Barcelona Keeping Tabs On Porto's Juan Manuel Iturbe

Barcelona is closely monitoring the progress of young attacker Juan Manuel Iturbe, currently under contract with Porto, AS reports.

The 18-year-old forward joined the Portuguese champions from Cerro Porteno earlier this summer, but has yet to make his official debut for his new side.

Nevertheless, he is considered to be one of the most exciting youngsters around and has already caught the attention of Barcelona due to his performances for Argentina at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Colombia in August.

Although Barcelona have no intention of signing Iturbe imminently, the Catalans' sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, has allegedly held an informal meeting with Gustavo Mascardi, who holds 40 per cent of Iturbe's rights, to make him aware of Barca's interest.

Iturbe has a contract with the Europa League holders until the summer of 2016.

Arsenal And Chelsea Battle For Barcelona Forward

Spanish giants and current European champions Barcelona are desperately trying to fend off interest from across Europe in the latest prospect to come through their highly regarded La Masia academy, forward Gerard Deulofeu, according to talkSPORT.

The player has been likened to Lionel Messi by the academy's coaches, leading to interest from several clubs, but Arsenal and Chelsea are said to be at the front of the queue.

Deulofeu is in fact so highly rated by those at Barca that he has been pencilled in to make his debut for the club this season, despite only being 17 years old.

However it is this young age which could be a problem for Barcelona, as he is not allowed to sign a professional deal until he is 18 years old.

Arsenal of course already knows how to poach young players from the Barca set-up, having taken advantage of these contractual issues when they signed Cesc Fabregas in 2003, when he was 16.

The young player, who was apparently watched by Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley at the Under-19 Championship this summer, could be snapped up for as little as £3m due to a buyout clause in his current deal with Barcelona.

The Catalan giants are keen to keep the player, however, and are said to already be working on terms for his professional contract.

Spurs Striker Set For January Premier League Switch

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is thought to be desperate to land Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and will make a fresh approach in the winter transfer window, according to the People.

The Black Cats boss failed to secure a deal for the Russian forward when Spurs pulled out of the deal in the final hours of the transfer window and instead brought in Nicklas Bendtner on-loan.

Tottenham were forced to withdraw from negotiations as Peter Crouch had sealed a £10m move to Stoke and they could not find a suitable replacement at such short notice.

However, Bruce was left encouraged by Pavlyuchenko's interest in moving to the Stadium of Light and is keen to reopen negotiations in January.

Much of that will depend on the success of Tottenham's strikers and, in particular, Emmanuel Adebayor who arrived at White Hart Lane this summer on-loan from Manchester City.

Santos President Admits Barca Leading Race For Neymar

Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira has admitted that Barcelona have gained the upper hand in the race for Neymar.

The Brazilian hotshot was widely tipped to join Real Madrid, but it looks as though he could move to Barcelona instead.

“It’s true that Barcelona have contacted Neymar, we are in contact with Sandro Rossel and I think, at this moment, he is closer to Barcelona than Real Madrid,” Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira told RAC 1.

The player himself also confirmed that he has been contacted by the Spanish giants.

“Real Madrid and Barcelona have come calling for me. Both clubs want me, I can confirm it, but I have not reached an agreement with any of them,” Neymar told AS.

“The interest from Spain’s big two makes it that my confidence is very high because I am being followed by two big clubs like these.”

Juventus Targets Benfica's Joan Capdevila

Juventus is weighing up a move for Benfica left-back Joan Capdevila, according to a report in ilsussidiario.net.

The Spain international joined Benfica in the summer on a free transfer as a potential replacement for Fabio Coentrao, who left for Real Madrid, but he has found himself behind Emerson in the pecking order at the Portuguese club.

Capdevila has been omitted from Benfica's squad for the Champions League group phase, with the 33-year-old's agent airing his client's disappointment with the decision.

Napoli has been mooted as an interested party and it is now suggested that Juventus has joined the race for the former Villarreal player.

The Turin-based outfit is reportedly looking for a new left-sided defender after loaning Reto Ziegler out to Fenerbahce earlier in the month.

The Spanish veteran, who has so far only made one official appearance for Benfica, has a 20 million euros release clause attached to his contract.

Giuseppe Rossi Refuses To Rule Out Napoli Move

Giuseppe Rossi's future is not strictly confined to Villarreal, as his agent Federico Pastorello will not close the door on a move to Napoli.

The 24-year-old Italy international, who could feature in Tuesday night's Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia, was linked with a summer exit from the Spanish club.

