Goal Zone

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini 'agrees to Napoli switch'

Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has reportedly agreed to join Napoli, but must wait until the two clubs agree a fee before completing his move.

The Red Devils are holding out for £18m for the Belgian international, but the Italians are keen on a loan deal with the option of a permanent move, the Daily Star reports.

Fellaini's agent is believed to have held talks with Napoli officials, but negotiations are ongoing.

The former Everton man endured a troubled season last term after completing a £27.5m move to Old Trafford before the transfer window closed.

New United boss Louis Van Gaal has been tipped to axe Fellaini, along with teammates Shinji Kagawa, Nani and Anderson this summer.

Aktobe	2-2	Steaua
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (TUR) – Stadium: Tsentralniy, Aktobe (KAZ)

Qarabağ	2-1	Salzburg
Referee: Serhiy Boiko (UKR) – Stadium: Tofig Bahramov Republican stadium, Baku (AZE)

HJK	2-2	APOEL
Referee: Pawel Gil (POL) – Stadium: Helsinki Football Stadium, Helsinki (FIN)

AEL	1-0	Zenit
Referee: Marijo Strahonja (CRO) – Stadium: Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca (CYP)

Dnipro	0-0	København
Referee: Andre Marriner (ENG) – Stadium: NSK Olimpiyskyi,

Grasshoppers	0-2	LOSC
Referee: Aleksei Eskov (RUS) – Stadium: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich (SUI)

Standard Liège	0-0	Panathinaikos
Referee: Carlos Gómez (ESP) – Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liege (BEL)

Feyenoord	1-2	Beşiktaş
Referee: Luca Banti (ITA) – Stadium: Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam (NED)

Ludogorets	0-0	Partizan
Referee: Kenn Hansen (DEN) – Stadium: Ludogorets Arena, Razgrad (BUL)

AaB	0-1	Dinamo Zagreb
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED) – Stadium: Aalborg Stadion, Aalborg (DEN)

Maribor	1-0	M. Tel-Aviv
Referee: Ivan Kružliak (SVK) – Stadium: Stadion Ljudski vrt, Maribor (SVN)

Legia	4-1	Celtic
Referee: Pol van Boekel (NED) – Stadium: Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw (POL) Legia run ten-man Celtic ragged Legia celebrate one of two goals from the standout Miroslav Radović Legia Warszawa missed two penalties but still overwhelmed a ten-man Celtic FC 4-1 in their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first leg. The Hoops drew first blood in the contest through Callum McGregor, but Miroslav Radović's double and an Efe Ambrose red card had Ronny Deila's side reeling at half-time. Any relief Celtic felt at seeing Ivica Vrdoljak miss a penalty on the hour mark was extinguished by late goals for Michał Żyro and Jakub Kosecki, which sandwiched another squandered Vrdoljak spot kick in a manic finish.

Exclusive: Man United Agree £47m Deal to Sign Arturo Vidal, Squad Number Reserved, Personal Terms Reached.

Old Trafford side set to welcome in club record signing.

Man United have seen a €60m (£47m) bid for Juventus star Arturo Vidal accepted and with the Chilean having already agreed personal terms a move to complete a club record transfer deal appears to be on the cards.

CaughtOffside understands that Old Trafford boss Louis van Gaal had pushed chief executive Ed Woodward to pull out all the stops to land the highly rated attacking midfielder with the Premier League side keen to bring a ‘Marquee’ signing to act as a real statement of intent.

Van Gaal is keen to freshen up his brittle midfield and his push for added creativity, and a genuine additional goal threat, has led Man United to make a big money move for Vidal.

The Dutch boss has been in hot pursuit of Vidal for some weeks and the departure of Antonio Conte as Juventus manager has only aided their move to bring in the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

Louis van Gaal has a long running interest in Vidal, having attempted to sign the cultured performer when he was in charge of Bayern Munich, and now seems to have won the race to bring in the Juventus man.

