Champions League Group E Preview

Valencia host Chelsea in a Champions League Group E blockbuster on Wednesday, while Leverkusen will look to find form against Genk.

Chelsea's visit to the Mestalla will be notable for the return of midfielder Juan Mata to Valencia, the club which he left a month ago after a reported 30-million-euro switch to the London giants.

Mata has sparkled in the short time at Stamford Bridge, adding new energy to a Chelsea midfield that has at times been criticized for looking too stagnant.

He has scored twice for his new club, including a late strike in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Leverkusen in their Champions League opener a fortnight ago.

Chelsea face a Valencia side who have not lost at home this season in all competitions.

The Spaniards have conceded just six goals in their five La Liga matches and began the group stage with a scoreless draw against Genk.

They will look to build on that against Andre Villas-Boas' side and will hope the free-scoring Roberto Soldado, who has struck five times in La Liga this season, can breach Chelsea's defence.

A 1-0 defeat at Sevilla on Sunday will give Valencia the motivation to respond, while Chelsea will hope to continue on from their 4-1 win over Premier League newcomers Swansea City on Saturday.

Fernando Torres, who scored the opener but was then sent off for a straight red card in that match, is eligible to play and has impressed in recent weeks.

Brazilian midfielder Ramires, who netted a brace against Swansea, is also in form and seems to be thriving under Chelsea's new Portuguese manager.

Leverkusen need to bounce back from a poor run of form as they entertain Belgian champions Genk, with last season's Bundesliga runners-up having dropped three games in a row.

A 4-1 defeat to local rivals Cologne in their last home fixture started the rot, while Bayern Munich showed the gulf in class when they cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Allianz Arena against Robin Dutt's side on Sunday.

Genk will fancy their chances at the BayArena, with the Belgian First Division outfit on an unbeaten run of seven matches in all competitions.

Mario Been's side highlighted they have the defensive capabilities to compete in Europe during their clash with Valencia, while 12 goals in their last three domestic outings indicate that the Belgians are also potent up front.

Champions League Group F Preview

Arsenal host Olympiakos in Champions League Group F action on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund is on the road at Olympique Marseille.

Arsene Wenger will be hopeful that his side can produce another victory at the Emirates, with 3-1 and 3-0 home wins over Shrewsbury Town and Bolton in the last week giving Arsenal fans renewed hope.

Club captain Robin van Persie bagged a brace in Saturday's win over the Wanderers, with the double marking his 100th goal for the club.

The Dutchman also scored his side's goal in their 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund a fortnight ago and shapes as the key man in this encounter.

Olympiakos also head into the game in good form, with two consecutive Greek Super League wins to their name.

But the Piraeus-based club did lose 1-0 at home to Marseille in their first Group F encounter.

Ernesto Valverde's men will be desperate to pick up at least a point in north London, and will no doubt look to expose the defensive woes that have plagued Arsenal in the early stages of the season.

Dortmund enter their match at Stade Velodrome on the back of their first win in five matches, although Juergen Klopp's side left it late on Saturday in their 2-1 Bundesliga triumph at Mainz.

Ivan Perisic and Lukasz Piszczek scored in the last 30 minutes to win the game for last season's German champions, with the latter's goal coming in second-half stoppage time.

Marseille have domestic concerns of their own and currently sit in 13th position on the Ligue 1 table with just one win from eight fixtures.

They have played their part in four draws and the slow start has heaped pressure on manager Didier Deschamps.

But a home win against the Germans could help build much-needed momentum for Deschamps' side.

Champions League Group G Preview

Portuguese champions Porto face a tough road trip to Russia on Wednesday to take on Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League.

Porto began their 2011/12 European campaign with a 2-1 win at home against Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, but will face a much tougher task when they travel from one side of the continent to the other to face Luciano Spalletti's Zenit.

The Russians were shock 2-1 losers against Cypriot's APOEL in their Group G opener on September 13, and need to make the most of their home fixtures if they are to qualify for the knockout stages.

Although the two sides have never met, Porto have never lost on Russian soil and won two matches there on their march to last season's Europa League title, scoring six goals in the process.

