Real Madrid have captured Royston Ricky Drenthe and will travel to Madrid this week itself in order to complete his medical and put pen to paper.

Chelsea as just finished the signing of Alex, on a three year contract.

Brazilian defender Alex has completed his move from PSV Eindhoven to Chelsea.

"Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa has passed a medical and signed a three-year contract with Chelsea," said a statement on the Chelsea website.

Alex added: "I'm happy for the opportunity Chelsea have given me. I hope to start very soon and to do a good job at this wonderful club."

The 25-year-old Alex, 25, who began his career at Santos, helped PSV win three successive Dutch league titles.

The defender played in the Brazil side that won the Copa America with victory over Argentina in the final in Venezuela on 15 July.

The Blues had to loan Alex to PSV Eindhoven after buying him in 2004 because he had not played enough games for Brazil to qualify for a permit.

Alex is hoping manager Jose Mourinho and defender Ricardo Carvalho, who are both Portuguese, will help him settle at Chelsea.

"I hope to adapt myself very quickly because Carvalho and Mourinho will help me with the language barrie."


BBC Sport

Spanish side Sevilla have rejected two bids of more than £20m from unknown clubs for Daniel Alves, who has made it clear he wants to join Chelsea.

The 24-year-old Brazilian right-back recently said joining Chelsea would be a "wonderful opportunity and I don't want to let it pass".

But on Friday president Jose Maria del Nido said: "Sevilla has rejected two offers for Daniel.

"One was for 31.5m euros (£21.3m) and the other for 35m euros (£23.7m)."

Alves, who has been at Sevilla for four-and-a-half seasons, has previously argued that "Sevilla should look after me".

He added: "In the four years I have been here I've given my best. I just want them to listen."

But Del Nido insisted: "We fulfilled the promise of listening, valuing and, in this case, turning down the offers that came in for Daniel.

"We do not have any problem with Daniel, who is a magnificent professional who will defend to the death the shirt of Sevilla."


Alves wants his future resolved by 15 August when Sevilla play AEK Athens in a Champions League qualifier.

"If I play for Sevilla in that match, I won't be able to play in the Champions League for another team so I hope everything can be sorted out as soon as possible," he stated.

Alves has played a prominent role as the Rojiblancos won back-to-back Uefa Cups.

Right-back was a problematic area for Chelsea last season, with Paulo Ferreira, Geremi and Lassana Diarra filling the slot at various times.

BBC Sport

Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has agreed to join newly-promoted Birmingham on loan until January.

The 20-year-old Switzerland international is Steve Bruce's 10th signing of the summer.

Djourou made 30 first-team appearances for Arsenal last season and signed a new six-year contract.

But Gunners boss Arsene Wenger wants him to gain regular first-team experience and he goes straight into Bruce's squad to face Chelsea.

"I honestly think that Djourou can be an Arsenal defender for 10 years," said Bruce.

"He has got strength, pace, great ability on the ball, is a very good footballer and is comfortable at the back and in midfield.

BBC Sport

MADRID, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Valencia have reached an agreement with Racing Santander to sign Serbia striker [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_%C5%BDigi%C4%87]Nikola Zigic[/url] on a five-year contract, the Primera Liga club said on Thursday.

Spanish media reported the deal was worth around 15 million euros ($20.67 million). The player will take a medical and be presented on Friday.

The 26-year-old Zigic joined Racing from Red Star Belgrade last August and was one of the revelations of the season, top scoring for the Catabrian club with 11 goals.

His imposing 2.02-metre presence also helped set up numerous goals for his team mates.

Zigic was voted Serbian Footballer of the Year for 2006 after helping Red Star to a domestic league and cup double. He scored 11 goals in 23 league appearances, and struck twice in the cup final for them.

Zigic is likely to be the preferred strike-partner for Spain's David Villa at Valencia, and his arrival puts a question mark over the future of Spain and former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes.

Valencia finished fourth in the Primera Liga last season and face Swedish side Elfsborg in the third qualifying round of the Champions League next week.

ESPNsoccernet

Rangers have signed striker Daniel Cousin from Lens on a three-year contract.

The Gabon international becomes Rangers boss Walter Smith's 10th signing of the summer.

Cousin, 30, had also been linked with a move to Spanish side Real Betis but chose Rangers and completed his move this afternoon.

