Porto reject Zenit bid for Hulk
Porto president Pinto da Costa has revealed that he has turned down a €50million (£39.5m) offer for Hulk from Zenit St Petersburg.The Brazil international's agent has made no secret that he believes the time has come for the player to move on after spending the last four years of his career at the Estadio do Dragao.Premier League duo Chelsea and Tottenham and Russian giants Zenit have all been linked with the 26-year-old forward.Earlier in the week, a spokesman for Hulk admitted that the player's future will be decided in the next few days.But with Zenit claiming to have withdrawn their offer, it appears Porto are taking a tough stance over the player in a bid to drive the price closer to the huge €100m (£79m) release clause in his contract."It was Porto who rejected €50million for Hulk from Zenit," Pinto da Costa told reporters."I think it is ridiculous to hear that Zenit's board did not sanction such an offer, when two of their chiefswere here to present that exact bid for the player."
Lampard targets Chelsea manager job:
Frank Lampard has put his thrown in the ring for the job as Chelsea manager when he decides to bring an end to his playing career.Lampard's contract expires at the end of this season and, although he has been linked to the MLS, he wants to land a new three-year deal at Stamford Bridge.And if he can commit to Chelsea for that period, he would want his next step to be into the Stamford Bridge dugout."I am thinking about my coaching badges now but there is only one club I want to manage," Lampard told the Sun. "I know it might sound a bit big-headed or selfish but I wouldn't want to go through 'showing myself' with a lower club."Although I would never expect to walk into a position such as the Chelsea manager, this is the only club I'd want to manage. I'd love to have a crack at it but I'd want to do it well. I wouldn't want the supporters to forget everything I've tried to do as a player because I can't manage the team."
Fenerbahce target Chelsea pair Meireles and Essien:
Turkish giants Fenerbahce could turn to Chelsea in an effort to bolster their squad before the close of the transfer window as the Daily Mail reports midfielders Michael Essien and Raul Meireles figure prominently on the club’s wanted list.A fee of £8m has been mooted for Ghana international Essien while Fener also enquired about the availability of Portugal midfielder Meireles. The Mail suggests Chelsea would be open to the moves as they seek to recoup some of the millions they have spent this summer on the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar.Any deal may be dependent on Fenerbahce reaching the group stage of the Champions League, however. Fener meet Spartak Moscow in the play-off second-leg on Wednesday evening and go into the game trailing 2-1 from the first-leg. However, the return match is to be played in Turkey and Fener have a vital away goal, scored by former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt.
Theo for sale,Liverpool and City lurk with Arsenal to let Walcott leave for £12m:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has given Theo Walcott the next 48 hours to decide whether he wants to sign a new five-year contract worth £75,000 per week or be sold.Walcott, 23, could even be ditched before the close of the transfer window on Friday, with Manchester City and Liverpool asking to be kept informed. The north London club will demand a £12million fee.If Walcott turns down the contract offer, Arsenal have a familiar choice to make sell him now or risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.Sportsmail revealed on Friday how the forward’s agent held formal talks over a contract extension at the club’s London Colney HQ.However, Walcott, who is in the final 12 months of his deal, is yet to sign a contract extension and, while negotiations are ongoing, it is looking increasingly unlikely that he will put pen to paper. It appeared he was on the brink of turning down the £20m contract offer. Liverpool and City, whose move for Scott Sinclair is on the rocks, are pondering a last minute move.Walcott was only on the bench for Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Stoke and it is understood that if he goes, academy prospect Serge Gnabry, 17, will be fast-tracked into the senior squad.As it stands, Walcott could sign a pre-contract with a foreign club in January, then leave for nothing next summer. Meanwhile, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has held meetings with chief scout Steve Rowley to target reinforcements. The capture of a versatile defender and defensive midfielder are priorities. Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Swansea’s Angel Rangel are defensive options, with Yann M’Vila (Rennes) and Etienne Capoue (Toulouse) on the midfield list. Meanwhile, Nicklas Bendtner is in talks over a £5m move to AC Milan.
Dembele set to join Tottenham after Fulham accept bid for midfielder:
Fulham playmaker Mousa Dembele was having a medical at Tottenham on Tuesday night ahead of a big-money move across London.The Belgium midfielder, 25, has a £15million release clause in his Craven Cottage contract and Sportsmail understands that Fulham were not willing to entertain offers under that figure.The Cottagers had activated a clause for an extra 12 months in Dembele’s contract, but the Spurs offer proved too tempting and the player indicated he wanted to go.Spurs had seen an offer for Brazilian attacker Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk rejected at the weekend and instead switched their target to Dembele, based on his Barclays Premier League experience.The signing comes 48 hours after the sale of Luka Modric to Real Madrid and follows pressure mounting on chairman Daniel Levy to bring in new faces.Dembele will not be the only signing before Friday’s transfer deadline; Spurs stepped up their interest in CSKA Moscow forward Alan Dzagoev one of the stars of Euro 2012.And White Hart Lane manager Andre Villas-Boas is refusing to give up on his attempts to land his No 1 target, Joao Moutinho, the Portugal midfielder.Tottenham’s hierarchy sent attempts to strengthen their squad into overdrive yesterday following the £27m departure of Modric.Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday how Russia star Dzagoev had emerged as a late target for Spurs.And the White Hart Lane club, who are also closing in on a move for the Lyon and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, intensified their attempts to land the 22-year-old yesterday as they tried to reach a compromise over CSKA’s £25m asking price for Dzagoev.Spurs also remain in contact with Porto over midfielder Moutinho, whom Villas-Boas views as his dream signing this summer.Tottenham will this week make one last offer for Moutinho, 25, even though Porto insist that they will not budge on their £30m asking price for another player who impressed during this summer’s European Championship finals.But Dembele takes the heat off Levy and Spurs fans will be excited by his arrival. Without him in the team, Fulham lost 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.Fulham moved to sign Kieran Richardson from Sunderland and he will go straight into the squad for Saturday’s London derby at West Ham.Dembele is likely to make his Spurs debut against Norwich, providing there are no late hitches.He arrived at Craven Cottage for £5m from AZ Alkmaar as a virtual unknown, signed by Mark Hughes.Many Fulham fans and neutrals voiced their misgivings about the club paying so much for a relatively unproven player. But he had been an important cog in an AZ side which, under the legendary and uncompromising tutelage of Louis van Gaal, who shocked Holland by winning the league title in 2009.On the international front, Dembele won the first of his 40 caps in May 2006 against Slovakia, coming on as a substitute. He scored his first international goal five months later against Azerbaijan. Dembele participated in the 2008 summer Olympics, where he played a part in Belgium’s famous 3-2 win against Italy in the quarter-finals, scoring twice. Belgium then lost to Nigeria in the semi-finals and Brazil in the third place play-offs but Dembele played in all six matches for his country and really made his name. He also played in the recent Wembley international against England.Spurs will hope to use him as either an attacking midfielder, or in the hole behind the striker which is where he played against England.
Fiorentina to end Berbatov's nightmare as striker jets out to Italy to complete £4.5m move:
Fiorentina hope to finalise a £4.5million move for Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov flew to Italy on Wednesday to complete the move to the Serie A club, a source close to the Bulgarian revealed.'Fiorentina have agreed personal terms with Dimitar and they'll announce the deal very soon,' the source said, adding the transfer was subject to Berbatov passing a medical.
