Worldwide Soccer Sport

Celtic hammered Motherwell in their SPL clash at Parkhead to set themselves up perfectly for their Europa League group opener against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.

Man-of-the match James Forrest helped himself to a brace with further goals from fellow midfielders Joe Ledley and Ki Sung-yueng as the disappointing Steelmen were dismantled with ease.

Neil Lennon's men will travel to Spain with confidence for what is sure to be more difficult task as they remained one point behind SPL leaders Rangers, whom they meet in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox next Sunday.

All in all, it was a good afternoon's work for the Parkhead side who at no point looked like they may be troubled.

New signing Badr El-Kaddouri, on loan from Dinamo Kiev, took over from left-back Charlie Mulgrew who moved in to the centre of defence at the expense of Daniel Majstorovic, who dropped out altogether.

Right-back Adam Matthews replaced injured Cha Du-ri, while skipper Scott Brown failed a fitness test on his ankle, his place taken by Ledley.

It was a tepid start by the home side, skippered for the day by midfielder Beram Kayal, but they still went ahead after only eight minutes through Forrest.

An impressive move by the Parkhead side saw Gary Hooper link up with strike-partner Anthony Stokes and, when the Irishman's pass split the Well defence, Forrest guided the ball past Well keeper Darren Randolph from 12 yards with some assurance.

The visitors responded and in the 16th minute left-back Steven Hammell worked a one-two with midfielder Keith Lasley inside the Celtic box, but lone-striker Michael Higdon turned after taking the cut-back and drove wide.

However, in the 27th minute, after Randolph had flapped at a Mulgrew corner, the Fir Park side almost fell further behind.

As the ball bounced around inside the box Hooper tried an overhead kick which came off the bar before Fir Park captain Stephen Craigan cleared with Stokes waiting to head the ball in to the empty net.

A minute later Randolph made up for his error with a decent save from Forrest's low drive from the edge of the box.

Just before the half-hour mark Chris Humphrey replaced Shaun Hutchinson who looked to have injured himself and there was soon more woe for Stuart McCall's side.

In the 33rd minute the Steelmen failed to defend properly again and, when Stokes slipped the ball through to Ledley, the Wales midfielder quickly slammed the ball past Randolph.

Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings was then booked for a rash challenge on Hooper with the Celtic striker also seeing yellow for his reaction.

Three minutes from the break Forrest threaded his way to the edge of the Well box again, but sent his shot inches wide of the post before Ledley forced a save from Randolph with a drive from distance.

Good odds were available at half-time for a Motherwell comeback and they would have increased further two minutes into the second half had defender Tim Clancy's wayward pass back, which fooled Randolph, gone in to his own net instead of just past the post.

The Lanarkshire side survived the corner and, when Ki combined with Mulgrew minutes later, they were again lucky that no Celtic player was on the end of the cross which sped across the goal begging to be knocked home.

It seemed all too easy for Celtic and on the hour mark Forrest ran on to a clever flick from Hooper at the edge of the visitors' box, but did not connect with his shot properly and the ball ran past the far post.

However, it was all over in the 67th minute when Ki made it 3-0, the South Korean hammering in a drive from 25 yards after Ledley laid the ball in to his path after taking a Hooper pass.

Lennon's other new signing, Mohamed Bangura, the 22-year-old African striker brought in from AIK Stockholm, came on for Stokes to a great reception from the home fans.

Kayal drove just wide from distance before Forrest grabbed his second in the 73rd minute, running through the dispirited Motherwell defence before knocking the ball past Randolph.

There was a late shout for a Celtic penalty when Clancy clashed with Forrest inside the box but referee Alan Muir was having none of it.

But by then the damage was done.

Barcelona have confirmed winger Alexis Sanchez will miss the next eight weeks with a thigh injury sustained in Saturday night's draw at Real Sociedad.

Alexis, a big-money arrival from Udinese this summer, was carried off on a stretcher during the first half of the 2-2 draw in San Sebastian and Barca have announced the Chilean is facing a lengthy lay-off.

