Latest Transfer Update at 26-05-11

[<<ELVIS>>]

Latest Transfer Update at 26-05-11


Guus Hiddink - heavily linked with Chelsea return.
HIDDINK COOLS CHELSEA TALK

Guus Hiddink has cooled talk of a return to Chelsea by claiming he is focusing only on his role with the Turkish national side.
The veteran boss, who coached the Stamford Bridge club for the last half of the 2009/10 season and has acted as an advisor to the Blues since, has been installed as one of the frontrunners for the vacancy created by Carlo Ancelotti's sacking last Sunday.
But Hiddink insists that he is not listening to the speculation linking him with the West London club, and is preferring to focus on Turkey's upcoming European Championship qualifier with Belgium.
"I have heard a lot of rumours and speculation," Hiddink told the TV show %100 Futbol.
"I have told the players they must focus on Belgium and the same goes for me. I am fully focused on getting the team ready for next Friday.
"I have in my career very few games. I want to do more with the players on a daily basis but that is impossible because I am national team manager.
"But I am not going into the speculation as I have to prepare the team and to make sure that no-one can blame me afterwards saying I was concentrating on other things.
"I am not going into speculation, I am fully concentrated. I demand full commitment from myself so I will not go into speculation.
"I am being forced by circumstances to go into a tunnel and exclude a little bit the outside world."
Meanwhile, Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini's agent has hinted Chelsea have made an initial approach for the Chilean.
Jesus Martinez told Chilean radio station Cooperativa: "It is normal for clubs without a coach, such as Chelsea through intermediaries, to start asking Pellegrini, but he is very comfortable at Malaga and has a contract there.
"He has put a lot of effort into Malaga and is pleased and excited to work with the team."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Neil Warnock - led QPR to promotion.
WARNOCK FUTURE THROWN INTO DOUBT

Neil Warnock's future could once again be up in the air after two of his chief allies on the QPR board left on Wednesday.
Vice-chairman Amit Bhatia resigned after revealing chairman Ishan Saksena, the man who appointed Warnock 15 months ago, had been removed from his position.
Warnock may have led Rangers to promotion but owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone are thought to prefer a 'marquee' manager to take them into the Barclays Premier League.
Rangers had already provoked anger among their fans earlier in the day after hiking ticket prices by 40% ahead of the new season, part of Briatore's vision to own a 'boutique' club.
It was Bhatia who insisted Warnock's job was safe after they were promoted, but there are now real fears Loftus Road could once again become a revolving door for managers.
Bhatia said: "It is clear to me from recent board meetings that my vision, strategy and direction for the club is very different from that of the other shareholders and board members.
"The recent decisions to sack club CEO and chairman Ishan Saksena and significantly increase season ticket prices are just two of the decisions I disagree with.
"I do not wish to be associated with or take responsibility for decisions made by the board and with which I disagree so strongly."
Bhatia also revealed his father-in-law, Rangers' billionaire co-owner Lakshmi Mittal, had tried and failed to buy out Briatore and Ecclestone.
However, the family intend to keep hold of their 33% stake and appoint a new representative on the board.
Meanwhile, Rangers declared themselves "delighted" after the FA released the written reasons for the decision not to deduct the club points over the Alejandro Faurlin affair.
Rangers were instead fined £875,000 after being found guilty of two of the seven charges facing them over the signing of the Argentinian midfielder.
"The commission found there was never any third-party influence involved in relation to the player," read a club statement.
"Therefore the charges relating to third-party ownership and influence were dismissed.
"In relation to all of the other charges, the club again is pleased there has been no finding of bad faith, dishonesty or deliberate misconduct by, or on behalf of, the club."
Rangers were left sweating on their promotion until the findings of an independent commission were revealed an hour before the final game of the season.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Downing - no new deal at the moment.
DOWNING WILL NOT COMMIT TO VILLA

