Juan Mata Set for Chelsea as Valencia Accept £23.5m Offer

The Spain winger was a target for Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger pulled out of the race to sign him last week, leaving Chelsea free to snap up the 23-year-old.

Lawyers for Valencia and Chelsea are still finalising a few details, but reports in the Spanish press suggest the La Liga club have accepted the offer and Mata has told coach Unai Emery that he wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

Mata is likely to sign a five-year contract with the Blues.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has spoken of his desire to add a number of creative players to his squad and, despite the deal for Mata, still wants to sign Modric.

Spurs have said the Croatian playmaker is not for sale at any price, but the Blues will try to tempt them with a cash-plus-player offer involving Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou.

Manchester United in Last Attempt to Land £35m Dutch Star

Sir Alex Ferguson will make one last attempt to sign long-term target Wesley Sneijder, after the unsettled midfielder pulled out of training in a desperate attempt to secure a move to the Premier League champions.

According to the Daily Mail, the Manchester United manager has been encouraged by Inter Milan's unusual statement on their official website that Sneijder had not trained due to 'personal reasons' and that he would not be available for Sundays home friendly against Olympiakos.

The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a £35m move to United for much of the summer as Ferguson tries to replace the retired Paul Scholes.

But it has been reported that the Dutchman's high salary demands had been proving to be somewhat of a stumbling block and the Red Devils informed Sneijjder that he would have to lower his £250,000-a-week wages to secure a move to the Premier League champions.

And any move seemed dead when Sir Alex said he felt a big midfield signing might impede the development of Tom Cleverley and the highly promising Paul Pogba.

He said: 'There's an emphasis on young players in the squad and there always has been.'

And on Pogba he said: 'We have to give him the opportunity to see how he can do in the first team, and hes got great ability, plus hes got the physique and athleticism.'

However, there might be a rethink after Inter's statement yesterday as well as talk from those close to Sneijder that he would be willing to drop his pay needs to closer to United's wage ceiling.

He has also been touted as an alternative target for Manchester City and Chelsea should their respective approaches for Samir Nasri and Luka Modric prove fruitless.

Man City Boss Keen On Sebastian Coates

Roberto Mancini is desperate to sign Uruguay centre-half Sebastian Coates, according to The People.

The City boss is a huge admirer of the Nacional defender and the Italian has urged his board to hand him another £6m to sign the youngster.

If the proposed £25m deal for Arsenals Samir Nasri does go through, Coates acquisition would take the Blues summer spending to £76m.

But Mancini is hoping to offload fringe players like Wayne Bridge, Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips to free up space for Coates.

The 20-year-old was voted Young Player of the Tournament last month when he helped Uruguay win the Copa America and reported suitors include Arsenal, Liverpool, Porto and Sao Paulo.

If a deal can’t be done by the end of this month, Mancini is certain to resurrect his interest in the young South American when the transfer window re-opens in January.

Coates is an elegant and quick defender, comfortable with possession and capable of bringing the ball out from defence.

He missed out on his country's World Cup squad in South Africa last summer and his inexperience at senior international level could provide an obstacle in obtaining a work permit, although he does have Spanish and British ancestry.

Kaka Cut for Arsenal Switch

Real Madrid striker Kaka has been cut to 10/1 (from 14/1) to join Arsenal with Sky Bet after reports of a move to the Premier League club materialised on Sunday.

The online betting company saw a steady stream of bets for the Brazilian star to move to the Emirates, with Arsene Wenger under pressure to re-invest some of Cesc Fabregas' transfer fee after a lacklustre start to the campaign.

Following the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool, Wenger moved to 6/1 to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post, with his reluctance to spend money on players annoying some quarters of the Gunners faithful.

Arsenal have been linked to a number of central defenders with Gary Cahill 13/8 to make the switch to north London, Blackburn skipper Chris Samba 4/9 to join and Scott Dann 1/8 to bolster the Gunners backline.

Elsewhere, Didier Drogba is 5/4 to join Tottenham after Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted he is uncertain of the Ivory Coast striker's future.

