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Wayne Rooney – Coleen Rooney

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Spurs eyeing up Rodgers as potential Redknapp replacement

Full story: FootyBunker

Aston Villa have failed to extend the loan deal of LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane after the Major League Soccer side rebuffed their request to increase his stay.

Full story: Express and Star

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Former England coach Fabio Capello is being linked with Andre Villas-Boas’ job at Chelsea.

There is spiralling speculation at Stamford Bridge that the former AC Milan and Real Madrid boss is about to be installed as Blues’ eighth boss in eight years.

One Chelsea source said last night: “There are strong rumours that Capello is coming and it could be sooner rather than later.”

Owner Roman Abramovich has been a regular at the training ground this week, often in deep discussion with Villas-Boas.

It would not be the first time the Russian billionaire has courted an England boss.

In 2003, he tried to coax Sven Goran Eriksson away when the Swede was at the height of his popularity — and then tried again a year later.

SOURCE: Tribalfootball

Would Roman Abramovich really sack young boss Andre Villas-Boas so swiftly? Well if the Blues managed to miss out on a top four finish then the chances of the Chelsea boss staying in his post would dramatically decrease but at present the West London club are in the top four and are still in the Champions League this term, so is talk of an axing premature?

Indeed this source seems to believe Roman Abramovich is ready to make the change sooner rather than later, would this be a mistake? Such talk would perhaps explain the Capello’s decision to back John Terry so publicly?

Fabio Capello can be considered one of the best manager’s of his generation and his success at AC Milan, Real Madrid and Juventus, though his time in Turin has been soured by the Calciopoli that saw the club stripped of the two titles won during his reign, and the former England manager would surely be tempted by such a move.

Chelsea fans, what do you think of the possible appointment of the 65 year old Italian?

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Liverpool and Manchester City are set for a summer battle over the signature of Spanish star Fernando Llorente according to reports in this morning’s Spanish media.
Roberto Mancini and Kenny Dalglish both want the Athletic Bilbao striker but would have to pay around €36 million to bring the 26-year-old to the Etihad Stadium or Anfield.

Liverpool have been linked with Llorente for a number of months, however this morning Spanish daily AS claim City are willing to pay the player €7 million per season, which would dwarf the €2.5 million he is currently on at San Mames.

SOURCE: El Centro Campista

The time is probably right for Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente to finally consider leaving the San Mames side he has represented since the age of 11 and a move to the Premier League looks fairly realistic as neither of the two main La Liga giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have as yet made a move for the giant Spanish international.

The 26 year old striker has been in very consistent form over the past four seasons and has already netted 19 goals this term and Liverpool may well see the 6ft 5in forward as a possible strike partner for Luis Suarez, though Kenny Dalglish does appear to still have faith in Andy Carroll so perhaps a move for Llorente would be merely in order to have three top notch options up front, in which case the £30m needed to fork out to sign the Athletic Bilbao man would appear to be a big price to pay for a back up option.

Man City have a number of in form striking options to call upon with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli all doing well this term, so well in fact that Carlos Tevez’s AWOL trip to Argentina has not had the least bit of affect on the club’s Premier League title charge.

There has however been talk of AC Milan’s supposed interest in Balotelli which would of course open the door for another attacking addition.

Fernando Llorente is ready made for the physical nature of the English top tier and would surely be a big success in the Premier League.

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Real Madrid plan to open the bidding for Arsenal skipper Robin Van Persie.

The Daily Mail says Real Madrid will make an offer for Van Persie in the summer as they join the £30million race for the Arsenal striker.

Madrid will also look to put Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain in as part of the deal. Higuain, 24, is a target for Chelsea but has been long admired by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Now whilst Arsenal will be loathed to lose their star performer if an offer of £30m and Argentine Gonzalo Higuain was made then Arsene Wenger may well feel that it’s an offer to good to turn down. If the the Gunners skipper makes it clear he wishes to leave in the summer, a possibility that would significantly increase if the North London side fails to secure a top four spot, then this deal may be the best on offer.

The 28 year old striker has just 16 months to run on his current contract and when the deal moves into the final year then his value starts to decrease in a big way and from that moment on Arsenal will have a ticking time-bomb on it’s hands. Robin Van Persie has been in excellent form for his Arsenal side over the past two seasons but if the Gunners skipper feels that his career would be best served elsewhere then some difficult decisions may need to be made by Arsene Wenger.

The Frenchman elected to sell both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer, seriously reducing the quality in his Arsenal first team, but he felt that he had to sell as both players, for their own individual reasons, made it clear they wanted to leave.

Gonzalo Higuain at 24 has a few years on Van Persie and has become a feared predatory striker in La Liga, notching up a very healthy 83 goals in his last 142 appearances for Real Madrid. The former River Plate striker is thought to be a player that Wenger has been interested in the past and any offer that would see the French born forward included would surely be considered.

