Arsenal Lining Up January Move For Toulouse Star

Arsenal is on the trail of Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour, with scouts tracking his progress in France.

Abdennour moved to Toulouse from Etoile du Sahel in the summer and has impressed at the Ligue 1 club, with Arsenal keeping tabs on the Tunisian.

Arsene Wenger's spies knew all about the left-back, who can also play in midfield, before his move to France.

Scouts from the club as well as those from Italy and Spain monitored him during a loan spell at Werder Bremen in 2010.

But the Tunisia international, 22, rejected the chance to move to Bremen permanently and instead opted for Toulouse - while Arsenal will continue to watch him ahead of a possible bid in January.

Real Madrid Ready To Beat Man United & Arsenal To Signing Of Gotze

Arsenal and Manchester United target Mario Gotze is now at the top of Real Madrid's January transfer target list.

The 19-year-old midfielder is one of the most sought-after prospects in Europe and is already a mainstay in the German national side.

The Borussia Dortmund teenager has been on the radar of all of Europe's major clubs since he broke into the Bundesliga side's first-team in 2009.

Arsene Wenger was given an opportunity to witness the youngster's talent first hand when Arsenal travelled to Germany for a 1-1 draw in the Champions League in September.

Dortmund has tied the youngster down on a contract until 2014 and will not enter negotiations for less than £20m.

Real could steal a march on their English rivals as they already have Germany stars Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira in the side.

AC Milan are also tracking the attacking midfielder but his agent, Volker Struth, recently said the starlet is unlikely to move before his contract expires.

Liverpool Consider £10m Bid For Holland Starlet

Liverpool's director of football Damien Comolli has reportedly targeted FC Twente striker Luuk de Jong as a future signing after a number of scouting visits to watch him in action.

The 21-year-old Dutch international has been one of Twente's stand-out players and helped the club win the Eredivisie title in his first season.

His performances have been rewarded with a call-up to the national team and, according to caughtoffside.com, have caught the eye of Liverpool.

The Reds have assembled a top-quality strike pairing in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez but support options are limited. David N'Gog was sold to Boton and Craig Bellamy has been brought in as a short-term replacement.

However, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is reportedly eager to sign a younger striker who can enjoy a long-term future at the club, which has led Comolli to de Jong.

The Swiss-born forward is valued at around £10m, a price the Anfield club will be able to meet, while it is thought de Jong would jump at the chance to link up with international team-mate Dirk Kuyt.

Man United Keen On Italian International Midfield Maestro

Man United are reportedly tracking Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio with a view to a possible January bid for the versatile Italian international.

Sir Alex Ferguson was strongly linked with moves to bring in further midfield reinforcements over the summer and had reportedly expressed an interest in Luka Modric and Wesley Sneijder and now the Scot has his eyes on an alternative midfield target.

Marchisio has spent his entire career at Juventus having made his way through the club’s youth ranks to become a pivotal player in the club’s midfield and boss Antonio Conte will be loathed to lose the 25 year old box to box performer. The Old Lady of Italian football has suffered a couple of lean years resulting in successive seventh place finishes that have left the club out of Champions League action.

This season however Juventus have sprang out of the traps and lead the table but come January if they have not kept up their good run of form an offer for Marchisio may tempt the midfielder into considering a move to the Premier League champions.

Marchisio may well offer some added steel to Man United’s midfield and the adaptable Italian also has an eye for goal and is a well rounded performer who has been in fine for this term. Currently Ferguson has a number of central midfield options but the likes of Darren Fletcher, Anderson and Michael Carrick do not offer much in the way of a goal threat and can not be considered as defensively minded either.

Ferguson has reportedly sent scouts to monitor Marchisio this season and his displays have impressed greatly and this may well lead to a January bid for the £20m rated midfielder.

Tottenham Prepare Move For Swiss Strike Sensation

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Rednapp is preparing to make a move for Bayer Leverkusen striker Eren Deriyok, according to reports in the The Sun.

During the course of the summer transfer window Tottenham sold forwards Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane and it looks likely that Roman Pavlyuchenko could leave White Hart Lane in January.

It seems as though a number of other clubs are keeping tabs n the 23-year-old Switzerland international with Premier League rivals Newcastle and Udinese also interested.

However it is believed Tottenham are stealing a march on their rivals and Harry Redknapp has sent scouts out to watch Deriyok in action during Leverkusen's 3-1 win over Wolfsburg and he scored a stunning overhead kick.

According to reports in Germany and Deriyok's home nation of Switzerland it is felt Tottenham are ready to make a January offer of £7,5million.

Arsenal To Offer Marouane Chamakh Plus £20m For German Superstarlet

Arsenal is prepared to give Borussia Dortmund Marouane Chamkh plus £20million for midfielder Mario Gotze.