Aston Villa star Stewart Downing has confirmed that he will not be committing to a new contract 'at the moment'.
The England winger enjoyed an excellent campaign for Villa, winning their Player of the Year award.
His form has seen him recalled to the national team set-up, whilst his appearances have caught the eye of a number of clubs.
It was revealed earlier this month that Villa want to make him the highest paid player at the club, but Liverpool and Arsenal are both understood to be keen.
Downing has now confirmed talks have taken place but he is not about to sign a new deal, with two years still remaining on his current contract.
"I know the club are keen for me to extend my contract as I only have two years left on my deal and that my agent had a recent meeting with our chief executive (Paul Faulkner)," Downing confirmed.
"However, I am 26 and at a major crossroads in my career so I won't be committing to a new deal at the moment."
Downing joined Villa in 2009, but he was still recovering from a broken foot so this season has been his first full campaign for the club.
Villa now look to have a fight to hold on to Downing, which will be a huge blow, especially with Ashley Young edging towards the exit door at Villa Park.
Downing further underlined that he could be looking elsewhere when he revealed that he is yearning to play in the Champions League.
"I want to keep playing and enjoying my football," Downing told the Northern Echo.
"When I was injured that made me realise what it can be like to be out for such a long time. It hurt. The most important thing is to play football, but I do want to play in the Champions League at some point.
"The most important thing for me, though, is to stay fit and then the rewards will come with that, hopefully. I have got back into the England squad, I have to make sure I stay there.
"It was horrible to miss the World Cup last year, but I was not the only one. Looking back it was probably because I was injured for much of that season that I never made it."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Houllier - missed the end of the season.
VILLA WAITING FOR HOULLIER TESTS

Aston Villa director General Krulak expects an imminent decision on manager Gerard Houllier's future but insists his health is of paramount importance.
Houllier continues to recuperate after missing the final month of the campaign with a heart problem.
Villa indicated earlier in the week they are waiting the results of tests - expected after the weekend - before any final decision is made.
Krulak echoed those sentiments on Wednesday night and said: "The manager decision will be made in a timely manner.
"Of course we need to hear what the doctors have to say. Our concerns are obviously over the health of our manager.
"His health is something we should all be concerned about. We all want him healthy."
Villa caretaker boss Gary McAllister has constantly intimated he expects Houllier to return to his post providing the test results are positive.
Club owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner can also now focus fully on the managerial situation after Houllier's predecessor, Martin O'Neill, settled his dispute with Villa.
The matter was resolved on Monday during an FA Premier League Managers' arbitration tribunal.
Krulak admits he has mixed emotions over the 2010/11 season which saw Villa recover from a relegation battle to finish ninth in the Barclays Premier League.
He said: "It was a great end to the season. At the same time, reality also stares us in the face.
"We ended well but the season remains one of widely varying emotions. I confess to being happy it is behind us."

[<<ELVIS>>]

De Gea - denies he's agreed to join Man Utd.
DAVID DE GEA PLAYS DOWN UNITED LINKS

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea has denied reports he has agreed to join Manchester United and insists he will not consider his future until after this summer's European Under-21 Championships.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson spoke in glowing terms about the 20-year-old earlier this week and speculation in both England and Spain has suggested De Gea would complete a switch to Old Trafford in the next couple of weeks.
But the Spaniard has refuted claims a deal has already been struck and wants, instead, to focus on the upcoming Under-21 tournament in Denmark which gets under way on June 11.
De Gea's lawyer released a statement to Spanish news agency EFE which read: "News has appeared in various media outlets today that Atletico Madrid's David De Gea has signed for Manchester United. I hereby notify you that it is not true a deal has been signed."
The statement added: "De Gea will not consider the contract extension offer from Atletico or any other offer until June 30 when he has finished his commitments with the Under-21 national team."
Ferguson has earmarked De Gea as the long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar, who will retire after Saturday's Champions League final against Barcelona.
Speaking after Gary Neville's testimonial on Tuesday, Ferguson told the club's official website: "We've been working on it [De Gea transfer] for quite a while. We identified him quite a while back as one we should go for.
"He's a young goalkeeper, very quick, good composure, presence and an outstanding replacement for Van der Sar.
"We were looking for the same type of qualities as Edwin, because the one great quality Edwin always had was his composure and organisational ability.
"With David De Gea, he is very similar that way."
Atletico, who finished this season in seventh spot in the Primera Division, remain keen to tie De Gea down to a new contract with his current one running until 2013.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Keane - hoping to stay in the Premier League.
TARDELLI OFFERS KEANE BACKING

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli is confident Robbie Keane will be playing for a Premier League club next season.
Keane spent the second half of the campaign on loan at West Ham United from Tottenham Hotspur and is now waiting to learn if he is wanted back at White Hart Lane.
The 30-year-old has admitted that he expects to be moved on by Spurs and is concerned about his prospects of securing a move to another top-flight team.
However, after Keane scored twice in Ireland's 5-0 win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday night, Tardelli believes the forward can still perform at the highest level.
"I think it is important for us he plays in the Premier League, like all players," said Tardelli.
"But I think he is a good player and he will find another Premier League team, I am sure."
Keane's double against Northern Ireland took his tally to 48 goals for his country and Tardelli feels the player has time to pass the 50-goal landmark.
He added: "He wants to reach 49, 50 goals. He would be the first player from Ireland to do so.
"But there are many matches - Sunday, Macedonia and Italy. We will be looking for him to arrive after injury for the match against Macedonia."

