Chelsea have completed the signing of Holland midfielder Marco van Ginkel. The 20-year-old moves from Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem for a fee believed to be £9million and has penned a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Van Ginkel came through the youth system at Vitesse and made his international debut as a substitute in a goalless draw against Germany in November.
'I'm very happy to be here at such a nice club with great players,' he told www.chelseafc.com. 'I am really happy, the stadium is good and the training ground is fantastic.
'I know about all the players and will meet them on Monday.
'I expect a lot, I've watched matches and it's really nice to be here.'
Chelsea are have also joined the race to sign Luis Suarez, Just days after it seemed the Liverpool man was off to Arsenal, the Uruguayan is now destined for another Premier League club, according to a new report.
Earlier in the week, bookmakers stopped taking bets on Suarez leaving Liverpool and joining Arsenal. Needless to say, the controversial striker is yet to sign for the Gunners and instead, it now looks like he will be moving to Chelsea.
At least that's according to a report that came out today. The paper goes on to inform us that a "stunning £34 million deal" is "nearly almost done and it appears New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is keen on luring Suarez to Stamford Bridge with a £4.7m-a-year deal.
Not only will the Portuguese manager get a quality player, the report claims, but he will also get one over his former employers Real Madrid, who are also keen on Suarez. Which is as good a reason as any to splash such a large amount of cash.
"Bookies have reacted by cutting the odds on Suarez joining Chelsea into 5/2, although Madrid are still favourites to sign him," the report goes on. "A heap of money was placed on the 26-year-old Uruguayan star joining Arsenal earlier this week but odds on them have now drifted."
At least that's according to a report that came out today. The paper goes on to inform us that a "stunning £34 million deal" is "nearly almost done and it appears New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is keen on luring Suarez to Stamford Bridge with a £4.7m-a-year deal.
Not only will the Portuguese manager get a quality player, the report claims, but he will also get one over his former employers Real Madrid, who are also keen on Suarez. Which is as good a reason as any to splash such a large amount of cash.
"Bookies have reacted by cutting the odds on Suarez joining Chelsea into 5/2, although Madrid are still favourites to sign him," the report goes on. "A heap of money was placed on the 26-year-old Uruguayan star joining Arsenal earlier this week but odds on them have now drifted."
David Moyes held his first press conference as a Manchester United coach yesterday and the Scot was quick to underline that want-away striker Wayne Rooney is not for sale.
'Wayne is not for sale,' he said. 'He's a Manchester United player and he will remain a Manchester United player.'
'We have spoken several times. Whatever happened before with Wayne we are working together now. I’ve seen a glint in his eye, he looks happy and he looks like he is going to knuckle down. I’m looking forward to working with him and he won’t be for sale.
'There was a private meeting between Wayne and Sir Alex. I am moving on now. I don't know what was said in that private meeting. As far as I am concerned, I am looking forward to getting Wayne Rooney to the right level.
'He has come back in good shape and he’s excellent in the training sessions.'
Brendan Rodgers' rebuilding programme at Liverpool has been dealt a crushing blow after key target Henrikh Mkhitaryan announced he was joining Borussia Dortmund for £20million.
It's understood that the 24-year old Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder has not only made up his mind to join last season's Champions League runners-up but has informed Anfield bosses of his decision. The only hurdle to be cleared concerns the fee, with Shakhtar initially rejecting Dortmund's €23million bid and hoping Liverpool's interest might drive the price up towards £26m.
But with Mkhitaryan's contract containing a £19m escape clause, and the player adamant he is heading for the Bundesliga, they are in no position to hold out for more than Dortmund have already offered.
Insiders at the Westfalenstadion concede they may have to add a further one or two million euros to the amount on the table but are adamant the deal will go through next week, with Mkhitaryan signing an agreement for either four or five years.
Arsenal face a fight to land Gonzalo Higuain from Real Madrid after reports in Spain suggested the Spanish giants may hold out for a bigger fee for the Argentina striker.
Despite numerous suggestions that the 25-year-old was on the brink of arriving in north London, Marca say there has been no agreement between the two clubs as one of the longest transfer sagas of the summer runs on.
Carlo Ancelotti's arrival as Real boss was thought to be a catalyst for the move but the Spanish newspaper now say Higuain may be more likely to stay at the Bernabeu.
Priced in the region of £23million, it is thought Real have not yet put a fixed fee on Higuain, which could be a stumbling block for Arsene Wenger.
Higuain's father indicated earlier in the week that the move should be completed shortly, but reports in Spain suggest Real may want to hold on to their possession.
‘We do not negotiate with any club without permission of the selling club,’ he told TuttoMercato.
‘We have permission [from Madrid] and hopefully we can soon see my son in the Premier League.’
The striker's brother Nicolas shared the same view, telling the same Italian website: 'If Tevez joins Juve, is Higuain closer to Arsenal? I think so.
'Juventus is a great club, but Gonzalo is too expensive for them.
'Napoli are a strong team. Having said that, I cannot deny that Gonzalo is now close to Arsenal.'