AVB said last week he is hopeful of securing Drogba on a new one-year deal, but conceded on Saturday that no agreement has been reached.

Turkish Super Lig outfit Galatasaray are 5/1 to sign Drogba, with his former club Marseille (12/1) also in the picture.

Tottenham Targets 10 Deals in 10 Days Before Transfer Window Closes

With 10 days left until the close of the transfer window, Tottenham are seeking to do as many as 10 deals in and out of the club.

Spurs are closing in on the signing of Lassana Diarra from Real Madrid while Emmanuel Adebayor is expected on loan from Manchester City as the club finally come to life in the transfer market.

The hold-up in both deals has been wages. Tottenham have a strict salary structure and if they matched what either player was on it would break it.

Adebayor is reportedly on £170,000 per week while Diarra is on £85,000 per week after tax in Spain. One way of resolving the dispute is by paying the players a fee up front or even paying the clubs an added fee that can be used to subsidise their salary.

Spurs are refusing to negotiate on Luka Modric however. One source claimed Chelsea bid £30 million for the player last week but Spurs insist they have received no bid and would reject it in any case.

The player is understood to be growing increasingly frustrated by chairman Daniel Levy’s intransigence, but remains committed to playing for Spurs and is expected to be named in the team to play Manchester United tomorrow.

While Harry Redknapp has made it clear he is open to a deal at the right price, Levy is holding his line.

With 27 players over 21 in their squad and only 25 eligible under Premier League rules, the pressure is on to sell players.

Stoke still hope they might be able to do a deal for Wilson Palacios and would also go for Peter Crouch or Jermaine Jenas at the right price.

Spurs want to sell Alan Hutton, Sébastien Bassong and David Bentley but need to reduce their asking price if they are to generate interest.

Niko Kranjcar, a target for Sunderland, is another who could go, even with the current problems with injury in midfield.

Arsenal Ready to Make Yann M'Vila Transfer Bid

The Gunners boss is keen to sign a holding midfielder to provide competition for Alex Song and has now set his sights on the Rennes star.

M'Vila, who has established himself as a regular in the French national team over the past 12 months, would cost around £10 million, reports the Sunday Mirror.

Bringing in Scott Parker from West Ham United would be a cheaper option and provide Arsenal's youthful midfield with some much needed experience.

However, the frugal Wenger has doubts about whether paying £8 million for a 30-year-old with no resale value represents a good financial decision.

Instead he will test the water with a bid for M'Vila, 21, although Rennes are known to be reluctant to sell the rising star.

Wenger again faced calls from fans to spend some money during Arsenal's 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.

It is thought he will move for Blackburn centre-back Chris Samba or Bolton defender Gary Cahill in the next few days, while Marseille have confirmed the Gunners are keen to sign Argentina midfielder Lucho Gonzalez.

Any further spending may depend on whether Samir Nasri's proposed £22 million move to Manchester City goes through.

A French television station reported on Saturday that the transfer had collapsed, but City officials remain confident of landing Nasri.

PSG Fight Inter Milan for Diego Forlan

Diego Forlan may have said he’s waiting for Inter, but Paris Saint-Germain and Leonardo are preparing a surprise swoop.

The Uruguayan hitman has been pinpointed as the ideal replacement for Samuel Eto’o, who is heading to Anzhi for €27m.

Forlan’s father told newspapers that talks were already in place and they were only waiting for Eto’o to complete his sale.

However, French newspapers suggest PSG have dived in to anticipate Inter with a €10m offer to Atletico Madrid.

It would be a snub on the transfer market from Paris Saint-Germain director Leonardo, who left the Inter bench to take that job.

Juventus Offer Storari - Alex swap to Chelsea

Juventus could use Marco Storari as part of the deal to coax Chelsea into releasing defender Alex.

This weekend Alex stated he would “gladly accept” a transfer to Turin, but only if it was a permanent move rather than a loan.

His price-tag is thought to be around €7m and director Beppe Marotta is expected to fly out to London for negotiations.

According to Tuttosport, the Bianconeri have an ace up their sleeve, namely goalkeeper Storari.

