WATFORD SET TO SIGN UDINESE DEFENDER

Watford could be set to sign defender Marco Davide Faraoni from Udinese, according to the player's agent.

The former Inter Milan right-back is unsure of his future at the Serie A club and a move to the Championship is an option in the eyes of agent Giovanni Bia.

"We are talking about and evaluating the prospect of him going to Watford," Bia told tuttomercatoweb.com.
"If the guy leaves Udine he will almost certainly go there because it is a club with links to Udinese and we believe it would be the best solution for everyone.
"We would like to make a decision soon. Faraoni is in a hurry to know his future."
The 21-year-old is capable of playing anywhere down the right-hand side of the pitch and came to prominence for Inter in the 2011/12 campaign, featuring 16 games for the Nerazzurri.

RODGERS: REINA HAS TO THRIVE WITH COMPETITION

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers expects Pepe Reina to thrive from the competition provided by Simon Mignolet's arrival from Sunderland.

The Belgian international’s €10.5 million transfer raised some question marks over Reina's position at Anfield, despite assurances from both the Spaniard and his manager that his future remains on Merseyside.

Mignolet also faces the challenge of displacing Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for Belgium, and Rodgers feels a weekly battle for the No.1 jersey can only be positive for player and club alike.

"I always felt it was important for us to have competition right the way through the squad, and that includes the goalkeepers," Rodgers told Sky Sports.

"I spoke to Pepe about this a few months back and told him we wanted to bring in another goalkeeper as real competition. I was very open with my goalkeepers and they know the situation.

"Pepe has been terrific here, Brad Jones was excellent when he stood in last year and I felt we needed another one. Simon comes in and we've got great competition and when you've got competition it pushes everyone to perform.

"We obviously lost a young goalkeeper in Peter Gulacsi [who joined Red Bull Salzburg] so we needed three very capable goalkeepers.

"We've brought in Simon Mignolet, who's one of the top young goalkeepers in Europe - he's shown that at Sunderland over the last few years.

"He's got great stature and I think he was player of the season at Sunderland and I really think he can improve on that talent. He's part of the Belgian set-up and it's really their golden era of players so him coming here will hopefully increase his opportunities there also."

Reina has recently been linked with a return to Barcelona, where he came through the youth ranks before moving to Villarreal in 2002.

RAIOLA: INTER AND MILAN SHOULD MERGE

AC Milan and Inter should join forces in order to compete with the best clubs in Europe, is the controversial view held by agent Mino Raiola.

Milan have not gone beyond the quarter-final stages since winning the Champions League in 2007 while Inter, who won the competition in 2010, have failed to qualify for Europe's premier tournament for the second successive season.

Raiola believes somewhat contentiously that the best way to restore Italian dominance in Europe is for the two arch rivals to merge.

“The situation Italian football finds itself in is difficult,” he told Gazzetta.it.

“Milan and Inter, instead of competing against one and other, they should join forces.

“Lazio and Roma could have one strong club, rather than only two weak ones.”

However, Milan CEO Adriano Galliani came to the defence of his club, insisting a merger is not necessary.

“Raiola’s hypothesis to merge Milan and Inter to be more competitive might be a good idea, but never mind, we are already so strong.”

The Rossoneri finished in third place in Serie A this season and will have to go through qualifying if they hope to reach the Champions League group stage.

The Nerazzurri on the other hand had a very disappointing season, finishing ninth and missing out on Europe altogether.

ROONEY AND UNITED YET TO HOLD TALKS

Wayne Rooney has left Manchester United's training ground - and is reportedly yet to hold talks with manager David Moyes over his future.
Rooney, back at Carrington on Wednesday after his summer break, was due to have medical tests and stayed for just over three hours before departing. Moyes was also on site in his third day as United manager and it is understood he and Rooney are still planning to meet on Wednesday or at the latest on Thursday.
Rooney verbally requested a transfer in May, according to outgoing boss Sir Alex Ferguson, and Chelsea, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with a summer move for the player. But Rooney is yet to comment publicly on the speculation amid reports he disputes Ferguson's version of events.

