Transfer news...

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Fábregas then became Arsenal's youngest ever league goalscorer with a strike against Blackburn Rovers on 25 August, 2004

 

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Fábregas became the second youngest player to score in the Champions' League, when he scored in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Rosenborg

 

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Fábregas won his only piece of silverware for the club (the Community Shield aside) when Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final. He was substituted towards the end of normal time

 

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Arsenal made it to the final of the Champions League in 2006 but were defeated 2–1 by Barcelona

 

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Arsenal made it to the final of the League Cup in 2007 but were defeated by Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium. Fábregas in seen here at the fringes of a fracas that resulted in three players being sent off in injury time

 

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Fábregas became club captain in November 2008 after Arsene Wenger terminated William Gallas's erratic spell with the armband

 

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Arsenal came up against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final in 2009 but were beaten home and away and ended the season trophyless

 

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Further misery was inflicted by Barcelona as they knocked Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League in 2010. The first leg was an eventful one for Fábregas as he picked up a booking that would mean he missed the second leg and scored this penalty to level the tie at 2-2 but fractured his leg in the incident leading to the spot kick

 

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Further misery was inflicted by Barcelona as they knocked Arsenal at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League in 2010. The first leg was an eventful one for Fábregas as he picked up a booking that would mean he missed the second leg and scored this penalty to level the tie at 2-2 but fractured his leg in the incident leading to the spot kick

 

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International duty proved more rewarding as Fábregas earned a World Cup winner's medal for his part in Spain's victory in 2010. His teammates cheekily stuffed him into a Barcelona shirt during their victory parade in Madrid

 

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In an increasingly familiar scenario Fábregas's Arsenal were once more put out of the Champions League by Barcelona in 2011, this time in the first knockout round

 

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After the most protracted transfer saga in memory Cesc Fábregas finally joined Barcelona on 15 August, 2011 in a deal worth around £35m

 

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[h=1]Manchester United eyes a partial flotation on Singapore stock exchange[/h] Premier League club is preparing bid to raise $1bn

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• Owen Gibson
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 18.21 BST Article history
  
  
  Manchester United chief executive David Gill, left, and club ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton watch a match against Manchester City on 7 August. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images
  
  The Glazer family, whose ownership of Manchester United has brought unprecedented success on the field and loud protests off it, are examining proposals to raise $1bn (£600m) by floating a substantial stake on the Singapore stock exchange.
  The future intentions of the Glazers, who took the club private after they bought it in a deal that valued it at £790m in 2005, have long been the subject of speculation. They are believed to be in talks with Credit Suisse to handle the initial public offering (IPO), which could take place before the end of the year. No final decision has yet been made.
  Given the allure of the Manchester United brand in Asia, and successful attempts to drive global commercial revenues, analysts said the move could allow the Glazers to establish a true market value for the club, reduce debt and realise cash for use within the business or elsewhere.
  Any IPO could raise up to $1bn, reports in Asia suggested, which would be an ambitious valuation if the Glazers were to stick to plans to float a stake of between 25% and 30%. The family are believed to value the club at more than £2bn.
  The Premier League champions carry about £500m in bond debt, acquired in 2010 when the Glazers launched a bond issue to pay off existing loans taken out to facilitate the leveraged buyout. The bond issue sparked protests from some supporters because it laid bare the extent to which the Glazers had funded the interest payments from the club's cashflow and built in the ability to draw dividends in future.
  But David Gill, the club's chief executive, has insisted that it can easily absorb the £45m-a-year interest payments attached to the bond while competing on the pitch with European rivals. Trophies and a more active position in the transfer market have helped to quell fans' anger, though protest groups remain active.
  Last year the Glazers paid off the £225m high-interest, payment-in-kind hedge fund loans they took out in an earlier refinancing round, which did not sit on the club's balance sheet but were housed by their parent company and accrued interest at 16.25% a year. They have never revealed where they found the money to do so. If they borrowed it, they could use the proceeds of an IPO to repay that loan.
  The Glazers could also pay down some of the bond debt, plough some proceeds back into the club or take cash out for use elsewhere in their business empire.
  It emerged this year that Wall Street financiers were talking to the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a string of shopping centres in the US, about a possible IPO in Hong Kong. However, attention has switched to the Singapore exchange, which has been competing with Hong Kong for international listings and would see the Manchester United name as a major coup.
  It is not thought likely that the "Red Knights", a group of wealthy supporters angry about the Glazers' business model, would be interested in a minority stake. They withdrew from the fray despite preparing a £1bn takeover bid, insisting that the Glazers were overvaluing the club.
  "The key question is: where does the money end up? It doesn't benefit the fans if it all ends up in Florida," said Andy Green, a fan and fund manager who blogs on the club's finances as Andersred.
  "It shows a total lack of vision. The people who should be offered the chance to buy a stake in the club are the fans. It shows a total lack of imagination not to even consider engaging with them." The Glazers have continued to insist the club is not for sale, despite rumours about the interest of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, which denied claims it had tabled a £1.5bn offer before going on to buy the French club Paris St Germain.
  The London-based commercial arm launched by the Glazers, headed by chief of staff Edward Woodward, has succeeded in substantially growing overseas sponsorship revenues. It is targeting another steep rise in shirt sponsorship income, worth £20m a season from Aon, when the current deal expires in 2014.
  The market for overseas broadcast rights, valued at £1.3bn over three years, could outstrip that for domestic rights, valued at about £2.1bn, when the next round of collective Premier League deals are negotiated next year. The popularity of the Premier League overseas has also fuelled commercial growth. A Forbes survey this year named Manchester United as the most valuable sports franchise in the world, calculating that the club is worth £1.13bn
  Yet Manchester United last year racked up a record annual pre-tax loss of £109m, though much of that was attributable to one-off costs associated with the £500m bond issue.
  Its most recent quarterly results showed that while matchday and media income had remained largely flat, annnual commercial income was on course to top £100m for the first time. Since the Glazers bought the club, annual turnover has doubled to £300m.
  The results, for the nine months to 31 March 2011, showed that the club had £113m in the bank. That was on course to swell to more than £170m after season ticket income had been banked, notwithstanding more than £50m spent on summer transfers.
  A Manchester United spokesman said: "We don't comment on speculation." A Credit Suisse spokeswoman also declined to comment. The club's results are due in October, when it will be expected to clarify its future plans to bondholders.
  
