Cesc Fabregas To Undergo Barcelona Medical On Monday

Arsenal playmaker Cesc Fabregas is ready to complete his long-awaited transfer to Barcelona on Monday, as he is preparing to undergo a medical, according to Marca.

The publication reports that the two clubs have reached an agreement on the sale of the 24-year-old, who is now close to concluding his move to Camp Nou, and could possibly feature for Barcelona in their Supercopa second-leg fixture against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

It is expected that Fabregas will pass the routine checks and subsequently put pen to paper on a lucrative five-year contract, before being officially unveiled to the media in the week.

The news comes off the back of coach Pep Guardiola's announcement that talks to bring in the Gunners' No. 4 were at a very advanced stage.

Tottenham Plot Shock Swoop For Arsenal Defender

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is plotting a shock raid on bitter rivals Arsenal for right-back Bacary Sagna, according to The People.

It is understood that France international would be prepared to make the move to Arsenals foes having grown disillusioned with the impending departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri as well as the clubs six-year silverware drought.

Redknapp is keen to sign an experienced right back despite the emergence of England Under-21 star Kyle Walker.

And after making an audacious swoop for Arsenals William Gallas last summer, he wants to repeat the trick with Sagna one of the Premier Leagues top right-backs.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is determined to hold on to Sagna, who is regarded as one of the most influential characters in the teams changing rooms and his disaffection will be viewed with alarm at the Emirates.

The 28-year-old was a £9million signing from Auxerre in 2007 and he would not be allowed to go for anything less.

Redknapp is impressed by Walker, who has been out on loan at Aston Villa and QPR, but he believes the youngster could develop into a quality right winger in much the same way that Gareth Bale moved from left-back to the left wing.

Man United Target £14m Newcastle Star To Bolster Midfield

Manchester United has identified Cheick Tiote as the man to beef up their midfield.

Sir Alex Ferguson's team may have won the Premier League without too many alarms last season but there is till concern at Old Trafford that the centre of midfield is a bit lightweight. Michael Carrick is more of a passer than a destroyer with Anderson seemingly a jack of all trades but master of none. Darren Fletcher remains the one real dynamic performer but with the Scotland international still recovering from a debilitating virus, there is a definite lack of bite and industry in the heart of the United team.

Tiote would certainly add both those attributes after an excellent debut season in England since arriving from FC Twente last summer for £3.5m. His muscular displays saw him win many favourable comparisons with Chelsea enforcer Michael Essien and he was indeed the subject of interest from the Londoners in January prompting Newcastle to give their man a new contract after just six months at the club.

The Blues were expected to renew their interest in the Ivory Coast international following the injury to Essien in pre-season training that has sidelined him for six months but instead it is United that are showing the strongest interest. With money not an issue on Tyneside due to the £35m windfall that the Magpies received from the sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool, The Red Devils will need to offer in excess of £14m to get their man.

Juventus Looking To Take Alex On Loan

Juventus has shown interest in Chelsea defender Alex, but the Bianconeri are hoping to bring the Brazilian on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

The Old Lady is looking for defensive reinforcements and they have now set their sights on Chelsea’s Alex.

The Italian giants have been linked with a £7.5m move for the 29-year-old, but La Gazzetta dello Sport says that Juventus are only interested in a loan deal.

The Bianconeri are reluctant to splash the cash on the injury prone defender and would rather bring him on loan with an option to buy his contract at the end of the season.

Should Chelsea reject the loan offer, Juventus will turn their attention to Uruguay international Sebastian Coates.

Arsenal Consider £20m Offer For Everton Defender

Arsenal is expected to make a renewed bid for Everton defender Phil Jagielka this week as the club come to terms with the imminent departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasr, according to the Daily Mail.

Fabregas is due to fly to Barcelona on Monday to complete his £35million move, and Samir Nasri will be sold to Manchester City for £20m.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is also still searching for a midfield replacement for Fabregas, having ruled out Valencia's Juan Mata, but is adamant he will not pay over the odds for players despite raising up to £55m from the sales of his star duo.

Fabregas will finally complete his protracted move to boyhood club Barcelona on Monday when he undergoes a medical, but Barca manager Pep Guardiola has appeared to criticize the premature euphoria of his players Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, who had used Twitter to announce the Fabregas deal on Friday.

Guardiola said: 'Cesc is still an Arsenal player. When I want to know the latest on the matter I don't look at the tweets of Pique and Puyol. I speak to the directors and they tell me that matters are very advanced but some papers unsigned.'

Fabregas will wear the No 4 shirt at Barca, the shirt once worn there by Guardiola himself.