Vidal has been pivotal in Juventus’s three successive Serie A title wins but the club’s inability to make an impact at Champions League level may have left him open to a fresh challenge.

Though Man United do not have Champions League action to offer Vidal in 2014/15 he will have been impressed with the club’s drive to enter a new era, post Sir Alex Ferguson, with the club’s owners keen to repair the damage suffered during David Moyes’s brief reign.

Man United will hand Vidal a four year deal worth in excess of £200k a week and though a deal isn’t entirely done and dusted it is thought that the club will bring in the 27 year old in the coming days and have reserved the number seven squad number for the incoming South American.

Van Gaal has already brought in Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw from Athletic Bilbao and Southampton respectively, moves that cost around £60m, and further signings are penciled in and as such a number of the club’s expansive squad look set for summer exits in order to balance the books.

Nani, Javier Hernandez, Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young are four players van Gaal is keen to cash-in on.

The only potential obstacle to a successful move for Vidal could come from PSG, who are also said to be keen on the Juventus man.

Steven Gerrard: Luis Suarez was "too good" for Arsenal

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard revealed that he told Luis Suarez to shun Arsenal last summer as he was "too good" for them.

Suarez was the subject of a bid from the Gunners last year, but eventually stayed, despite claiming that he wanted to move to the Londoners at the time.

The Uruguayan has since joined Barcelona for £75m and the Reds skipper told The Mirror: "Last summer, when he was out in the cold and training on his own, that's the conversation I had with him. I said, 'Don't go to Arsenal.' With all due respect to them, I said to him that he was too good for Arsenal.

"I said, 'If you score 30 goals for us and win the PFA Player of the Year, the press Player of the Year' - and believe it or not I knew he was going to win them - 'they will come back for you.'

"You know what I think of him, I love him to bits and I'm his number one fan as a player. I spoke to him before he went, and he was so thankful to the club for all the times they stuck by him."

Suarez scored 31 goals last term en route to winning the FWA and PFA Player of the Year awards.

Ryan Bertrand: 'Southampton is a fantastic club'

Southampton loanee Ryan Bertrand has praised the club and its managerial setup after completing his season-long switch from Chelsea.

The wing-back described the Saints as "a fantastic club" and spoke highly of manager Ronald Koeman.

"For me personally, this is another chance to play and a chance to join a fantastic club that's moving in the right direction," he told the club's website. "With the setup the club's got, the manager it has coming in and the ethos it has, I thought this was a perfect match.

"The manager's name speaks for itself, so to play under somebody like that will be good for me. His ethos and the way he plays matches my game.

"I had a lot of options and a lot of interest but, having met the people and spoken to the manager and seen what the club is about, in my mind this was the perfect decision."

Bertrand's loan deal is said to include a contract clause enabling Southampton to buy him at the end of the season.

Vitesse 1-3 Chelsea : Blues ease past Vitesse in pre-season frienldy

Chelsea cruised to victory with a 3-1 win against Vitesse on Wednesday evening.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring after just four minutes when the Egyptian tapped in from eight yards after some good work from Diego Costa, who gave his teammate the simple task of scoring from close range.

Jose Mourinho's side doubled their lead before the half-hour mark when new signing Cesc Fabregas curled home a free kick from around 25 yards out.

Zakaria Labyad came the closest to getting his side back into it after the restart when his long-range effort rattled the cross bar, but with 15 minutes left, the Blues all but wrapped up the result.

Costa was once again in the thick of the action and the powerful forward held off a challenge before laying the ball to Nemanja Matic, who smashed an effort into the roof of an empty net.

Uros Djurdjevic reduced the deficit in the closing moments for the Dutch side.

Hull secure deal for defenders Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire

Hull have swooped for Scotland’s Young Player of the Year Andrew Robertson from Dundee United.

Robertson and Maguire have signed three-year deals with Hull[GETTY]

They have also completed the signing of defender Harry Maguire from Sheffield United.

