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Real plan £10m swoop for Vidic
Real Madrid are believed to be preparing an audacious £10million summer swoop for Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic.
Messi: I don't care about records
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi insists he wants to break the club's all-time goalscoring record for the team and not for personal glory.
Report: Liverpool keen on Barca's Keita
In a bid to boost their midfield options, Liverpool have been in touch with Barcelona about Seydou Keita.
In a bid to boost their midfield options, Liverpool have been in touch with Barcelona about Seydou Keita.
According to reports from El Mundo Deportivo, Kenny Dalglish has looked to make a swoop in the January transfer window for the Mali star, but will be facing tough opposition in the form of Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala, who are also keen on the player.
The 31-year-old is in the late stages of his career, and has only started five of Barcelona's 11 La Liga games this season, and could look for a big pay-day with a move to Russia to join Roberto Carlos and ex-team-mate Samuel Eto'o.
This would mark the end of his time with Pep Guardiola, as Keita was the Catalan's first signing from Sevilla in 2008.
His current deal with Barcelona runs till 2014, which would give the La Liga giants' bargaining power, and it is expected that Keita will cost at least £14 million, with a bidding war from the Merseyside and Russian clubs looking likely to push the price higher.
A versatile midfielder, he can operate as both a central or defensive midfielder, which would increase his attractiveness to both clubs.
Real plan £10m swoop for Vidic Real Madrid are believed to be preparing an audacious £10million summer swoop for Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic.
The Serbia international has became a mainstay and a pillar of the United defence since arriving in 2005.
But according to The People, the Spanish giants are planning to make the 30-year-old their own at the Santiago Bernabeu with a £10million bid.
This will prove to be a real test of resolve for Sir Alex Ferguson as the Scot will be desperate to keep his captain, who has been key to United's cause over the past few seasons.
Moreover, with Ferguson believed to be ready to listen to offers for ageing Rio Ferdinand, the departure of Vidic could send the Red Devils into a possible defensive crisis.
What remains to be seen is whether Vidic will be tempted by a move to Madrid as this could be his last opportunity to progress in his career.
Vidic was signed from Spartak Moscow for £7 million and has played over 200 games for United.
Eden Hazard has informed Lille of his desire to move to Real Madrid, and will turn down offers from other clubs, according to reports.
The Belgium international recently stated that he is ready to leave the Ligue 1 champions for a bigger club at the end of the 2011-12 campaign and seems to have clear ideas about where his future lies, according to El Confidencial.
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have reportedly already made offers in the region of 30 million euros for Hazard, which were swiftly turned down by the Champions League hopefuls, while Arsenal, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter and Juventus are all keeping tabs on the winger too.
Hazard only wants to land at Real Madrid, though, as he is determined to make a name for himself at the Bernabeu.
Madrid sporting director Zinedine Zidane has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Hazard and the Frenchman is reportedly eager to lure the 20-year-old away from Ligue 1.
Hazard has a contract with Lille until the summer of 2015 and an offer in excess of 40 million euros could be needed to secure the Hazard's services.
Brazil legend Pele thinks Santos forward Neymar is at the same level as Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Argentina legend Diego Maradona.
The 19-year-old sensation is considered to be one most promising talents of his generation after enjoying an impressive season for club and country.
Brazil and Argentina have always competed against each other for footballing sovereignty over South America, and Pele has declared that the Selecao do not have any reason to envy their neighbours.
"They [Argentina] talk about Maradona and Messi, but we have Neymar, who will be a great player with the skills he has," Pele told Globo.
"Santos are a factory which produces stars, they produce players without spending anything. These are good times for the club.
"Pele added that Neymar should be more aggressive to prevent being a regular target of defenders."I am not thinking about getting into fights, but to learn how to defend himself," Pele noted.
"I have always told this to Neymar whenever I have met him.""He is very skilled, the best on his team, so of course he will receive special marking and he must learn how to defend himself."
Espanyol sign Indonesian striker
La Liga outfit Espanyol have completed the signing of young Indonesian striker Arthur Irawan.
Barcelona eye £35m bid for Bale
Barcelona are ready to test the resolve of Tottenham Hotspur with a £35million bid for winger Gareth Bale.
Mourinho has Madrid attack purring
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema admits playing for the demanding Jose Mourinho has made him a better player.
