Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists there will be no summer exodus at Anfield, despite the fact a number of his current squad have failed to commit their futures to the club. Captain Steven Gerrard will join MLS side L.A. Galaxy in the summer, while Spanish midfielder Suso joined AC Milan after both their contracts were allowed to run down, but Liverpool face a similar situation with Jon Flanagan, Kolo Toure, Brad Jones and Glen Johnson all available on a free this summer. Jordan Henderson is one of a number of top players inlcuding Martin Skrtel and Rickie Lambert, who have 18 months remaining on their deals, meaning the club could be forced into a sale when the season ends. Rodgers, however, is confident that he can persuade his senior stars to stay. We cant have three or four leaving -- it is about the needs of the team, he told reporters on Friday. The intention is to keep the senior players because of the mix of the group. For our young players to develop, they will need seniority around them. You cant just have a group of young players. Liverpool have previously revealed that they are in talks with Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho over extending their deals, while Rodgers insisted that he was hopeful Johnson would cement his future at Anfield. Roma head coach Rudi Garcia says he is not giving thought to a potential deal for Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah while his side prepare to take on Fiorentina on Sunday. The Giallorossi have settled on a potential loan deal for the 22-year-old with an option to make the move permanent for €17 million after officials flew from the Italian capital to hold talks with the Blues. Garcia, however, refused to be drawn on whether the move was yet finalised and has urged his players to make Sundays encounter with Vincenzo Montellas side their sole focus. Salah? Im not going to talk about the transfer market. Theres just one thought on my mind today: Fiorentina, he told a press conference. The midfielder has ended speculation by putting pen to paper on a lengthy contract with the European champions Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Brazilian starlet Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro. The midfielder has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with the European champions, who have been linked with the South American for a while. The 21-year-old - who had been linked with a host of clubs over the past few months and is reported to have snubbed Arsenal to link up with Carlo Ancelottis men - has featured for Brazils Under-20 and Under-21 levels A statement released on Friday said: Real Madrid and Cruzeiro have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Lucas Silva, who has signed for the club until June 30, 2020. The player will be presented on Monday, January 26, at 13:00CET at the Santiago Bernabeu, after undergoing a medical examination. Later, Lucas Silva will go out on to the turf of the Bernabeu with the shirt of Real Madrid and meet the media in the press room. Manchester United have made a move for Dynamo Kyiv defender Aleksandar Dragovic. The Daily Express says Dragovic, who also has 35 senior caps to his name, has been attracting interest from a number of top European teams, but it is United who are leading the race for his signature. According to reports, Louis van Gaal wants to sign the 23-year-old before the winter transfer window closes, and has offered Dynamo £15m for his services. Van Gaal had been looking at a number of defenders, including Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels and Valencias Nicolas Otamendi, but instead looks set to wrap up a move for Dragovic. The agent of David de Gea has indicated that his client could potentially leave Manchester United. The 24-year old goalkeeper is being linked with a summer move to Spanish giants Real Madrid once his contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season and so far he has failed to commit himself to United. Regarding his future with the Red Devils, de Gea’s representative Jorge Mendes remained open to any sort of possibility for the former Atletico Madrid young gun. “David is amazing, he’s brilliant. He’s a Man United player and has a contract there,” Mendes told Marca. “You have to respect that but things change every five minutes.” Adding further speculation to de Gea’s career at Old Trafford is the fact that Louis van Gaal signed former Barcelona number one Victor Valdes on a free transfer earlier this month. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has welcomed Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Douglas Costas interest in moving to Stamford Bridge. The 24-year-old said the chance to play for the Premier League leaders would be a dream and reveals he would attempt to force through a move to the Blues in the near future. Costa played an influential role in helping Shakhtar qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League as they waltzed through their group and Mourinho has responded positively to the Brazil internationals plea. Jose Mourinho believes it would be a disgrace if Chelsea lost to Sky Bet League One side Bradford in the FA Cup on Saturday, as he wants his players to be fighting to succeed in all four competitions. Chelsea face three important fixtures in eight days, with the Bantams visit to Stamford Bridge followed by the Capital One Cup semifinal second leg against Liverpool. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed Raheem Sterling after his return from his Caribbean break. Carragher wrote in the Daily Mail: He was outstanding and Brendan Rodgers’s decision to give him a mid-season break in Jamaica was vindicated by his performance. Plenty of comment was made about Rodgers giving him a holiday but it was smart management. The intensity with which Raheem plays means it will one day take its toll and I know from experience the effect too much football too soon had on Michael Owen. Like Michael, Raheem has become Liverpool’s most important player at 20 years of age and he needs protection. Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal claimed everything was against his side after a goalless draw against Cambridge United in the FA Cup fourth round. Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria both went close at the Abbey Stadium. But Van Gaals side failed to break down the League Two outfit as they secured a replay at Old Trafford. Every aspect of the match is against us - the pitch, the referee. Everything that you can think about this is against you, Van Gaal said. The opponents also always give a lot more than normal. Also the fans of course, but that is nice I think and the atmosphere here was fantastic. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed Raheem Sterling after his return from his Caribbean break. Carragher wrote in the Daily Mail: He was outstanding and Brendan Rodgers’s decision to give him a mid-season break in Jamaica was vindicated by his performance. Plenty of comment was made about Rodgers giving him a holiday but it was smart management. The intensity with which Raheem plays means it will one day take its toll and I know from experience the effect too much football too soon had on Michael Owen. Like Michael, Raheem has become Liverpool’s most important player at 20 years of age and he needs protection. Villarreal coach Marcelino has left Gabriel Paulista out of his squad for their clash with Levante. Arsenal are in talks with Villarreal over a move for the Brazilian although he will face problems in obtaining a work permit as he hasnt played international football. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger confirmed: The talks are progressing quite well with Villarreal for Paulista. We are talking at the moment and slowly progressing. We are ready to pay the price for a good player. We want the player and if he needs a work permit we will defend it now. The agent of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he could return to former club Real Madrid. Jorge Mendes admitted that in the world of football, anything could happen. He explained: Mourinhos return to Madrid? We must asked Florentino [Perez]. Mourinho is very happy at Chelsea and Perez is happy with Ancelotti. But thats football and he could return to Real Madrid. This is the best. Mourinho is different off the field. I know him from his time at Barcelona with [Sir Bobby] Robson. I began to represent him when he was in Porto. Chelseas locker room expect Andre Schurrle to leave for the Bundesliga this weekend. The Daily Mail says the 24-year-old is the subject of an offer from Wolfsburg and is keen to join them and kickstart his career. Chelsea hope to agree a fee close to £27million for a player they signed for £18m from Leverkusen in 2013. Schurrle has given the impression to senior players that he is ready to go. Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan has sympathy for Radamel Falcao over his problems at Old Trafford. Forlan believes Falcao has been put under too much pressure to perform since returning from his knee injury. There was pressure on him to make it back for the World Cup last summer with Colombia, Forlan said in his column in The Nation. Maybe too much, it was unrealistic. Falcao had played very little football when he signed for Manchester United, the worlds greatest football club. Because Falcao had built this huge reputation and because he was earning a lot of money, great things were expected, but it was never going to be straightforward. Nobody comes back from a serious injury and is the same after a month or even three months. Psychologically, you need to build your confidence back up and you hope there are no complications. Even in a settled side it’s hard. The agent of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo says Manchester United beat Arsenal to the former Sporting CP star due the Gunners commitment to a new stadium at the time. The Telegraph reports the new biography of Jorge Mendes claims that Arsenal missed out on Ronaldo because they failed to meet the asking price, and that the amount they could commit was compromised by their move from Highbury to Ashburton Grove. The book has been written with Mendes’s approval and support and is to be released in English later this year under the title The Agent One, a reference to another of his most famous clients, Jose Mourinho. Mendes says: “There was a moment in which I really thought he was going to Arsenal. David Dein is a spectacular person but, with the construction of their stadium, they were left with very little money and it wasn’t possible.” Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba says hes happy with life in Turin. Pogba has been linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United this month. Turin is very calm, and it’s good for me to relax and to focus,” Pogba explained. “I like to sit and watch TV series like The Walking Dead with [Patrice] Evra, who is my Uncle Pat. Just like in Manchester [United] there’s the French group. “Then there’s Fernando Llorente, I see him a lot. He’s my Spanish teacher. “Sometimes we go to eat with the team, and I love spending time with them. I think it’s a good thing which helps the squad stay united and that’s very important. “I’m find in Turin, I think it’s a city which keeps you focus on the job of playing football. “In Milan there are too many things to do. There are many restaurants, there’s fashion week… many things to do.” Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists Sergio Ramos must stay. Its emerged Ramos turned down a new contract offer from Real this week. I dont think that its affecting Ramos performances. As a player he always tries his hardest, hes motivated and concentrated, said Ancelotti. I dont see him dropping off. I see a player who is only growing in stature within the team. I dont think that its something that bothers him. Villarreal coach Marcelino has left Gabriel Paulista out of his squad for their clash with Levante. Arsenal are in talks with Villarreal over a move for the Brazilian although he will face problems in obtaining a work permit as he hasnt played international football. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger confirmed: The talks are progressing quite well with Villarreal for Paulista. We are talking at the moment and slowly progressing. We are ready to pay the price for a good player. We want the player and if he needs a work permit we will defend it now. Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has paid tribute to Liverpool. Scholes branded Liverpool as brilliant for their Capital One Cup draw with Chelsea. He wrote in the London Evening Standard: It is only fair to give credit when it is due and, having criticised Liverpool this season, I have to say I thought they played very well in the second half against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday. I would go further than that: at times they were brilliant. They looked to me like an energetic, aggressive team. This was their ninth game undefeated so clearly they have been playing better for some time but I would put this one down as their best performance of the season so far, given the quality of the opposition. They could have won it. They probably should have won it. Spain coach Vicente del Bosque is delighted with the form of Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres. Del Bosque says Torres return was good for both him and the national team, with Spain’s coaching staff likely keeping a close eye on El Niño’s progress. “He has the chance to play and he looks in good shape. Torres and Atlético Madrid have found each other again. He’s playing well and had a great game against Madrid.” Gareth Bales late penalty ensured La Liga leaders Real Madrid overcame Cristiano Ronaldos dismissal to secure a hard-fought victory over Cordoba.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 17:13:52 +0000
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