A move to Barcelona never took flight despite talks with the club, while interest from Napoli, AC Milan, Juventus and Inter fizzled out as he stayed at the Madrigal.

Napoli has already expressed their desire to sign Rossi in future with president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently admitting a move could be possible.

And Pastorello is not totally against the idea.

"It is nice to hear that Napoli want Rossi, but for the moment there are no chances that any deal can take place," the agent told Radio Kiss Kiss.

"However, like we always say in football, never say never."

Napoli takes on Cesena on Saturday night, while Villarreal hope to recover from their 5-0 thrashing against Barcelona with a home game against Sevilla.

Eriksen Keen On Spanish Move

Highly-rated Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen has revealed he would be interested in joining a Spanish side in the future.

The Danish midfielder was thought to be on Manchester City's radar this summer but it appears the Primera Liga would be his preferred destination.

The 19-year-old, who is under contract in Amsterdam until 2014, insists he is in no hurry to leave the Eredivisie champions but admits his game would be well suited to Spain.

"With my style of play, there is no doubt that Spain would be ideal for me," Eriksen told Voetbal International.

"But I'm still not transferring. My priority is to play football and at Ajax I play in the championship and I will play in the Champions League.

"It may take two or three years before I move to Spain. I'm in no hurry to go until I'm ready to go. "

Eriksen admits he took a course to try and learn Spanish but has already given it up.

The Dane added: "It was pretty demanding, since it was learning Spanish from Dutch."

Reds Exploring Uruguay Link

Liverpool is to explore the possibility of tapping into Uruguay's emerging talent, with two internationals from the South American nation now on their books.

The Reds snapped up promising defender Sebastian Coates during the summer transfer window and he will link up with countryman Luis Suarez at Anfield.

Coates was signed from Nacional, the same club that helped to launch Suarez's career before he went on to make a name for himself at Dutch giants Ajax.

Nacional are the most successful club in Uruguayan football and Liverpool believe a partnership between the two sides could be beneficial to all concerned.

Director of football Damien Comolli is keen to look into the issue and admits discussions have been opened regarding a possible cross-continent understanding.

"I've got to thank the people from Nacional, the directors and their chairman because they have been very helpful," the Frenchman told Liverpool's official website.

"They tried to help the player (Coates) complete his will, which was to come here.

"They tried to find a solution for us to make it happen. We now have strong links with them because both Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates have come from this club and been developed by their academy.

"We are talking about a partnership with them that we would like to create over the next three, four or five years, to see if there is more talent coming through.

"Maybe we can help them to develop their standards and in turn have the ability to bring those young players here.

"During the Copa America they had 14 players out of the 23 who had at some point played at Nacional or were developed by Nacional. That is a fantastic record for their academy."

Comolli added: "It is very interesting for us

"We already have a strong link with South America through Lucas (Leiva), Maxi (Rodriguez) and Luis.

"Since it's been a success with Luis - and I'm sure it will be for Sebastian - why don't we try to make it an even bigger success by bringing in other players from Nacional?"

Fergie Rubbishes Barca Talk

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Barcelona is not the greatest team of all time and does not think there is 'any sense' in trying to compare them with great teams from the past.

Barcelona beat United in the Champions League final back in May to claim their third European crown in six years.

Pep Guardiola's men have also won La Liga three years in a row and that dominance both in Europe and domestically have led to many calling them one of the greatest sides of all time.

When quizzed on the issue Ferguson agreed that Barca were a world-class team but were only good enough to rank alongside famous sides of the past.

"It's certainly among the best sides of all time. But so was the Milan side with Franco Baresi, (Carlo) Ancelotti, (Roberto) Donadoni and the Dutch players," Ferguson told Corriere dello Sport

"There's a short memory in football. Now everyone says Barcelona is a fantastic squad, but at the time they said the same thing about Milan.

"I don't think there's any sense in asking which is the best team of all time. The important thing is to remember that a certain squad was special.

"That makes me think of the Dutch squads in the 70s, Bayern and Celtic, which beat Inter in the European Cup in 1967. That was a squad in which the players were born within a 25-kilometre radius."

Fergie Wary Of Chelsea

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists Chelsea remain a "big threat" for the Premier League title this season.

United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen had branded Chelsea's squad 'too old' to provide any real competition for the title this season.

However, Ferguson is not of the same thinking and believes Chelsea will be up there challenging as he has a lot of respect for their experienced squad.

"They have tremendous experience with the likes of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, John Terry, Alex, Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Torres - there aren't any young kids in that team," Ferguson told Inside United.