Guardiola: Mourinho probably the best
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola believes Jose Mourinho, his opposite number at arch-rivals Real Madrid, could just be the best tactician in football at the moment.
Report: Real to beat rivals for Hazard
Real Madrid is set to deal a blow to the Premier League's top clubs by snapping up Lille star Eden Hazard from under their noses.
Liverpool consider shock Villa move
Reports in Spain have indicated that Liverpool could make a shock move for Barcelona striker David Villa.
Kaka: Ronaldo is a complete player
Real Madrid midfielder Kaka believes team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is the most complete player in the world at the moment.
Altintop ponders Madrid departure 11 November 2011
Real Madrid midfielder Hamit Altintop has threatened to leave the La Liga club if his situation in the Spanish capital does not improve.
The 28-year-old has played just 20 minutes of football this season, prompting him to claim he has been undervalued by coach Jose Mourinho.
"I think I am an important player and I must feel it," Altintop told Vatan. "Fortunately, I feel well here and it is not a case of playing more, it is the issue of not feeling important."
However, Altintop revealed that a move to Turkey could be on the cards in the near future, amid reports that talks have already been initiated with Galatasaray.
"I do not know what will happen," continued the Turkey international. "First I want to wait and see what will happen here until January, but if nothing changes, I will go to Istanbul to play for Galatasaray."
Altintop has been called up to the Turkey squad for the Euro 2012 play-off against Croatia, with the first leg taking place in Istanbul on Friday.
Espanyol sign Indonesian striker La Liga outfit Espanyol have completed the signing of young Indonesian striker Arthur Irawan.
The 18-year-old, a relative unknown in his country due to his age, has raised eyebrows across the region after the Spanish side announced the signing on Thursday.
"Arthur Irawan is a promising young player from Indonesia who we successfully discovered," Espanyol said in an official statement posted to the club's website.
"He could attract the interest of Manchester United, but his family wanted him to continue his studies.
"Now, the challenge for our coaching team is to be able to make him adapt to the style of football's elite at the European level," club officials elaborated.
Irawan was believed to be considered for selection to the Indonesian U-23 national team, but was left out due to his age.
He was on track to play for English amateur club Lytham Town before attracting interest from the Spanish side.
He will spend his first year at Espanyol in the junior team before moving up the ranks.
Ajax Amsterdam starlet Christian Eriksen admitted he would be more keen on a move to Barcelona than Manchester United.
After England's friendly against Denmark in February, Eriksen's star has been rising, and the 19-year-old has attracted fierce interest from both the Red Devils and the La Liga giants.
Ajax have been overwhelmed by interest in their Danish international, and Chelsea are also keen to make a move for the player.
Although his contract with Ajax runs till 2014, Pep Guardiola is considering splashing the cash to bring him to the Nou Camp.
The Catalans now look like the front-runners to sign Eriksen, as he admitted it would be a "dream" to join the reigning La Liga champions.
"I think most footballers dream of Barcelona," he said, according to talkSPORT.
"We'll see what happens when the time comes to leave Ajax. Barcelona's style speaks to me very much."
However, the young star also showed maturity beyond his years, admitting he was in "no hurry" to rush a move from the Dutch club.
"A transfer to Barcelona would be great, but I have enough challenges with Ajax. I am patient and I'm in absolutely no hurry", Eriksen concluded.
Brazilian legend Pele says Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney need to perform on the highest stage before they can be considered world class.The 71-year-old said being exceptional for your club and being exceptional for your country are two completely different things, and only the very best can perform at both levels.
"I think a 'great' player is defined by their performances at the World Cup," Pele said."For example, watch Lionel Messi play for Barcelona. He is very good. Exceptional. But for Argentina, he's completely different.""Compare him to Zinedine Zidane. He won the World Cup and was at the top for 15 years.
He was a more complete player than Messi.""Before Zidane there was Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Bobby Moore.""Great players who won World Cups or, in Cruyff and Platini's case, starred in them."
When asked about Wayne Rooney, although the three-time World Cup winner said he was a fan of the 26-year-old, he was far from complimentary about his behaviour."I am a very big fan of Rooney. He always fights for the team.
