Leverkusen Signs Colombia U20 Star

Bayer Leverkusen says it has signed Colombia Under-20 midfielder Michael Ortega on a one-year loan.

The 20-year-old Ortega was released by Atlas Guadalajara in Mexico. Contractual details were not disclosed.

Bayer managing director Wolfgang Holzhaeuser said Ortega was a "sensation" at the Under-20 World Cup.

He added: "He is a big talent and has a great future."

Wolfsburg Sign Hitzlsperger

Bundesliga side Wolfsburg has confirmed they have signed midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger on a three-year deal.

The experienced 29-year-old was a free agent after he was relegated from the Premier League with West Ham last season.

Aston Villa had reportedly been keen to re-sign the Germany international after he spent four years at Villa Park earlier in his career.

A proposed move to Wolves broke down earlier this summer and Hitzlsperger had reportedly been training with Tottenham in a bid to maintain his fitness.

Hitzlsperger earned the nickname the "Der Hammer" for his ferocious left foot shot that became a prominent feature of his game.

"Thomas is a player who will help us with his professional approach and his international experience," Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath told a press conference.

"I am pleased that he is now with us, because he is a player who can lead the team."

Hitzlsperger made his name at Villa before a successful spell at Stuttgart and less auspicious one at Lazio.

He said: "I am overjoyed that the transfer has gone through. This is the beginning of a great partnership. The club has big ambitions and a coach who epitomises this.

"I am looking forward to being part of the team, already know some of the players who I have played with at club or international level.

"I am highly motivated and very very happy to take up the challenge."

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.

Cesc Fabregas Completes Move From Arsenal To Barcelona

Cesc Fabregas has put the finishing touches on his move to Barcelona from Arsenal after signing a five-year contract with the European champions.

Following confirmation on Sunday night that Barça and Arsenal had reached an initial agreement for the £35m transfer of the Spain international, Fabregas undertook a two-stage medical before on Monday morning before the Catalan club confirmed that he had put pen to paper.

The announcement brings to an end the long-running transfer saga and sees Fabregas return to his local club Barça, who he left for Arsenal as a 16-year-old.

The 24-year-old, who has had a €200 million (over £175m) buy-out clause inserted in his contract, was presented to the Barça fans this afternoon at the Nou Camp before speaking to the media.

"For me it's a special day. I'm returning home," Fabregas said. "I know that the Arsenal fans will be disappointed with my exit from the club, but I'm here to face an incredible challenge, the challenge of my life."

Despite his happiness at returning to the club that nurtured him during his early years, Fabregas also praised former manager Arsène Wenger.

"I'll never have enough words to thank him for all he's done for me," he said. "I'll never forget him.

"I don't think he has such a good image here [in Spain], he has been portrayed as something he's not, in my opinion. If today I am here with you then it's greatly due to him.

"I can't express my admiration for him strongly enough, I owe it to him that I am here."

"[Our] relationship is fantastic. On Friday I said goodbye to him and I got very emotional because he's like a father figure to me.

"I couldn't even talk at one stage, when I wanted to say how grateful I was. I got a bit emotional and couldn't talk much.

"I had to send him a message afterwards, saying 'I'll never forget what you've done for me'. If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't be here today, living my dream."

Fabregas said that if Arsenal wanted to maintain their reputation they should stick with Wenger, and admitted that it had been difficult to leave the club without being able to explain himself to its supporters.

"I think if Arsenal wants to keep being the club they are then they have to always be under his control, because he's the best, everyone respects him, and for me, he will always be the best person that I've met in football."

"I'm sorry I couldn't say anything in the last two and a half months, Arsenal wouldn't allow me to talk to anyone, even if I wanted to I couldn't.

"I have time to talk about it and I'm sure I'll do an interview especially for them."

"I'm disappointed and upset about it because I have had a great relationship with the fans over the years. It took time to build this and I'm disappointed I could lose some of them.

"All I have are words of gratitude. I'll never forget what they have done for me, I gave absolutely everything to the club and I think they know that but it was the right time to come back here.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything to them in the last few months but I couldn't. I was very, very sad to leave, I spent one third of my life there, eight years, so I'm very sad but life goes on."

The end of the longest-running transfer saga in football came to an end at just after midday on Monday when Barcelona posted a comment on their official Twitter feed which read: "Cesc has signed his contract which ties him to Barcelona until 2016. The buy-out clause is 200 million euros."