He is expected to miss the next 13 games with Barca pencilling in the clash with Real Zaragoza on the weekend of November 19/20 as a date for his possible return.

His absence will be a blow for a Barca side still reeling from throwing away a two-goal lead at the Estadio de Anoeta. Two goals in as many minutes from Xavi and Cesc Fabregas put Barca 2-0 up inside the opening quarter-hour and they appeared to be cruising.

But Imanol Agirretxe's header changed all that and Antoine Griezmann netted a bizarre equaliser - making good on his pre-match promise to prove his commitment to the club after the collapse of his longed-for summer move to Atletico Madrid.

Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets spoke on Sunday of the need to "correct the mistakes''. He said: "Last year we also began with problems, losing to Hercules, but it's no good worrying about it.

"We have to take note of it, correct the mistakes, and think from today about the Champions League and AC Milan (on Tuesday night). At half-time we didn't think at all that the game was won, and it turned out like that.

"It's a fact that away from home winning is always tough and will get increasingly tougher. We haven't had the chance to talk about what happened yesterday but we will.''

Most of the Barca squad were away on international duty last week, and Spain international Busquets believes that may have been a contributing factor. He added: "It's always tricky. You come back from another setting, another team, and different team-mates. It's not easy to get back to what we do well, but we can't let it happen again.''

Celtic new boy Mohamed Bangura has candidly revealed his ambition to win a move to one of Europe's elite leagues, claiming he could leave Parkhead as early as next year.

Bagura, 22, signed a four-year deal when he moved from Swedish side AIK Stockholm last month with the fee reportedly ?2 million.

The Sierra Leone forward is in line to make his Hoops debut in their SPL clash with Motherwell at Celtic Park on Saturday. However, he is keen for his career to progress further than the SPL and hopes a good season in Scotland can attract the attention of clubs in England, Spain and Italy.

"Coming to Celtic is a good move for me, but I want to reach the top,'' Bangura said. "That's what I'm working towards and this is a step forward for me. I am still fighting to reach the highest level.

"To come to Celtic gives me a good feeling because it's another step in my career. I have to work to get to the top. I'm talking about the Spanish league, the English league or maybe the Italian league.

"If I can do my best here with Celtic then I will see what the future holds. If possible, I could make the next step in one year - if everything goes well and the club is willing, why not?"

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor insists he has nothing to prove to Manchester City and believes his relationship with the club has been damaged beyond repair.

The former Arsenal forward did his best to win over the Spurs faithful with a debut goal as Tottenham beat Wolves 2-0 at Molineux.

Adebayor, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Real Madrid, did not train with the City squad for much of pre-season and was left out of their tour to North America. Although he has three years left on his City contract, the former Togo international believes he will never return to Eastlands.

"It's too early to say whether I'll stay [at Tottenham]," Adebayor said in the Daily Mail. "But the love between Manchester City and myself is broken.

"I still have three years left on my contract and even at the end of this season, another two. I will decide on my career in April or May. Now, I want to help Tottenham. I have nothing to prove to Manchester City. Everyone in the country knows what I am capable of.

"The club's view on me changed when Roberto Mancini came in. But I have a huge respect for the man. However, it's more than strange. When you have a player like myself who they suddenly say is not good enough, I went to Real Madrid, played, and scored goals.

"I came back here to prove to everyone else that I'm still a good footballer. For me, if you don't allow me to train with a professional team, there is something wrong there. So, for me, it's over. I have to take the positives out of it. I have the chance to play for Tottenham and that's all that matters now."

The leading teams in Brazil's Campeonato all failed to register wins in the latest round of matches.

Pacesetters Corinthians came unstuck 1-0 at Fluminense, who move up to fifth as a result of Fred's 22nd-minute decider.

However, Sao Paulo could not capitalise, falling to a 1-0 defeat at Gremio, with Dos Santos Douglas netting the only goal in the 64th minute.

The result means Vasco da Gama move above Sao Paulo into second - but they could only manage a 1-1 draw with Figueirense.