Smith has completed the move ahead of the Champions League deadline at midnight which makes Cousin available for next Tuesday's third qualifying round first leg against Red Star Belgrade at Ibrox.

Cousin, understood to be 6ft 2in tall, will join up with his new team-mates for training tomorrow and could be involved in Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash against St Mirren in Glasgow.

Smith said: 'I am obviously happy to get this deal done and we look forward to seeing Daniel play for Rangers.

'He is a very powerful striker and will bring something different to the squad.

'He's nowhere near as tall as the 6ft 7in reported, but has a great presence and is also good on the ground.

'Like Jean-Claude Darcheville, Daniel is a player who wants to try something different and this is a chance for him to do that.

'He is very experienced and is mature enough to cope with such a change.'

Cousin, who joined for a fee of around £1million, has made himself available for the visit of St Mirren despite not being at peak fitness.

He said: 'I'm very happy to be a Rangers player. I'm really glad to play for this club.

'It's a historic club - I feel very happy and very proud. I am not 100% fit but if the coach asks me to play this weekend I will play.

'I saw Ibrox earlier today and it is a fantastic stadium. I cannot wait to play there for the first time.'

Cousin scored 21 goals for Lens in 2005/06 and 11 the following campaign, although just four came in the league in his last season.

However, he was not in the plans of incoming coach Guy Roux and had been seeking a transfer throughout the summer.

Cousin's arrival brings Smith's spending beyond the £8million mark.

Defenders Carlos Cuellar, Steven Whittaker and Kirk Broadfoot have been joined by goalkeepers Graeme Smith and Roy Carroll plus Lee McCulloch, DaMarcus Beasley, Darcheville and Alan Gow.

ESPNsoccernet

Tottenham striker Mido is on the brink of a move to Middlesbrough, Sky Sports News understands.

The Egyptian met with club bosses on Friday and agreed terms on a deal.

He had the first part of his medical and is set to be presented as a Middlesbrough player on Monday if he passes more tests.

However, as a fee has not been agreed between Boro and Spurs, Sunderland have stepped in with an improved offer.

The Black Cats have been linked with Mido in recent weeks and are keen to strengthen their squad further before the end of the month.

Mido had been poised to join Birmingham earlier in the summer but the move collapsed because he was not happy with certain aspects of his contract

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2654040,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Sir Alex Ferguson expects Gabriel Heinze's future to be resolved on 20th August.

The Manchester United defender is hoping to leave the champions for the club's fierce rivals Liverpool.

United are determined to block a proposed switch to Anfield, while Liverpool are confident the Argentine will become their player.

The Premier League is to look into the matter and a resolution should be reached in 10 days' time.

Ferguson is convinced of United's position and insists Heinze has a role to play at Old Trafford, despite the recent events.


Strong case

"Nothing has moved as far as Gaby is concerned," said the United boss.

"We have a meeting on August 20 which will settle the issue once and for all.

"We think our case is strong and we are depending on that.

"And, if it goes our way, Gaby definitely has a future here. He still has another two years left on his contract."


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2652745,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Frank Lampard has made it clear he would like to stay at Chelsea for the rest of his career.

The England midfielder has not yet managed to agree terms on a new deal and has elected to put contract negotiations on hold.

Jose Mourinho has said he is not worried by Lampard's stance but speculation continues to build about the player's future.

However, Lampard has stressed that he sees his future at Stamford Bridge and is still eager for his contract situation to be resolved soon.

"I would like to make it clear that my intentions are to play and to hopefully have a successful season for Chelsea," he told Sky Sports News.

"Hopefully in the meantime I will get my contract sorted and extend it to keep me at Chelsea for the rest of my career.

"That is important for me because the appreciation I get from the club and the fans especially, I wouldn't want them to think that I was running down my contract.

"I want it sorted.

"I've spoken to the club and made it clear want to stay. They've also expressed a desire for me to stay, so the sooner it happens the better for me."

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2654059,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Chelsea target Daniel Alves has been left out of Sevilla's squad for the Champions League third qualifying round first-leg tie against AEK Athens.

The highly-rated Brazilian wing-back has not been selected by Juande Ramos for tomorrow's home encounter despite being fit, increasing speculation that his days at Sevilla are numbered.