Scottish international Robertson, 20, a left-back, has cost the Tigers £2.85 million, while Maguire, 21, has joined for £2.5m.

Both players have signed three-year deals, with Hull having the option to extend their deals by a further year.

Man Utd boosted in Juan Cuadrado race as Barca's transfer request demand angers winger

Manchester United have been handed an advantage in the race for Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado after Barcelona asked the player to hand in a transfer request to push through a move.

Cuadrado is thought to favour a move to the Catalan outfit but he is not pleased with Barca's tactics.

And reports in Italy suggest that Fiorentina are equally unimpressed with the La Liga club's antics.

It is thought that Barca have made an opening bid of £24m for the former Udinese flyer.

But La Viola are holding out for closer to £40m before agreeing to let the player leave.

Yesterday, Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade said: "We have had no official bids for Cuadrado.

We have had no official bids for Cuadrado.
Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade
"However it would be very difficult to refuse an offer of €50m (£40m).

"We hope he will stay with us but I must say how things are."

That could pave the way for United to step up their interest in the 26-year-old.

And while the Premier League isn't Cuadrado's first choice destination, United's interest may now be looked on more favourably following Barcelona's faux pas.

Nacional 1-0 Sunderland : Lucas strike condemns Sunderland to defeat

Sunderland slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Nacional in their pre-season friendly on Wednesday evening.

The visitors could only muster a couple of half-chances in the first period with Steven Fletcher's dangerous cross evading all, moments after Adam Johnson had an effort blocked.

Wes Brown headed just over the cross bar from a corner kick moments before the break.

Connor Wickham came close for the Black Cats but his effort was hacked clear off the line before the hour mark, minutes before Lee Cattermole was forced off through injury.

With the game heading for a goalless draw, Lucas popped up for Nacional to turn the ball home and condemn the Premier League side to defeat.

"Romelu Lukaku didn't have what it takes to play for Chelsea", Jose Mourinho blasts new Everton signing

Londoners' boss claims striker who became Toffees' £28million record signing on Wednesday lacked the required 'mentality and approach'

Romelu Lukaku joins Everton to the sound of Jose Mourinho's criticism
Jose Mourinho has blamed Romelu Lukaku’s lack of professional commitment as his reason for selling the striker to Everton.

The Belgium hitman has become the Toffees' £28million record signing, as it became clear his relationship with the Chelsea boss was fractured beyond repair.

He had been due to join up with Chelsea in Holland on Wednesday night but the west Londoners decided the time was right to sell as they realised the inflammable mix of the manager and the 21-year-old would have flared up.

Mourinho said late on Wednesday: “The thinking was, first of all, the fact that Romelu was always very clear with us that in his mentality and his approach he was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea.

“He wanted to play for Chelsea but clearly only as the first choice striker - and at a club of our dimension it’s very difficult to promise a player that status.

“That reduced, immediately, his desire to come to us. After that Everton came with an important offer and because we want to be inside the Financial Fair Play rules, you have to analyse these situations.”

Swift negotiations saw Lukaku agree a five-year contract worth £75,000 per week for Roberto Martinez’s men, after his outstanding 15-goal season on loan last term.

Everton agreed an initial £25m deal with add-ons that could be worth another £3m if Lukaku continues his free-scoring form and the Merseysiders make the top four or lift silverware.

And as he was introduced at the training ground on Wednesday, a delighted Lukaku said: “This is the best place for me to grow and develop as a footballer.

“Roberto has been very influential in the deal. He is someone who knows football and I want to learn from him and develop under him. He challenged me personally.

“I told him very quickly that I wanted to play under him. The rest was set up by the board and my agent. Now that I’m here I want to help my teammates.

“I decided very quickly that I wanted to come back here. I am 21, I need to play at a high level and with a good team. I needed to be in a place that felt right.

“I have the trust of the supporters here. I can grow and develop.

Bayern Munich rubbish reports of Sami Khedira interest

Bayern Munich have rubbished speculation of their interest in German international Sami Khedira.