Silva Wellington gave the home side a fourth-minute lead and although Vasco da Gama were level 12 minutes later courtesy of Conserva Fagner, they could not find a winner which would have taken them to the top of the table.

However, the night's big shock saw fourth-placed Botafogo crash to a 5-0 loss at Coritiba. Emerson broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute and the floodgates opened in the second half with Marcos Aurelio (penalty), Rosimar Bill, Rafinha and Everton Costa all finding the target.

Flamengo slip to sixth after a 2-1 home defeat to Atletico Paranaense, who played a quarter of the game with ten men. Aguiar Heracles and Joffre Guerron gave the visitors a 2-0 lead, before Guerron saw red - but all Flamengo could manage was Welinton Souza's 81st-minute goal.

Internacional are up to seventh after a 3-0 win at Palmeiras - with Leandro Damiao's hat-trick enabling them to move above their opponents.

Felipe's 87th-minute goal gave Atletico Goianiense a 1-1 draw at Ceara, who had led through Egidio's 37th-minute goal, while two goals from Magno Alves - one a penalty - enabled Atletico Mineiro to move above fellow strugglers Bahia with a 2-0 home win. The visitors had Paulo Miranda dismissed.

By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent

QPR manager Neil Warnock has told ESPNsoccernet that Joey Barton was his first-choice signing this summer but accepts his temperament could cause problems.

Newcastle made Barton available on a free transfer last month but, with the Premier League's top clubs showing little interest, he made the move to top-flight newcomers QPR.

Warnock accepts that Barton's "baggage" was a deterrent to other sides, but he is just delighted that he was able to convince the player to move to Loftus Road.

"Let's be honest - if he didn't have this baggage he wouldn't have been signing for QPR," Warnock told ESPNsoccernet. "No one wanted him, but I did, and not for the first time. I wanted him when they were bombing him out of Manchester City and I was manager of Sheffield United.

"I had forgotten I tried to sign Joey, but he remembered that I wanted him when nobody else did once before, and I think that helped him make up his mind to give us a go.

"We had been linked with Scott Parker and I know how much the chairman wanted him, as a big-name signing, but my choice - my No. 1 signing - was always Joey Barton. Joey is the classic leader I was looking for. You can see the way he works in training how much he wants to be a winner.

"He's got everything, and you know that he has got perhaps too much! The rest of the Premier League are going to spend the next nine months trying to wind him up. How do you stop that passion? How do you stop him wanting to be a winner? That is impossible. It is up to him to curb his temperament at the moment that it matters. If he can do that, there is no limit to how far he can go in the game.

"It's pointless me saying anything that he doesn't know already, so I am not giving him any orders - these things happen in the heat of the moment and I cannot be in there with him when that flashpoint occurs. However, his team-mates will be close to him, and his team-mates can contribute to trying to keep him out of trouble."

Barton is set to face Newcastle at Loftus Road on Monday night and, while it may make for a fiery debut, Warnock feels it is an ideal situation.

"Certainly there can be no better debut for Joey Barton," Warnock said. "His old club, a full house and an exciting game against Newcastle - so much so you will be lucky to get hold of a pork pie at the game, let alone a ticket!"

Between June 1 and September 1, we will be keeping you up to date with all the latest gossip and speculation from the world of football, as well as the actual completed transfers of course.

00.00 Right then, that's all we've got time for on this penultimate day of the transfer window. Join us again tomorrow as we work towards the transfer window slamming shut at 11pm BST. Should be a cracker!

23.51 And heading in the opposite direction to Spain could be Wolfsburg midfielder Diego, who has been tipped to join Atletico Madrid.

23.30 Reports from Germany suggest that Alex Hleb could sign for Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

23.14 Lorient have signed Fulham youngster Cheick Toure.

23.03 Charlie Adam on Twitter: "Just read we have now signed sebastian coates welcome to LFC"

22.56 For those of you who are wondering how well Sebastian Coates is likely to cope with the rigours of the Premier League, look no further than this analysis at the Uruguay international's prospects from our South American football expert Sam Kelly.

