgets and needs."

Zaragoza Snap Up Keeper

Real Zaragoza have signed goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez Gago from Benfica on a five-year contract.

The Spaniard, 25, had a loan spell with Zaragoza and impressed sufficiently for the clubs to agree on a deal worth more than €8million (£7m).

"I come with high hopes about the new project that is brewing at Real Zaragoza for next season," Roberto told the club's official website.

"Zaragoza is my home. I am proud to come back here.

"I know many of my team-mates and I feel very comfortable working with young players of such quality."

Champions League Preview

Otelul Galati. There's a name to conjure with.

A sizeable section of the footballing fraternity will not even know which country they play in, still less where it is. Are they from Otelul, or Galati?

Quick lesson. Otelul play in Galati, in Romania, not far from the border with Moldova.

They have featured in the Romanian top division for 13 seasons but won the title for the first time last term and thereby qualified straight into the Champions League.

If an English team were to draw them, you get there by flying to Bucharest before completing the remaining 200 kilometres by train or car.

Who says Europe's elite club competition is getting too stale?

There are other debutants too. Napoli, who last got in when the tournament was the European Cup, with Diego Maradona leading their attack, in 1990. And then there is Manchester City.

Roberto Mancini's men will be the most intriguing participants, a combination of wealth, novelty and seeding underlining their appeal.

Relative lack of European exposure down the years means that City will be amongst the third seeds when the draw is made in Monaco on August 25.

With Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - if the Gunners qualify - all guaranteed top seedings and therefore unable to face their Premier League rivals in the group phase, it means City will get Porto, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or holders Barcelona.

In fact, one of those infernal groups of death could pitch City into combat with Barcelona, AC Milan and German champions Borussia Dortmund. What a prospect that would be.

Arsenal's participation is by no means guaranteed given the turbulence experienced at the north London outfit this summer, confidence hardly bolstered by their miserable end to last season.

As Dynamo Kiev and Udinese are potential qualifying round opponents, nothing can be taken for granted.

It would be a shattering blow for Arsene Wenger if they didn't make it. After all, his Gunners inflicted a defeat on Barca in the first leg of their last 16 encounter last season that would have become outright victory if Nicklas Bendtner had taken his later chance after Robin van Persie had been sent off in the return at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona's presence hangs like a cloud over everyone.

Real Madrid might believe they would have done better against the Catalans than Manchester United managed in the final.

But the pair squared up in three competitions last term and only in the Copa del Rey did Jose Mourinho come out on top.

Chelsea are still aggrieved at the manner with which they lost the 2009 semi-final to Barca, when it appeared the job was done. For Manchester United the wounds are still raw given the manner of Barca's triumph in the 2011 final at Wembley in May.

"Best club side ever," was the general cry, echoing comments made by Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, whose side failed to qualify for this season's competition having reached the quarter-finals in 2010-11.

If Pep Guardiola's men maintain recent form, they will surely become the first team to retain the Champions League in its present form and secure their third title in four years, having reached the semi-final on the other occasion, losing to Mourinho's Inter Milan.

Those who crave greatness hope they achieve it. Thirty-one rivals, from Manchester to Galati, will try to stop them.

Man City Back In The Hunt For Samir Nasri

Manchester City are ready to make a £22million bid for Samir Nasri in the next 48 hours.

Sources close to City were last night adamant they will slap in a "take it or leave it" offer for Arsenal's French midfielder.

City officials have been given encouraging signs that Arsenal finally want to bring things to a head and are reluctantly ready to sanction a deal.

There were even suggestions a move could be rushed through by the weekend, giving Nasri an outside chance of featuring in City's Community Shield clash with Manchester United, who also like the 24-year-old.

The big choice for Arsenal is whether to cash in now on an unhappy Frenchman or lose him for free when his contract expires next year.

Nasri insisted in October he would have signed a contract when there was talk of a new deal to keep him at the Emirates.

But he grew increasingly restless when nothing transpired and he is now ready to join the City revolution for £125,000 a week - just £10,000 a week more than he could pick up at United or Arsenal.

Juventus Eye £6m Swoop For Chelsea Defender

Italian club Juventus are lining up a £6m bid for Chelsea's Brazil defender Alex.

The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea following the arrival of David Luiz and the Blues are understood to be willing to entertain offers for the towering centre-back.

Chelsea are well equipped in that position, Alex's departure would leave Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry and Luiz as Chelsea's senior central defenders.

The former PSV Eindhoven man became first choice at the beginning of last season before a knee operation in December ruled him out for two months.

The Italian outfit could now offer Alex a fresh start in Serie A, with Zenit St Petersburg, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also credited with an interest.

Real Madrid Tempt Tottenham With Intriguing Bale Swap Deal

Real Madrid will sell Lassana Diarra to Tottenham if Spurs give them first option on Gareth Bale in January 2013, according to the Metro.

The Spanish giants were alerted to the Welsh winger after his impressive displays in the Champions League last season, helping Tottenham to the quarter-finals.