The Gunners had a £30million bid rejected for the 19-year-old on deadline day as the Bundesliga felt there was little time to find a replacement.

The north Londoners will now go back in January with a new offer plus a player who can help fill the void left by the German international’s departure.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has lost patience with Chamakh who has failed to settle at the Emirates since his free move from Bordeaux last year.

The 27-year-old was rumoured to be on his way out of during the last transfer window but Wenger failed to secure a move for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

The Frenchman could make another move for the hit-man in January or make another multi-million offer for his team-mate Gonzalo Higuain.

Either move will depend on the progress the La Liga giants make in their pursuit of Brazilian starlet Neymar.

The 19-year-old is expected to move to the Bernabeu once his club, Santos’ season is completed.

Liverpool To Attempt To Sign Wing Wizard

Liverpool could again try to sign the Real Sociedad starlet Antoine Griezmann after missing out on him last year, because the youngster has revealed he would like to leave the club at the end of the year.

Last year Liverpool were close to signing the 19-year-old French superstar, but Griezmann decided to stay in Spain with Sociedad and signed a contact until 2015.

His latest comments are sure to make Liverpool Director of Football Damien Comolli sit up and take notice, as last year when the Merseyside club were pursuing the youngster he said, “We have identified targets. If there’s a possibility of us getting a world-class player, we will have the backing.”

The fee will not be a problem, but last year they could have had Griezmann for around €8 Million, now because of a buy out clause in his contract they will have to stump up nearer €30 Million.

Barcelona, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid could also be interested in the news today as they have expressed interest in Griezmann in the past.

Arsenal Set To Make £15m Move For Swiss Winger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is preparing to step up his pursuit of a world class midfielder and has set his sights on Basel winger Xherdan Shaqiri, according to reports in The Metro.

The Switzerland international is one of the hottest young prospects in Europe and there are a number of top European teams keeping tabs on him including Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Italian sides, Juventus and AC Milan.

There is also interest from a number of Premier League sides including, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham.

However it seems as though Arsenal boss Wenger is keen to steal a march on his rivals and it is believed he is sending his head scout to watch the player in action against Wales tonight at the Liberty Stadium.

Shaqiri, 19, was very impressive during the summer’s European Under-21 championships and he has continued his fine form into the new campaign and even scored a hat-trick for the Switzerland senior side against Bulgaria in September.

It is believed Basel will be looking for in the region of around £15million for their prized asset and it could rise depending how many clubs will make offers when the January transfer window opens.

Chelsea On Verge Of Signing 17 Year Old Whiz Kid

Chelsea could be about to sign 17-year-old Chilean defender Igor Lichnovsky from Universidad de Chile according to their South American scout Jorge Alvial.

Lichnovsky has been at Universidad since the tender age of 10, and he has already represented the Chilean Under 17 national side, though he yet break into the first team squad at Universidad.

Alvial has been keeping an eye on the youngster for some time now, admiring his performances at youth level, where he is regarded as one of the best players in his age group.

Alvial spoke to La Tercera, a Chilean website, and said, “Igor is a very good player. I have been following him for some time and he is in the mind for Chelsea.”

Chelsea have already signed one South American youngster this year, Lucas Piazon, but he is unable to join until he is 18, so if any deal for Lichnovsky is to go ahead it would appear as though a similar pre-contract agreement would need to be drawn up.

Liverpool Keen On Dan Thompson

Liverpool are the latest Barclays Premier League club to be linked with a move for non-league striker Dan Thompson.

TalkSPORT reports that the non-league 'prodigy' has emerged on Kenny Dalglish's radar in recent weeks, with the Reds looking to add the player to their impressive youth ranks at Anfield.

Both Stoke City and QPR have taken closer looks at the player, with the Potters originally holding pole position to secure the signature of the 17-year-old.

“Something definitely will happen for him, because there are other clubs still sniffing about," said Hampton & Richmond manager Mark Harper last month.

“If it doesn’t then I have already spoken to his agent and asked if he can come back to us. It seems silly that I’m looking to bring some players in on loan, when there is potentially one of our own players available to help.”

However, a deal was not struck between the two parties, and Liverpool appear set to wade into the race to sign the Blue Square South player.

Dalglish spent big this summer on bringing young British players to the club, with £20 million Jordan Henderson the biggest example on Merseyside, following in the footsteps of £35 million Andy Carroll, who was brought to Liverpool in January.

Thompson, unlike the aforementioned pair, would have to work his way towards the Liverpool first team though time with the youth and reserve teams, but will be joining the likes of England youth internationals Raheem Sterling and Adam Morgan should the Anfield switch happen.