According to the Barcelona website, Fabregas' medicals proved he was in perfect condition.

Barcelona's first-team doctor Ricard Pruna said: "All the tests taken have been satisfactory."

Pruna added that Fabregas "can be integrated into training without any problem."

While Arsenal were always determined to keep Fabregas, it became clear this summer that the Spaniard - who made more than 300 appearances for the London club, scoring 57 goals - was no longer committed to their cause.

Barcelona saw a £27million offer rebuffed earlier in the summer, as Arsenal remained steadfast in their demands over a £40million fee.

However, with Barcelona not willing to significantly increase their cash bid, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitting the player was unsettled, the Frenchman has reluctantly allowed a deal to go through.

Wenger expressed disappointment at Fabregas' departure: "Yes we lost a world class player and we are sad about it. We did try to keep him but in the end we have to respect the desire of the player as well," he said.

"It is very difficult to get the best out of a player, he has to be completely committed to where he is. If you understand one thing, it is that Cesc didn't go for financial reasons. He wanted to go back to his home city.

"He didn't go because he didn't love the club. He wanted to go to the town where he was educated. It is very difficult to resist that.

"Everybody has his opinion, but you have to make decisions. It was my decision and of course I submitted that to the board and the chairman."

German Bundesliga Review

Robin Dutt celebrated his first victory in charge of Bayer Leverkusen as a Michal Kadlec goal was enough to see off Werder Bremen at the BayArena.

Kadlec scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute to help Leverkusen pick up their first win of the campaign and lift them up to mid-table.

Bundesliga new-boys Augsburg maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at Kaiserslautern on Sunday.

Sascha Molders scored his third goal in two games to put Augsburg in front in the ninth minute, but Etey Shechter levelled for the hosts 10 minutes from time.

On Saturday, a last-gasp goal from Luiz Gustavo was enough to give Bayern Munich their first win of the Bundesliga season at the expense of Wolfsburg.

The Brazilian midfielder struck practically with the last kick of the game to silence the VW-Arena after a legitimate goal from Patrick Helmes had been disallowed in the first half.

The rather fortunate win lifts Bayern up to mid-table and gives them confidence ahead of their Champions League bow against FC Zurich in midweek.

Borussia Dortmund was brought back down to earth with a bump with a 1-0 defeat at Hoffenheim.

Having opened their Bundesliga campaign with a convincing victory over Hamburg last weekend, the defending champions were unable to build on that at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, succumbing to Sejad Salihovic's early goal.

Four goals in 17 minutes and a hat-trick from Dutch striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar secured an emphatic win for Schalke over Cologne at the Veltins Arena.

Last season's Champions League semi-finalists fell behind to a Lukas Podolski strike but recovered well to claim all three points as goals from Lewis Holtby and Raul, as well as Huntelaar's hat-trick, gave them their first Bundesliga win of the season.

Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart defended their unbeaten starts to the season with a 1-1 draw at the Borussia Park Stadion.

The goals arrived in quick succession after a keenly fought first half had ended all square.

Gladbach were first to strike with a penalty in the 67th minute, converted by Filip Daems, and Stuttgart replied in the 71st minute through Cacau.

The home side ended the game with 10 men due to Roel Brouwers' red card in the 80th minute, but they weathered a late Stuttgart storm to hold on for a point.

Mainz's hopes of repeating their stunning start to last season remain intact after they made it two wins from two in the current campaign with a 2-1 victory over Freiburg.

All the goals came in the second half with Marcel Risse and Eric Choupo-Moting putting Mainz 2-0 up before Freiburg netted a stoppage-time consolation through Papiss Demba Cisse.

Hertha Berlin equalized two minutes before the end of each half to deny Hamburg a win and claim their first point in a 2-2 draw since their return to the Bundesliga.

Mladen Petric opened the scoring from the spot for the hosts after 25 minutes, but Tunay Torun levelled just before the break.

Son Heung-min restored the home side's advantage just before the hour mark but Andre Mijatovic struck from a corner to salvage a point for the capital club, who also hit the woodwork twice.

Hannover warmed up for their much-anticipated Europa League tie against Sevilla next week with a 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Nurnberg.

Mirko Slomka's side forged ahead after a quarter of an hour through Mohammed Abdellaoue and they doubled their advantage when Konstantin Rausch scored from the penalty spot following a foul on Abdellaoue by Nurnberg goalkeeper Raphael Schafer.

