Latest Transfer Update at 24-03-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 24-03-11


Dirk Kuyt - planning Anfield stay.
KUYT READY TO SIGN NEW REDS DEAL

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt is ready to commit his long-term future to the club by signing a new deal at Anfield.
Kuyt still has two years to run on his current contract, but says he hopes to agree an extension "very soon".
The Holland international believes the future is bright for Liverpool and he wants to be a part of it.
"Liverpool is a club that should be playing for trophies and I guarantee that will happen soon," said Kuyt.
"With Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll arriving, we have become stronger and I have a strong suspicion that the club will reinforce again in the summer.
"This helps my belief that we will be playing for trophies again next season.
"I want to stay because the club is showing ambition, the team is getting stronger and my family and I absolutely love it here. I hope I will sign my contract very soon."

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Rafael Benitez - would love to return to Liverpool.
BENITEZ DREAMS OF LIVERPOOL RETURN

Rafael Benitez admits "it would be a dream" to manage Liverpool again in the future.
The Spaniard only left Anfield last summer and while his successor Roy Hodgson lasted barely half a season, he himself was similarly unsuccessful at Inter Milan.
Benitez admits Kenny Dalglish is currently doing an impressive job in his role as caretaker boss until the end of the season, but concedes he would jump at the chance to resume his love affair with the Kop.
"I am really proud of being the manager of Liverpool Football Club and I would like to come back in the future," Benitez told Sky Sports News.
"You never know (when) because Kenny is doing a really good job. It's a question of time. You never know in the future.
"It would be a dream. I would be really pleased to come back in the future."
Benitez revealed he would consider other offers in England but would never contemplate managing Liverpool's rivals Everton and Manchester United.
"Fans in Liverpool know the teams I would not go (to) but I think these clubs wouldn't offer me a job.
"I'm a professional but obviously some clubs I would not go to, especially the big rivals of Liverpool. I won't say the names, but it's not difficult!"

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Alves - finally confirmed Barca future.
BARCA CONFIRM NEW ALVES DEAL

Dani Alves has signed his new contact with Barcelona, committing his future to the club until 2015.
The signing of the deal, agreed and announced last night, was confirmed in a short statement on the club's website.
After months of uncertainty over the former Sevilla wing-back's future, he has signed a four-year deal which includes a 150million euro buyout clause, which will go down in value by 25million euros per season to be worth 50million in the final year of the deal.
Alves, who is in the Brazil squad for Sunday's friendly against Scotland, returned to Barcelona to sign the contract.
Earlier today, Alves expressed his delight with the new contract.
"Being at the club for so many years is a dream," he said.
"I'm playing at one of the world's most desired teams, which is making history. The most important thing is that I'm happy and I want to make the most of it.
"It is a privilege and a joy to be here."

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Mourinho - would like to return to England.
JOSE MOURINHO PLANS PREM RETURN

Jose Mourinho has re-iterated his desire to return to the Barclays Premier League to tackle "unfinished business".
The Portuguese coach left Chelsea in 2007 after a hugely successful spell at Stamford Bridge before winning the Serie A title and Champions League with Inter Milan last season.
He is currently at Real Madrid in Spain - where he is contracted for another three years - but maintains he is planning to return to England sooner rather than later.
"I miss England and my next job will be in England," he told The Sun. "There is unfinished business.
"And I think England wants me back, no? It was the most enjoyable time of my career."
Focusing on Madrid's fortunes, Mourinho believes his team has the edge on Tottenham and is confident he can end the London club's Champions League odyssey in the quarter-finals.
Spurs' debut Champions League campaign has already delivered famous wins against Inter Milan and AC Milan, and the reward for Harry Redknapp's side is a glamourous last-eight encounter against the Spanish giants.
Mourinho concedes he has some misgivings about coming up against the tournament dark horses, but admits he is at least approaching the tie with more relish than he did last year's last-16 encounter with former club Chelsea.
"I didn't want Chelsea-Inter, because last season it was difficult to play against Chelsea," he told BBC Radio 5.
"I did it, and I did everything I could to help my team, but I was not comfortable. I don't like to play against my friends.
"Any team is difficult and any team is a motivation for us. Tottenham are a good team: they beat Inter, they beat Milan, they have ambitions, they have a very good team and a good manager.
"You can feel that it is a happy team, and happy teams are dangerous teams."
Asked whether Spurs could produce an upset and go all the way, Mourinho added: "It's possible. They have a not very easy draw, but they have not had an easy draw from the beginning."
Mourinho's former captain at Chelsea, John Terry, hit the headlines this week after being restored as England skipper a year after losing the armband following revelations about his private life.
The Portuguese refused to comment on the rights and wrongs of the matter, but admitted that England remain in good hands no matter which player dons the armband.
"I don't want to go in that direction, I don't know completely the process. I just think, because I know him, he's a great captain," he said.
"I have never worked with Rio Ferdinand before, but I have no doubts that Rio is also a great captain.
"For some national teams it is difficult to choose (a captain), in England they have so many people with the character to be captains - Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard.
"The English national team is full of big personalities and big players."

