Bayern Munich
director of sport Matthias Sammer says he has no intention of dropping
the asking price for Germany striker Mario Gomez to allow Fiorentina to net a bargain.
The Viola are struggling to match Bayern's reported 20million euro
($25.66 million) asking price for the striker, who has requested a
transfer.
The player is understood to have already agreed personal terms with Fiorentina, whom he is keen to join, yet the Serie A club are reported to be falling at least five million euros short of Bayern's valuation.
Should they not raise their bid Gomez faces the prospect of staying
with Bayern next season, unless another club can meet their valuation.
"If the conditions are not right, then it's just not going to work," Sammer told Sport1 television.
"As long as our wishes remain unfulfilled, nothing is going to happen. But Mario wants to go to Fiorentina."
However, the Tuscan club, who will play in the Europa League next
season, are reluctant to increase their bid for the 27-year-old.
"They have a player whom they have to sell and they have their
requirements which we respect but we have our own requirements,"
Fiorentina's director of sport Daniele Prade said.
"Being such a strong player, he costs a lot of money and right now, the conditions don't exist for us to finish the deal."
Fiorentina could yet face competition for Gomez's signature, with the
Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that Napoli are preparing to enter into
negotiations.
Aston Villa
In: Aleksandr Tonev (Lech Poznan, undisc), Jores Okobe (FC Nordsjaelland, £4m), Leandro Bacuna (Groningen, undisc), Niklas Helenius (Aalborg, undisc), Antonio Luna (Sevilla, undisc), Jed Steer (Norwich, free)
Out: Calum Barrett, Joshua Barton, Courtney Cameron, Daniel Devine, Richard Dunne, Eric Lichaj, Andy Marshall (All released)
Cardiff
In: Andreas Cornelius (Copenhagen, undisc)
Out: None
Chelsea
In: Andre Schurrle (Bayer Leverkusen, undisc), Marco van Ginkel (Vitesse Arnhem, £8.5m)
Out: Amin Affane, Yossi Benayoun, Abdul Deen-Conteh, Paulo Ferreira,
Hilario, Florent Malouda, Archange Nkumu, Ross Turnbull (All released),
Thibault Courtois (Atletico Madrid, loan), George Saville (Brentford,
loan)
Everton
In: None
Out: Johan Hammar, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Sam Kelly, Jan Mucha (All released), Phil Neville (retired)
Fulham
In: Maarten Stekelenburg (Roma, £4m), Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao, free), Derek Boateng (Dnipro, free)
Out: Chris Baird, Simon Davies, Mahamadou Diarra, Thomas Donegan,
Corey Gameiro, Georgios Karagkounis, James Musa, Richard Peniket, Mladen
Petric, Mark Schwarzer, Alex Smith, Csaba Somogyi (All released), Dan
Burn (Birmingham, loan) Hull
In: George Boyd (Peterborough, free), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan, free),
Curtis Davies (Birmingham, undisc), Ahmed Elmohamady (Sunderland,
undisc), Alan McGregor (Besiktas, £1.8m)
Out: Andy Dawson (Scunthorpe, free), Danny East (Portsmouth, free), Sonny Bradley (Portsmouth, free)
Liverpool:
In: Kolo Toure (Manchester City, free) Luis Alberto (Sevilla, £6.8m),
Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, £7.7m), Simon Mignolet (Sunderland, undisc)
Out: Danny Wilson, Tyrell Belford, Jamie Stephens (All released),
Jamie Carragher (retired), Andy Carroll (West Ham, £15m), Jonjo Shelvey
(Swansea, £5m)
Manchester City
In: Jesus Navas (Sevilla, £14.19m), Fernandinho (Shakthar Donetsk, £22m)
Out: Wayne Bridge (Reading, free), Filippo Mancini (Released), Ryan
McGivern (Hibernian, free), Roque Santa Cruz (Released), Kolo Toure
(Liverpool, free), Carlos Tevez (Juventus, £7.6m)
Manchester United
In: Guillermo Varela (Penarol, undisc)
Out: Reece Brown, John Cofie, Michele Fornasier, Luke Giverin, Luke
Hendrie, Luke McCullough, Gyliano Van Velzen, Freddie Veseli (All
released), Paul Scholes (Retired)
Newcastle
In: Olivier Kemen (Metz, undisc)
Out: Steve Harper, Yven Moyo, Danny Simpson (All released), James Perch (Wigan, undisc)
Norwich City
In: Javi Garrido (Lazio, undisc.), Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Sporting Lisbon, undisc), Nathan Redmond (Birmingham, undisc)
Out: Marc Tierney (Bolton, free), Chris Martin (Derby, free), Tom
Adeyemi, Lee Camp, Olumide Durojaiye, George Francomb, Simeon Jackson,
Ramil Sheriff, Korey Smith, Elliott Ward (All released), Jed Steer
(Aston Villa, free) Southampton
In: Dejan Lovren (Lyon, undisc.)