The home side pulled one back through Tomas Pekhart after 55 minutes but Hannover held on to make it two wins from two this season to build on their impressive fourth-placed finish last term.

Dutch League Review

Ajax overwhelmed Heerenveen in the second half at the Amsterdam ArenA to sit atop the embryonic Eredivisie table after a 5-1 victory.

The hosts led 2-1 at half-time thanks to Toby Alderweireld's wonder strike after Bas Dost had cancelled out Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's opener.

It was a different story after the break, though, as Derk Boerrigter, Miralem Sulejmani and Gregory van der Wiel all netted to give the capital giants a comfortable win.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Heracles Almelo fought back from a half-time deficit to defeat NAC Breda and record their first victory of the new Eredivisie season.

Visitors NAC took a 32nd-minute lead through Matthew Amoah but Heracles drew level thanks to a Willy Overtoom penalty midway through the second half and then snatched the winner through Everton 14 minutes from time.

Tim Matavz struck a first-half hat-trick as FC Groningen bounced back from their opening-weekend defeat with a home triumph over ADO Den Haag on Sunday.

Slovenia international Matavz netted in the 17th, 21st and 38th minutes and when Leandro Bacuna made it 4-0 immediately after half-time Groningen were on course for a comprehensive victory.

However, ADO hit back with quickfire goals from Lex Immers and Mike van Duinen to at least save some face.

Two goals by Jacob Mulenga in the last 12 minutes of the game saw FC Utrecht come back to claim a 2-2 draw against De Graafschap.

Goals by Rydell Poepon and Soufian El Hassnaoui had given the visitors a two-goal lead as they searched for their first point of the season after their 4-1 mauling by Ajax in the opening game.

However, Mulenga struck with 12 minutes to go and equalized five minutes later to give the hosts their second consecutive draw.

On Saturday, Feyenoord and FC Twente made it two wins out of two at the start of the Eredivisie season with impressive victories.

Jerson Cabral scored two and created the third as Ronald Koeman's Feyenoord swept aside Roda JC 3-0 at De Kuip.

The 20-year-old winger scored two brilliant individual goals either side of a Leroy Fer effort.

Twente were 2-0 winners over an AZ Alkmaar side who had beaten PSV Eindhoven in their first game.

Marc Janko headed home the first goal in the third minute and a fine solo strike from substitute Bryan Ruiz midway through the second half made the result safe.

PSV bounced back from their opening-day defeat with a 1-0 success at home to RKC Waalwijk thanks to a 24th-minute goal from Dries Mertens.

Vitesse Arnhem secured their first win of the campaign with a thumping 4-0 win over VVV-Venlo at the GelreDome.

John van den Brom's side dominated proceedings and scored twice in each half, the goals coming from Marco van Ginkel, a Marcel Meeuwis own goal, Wilfried Bony and Giorgi Chanturia.

French League Review

Lille's stuttering start to the new campaign continued as last season's champions lost 1-0 at home to Montpellier.

Rudi Garcia's side was held to a 1-1 draw against Nancy on the opening weekend and a second-half strike from Olivier Giroud was enough for Montpellier to inflict a defeat on the double winners.

In contrast, the victory for Montpellier means they have won their opening two games of the new season following last weekend's impressive 3-1 victory against Auxerre.

Auxerre recovered from a 2-0 half-time deficit to salvage a point from their home clash with Marseille on Sunday.

Marseille looked on course for the win as goals at either end of the first half from Loic Remy and Andre Ayew put them in charge at the break.

However, Auxerre netted almost immediately after the restart through Alain Traore to get back into the contest and Roy Contout's equalizer eight minutes from full-time saw the hosts claim a draw.

Elsewhere on Sunday, a second-half goal by Saber Khelifa guided Evian to their first ever win in Ligue 1 as they edged out Nice.

Bernard Casoni's side was promoted for the second successive season at the end of the last campaign when they were Ligue 2 champions.

Evian had drawn their first match in the top flight last week against Brest but Khelifa's effort ensured they took all three points.

On Saturday, Toulouse, Caen and St Etienne all made it two wins from two in Ligue 1 - but big-spending Paris St Germain were still looking for their first victory after being held to a 1-1 draw at Rennes.

