Arsenal To Beat Liverpool To Shock Swoop Of Real Madrid Ace

Liverpool will not follow up on the £22m bid they reportedly made for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain - meaning that Arsenal are free to reinforce their front line.

The Metro claims that reports in the Spanish press claim Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho instructed his board to reject the offer, and Arsene Wenger is believed to be monitoring the situation carefully.

At Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Karim Benzema has usurped Higuain as the first choice centre forward in the Real Madrid front line - and an impressively industrious performance from the Frenchman backed Mourinho's decision.

With Man City striker Emmanuel Adebayor still a possible loan option for Real Madrid, and was called upon often last season in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga ahead of Higuain - who of course was coming back from a serious injury.

However, Higuain realizes that he is not first choice at Real Madrid - only coming on after 81 minutes in the Supercopa, the first El Clasico of the season - and that could push any deal in Arsenal's favour.

The number 9 shirt at Arsenal remains vacant, after all.

Chelsea To Make Surprise £12m Bid For Liverpool Star

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is lining up a bid for Raul Meireles as an alternative to Tottenham's Luka Modric.

The Stamford Bridge club is considering making a third offer for the Croatian playmaker, after bids of £22 million and £27 million were turned down earlier in the summer.

Villas-Boas, who knows Meireles from his time at Porto, has not ruled out bringing both players to Chelsea as he regards the Portuguese international as a perfect foil for Modric's creativity.

Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in a deal of around £12 million to help offset their summer spending spree under their new ownership.

Kenny Dalglish has spent much of the summer strengthening his midfield by bringing in Sunderland's Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam from Blackpool and Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing.

Competition at the club is fierce and both Meireles and Dirk Kuyt, mainstays last season, were relegated to the bench for Liverpool's opening game against Sunderland.

After initially struggling to get to grips with the Premier League, Meireles had a great end to the season under Dalglish and was voted the PFA Fans Player of the Year at the end of the season.

Chelsea is also reportedly considering adding Yossi Benayoun or Didier Drogba to the Modric deal in a bid to persuade Daniel Levy and Harry Redknapp to part with their influential playmaker.

Schweinsteiger In Milan Link

Milan is again being associated with a summer move for Bayern Munich ace Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The Rossoneri are expected to sign a midfielder before the window closes and the 26-year-old could be their Mr X mystery signing.

According to reports, the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza outfit is ready to offer €25m for the German international.

“Milan are a great club,” the player is quoted as saying. “Never say never, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Milan’s other midfield options are believed to be Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo and Alberto Aquilani of Liverpool.

Forlan Reveals Inter Offer

Uruguay forward Diego Forlan has admitted it is his 'dream' to play in Milan despite reported interest from Turkish sides.

The Atletico Madrid hot-shot has revealed he has received an offer from Italian giants Inter Milan, with their striker Samuel Eto'o expected to join Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.

Forlan has also been linked with a move to Turkey but, speaking from his holidays in Miami, he has denied any offers from Turkish sides.

"Yes, it's true I've received an offer from Inter. It's my dream to play in Milan," said the 32-year-old, according to Italian media picking up an interview Forlan gave to a Turkish newspaper.

"In Turkey my name is very hot. Even so, I haven't had any contact with either Galatasaray, Besiktas or Fenerbahce.

"Not even an offer, but I don't deny Galatasaray are a great side.

"Turkey is a beautiful country and it would be great to continue my career there."

As well as Forlan, Manchester City's Carlos Tevez has been linked with Inter as a possible replacement for Eto'o.

Blues Near Belgian Midfielder Deal

Chelsea's blossoming relationship with Belgian outfit Racing Genk is seemingly set to pay further dividends as young midfielder Kevin De Bruyne closes in on a move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have already tied up the signature of De Bruyne's former team-mate Thibaut Courtois, with the young goalkeeper since farmed out to Ateltico Madrid on loan.

And it would now appear that De Bruyne could follow his international colleague in completing a move to Chelsea, with the 20-year-old confirming negotiations are nearing completion.

"My manager went to Chelsea on Wednesday and discussions have been good," the Belgian told Extra Time. "The opportunity is there.

"Maybe by the end of the month a deal can be sorted out, because that would be a good thing for all three parties."

De Bryune also explained how the proposed deal would work out, with Genk able to retain his services for a season as part of the agreement with Chelsea.

He added: "The first year, I would continue playing at Genk and the second year we would have to take a decision - it would depend on my performance."

Should he complete a move to Chelsea, De Bruyne would become the third young Belgian to sign for the west London club this summer, following Courtois and Romelu Lukaku.

It was confirmed last week that a fee for the latter, regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, had been agreed with Anderlecht, and the 18-year-old has since revealed he will be officially unveiled later this week.

"Please note that no official presentation and no press conference will take place in Chelsea this week," a statement on the striker's official website read.