  

 

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[h=1]Chelsea may add Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou to Luka Modric bid[/h] • Tottenham anticipate third offer for unsettled midfielder
• Genk winger Kevin de Bruyne also targeted by Chelsea

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• Dominic Fifield
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 22.30 BST Article history
  
  
  Yossi Benayoun was sidelined for most of his first year at Chelsea with a serious achilles injury. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images
  
  Chelsea are considering offering Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou as makeweights in a deal for Tottenham Hotspur's playmaker Luka Modric.
  Spurs have already rejected two Chelsea bids for Modric this summer, worth £22m and £27m, and the chairman, Daniel Levy, has insisted that the unsettled midfielder, who has expressed a desire to move to Stamford Bridge, will not be sold at any price. Despite this, a third bid has been anticipated for some time but with Chelsea apparently reluctant to offer more than £30m for the 25-year-old, they are now exploring alternative ways of adding value to any deal.
  Chelsea had been resistant to the idea of offering players as part of any deal for the Croatian, their principal creative midfield target. That stance is understood to have shifted with the option of offering the two players in part-exchange, together with a fee of around £27m, now under discussion.
  Chelsea's manager André Villas-Boas is aware that despite off-loading Yuri Zhirkov to Anzhi Makhachkala this summer, he must create spaces within his 25-man Premier League squad to be submitted next month – only 17 of whom can be non-homegrown senior players – if he is to strengthen the midfield.
  The Premier League runners-up are also monitoring Raul Meireles's availability at Liverpool, though their priority remains Modric. But it remains to be seen whether Tottenham would be receptive to the possibility of taking either of the players potentially on offer. Benayoun has attracted tentative interest from Roma, Galatasaray and clubs in Russia this close season, and is the man whose position would be most under threat should Modric move across the capital.
  The Israeli was denied the chance to make an impact in his first year at Chelsea after suffering a serious achilles injury last September and despite the 31-year-old impressing in pre-season, reports emerged in Israel last week that he expects to leave Stamford Bridge.
  Kalou's possible availability would constitute more of a surprise and the Ivorian started Sunday's draw at Stoke City. However, Chelsea have a host of forward options with Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba – a player Tottenham would be keener to sign – Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka now joined by Romelu Lukaku, and with Daniel Sturridge having impressed on loan at Bolton last term and for his own club in pre-season. The England Under-21 striker, who is serving a three-match suspension, is expected to play a significant role this term.
  Tottenham still hope to refresh their own frontline this summer – they have sold Robbie Keane to LA Galaxy for £3.5m and may yet move on any of Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe or Roman Pavlyuchenko – though it would still represent something of a reversal of policy if Levy was suddenly receptive to a Modric deal with makeweights thrown in.
  Comparisons have been drawn with Spurs' apparently similar hard-line stance with both Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov, which mellowed after much wrangling as the transfer deadline approached in both cases, though the Croatian's case is very different.
  Carrick only had two years to run on his Spurs contract in 2006 and had made it clear he would not sign a new deal at the club. With Berbatov in 2008, Tottenham feared the Bulgarian might invoke the Webster ruling and buy out the remainder of his contract the following summer to force through his own move to Manchester United, effectively for a knock-down fee. Yet Modric is contracted until 2016 and has been commended for his professionalism since arriving at White Hart Lane.
  Having secured Lukaku and Thibault Courtois, Chelsea still hope to secure a third addition from Belgium before the end of the month, after holding further talks with Genk over their 20-year-old winger Kevin De Bruyne.
  The young forward may be loaned back to his current club for 12 months, if a fee is agreed. "My agent went to Chelsea on Wednesday and discussions have been good," De Bruyne said. "Maybe, by the end of the month, a deal can be sorted out because that would be a good thing for all three-parties. If there is an agreement with Chelsea, I would certainly spend another year at Genk."
  