A previous transfer request in the autumn of 2010 ended with Rooney signing a new deal at Old Trafford and helping the club to the Premier League title later that season. But Ferguson's former assistant Mike Phelan, who left United earlier this summer, has questioned whether the 27-year-old really wants to stay this time.
He said: "Wayne is at the greatest club you can be at. Why would you want to jeopardize that, unless you want a fresh challenge and you feel that challenge isn't being met at Manchester United?"
Sky Sports expert Gary Neville has also this week warned Rooney against quitting Manchester United during the transfer window. Neville said in an interview with Talksport: "I played with Wayne for many years. He's a fantastic footballer. Personally, with my allegiances, I'd never recommend anyone leave United, because I believe it is a great stage to play football and you can achieve what you want there."

Neville added: "I've seen David Beckham and other big players leave United and it really is something that comes down to the individual and the club. I've seen Ryan Giggs, when he was 27, linked to Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan and stay."
However, players from rivals teams have insisted they would welcome the chance to play alongside the England international. Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech told Sky Sports News: "I could see him in a Chelsea shirt. Players can change shirts and obviously he had a fantastic career with Manchester United and sometimes players need new challenges. Sometimes the consequences are the way that you are looking for the new challenge and change of the shirt."
Arsenal's Jack Wilshere believes a move for Rooney could help the Gunners end their long wait for silverware, saying: "If it happens, it would be amazing. He is the type of player who can win you trophies - and just to see his name on the team sheet brings fear to the opposition. We could do with a little more of that."

SOUTHAMPTON: WE ARE INTERESTED IN WANYAMA

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed an interest in Victor Wanyama, Leandro Damiao and Ever Banega.
Saints are preparing for their second season in the top flight and have ambitious plans for the future, with European football mentioned as possibility.
Earlier this month Lyon's Dejan Lovren arrived for £8.5million and there is clearly still money in the bank for signings at St Mary's.

Pochettino today confirmed a move for Celtic midfielder Wanyama "could happen" still, while there is interest in Valencia's Banega and Brazil international Damiao.
"We manage a lot of information about very good players," the Saints boss said. "One of them is Damiao, also Banega and also Wanyama.
"We are managing the situation as well as we can at the moment.
"The main thing is that we as a club, Southampton, are managing when these negotiations happen so that is what is happening.
"We are managing when these players are going to be signed and how we sign them.
"Our goals are very clear. I am also not trapped by the fact that I said I wanted to have our transfer window closed by July 1.
"We are not interested in 15 or 20 players. We are interested in maybe two or three key players.
"At the same time, I also want to say our squad at the moment is really good and it is not like we are trapped in the sense that we need these players to be a better squad.
"Our squad as it is really good already, but we just want to bring in two or three players that reinforce key areas in the squad to become an even better team."
Internacional forward Damiao has been a reported long-time target of Tottenham and his agent confirmed there are talks involving an unnamed club.
Pochettino knows Valencia and Argentina midfielder Banega well from his time managing in Spain with Espanyol, although it appears his arrival would depend on a move for Wanyama.
The Celtic midfielder, subject of a reported £12million bid from Saints which was accepted by the Scottish champions, reportedly failed to agree terms on a move to the south coast due to issues with his representatives.
Cardiff have been mentioned as another possible destination for Wanyama and Pochettino insists a deal is still on.
"It could happen," he said. "We have certain positions that we want to reinforce. I'm confident that our goals will be met."
Pochettino also confirmed that a number of squad players will be leaving the club this summer.
Billy Sharp, Dean Hammond and Tadanari Lee are among those players, as are Lee Barnard, Richard Chaplow and Steve de Ridder.
Other squad players also look set to be on their way out as the Argentinian plans for the future.
"They are a group of players that, because of different reasons, we are not counting on in the future," Pochettino said.

NEWCASTLE TARGET SIGNS FOR DORTMUND

Borussia Dortmund have secured the services of Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a four-year deal.
The 24-year-old joins the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League finalists from French side AS Saint-Etienne, for whom he scored 19 goals and set up another 14 last season.