22.43 - DONE DEAL Sebastian Coates finally completes his move to Liverpool. FULL STORY HERE

22.18 Birmingham City have rejected a transfer request from defender Liam Ridgewell, according to the Daily Mail. Ridgewell is keen on a return to the Premier League, with West Brom and Stoke among those clubs linked with him this summer.

22.01 Big spending Russian Premier League side Anzhi are being linked with a swoop for Standard Liege's Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez.

21.48 For a while it seemed though Simon Kjaer's move to Roma was off, then it was back on again. Now, it appears he will initially move on loan - in a deal that will cost Roma €3 million - according to reports from Sky Sport 24.

21.37 It's a busy old evening in France, as Nancy become the latest club to welcome new players. Romania striker Daniel Niculae and French midfielder Thomas Mangani have arrived on loan from Monaco.

21.23 Newcastle have added Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Rob Elliot to their ranks, the Addicks have confirmed.

21.02 Fulham are really set to splash the cash, with the Coattagers agreeing a fee of £10.6 million with FC Twente winger Bryan Ruiz.

20.48 Liverpool have confirmed that Christian Poulsen has been given permission to speak to Ligue 1 new boys Evian after the two clubs agreed a fee.

20.36 Still no official confirmation on Coates - come on Liverpool! But, elsewhere, Brazil midfielder Elias has joined Sporting Lisbon from Atletico Madrid for €8.85 million euros.

20.22 It would seem that Sebatsian Coates has signed for Liverpool - Luis Suarez has been on Twitter welcoming his Uruguay team-mate to Anfield. Suarez said: "I want to welcome Coates, partner in the uruguayan team, friend and great player who just signed for Liverpool!"

20.10 FULL STORY HERE on Davide Santon's move to Newcastle.

20.02 The comments are still flooding in and Leicester fan Jake was not to impressed by Sven's bizarre £6.5 million bid for Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic.

"As a Leicester supporter, I'd rather see us pursuing young strikers with a strong history of scoring the Championship then spending loads of cash in a desperate attempt to make a splash at the deadline. That Matty Fryatt lad seems to score a lot of goals..."

19.56 Juventus have now confirmed that Eljero Elia is in town for his medical. Right, we promise that's the last you'll hear of Elia until he actually signs. The updates on his movements have been unnervingly regular.

19.45 Better news for Newcastle is that they have signed Inter Milan defender Davide Santon. Magpies boss Alan Pardew said: "We are delighted to bring to Davide to Newcastle. He is a quality left-back and an established international who also gives us flexibility in defence. Davide is a young lad and a great signing for us and I am sure he will adapt to the Premier League very quickly."

Santon added: "I am really pleased to sign for Newcastle. The chance to play in the Premier League and in front of 50,000 fans at St. James' Park was too good to turn down. This is an ambitious club who want to move forward and I want to help them achieve that."

19.34 Saint Etienne say they have reached an agreement with Leeds over the signing of Max Gradel. That's bad news for Newcastle's hopes of signing Modibo Maiga, as Sochaux said they would only sell Maiga if they had a suitable replacement, with Gradel thought to have been in advanced talks with them.

Saint Etienne said: "Agreements in principle have been made with Steaua Bucharest and Leeds United for the arrivals of Banel Nicolita Max-Alain Gradel"

19.12 Juventus have released Czech Republic defender Zdenek Grygera, paving the way for him to move to Fulham. This one has been on the cards for the last few days and the centre-back now looks certain to join the Cottagers.

A Juventus statement said: "After four years, Zdenek Grygera's four-season spell at Juventus comes to an end. The Czech player has today consensually terminated his contract with the
club."

19.03 - DONE DEAL West Ham have signed former Fulham and Portsmouth midfielder Papa Bouba Diop on a free transfer from AEK Athens. The Sengal international's arrival surely signals the departure of Scott Parker.