QPR To Launch Bid For Javier Saviola

QPR are set to make a sensational move for Benfica forward Javier Saviola as the Argentinean has fallen down the pecking order at the Portuguese club.

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker made the move to Benfica in 2009 after leaving the Bernabeu and was initially considered a first team regular in his first two seasons at the club.

However, the excellent form of Oscar Cardozo and Nolita, who have scored 10 goals in the opening seven games, has meant that Saviola has found himself restricted to starting on the bench.

The 29-year-old has a wealth of experience at some of the biggest clubs around Europe and despite having now retired from international football had scored 11 goals in 40 appearances for Argentina.

According to Talksport, the diminutive striker is considering his options after entering the final year of his contract at the Portuguese side and Premier League side QPR have emerged as a potential destination.

The London club is attracting plenty of attention with River Plate, Sevilla, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid all interested in signing the striker.

QPR manager Neil Warnock is being backed by new owner Tony Fernandes and the club will be hoping to persuade the striker to choose a move to England.

AC Milan Aiming To Beat Arsenal To Signing Of Fiorentina Star

AC Milan are lining up a cut-price January swoop for Riccardo Montolivo, who is understood to be on Arsenal's list of transfer targets.

The 26-year-old Fiorentina star has made no secret of his desire to leave the club having decided against extending his contract which expires next summer.

And now Fiorentina are keen to find a buyer for Montolivo when the transfer window opens to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been linked with a move for the creative central midfielder in the past and might have been ready to reignite his interest in January given his side's poor start to the season - and Jack Wilshere's long-term ankle injury.

But now reports in Italy have revealed that Serie A champions Milan are readying a £2.5m January bid for the 26-year-old.

The Rossoneri are languishing 15th in the table with just five points from as many games this season and reckon Montolivo could fill the deep-lying playmaker void left by Andrea Pirlo, who joined Juventus in the summer after 10 years at the San Siro.

Benfica Wing Wizard On Manchester United's Radar

Manchester United is set to raid Portugal for another wing wizard - Benfica's Nico Gaitan.

United signed talented widemen Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani from Sporting Lisbon and the Premier League champions are now keeping tabs on the star turn from Sporting's cross-city rivals Benfica.

Argentine winger Gaitan has been in exceptional form so far this season in his side's unbeaten start to the campaign - and caught the eye in Benfica's 1-1 Champions League draw with United in September.

And now, according to reports in Portugal, Sir Alex Ferguson is considering a move for the 23-year-old but he will face competition from a number of top clubs across Europe.

But Jose Iribarren, who is Gaitan's agent, insists his client is happy at Benfica.

"Gaitan still has much more to give at Benfica," he told O Jogo. "He is doing a great job and it is normal that foreign clubs are following him but he is currently happy where he is."

Arsenal Striker Could Be Next To Leave

There could be more bad news for Arsenal fans after big-spending French club Paris Saint-Germain were linked with striker Marouane Chamakh.

The Parisian outfit is backed by a Qatari investor and has already proved their spending power by luring Argentina international Javier Pastore to the club in the summer.

Now, according to reports in France, manager Antoine Kombouare is keen to bring Chamakh back to Ligue 1 where the striker first made his name at Bordeaux.

The 27-year-old was signed by Arsenal after an impressive goal scoring season at Bordeaux, but has since struggled to hold down a place in the Gunners first team.

Chamakh has scored just eight league goals in his time with the club but that has not put off PSG who still believe he has the ability to score plenty of goals in Ligue 1.

Reports in France suggest that sporting director Leonardo has been tracking the striker and believes that because of his lack of first team appearances for Arsenal this season would be willing to move across the channel.

Arsenal is lacking options in attack after Nicklas Bendtner made the move to Sunderland, with Robin van Persie the only other recognized forward in the senior squad.

The Gunners do have Gervinho and Theo Walcott, who both have the ability to play in a front three, but Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger would certainly not want to lose Chamakh in January with the club already struggling.

Juventus Line Up Player Exchange Deal For Cissokho

Juventus are lining up a player exchange offer for Liverpool target Aly Cissokho.

Kenny Dalglish was linked with a move for the Lyon star throughout the summer and reports in France claim he is preparing to go back for the full-back in January.

But the Liverpool boss will face stiff competition from Juventus, who have made the France international their priority New Year target, according to sources in Italy.

Juve are set to offer World Cup winning left-back Fabio Grosso, who joined the Serie A club from Lyon two years ago, in exchange for Cissokho.

But it is understood Lyon will only consider an exchange deal if it includes 31-year-old Juve striker Vincenzo Iaquinta and not Grosso.