"But they don't have 36 or 37-year-olds like Ryan Giggs. Lampard and Drogba are 33, Anelka is 32 - not dissimilar to (Michael) Carrick and Rio Ferdinand, and we wouldn't be saying they are dead and buried, would we? So why should they be?

"They'll still be a big threat and we expect them to challenge."

Ferguson will lock horns with new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas for the first time later this month and Ferguson admits he does not know a great deal about the young Portuguese tactician.

"He has a different set-up there to me, but I'm sure he'll get plenty of advice from others and he'll do fine. I don't know much about him," added Ferguson.

"He's a young man and it's a big step coming into the Premier League from the Portuguese championship, but given time and support anything is possible."

Arsenal Considering New Move For Thiago Alcantara

Arsenal is contemplating a move for Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara when the transfer window reopens in January, it has been claimed.

According to Spanish radio network Cadena SER, the north London club is keen to bring the 20-year-old to the Emirates Stadium in the new year, but may leave a bid until next summer.

Thiago is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in Spanish football, and made his senior debut for La Roja in August, having starred for Spain's under-21s in a triumphant European Championships campaign.

The young playmaker has been linked with a move to Arsenal for some time and, after the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasir, Arsene Wenger may be encouraged to formalize his interest.

The Arsenal boss did, however, make moves to ensure the loss of the midfield duo did not prove to be a complete catastrophe, with Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun both signing for the Gunners on deadline day.

Both players will be in line to make their Arsenal debuts against Swansea on Saturday, as will Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Park Chu-Young.

Manchester United Monitoring Everton Midfielder Ross Barkley

Manchester United is reportedly monitoring Everton teenager Ross Barkley, as the midfielder begins to make his mark on David Moyes' first team.

According to The People, the Barclays Premier League champion has been keeping tabs Barkley, who has impressed on his two league outings for the Toffees so far this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson, it has been claimed, is a huge admirer of the 17-year-old, who is regarded as Everton's brightest prospect since the emergence of Wayne Rooney.

The United striker moved to Old Trafford two years after breaking into the senior side at Goodison Park and, it would seem, Barkley could eventually follow suit.

United has been making a concerted effort to invest in youth of late, with the signings of Chris Smalling and, latterly, Phil Jones and David De Gea ushering a new era at the club.

And, with Ferguson also putting his faith in the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, Barkley would thrive should he eventually join United.

Barkley, who won the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship with England last year, has been hailed by former Arsenal defender Martin Keown as "one of the best players we'll ever see in this country."

Newcastle Could Bid For Nedum Onuoha In January

Newcastle has identified Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha as potential January acquisition, it has been claimed.

According to the Sunday Sun, Magpies scouts have been told to find a capable right-back that could join the club in the new year, and Onuoha has been shortlisted.

The 24-year-old spent last season on loan with Sunderland, where he scored a stunning solo goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a shock 3-0 win for the Black Cats.

And it would appear that Newcastle were sufficiently impressed with the exploits of the Onuoha during his previous stint in the north-east, and may now try to bring him to St James' Park when the transfer window reopens.

Newcastle will be under intense pressure to spend big in January, having failed to sufficiently invest the money made from the sale of Andy Carroll.

The 21-year-old left Newcastle for Liverpool last winter, but Alan Pardew was unable to use the vast majority of the £35 million received on new players.

Gyan Quiet On Galatasaray

Asamoah Gyan has refused to be drawn on reports that Galatasaray are looking to sign him.

The Ghana superstar was linked with a move on transfer deadline day, as Tottenham and Marseille reportedly expressed an interest, but nothing materialized.

But because the transfer market remains open in Turkey until Monday evening, any player in theory could still leave the Premier League to play there.

And Galatasaray are understood to be interested in the 25-year-old who joined Sunderland just over 12 months ago.

Speaking exclusively to skysports.com, Gyan insists that he is not thinking about a move as he is with Ghana in London ahead of their friendly clash with Brazil on Monday evening.

Asked about Galatasaray's interest, he said: "I heard the news like everyone, before I came to England, there was a transfer bid from a Turkish club and I choose to come here.

"I am flattered by their interest but like I said it is up to Sunderland.

"I am at Sunderland, if they accept a bid from any club, I will have to speak to that club, as you know I am preparing for a game against Brazil and not thinking about any transfer."

Rodwell Targets Regular Spot

Jack Rodwell says he hopes the departure of Mikel Arteta will finally signal his chance to become a regular in the Toffees' line-up.

Injuries have plagued the talented youngster in recent years and he has found opportunities in his favoured central midfield role hard to come by.

However, with the departure of the Spaniard to Arsenal, there is now a free spot in the Everton engine room and Rodwell is looking to take his opportunity with both hands.