Diop said: "I am very happy today. I enjoyed playing again and it is good to be here to sign. I want to help West Ham go up and I hope we can be successful. English football is the best in the world. I have come here to work hard and give 100 per cent in every game I play for West Ham United. I want to show the people I am back again."

18.52 Lyon midfielder Miralem Pjanic has refused to rule out the possibility that he might leave the club, with Roma and Lazio believed to be waiting in the wings to swoop for the Bosnia international.

Pjanic said: "The transfer market is still open and so anything can happen from now until August 31," Pjanic is quoted as saying by Corriere dello Sport. "If something has not happened until now, it does not mean that it will not happen. Everything depends on any offer which Lyon receive. Nothing has been defined yet."

18.39 Blackpool's attempts to bring Nile Ranger to Bloomfield Road may not be over yet, with skysports.com reporting that the striker will reconsider leaving Newcastle having initially turned down the Tangerines.

18.22 Lyon have signed full-back Mouhamadou Dabo from Sevilla on a four-year deal. OL confirmed: "The transfer fee is one million euros, with €800,000 of possible incentives."

18.09 - BREAKING NEWS Scott Parker hands in an official transfer request, with Spurs the favourites to land him.

Parker said: "I have had a fantastic four years at West Ham United and will never forget all the support I have had from the fans and everyone associated with the club.

"The manager and board have tried hard to convince me to stay but at this stage in my career, I need to be playing in the Premier League, especially now that I am involved with England.

"I hope the fans will understand and respect my decision and I wish the club every success in their fight for promotion this season."

17.56 Swansea have bought another goalkeeper, with German Gerhard Tremmel arriving at the club after a successful trial. Tremmel has previously previously played in the Bundesliga for Hannover, Hertha Berlin and Energie Cottbus. He was a free agent having left Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg this summer.

17.49 Among all the high-profile transfers, there are some lesser known deals that also need reporting. Here is one: Gambia international Dawda Bah has joined Bundesliga side Augsburg, who were promoted to the German top flight last season.
"(We've signed) a player who can play anywhere up front so we're happy," said Augsburg official Andreas Rettig.

17.38 Sunderland have been linked with a late £10 million bid for Peter Crouch, though Tottenham are thought to want more than that. FULL STORY HERE

17.23 Another comment has come in, this time from Mikael, who questions the integrity of the words of modern footballers:

"A couple of weeks ago Elia denied he would contemplate a move to Juventus saying he didn't want to go to a club like Juventus that isn't better than Hamburg. Now he's there. Can footballer just shut their mouths and stop talking to the media?"

We fear that no is almost certainly the answer to that question.

17.20 Rangers have rejected a £6.5million bid from Leicester for striker Nikica Jelavic, the SPL club have confirmed on their official website. We kid you not - £6.5 million for Jelavic. Madness!

17.12 - TWITTER TALK Scott Parker has completed his move to Spurs, according to reports across the social network.

17.08 Agent Ernesto Bronzetti, who works for Real Madrid on their transfer deals, says that Roma have been making enquiries about Lassana Diarra. Bronzetti said: "Roma have also made an attempt for Diarra, but Real Madrid do not want him to leave him unless there is a definite offer to buy him."

16.56 Further to our entry at 13.55 which confirmed Eljero Elia was on his way to Turin, we can now confirm he has arrived there ahead of his move to Juventus from Hamburg. The Dutch winger appears to be pretty pleased too. "I am very happy," he told Sky Sport Italia, before being taken off to complete his medical.

16.51 Still a regular stream of comments coming in, though this one from Geoff brought a few sniggers of laughter from around Soccernet HQ:

"What Arsenal needs now is to appoint Arsene Wenger as general manager and get Tony Adams as team manager...Wenger can continue his wonderful youth policy and Tony could sort out the defence."

Surely things haven't got that desperate...

16.42 Sky Sports News reporting that Shaun Maloney could be on his way to Wigan from Celtic. The two clubs are apparently in talks.

16.31 Read Madrid's Fernando Gago is set to join Roma on loan with a view to a €6 million move. Agent Ernesto Bronzetti told Tele Radio Stereo: "I have spoken with Real Madrid directors and they have given the transfer the go-ahead."