Chelsea Defender Alex Again Linked With Move To Juventus

Chelsea defender Alex is once again being linked with a move to Italian giants Juventus.

The Serie 'A' side were thought to be keen on a move for the player in August, with German side Bayern Munich also thought to be keen on a move for the player at the time.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas was able to keep hold of the Brazilian at the time, but Setanta Sports claims the Bianconeri are once again keen to sign the player in the January transfer window.

The report goes on to state manager Giuseppe Marotta has made the Blues' centre back his number one target for the transfer window as he looks to sure-up his defence.

Alex has only made two Barclays Premier League starts for Chelsea this season, and faces competition from David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic in the battle to start alongside England skipper John Terry at Stamford Bridge.

With the player's contract set to expire in 2013, Villas-Boas will have to decide if it's worthwhile cashing-in on the player, spending the accumulated transfer funds elsewhere to strengthen his Chelsea squad.

Gunners Linked To Drame

Ousmane Drame's agent has claimed that Arsenal are among a host of clubs interested in the highly-rated forward.

Drame currently plies his trade with Padova in Serie B but his performances in recent times have reportedly alerted clubs higher up the football ladder in Italy.

Palermo and Fiorentina are among those thought to be considering a move, while Drame's representative George Atangana says he has also been contacted by the Gunners.

However, Atangana insists Drame will remain at Padova when the transfer window reopens in January and a decision on his future will only be taken at the end of the season.

"Arsenal are interested in him, I'm working on it directly with them," Atangana told mediagol.it.

"I have talked with (Arsene) Wegner. In Italy there are Palermo and especially Fiorentina interested in him.

"Now the important thing is that Ousmane will end the season in Padova, then we'll see.

"I can say that almost (all) the medium-high clubs in Italy and abroad like him."

Newcastle Target Exciting French Starlet

Newcastle are reportedly tracking the progress of Lyon's highly-rated young striker Yannis Tafer ahead of making a move next summer.

Tafer is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in France and has been sent out on-loan this season to Toulouse to gain first-team experience.

And according to tribalfootball.com, Newcastle are keeping a close eye on his performances this season before considering whether to make a move or the 20-year-old at the end of the campaign.

Toon manager Alan Pardew expressed his disappointment at failing to land a sufficient replacement for Andy Carroll, who joined Liverpool in a British record £35m deal in January.

Despite the current goal-scoring form of Demba Ba, Pardew is reportedly still keen to recruit a new centre-forward and has earmarked Tafer as a possible signing.

Adel Taarabt Announces Intention To Leave QPR

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt has announced his intention to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The Moroccan international has endured a rocky last few months at Loftus Road, having reportedly nearly joined Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain in the summer before being replaced by new signing Joey Barton as club captain.

Despite his near departure, Taarabt has started all seven of QPR's Premier League games so far this season, and cited improved pay as his reason for seeking an exit.

"I want to leave QPR during the January transfer window," Taarabt announced at Morocco's training camp ahead of the Atlas Lions' weekend fixture against Tanzania, according to the Sun. "It is for financial reasons."

Taarabt also insisted he had "no regrets" over his decision to decline an international call-up in the summer, having also previously declared that he would never represent his country again.

"It was a youthful mistake," he admitted. "However, I have no regrets about what I did."

Valencia's Ricardo Costa Admits Possible January move

Valencia centre-back Ricardo Costa says he will consider a move in the winter transfer window if he remains out of coach Unai Emery's first-team plans.

The Portugal international joined Valencia in the summer of 2010 for an undisclosed fee and played a key role in the club's backline in his first season at the Mestalla, making 36 appearances in all competitions.

This term, however, Ricardo Costa has been relegated to the periphery, and he has not featured for Valencia since the club's 4-3 victory against Racing Santander on August 27.

Last month, the former Porto defender said he was not concerned about his lack of playing time, but he has now indicated that he may find himself on the move in January.

"I do not know whether Unai Emery has lost trust in me, he has never discussed that with me, and I do not have to ask him that either," a statement issued by the player reads.

"I had a very good first season, I played well in this pre-season and suddenly something changed.

"But I am here and I will not throw in the towel. If the coach wants me to play, I will play. If he does not, then we will see what the best solution for my career is."

Spanish sources suggest Ricardo Costa's lack of first-team opportunities is related to his poor display in the Racing Santander game, but the defender sees no reason for such stories.

"Was it Valencia who suffered the goals or was it me?," he continued.

"I should remind everyone that I was replaced at half time and that the team had only suffered two goals with me on the pitch. When Racing scored their third, I was no longer playing.

"Moreover, I remember that match well and I do not remember playing alone. There have also been matches in which we could have suffered as many goals as the ones we suffered against Racing or even more, and I was not on the pitch."