Chelsea sent scouts to view Storari during Thursday’s Trofeo TIM tournament and need a reliable pair of hands after Petr Cech was ruled out for a month with knee ligament damage.

Storari already proved himself in this role when replacing Gigi Buffon at Juve during his injury lay-off.

However, Tuttosport claims it will be a last-minute scramble, as the talks could only reach a turning point from Thursday.

Meanwhile, Juventus continue to track a left-sided midfielder for Antonio Conte’s system.

Diego Perotti and Eljero Elia are proving difficult, so Cesena revelation Emanuele Giaccherini is looking the more likely candidate right now.

Juventus Consider Arshavin Swoop

There are reports Juventus could make a swoop for Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin.

The Russian will be out of contract at the end of the season, so the Gunners must sell now before losing him on a free transfer.

According to The People newspaper, Juve are prepared to make an offer worth below €5m.

Arshavin would be the latest Arsenal player to leave the Emirates in a summer exodus that has included Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy.

The Bianconeri face competition from Turkish club Galatasaray for Arshavin’s signature.

Getafe Signs Dani Guiza

Spanish first-division club Getafe has confirmed the return of Dani Guiza after the striker left Turkish club Fenerbahce earlier this week.

The Madrid-based team announced Saturday that the former Spanish international has agreed to a three-year contract. He will be presented on Monday.

The 31-year-old Guiza played for Getafe from 2005-2007. He then signed for Mallorca, becoming the Spanish league's top scorer in 2007-2008 with 27 goals.

Guiza helped Spain win the 2008 European championship before moving to Fenerbahce for the past three seasons.

Betting Recommendations for Barclays Premier League Matches (21 August 2011)

BOLTON vs MANCHESTER CITY

Bolton hope to have new signing Tuncay Sanli available to play against the Citizens. The Turkish international is expected to have his work permit processed in time. Meanwhile, Jamaican Midfielder Ricardo Gardner will have a late fitness test on a groin injury. Former City man Tyrone Mears and Korean Lee Chung-yong both sustained broken legs during pre-season.

After handing in a transfer request, it was expected that a host of clubs would make a move for Argentinean striker Carlos Tevez. After a move failed to materialise, the Manchester City talisman returned to his club where he could feature at the Reebok Stadium tomorrow. Sergio Aguero's devastating cameo could result in the hotshot being given his first start for the Blues. The only doubt for Sunday is Dutch enforcer Nigel de Jong who picked up a foot injury against Premier League newcomers Swansea.

Both teams display a fine performance in their opening Barclays Premiership game winning by the same scoreline, 4-0. With the attacking threat that Man City possess, we can expect another great game with goals in it. However, as we have seen many times in the Barclays Premier League last season, Mancini has opted to go with negative tactics in Man City’s matches away from home. Will Mancini do the same this season? With so many high profile attacking players on his side, we can expect Mancini to go attacking this time. He has been criticised many times last season for being negative. So expects goals in this game. Over 2.50 will be my choice.

Juan Mata On Verge Of €27m Move To Chelsea

Juan Mata is on the verge of joining Chelsea from Valencia for a fee of €27m (£23.5m). Mata spoke to André Villas-Boas during the day and the Chelsea manager explained the role he has in mind for the attacking midfielder. Lawyers are finalizing details on the deal, which is expected to be definitively closed over the weekend. The Chelsea manager had admitted this week: "We might just add a number in midfield."

The 23-year-old, who has studied at university and speaks reasonable English, has long been open to a move to the Premier League. His father and agent, also Juan Manuel Mata, had spoken to a number of clubs in England. Mata's initial preference was to secure a move to Barcelona but he was in no hurry to depart Valencia. The signings of Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fábregas by Barcelona finally ended any possibility of a transfer to the Camp Nou.

Mata had already turned down the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur at the end of July. Tottenham sought to take advantage of a clause in Mata's contract that allowed him to leave the club before 31 July for a set fee of €25m: had Valencia unilaterally blocked a move at that stage, they would have been forced to increase Mata's salary. The player, though, did not want to move to Spurs.