16.17 Sportske Novosti report that Ivan Klasnic says his Croatia team-mate Luka Modric has told him he is going to stay at Tottenham.

16.06 - TWITTER TALK BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein: "Reliably informed Tottenham are interested in signing [Gary] Cahill before window shuts, and that Modric to Chelsea is dead."

16.00 USA international Michael Bradley has moved to Serie A side Chievo from Moenchengladbach, his New York-based agent Ron Waxman told the Washington Post “Michael is very excited about the move. This is a chance to establish himself in Italy.”

15.50 - DONE DEAL Valencia have signed centre-back Victor Ruiz from Napoli on a five-year deal. Valencia technical secretary Braulio Vazquez said: "He will help to complement our existing defence and offer something different to our squad." Full story

15.38 Spurs and Fulham are chasing Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, according to the player's European representative. "Tottenham and Fulham are several of the Premier League teams that are interested,'' Claudio Mossio said. "But right now his destination is not unclear." Full story

15.30 - DONE DEAL Arsenal have confirmed the signing of South Korea international Park Chu-Young from Ligue 1 club Monaco. Full story

15.23 - DONE DEAL Wigan have signed winger Albert Crusat from Almeria on a two-year contract, the Premier League club have announced.

15.20 AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani insists his club will not be making anymore signings. "The Milan market is closed ... all the names that have been linked with Milan, in these last hours, are completely unfounded," he told Gazzetta.it. Although Galliani did say almost the same thing last summer before signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho.

15.04 Liverpool have been linked with Craig Bellamy for a while but it seems the striker is poised to stay at Manchester City after the club refused to offer him a package to cover the final year of his contract.

14.49 QPR are in talks with Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand and are close to agreeing a deal worth around £4 million to bring him to Loftus Road. Full story

14.37 Fulham youngster Cheick Toure has joined Ligue 1 outfit FC Lorient. Meanwhile, the Cottagers have pulled out of a move for FC Twente's Nacer Chadli due to the physical condition of the player, according to De Telegraaf. Full story

14.30 Arsenal have signed Werder Bremen centre-back Per Mertesacker, according to Canal+. No official confirmation though.... not a DONE DEAL just yet.

14.25 Manchester United striker Federico Macheda could be set to join Newcastle or QPR on loan, according to the Italian's agent. "At this time, Newcastle has the edge over Queens Park Rangers," Giovanni Bia told Calciomercato.

14.14 DONE DEAL:Celtic have secured the signing of Sierra Leone striker Mohamed Bangura from AIK in Sweden. Full story

14.05 Leeds United have rejected Sochaux's bid for Max Gradel. Sochaux chairman Alexander Lacombe has said: "This case is closed now."

13.55 Hamburg have confirmed that winger Eljero Elia is on his way to Turin to talk with Juventus.

13.51 Udinese have signed Romania winger Gabriel Torje from Dinamo Bucharest for an undisclosed fee, the Italian club confirmed. Full story

13.32 Germany coach Joachim Low has given Arsenal target Per Mertesacker permission to leave the squad's training camp to hold transfer talks and expects him to return tonight having signed for 'a new club'.

13.23 West Ham co-owner David Sullivan on Scott Parker to Spurs: "The deal will probably happen although we are desperately trying to persuade him to stay." Full story

13.15 Aston Villa are hopeful of concluding a £3 million deal for Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton, according to BBC Sport.

12.57 Owen Hargreaves could be set for an incredible move to Manchester City after he was reported to have undergone a three-hour medical. Full story

12.54 Uruguay captain Diego Lugano will be unveiled as a Paris St Germain player this afternoon following his move from Fenerbahce, the French club have confirmed.

12.52 - TWITTER TALK BBC journalist Dan Roan says: "Liverpool's Joe Cole on way to Lille - v close to agreeing 1 year loan I understand."

12.50 Arsene Wenger’s belated delve into the transfer market has reignited their interest in Blackburn Rovers skipper Christopher Samba, according to The Telegraph.

