Inter Milan in talks to sign Man City midfielder

Inter Milan have entered negotiations to sign Manchester City anchorman Nigel de Jong, according to reports in Italy. 

 De Jong, who moved to City from Hamburg in 2009, managed just 11 Premier League starts last season, prompting doubts over his long-term future at the Etihad Stadium. 

The Netherlands international expressed his desire to continue his career at City last week, but they reports that Inter Milan have already entered talks over a move for the midfielder, who is valued between £6.4m and £8m. 

Inter, who are desperate for a return to Champions League football after finishing sixth last season, believe de Jong could be persuaded to move to the San Siro on the advice of international team-mate Wesley Sneijder.

Read more »

Ivanovic urges Modric to snub United and Real for Chelsea move

Branislav Ivanovic has told Luka Modric to abandon a move to Real Madrid or Manchester United and join European champions Chelsea instead. 


The in-demand Tottenham playmaker was the Blues top transfer target last summer but opted to stay at White Hart Lane for another season. 


 Tottenham's failure to reach this year's Champions League - as a result of the Blues beating Bayern Munich in the final last month - has made the Croatian reconsider his future with a big-money exit looming. 


 And Ivanovic has urged one of the star men at this summer's Euro 2012 to head to Stamford Bridge. 'I know there was interest in the transfer window before,' he told reporters. 'Chelsea as a team have needed a player with these qualities. 


He would fit in quickly and strengthen the squad. He has been in England a long time and knows about the way football is played on the island and the mentality of the players. 


He has exceptional quality, and moving to a bigger club is necessary for him to take the next step in his career. 'I think at Chelsea he would adapt instantly and become a better player.


 He should come to Chelsea - it won't go wrong!' Real boss Jose Mourinho is a big admirer of Modric, as is United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, while French giants Paris St-Germain could also enter the running for the 26-year-old.

Read more »

Barcelona rubbish Drogba rumours

Both Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and the former Chelsea striker's agency have denied that Didier Drogba will join the Spanish club.

 Drogba has recently been spotted in Barcelona prompting speculation he could leave Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, who he only just joined a week ago, for the 21-time La Liga champions. But Rosell has denied any knowledge of Drogba in Barcelona. 

I don't know anything about Drogba," Rosell said on Tuesday. "If he's here it's because he's here for holidays apart from that I don't know anything else. 

Drogba inspired Chelsea to a shock victory over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals last season. 

 But the 34-year-old's representatives, The Sports PR Company, have backed up Rosell's claims and flatly rejected that Drogba was on the way to Catalonia. 

He will not sign for Barcelona," a representative of The Sports PR Company said. 

 "What kind of clause would that be? "Do you really think that Shanghai would accept a clause where he could leave for free?"

Read more »

Tottenham Demand £19m Plus Two Real Madrid Players for Modric Deal

Luka Modric’s transfer from Tottenham may see Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin and Ricardo Carvalho move the other way. 

Transfer speculation involving Modric has been commonplace this summer, with the Croatian expected to leave Tottenham for one of the big two in La Liga, Barcelona or Real Madrid.

 Although the White Hart Lane faithful are hoping Modric stays with the club, it appears increasingly unlikely as Spurs have neither Champions League football nor an influential manager to convince their talismanic playmaker of future silverware. 

Croatian legend Davor Suker has encouraged Modric to move to the Santiago Bernabeu instead of the Camp Nou, and it appears that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would also prefer to do business with Los Blancos. 

Newspaper The National reports that Levy is willing to enter negotiations with Real, if the Spanish club offer Sahin and Carvalho, in addition to a 25 million Euro bid. 

 Daniel Levy may well be ready to relent and allow Luka Modric to complete a move away from White Hart Lane, a year after the White Hart Lane chairman steadfastly refused the Croatian’s request to join Chelsea. 

Perhaps the Tottenham chief merely wanted to avoid selling to a fellow Premier League side but in order for a deal to be struck with Real Madrid it seems that the North London club are keen to sell on their terms.

 Tottenham could well do with new defensive options given that Ledley King is out of contract and William Gallas & Michael Dawson are injury concerns.

 However a move for veteran Ricardo Carvalho is clearly not a long term solution to this problem, indeed many had thought that Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen was the player set to resolve that issue.

Read more »

Chelsea turn to Andre Schurrle as Victor Moses talks hit the skids

The Blues are keen on adding at least one more winger to their squad this summer, despite the addition of Eden Hazard and Marko Marin for a combined £38 million, and manager Roberto Di Matteo has drawn up a list of four targets. 

 Wigan flyer Victor Moses is the priority, but Chelsea were warned off the player last week by Latics chairman Dave Whelan, who has already snubbed Di Matteo's £4 million offer.

 Moses has told Wigan he is desperate to quit the DW Stadium before the start of the season, but Whelan is standing firm, blaming agent Tony Finnigan for trying to sell a player who owes everything to the club. 

 Finnigan adamantly rejects the claim, and told the Northern Echo: 'All I will say on this matter is that how did Victor Moses end up at Wigan, when he could have gone to Manchester City? Who took him to Wigan. 

The row between the two parties is set to continue this week, but Chelsea have now cooled their interest and will instead look into a deal for Leverkusen star Schurrle.

 Schurrle is currently away with the Germany squad at Euro 2012, where he is being monitored by Chelsea scouts, who are considering testing the water with an £7 million bid.

 Leverkusen are certain to want more - closer to the £15 million bracket - but the Blues have only been following the player closely for a few months, and are unlikely to want to pay anything near that figure.

 A fast, agile and technical winger, Schurrle was subject of tentative Chelsea interest last summer, but his stock has risen since, and AC Milan are now rumoured to be keeping tabs on the 21-year-old. Schurrle is currently conracted to Leverkusen until 2016.

Read more »

Ozil: we will beat Italy and win Euro 2012

Mesut Ozil, who has been an integral part of the German team at Euro 2012 with three assists, is confident that Joachim Low's side will be able to overcome Italy in the semi-finals en route to the trophy. 

 The playmaker also singled out two players from the opposing camp as a potential threat, but praised the Azzurri for being a compact team". "The past does not matter. 

The other teams have great respect for us.

 Our goal is to bring the European title back to Germany, he told reporters. "We are here for this.

 We can beat Italy and we want the title," he continued. “Andrea Pirlo is a world-class player, Mario Balotelli is a great striker. 

But we do not think of the individual adversaries. Italy are a very compact team, but we can beat them," the 23-year-old playmaker added. Germany will face Italy on June 28 in Warsaw.

Read more »

High-flying Chelsea seal airline deal with Delta ahead of tour to America

Chelsea have announced Delta Air Lines as the Barclays Premier League club's new official global airline partner. 

The European champions have agreed a two-year tie-up with Delta and will join Chelsea on their pre-season tour of the United States.

 Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: 'It is a fantastic opportunity for Chelsea Football Club to partner ourselves with Delta Air Lines, an industry leader in aviation.

 'Delta's passion for innovation and first-class service around the world make them a perfect match for us and we look forward to working together as we continue to develop the Chelsea name across the globe. 

It further demonstrates our commitment to growing our activities in America, highlighted by our 2012 summer tour that will take in Seattle, New York, Philadelphia and Miami.

 Delta's senior vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Perry Cantarutti added: 'Partnering with a leading club in the Premier League is an exciting way to strengthen our brand both in the UK and around the world.'

Read more »