Liverpool had previously shown an interest in the player but opted in the end to buy Stewart Downing from Aston Villa, with Kenny Dalglish putting a premium on players with Premier League experience. Despite showing an interest and although Mata's camp was open to the idea of a move to the Emirates, Arsenal failed to make a formal bid during that window of opportunity in July. Now Chelsea have done so.

Valencia was not keen to sell one of their key players and believe that, although their financial situation remains difficult, they were not obliged to sell.

They had also hoped to avoid a situation in which they lost the midfielder close to the start of the season but replacements had already been signed in the shape of Sergio Canales and Pablo Piatti and they had set a figure of €30m at which they could be persuaded, given that the July release clause would come into effect again next season.

Mata's desire to accept the offer to move to west London finally helped to bring the two clubs to an agreement which is being finalized.

Milan Consider Crouch Bid

Milan is being linked with a £8m offer for Tottenham and England hitman Peter Crouch.

According to Itasportpress, the 30-year-old is back on their radar after reports already spoke of an interest last year.

The Rossoneri see Crouch as an ideal understudy for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as their other strikers are all physically rather short.

However, they face competition from the likes of Sevilla, Everton, Fulham and Sunderland.

Crouch has a contract with Spurs until June 2014 and is valued at around £8m.

Bayern Munich In For Montolivo

Fiorentina declared Riccardo Montolivo is only for sale abroad, so Bayern Munich reportedly stepped in with a €10m offer.

The midfielder was stripped of his captaincy when refusing to sign a contract extension, so he’ll be a free agent next summer.

Milan was his most likely destination, but Viola director Pantaleo Corvino declared on Friday “Montolivo will only be sold abroad.”

This apparently alerted Bayern Munich, who have lined up an offer of €10m for the Italian international.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Atletico Madrid is also interested in making a Montolivo swoop.

Milan is instead forced to turn their attention towards Liverpool outcast Alberto Aquilani, who would relish a return to Serie A after his loan spell at Juventus.

Tottenham Looking To Replace Modric With Ganso

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has already lined Brazilian sensation Ganso as the player he wants to replace Luka Modic if, as expected, he completes his move to Chelsea before the end of the transfer window, reports out of France are suggesting.

L'Equipe are reporting that Spurs are eyeing a move for Brazil international Ganso, who is keen to test himself on the bigger stage of European football.

With Harry Redknapp now coming around to the idea of selling midfield playmaker Modric, signing a replacement is on his mind, and top of the list is the Santos player.

Ganso and his current team mate Neymar have both been linked with moves to Europe this summer, but the club are determined to hold on to their star assets until at least January, as they are due to play in the Club World Championship later this year.

Santos have reportedly rejected offers from Real Madrid and Chelsea for Neymar, while big spending PSG have had an offer for Ganso rebuffed by the Brazilian club.

However with a potential transfer kitty of £30million, it may be hard for Santos to reject Spurs' overtures, should they make their interest formal.

Ramirez Closer To Juventus

Gaston Ramirez is determined to leave Bologna and Juventus could be his destination. “He won’t join Napoli or Fiorentina,” said his agent.

The young Uruguayan talent has refused a contract renewal and warned he is “held prisoner” at Bologna.

He has been linked to numerous sides, but none of them have been able to satisfy Bologna’s demands.

“I don’t think he will join Napoli, nor Fiorentina, seeing as Felipe turned down the move to Bologna,” agent Vincenzo D’Ippolito told Radio Marte.

This morning several newspapers in Italy have pinpointed Ramirez as a prime target for Juventus.

The Bianconeri are still looking for three more signings before the end of the transfer market on August 31.

They include Chelsea centre-back Alex at a cost of €8m and left-winger Diego Perotti.

Ramirez faces competition from Cesena revelation Emanuele Giaccherini for the final role.

Man United Consider Shock £25m Move For Star Samir Nasri

Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be considering a late bid for Arsenal’s want-away attacker Samir Nasri. The Man United boss has been made aware of the Frenchman’s desire to make the move to Old Trafford and now the Premier League champions are toying with the idea of making an offer to beat local rivals Man City to his signature.