Despite losing star striker Radamel Falcao during the offseason, Porto have had no trouble finding the back of the net this term, with 14 goals in six matches in the Liga Sagres.

Brazilian international Hulk has scored three of those and also hit a stunning free kick against Shakhtar, and will be Porto's danger man.

The Russians will likely be relying on top scorers Alexander Kerzhakov and Danko Lazovic up front, but will have plenty of inside information into Porto's tactics with Bruno Alves in their camp.

The Portuguese defender spent 10 years at the Estadio do Dragao before moving to Russia in 2010, although the Zenit captain - along with Porto midfielder Fredy Guarin - will miss Wednesday's clash through suspension.

In the other Group G match on Wednesday, Shakhtar Donetsk will be hoping to open their account when they host APOEL.

The Ukrainian side has an imposing record at the Donbass Arena, having lost there just once in 16 European fixtures.

They won all four home matches in last season's competition before their streak was broken by Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

APOEL will not fear the trip east, with the Cypriot club performing admirably away from home in their last Champions League campaign in 2009/10.

Then, they earned draws at Atletico Madrid and Chelsea while losing 2-1 at Porto, and have already won twice away from home during qualifying this season.

Both sides have a strong South American influence, with Argentine Esteban Solari and Brazilians Ailton Almeida and Gustavo Manduca leading the line for APOEL.

Shakhtar boss Mircea Lucescu will be relying on Brazilians Luiz Adriano and Jadson and Brazilian-born Croatian Eduardo da Silva to get the job done, as his side aim to repeat their quarter-final heroics of last season.

Champions League Group H Preview

Both Barcelona and AC Milan will go in search of their first wins in Group H of the Champions League on Wednesday.

The two giants, who have won 11 European titles between them, drew 2-2 in their group opener at the Camp Nou on September 14.

Pep Guardiola's Barcelona hit the road on matchday two, travelling to Belarus to face BATE Borisov, who also drew their opening match of the campaign against Viktoria Plzen.

After a stuttering start to the season, Barca have scored 15 goals in their last three games - including six to Lionel Messi - and Wednesday's match in Minsk threatens to be a one-sided affair if the BATE defence is not switched on.

Messi scored a hat-trick in Barca's 8-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga, and backed that up with another treble against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

But BATE cannot afford to focus solely on the Argentine maestro, with David Villa, Xavi Hernandez and Pedro Rodriguez all providing potent attacking options.

Viktor Goncharenko's side is currently top of the Belarusian Premier League, but a match against Barcelona will undoubtedly require a step up in class.

BATE have relied heavily on Brazilian midfielder Renan and striker Artem Kontsevoy for goals this season, while former PSV, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain Mateja Kezman provides another familiar face.

Massimiliano Allegri's Milan host Czech outfit Plzen at the San Siro as they look to build some momentum.

Milan have struggled domestically this season, sitting 11th in the Serie A after four matches, but secured their first win of the campaign against Cesena on Saturday.

Plzen won three successive away fixtures on their way into the group stage, but will face a different prospect against a side the calibre of Milan.

Although Pato, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, Philippe Mexes and Robinho were all missing from Milan's win over Cesena, striker Antonio Cassano has been in good form and veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf turned back the clock, scoring the winning goal.

Liverpool Linked With German Wonderkid

Sven Goran Eriksson is ready to offer teenage wonderkid Jeffrey Schlupp a new deal in a bid to scare off Liverpool and Stoke.

Leicester boss Eriksson wants his board to open talks with the 18-year-old over a bumper pay-rise and ensure the striker, who only signed a contract last April, stays at the King Power Stadium.

Schlupp, a Germany Under-19 international, has impressed this season, scoring four goals already, and Premier League scouts have been regularly watching him.

“There is no doubt that Jeffrey has a great future ahead of him," said Eriksson. "He is a fantastic talent and he is just getting better and better.

“This season he is even stronger, more confident.

"He has a little bit of everything. He is strong, has good technique, a good left foot and is not afraid to fight in the air for the ball.”

Schlupp will be in the squad for Wednesday night’s trip to Middlesbrough.