Out: Frazer Richardson, Danny Butterfield, Dan Seabourne, Ryan
Dickson, Ben Reeves, Sam Hoskins, Tommy Forecast, Alberto Seidi (All
released)
Stoke
In: Erik Peters (PSV, £3.6m), Marc Muniesa (Barcelona, free)
Out: Michael Clarkson, Rory Delap, Matthew Gledhill, Jadan Hall,
Matthew Lund, Andrew Musungu, Carlo Nash, George Rigg, Mamady Sidibe,
Matthew Upson, Dean Whitehead (All released), Michael Owen (Retired)
Sunderland
In: Valentin Roberge (Maritimo, free), Cabral (Basel, free), Modibo
Diakite (Lazio, free), Duncan Whatmore (Altrincham, undisc.), David
Moberg Karlsson (Gothenburg, £1.7m), Vito Mannone (Arsenal, undisc)
Out: Titus Bramble, Anthony Callaghan, Wade Joyce, Matt Kilgallon,
Ryan Noble, Adam Reed, Ben Wilson (All released), Simon MIgnolet
(Liverpool, undisc), Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull, undisc)
Swansea
In: Jose Canas (Real Betis, free), Jordi Amat (Espanyol, £2.5m),
Jonathan De Guzman (Villarreal, loan), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool, £5m),
Alejandro Pozuelo (Real Betis, undisc)
Out: Mark Gower (Charlton, free)
Tottenham
In: Paulinho (Corinthians, undisc)
Out: Jack Barthram, David Bentley, John Bostock, William Gallas, Jack
Munns, Jake Nicholson (All released), Massimo Luongo (Swindon, loan),
Grant Hall (Swindon, loan)
West Brom
In: Nicolas Anelka (unattached, free)
Out: Marc-Antoine Fortune, Zoltan Gera, Gonzalo Jara, Romaine Sawyers, Jerome Thomas (All released)
West Ham
In: Adrian (Real Betis, free), Razvan Rat (Shakthar Donetsk, free), Andy Carroll (Liverpool, £15m)
Out: Carlton Cole, Jake Larkins, Gary O'Neil, Jack Powell, Jami
Rafati, Eoin Wearen (All released), Robert Hall (Bolton, fee to be
agreed)
Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne has been arrested after an alleged drunken assault at a railway station.
The 46-year-old ex-Newcastle and Tottenham player, who left rehab in
the United States earlier this year, was held after an incident in
Hertfordshire.
A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said: "Police were called to a
report of a man allegedly being drunk and disorderly at Stevenage
railway station at 10.30pm on Thursday July 4.
"Officers attended the location and arrested a 46-year-old male on suspicion of common assault and being drunk and disorderly."
He was taken into custody but was not charged, police added.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Gascoigne was bailed after being held in a police cell for 12 hours overnight.
Earlier this year, Gascoigne said he wanted to "get back to reality"
after the latest health scare in his battle with alcohol addiction.
He told ITV's Daybreak in March: "'I didn't ask to be an alcoholic,
but I must admit I worked on it. I went to any lengths to get my drink,
I'll go even further to stay sober.''
Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic will spend the 2013-14 season on loan
at Dutch club Ajax, the Primera Division club have confirmed.
Bojan, 22, spent two consecutive years on loan in Italy with Roma and
AC Milan but after scoring seven goals for the capital club he
struggled for game time at San Siro and managed only three league goals.