Given Everton manager David Moyes is unwilling to sell Phil Jagielka, only a £20m bid is likely to succeed, but Arsenal are reluctant to pay that for a player who is 29 this week.

A source close to Jagielka said he is 'ambitious for Champions League football but sensible', indicating that he will not agitate for a move unless Everton decide to sell him.

Manchester United Chase Mario Goetze

Manchester United has switched their attention to Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Goetze after missing out on Wesley Sneijder.

Sir Alex Ferguson was looking to reinforce his midfield with the Inter star, but the deal fell through as the Dutch international was not prepared to take a pay cut to join United.

Sunday Express now reports that United have turned their attention to Borussia Dortmund superstar Mario Goetze, who has enjoyed a remarkable start to the season.

The 19-year-old first helped Borussia win their opening game against Hamburger before scoring a goal as Germany beat Brazil in midweek.

The German club is not willing to sell their most prized asset, while the player himself is adamant he is happy in Dortmund, but the recent reports suggest that a £20 million offer could make BVB chiefs change their minds.

Manchester United, however, face a stiff competition from Barcelona and Real Madrid, as the Spanish giants are also keen on the youngster.

Porto Agree To Sign Standard Liege Duo

Porto is set to sign Steven Defour and Eliaquim Mangala, Belgian newspaper Le Soir has revealed.

The Dragons have been keeping tabs on the Standard Liege duo for quite a while and they appear to have agreed a transfer fee with the Belgian club.

The total cost of the transfer will be around €13 million, with both players set to sign five-year deals at Dragao.

According to the Belgian newspaper, Standard Liege have scheduled a new conference for Monday to announce the departure of the two players.

Midfielder Steven Defour has been linked with a number of top European clubs in the past, including Manchester United, but the interest in his services subsided as he missed big part of last season through injury.

Eliaquim Mangala has earned rave reviews for his defensive performances last season and the 20-year-old has now jumped at the opportunity to join a bigger club.

Atalanta Confirm Denis Deal

Atalanta has made it clear they will sign German Denis from Udinese in the next few days. “There’s no maybe about it.”

The deal has been done to bring the Argentine striker, nicknamed El Tanque, to the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia this summer.

“There’s no maybe about it. We are just waiting for his agent Leo Rodriguez to arrive so we can put pen to paper with Denis,” said Atalanta director Pierpaolo Marino.

“As for further reinforcements, we lack nothing in terms of creativity and quality. We will only make more changes based on the needs of the squad.

“The President doesn’t hold back from making personal sacrifices for the good of Atalanta.”

It is going to be a tough campaign, as the newly-promoted side start from -6 points due to the betting scandal that saw Cristiano Doni and Thomas Manfredini banned for three years.

The Bergamo club has already lodged an appeal against the punishment.

Manchester United Pair Contemplate Moves To Premier League Rivals

Blackburn Rovers are looking at bringing two Manchester United stars on loan to Ewood Park.

Their manager Steve Kean confirmed the approach, with much speculation about which players are the subject of Rovers' interest.

It is believed that one player would be one of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda to add firepower up front.

The other would be to add culture to the midfield, with either Tom Cleverley or the teenage Paul Pogba brought in.

"I had a chat with Sir Alex after Paul Scholes' testimonial about a couple of players and that is ongoing," said Kean.

"I don't want to name names because I want to be respectful of Manchester United and Sir Alex," said the Rovers manager.

"We have a good relationship. He has taken one of our players. I saw him at the Premier League managers meeting as well and hopefully we can keep that relationship up and if we do want to loan a player then he will be complimentary to what we are trying to do.

"I don't want to name names but the loan market is definitely something we can look at."

Tony Fernandes Poised To Buy Queens Park Rangers

Tony Fernandes could be announced as the new owner of Queens Park Rangers on Monday in a deal that would mean the Asian businessman taking control of the club from Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, in partnership with Lakshmi Mittal, who already owns 33%.

If the deal goes through it is not yet clear if Ecclestone will sell all his 66% holding in the west London club and whether Briatore will retain his 1% stake. However, given the strained relationship Mittal and his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia, have with the Formula One impresario and the former grand prix team principal Briatore, it is thought Ecclestone is likely to sell all his shares.

Ecclestone has said in the past that QPR would be for sale for £100m but the financial details of the deal being struck by Fernandes and Mittal are unknown.

Bhatia, who resigned as chairman in May in protest at ticket-price hikes and the direction the club was taking is likely to return to the board if Fernandes is successful in his attempt to take control.

A source close to the Air Asia and Team Lotus team owner told Observer Sport: "Until the deal is done [it] is not done. But we are hopeful that by Monday it could be complete. It will involve Tony buying into the club and taking charge alongside Mittal."