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.

Italy calling: Dimitar Berbatov (left) is set to join Serie A side Fiorentina

 

His agent Emil Dantchev also confirmed: 'His future will be decided over the next few days.'

Berbatov, who became United's most expensive player when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75m, had reached an agreement with the Serie A club on a two-year contract with an option for a further year.

The 31-year-old was the Premier League's joint-top scorer in the 2010-11 season with 20 goals but has struggled to hold down a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up since and was keen to revive his career in another top European league.

Ferguson made it clear it was probably time for Berbatov, who is Bulgaria's all-time leading scorer with 48 goals, to look for a move when he signed Dutch striker Robin Van Persie from Arsenal prior to the start of the Premier League season.

Out of favour: Berbatov has struggled to hold down a regular first-team place over the last two seasons

If the deal is completed, Berbatov will become the fourth Bulgarian in Serie A after defender Nikolay Iliev and strikers Hristo Stoichkov and Valeri Bojinov, who played for Fiorentina between 2005 and 2007.

Football experts in Bulgaria believe the transfer could also lead to Berbatov ending his self-imposed international exile.

Earlier this year, Berbatov, who quit the national team in 2010, said he would be open to an approach from coach Luboslav Penev after he moved to a club where he could play regularly.
Meanwhile, Molde boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to take United striker Josh King on loan.

Liverpool must be in Champions League... and I'll help get them there, roars Sahin

New Liverpool midfielder Nuri Sahin has his sights set on helping the club break back into the Barclays Premier League top four this term.
The 23-year-old's season-long loan move from Real Madrid was confirmed by the Reds on Saturday and he was in the stands at Anfield the next day to watch his new side draw 2-2 with league champions Manchester City.
With Liverpool putting in their most encouraging performance yet since Brendan Rodgers' appointment as manager in the summer, Sahin was impressed by what he saw in that game and the Turkey international feels a top-four spot should be the target for the Merseysiders in 2012-13.

Plenty to say: Nuri Sahin speaks during a press conference at Liverpool's Melwood training ground

'If you watch the game against Manchester City, you see that the style the team is playing is very good and of course, Liverpool has to play in the Champions League,' Sahin said. 'A big club like Liverpool has to play every year in the Champions League and we will do everything to get in the top four.
'Also there is the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League, and with the potential we have here, we can do some good things.'

 

Liverpool, who could only manage a disappointing eighth-placed finish last season, brought in Rodgers after he achieved success at Swansea with a dynamic football philosophy.

It is a style of play the club's owners hope he can make work for the Reds and one Sahin believes he is well suited to.
'The project with Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers is the best for my situation I think - that is why I am here,' he said. 'I think the style I play is the same as how the manager wants the team to play.
'I have settled in very well and I hope it will be the same on the pitch and that we will have a great season.'

The long and the shirt of it: Reds boss Brendan Rodgers pipped Arsenal to Sahin's signature

Real pedigree: Turkey international midfielder Sahin is on a season-long loan from Madrid

Sahin was strongly linked with Arsenal before making the switch to Liverpool, but he is in no doubt that he has made the right decision.
'Everything people told me about Liverpool is there, what I see now,' said Sahin, who has revealed Real's ex-Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso urged him to make the move. 'It is a very big club with a huge history and I think I have made the right choice.'
Sahin joined Real last summer after catching the eye during a successful spell with German side Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the Bundesliga title in 2010-11.
Once again he was a member of a championship-winning squad in 2011-12 as Real claimed the Primera Division crown, but Sahin suffered with injuries and with there also being plenty of competition in midfield at the Spanish club, in the end, his involvement amounted to only a handful of first-team appearances.
This term, he is hoping to be far more a part of the action.

