Lemoine Signs For St Etienne

St Etienne have announced the signing of Fabien Lemoine on a four-year deal from Rennes for an undisclosed fee. 

Lemoine, 24, missed five months of last season through injury following a nasty collision during a match against Nancy.

It was later revealed he had badly damaged his kidney in the incident, which meant it had to be removed.

The defensive midfielder has become St Etienne's seventh signing of the summer as they look to build a squad capable of bringing them their first Ligue 1 title since 1981.

St Etienne began their season with a win over Bordeaux last weekend but will face stiff competition from free-spending Paris Saint Germain for the title.

Lemoine will miss this weekend's match with Nancy, as he still serving a suspension.

Aston Villa And Hamburg SV Vying For Nicklas Bendtner

Aston Villa have joined Bundesliga club Hamburg SV in the hunt for Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner and may be in a position to offer up to £9m.

Hamburg have been interested since the player became available however they have since admitted that it would be difficult for them to sign the Dane given the transfer fee expected by the North London club. Alex McLeish’s Aston Villa meanwhile are still looking to add a striker to help Darren Bent up front and believe the 23 year old would fit in well.

Arsenal still have business of their own to sort out but are in no rush to sell Bendtner and will wait for the right offer to come in, it is also worth noting that Bendtner is particular about which club he would like to join with certain teams in Portugal also interested in his signature.

Eto'o Close To Agreeing Russia Move

Samuel Eto'o's Italian agent claims the Cameroon forward could soon be on his way to Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Anzhi is prepared to dip into their deep pockets to finance a big-money move for the Inter Milan striker.

And Inter has announced they are prepared to consider the offer put to them.

Anzhi now believe it has every chance of luring one of the most potent forwards in European football to Russia.

Eto'o's representative believes an agreement could be struck, with initial talks regarding a transfer having already been held.

Claudio Vigorelli told sports.ru: "We have almost reached an agreement with Anzhi. We now hope that the clubs can agree with each other."

While Inter has done little to rule out an imminent exit for their 30-year-old striker, owner Massimo Moratti insists there is no guarantee that a sale will be sanctioned.

He said: "At the moment Eto'o is not going anywhere and we are not negotiating for someone else to come in.

"We are only answering other teams that are interested in our players.

"I don't want to offend those who have made interesting offers for our players, offers that are right for the players' value.

"Then it will be up to us and the player to decide if we want to accept an offer or not.

"I have to say that, luckily, almost all of our players are sought-after."

Inter Milan Target Tevez Loan Deal As Eto'o Set For Exit

Inter Milan have made an offer to sign Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez on a loan basis with a view to a permanent move next summer.

Tevez has made no secret that he wants to leave Manchester City and saw a move to Corinthians fall through during the summer.

Inter Milan are now in pole position to clinch his signature and reports in Italy today suggest they have opened talks over a season-long loan.

Manchester City are determined to do a straight cash deal for the Argentine superstar, but they could change their mind if Inter agree to sell Wesley Sneijder as part of the deal.

Inter are considering an offer from mega-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for striker Samuel Eto'o and see Tevez as the ideal replacement.

Paris Saint-Germain Set Sights On Sevilla's Mouhamadou Dabo

The Ligue 1 side were previously hot on the trail of Porto's Alvaro Pereira, but his €30 million release clause, coupled with reported interest from Liverpool and Arsenal, has seen the French outfit turn their attention towards Dabo.

PSG director Leonardo is desperate to add a left-sided defender to the squad and Dabo could return to France just a year after leaving Saint-Etienne for Spain.

The Senegal native is tied to Sevilla until 2014, but a serious offer from PSG could tempt the Spanish outfit to part company with the 24-year-old.

The French capital club were stunned 1-0 at home by Lorient in their Ligue 1 opener on Saturday and Leonardo is keen to make some last-minute changes to the squad so they can mount a serious title challenge.

Serie A Flyer Set For Manchester City Switch

Manchester City have reignited their interest in Fiorentina winger Alessio Cerci.

The 24-year-old winger has been strongly linked with the Blues and a deal was on the cards earlier in the summer, but both clubs failed to agree a fee.

Now City boss Roberto Mancini is ready to re-open negotiations with the Italian side have started once again and the Citizens are prepared to increase their offer to £5m as they look to finalise his a deal.

Cerci is highly-rated in Serie A and Mancini is hoping the addition of his fellow countryman will help increase competition in midfield as City try to mount a successful challenge in both the Premier League and Champions League.

The Italian is hoping to land a four-year deal and will double his wages if he make a move to the Etihad Stadium.

A Fiorentina source said: "We are optimistic and hope a deal can be agreed in the next week."