  

 

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[h=1]Internazionale rule out sale of 'untouchable' Wesley Sneijder[/h] • Massimo Moratti denies talks with Manchester United
• President confirms interest in signing Carlos Tevez

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• Press Association
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 August 2011 10.19 BST Article history
  
  
  Wesley Sneijder will not leave Internazionale, according to the club's president Massimo Moratti. Photograph: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
  
  Wesley Sneijder will remain at Internazionale this summer according to the club's president Massimo Moratti, who has described the Dutch playmaker as "untouchable". Sneijder has been linked with a move to Manchester United throughout the close-season, and recently claimed "unofficial talks" were under way.
  Moratti has, however, denied those comments, saying there have never been any such negotiations and that the club is not interested in selling one of its key players – particularly given the imminent departure of Samuel Eto'o to the Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.
  Moratti told Gazzetta dello Sport: "There have never been any kind of talks about Wes. Sneijder was untouchable before the situation with Eto'o and he has become even more so now Eto'o could leave. Sneijder is going nowhere."
  Moratti confirmed speculation regarding the club's interest in Manchester City's striker Carlos Tevez as they look to replace Eto'o. "The names that have been mentioned are correct. We have been following Tevez, [Ezequiel] Lavezzi and [Diego] Forlán. It will be difficult to sort an agreement for the City striker but the others we are considering. We'll see.
  "I will really miss Eto'o if everything goes ahead. Not just as a player, but also as a human being. He's a great guy and a superb player. He has always been an example to follow and is a real professional. When we get offers like this it is hard to ignore them. The financial fair play is a serious matter and we needed to consider it."
  
  

 

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[h=4]Series: Rumour Mill[/h] Previous | Index

[h=2]Football transfer gossip and piano tunes[/h] [h=1]Football transfer rumours: Peter Odemwingie to Tottenham Hotspur?[/h] Today's tittle-tattle is on a minimalist tip

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• Scott Murray
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 August 2011 09.26 BST Article history
  
  
  Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp goes striker hunting with his son Jamie. Photograph: Alex Morton/Action Images
  