Juventus Plan January Raid For Arsenal Attacker

Italian side Juventus are preparing to raid the Premiership for a trio of top class players after the latest comments coming from coach Antonio Conte.

The Juventus coach has set his sights on Manchester United’s Nani, Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez.

Speaking to press after Juve’s draw with Catania over the weekend, Conte said: “If you think that Juve, after being in seventh place, can just come back to fight for the title … I repeat: we have a long way to go to get back to being competitive.

“We could not get Walcott, Nani or Tevez because of the finances involved. Clubs in Italy cannot afford such prices, so we focused on young players.

“But if we can work something out with our budget, then maybe there is a possibility.”

Inter Milan Plan January Move For Liverpool Star

Inter Milan are lining up a January bid for unsettled Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt as San Siro boss Claudio Ranieri looks to add more strength in depth to the Serie A side’s attack.

The 31 year old Dutchman has been a hugely important player at Anfield during his five years on Merseyside and finished last term as top scorer but thus far this season has found himself in and out of the starting eleven due to the arrival of a number of midfield options brought in by Kenny Dalglish over the summer.

Kuyt has become well known for his knack of scoring crucial goals and his tireless running have made the former Feyenoord man a cult hero at the club but at his age the Dutch international will not want to be left on the bench and may well be tempted by a new challenge in Serie A.

Ranieri has taken the reins as Nerazzurri boss following the sacking of Gian Piero Gasperini after barely a month in charge and the former Chelsea and Roma boss is said to be keen to bring in Kuyt after seeing Inter Milan struggle to find a cutting edge up front.

Some Italian sources state that Inter Milan would be willing to pay up to €15m (£13m) for the Liverpool man and it may be an offer Kenny Dalglish considers accepting given that he has the likes of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Steven Gerrard who could play out on the right side of midfield and with Craig Bellamy coming in the need for further striking options is lessened somewhat.

Kuyt has amassed 67 goals from 247 appearances for Liverpool since Rafa Benitez signed the forward in the summer of 2006.

Reds Linked To Damiao

Liverpool has reportedly joined the race for Internacional striker Leandro Damiao after having him watched by club representatives.

The 22-year-old is causing a stir in his homeland with his displays after scoring 39 goals in the current Brazilian season and he was watched by Reds assistant boss Steve Clarke when Brazil beat Ghana at Craven Cottage.

Liverpool would not have it all their own way if they were to make a move for the striker as Spurs are also very strongly linked.

And the Londoners had a £16.5million offer turned down for the player at the end of the summer transfer window, with Internacional thought to want in the region of £20m for the player.

Having already bought Louis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Craig Bellamy to Anfield it remains to be seen if Kenny Dalglish is still keen to spend a lot of money on a new striker in January, despite the link.

Damiao, who is currently sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury, has a contract which runs for a further five years but he has already indicated he may like to make the move to Europe.

"If there is an opportunity to play in Europe, of course I would like it," Damiao said recently.

Roma Target Loan Move For Tottenham Striker

Roma are hoping to make a move for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Pavlyuchenko, 29, has struggled to secure a regular first-team place at White Hart Lane and is having to contend with playing in the Europa League this season.

The Russian striker was recently linked with a move to Lokomotiv Moscow but reports in Spain today suggest that Roma are leading the chase to sign him.

Roma coach Luis Enrique is believed to want Pavlyuchenko on loan until the end of the season with a view to making the move a permanent one during the summer.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will be reluctant to let the Russian forward leave White Hart Lane until he has signed a replacement after allowing Peter Crouch to join Stoke last month.

Champions League Group A Preview

Manchester City face the daunting task of taking on Bayern Munich in their Champions League Group A fixture at Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

The Bundesliga powerhouse have not conceded a goal in their past 838 minutes on the pitch across league and European matches, meaning Roberto Mancini's star-studded side will need something special to penetrate the Bayern defence.

But City are certainly capable of producing sublime football to beat Josef Heynckes's men, with quality such as David Silva, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri in midfield, with in-form stars Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko firing on all cylinders up front.

City showed their human side in their 1-1 draw with Napoli, as nerves got the better of the Mancurians in their European opener.