Liverpool defender Martin Kelly says he would be delighted to play centre-back if asked by manager Brendan Rodgers.
The 23-year-old has mostly featured at right-back for the Merseyside
club since making his debut in a UEFA Champions League clash with PSV
Eindhoven in December 2008.
But, having noticeably bulked up during his time out with a cruciate
knee ligament injury, the defender has underlined his desire to take on a
central role.
"It’s always ideal being able to play in two positions," he told TheLiverpool Echo. "I love playing right-back but if it came to it I could definitely be a centre-back.
"I feel like I’ve got all the attributes. All the positional sense was drummed into me when I played there when I was a kid.
"The last time I played in the middle was for England Under-21s but
that’s not the same as playing there at club level where it’s much
faster. Before that it was just with the academy.
"It would take time for me to become a Premier League centre-back but
I can learn from the experienced defenders we’ve got here."
Kelly went on thank his team-mates for their support during his
nine-month lay-off, which began when he ruptured the knee ligament
during a clash with Manchester United at Anfield.
"Even when I was out, all the lads made sure I still felt part of the team," he continued.
"I came in to do my work at the same time as them so I was with them
before they went out to train. I was still involved in all the meetings
and that was good mentally for me.
"It was great to have Lucas around to talk to. When I’d say my tendon was aching he would reassure me that was normal.
"He was a big support but his rehab was different to mine. His
cruciate was done by a tackle, mine was done by being off balance. He
was back within six months but my rehab took longer because I’m a
different type of player to Lucas.
"The surgeon made it clear that I could only go back into training
when I felt like I not only had the strength but also the balance work
to go with it otherwise I could go over on it again.
"I’m the type of person who takes that bit longer to heal. I did a lot of work in the gym on my strength, core and balance.
"Then I stepped things up gradually by doing a few sessions with the
Under-18s and then the Under-21s before training with the lads at
Melwood."
Kelly has made 54 appearances for Liverpool in total and has one senior England cap.
Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti has brushed off speculation linking him with a summer move to Premier League side Arsenal.
Reports
have claimed that Arsene Wenger is in the market for a new keeper and
he has been linked with a bid for Queens Park Rangers' Brazil
international Julio Cesar.
However, reports in Italy have claimed that the Gunners have made an
enquiry for Marchetti, who has recently been on Confederations Cup duty
with the Azzurri.
The 30-year-old is unaware of the rumours concerning his future and
is heading off on holiday before returning for pre-season training.
"I know nothing about Arsenal," Marchetti told Sky Sport Italia.
"I'm having a holiday and only thinking about relaxing. And then there is the president, who knows what to do."
Arsenal were linked with a £5.5million bid for Marchetti three years ago when the keeper was still on the books of Cagliari.
He joined Lazio in 2011 and he has established himself as one of the
most consistent keepers in Serie A during his two seasons at the Stadio
Olimpico.
Bursaspor have announced on their official website that they have secured the services of Taye Taiwo from AC Milan for an undisclosed fee.
The
Nigeria international was deemed surplus to requirements at the Serie A
giants and will continue his career in Turkey after signing a
three-year deal with his new club. Taiwo had joined Milan from
Olympique de Marseille on a free transfer in the summer of 2011, but
failed to secure regular first team action at the San Siro side.
He
was farmed out on loan to QPR only six months after his arrival, before
leaving Milan for Dynamo Kiev on a one-year loan deal in the summer of
2012.
The 28-year-old returned to Milan ahead of the 2013-14
campaign, but was quickly told that he was no longer needed and has now
left the club on a permanent basis.
Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto admits he has never heard of new
team-mate Paulinho as the club prepare to announce the €20 million
signing of the Brazilian midfielder.
Paulinho, who starred for
his country at the Confederations Cup, flew to London on Friday to
undergo a medical and sign a contract to complete his transfer from
Corinthians.
But the 24-year-old’s arrival is news to Assou-Ekotto, who is
notorious for having little interest in football away from playing the
game.
“I don’t know what he looks like,” Assou-Ekotto told Goal. “I don’t know him, I don’t follow this kind of news.