He is not too technical, his strength is his heart," Pele said."He's a good player. But you can't really compare him to me. I scored a lot of goals. I don't know if Rooney has.""His aggression is a big part of his game — you cannot take that away from him.
In my time we didn't have many yellow cards and red cards. Now, the players are very well protected.""But a player does have a responsibility to behave himself. It's hard to change the personality of the player but maybe they can adjust."
Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao says he is working hard to regain full fitness in time for their league clash with capital-city rivals Real Madrid.
The 25-year-old striker suffered a strain to the abductor muscle in his left leg in Colombia's training session on Wednesday, a problem which ruled him out of the national team's World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Argentina.
Falcao arrived in Madrid from Bogota on Saturday evening, and said he is setting his sights on a return against the Santiago Bernabeu outfit on November 26."It is true that we do not have a big margin, but I will do everything possible to be at the Bernabeu," Falcao said.
"It will all depend on how I feel. That will be an important factor to know whether I will be able to play that match. But I hope that my recovery will go well."The former Porto striker, who has so far scored nine goals for Atletico, will sit out the club's next La Liga match against Levante.
"It is a shame that I got injured in such a crucial moment in the league," he said."It is also troublesome for Atletico. But you have to deal with it.""These things happen in football. There have been many players who have had to return from their national teams with injuries."
Santos are reportedly planning a sensational move to re-sign AC Milan's Robinho in 2012 to mark their centenary year.
After pulling off a major coup by agreeing a deal to keep Neymar at the club until 2014, Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro is keen to bring their former player back to Vila Belmiro.
"It's a dream to have him (Robinho) back in the centenary year and we are doing our best to make it a reality.
Thanks to Neymar, Santos are now in the news around the world," Ribeiro told O Estado de Sao Paulo.
Robinho started his career at Santos before leaving the club in 2005, joining Spanish giants Real Madrid for a fee believed to be 24 million euros.
The Brazil international also enjoyed a six-month loan spell back at the side where he made his name in 2010, after falling down the pecking order at Manchester City.
It is unsure whether Robinho, who has two goals for Milan this season, would be interested in a move back to his former club.
Adrian eyes Real upset in Madrid derby Atletico Madrid striker Adrian has earmarked the forthcoming derby clash with Real as the perfect fixture to turn the Rojiblancos' season around.
Agent: Chivu could join Real Madrid The agent of Inter Milan defender Cristian Chivu has revealed his client could be heading to La Liga giants Real Madrid next summer.
Messi mania reaches new heights Respected US magazine Time has named Barcelona ace Lionel Messi as one of 32 candidates for its prestigious Person of the Year Award.
Zlatan chafed under Barca rule Zlatan Ibrahimovic has laid bare his true feelings about his time playing for Barcelona in his newly released autobiography
"Spurs could sell Bale to Barcelona"
]Ex-Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins believes that Tottenham could find it hard to turn now a big money offer from Barcelona for Gareth Bale.
Zidane: Madrid playing at Barca level Zinedine Zidane believes Real Madrid will not play second fiddle to Barcelona this season.
Milito: Barca are better than Real Former Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito feels that the Catalan club are better than Real Madrid because of their strong dressing room atmosphere.
Mourinho hails the 'real' Benzema Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema's prolific form has earned praise from coach Jose Mourinho, who hailed the Frenchman's progress since joining the club.
Kluivert: Barca are "out of this world"
Former Barcelona star Patrick Kluivert has praised the Catalan side's brand of football as "out of this world"
Kluivert: Barca are "out of this world" Former Barcelona star Patrick Kluivert has praised the Catalan side's brand of football as "out of this world"
Speaking to the club's official website, the Dutchman lauded: "The way they [Barcelona] play is impressive. The football they play is out of this world".
"I've played with Xavi, [Carles] Puyol and [Andres] Iniesta, and now they are the backbone of this team. "When I was there, they were young, it's a real honour and pleasure to see their play bring so much success to the club."
Kluivert also revealed that Guardiola was always destined to be a "great manager", even during his playing days. "He was already a leader when he was a footballer and you had the intuition that when he finished his career he would be a great manager," added Kluivert. "He connects with the players. He knows how he wants the team to play and he communicates that well to his players." The Dutchman also compared the form that Lionel Messi has had for both club and country, and blamed the selfishness of Argentina's football for the stark difference. "Barca plays for Messi but on the other hand when we see him play for his national side, he's different," he said. "When Messi plays for Barca he's simply marvellous, but with Argentina there are many players that just play for themselves."