But Silva paid credit to their Italian opponents, and promised his side would attack at Bayern, to hunt for their first win in the Champions League.

"I think we can attack them like we do at home," Silva said.

"We can stick to our footballing principles. We don't have to change our style against other teams home or away. We believe in what we are doing and have confidence in each other so we will keep doing the same things."

"The truth is Napoli played very well against us. They are a strong team. But against Bayern we will try the same things - to keep the ball, play with the same style and get a positive result."

One of Silva's direct opponents will be Bayern playmaker Bastian Schweinsteiger, and the German said his side is expecting a tougher challenge than in their 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.

"Of course we know that on Tuesday we will face a team that is better quality (than Bayer Leverkusen) and also a team with plenty of individual talent," he told Ligatotal.

"We had this game under (control) completely but on Tuesday comes a real challenge for us. We must show that we can play in the Champions League against top teams like them (Manchester City)."

Napoli need to arrest a small form slump when they host La Liga outfit Villarreal at the Stadio San Paolo in the other Group A affair.

The Italian club led in Manchester before settling for a draw.

They beat title challengers AC Milan in the league earlier this month, but have since failed to score in their past two against Chievo and Fiorentina.

Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri defended his recent team selection, stating that their presence in Europe was always going to affect their league form.

"Fiorentina have excellent players, they're a good team and on top of that they're not involved in the Champions League, unlike us, and so they were fresher than us," he said.

"Being in the Champions League can cost you 10 points in the league and I knew that."

"And then you can't forget that we've got Villarreal and then Inter (Milan) coming up. I'm sticking to my path, I had to make changes in Verona against Chievo to protect my players."

From the Spanish camp, striker Giuseppe Rossi is in doubt to play, despite being set to travel to Italy.

Rossi injured his left knee in Villarreal's 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao, and potential replacement Marco Ruben is out for three weeks with a foot complaint.

Champions League Group B Preview

Turkish side Trabzonspor can consolidate top spot in Champions League Group B when they host Lille in Trabzon on Tuesday.

Senol Gunes' men rode their luck in their European opener, beating Inter Milan 1-0 away from home, with their goal coming from their only shot on target.

Striker Burak Yilmaz will continue to serve his three-game ban, while attacker Adrian Mierzejewski can return from suspension for the clash at Huseyin Avni Aker Stadyumu.

Defender Arkadiusz Glowacki is likely to miss with a groin niggle, while Gustavo Colman is out due to a hamstring injury attained on Friday.

Lille will be buoyed by English midfielder Joe Cole's first goal in France at the weekend, in their 1-1 Ligue 1 draw with Lorient.

Rudi Garcia's men have not lost in their past seven, but have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 12 official matches (pre-season friendlies excluded).

Defender Aurelien Chedjou has missed the past fortnight with a thigh complaint.

Lille sit third in the table level on one point with CSKA Moscow, after the Russian outfit fought back to earn a 2-2 draw on Gameday One.

Moscow will host Inter Milan in the group's other clash, at the Olimpiyskiy stadion Luzhniki.

Inter will be without midfielder Wesley Sneijder, full-back Maicon and midfielder Dejan Stankovic due to injury.

It will be Claudio Ranieri's first game in charge in European competition, after his side gave him a winning start to his reign at the club with a 3-1 away victory over Bologna in Serie A on Saturday.

CSKA have won just one of their past five, with their 3-1 win over Volga in the Russian Premier League on the weekend their only victory since August 20.

Champions League Group C Preview

Manchester United can bounce back from dropping their first league points when they host FC Basel in Champions League Group C on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men were held to a 1-1 draw at Stoke in the English Premier League on Saturday, leaving them level on points with bitter rivals Manchester City on top of the table.

But United will look to recover their winning ways when they welcome the Swiss outfit to Old Trafford, and will look to impose their class on the Super League champions.

They will have to do so without star striker Wayne Rooney, who has picked up a hamstring injury, but Ferguson's riches in the scoring department mean he will choose two of Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen or Danny Welbeck to start up front.

The Scot has indicated he will blood a weakened squad for Basel's visit, as he looks to preserve their freshness early in the campaign.