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Pacheco (right) - close to Norwich loan.
NORWICH LINE UP PAIR ON LOAN

Norwich are close to signing Sam Vokes and Daniel Pacheco on emergency loan deals.
Liverpool have announced that Pacheco is to join Norwich until the end of the season, subject to Football League approval.
The 20-year-old playmaker has been on the fringes of the first team at Anfield in the current campaign and was a part of seven Liverpool squads in all competitions under former boss Roy Hodgson.
But Pacheco, who joined Liverpool's youth ranks from Barcelona in 2007, has not featured since Kenny Dalglish took over as manager in January and it has been decided that he would benefit from a move to Norwich.
Paul Lambert's Championship club are chasing promotion to the Premier League and the Spain Under 21 international's creativity could prove a valuable asset in the closing stages of the season.
Pacheco is currently away on international duty and is preparing for Thursday's match against France, but he will move to Carrow Road upon his return if the Football League gives clearance.
Lambert is quoted as saying by Liverpool's official website: "Dani is a lad we've seen playing for Liverpool's first team this season and I've been talking to Kenny Dalglish about him for a few weeks now.
"He's technically very good, as you'd expect having been with clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool, and the fact he's away with Spain U21s speaks volumes for his ability and potential."
Meanwhile, the Canaries are hopeful of agreeing a deal to signing Wales striker Vokes until the end of the season, however the paperwork has still to be completed.
Vokes, who has been on loan from Wolves to Sheffield United recently and would bolster a squad which has been weakened by injuries sustained by strikers Chris Martin and Aaron Wilbraham.
Norwich manager Paul Lambert told www.canaries.co.uk: "Vokes and Pacheco are both keen to come here and I'm sure if they join us it will give the whole squad a lift."

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Hiddink - could quit Turkey role.
HIDDINK LINKED WITH CHELSEA

Guus Hiddink has again been linked with a summer switch to Chelsea after insisting he could quit as Turkey coach.
Hiddink insists he is committed to his job with Turkey but has also claimed he will tender his resignation if they do not take maximum points from their forthcoming Euro qualifiers.
Turkey have already lost two of their opening four matches, with Germany well on course for top spot in Group A.
That leaves Turkey battling with Austria and Belgium for second spot, and they face both teams over the next week.
And Hiddink says failure to get six points will see him offer to quit.
"I'm trying to make a better Turkish national team," he is quoted by the Daily Expiress.
"If I can't do that, I'm going to ask the chairman to sack me. Six points from these two games is vital. If we don't get that I can offer my resignation to the chairman and then it's up to him. It will mean that I am not a successful manager."
Hiddink is close to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, after the Blues chief played a big part in luring him to the Russian national job in 2006.
Hiddink also helped Chelsea out in 2009 as he took charge of them on a temporary basis, guiding them to the Champions League semi-finals and an FA Cup win.
Although Hiddink has insisted he would not look to manage Chelsea, a role upstairs could very well emerge with Frank Arnesen's exit already confirmed with the Dane joining Hamburg this summer.

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Steve Kean - impressed with Anderson.
KEAN DEFENDS ANDERSON SIGNING

Blackburn manager Steve Kean has defended the signing of a pre-contract agreement with Myles Anderson which will see the youngster given a two-year deal in the summer despite him playing just two minutes of competitive football.
The 20-year-old defender, the son of agent Jerome Anderson, who is an advisor to Rovers owners Venkys, made his debut at the end of current club Aberdeen's 5-0 win over Kilmarnock on February 19 but has not featured since.
He had previously had a trial with Blackburn last summer, making a 13-minute substitute appearance in a 3-0 victory at Southport, before moving on to train with Motherwell ahead of his short-term deal with the Dons.
However, despite his lack of experience Kean feels Anderson could emerge along the same lines as Manchester United's Chris Smalling, who less than three years ago was playing for non-league Maidstone United.
"We feel that Myles Anderson is a player with great potential as a late developer," Kean told the Lancashire Telegraph.
"He could become something of a Chris Smalling who came through late in football and Myles has done the same because of his schooling.
"We think he has a lot of potential but there was the opportunity for him to go Scotland in January and we and he felt that would be a good experience for him.
"There was interest in him from a couple of Spanish clubs but he is our player and will be at our club full time in July."
Aberdeen manager Craig Brown, who brought in Anderson in January, said he always expected the defender to make the move to Ewood Park at the end of the season.
"He was signed as cover and it was always his intention to go to Blackburn," he told the Press and Journal.
Anderson's late arrival in the professional game was due to his desire to successfully finish his education.
Sources at SEM Plc, the sports management company run by Anderson's father, said footballing decisions at Blackburn are made by Kean.
They also pointed out the player was training at Motherwell under Brown and the former Scotland boss chose to take the player to Pittodrie soon after moving there in December.
"The fact he has been picked by two top managers shows how highly he is thought of," the source said.