Although Real are unlikely to make a bid this summer, reports suggest they're preparing a raid for Bale in the not too distant future.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is adamant his biggest stars won’t be sold in this transfer window, but with Spurs in desperate need of reinforcements, the former Portsmouth boss may be tempted to accept Diarra in exchange for giving Real first option on Bale.

The Frenchman is still yet to find a new club after rejecting an offer from Galatasaray, and is believed to favour a switch back to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Valencia midfielder Juan Mata, a target for Arsenal, is not keen on a move to White Hart Lane, say reports in Spain.

Bayern Munich Looks To Swoop Nani From Manchester United

Bayern Munich are preparing a big money move for Manchester United winger Nani.

German giants Bayern Munich are battling it out with Juventus and Inter Milan for the signing of Manchester United star Nani.

Juventus have made audacious £26m bid and Inter Milan have also sounded out the possibility of signing the Portuguese winger.

However, Bayern Munich are preparing a mouth watering bid to lure Nani away from Old Trafford.

Nani vowed to take his game to another level last week and make sure he will never be ignored by Sir Alex Ferguson again.

Portuguese winger Nani was devastated after being left out of Manchester United's starting line-up for last season's Champions League final.

He made an appearance as a late substitute in May's 3-1 defeat by Barcelona but it meant nothing to him as Pep Guardiola's men cruised to a crushing win.

The painful memory has clearly proved a blessing in disguise for Nani if his performance against Barcelona in Washington is anything to go by.

He terrorised the European champions from start to finish and scored the opening goal in United's 2-1 triumph.

But Nani looked determined to prove a point and took his chance with both hands to leave Ferguson with some serious thinking to do ahead of the new season.

Ashley Young has arrived at Old Trafford from Aston Villa in an £8 million deal while Antonio Valencia surged ahead of Nani in the pecking order last season.

Valencia, who is set to sign a new and improved deal, was picked for the games that mattered most but Nani has impressed from start to finish in America and feels his stock has never been higher.

The win, secured by Michael Owen's second-half strike, represented a form of personal redemption for Nani.

He knows he will have to keep his game at the highest level if he is to keep his place in the side but is ready for the challenge.

Paris Saint-Germain Linked With €8 Million Move For Roma's Marco Borriello

Paris Saint-Germain could add to their Serie A recruitment drive by making an €8 million move for Roma's Marco Borriello, according to a report in the peninsula.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims PSG director of sport Leonardo, who has a freight of associations with the Italian league following coaching spells with AC Milan and Inter, is eager to bring in the 29-year-old striker.

Once the Ligue 1 side complete their €43m move for Javier Pastore from Palermo, Leonardo will reportedly turn his attention to Roma and contact their director Walter Sabatini to see if any meaningful move can be made.

Borriello spent last season on loan in the capital before being signed on a permanent basis in a deal worth €10m two months ago from AC Milan.

The former Genoa man signed a four-year contract, suggesting Roma see him as a potential bedrock for the future.

However, Leonardo is said to have the striker on his transfer list, but it could be tough to prise him away as the Serie A side have only just sold Mirko Vucinic to Juventus.

Liverpool Target Brazil Flyer To Solve Left-Back Crisis

Liverpool is targeting Dynamo Kievs Brazilian defender Gerson Magrao to solve their left-back problem.


Kenny Dalglish is eyeing a move for the highly-rated 26-year-old as the Scot searches for a naturally left-sided defender this summer.

The Merseysiders were forced to play England right-back Glen Johnson on the opposite flank last for the majority of last season as the clubs left-sided options dwindled after Paul Koncheskys loan move to Nottingham Forest and the long-term injury of Fabio Aurelio.

The Reds have been linked a number of left-backs this summer, including Newcastles Jose Enrique and Celtics Emilio Izaguirre who are both valued in excess of £10m.

Magrao first came to Liverpools attention through director of football Damien Comolli, who advised Dalglish that the buccaneering full-back was better value for money than the clubs other left-back targets.

Reports in Russia suggest that Braga in Portugal are also interested in Magrao, a player who has yet to play for Brazil but is believed to have a Portuguese passport that would help him secure a work permit for Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Italian club Cesena are targeting Reds defender Emiliano Insua after he spent last season on loan at Galatasaray.

Berbatov Targeted By PSG In £18m Swoop

Paris St Germain are targeting Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov in an £18million swoop.

PSG are enjoying a stunning revolution under new Qatari ownership, who are poised to beat Chelsea to the £35m signing of Palermo's rising-star playmaker Javier Pastore.

Berbatov, 30, has just a year left on his contract after signing for £30million from Spurs in 2009.

Although the likes of Javier Hernandez, Antonio Valencia and Park Ji Sung are set to have new deals confirmed at Old Trafford this week, that will not be the case with Berbatov.

Indeed, the Bulgarian will be left as the only player at United with 12 months left to run on his deal, despite being the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with Carlos Tevez last season.

A breakdown of those figures, however, reveal three hat-tricks - including one where he went on to score five goals in the game - helped to account for the overall total.

Sir Alex Ferguson did not to even have Berbatov on the bench for the Champions League Final - and the player's subsequent reaction, when he watched the match on TV in the dressing room rather in person in the stands - is said to have sealed his fate at the club.