The 24-year-old Alves, who is also a target of Spanish champions Real Madrid, is reportedly keen on a move to London.

"Alves is not on the list," Sevilla coach Juande Ramos told a news conference on the eve of the match. Ramos added that the player had told him that he was not in the right state of mind to play in the match.

The dynamic 24-year-old defender has asked Sevilla to listen to offers from big clubs, saying that he felt it was time for him to move on.

Last week Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido said the club had received two offers of in excess of £20million for the player.

Alves, who joined Sevilla from Bahia in 2003 for less than a million euros, signed a contract extension with the Andalucians last December linking him to the club to 2012.

He has been one of the club's outstanding players in recent seasons and was a key figure in their UEFA Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2007 and their victory in the King's Cup last June.

He was part of the Brazil side that won the Copa America in July and scored one of the goals in the 3-0 victory over Argentina in the final.

ESPNsoccernet

MADRID, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Real Madrid continued their makeover of the championship-winning squad when they unveiled Dutch duo Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe at the Bernabeu on Monday.

Drenthe, 20, completed his move from Feyenoord for a reported fee of 14 million euros, while the 23-year-old Sneijder switched from Ajax after Real agreed to pay 27 million euros for the highly rated midfielder.

With the addition of the two Dutchmen, Real have signed six new players at a cost of in excess of 70 million euros ($95.87 million) since coach Fabio Capello was sacked after steering the club to the league title last season.

The signings of Sneijder and Drenthe will bring Real's Dutch contingent to three players, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy having joined the club last season from Manchester United.

Real are also trying to sign Chelsea's Dutch winger Arjen Robben, a target ever since Ramon Calderon was elected president last year.

Sneijder said that he hoped the club's Dutch colony would help the club repeat the success enjoyed by arch-rivals Barcelona when they signed a series of players from the Netherlands.

'Real Madrid have now got the Dutch players and I hope they will lead the team to victory as they did at Barcelona,' the midfielder told a news conference.

'You'll have to ask the Real Madrid technical staff why they are signing so many Dutch players.'

'I'm not the right person to tell Real Madrid to buy Robben as well, but he is a great player and maybe in the future I will play with him here at Real Madrid.'

Sneijder's compatriot Drenthe, who can play on the left side of midfield or at fullback, was one of the outstanding players on show at the European Under-21 Championship in June, as he helped the Dutch retain their title.

Real are reported to have signed him as a successor to Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos who left the club at the end of last season.

The 20-year-old said he had no preferences as to his position at his new club.

'I will play wherever the coach wants me to, he's the boss and I will do as he wants,' he said.

'As a footballer you have to be prepared for anything, as a Real Madrid player you have to put up with a great deal of pressure.

Both players could make their debut for Real in the return leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla at the Bernabeu on Sunday. Real lost the first leg 1-0.

ESPNsoccernet

Middlesbrough have revealed they have agreed a fee with Tottenham for Mido.

The 24-year-old is now at Boro's Rockliffe Park training ground to undergo a medical.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate is hopeful of completing a deal in the next 36 hours.

"We've agreed a fee with Tottenham and that's enabled us to have Mido up to see us and he's currently in the process of having a medical," Southgate told Boro's official website.

"Hopefully if everything goes well we'll have some news in the next 36 hours.

"All the talks have been very positive and I don't see the medical being too much of a problem for him."

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2660549,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Peter Storrie insists Portsmouth will not try to unsettle Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp is keen to bring the Nigerian back to Fratton Park, but is concerned by the £10million transfer fee.

Redknapp also revealed that Everton and West Ham United are leading the chase for the striker, who Boro are determined to keep.

Portsmouth chief executive Storrie acknowledged the interest in Yakubu, but says the club will abide by Boro's stance on the player's future.

"I think obviously Harry has made it quite clear that Yak is someone he likes," Storrie told Sky Sports News.


Other options

"But he's a Middlesbrough player and from what we understand Middlesbrough, understandably, don't want to sell him.

"So, unless that situation changes in any way, we won't be any party to upsetting the player.

"If he's at Middlesbrough, and happy with Middlesbrough, that's fine, we've got other options.

"We are looking at a couple of other areas in terms of strikers, and other areas of the park as well.