  This summer's transfer window has been structurally based on Steve Reich's Piano Phase. Two pianists play the same 12-note riff over and over. The second pianist speeds up a tad, until they are playing the second note of the phrase at the same time the first pianist is playing the first note. The two pianists then play at the same tempo again. The process is then repeated, but this time the second pianist speeds up until they are playing the third note of the phrase at the same time the first pianist is playing the first note, at which point the two play at the same tempo again. The process is repeated again, but this time the second pianist speeds up until they are playing the fourth note of… well, you can see where Reich was going with that.
  Anyway, here's an earworm for you while you plough through this remarkably familiar sequence:
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Emmanuel Adebayor will sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
  Arsenal want Birmingham defender Scott Dann.
  Chelsea will spend the best part of £20m on Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Wesley Sneijder wants to join Manchester United, but the club doesn't have enough money to pay him.
  West Ham will bid for social networking's Joey Barton.
  Everton may sign Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.
  Wigan and Tottenham are both interested in West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie.
  Paris St Germain are after Nicklas Bendtner.
  Arsenal will fill the gap with Kevin Doyle of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Emmanuel Adebayor will sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Arsenal want Birmingham defender Scott Dann.
  Chelsea will spend the best part of £20m on Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Wesley Sneijder wants to join Manchester United, but the club doesn't have enough money to pay him.
  West Ham will bid for social networking's Joey Barton.
  Everton may sign Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.
  Wigan and Tottenham are both interested in West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie.
  Paris St Germain are after Nicklas Bendtner.
  Arsenal will fill the gap with Kevin Doyle of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Emmanuel Adebayor will sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Arsenal want Birmingham defender Scott Dann.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Chelsea will spend the best part of £20m on Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Wesley Sneijder wants to join Manchester United, but the club doesn't have enough money to pay him.
  West Ham will bid for social networking's Joey Barton.
  Everton may sign Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha.
  Wigan and Tottenham are both interested in West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie.
  Paris St Germain are after Nicklas Bendtner.
  Arsenal will fill the gap with Kevin Doyle of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Emmanuel Adebayor will sign for Tottenham Hotspur.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Arsenal want Birmingham defender Scott Dann.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Chelsea will spend the best part of £20m on Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Manchester City want shot of Wayne Bridge, and Newcastle United may be willing to oblige.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Shaun Wright-Phillips is on his way to Bolton Wanderers.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Samir Nasri wants to leave Arsenal, and join either Manchester City or Manchester United.
  Arsenal will fill the gap with Kevin Doyle of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  Repeat to fade.
  
  

 

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[h=1]Arsenal's Carlos Vela and Pedro Botelho loaned to La Liga clubs[/h] • Striker Vela to join Real Sociedad for 2011-12 season
• Defender Botelho goes to Rayo Vallecano

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• Press Association
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 19.51 BST Article history
  
  
  Carlos Vela has struggled to make an impact at Arsenal after impressing in the Carling Cup in his first season in 2008. Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images
  
  Arsenal have announced that their Mexico striker Carlos Vela and the Brazilian defender Pedro Botelho will spend the 2011-12 season on loan with La Liga clubs.
  The 22-year-old Vela, who spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, is to join Real Sociedad subject to a medical. Botelho, 21, will move to the newly promoted Rayo Vallecano, Arsenal confirmed on their website.
  Both players have played on loan in Spain before. Vela spent time at Salamanca and Osasuna, while Botelho spent last term at the Segunda División side Cartagena and previously played for Salamanca and Celta Vigo.
  
  

 

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[h=1]Uefa to scrutinise Manchester City's sponsorship deal with Etihad[/h] • Uefa to decide if £400m deal circumvents financial fair play
• Club's figures, due in September, expected to show big loss

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• Daniel Taylor
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 19.41 BST Article history
  
  
  Uefa president Michel Platini presented the Club licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations in January this year. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
  
  Uefa has confirmed it is scrutinising Manchester City's sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways to see whether the club have taken advantage of their Abu Dhabi links to help circumvent the incoming financial fair-play regulations.
  The 10-year agreement will be worth close to £400m for City but has led to complaints that the money involved is out of proportion with the scale of the deal.
  City have been looking at ways to increase their revenue to help meet the fair-play regulations and avoid any risk of being denied a place in the Champions League in coming years, but Uefa wants to clarify that Etihad, run by the Abu Dhabi government, has paid a market price.
  "I have some questions, yes," Jean-Luc Dehaene, the chairman of Uefa's Club Financial Control Panel, said. "If we see clubs that are looking for loopholes we will act. It is not enough to say: 'We've got a sponsorship contract and that's OK' if the contract is out of line."
  Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has complained that the Etihad deal "raises the real question about the credibility of financial fair play" and Liverpool's managing director, Ian Ayre, has also spoken of his concern. "Are Etihad, City and Sheikh Mansour related parties? If they are, it's up to Uefa to rule on them," he said.
  City made a loss of £93m in 2008-09, £121m in 2009-10 and the latest figures, due in September, are expected to be even worse, despite an increase in turnover.
  