"It's a good opportunity for him so we all wish him the best" Rodwell told the Liverpool Echo.

"But I'm ready to step up and fill his boots. I'm ready now" he said. "I feel fit, I feel sharp and focused. I believe this is the season for me.

Newcastle Plan January Move For Croatian Hotshot

Newcastle will reportedly reignite their interest in Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic when the transfer window reopens in January.

According to The People, the Magpies made an enquiry during the summer regarding the availability of the Croatian forward, and will return to the Glasgow club again in the new year.

Rangers rejected a formal offer for Jelavic from Leicester City on deadline day, and are reluctant to let the 26-year-old leave Ibrox.

However, Newcastle are likely to test the resolve of the Scottish giants come the winter window, as Alan Pardew still seeks a long-term replacement for Andy Carroll.

Newcastle tried desperately to bring another goalscorer to St James' Park before the transfer deadline, and was credited with bids for Papiss Demba Cisse and Bryan Ruiz.

However, their attempts proved fruitless, and Pardew will have to make do with Demba Ba, Leon Best and Shola Ameobi until January.

PSG Eye Barcelona's Abidal

Paris Saint-Germain has made an offer for Barcelona's France defender Eric Abidal, who is negotiating a contract renewal with the Spanish champions, a Spanish sports newspaper said on Monday.

"Eric Abidal has received a very interesting offer to join Paris Saint-Germain," the Barcelona-based daily Sport said.

"The French club would give him a three-year contract, which could lead the French player to question his future at Barcelona."

Barcelona have offered Abidal a one-year renewal of his contract with a further year negotiable, but the player wants a fixed two-year deal, Sport said.

The 32-year-old left-back was in the form of his life last season before a tumour was discovered on his liver in March.

However, after undergoing surgery he made a rapid recovery, and after returning to action on May 3 he also appeared in Barca's Champions League final win over Manchester United at Wembley.

PSG have embarked upon an ambitious recruitment program since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in May.

The club signed Abidal's France teammates Kevin Gameiro, Blaise Matuidi and Jeremy Menez over the summer and also broke the French transfer record by signing Javier Pastore from Palermo for 42 million euros ($59.4m).

Fenerbahce & Everton Agree Joseph Yobo Loan Extension

Fenerbahce has reached an agreement to extend the loan deal of Everton defender Joseph Yobo for a second season, according to Ntvspor.

The Nigeria international spent the last campaign on loan at the Turkish giants, playing an important role as the club clinched the league title.

It is believed Yobo will earn around £2 million in his second year at the Istanbul outfit, who were eager to hold on to the African centre-back after selling Diego Lugano to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

Yobo, who joined Everton from Marseille in 2002, is set to become Fenerbahce's latest defensive reinforcement, following in the footsteps on Juventus' Reto Ziegler, who also moved on loan.

Fabio Capello Warns Andy Carroll About His Lifestyle

England manager Fabio Capello has warned Andy Carroll he needs to "be careful" about his lifestyle.

The Liverpool striker, who failed to make the bench against Bulgaria on Friday, was pictured in the summer partying on holiday in Barbados.

Capello said: "I don't know anything about his lifestyle. It is a private problem that I never spoke about.

"But if he wants to be a good player and a good sportsman, he needs to drink less than the others."

Carroll, 22, scored his first senior international goal against Ghana at Wembley in March, but has since missed the Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland and the European Under-21 Championships because of injury.

He is unlikely to start against Wales at Wembley on Tuesday following England's 3-0 win in Sofia.

But Capello still sees the Gateshead-born frontman as a vital part of his squad.

He said: "He is not at the top of his form at the moment but he was fantastic in the last two training sessions.

"I was really happy with him and told him he needs to do the same when he goes back to Liverpool.

"He will be a really important player for Liverpool, and for us.

Bayern Chief Admits Interest In Goetze

Bayern Munich chief Uli Hoeness has admitted interest in Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze.

The 19-year-old midfielder attracted attention from big European clubs with his scintillating performances last term and he has continued his rich vein of form at the start of the new season.

Even though the transfer window in Europe has just finished, Bayern Munich official Uli Hoeness has expressed interest in the Germany international.

“If his contract runs out, we’ll see what happens,” Hoeness told LIGA total.

“Many players said in the past they would never go to Bayern, but eventually came.

“If we’re still interested, and he’s still playing well and we have a super attractive team, we’ll have talks for sure.

“I’m not worried that it won’t be today or tomorrow… but to have such a fantastic player at FC Bayern Munich – that would be a really nice thing.”