"We are possibly looking for a couple more before the deadline


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2660889,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Reports emanating from Spain have claimed Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Daniel Alves following extensive negotiations with Sevilla.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has been in Madrid this week, in order to hold talks with Sevilla vice-president Jose Maria Cruz and their director of sport Ramon Rodriquez Monchi.

It has been reported in Spain that the two clubs have now concurred on a fee of around 32 million euros (£25million).

Increased bid

Chelsea had hoped to land the talented Brazilian for around £20million but if reports are to be believed, Sevilla have held out for, and received, a more attractive offer.

Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to add a new right-back to his playing ranks, and it does now look as though his wish has been granted with the noticeable capture of Alves.

Spanish newspaper AS have claimed: "Chelsea general manager Peter Kenyon and Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido came to an agreement Tuesday evening and are awaiting the green light from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2661595,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Juliano Belletti says he wants to stay at Barcelona, but admits he is considering offers from other clubs.

The Brazilian full-back's chances were limited last season following the arrival of Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram from Juventus.

Belletti is also believed to be one of the players Barca are looking off-load after the arrival of defenders Eric Abidal and Gabi Milito in the summer.

"It's difficult. Barcelona say they want me to stay and I want to stay, but we're hearing other things," Belletti explained.


"My agent is listening to offers and so are the club, I think."

Belletti has been included in the Barca squad for Wednesday's friendly against Bayern Munich at the Olympic Stadium.


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11827_2661163,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Joseph Yobo wants international team-mate Yakubu Aiyegbeni to join him at Everton.

The Toffees have made moves to try and land the Middlesbrough marksman and Yobo is keen to see his friend join him on Merseyside.


Plea

"I want Yakubu to join us here, definitely," Yobo told the Sun.

"You are always looking for world-class players to join your team and make things better. Yakubu is one such player and I'll be glad if he and players of his stature join us.

"I'm a defender and I'm looking for good midfielders and attackers who can take the pressure off me. If the move doesn't happen there are already players here who can keep us in the fight.

"Could we ever win the Premier League? It's absolutely possible if we build on our recent successes.

"If we build on our European experience this season plus investments in players, we can challenge the top four for the title."

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_2662994,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Chelsea have confirmed they are keen on signing Sevilla ace Daniel Alves, but insist they have not agreed a deal for the Brazilian.

Widespread reports on Wednesday claimed Chelsea were on the brink of signing of Alves after finally agreeing a fee with Sevilla.

Alves is looking to leave Sevilla and he has expressed his desire to secure a move to Stamford Bridge.

The attacking full-back left out of Sevilla's squad for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League qualifier with AEK Athens fuelling speculation that a move was imminent.

Chelsea have moved to clarify the situation revealing their interest in Alves, but playing down talk that a deal has been done.

A Chelsea statement read: "Chelsea have confirmed their interest in the player to the club but as yet there is no agreement."

Real Madrid are also believed to be chasing Alves and they could yet rival Chelsea for the South American's signature.

Meanwhile, Chelsea youngster Scott Sinclair has signed a new four-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

The highly-rated winger enjoyed a spell on loan at Plymouth last season and he has now established himself as a member of Jose Mourinho's first team squad.

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_2663250,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has warned Arsenal off any move for Morten Gamst Pedersen.

Recent reports have suggested Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is pondering a move for the Norwegian winger.

However, Hughes insists Gamst Pedersen is going nowhere and believes the Arsenal talk is just speculation

"He isn't going anywhere and particularly not for £8m considering the price of players now," Hughes told the Sun.

"We've heard nothing from Arsenal and, in the week leading up to the game, possibly someone has been a little bit naughty.

"It isn't based on any fact. We're not interested in selling Pedersen."

Pedersen has also rejected the rumours and he expects to stay at Ewood Park.

"There are several clubs who have been interested," Gamst Pedersen told VG.

"It's been back and forth. But the manager has clealy declared that I am not for sale."


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_2662093,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Chelsea and Real Madrid are said to be amongst the clubs chasing Slavia Prague's Marek Suchy.

The 19-year-old defender is rated very highly in his homeland and was one of their top performers in the recent European Under 21 Championship.

Suchy's agent Pavel Vandas has confirmed that Real Madrid and Chelsea are interested, along with PSV Eindhoven and Schalke.