"More news will be given on the site in the coming days."

Inter Tracking Javier Mascherano

Inter is being linked with a move for Barcelona's Javier Mascherano following the arrival of Cesc Fabregas at Camp Nou on Monday.

The Italian club is currently working on selling Samuel Eto'o to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in a deal that could net them £35 million.

Rai Sport reports that some of the cash from the sale could be spent on a new midfielder, although Inter will likely sign a striker to replace Eto'o first.

However, Mascherano, 27, could be forced out of Camp Nou if he is not guaranteed regular action by coach Pep Guardiola after Fabregas joined the European champions.

The former Liverpool man moved to Spain last summer, but he only made 18 starts in La Liga last season.

Last year Inter were close to signing Mascherano after Marco Branca held talks with the player and Liverpool, but he preferred to join Barcelona instead.

Inter coach Gian Piero Gasperini would welcome the addition of Mascherano as he continues to explore new tactics in midfield.

Dortmund Keeping Tabs On Pierre-Michel Lasogga

Borussia Dortmund is closely monitoring the development of Hertha Berlin striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga, according to Westdeutschen Allgemeinen Zeitung.

The Bundesliga champions are looking to add some more firepower to their squad and head coach Jurgen Klopp reportedly sees the 19-year-old Lasogga as a useful addition to his front-line.

Nevertheless, Dortmund faces an uphill task to lure Lasogga away from his current club. The Germany Under-21 international signed a new contract with Hertha until the summer of 2015 in May and won't be available on the cheap.

Lasogga joined Hertha from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2010 and has since developed into a key player at last year's 2. Bundesliga champions.

The striker featured for the full 90 minutes in his side's 1-0 loss against Nurnberg on matchday one, but was benched for last weekend's 2-2 draw against Hamburg.

PSV Wrap Up Derijck Swoop

PSV Eindhoven has completed the signing of centre-back Timothy Derijck from ADO Den Haag, the Eredivisie giants have confirmed.

The Belgian defender has put pen to paper on a four-year contract at the Philips Stadion, with the deal thought to be worth €750,000.

PSV were in the market for a new central defender after seeing Francisco Rodriguez leave for Stuttgart earlier this summer and have found his replacement in 24-year-old Derijck.

"PSV are, for me, a real step forward," Derijck told PSV's official website.

"I'm very excited to come to a club like PSV; it is a big club and I didn't need to think twice about joining.

"Just about every game is a must-win match for PSV as they are title contenders.

"I will fight for a first-team place at PSV, but the coach has revealed that no one is a guaranteed starter."

PSV technical manager Marcel Brands added: "Timothy Derijck is only 24 years old, yet he's an experienced player. He has skills and is full of potential."

Derijck, a youth product at Belgian club Anderlecht, joined ADO from Feyenoord in 2009 after failing to break into the first team at De Kuip.

He could make his league debut against his former club at the Kyocera Stadion this weekend.

QPR Make Degen Enquiry

Skysports.com understands Queens Park Rangers have made an enquiry regarding Liverpool outcast Philipp Degen.

The Switzerland international appears to be surplus to requirements at Anfield after struggling to make an impression during his time at Liverpool.

He was beset by injury troubles in his first season at the club after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2008 and spent last season back on loan in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart.

With Reds boss Kenny Dalglish having the likes of Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly and youngster John Flanagan to choose from at right-back, Degen could be on the move before the transfer window closes.

Premier League new boys QPR remain in the market for new signings as manager Neil Warnock tries to build a squad capable of surviving in the top flight.

Warnock started the new campaign with Kieron Dyer at right-back, but the former England international lasted just a few minutes of Saturday's 4-0 defeat by Bolton Wanderers before being stretchered off.

Bradley Orr replaced Dyer at Loftus Road, while Warnock also currently has issues at left-back after Clint Hill was sent off late on in the defeat by Bolton.

Degen has made a total of 13 appearances during his Liverpool career and his last outing for the Reds was in the Europa League against Atletico Madrid in April 2010.

Eboue Finalizes Gala Move

Emmanuel Eboue has joined Turkish side Galatasaray after six years at Arsenal.

The Ivory Coast international flew out to Istanbul on Monday to finalize his move to the club just as the Galatasaray chief executive was reportedly jetting over to London.

Eboue, who joined Arsenal from Beveren in 2005, is the second Arsenal departure this week following Cesc Fabregas' switch to Barcelona.

The 28-year-old made 132 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, in a variety of positions and became known as a 'utility man' in the latter days of his Arsenal career.

"Arsenal have agreed terms with Turkish side Galatasaray for the transfer of Emmanuel Eboue," a statement on the club's website read.

"Everyone at Arsenal thanks Manu for his contribution towards the club and wishes him the best of luck for the future."

His departure will open up a spot in Arsene Wenger's squad for another 'jack of all trades' player.