LA LIGA FIXTURES ANNOUNCED

Neymar will play in his first Clasico for Barcelona against Real Madrid on October 27 at Camp Nou.

The second clash of the 2013-14 campaign between Spain's two superpowers is set for a March 23 date at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Barca start their title defence with a home match against Levante on the weekend of August 17-19.

Last year's runners-up Real Madrid on the other hand take on Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu in their first league game under new head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The other standout ties of matchday one are the game between Valencia and Malaga and the match versus Sevilla and Atletico Madrid.

The first leg of the Supercopa de Espana - the traditional season opener - between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will take place on August 21 at the Vicente Calderon, with the return at Camp Nou seven days later.

Find the complete fixtures for the first week;

       Barcelona vs Levante
  Real Madrid vs Betis
          Valencia vs Malaga
             Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid
 Real Sociedad vs Getafe
        Valladolid vs Athletico Bilbao
           Osasuna vs Granada
   Celta de Vigo vs Espanyol
            Almeria vs Villarreal
Rayo Vallecano vs Elche 

DORTMUND COMPLETE SIGNING OF MKHITARYAN

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Liverpool target Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Dortmund made an obligatory statement to the German stock exchange on Monday confirming they were in negotiations with Shakhtar for the Armenian, but that "details still have to be resolved".
Overnight, Donetsk said the transfer was wrapped up and the 24-year-old midfielder had become a Dortmund player for a fee of £23.7million.

Dortmund have confirmed that Mkhitaryan has agreed a four-year contract to become the club's third summer signing following the arrivals of Soktratis Papastathopoulos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Liverpool had been heavily linked with the player throughout the summer - although there was never any official contact between either club or Mkhitarian himself.

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told the club's official website: "We are delighted that we got a fantastic new signing for the attacking midfield role in Henrikh Mkhitaryan."
Dortmund's chairman of the board Hans-Joachim Watzke added: "It was not an easy transfer, but we really wanted to have Henrikh - and now we have him!"
Mkhitaryan shot to prominence last season when he scored 12 goals in his side's first nine games of the season.
He then scored twice in his side's opening Champions League tie against FC Nordsjaelland and helped the club dispose of Chelsea in the group stage of that competition.
He made a total of 106 appearances for Shakhtar and scored 46 goals and is destined to plug the gap in the Dortmund side left by the sale of Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich.

FERDINAND WARNS ROONEY ABOUT LEAVING UNITED

Ferdinand had some words for Rooney

He's mature enough now and old enough to make his own mind up. I'm sure in time he'll have his say.
I don't see where you go better from here. For instance, Cristiano has been ridiculous as a football player individually but has he won more trophies since leaving than what we've won? That's the way I look at it.
I wouldn't say that he shouldn't have gone there; it was his dream to go there, so you have to respect that. But I just look at things in a plain, black and white way - I want to win trophies so why would I leave here?

– Man United defender, Rio Ferdinand

ARSENAL STRIKER IN DISCUSSIONS WITH FRANKFURT

Nicklas Bendtner will arrive in Germany today to discuss a move to Eintracht Frankfurt, according to German sports magazine Kicker.

The Danish striker barely featured on loan at Serie A champions Juventus last season and has never managed to win over Arsenal's fans since making his senior debut in 2007.
Reports earlier this week have also suggested that Malaga are interested in securing his services.

FIORENTINA SET JOVETIC TRANSFER FEE AT €30M

Fiorentina co-owner Andrea Della Valle has stressed that the club will not back down from their €30 million valuation of striker Stevan Jovetic.

Juventus had been linked with the Montenegrin forward as they bid to bolster their attacking options ahead of the new season.

But following the arrivals of Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez, Bianconeri general director Beppe Marotta revealed that the club had called off their pursuit of Jovetic due to the poor relations between the two sides.

And Della Valle has made it clear that his club could only be tempted into selling 23-year-old to the Serie A giants for a huge transfer fee.

"Give us €30 million or nothing," he told Sport Mediaset.

"We need to understand if they have the money or not. We do not accept exchanges. We won't go down from our €30m demand and won't wait much longer."

The Viola have brought in Mario Gomez from Bayern Munich for a fee of €16m on Monday, and Della Valle hinted that Gomez's signing was not made to replace Jovetic, but complement him.

"It was important and the negotiations were difficult," he added. "Gomez is the missing piece in Vincenzo Montella's team."

EVERTON SET TO SIGN PARAGUAYAN INTERNATIONAL

Everton are set to seal the signing of Paraguayan international defender Antolin Alcaraz.

The 30-year-old defender is a free agent having left Wigan Athletic at the end of the season when his contract expired.