Kluivert played for Barcelona from 1998-2004, scoring 122 goals during his time in Catalunya.
"Spurs could sell Bale to Barcelona" Ex-Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins believes that Tottenham could find it hard to turn now a big money offer from Barcelona for Gareth Bale.
According to reports from talkSPORT, the Catalan club sent a scout to watch the Welshman play in Spurs' 3-1 victory over Fulham last Sunday. Speaking to the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Wilkins believes that the London club will give in and sell their star should Barcelona make an offer to the tune of £35 million.
"When someone like Barcelona sits up and takes notice it makes you realise that you are playing some good football, and Gareth Bale is playing some extraordinary stuff," he said.
"Coughing up is a lot of money. In the January transfer window it will be very interesting to see if Tottenham can turn that down as it is an extreme amount of money.
"Barcelona are the best footballing team on the planet but would Gareth Bale be going there to play league football or Champions League football? That's the question.
"Unfortunately, Spain now has taken over the mantle of Scotland and there are only two teams that can win the title, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The rest are easy games [for those two]", he concluded.
Inter Milan were reported to be interested in the star as well earlier this year, but failed to follow up with a concrete bid.
Adrian eyes Real upset in Madrid derby Atletico Madrid striker Adrian has earmarked the forthcoming derby clash with Real as the perfect fixture to turn the Rojiblancos' season around.
Atletico are 11th in La Liga after an inconsistent start which has seen them win just three of their opening 11 fixtures.
The demanding Atletico support have voiced their disapproval at coach Gregorio Manzano but Adrian, a summer arrival from Deportivo La Coruna, realises a win at the Bernabeu on November 26 would pacify the critics.
He told the AS newspaper: "First we must get three points against Levante. "Then the derby will be complicated, even more so with this Madrid side who are in very good form.
"But a win there would be very important, not only for the league table. Given the situation we are in it could be a turning point."
Atletico have not beaten their great rivals since 1999 and Spain Under-21 star Adrian is eagerly anticipating his first taste of one of the biggest games in Spain.
He added: "All away games are difficult but especially at the Bernabeu..
"They told me that the derby live is incredible. My team-mates have said that was the case in the past and I am looking forward to it."
Barcelona midfielder Rafael Alcantara is close to signing a contract extension with the Camp Nou club.
The 18-year-old, who recently made his official first-team debut, has a contract until the end of the 2011-12 campaign, but the Catalan side are keen to tie the promising youngster to a long-term deal."Things are looking good, very good. Both parties are pretty close to reaching an agreement. We are very happy to be at this club and want to stay here," he told EFE.
"Making your first-team debut is a dream come true for every player from the youth academy. It was extremely special for me to be part of the best team in the world.""You never know what will happen in the future, but I'd love to become an important first-team member at Barcelona.
"Rafael Alcantara, who is also known as 'Rafinha' and is the brother of current Barcelona star Thiago, is considered to be one of the most exciting young players in Europe. He has already represented Spain at under-19 level, but also holds Brazilian nationality.
Soldado wants to avenge Real trashing Valencia striker Roberto Soldado is eager to make amends for last season's 6-3 trashing at the hands of Real Madrid when both sides meet again this Saturday.
Casillas tops the charts with Spain
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas became the most capped player in Spanish football on Tuesday night against Costa Rica.
Adriano injury blow for Barcelona
Barcelona's Brazilian full-back Adriano will be sidelined for between seven and 10 days with a hamstring injury suffered on international duty, the club have confirmed.
Report: Real youth targets revealed
Real Madrid's transfer strategy may have just taken a hit after a Spanish newspaper published a leaked hit-list of five young players wanted by the club.
Toure: Messi is incomparable
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure believes that nobody can be compared to former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, whom he labels 'the world's best'.
Barca wait on Guardiola decision
Barcelona fans are waiting with bated breath to see if coach Pep Guardiola will accept the club's new offer of a contract.
Hazard: No approach from Real Madrid
Lille winger Eden Hazard revealed that there has been no contact from Real Madrid despite the rumours linking him to the Spanish giants.