Surely if Van Persie stated his intention to leave or held out on signing a new contract in the summer, then such an offer would be almost too good to be true.

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FA chiefs will have to pay Tottenham £5million to make Harry Redknapp the next England boss.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will put up a fight to keep ‘Arry, who has 17 months left on his current £3m-a-year contract, and will demand a high compensation fee.

Redknapp is the Football Association’s outstanding candidate and they want to name their new man next week.

However, England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce will still take temporary charge of the seniors for the friendly against Holland on February 29 – as revealed in the Mirror.

It is understood that Levy wants Redknapp to concentrate on Spurs for the remainder of the season as they make a surprise push for the title, but several bookies have closed betting on him succeeding Fabio Capello.

SOURCE: Daily Mirror

It has seemed just a matter of time before Harry Redknapp was brought in to become the next England boss though one wonders if Tottenham are ready to give up just yet. The White Hart Lane boss has been a huge succcess since his move to the North London club back in 2008 and his side are arguably the only challengers to Man City & Man United for the Premier League title so one would imagine that any move to bring in the former West Ham manager would occur after the season comes to an end in May.

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Manchester United have received a fine boost with the news that Tom Cleverley is set for a return to first team action.

Cleverley, who is 22 years of age, has been out of action since October with an ankle problem, and his likely return could not be better timed.

The Red Devils play arch rivals Liverpool this weekend, and with the tension between the teams even more heightened than usual thanks to the Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra incident of racist language.

Liverpool have stood firmly behind their man, with Kenny Dalglish saying Suarez never should have been punished in the first place, but it is now expected that the Uruguayan will start the game.

It will be his first appearance since his ban, and with Liverpool having won the last encounter between the two sides last month with a score of 2-1, they will be even more confident with the return of their talisman and most creative player.

A Manchester United side containing the likes of Cleverley and Paul Scholes from the start though would be likely to dominate possession against Liverpool’s more workmanlike midfield, and Saturday’s battle will be intriguing to say the least.

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Liverpool have been strongly linked with the signing of Anderlecht forward Dieumerci Mbokani, according to Inside Futbol.

Mbokani is having a brilliant season for Anderlecht, but did not set the world on fire at previous clubs Monaco and VfL Wolfsburg.

Still, this season the Congo international striker has scored 7 goals and supplied 4 assists in 15 appearances for the Belgian team this season, meaning he directly contributes to an Anderlecht goal on average every 123 minutes.

That compares favourably with the best players across Europe, although it should come with the caveat that his impressive form has come in the Belgian Jupiler League and UEFA Europa League.

Now his agent Fabio Baglio says he is ready for a big transfer to one of the biggest clubs in Europe, strongly hinting that a number of Premier League clubs are in the running.

“I never doubted him,” explained Baglio to Sudpresse.

“In Belgium, he’s standing head and shoulders above the rest and he knows this, but he won’t be complacent.

“People always mention his failure in France, but he ran into a coach that didn’t want to consider him.”

“His performances in recent weeks have increased the interest from big English clubs.

“When Dieumerci is ready, he’ll go abroad, but we won’t make the mistake of choosing a second-class club. He will go to a top team because he was born to play with the elite.”

“The price? I would say between €12M and €15M, but when I see that [Nabil] Dirar left for €6M (to Monaco. ed), I tell myself that Dieu is worth €15M to €20M.”

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Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder has again discussed the possibility of a Manchester United transfer, but indicated that he was more likely to move to the United States when he leaves Italy.

The Netherlands international playmaker has flirted with the Red Devils for almost a year, as it was believed Sir Alex Ferguson wanted him to replace Paul Scholes upon his retirement, but a move never materialised.

“There have never been any concrete contacts with Manchester United,” Sneijder said to Dutch broadcaster Nos. “I see everything, I am not blind, but there is nothing concrete right now.

“I am happy at Inter, but we will see. I currently have no contacts with other clubs and I am living day by day.

“If on the last day of the transfer window an offer had arrived, maybe I would have left.

“The truth is that I feel at home at Inter, but I do not know where I will play next season.”

As for his potential Major League Soccer move, Sneijder was decidedly coy on a timeframe for things to be put into motion.

“A spell in the USA? That is something I think about, but only in the future.”

“I do not think where I will play next season. I have been in the USA with Yolanthe [Sneijder's wife] because of her work.

“We will surely discuss this in the future, but not now.”

Sneijder will be 28 years old in the summer, but the fact that there is an unwritten law at Old Trafford warning against player recruitment above the age of 27 may scupper any chances the Dutchman would move there anyway.

It appears more likely that he will remain at Internazionale until his contract expires before departing for the MLS.

How close Wesley Sneijder was to a Manchester United transfer we may never know.

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