[<<ELVIS>>]

O'Hara - impressed since his January loan.
WOLVES KEEN TO KEEP O'HARA

Wolves will step up efforts to sign on-loan midfielder Jamie O'Hara on a permanent basis after manager Mick McCarthy confirmed he wants to keep the Tottenham player.
The midlands club had the option to sign O'Hara full-time this summer if he impressed after his January switch from White Hart Lane.
O'Hara stated to Press Association Sport after Sunday's game with Blackburn that he was keen to stay at Molineux and that a fee had been agreed when he joined.
Now McCarthy has echoed those sentiments and said: "We've got a deal to do and I want to keep Jamie.
"He wants to stay and I think we will be doing it (the deal)."
O'Hara has scored three times in his 13 appearances for Wolves, including one against Blackburn which helped to keep the club in the Barclays Premier League.
McCarthy said: "I think Jamie has shown his quality since he has been here. I thought he was outstanding on Sunday.
"He's what I call a real Premier League player and that's what we will be trying to recruit again this summer."
Wolves will report back for pre-season training on July 4 - a week later than if they had been relegated to the npower Championship.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Campbell - relegation was heartbreaking.
DJ IN A SPIN OVER POOL EXIT

Campbell has a release clause in his contract enabling the striker to leave Blackpool for £1.25million as a result of their relegation from the Premier League.
A number of clubs are thought to be waiting in the wings to move for Campbell as Blackpool face a fight to keep hold of their best players.
Former Birmingham forward Campbell has admitted he was heartbroken to suffer relegation, but is determined to continue his career in the Premier League.
"I love Blackpool and we had a better season than many people expected but to go down was heartbreaking," Campbell told The Sun.
"I played in the Prem before with Birmingham and maybe I wasn't ready for it then. But this time I was.
"There's nothing like playing at Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge. Now I want more of it. I think I've proved I can play at the top."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Charlie Adam - wants to stay in top flight.
ADAM WANTS PREMIER LEAGUE STAY

Charlie Adam has cast doubt over his future at Blackpool by expressing a desire to remain in the Barclays Premier League next season.
The Seasiders lost their fight against the drop when defeat to Manchester United sealed their relegation from the top flight on the final day of the campaign.
Boss Ian Holloway is keen to retain the services of the midfielder, with the club this week confirming they have activated an option for a further 12 months on his contract.
Adam was linked with Liverpool and Tottenham in January and admits he is desperate to play at the highest level possible, while also acknowledging the major role Blackpool has played in his career.
He said: "My future is that I want to play in the Premier League. I want to play at the top and hopefully the opportunity comes.
"At the end of the day, my future will get sorted one way or another. It's not me who makes that decision.
"The club have been fantastic with me and since I went there, since day one, I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
"It's important that, whatever happens, I will always remember my time at Blackpool."
Adam was one of Scotland's top performers as they staged an impressive comeback to defeat Wales 3-1 in the Carling Nations Cup on Wednesday night.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Fabregas - 'too expensive' for AC Milan.
GALLIANI RULES OUT 'EXPENSIVE' CESC

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani admits it is virtually impossible that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will be playing for the Italian champions in the future.
The Rossoneri are looking to reinforce their midfield line this summer with the departure of Andrea Pirlo to Juventus and the uncertainty surrounding Gennaro Gattuso's future at the club.
The 24-year-old Fabregas is considered among the reported targets of Milan.
"From here until August 31, Milan will buy a player that will be a left midfielder," Galliani said to Gazzetta dello Sport.
"(Napoli winger Marek) Hamsik and Fabregas can play in that role.
"We have never asked for Hamsik although we don't rule him out and as for Fabregas, he is too expensive."
Arsenal are understood to value Fabregas at £60 million.
The Spain international is under contract with the London outfit until June 2014.