"We're pleased to have got our man in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang," beamed BVB sporting director Micahel Zorc. "He's extremely versatile in the forward positions, has exceptional speed and is a real goal-threat.
The 30-time Gabon international's performances in Ligue 1 are certainly testament to that, the former AC Milan star having rounded off the 2012/13 campaign as the French top fight's second-highest scorer.
The Laval native will link up with his new team-mates once they have returned from their Austrian training camp in Tirol (July 3-6).

RODGERS: REINA STILL IN MY PLANS

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has reiterated his stance that new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has been brought in to provide to competition for Jose Reina and not become his replacement.
Reina's future was a subject for debate all last season, with the 30-year-old being linked with a return to former club Barcelona, and Mignolet's arrival only increased speculation about an impending exit.
But Rodgers is adamant Reina knew of his plans to strengthen the goalkeeping department and the Reds boss dismissed suggestions the £9million Belgium international was a straightforward replacement.

This how the two keepers compared last season. Credit: WhoScored.com

Stats provided by WhoScored.com

"I always felt it was important for us to have competition right the way through the squad, and that includes the goalkeepers," he said.
"I spoke to Pepe about this a few months back and told him we wanted to bring in another goalkeeper as real competition.
"I was very open with my goalkeepers and they know the situation.
"Pepe has been terrific here, Brad Jones was excellent when he stood in last year and I felt we needed another one.
"Simon comes in and we've got great competition and when you've got competition it pushes everyone to perform.
"We obviously lost a young goalkeeper in Peter Gulacsi so we needed three very capable goalkeepers.
"We've brought in Simon Mignolet, who's one of the top young goalkeepers in Europe - he's shown that at Sunderland over the last few years.
"He's got great stature and I think he was player of the season at Sunderland and I really think he can improve on that talent.
"He's part of the Belgian set-up and it's really their golden era of players so him coming here will hopefully increase his opportunities there also."
Reina appeared to be being lined up as the long-term successor to Victor Valdes at the Nou Camp but his compatriot has insisted he will see out the remainder of his contract with the Catalan club before seeking a new challenge.
With no approach made to Liverpool for their Spanish goalkeeper it is expected he will rejoin his team-mates for their summer tour matches in Australia (July 24) and Thailand (July 28).

ARSENAL INCREASE BID FOR HIGUAIN

Arsenal have made an improved offer of €27 million for Gonzalo Higuain.

The Gunners are confident their new bid will be enough to secure the Real Madrid striker, with sources saying the fee could be agreed by the two clubs 'within the next 24 hours'.

Arsenal had been reluctant to pay more than €24.5m for the Argentinian, but manager Arsene Wenger sanctioned a fresh bid closer towards Real's €30m valuation of the player.


It is understood that the compromise figure of €27m could be enough to finalise a deal that has been in the pipeline for a number of weeks.

An Arsenal delegation had flown out to Madrid to finalise the Higuain signing with their Madrid counterparts.

Those talks did not result in an agreement but the dialogue continued in the intervening period and, despite Wenger considering an alternative proven striker, a breakthrough is close to being reached.

Higuain's personal terms have already been agreed in principle, with a €117000-a-week contract on the table. This will bring the forward in line with Arsenal's top earners Theo Walcott and skipper Thomas Vermaelen, providing a bumper rise on his relatively modest €75,000-a-week deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Juventus also made the prolific forward an offer but are unwilling to pay a €23.5m-plus fee after pairing Carlos Tevez with fellow new signing Fernando Llorente.

Wenger has prioritised the signing of a top forward this summer and retains a concrete interest in Wayne Rooney, who is keen to sever his ties with Manchester United, as well as a third big-name striker. The Higuain deal would comfortably smash the club's transfer record.

Arsenal began their summer recruitment drive on Monday after completing the signing of Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer from Auxerre.

PSG: WE WON'T ALLOW THIAGO SILVA LEAVE

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has rubbished reports that Thiago Silva is about to join Barcelona.

The Brazil centre-back claims that Barca coach Tito Vilanova personally told him last season that he wanted to sign him.
He told Sport: "Thiago Silva is not for sale. He will stay at the club until the end of his contract.
"The problem is not that Barca are not offering us enough money, the problem is we don't want to negotiate his sale."
The PSG president affirmed he is in close contact with many of the club's players, including Thiago Silva.