If he does sign, Higuain's signature will most likely smash Arsenal's club record transfer fee and he is expected to be on £150,000 a week at the Emirates.
Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna is attracting interest from Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Paris St Germain. The 30-year-old has just 12 months left on his current deal after failing to agree a new deal with the Gunners.
His agent Laurent Gutsmuth said: 'Bacary still has a year left on his contract but Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested.'
Spanish side Levante are keen on Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh. The Morocco international is available for transfer but Levante are looking at a bid of around £1million.
Arsenal signed the 29-year-old on a free transfer from Bordeaux but he earns around £65,000 per week.
The striker arrived at The Emirates on a free transfer in 2010 but has rarely lived up to his reputation as a promising goalscorer and after heading to West Ham on loan and equally failing to convince there it is difficult to see a future for him in the Premier League.
Atletico Madrid have identified Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko as their next transfer target.
The Spanish side are interested after City made it clear they were keen on their other target Alvaro Negredo of Sevilla.
Bosnia international Dzeko has also been linked with Napoli as a possible replacement for Edinson Cavani with Paris St Germain closing on a £53m deal.
However, Rafa Benitez is considering other targets.
Pellegrini is happy for Dzeko to stay at City but the 27-year-old is keen to play and his sale would help offset other deals such as the one planned for Negredo and Real Madrid defender Pepe.
Newcastle have decided against a move for QPR striker Loic Remy despite the move being considered earlier this week. The France international can leave for £10million. Newcastle are considering other targets having already been turned down by Wigan's Everton-bound striker Arouna Kone.
Wigan on Friday signed his replacement, free agent Marc Antoine Fortune on a two year deal, as revealed by Sportsmail.
Wigan striker Arouna Kone has undergone a medical at Everton today with the Toffees set to beat Newcastle to the £5million striker.
New Everton boss Roberto Martinez looks to have sealed a reunion with the 29-year-old, who he managed when he was in charge at the DW Stadium.
The Ivorian scored 11 Premier League goals in his first season in England and helped Wigan lift the FA Cup, but he has made no secret of his desire to leave after the club were relegated in May.
Kone turned down a £6million move to Tyneside earlier in the week.
Both clubs have been given permission to talk to Kone after meeting the release clause in the three-year contract he signed at Wigan last summer.
QPR defender Christopher Samba has ended his torrid spell at Loftus Road to rejoin old club Anzhi Makhachkala just seven months after signing for the Hoops.
The 29-year-old has been sold for a 'club record undisclosed fee', which would indicate Rangers have managed to recoup the cash they splashed to make Samba their record signing - believed to be £12.5million.
'Christopher Samba has today re-joined Anzhi Makhachkala for a club record undisclosed fee,' a QPR statement read.
'Samba returns to the Russian club after a brief spell at Loftus Road, which saw him make 10 appearances in the Premier League.
'The club would like to wish Chris all the best for the future and thank him for his contribution to QPR during his spell in W12.'
With the Hoops' relegation, manager Harry Redknapp has to now trim the wage bill and getting rid of Samba is the start of the process.
Barcelona have agreed to loan forward Bojan Krkic to Ajax for the 2013-14 campaign with an option for a further season. The 22-year-old spent the past two seasons playing in Italy's Serie A, enjoying a reasonable season for Roma but barely featuring last term at AC Milan.
A product of Barca's youth academy, Bojan was once regarded as one of the club's the most promising talents but fell out of favour under former coach Pep Guardiola.
He will be coached by former Barca player Frank de Boer at Ajax, who won the Dutch league last season, and will have a chance to compete in the Champions League.
There are reports Stevan Jovetic has turned down a move to Napoli, as the Fiorentina star continues to want Juventus.
Jovetic had been named as one of the potential replacements for Edinson Cavani if the €63m move to PSG goes through.
However, this evening Sky Sport Italia claim Jovetic rejected out of hand the opportunity to discuss terms with Napoli.
It remains to be seen whether Fiorentina will pursue negotiations with the Partenopei, but at the moment the Montenegro international seems determined to wait for Juventus.
This is a tricky tactic, as the Viola have repeatedly stated they will not release him to Juve for less than €30m cash.
Sunderland have agreed a £6million deal to sign Jozy Altidore from AZ Alkmaar.
The former Hull City striker, and United States international, is expected to join Paolo Di Canio's squad on Sunday when they jet to Italy for a pre-season camp.
Altidore was one of Di Canio's top targets of the summer.
And the 23-year-old, who scored just one Premier League goal for the Tigers on loan from Villarreal four years ago, is understood to have agreed personal terms with Sunderland.
Altidore, who originates from New Jersey, is from a Haiti-American family. He joined Villarreal from New York Red Bulls in 2008 but failed to break into the first team.
After a brief spell with Bursaspor, he joined AZ Alkmaar two years ago and scored 38 goals in 67 appearances for the Dutch side. He has also scored 17 goals in 60 appearances for the United States, including a vital World Cup qualifying goal against Mexico last month.
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