Toulouse scored twice in the final 20 minutes, through Umut Bulut and a Paulo Machado penalty, to see off top-flight new boys Dijon 2-0.

Two former Sochaux players returned to haunt the Montbeliard side as Caen sealed a 2-1 victory at Stade Auguste Bonal.

Romain Hamouma, who spent five years with Sochaux as a youth-team player, gave the visitors a first-half lead, before Pierre Alain-Frau - who made more than 200 appearances for Les Lionceaux - doubled the advantage.

Ryad Boudebouz pulled a goal back three minutes into stoppage time, but the hosts were unable to find an equalizer.

Sylvain Marchal fired home from close range three minutes from time to give St Etienne a richly-deserved 1-0 victory over Nancy at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The leading trio found themselves five points clear of PSG, whose stuttering start to the league campaign - following their summer takeover by Qatar Sports Investments - continued.

The capital club went down 1-0 at Lorient in their Ligue 1 opener last Saturday and fared only slightly better tonight as Jonathan Pitroipa's 88th-minute leveller for Rennes cancelled out Kevin Gameiro's 73rd-minute strike.

Elsewhere, Lisandro Lopez struck a late equaliser for Lyon to deny newly-promoted Ajaccio an unlikely victory at the Stade Gerland.

Lisandro netted seven minutes from time to earn Les Gones a 1-1 result after a 59th-minute goal from Frederic Sammaritano had put the visitors ahead against the run of play.

A stoppage-time goal from Henrique also salvaged a 1-1 draw for 10-man Bordeaux at the Stade du Moustoir after Yann Jouffre's 82nd-minute strike appeared to have earned Lorient their second win in as many games.

Les Girondins were a man down for the final 11 minutes following the dismissal of Gregory Sertic for a second bookable offence.

In the late kick-off, Valenciennes and Brest battled out a 0-0 draw in the first Ligue 1 match at VA's new Stade du Hainaut home.

Both teams created plenty of chances but there was no breakthrough, with VA goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau and Brest counterpart Steve Elana solid throughout.

Chelsea Offer Tottenham Three Players To Seal £35m Modric Transfer

Chelsea will give Tottenham their pick of three of their players in a bid to secure the signing of Luka Modric.

The Blues are desperate to bring the Croatia international to Stamford Bridge but have been surprised by their rival's stubbornness in negotiations. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is notorious for driving a hard bargain but he has outdone himself on this occasion by refusing to be moved by either Chelsea's approach on the player's wishes.

Bids of £22m and £27m have been lodged and rejected and the West London club is now prepared to up the ante, driven by a need to add some much-needed creativity to their squad. To tempt Tottenham they are prepared to let them have one or all of Yossi Benayoun, Gael Kakuta and Salomon Kalou - plus cash - in a last-ditch bid to snare Modric despite chairman Bruce Buck attempting to play down the pursuit of any potential transfer targets

Manager Harry Redknapp is known to be an admirer of Didier Drogba though Chelsea will not sanction the departure of the giant Ivorian despite his advancing years and fierce competition for the central striker role. Whether Spurs will have their head turned remains to be seen as they weigh up the need to raise funds to invest in a new front line against the prestige of keeping Modric at the club.

Tottenham Prepare £35m Offer For La Liga Hotshot

Tottenham and Napoli will go head to head for £35m signature of Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi.

The Italy international has been tracked by Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus this summer but Villarreal have so far refused to sell their marquee name.

Napolis president has gone on record to state his admiration for the former Manchester United youngster, and could rival any bid that arises from White Hart Lane.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, who failed in an attempt to sign Rossi in January, has been keeping close tabs on the 24-year-olds situation and watched as the strikers proposed move to Juventus collapsed.

Redknapp is determined not to miss out on the forward this time round as he looks to freshen up his strike force after seeing Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko manage just 17 Premier League goals between them last season.

Rossi recently spoke of his respect for Napoli but would jump at the opportunity to return to the Premier League, according to sources close to the player.

Spurs will offload Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios to Stoke for £20m to partly finance the deal.

According to the Daily Mail, Redknapp is prepared to offload wantaway midfielder Luka Modric to fund the signing of up to three strikers, but chairman Daniel Levy is keen to keep the Croat.

The North London club has been linked with several big-name forwards this summer including Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente, Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan and Portos Radamel Falcao.