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Ally McCoist - will succeed Walter Smith.
McCOIST TO CARRY ON REGARDLESS

Rangers assistant Ally McCoist will operate on the basis that there will be no takeover when he picks up the managerial reins at Ibrox next season.
The legendary Gers striker will replace Walter Smith at the helm but remains in the dark over Craig Whyte's proposed £33m purchase of the Glasgow club.
El-Hadji Diouf, Kyle Bartley, Vladimir Weiss and Richard Foster are all set to leave at the end of loan spells while David Weir, Sasa Papac and David Healy are out of contract in the summer - and Smith has outlined the problems facing his successor.
He said: "We're not in a good place. We need investment because we'll lose those players, plus Sasa Papac hasn't signed his contract. That's the problem we have.
"It's a concern because there's a downsizing of your group to start with and that leads to you having a lesser level of player. That's the biggest danger the club faces at present. Hopefully, the situation will be resolved, but there are problems ahead.
"They'll proceed on the basis there will be no change in owner. They know exactly what's in store if the club remains in the same position. You are hoping the takeover takes place. I won't say we're in limbo but we've been going down this road for the last few years now. It has to come to a head at some stage or other.
"Someone is looking to buy the club at the present moment, so we have to wait and see what happens."

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Martin Allen - new Barnet manager.
BARNET TURN TO MARTIN ALLEN

Martin Allen is back in management as the new boss of League Two strugglers Barnet.
The former West Ham and QPR midfielder, known as 'Mad Dog', has been out of work since leaving Cheltenham in December 2009.
Allen, 45, began his managerial career with the Bees when they were in the Conference before moving on to Brentford. He has also managed Leicester and MK Dons.
Allen has agreed a contract until the end of the season with the Bees lying second from bottom, three points adrift of safety with eight matches remaining following Tuesday night's defeat at Aldershot.
He replaces Paul Fairclough, who took over as caretaker-boss when Mark Stimson was axed on New Year's Day.
Chairman Tony Kleanthous admitted the shock move is "the last throw of the dice" in his club's attempt to beat the drop.
Kleanthous added: "It is important that everything possible is done to retain our Football League status and we will support Martin thoroughly in his efforts to turn things round and bring in any new players he feels appropriate.
"We now have to win five or six of our last eight games and everyone is focused on the task ahead."
Allen admitted he jumped at the chance to return to Underhill and vowed to pull off a great escape.
"I got the phone call late last night, so I did not have too much time to think and I met Barnet representatives this morning," he told Sky Sports News on Wednesday.
"It's only for five weeks and we'll see how it goes.
"It looks tough on paper, they've won eight games all season, but I was in this situation before with Brentford and we got out of it.
"We've got to play the leaders, Chesterfield, on Saturday, so it doesn't get much harder than that but whatever happens we'll give it a good go.
"When I got the call it was a no-brainer. We are going to have some fun and we are going to stay up!"

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Anthony Stokes - 'totally committed'.
STOKES HAPPY WITH CELTIC

Anthony Stokes insists he would be happy to remain at Celtic for the rest of his career.
Stokes was left on the bench for Sunday's Co-operative Insurance Cup final defeat to Rangers - and a story emerged afterwards saying his dad John had advised him to put in a transfer request.
That was denied on Tuesday - and Stokes says he would rather stay at Parkhead and fight for his place in Neil Lennon's side instead.
He told the Scottish Sun: "I'm disappointed about what's happened. I don't want people to think I want to leave Celtic.
"I'll fight for my place, that's what football is all about. I'm completely focused on playing for Celtic.
"If it was up to me I'd be here for the rest of my career.
"I'm totally committed. I've got a long time left on my contract. Leaving isn't even in the equation."