..::Football III::..

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    Chelsea prepare final Rooney bid

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    Chelsea are preparing to launch a final bid of £40 million for Wayne Rooney within the next two days, according to various reports in the British media.

    Jose Mourinho has made it clear that he sees Rooney as the missing piece in his squad, and wants him to lead Chelsea's attack. Owner Roman Abramovich is prepared to offer Rooney a four-year deal with wages of £300,000 a week.
    However, David Moyes remains adamant he will not sell Rooney, who provided two assists in United's 4-1 win at Swansea after coming on for Ryan Giggs in the 62nd minute.

    And if Chelsea cannot change United's stance, they are set to switch their attentions from Rooney to Robert Lewandowski, the Borussia Dortmund striker.

    Lewandowski has one year remaining on his contract at Dortmund, who blocked the striker's attempts to emulate Mario Gotze in leaving this summer for Bayern Munich.

    However, Chelsea are hopeful of securing their first-choice target. The club believe the bumper fee will convince United owners the Glazer family that it is in their best interests to sell Rooney.The Glazers would be unlikely to command such a high fee for Rooney after the transfer window closes as he has just two years left on his contract.

    Mourinho is believed to be desperate to land Rooney, but Chelsea think Dortmund would definitely sell Lewandowski at the same price -- and would much prefer to see him leave for England than to join rivals Bayern, who defeated them in last season's Champions League final, for free next summer. Lewandowski would have to be persuaded to leave Germany, though.

    Samuel Eto'o, who won the treble under Mourinho at Inter Milan in 2010, is also being considered by Chelsea as a short-term solution up top.
     

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    Monaco 4-1 Montpellier: Riviere hat-trick downs visitors

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    Emmanuel Riviere netted a hat-trick as Monaco made it back-to-back victories in Ligue 1 with a 4-1 win over 10-man Montpellier at Stade Louis II.

    The hosts, who marked their return to France's top-tier with a 2-0 win over Bordeaux last week, enjoyed a bright start and could have taken the lead as early as the sixth minute, but Lucas Ocampos failed to beat Laurent Pionnier in the opposition goal.

    However, boss Claudio Ranieri would not have long to wait to watch his team open the scoring, as striker Radamel Falcao converted from the penalty spot after Ocampos was felled in the area.

    Jean Fernandez's men went in search of a swift riposte and found one through Victor Hugo Montano, who headed home the equaliser some six minutes later.

    As both sides were poised to enter the interval on level terms, Riviere pounced for his first of the game, evading his marker before lobbing the out-rushing Pionnier on the stroke of half-time.

    It got worse for the 2012 Ligue 1 champions 12 minutes after the restart, as Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco's corner was met by the boot of Riviere, who side-footed home from close range to establish daylight between the teams.

    La Paillade then faced a seemingly insurmountable task after Daniel Congre was dismissed midway through the second-half for knocking Ferreira-Carrasco off balance on the edge of the area as the last man.

    Riviere completed the rout 10 minutes from time, heading into an empty net after Pionnier could only parry away a deflected shot.

    Monaco host Toulouse on Friday in a bid to extend their 100% start to Ligue 1, while Montpellier host Sochaux on Saturday.
     

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    Falcao: Monaco exit rumours 'totally false'

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    Monaco star Radamel Falcao has labelled reports he could leave Stade Louis II this summer just months after signing for the club as "totally false".

    The 27-year-old only joined the big-spending French outfit in May but, due to a number of tax issues brewing within the club, the Colombia international has already been linked with a swift exit.

    Reports emanating from Spain on Sunday claimed that Real Madrid declined the opportunity to take Falcao to the Spanish capital before the end of the transfer window.

    The player, though, has laughed off the speculation and stressed he is content with life in the Principality amid the rumours.

    "This is totally false. I am very happy at Monaco," he told RMC Sport after scoring in the 4-1 win over Montpellier.

    "I am here and I am confident that the project here will work. I do not know where these rumours come from. "

    The former Atletico Madrid and Porto hitman joined les Rouge et Blanc for a reported €60 million on a five-year deal, and has netted twice in his opening two league games for the club.
     

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    Milan cannot lose to PSV, says Inzaghi

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    AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi has said it is unthinkable for his former club to be knocked out of the Champions League before the group stages.

    The Rossoneri face PSV Eindhoven in the preliminary stages of the continent's elite tournament on Tuesday, before welcoming Phillip Cocu's men to San Siro eight days later.

    And the 40-year-old, who won the competition twice in his 11-year stint with the club, says failure is not an option for the seven-time champions of Europe.

    "This is a very important week for all of us Milan fans. It will be tough, but we are Milan and I hope we can qualify," he told Sky Sport Italia.

    "We cannot underestimate PSV because they are a young team with great potential, but it is very important Milan qualify. We cannot be eliminated from the Champions League."

    Milan secured their passage to this stage of the tournament on the final day of last season at the expense of Fiorentina.
     

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    Varane: Recovery going well

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    Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane says his recovery from a knee injury is going as planned.

    The Frenchman was forced to sit out the tail end of last season following a breakthrough year at the Santiago Bernabeu, undergoing surgery.

    He returned to light training during pre-season and he has now confirmed that he has not suffered any setbacks in his rehabilitation.

    "My programme of recovery and strengthening of the knee remains the same," the 20-year-old posted on his official Twitter page.