Arsenal Consider Shock Swoop For Liverpool Midfielder

Joe Cole has emerged as a shock transfer target for Arsenal as the Londoners prepare for life without Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

The Liverpool midfielder has struggled to hold down a regular place in Kenny Dalglish's side after enduring a difficult debut season characterized by injuries and a loss of form.

Cole's situation on Merseyside has been compounded further by the summer arrivals of midfield signings Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is now willing to offer Cole an escape route from his Anfield nightmare as the French tactician seeks replacements for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who are bound for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively.

Wenger still sees potential in Cole and he believes the former West Ham man can still do a job in central midfield or on the left-wing.

The Merseyside club is looking to get Cole's £90,000 weekly wages off their books, but Wenger will ask the player to take a considerable pay-cut if he is to secure a switch back to London.

The 29-year-old's switch from Chelsea to Liverpool wad widely regarded as one of the major transfers coups of last summer, with former Kop boss Roy Hodgson snapping up the playmaker on a free.

Premier League new boys QPR have also been linked with a move but Cole is convinced he can still play at the very top level.

Liverpool Set To Offer Stoke £10m Plus Player For English Defender

Liverpool will make a last ditch offer of £10million plus midfielder Christian Poulsen to Stoke City for captain Ryan Shawcross.

The Reds are in need of central defensive cover because of doubts over Jamie Carragher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos’ long-term futures and Daniel Agger’s fitness.

Anfield boss Kenny Dalglish has already had a £10million offer rejected by the Potters who want closer to £18million for the club skipper.

The 23-year-old has impressed with his no-nonsense approach to defending and fits into Dalglish’s policy of buying young British talent.

But the Liverpool manager’s hands are tied as he cannot improve on his original bid until he manages to sell the dead wood at the club.

Poulsen is one of the unwanted figures, as is Alberto Aquilani, David Ngog and Joe Cole.

The Denmark international has rejected several offers from his homeland but has demanded he either play in the Reds’ first-team or he be sold by the August 31 deadline.

Dalglish will put his offer forward as he is aware the transfer window will soon close and he needs a centre-back in the club now rather than in January.

Newcastle Plot Move For Lyon Full-Back

Newcastle is set to continue their French revolution with a move for Lyon defender Aly Cissokho, according to reports in Paris.

Alan Pardew is in the hunt for a new left-back following Jose Enrique's departure to Liverpool earlier this month and has identified Cissokho as his first-choice replacement.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move away from Lyon all summer and was wanted by Liverpool before they completed the signing of Enrique.

But now it has been reported that Newcastle are lining up an £8m offer for Cissokho, who has made no secret of his desire to try his hand in English football.

The left-back would become Pardew's fifth French signing of the summer following the arrivals of Sylvain Marveaux, Yohan Cabaye, Mehdi Abeid and Gabriel Obertan.

Sevilla’s Rodri Set To Undergo Medical Ahead Of Barcelona Move

Sevilla have confirmed that Rodri is set to undergo a medical with Barcelona before joining the Camp Nou outfit.

The 21-year-old developed through the youth ranks in Seville before earning his debut for the senior team last term, making five appearances in La Liga.

However, his spell at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan appears over as he gets set to join the European champions, possibly as a replacement for Bojan Krkic who moved to Italian side Roma.

A statement on Sevilla's official website reads:

"Sevilla FC forward Rodri will be in Barcelona later [Monday evening] to have his medical. Barcelona is interested in the player to join their B team.

"As the first stage of the process in terms of leading to an agreement between the clubs, Rodri will have a medical, as is always the case in these types of moves."

Rodri scored 19 goals playing for the Sevilla B side last season before being promoted to the first-team.

Zuculini Set For Zaragoza Loan

Hoffenheim misfit Franco Zuculini is to make a season-long loan move to Real Zaragoza, according to the German club's general manager.

The Argentine had only just returned to Rhein-Neckar-Arena after six months on loan Racing Club in his homeland.

But Hoffenheim general manager Ernst Tanner has announced the 20-year-old midfielder will again be sent elsewhere in order to play more football.

Tanner told Deutsche Presseagentur: "Hoffenheim and Real Zaragoza have agreed on terms. Franco will be playing for Zaragoza until the end of the season.

"He will have better chance to play regularly at that club. And regular match action is definitely helping him to develop as a player."

Zuculini joined Hoffenheim from Racing Club two years ago for a transfer fee of £3.9m. He has a contract at Hoffenheim until June 2014.

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.