Vandas claims a number of scouts and club representatives will be tracking Suchy when Slavia face Ajax in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier on Wednesday.

Interest

"At the game there will be one of the coaches of PSV Eindhoven and Schalke representatives have contacted me as well," he revealed to Sport.

"Everything is still at the start, we have not yet held talks but we can expect that Real Madrid and Chelsea representatives will contact us in the next few days."

The player himself insists that he would not move to any club to merely sit on the bench.

"I have not discussed anything with anyone, I leave it to my agent," he said.

"If I were to leave Slavia, then only to a club where I would have a chance to play regularly."

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_2663408,00.html]Skysports.com[/url].

Marek Suchy is a Czech football player who plays for Sk Slavia Praha as a defender. The U-20 international states his role model is Alesandro Nesta. He played in the Czech U-20 world cup team where they finished as runners up.

Cicinho appears to have ruled out moves to Liverpool or Sevilla, insisting he wants to join Roma.

The Real Madrid full-back is ready to leave Santiago Bernabeu after dropping down the pecking order under new coach Bernd Schuster.

Sevilla are very much in the market with Daniel Alves looking Chelsea-bound.

Liverpool were also understood to have made contact with Real, but Cicincho seemingly has his heart set on a move to Roma.

Eternal City desire


"If finally I do leave Real, my ideal destination would be Roma," he told Efe.

"Only Italy, and not Sevilla."


Real sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has already confirmed that they are talking with Roma about a possible loan deal for Cicinho.


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_2663885,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Derby County are considering reporting West Ham over an alleged illegal approach for Giles Barnes.

As revealed by skysports.com West Ham enquired about the highly-rated midfielder as Alan Curbishley looks to entice the 19-year-old to Upton Park.

Derby have rejected an offer from West Ham out of hand for Barnes as they are determined to keep the prodigious talent at Pride Park.

Rams chairman Peter Gadsby has admitted the club are monitoring the Barnes situation before deciding whether or not to take any action.


Watching

"We're watching the Barnes situation very closely," Gadsby told the Guardian. "If we have any evidence that things are going on, we'll look at it.

"We have formed an opinion and we'll wait a little while to confirm that opinion. We're waiting for some facts before we decide where to go with this.

"We had an approach that was followed by an unacceptable bid, a derisory offer, which can mean one or two things: one, there's some business we don't know about; two, it's an unrealistic bid, with the level it came in at, that might have been made to pacify the manager.

"There is a history of this club being pillaged.

"With the Barnes situation, we've got a particular club that has been very busy - his father's very influential in his life - but they'd be mistaken if they thought Derby County were a soft touch.

"Giles Barnes is an important part of the progress of this club and my advice to him would be to keep his head down and progress with it."


Talks

Derby boss Billy Davies has revealed he has talked with Barnes to tell him he wants him to stay at the Premier League new boys.

"Although we've had several inquiries, we've told him we want him to stay at Derby County and to continue his development here," noted Davies

"We've had a good chat about and I've told him we want to get him fit and get him in the team again, scoring goals and playing the way we know he can."

LISBON, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Portuguese club Benfica has received an offer from English Premier League Everton to sell 50 percent of its rights in international midfielder Manuel Fernandes, the club said on Monday.

Benfica said it was considering the offer from Everton or alternatively whether to buy the remaining 50 percent of the rights to the 21-year-old player from an investment banking group.

Benfica owns 50 percent of the sports rights of Fernandes and the remaining 50 percent belongs to the Media, Sports & Entertainment Investment Banking Group.

Fernandes was loaned to Everton last season after extending his contract with Benfica until 2011.

Under the terms of Fernandes's contract, breaking the deal with Benfica would cost 9 million euros ($12.33 million).

ESPNsoccernet

Mido has completed his move to Middlesbrough from Premier League rivals Tottenham.

After the two clubs concurred on a £6million fee, Boro wasted little time in agreeing personal terms with the 24-year-old.

The Egypt international has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal and could make his debut at the weekend.

Boro had been waiting for a work permit before wrapping up the deal and now that has been granted, a debut could be made at Craven Cottage this weekend.


Southgate pleased

"He is someone I played against as a player and he always impressed me," Boro manager Gareth Southgate told the club's official website.

"He's got good technical ability and he's a goalscorer.