New Everton boss Roberto Martinez has already raided his former club this week to sign Arouna Kone, and now he has moved for another of his former charges in the shape of Alcaraz.
Sky Sports understands the central defender has agreed a two-year deal with the Toffees and is set to sign on at Goodison Park after a medical, which is due to take place on Tuesday.
Alcaraz and Kone could both be joined by another former team-mate as Sky Sports understands that goalkeeper Joel Robles, who was on loan at Wigan last season from Atletico Madrid, is also set for talks with Everton.

LAZIO SIGN ANDERSON

Lazio have secured the services of Felipe Anderson from Santos for an undisclosed fee, according to the club's official website.

The 20-year-old had long been linked with a move to the Serie A side and has now signed a five-year deal with the Biancocelesti to complete his transfer.

Anderson is a product of the Santos youth academy and made his official first team debut for the Brazilian giants in October 2010.

The midfielder had since developed into a key player at Santos, attracting the interest of a number of European sides in the process.

Lazio initially struck a deal with Santos to sign Anderson in January, but the move then fell through following complications over the necessary paperwork.

Anderson will now continue his career in the Italian capital after all, though, as he joins compatriots Hernanes, Ederson and Andre Dias.

RODGERS: ASPAS IS A FIERCE COMPETITOR

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says that he signed Iago Aspas because he displayed a winning mentality during his time at Celta.

The Reds boss wants to marry technical quality with mental strength going into the new season and observed that the Spaniard became an attractive proposition this summer because he is a fierce competitor on the pitch.

"When we sat down last year we felt we needed to bring more of that mentality into the group - players with quality but also players with a winning mentality," Rodgers told the club's official website.

"Iago is a real competitor but he's also got quality as well. We're really looking forward to seeing him in action."

Aspas is joined at Anfield by fellow Spaniard Luis Alberto, whom the former Swansea City manager sees as one for the future.

"He's one who, over the next period of time, we'll see is an outstanding player. He fits what we're trying to do really well," the Northern Irishman continued.

"He's a very young player but he's played competitive games and the philosophy won't be anything new to him.

"He understands the game very well. He's got the right profile of what we want and he's another player who can score goals. I'm very much looking forward to working with him and seeing how he develops in the squad."

NORWICH CLOSING IN ON DUTCH INTERNATIONAL

Leroy Fer's agent says that the Dutch international has a number of offers, as reports in Holland claim Norwich City are closing in on the FC Twente star.

The 23-year-old midfielder was close to joining Everton in the January transfer window, but the deal fell through.

Now a number of clubs from around Europe are being linked, although it is Norwich who it is claimed are closing in on his signature.
When asked about Norwich signing Fer, his agent Rob Jansen told Tubantia: "There are actually several offers for Fer."
It is also being reported in the Dutch media that Norwich are now in the running to sign another Eredivisie star in the shape of Ajax's Belgian international defender Toby Alderweireld.

MOURINHO: THE OLDER PLAYERS ARE VERY CRUCIAL TO CLUB

As Chelsea returned for pre-season training for the first time under Jose Mourinho in six years, he insisted that his old players were crucial to the club's 'legacy'.

Last season, it seemed the likes of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and captain John Terry could be playing their final seasons for the club as reports claimed that owner Roman Abramovich wanted a new look.
However, after his first day back on the job, Mourinho was quick to emphasise the importance of his old guard.

"This is the legacy of the club culture - as some guys are arriving they have others who can transmit to them immediately what this club means," Mourinho told The Sun.
"One day, these older players will finish and the younger guys now will be the older ones in the future, so the Chelsea culture is continuously passed on from one generation to the next."
Mourinho also singled out the example of his former star Didier Drogba, who became a club legend.

"I think Didier Drogba, as a man and as a professional, is a good guy to be looked at as a very special player in the history of this club," he said.
"I can use Didier as a profile to persuade the young boys to follow me because he did follow me from day one.
"He was playing in France and nobody really knew a lot about him when I asked the owner Roman Abramovich to buy him.
"Some people thought he was too expensive for somebody who had not proved himself. Then, in the owner's 10th year in charge, he was voted the best player in Chelsea's history.
"I think every player can have the same ambition that Didier had because he was a guy driven by ambition, by emotion, by friendship and by loyalty.
"He was loyal to the club, the manager, his fellow players and the fans."
As he returned, Mourinho admits that his first thought is to make the Chelsea fans 'happy' this season.
"I want to make the Chelsea fans happy - by results, by our playing style, by the mentality and the personality of the team," he said.
"They have to know that we always give everything.
"I know from my record at Chelsea, also at Inter and Madrid, that I made many decisions that helped my teams.
"If I gamble with a very risky decision, it can go the wrong way. How many times did I play here with three defenders?
"I remember against West Ham (in April 2006) we were losing 1-0 and we were playing with 10 men after Maniche got a red card early in the game.
"I still gambled because I wanted to win with 10 men - and we did win, 4-1."