“It’s
like two or three years ago, Rafael van der Vaart was there in training
one day. I said hello to him but I didn’t know he was Rafael van der
Vaart.
“I don’t understand people who don’t understand me [not
showing an interest in football]. Most people don’t go back home with
their job and it’s the same for me.”
Assou-Ekotto will fly to
Africa on Saturday to help the fight against the disease known as ‘river
blindness’ in his homeland of Cameroon caused by black flies.
The
29-year-old will return to pre-season training later this month and
believes Andre Villas-Boas’ side must get off to a better start than
last year as they target a top four finish.
“The target is the Champions League because it’s the best competition in the world,” Assou-Ekotto added.
“I
hope this season we will start the season from the first minute because
last year we had a poor start and when you see the results at the end
of the season, we missed out by one point.
“This season we will have to be at 200 per cent focus.”
Bayern Munich have fined Mario Gomez, Mario Gotze and Jan Kirchhoff
for wearing Nike clothes at official FCB events rather than kit from
club sponsor Adidas, press officer Markus Horwick has confirmed.
The
Bundesliga side's players are contractually obliged to wear Adidas
clothes at official club activities - football shoes being the only
exception to the rule. However, both Gotze and Kirchhoff appeared
at their official presentation on Tuesday wearing a t-shirt with a big
Nike logo, leading to complaints from Adidas.
Bayern consequently
offered their apologies to the company, only for Mario Gomez then to be
photographed wearing a Nike hat at the club's training camp in
Trentino.
The Champions League winners therefore opted to take
action against the trio and have handed them fines, which will be
donated to the victims of the recent floods in Germany.
No
details have been disclosed about the amount of the fines, but all three
players have accepted their punishment without further comment.
Tottenham have signed Brazil midfielder Paulinho from Corinthians for a fee believed to be just under £17m.
Paulinho
has become Andre Villas-Boas' first summer recruit as he looks to
reshape his squad ahead of a push for a top-four place in the Premier
League next season.
The player revealed during the Confederations Cup tournament in his
native country that a bid from Spurs to seal his signature had been
lodged and that north London was his most likely destination.
Inter Milan and Real Madrid were also believed to be interested in a
move for the former Bragantino midfielder, who scored twice during the
tournament, following on from his equalising goal in Brazil's 2-2 draw
with England last month.
"I am very happy and excited to have joined Spurs," said Paulinho.
"It's a huge pleasure for my career to be at a club as big as
Tottenham."
"I am very happy and excited to have joined Spurs. It's a huge pleasure for my career to be at a club as big as Tottenham."
Paulinho
Paulinho confirmed earlier this week that he had no regrets about his
decision to move to White Hart Lane, telling ESPN Brasil: "They
(Tottenham) made an offer to my agent and to Corinthians, I sat down,
analysed the proposal and chose Tottenham. We think it was the best
path, the best option.
"I am moving from one big club to Tottenham, another club in a big
league. I am sure I will perform my job to the best of my ability. I
don't regret and I won't regret [this decision]."
His compatriot, and new team-mate Sandro, is confident that Paulinho has the ability to make an impact in the Premier League.
Sandro told Globo Esporte: "I think he has what it takes to do well here.
"This is a club with a great structure. It has been fighting for the
top positions in the last few years and playing in European
competitions.
"Paulinho will certainly help us become even stronger.
"I can only say 'welcome to Tottenham, Paulinho'. I am very happy, I
will try to do the same thing Gomes did when I arrived. He was very
important when I came and helped me adapt. If Paulinho needs me, I will
help. I welcome him."
Paulinho has been likened to Frank Lampard, and he acknowledged he is
happy to take on board any comparisons with the veteran Chelsea and
England midfielder.
"This comparison is a responsibility that I will take," said Paulinho. "I will not run away from it.
"Lampard is a great player, not only for Chelsea but in world football.
"I intend to follow in his footsteps as he is a very professional guy. David Luiz always speaks of him on international duty.
"I've always looked at what Lampard does and to me he is a huge
phenomenon. The way he hits the ball, what positions he takes up, he
really is incredible."