"When you've got one of the best crossers of the ball in the league in Stewart Downing, you want someone like Mido who can head the ball."

Mido scored five times in 23 appearances for Tottenham in the 2006/07 season.


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_2665705,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Sevilla have dismissed a bid from Chelsea for Daniel Alves, but his agent is confident a deal will soon be reached.

Chelsea have been tracking the Brazilian full-back for some time and Jose Mourinho confirmed on Thursday that he was trying to conclude a deal.

Talks are still ongoing between the two clubs but they have yet to agree a deal and Sevilla have confirmed Chelsea still have some way to go to match their valuation of the player.

A statement posted on the official Sevilla website read: "Sevilla would like to clarify, in relation to the news in various media stories relating to negotiations between this club and Chelsea of England for the transfer of the player to the London club, that Sevilla has considered the offer made by Chelsea to acquire the player as way below the level expected by the club.

"This being the case, Daniel remains a player of Sevilla FC."


Patience

However, Alves' representative Geronimo Suarez believes the transfer will go through in time.

"We are expecting a solution between the clubs and are confident they are going to reach a deal," Suarez told Sky Sports News.

"Sevilla have good reasons to maintain a hard position for the player because he is a star for them and they want him to stay there.

"Of course Chelsea want him, so both clubs at this moment need more time.

"It is not in my hands, it is in the hands of the directors of Chelsea and Sevilla, but we can hope the solution will arrive as soon as possible."

Suarez reiterated that Alves was eager to secure a switch to Stamford Bridge.

"He is determined to go there. He wants to close the deal as soon as possible," he added.


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12874_2665243,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Ulsan Tigers are inviting bids from Premier League clubs for star player Lee Chun-soo.

The South Korean international was heavily linked to a move to Fulham during the summer, but Cottagers boss Lawrie Sanchez was reportedly put off by the £1.2million asking price.

With the Premier League season now underway, Lee is desperate for a dream move to England before the close of the current transfer window.


Time running out


Ulsan vice-president Kim Hyung-yong is welcoming offers from Fulham and other clubs, but admitted time is running scarce.

"We have about 20 days left. Something can happen before 31st August," Kim was quoted as saying in the Korea Times.

"However, based on experience, it takes about one month to complete a deal but we have not had contact with the team. It is getting harder as time progresses."


[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_2664874,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

David Moyes is staying tight-lipped on Everton's interest in Yakubu Aiyegbeni after the striker was left out of the Middlesbrough squad to face Fulham.

Yakubu has been strongly linked with a move away from The Riverside this summer, despite Boro protestations that the Nigerian is happy at the club.

Sky Sports News understands that the powerful forward has been omitted from Gareth Southgate's squad for Saturday's game at Craven Cottage.

Reports also suggest he is closing in on a move to Goodison Park, although Moyes did not confirm a specific interest in Yakubu.


Terrific

When asked if he wants the Boro hit-man, Moyes told Sky Sports News: "We've got an interest in one or two players.

"The board have been terrific, but we are seeing now if we want Everton to compete, they are going to have to give us some form of tools.

"Not that they haven't in the past, because you only have to look at the players that they have allowed me to bring in - the likes of Tim Cahill, Tim Howard and Joleon Lescott - to see they have already done that.

"Now we feel it's time to have another go to get ourselves in amongst the top, now is the time.

"Again, we are still looking to strengthen and who knows what name it might be when it comes around."

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2667284,00.html]Skysports.com[/url]

Derby have received international clearance for American midfielder Benny Feilhaber.

The 22-year-old agreed a three-year million-pound move from German Bundesliga side Hamburg earlier in the week.

And the relevant paperwork has now arrived to give the USA international the green light to get his Rams career under way, which could be against Tottenham tomorrow.

Manager Billy Davies said: 'Obviously we're very pleased to get international clearance for Benny.

'He is a tremendous young talent with excellent potential so now we're looking forward to introducing him into the Premier League and life in England.'

ESPNsoccernet

Guy you too much. thumbs up.

This thread is so stale. Hey guys try to keep this thread a bit current.Thanks

brushparke:

This thread is so stale. Hey guys try to keep this thread a bit current.Thanks

LET's START WITH YOU!!!

I don't know for the guy o, chrsitino, if he thinks its so stale he should do something about it like post some stuff.