Old pals: Sahin revealed former Reds favourite Xabi Alonso urged him to join the Anfield club

'This is very important for me after the injury I got last year,' Sahin said. 'We became champions at Real Madrid, but I didn't play so many games, so for me it was important to come to a club where I had the chance to play at the highest level.
'I think in this case Liverpool is the best club for me right now.'
Asked about the prospect of him making a permanent transfer to Anfield, Sahin said: 'In football you never know.
'I am here for this season and then you never know what will be happening in a few months.
'I am looking forward to playing this year here and after, we will see.'

Chelsea must target a treble of trophies after flying start, roars new boy Hazard

Eden Hazard has started life at Chelsea with bang and is already urging his new team-mates to target a treble of trophies in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgium playmaker has Barclays Premier League defences quaking in their boots after just three games for the Blues following his £32million move from Lille this summer, having scored once and set up five more goals in his side's ascent to the top of the embryonic league table.
Roberto Di Matteo's European champions have already picked up the Community Shield this season and will be fighting for domestic honours in the Premier League, FA Cup and Capital One Cup, as well as competition across the globe in the Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Off the mark: Eden Hazard scored his maiden Chelsea goal against Newcastle

Hazard, 21, sees no reason to grow complacent after such a good start and admits he thinks picking up three of those trophies is a realistic aim for Chelsea this year.
'At Chelsea you have to win every game. The objective is win, win, win. This season I think there are seven trophies to play for,' he told The Sun.
'We played the first one against Manchester City in the Community Shield. If we get two or three from the remaining six that will be great.

 

'Big clubs, whether it’s Chelsea or Manchester, are formatted to win.'

Hazard also revealed he is happy with life in England following his move from France this summer.
'I’ve adapted very well to life in London,' he said. 'You’re always a bit overawed when you arrive at a club with so many big names.
'But then you tell yourself "They are people like me with two arms and two legs". Of course, I have respect for the players who are already here but it is down to me to tread my own path.

Roaring success: Hazard (left) has inspired Chelsea to the top of the league table

'I had already changed countries when I went from Belgium to France, so I had made a similar step before.
'The game goes a bit quicker here, the reaction times are maybe a bit shorter, the challenges are stronger and the fans live for football, which is what I needed to feel.'
And Hazard admits that performing a rap went a long way to breaking the ice with his new team-mates.
'Like in every club, there’s an initiation song,' he explained. 'I sang a French rap song for them and made then laugh a lot, which is the main thing.

Going down a treat: The Belgium playmaker is making friends fast at Chelsea

Hazard’s 19-year-old brother Thorgan has joined him on the books at Chelsea, and the older sibling joked that there is a reason why rich footballing talent runs in the family.
According to Eden, the Hazard brothers were dropped into magic potion when they were kids - just like cartoon hero Obelix from the Asterix books.
'It’s like Asterix and Obelix. All of us fell in the magic potion when we were younger — our dad and uncles also played football,' said Hazard.
'It’s good, it means we talk a lot about football in the household.'

Look who's back: Drogba returns to Chelsea amid Shanghai Shenhua crisis

Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba returned to his old club on Tuesday amid mounting speculation the Ivorian could make a swift return to the Barclays Premier League.
Drogba's visit to Chelsea's Cobham training ground came after it emerged he and former Blues team-mate Nicolas Anelka could be sold by China's Shanghai Shenhua due to an escalating equity stake row among shareholders.
Chairman Zhu Jun, who holds a 28.5 per cent stake, would only pay his share of the club's daily costs if his demands for greater control were not met.

Look who's back: Drogba met up with his former team-mates sparking reports of a return to Chelsea

 

Zhu currently controls the club along with five state-owned enterprises after becoming a shareholder in 2007.
The agreement was that if he invested £15million over two years, his stake would increase to more than 70 per cent.
Local media say Zhu has ploughed more than £60m into the club in the past five-and-a-half years, while the state-owned companies had spent nothing. The transfer of shares stalled in 2009 and again last year.

'It is annoying and has had a bad effect on many of our tasks,' a club official said. 'The biggest problem is that the operation and financing work of the club cannot be carried out normally.

'The equity stakes issue has become the biggest bottleneck for the development of Shenhua.'