"If you get to 10 points, you know you're into the next stage but we'd like to win the group anyway. If we win our next three games, we can utilize the squad," he said.

"It would definitely help and we've done that over the years. It's sometimes backfired - I played a fresh team over in Fenerbahce and they beat us 3-0 (in 2004)."

"Although I want to make changes, I don't want an embarrassment, so changes have got to be made with a mind of still winning the game."

In the group's other clash, Romanian side Otelul Galati will host Benfica in Bucharest.

Galati are not expected to progress beyond the group stages, but they very nearly earned a point at Basel in their opening clash, save for a late Alexander Frei penalty.

Dorinel Munteanu's side will have a tougher task containing their Liga Sagres opponents on Tuesday, too, with the latter impressing against the might of Manchester in their first group game.

The former Romanian international of 134 caps has plenty of experience on the European stage, helping beat Portuguese side Sporting CP in his first UEFA Cup match in the 1991-92 campaign.

While his side is rank underdogs to take three points, Munteanu will be hoping for more success against opposition from Portugal, but should Benfica play anywhere near what they did against United, it will be hard for the Romanian side to snare a point.

Champions League Group D Preview

La Liga giants Real Madrid found their scoring touch at the weekend, ahead of their Champions League Group D clash with Ajax on Tuesday.

Jose Mourinho has been under pressure recently, after Madrid failed to score in consecutive league matches, but a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick at the Bernabeu on Saturday helped ease the pressure on the master tactician.

However, the Spanish powerhouse also shipped two goals, and had midfielder Angel di Maria sent off - two aspects that would no doubt upset the Portuguese mentor.

Mourinho will return to the sideline for the first time in four UEFA matches after serving a suspension, but Marcelo will be absent for the clash after seeing red in Real's 1-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb to open the group stages.

Ajax should be boosted by the weekend return of Miralem Sulejmani and Vurnon Anita from injury, after Sulejmani picked up a hamstring injury in their 0-0 draw with Lyon in the opening match.

Lyon welcome Zagreb in the other group encounter at Stade de Gerland, hoping to emulate their league form which sees them top of the Ligue 1 table.

Similarly, though, their Croatian opponents top their league table in the Prva HNL, meaning neither side has an excuse for a poor performance on Tuesday.

Dinamo are competing in their first CL campaign in 12 years, and will need to kickstart their run with at least a point if they hope to progress past the group stages.

Arsenal Ready To Renew Interest In Marseille's £10m Midfielder

Marseille midfielder Stephane Mbia has once again declared his interest in playing in the Premier League, news that will certainly have alerted Arsenal who have tracked the player for some time.

The Cameroon international has consistently been linked with a move to England in the last two seasons and last summer was strongly linked with a £15million move to Arsenal.

However, the deal never emerged and now the midfielder is keen to push through a transfer after returning to full fitness.

"I want to play at the very top," Mbia told skysports.com. "Going to England has always been in my mind and I would love to play there one day.

"I was close to moving once and hopefully I will come back, play well and an English team will come back in for me. But at the moment I want to heal fully and play well for Marseille."

Mbia has not managed to play this season due to injury but is hoping that he will be back in time to take on Arsenal in the Champions League on October 19.

"I am feeling much better. The injury is healing like I want it to and I would like to be back on the field as soon as possible. The club needs me but my team-mates are doing their best to get the season back on track."

Mbia has the ability to play as a defensive midfielder, a position where Arsenal are short of options after the departure of Denilson, while he can also fill in at centre back.

PSG Turn Attention To Real Madrid Star Kaka

Paris Saint-Germain is poised to make a move for Real Madrid midfielder Kaka and hope to beat Arsenal in the race to sign the Brazilian superstar.

Kaka was strongly linked with a loan switch to Arsenal during the summer, but the move never materialized.

Arsene Wenger is set to renew his interest in January, but he will have to act fast as reports in France suggest that PSG are now making moves to sign the experienced midfielder.

Kaka has struggled to find his best form under Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu and could be allowed to leave the Spanish giants in the new year.

PSG are not afraid to splash the cash and Arsenal face a strong battle to sign Kaka in January.