Earlier reports suggested that the German champions asked Khedira to run down his contract at Real Madrid.

The midfielder only has a year left on his current contract with the Champions League winners but Bayern's CEO, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has told reporters that the rumours are "a myth".

Khedira had a successful campaign last season after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and then going on to secure the FIFA World Cup with Germany in the summer.

Dejan Lovren FAILS to get visa for Liverpool's tour of USA

Dejan Lovren has revealed he will miss Liverpool's pre-season tour of America because he failed to get a visa.

Dejan Lovren sealed his £20m move from Southampton to Liverpool this week[EMPICS]

Lovren joined the Reds in a £20million deal from Southampton this week, becoming the third player to make the move this summer after Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana.

But the Croatian star is unable to join his new team-mates in the States due to visa troubles.

Instead, Lovren will have to train with the U-21 squad and link up with the Liverpool squad when they return from the USA next week.

"Unfortunately I could not get a visa straight away," the 25-year-old said.

"Therefore I can not join my team-mates in the U.S. I am sad because of that.

"Of course it's not good that I have not joined the team's preparations in the U.S.

"However, I have plenty of days until their return from the tour.

"I will train with the U-21 team in Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers will send a programme for me to practice."

Thomas Vermaelen edges toward Man Utd move after Calum Chambers nicks his shirt number

Manchester United's hopes of signing Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal were given a boost last night after new signing Calum Chambers was spotted wearing the Belgian's number five shirt in training.

Chambers joined the Gunners from Southampton last week and was handed the number 21 shirt.

But on the club's pre-season trip to Austria Chambers donned Vermaelen's kit number in training.

Vermaelen has stayed behind in London for treatment on a hamstring injury and it is unclear why Chambers was allowed to wear the number five.

But it could be that talk of a move to United for Vermaelen is heating up.

Calum Chambers was spotted wearing the number five shirt
Louis Van Gaal is thought to be keen to bring Vermaelen to Old Trafford this summer as he looks to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

It is thought that Arsenal may have asked for players in exchange for the former Ajax man, with Portuguese winger Nani the latest to be linked.

And that could see Chambers wearing the number five shirt on a more regular basis at the Emirates.

Juventus set deadline for Arturo Vidal to complete Man Utd or Liverpool move

Juventus have set an August 6th deadline for Arturo Vidal to sort out his future.

Vidal has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United or Liverpool this summer.

And while reports today suggest that the Chilean may have now given United his word that he will make the move to Old Trafford, any deal is yet to be formally agreed.

Juve's deadline gives United just eight days to negotiate and finalise a move for the player, according to reports in Italy.

The Turin giants are keen to get any deal agreed in enough time to allow them to bring in replacements before the transfer window slams shut on September 1.

Juventus want Arturo Vidal's future sorted by August 6
Ideally, Juve would have liked to bring in replacements ahead of their pre-season tour, which jets out on the 6th.

But it seems they may settle for simply knowing whether Vidal intends to be on the flight to play against the Indonesian All-Stars.

If reports in Spain are to believed the completion of a deal between United and Juve could now be merely a formality, with the fee set to be in the region of £48m.

It is also thought that Vidal has negotiated personal terms in the vicinity on £200,000-a-week to join the Red Devils.

Gustavo Poyet confirms Fabio Borini talks

Sunderland boss Gustavo Poyet has confirmed that the club are still trying to engineer a deal for Liverpool forward Fabio Borini.

The Italian striker had been the subject of a £14m bid earlier this month, but a shoulder injury and a reported desire to stay at Anfield appeared to have torpedoed the deal.

However, a recent report claimed that talks had taken place between the club and player this week, and Poyet stated that there was some truth in the story.

He told the Sunderland Echo: "He is being assessed now for his shoulder injury. That's stopped everything a little bit.

"We will see. I have not held talks with him, but the club has, although that's private. We know where we stand."

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Legia run ten-man Celtic ragged