Chelsea Striker Linked With Shock AC Milan Move

Didier Drogba could quit Chelsea to join AC Milan. The Ivorian has been coveted by the Giallorossi for several years who have tried - and failed - to sign him on two previous occasions but fancy their chances on making it third time lucky. They are hoping that the chance to play for one of football's most venerable institutions coupled with the potentially fewer first team opportunities at Chelsea could be enough to turn the player's head.

Drogba has enjoyed a fine pre-season whoich has seen him back to his dominant best but he knows he will have to jostle with £50m signing Fernando Torres and imminent teenage arrival Romelu Lukaku for a starting berth. With Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and the in-form Daniel Sturridge also in the mix, the compeiton for places will be fierce.

Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas is known to be a fan of the 33-year-old but might consider using the player as leverage in his attempts to bring Alexandre Pato to Stamford Bridge. The Brazil international has been a long-term target of the club's and the Portuguese manager is thought to have given a green light to his pursuit. However, until a formal approach for Drogba is made by the Italians he will remian a key figure in West London.

Manchester United Striker Becomes Surprise Arsenal Target

Arsenal are reportedly interested in bringing Manchester United's Danny Welbeck to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are facing a player exodus with Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner all eyeing the exit door which would leave manager Arsene Wenger short of options in attack. With Robin van Persie likely to miss the start of the season, the need for a striker is brought into even sharper focus and that has led to the interest in Welbeck.

The 20-year-old had an impressive season on loan at Sunderland last campaign scoring six goals in the process. His form was enough to earn him a first international cap in a friendly with Ghana earlier this year though with Welbeck also eligible to play for the African nation through both his parents' nationality, there was also a hint of opportunism behind the selection on the FA's behalf.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has always spoken in glowing terms about his striker - even recommending him to Fabio Capello as a potential member of his 2010 World Cup squad - so it would be something of a surprise were he to entertain the thought of selling him to one of his main rivals. However, with Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda all competing for a first team place, a decent bid in the region of £11m and the promise of more regular football could be enough to turn both United's and Welbeck's head.

Inter Hold Talks With Napoli Regarding Ezequiel Lavezzi

Inter are targeting Napoli striker Ezequiel Lavezzi as a replacement for Samuel Eto'o, who looks set to leave the club this summer.

Eto'o, 30, is currently in negotiations with Anzhi Makhachkala after Inter received a mega offer from the Russian club.

Inter director of sport Marco Branca has now been in talks with Napoli for the Argentina international.

Branca spoke with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, but have been told it will take at least a £27 million (€31m) bid to land the 26-year-old.

However, the Coppa Italia winners are willing to tempt the San Paolo-based club with a cash-plus-player deal.

Goran Pandev, MacDonald Mariga and Davide Santon could be used as leverage to lower what appear to be high demands.

Inter have also been linked with Manchester City's Carlos Tevez, but the feeling in Italy is Lavezzi a significantly cheaper alternative in terms of wages.

It has been reported the Argentine currently earns around £1.2m (€1.4m) per annum at Napoli.

Lazio Join Lugano Chase

Juventus will face competition from Lazio for Diego Lugano of Fenerbahce, reports Sky Sport Italia.

The Old Lady are looking for a new centre-back to boost their options and the Uruguayan is a possibility.

Lugano, 31, could apparently be signed for as little as €3.5m from his Turkish club this summer.

Given the attractive nature of the fee, Lazio are now also monitoring the South American’s situation.

Lazio have been paired with Lugano on numerous occasions in the past.

Juventus, meanwhile, have also been paired with Chelsea stopper Alex and Bruno Alves of Zenit St Petersburg.

Manchester City Considering First Option Deal For Newell's Old Boys Starlet Eugenio Isnaldo

Manchester City look set to snap up one of Argentina's top prospects after Newell's Old Boys director Jorge Ricobelli confirmed that his club have sent Manchester City their teenage starlet Eugenio Isnaldo for a trial.

Speaking to Cruz del Sur, the Argentine club's treasurer revealed that Roberto Mancini's side had requested a first-hand look the 17-year-old prospect.

Ricobelli explained if City were impressed by the trial, they would have the opportunity to sign a first-option agreement with Newell's.

He stated: "The kid [Isnaldo] has gone to play in a tournament, and do a kind of trial so that he can be viewed.

"If they like him, an agreement will be signed through Newell's in which the club will receive a sum of money."

The Argentine club's official also added that the Argentines would earn around £170,000 from a first option deal.

If an agreement is made between the two clubs, it would mean that City would have first refusal on the midfielder when Newell's decide the time is right to sell.

However, Ricobelli did add he would not be rushed into a sale, stating: "Please make it clear that this kid will play in the Newell's first-team.

"The only thing that Manchester City are doing is assuring the possibility of matching a future offer when the player is ready to be sold."