"I spoke to him today [Wednesday] to congratulate him on the success he has had with his country in the Confederations Cup, and he told me he was very happy in Paris," he said.
Al Khelaifi also insisted PSG would reject a reported 32million euros offer from Barca because they have ambitions of building on their Ligue 1 triumph last season.
"We won't evaluate it or contemplate it. We won't even sit down to negotiate," he said.
"Selling is exactly the opposite of what we want to do. Our intention, after winning the domestic league title, is to fight for other more ambitious goals and make more signings."
Meanwhile, the player's agent, Paulo Tonietto, has urged the Spanish champions to make contact soon if they want to bring Silva to the Camp Nou.
"It has been said that Tito really wants to sign him and, if that's the case, someone should speak up," Tonietto told radio station Rac1.
"If someone wants to buy someone, it's not going to happen while they're sitting at home watching television."

BESIKTAS IN SHOCK BID FOR TOTTENHAM STRIKER

Besiktas have made an offer for Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, according to the Turkish club's director Ahmet Kavalci.

The 29-year-old joined Andre Villas-Boas' side on a permanent deal from Manchester City in August 2012 after impressing during a season-long loan spell at White Hart Lane.

But the former Arsenal player struggled for form last season, hitting just five goals in 25 Premier League appearances, and now Besiktas claim to have made a substantial offer for the forward.

"It is certainly true that we are looking at the idea of a transfer. We have made a serious bid for Adebayor," Kavalci told Fanatik.

"That, in turn, has given us a figure for the player, which is slightly above the amount that we imagined.

"However, making a signing as big as this immediately is nothing but a dream.

"Negotiations always take a long time. I hope that we will get a chance to have a meeting soon."

MANCINI BAFFLED BY MANCHESTER CITY SACKING

Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini remains baffled by his sacking, claiming he deserved more respect for what he achieved at the club.
The former Inter Milan boss was dismissed on May 13 - the anniversary of the previous season's dramatic Barclays Premier League title success - after three days of mounting speculation over his future.
The club declared Mancini, who has since been replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, had "failed to achieve any of its stated targets this year, with the exception of qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League".
Quoted in Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport today, he said: "Even now, (almost two months) later, I still do not understand why. It is still painful, I admit. I think I deserved more respect for what I had done for Manchester City.
"In three and a half seasons with my staff, I believe I did an extraordinary job.
"The club had not won a (league) title for more than 40 years. I won a championship title, FA Cup, a Community Shield and, in the worst season - the last one - I lost a final and I came second (in the league).
"The numbers are clear. This sacking still does not have a reason.
"The Arabs called me and said to me 'in three years we want the title', and I won it in the second year. And then I rebuilt a club that was not at the top level of football. Evidently, chairman Khaldoon (Al Mubarak) must have had in his head some situations that were not true."
Mancini pointed a particular finger of blame towards chief executive Ferran Soriano, saying: "For him, I was a person too big (within the club). He and I did not speak the same language and I do not mean Italian, Spanish or English."
Mancini's final season at the Etihad Stadium was also notable for the sale of Italy striker Mario Balotelli to AC Milan, seemingly marking the end of a tempestuous relationship between the pair.
The 48-year-old gave Balotelli considerable support during their two and a half years together in Manchester, despite voicing his frustration on numerous occasions - and a training-ground bust-up four weeks before his departure.
"By that time, I understood that in England he was not very well any more," Mancini said. "He - like (Liverpool forward Luis) Suarez - was targeted by opponents, referees, the public.

"Sure, he has not done anything to avoid certain situations.
"I love him, but I have not heard from since he arrived at Milan."
As for his future, the ex-Lazio coach would be interested in returning to the Italian capital to manage Roma, but stressed he had never been approached by the Serie A outfit.
"We are talking about a great club, with absolute prestige, which is trying to rebuild a cycle," he said. "It's an adventure that would have had its own charm, I do not deny it ... Never say never.
"I would have considered an interesting proposal. I have never had any direct contact, though."