West Brom Eyeing Shock Swoop For Fiorentina Youngster

West Brom are monitoring Fiorentina youngster Boadu Maxwell Acosty.

Roy Hodgson, according to reports in Italy, has sent scouts to watch the 20-year-old winger who has been impressing in the Serie A side's reserves.

The Ghanaian winger was watched on Saturday by a West Brom representative and is believed to have impressed enough to add to his growing reputation.

Fiorentina take on Genoa on Wednesday and West Brom are planning to have a set of eyes in the crowd in case Acosty makes an appearance.

Newcastle To Battle Arsenal & Man United For French International

Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin is one of the most in-demand midfielders in European football with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and now Newcastle all chasing the player’s signature.

The France international has become an established member of the Sochaux first team since coming through the clubs youth ranks and has become an integral part of the national team under Laurent Blanc.

The creative midfielder has made more than 100 league appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit despite being just 23-years-old and is being linked with a move next summer.

Martin only signed a new deal with the French side at the start of the season, but it is widely reported that he has an agreement with the club that he can leave next summer if a foreign club makes a significant offer.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal have been strongly linked with the playmaker who has even earned the nickname 'Little Xavi' from his teammates at Sochaux.

Now, the Sunday Sun is reporting that Newcastle manager Alan Pardew wants the French midfielder at the club and even sent chief scout Graham Carr to watch the player in action.

Pardew wants Martin to join his French revolution at Newcastle who already has Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Mehdi Abeid, Sylvain Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan at the club.

Juventus Enter The Race For Man City Target

Manchester City target Alessio Cerci is now being tracked by Juventus, according to reports in Italy.

City boss Roberto Mancini was reportedly keen to bring the Italian winger to England during the summer but cooled his interest following the signing of Samir Nasri.

But it has been suggested Mancini is still keeping tabs on the Fiorentina midfielder and could be tempted to go back for him in January.

But now sources in Italy have revealed that Juventus boss Antonio Conte has identified Cerci as a January target as he attempts to steer his side, who are currently top of Serie A, to their first title for eight years.

The 24-year-old impressed last season, in his first campaign at Fiorentina after arriving from Roma in 2010, and is valued at around £7m.

Manchester City Keeping Tabs On Arsenal Star

Manchester City will make an incredible £30m bid for Arsenal captain Robin van Persie if contract talks between the Dutchman and the Gunners do not progress before the January transfer window.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Van Persie is deeply disillusioned over the summer departures of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy to City.

He signed a new contract with Arsenal in 2009 despite Juventus, Internazionale and Chelsea all engaging in talks.

If he elects to follow his former team-mates out of the club, it will add to the growing concern for Arsene Wenger's side, who have made their worst start to a League season for 58 years.

Van Persie, along with several other key players, has a contract which ends in 2013 and the Gunners will need to act with conviction if they want to fend off clubs who think the whole squad is potentially available.

On Saturday, Wenger highlighted Van Persie's importance to the team after two more goals took him to 100 for Arsenal and helped secure only their second league win of the season.

“He has grown well into the captain's role” said Wenger. “He is a man who speaks his mind and is doing the job well”

But the departure of so many key players and the inability of Arsenal to keep pace with Manchester United and City, will inevitably influence Van Persie’s decision.

Italian clubs Juventus and Inter Milan are also reportedly monitoring the situation and could line up offers in the January transfer window.

Chelsea Prepare £20m Move For Italian Star Midfielder

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will have been put on red alert after the latest comments to come from Cesena midfielder Marco Parolo, according to reports on Goal.com.

The Italian international during the course of the summer transfer window had been linked with moves to Inter Milan, Lazio and Cagilari, it is also believed Chelsea made an offer for Parolo on transfer deadline day but nothing materialized.

Speaking about his desire to play in the Premier League, the 26-year-old said: "I am not your traditional Italian midfielder as I have a lot of different characteristics than others. I really admire Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. The Premier League and the Bundesliga are leagues where they play a type of football that's very similar to my style.

"Chelsea is a very big club and I still have plenty of progress to make before I'm ready for a team like them. Let's not get carried away and take one step at a time. I'm feeling very well at Cesena for now and want to repay them for the faith they've shown in me."