  

 

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[h=1]Schalke's Raúl rejects chance of joining Blackburn Rovers[/h] • Blackburn wanted Spanish striker as marquee signing
• Steve Kean needs reinforcements to help David Goodwillie

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• Dominic Fifield
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 August 2011 20.29 BST Article history
  
  
  Raúl's strained relationship with Schalke's coach was not bad enough to persuade the striker to move to Blackburn Rovers. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP
  
  Blackburn Rovers have been frustrated in their desire to sign Raúl after Schalke's former Real Madrid striker rejected the chance to move to Ewood Park.
  The club and had made an inquiry to Schalke via email on Monday. Raúl, Real Madrid's record scorer with 323 goals in 741 appearances, joined Schalke in 2010 and is entering the final season of a £100,000-a-week contract.
  The German club were open to sanctioning his sale but the 34-year-old has indicated he has no intention of moving to Blackburn.
  The general manager of Schalke, Horst Heldt, had been demanding a "prompt decision" on the matter and held talks with the player and his representative on Tuesday night, seeking clarification on his intentions. But, though Raúl's relationship with the coach, Ralf Rangnick, has become strained over recent months, he has pledged his immediate future to Schalke and is expected to travel to Finland with the squad on Wednesday for Thursday's Europa League qualifying tie against HJK Helsinki.
  "His agent has told me that Raúl wants to stay with Schalke 04 and asked us to reject Blackburn Rovers. We have already done so," Heldt said. "We are pleased that Raúl wants to continue to contribute to all our sporting success."
  The rejection leaves Venky's seeking both a major signing to turn heads and forward reinforcements. The manager Steve Kean has signed David Goodwillie from Dundee United for £2.8m but is desperate to add to his strike force, having lost Nikola Kalinic, Benjani Mwaruwari and Mame Biram Diouf, who has gone back to Manchester United after his loan spell.
  The club made a disappointing start to the Premier League season, losing 2-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
  Blackburn's owner would certainly have appreciated Raúl's profile having apparently attempted to secure David Beckham on loan from LA Galaxy in January.
  Rovers were also linked heavily with a move for Milan's Brazilian forward Ronaldinho in the midwinter transfer window, before opting instead to secure Rubén Rochina and Mauro Formica from Barcelona B and Newell's Old Boys.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Harry Redknapp confirms Spurs in talks to sign Emmanuel Adebayor[/h] • Tottenham manager says negotiations under way
• Striker's wage demands remain a stumbling block

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• Press Association
• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 August 2011 11.44 BST Article history
  
  
  Emmanuel Adebayor is in talks over a move to White Hart Lane. Photograph: Paul White/AP
  
  The Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed the club is in talks with Manchester City over a move for Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor fell out with the City manager Roberto Mancini last season and the Italian has made it clear the £25m striker has no future at the club.
  Spurs and City have been in negotiations over a possible deal, with Adebayor's reported £170,000 weekly salary proving to be the only real stumbling block. Redknapp hopes to seal a move for the striker soon, saying: "The chairman is talking to City about the player but where they are at I genuinely don't know."
  Adebayor spent the second half of last season on loan at Real Madrid, where he scored twice against Tottenham in the Champions League quarter-final first leg between the two teams at the Bernabéu. During that match Spurs fans chanted abusive songs at the former Arsenal forward, but the player said this summer the songs would not put him off signing for Redknapp's team.
  Redknapp has been in the market for a striker all summer after Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko all failed to score regularly last season. The deal being negotiated with City is thought to be a loan deal, with the possibility of a permanent transfer at the end of the season.
  Redknapp has been linked with other strikers this summer, including Twente's Bryan Ruiz. Redknapp was in Holland to watch the Costa Rica international score in Twente's 2-2 draw with Benfica on Tuesday, but admits a deal for the forward is unlikely as he is more concerned about adding to his midfield, which has been hit by injuries to key players.
  "I went and watched the game and watched him play," Redknapp said, speaking ahead of Thursday's Europa League play-off first leg against Hearts at Tynecastle. "He is a good player but we are more desperate in other areas. I don't think anything is going to happen. He's a good player that I have watched before. I just like going to watch football matches so I thought I'd just go and see the game."
  Redknapp is facing an injury crisis ahead of the tie in Edinburgh with six of his midfielders unavailable. One of those players is Luka Modric, who has a groin injury. Chelsea are set to return with a new £30m-plus offer for the Croatian, but Redknapp said the club's stance that the 25-year-old will not be sold has not changed.