12.43 - TWITTER TALK Ben Smith at The Times says: "File this one under 'you what?' Owen Hargreaves has reportedly had a medical at #MCFC today."

12.40 Arsenal left-back Armand Traore has signed a three-year contract with QPR, the Loftus Road club have confirmed. Full story

12.30 - TWITTER TALK Apparently, Per Mertesacker is already on his way to London for a medical with Arsenal after boarding a flight from Dusseldorf. The Gunners have agreed a €9m fee with Werder Bremen.

12.25 Blackburn boss Steve Kean is in a race against time to seal the £5million signing of striker Vedad Ibisevic from Hoffenheim, according to the Daily Star

12.14 But at the moment Eljero Elia is expected to undergo a medical at Juventus and sign a four-year contract.

12.10 There are some mixed messages over the final destination of Hamburg's Eljero Elia. Gazzetta dello Sport say Juventus' €10m bid has won the race, with Arsenal unwilling to pay more than €9m. But Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf insists Elia's heart is set on a move to the Premier League.

11.59 Sochaux have confirmed they have received a bid from Newcastle for Modibo Maiga but insist they will not sell the Mali forward until they have found a replacement. Full story

11.43 Fulham have clinched an impressive deal to land defender Zdenek Grygera, according to The Sun. Boss Martin Jol is close to sealing a one-year deal with Juventus for £20,000-a-week. The Italians will pay the rest of his £120k-a-week wage.

11.30 - BREAKING NEWS Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Rob Elliot is having a medical at Newcastle United. Full story

11.22 Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is considering bringing in former Man Utd midfielder Owen Hargreaves as a replacement for Wilson Palacios. Full story

11.04 Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan will undergo a medical at Inter Milan today. "You don't often get a chance to go to Inter at the age of 32 and I hope I can live up to the expectations," the Uruguay striker said.

10.55 Mauro Zarate is unlikely to leave Lazio this summer, according to the player's agent. ''There was minor interest from Inter but the loan option did not satisfy (Lazio president Claudio) Lotito,'' Giuseppe Bozzo told Gazzetta dello Sport. Full story

10.42 Blackburn have agreed a £5 million fee with Birmingham for defender Scott Dann in a bid to head off competition from ambitious QPR, according to reports.

10.30 Manchester City have failed with a fresh bid for AC Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel, according to the player himself. Full story

10.19 L'Équipe claim that Arsenal have virtually signed £9 million centre-back Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen, but German daily Bild claim the the deal is far from done. Full story

10.07 Swansea are ready to make an improved £2 million bid for Middlesbrough defender Matthew Bates, according to the Daily Mail.

09.54 Stoke City have made an approach to take Chelsea's new £18 million signing Romelu Lukaku on loan until Janaury, according to the Stoke Sentinel. Full story

09.50 French World Cup winner David Trezeguet is set to join Grafite, Luis Jimenez and Lucas Neill as another high-profile foreigner to head to the UAE Pro-League, as he nears a move to Bani Yas. Full story

09.41 - BREAKING NEWS Inter Milan left-back Davide Santon is having a medical at Newcastle.

09.24 Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is ready to make a move for Celtic striker Georgios Samaras, according to The Sun. Maybe Bruce has read the reports that North East rivals Newcastle are also in for Manchester United loan star Federico Macheda.

09.06 Simon Kjaer is closing on a €10 million move from Wolfsburg to Roma and his agent claims that a deal will soon be completed. Full story

08.49 Shaun Wright-Phillips, who is surplus to requirements at Manchester City, is set for transfer talks over a £2 million switch to QPR, according to The Mirror.

08.30 Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen says that the club have not abandoned hope of landing Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder. Full story

08.15 The Sun claim that Arsenal have had a £6.2 million bid for Fenerbahce left-back Andre Santos accepted and are set to make an £8 million offer for Chelsea winger Florent Malouda.

08.00 Arsenal target Mario Gotze will not be leaving German champions Borussia Dortmund this summer, according to his agent. Full story