If unresolved, Zhu, who has been signing all the cheques, could decide to cough up just 28.5 per cent of the club's expenditure, potentially affecting player salaries.
Colombian Giovanni Moreno missed the match against Shandong Luneng at the weekend amid speculation Shenhua had fallen short on his transfer fee with Argentina's Racing Club.

End of the road: Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba could be forced of China

The futures of Drogba and Anelka could be in the balance if Shenhua fail to make their salary payments. Both earn close to £250,000 a week.
Despite investing heavily in big-name foreign players, Shenhua sit 10th in the 16-team Chinese Super League on 27 points from 23 matches. Leaders Guangzhou Evergrande are on 47 points.

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.

On the move: Theo Walcott is locked in negotiations with Arsenal about a new deal - but it looks as though the winger will leave the Emirates

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.

In demand: Liverpool and Manchester City are observing developments

Fast-tracked: Serge Gnabry

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.

Chelsea primed for late Liverpool move for Sturridge before deadline day

Chelsea will be faced with a tough dilemma regarding Daniel Sturridge’s future this week as Liverpool plot a last minute swoop.
Reds manager Brendan Rodgers will try to land the England international in a £10million deal before Friday’s transfer deadline after making an initial enquiry.
And the Reds' move will leave manager Roberto Di Matteo with a difficult decision to make.

Pastures new: Daniel Sturridge wants out of Chelsea, and Liverpool are keen

 

The former Manchester City forward is unsettled at Stamford Bridge having already decided it is in his best interests to leave the club.

Sturridge knows he is not guaranteed regular football at Chelsea this season given the signings of Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Oscar and Victor Moses who can all play in wide positions.
Add to that Fernando Torres is now the club’s recognised first-choice central striker and it is clear the 22-year-old is very much on the peripheries at Stamford Bridge.
Sturridge also fears he could drop out of England contention if he is not playing on a regular basis this season.
However, the forward remains Chelsea’s only senior cover for Torres meaning the European champions are reluctant to sell him, despite his wishes.
Meanwhile, Blues misfit Gael Kakuta is set to join Marseille on a season-long loan deal. But it is understood the French club are trying to negotiate a £5million option to buy the youngster next summer.
Kakuta, 21, is due in France on Tuesday to have talks and a medical ahead of his protracted move back to his homeland.

Premier League on red alert over Drogba and Anelka amid crisis at Chinese club

Former Chelsea pair Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka could be sold by China's Shanghai Shenhua due to an escalating equity stake row among shareholders.
Chairman Zhu Jun, who holds a 28.5 per cent stake, would only pay his share of the club's daily costs if his demands for greater control were not met.
Zhu currently controls the club along with five state-owned enterprises after becoming a shareholder in 2007.

End of the road: Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba could be forced of China

The agreement was that if he invested £15million over two years, his stake would increase to more than 70 per cent.#
Local media say Zhu has ploughed more than £60m into the club in the past five-and-a-half years, while the state-owned companies had spent nothing. The transfer of shares stalled in 2009 and again last year.
'It is annoying and has had a bad effect on many of our tasks,' a club official said. 'The biggest problem is that the operation and financing work of the club cannot be carried out normally.
'The equity stakes issue has become the biggest bottleneck for the development of Shenhua.'

Harder than he thought: Drogba hasn't been able to lift his new team

If unresolved, Zhu, who has been signing all the cheques, could decide to cough up just 28.5 per cent of the club's expenditure, potentially affecting player salaries.
Colombian Giovanni Moreno missed the match against Shandong Luneng at the weekend amid speculation Shenhua had fallen short on his transfer fee with Argentina's Racing Club.
The futures of Drogba and Anelka could be in the balance if Shenhua fail to make their salary payments. Both earn close to £250,000 a week.
Despite investing heavily in big-name foreign players, Shenhua sit 10th in the 16-team Chinese Super League on 27 points from 23 matches. Leaders Guangzhou Evergrande are on 47 points.