24 year old Nasri has one year left on his current Arsenal contract and has made it clear he has no intention of signing a new deal, hoping to force Arsene Wenger’s hand, and with a move to the Etihad Stadium said to be on the cards Ferguson may opt to tempt the former Marseille man into moving to Man United.

Ferguson has been strongly linked with moves to bring in an attack minded midfielder who can able link midfield and attack and help fill the void left by Paul Scholes, who hung up his boots at the end of last season. To this end Man United are said to have shown a very real interest in the likes of Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, Tottenham star Luka Modric and Borussia Dortmund youngster Mario Goetze and now the club may turn their attention to Samir Nasri.

The Arsenal man had his most effective season of his Gunners career last term, netting 15 goals and assisting many others and was arguably one of the few bright lights of what was otherwise a dire season. Wenger has already lost Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and Gael Clichy to Man City and had hoped to keep Nasri at the club regardless of the fact that doing so would lead to the French international being able to leave for nothing in 12 months time, it seems however that may now not be the wisest course of action.

Some Arsenal supporters have turned against their former hero, chanting abusively at Nasri, with the talented attacking midfielder registering his dismay at such behaviour via his twitter account. Arsene Wenger may feel that now the time is right to sell to avoid having a disruptive unhappy player in his dressing room in what could be a pivotal season for the club and indeed the Emirates Stadium boss himself.

Man United has a number of midfield options but other than wingers Nani and Ashley Young, Ferguson does not have much in the way of a goal threat and is therefore reportedly keen on Nasri and Old Trafford chief executive David Gill has confirmed that funds are still available to Sir Alex and as such a bid may well be in the offing.

Ferguson will also be all to aware of Nasri’s abilities having been on the receiving end of one of the Arsenal player’s best performances for the club when the newly arrived midfielder scored twice in a memorable win over Man United back in November 2008.

Roberto Mancini is said to be keen to complete the move to sign Samir Nasri as soon as possible and with such a move a distinct possibility Aston Villa are said to be keen on two players who seem most likely to under threat by such a signing, James Milner and Adam Johnson.

The interest shown by Man United could indeed lead to a bidding war for the Arsenal man.

Real Madrid And PSG Battling For Swiss Hotshot

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in FC Zurich defender Ricardo Rodriguez, according to L’Equipe.

The 18-year-old full-back is already considered a first team regular at Zurich and has attracted a lot of attention with his impressive displays at the start of the season.

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have been alerted of the player’s potential and they are now pondering a bid for the highly rated youngster.

Rodriguez, who is part of the Switzerland Under-19 side, has four years left on his contract and is valued at €4 million.

The left back was part of Switzerland side who won the 2009 Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.

Tottenham Break Bank For La Liga Ace Transfer

Tottenham Hotspur has agreed a transfer fee of around £10m with Real Madrid for defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra, according to Goal.com.

The French midfielder is seemingly surplus to requirements at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and Jose Mourinho is looking to get him off the wage bill.

According to Goal, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has offered Diarra the astronomical sum of £100,000 per week, which would surely make him the best paid player at White Hart Lane.

However, that sum reportedly includes bonuses, so how much Diarra's basic rate would be remains unclear.

Diarra signing for Tottenham would continue the club's connection with Real Madrid in recent times, with Rafael van der Vaart having signed last year and recent Los Meringues loan striker Emmanuel Adebayor thought to be on the way.

Should Diarra arrive, it will also most likely signal the end of Wilson Palacios' tenure with Spurs, with Stoke City the team most strongly linked to his signing.

Milan Line Up €7m Aquilani Swoop

Milan is on the verge of completing their €7m swoop for Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

Riccardo Montolivo had been the primary target for the summer, but on Friday Fiorentina director Pantaleo Corvino scoffed at their proposal and declared he would “only be sold abroad.”

With this in mind and time running out, the Rossoneri have transferred their efforts to signing Aquilani instead.

The midfielder is an Italian international who has made it abundantly clear he’d like a return to Serie A after Juventus refused to take up their option on his loan spell.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool is prepared to part with Aquilani for only €7m.

It is a huge drop from the €20m the Reds paid for this player to take him from Roma in August 2009.