    "There has been no particular complication."

    Varane moved to the Spanish capital club from Lens in the summer of 2011 and made his international debut earlier this year following a string of impressive performances.
     

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    There is no rivalry with Ronaldo, insists Messi

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    Barcelona star Lionel Messi has dismissed the notion that he and Real Madrid counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo share a rivalry.

    The two players have dominated the individual awards in Spain and on the continent in recent years and while the Argentine has conceded that he is an admirer of the 28-year-old, he says he is focused on doing his job for the Blaugrana.

    "There is no rivalry [with Ronaldo] at all," the 26-year-old told Maxim.

    "He's a good person and can change any game. He does his thing and I'm just focused on succeeding with Barcelona."

    Messi was keen to stress that he wanted to focus on his personal goals and those of the club, with the Catalans' ambitions still high after the departure of Tito Vilanova.

    "We want to win titles in Spain and in Europe this season," he continued.

    "It was sad how Tito had to go, but now we are all with the new coach [Tata Martino].

    "It is no coincidence that the Barcelona players keep low-profile lives and have achieved success. We know that we are footballers, not movie stars. When we're not training or playing, we are in home with our families."

    Barcelona begin their title defence on Sunday against Levante at Camp Nou.
     

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    Wenger shrugs off Arsenal sack talk

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    Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that he has no thoughts of losing his job, with pressure mounting amid a disappointing start to the season.

    Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa drew fresh and furious criticism after the Gunners' inactive close-season in the transfer market as, despite Olivier Giroud's early strike, a double from Christian Benteke was compounded by Laurent Koscielny's dismissal and Antonio Luna's late debut goal, with Arsenal looking shaky in defence throughout.

    However, the Frenchman is not giving his future any thought, highlighting his longevity with the Gunners and the loyalty that he has shown during his near-17-year spell with the club.

    "We live in a media world and everybody has opinions that are definite and I have to live with that," Wenger told the press.

    "In 16 years, I've shown my loyalty to this club. My worry is to do well. That's the only worry.

    "As long as I'm here, I want to do well. I'm absolutely hugely disappointed because we've come out of a 10-game run in the last season without any defeat and we start the new season with a defeat at home.

    "It's a massive blow and that's why the solution is not to sit here and say: 'Yes we'll buy and keep you happy'.

    "What is important for us is to win football games with the players who are on the pitch and continue with what we did last year at the end of the season. When you have the ambition that we have, it's difficult to accept that you lose the first game at home."
     

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    'Everything has been resolved' - Rodgers confident on Suarez Liverpool stay

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    Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says that "everything has been resolved" regarding the future of Luis Suarez.

    Arsenal have pursued the Uruguayan for much of the summer but have not upped their bid from their most recent, which was over £40 million, and the Reds boss was adamant on Friday that the saga would not "sabotage" his club's season.

    But the forward was in attendance as Liverpool opened the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Stoke City and Rodgers seemed content that there would be no more question of an exit.

    "The only thing I will say about Luis is that I am very satisfied how everything has been resolved and now we can move on," the victorious manager told the press.

    "He is a part of this team and this club. The supporters are a class act here and it is the classic Liverpool way to support the players and the manager."

    Suarez is unavailable for the next five games as he continues to serve a 10-match ban incurred last season for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
     

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    Ancelotti: Bale is delicate

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    Carlo Ancelotti says he is seeking to avoid further confrontation with Andre Villas-Boas over Real Madrid's pursuit of Gareth Bale.Los Blancos have been heavily linked with a move for the Wales forward, with the potential transfer fee reported to be in excess of €100 million.

    However, Tottenham Hotspur have held firm over any proposed move and Villas-Boas has spoken out about Madrid's public courting of last season's PFA Player and Young Player of the Year award winner.And Ancelotti has sought to play down reports of los Merengues' interest in Bale and stressed he would not be discussing the matter further so as not to infuriate the Spurs management.

    "There are no new developments," the 54-year-old told the Corriere dello Sport.

    "When I spoke about this recently, Andre Villas-Boas complained, so it's a delicate issue to discuss."Real Madrid begin their La Liga campaign against Real Betis on Sunday at Santiago Bernabeu.
     

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    Wilshere: Arsenal must get past Fenerbahce

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    Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is determined to play his part in ensuring that his side do not "waste all the hard work" that went into qualifying for the Champions League.

    The Gunners face Fenerbahce in a two-legged play-off to reach the group stages but started their season on the wrong foot by losing 3-1 to Aston Villa in Saturday's Premier League kick-off.

    After a series of injuries over recent years, Wilshere is keen to feature in a crucial game.

    "First and foremost I have to stay fit and make myself available – I want to be involved in the big games," he told reporters.

    "We have the big Champions League qualifier coming up and we don't want to waste all the hard work we did last year. We have got to be up for that and get into the Champions League."

    Wilshere picked up his eighth international cap in England's midweek friendly win over Scotland and the young star is desperate to make up for lost time by staying fit for their next fixtures, vital World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.

    "Missing that game wasn't nice," the Gunners midfielder added of the summer's glamour friendly against Brazil, which Roy Hodgson's men drew 2-2.

    "I have missed a lot of England games and I want to be involved in the big ones next month."
     

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    Galatasaray laugh off Lazio Burak bid

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    Galatasaray president Unal Aysal has revealed Lazio have tabled an offer for striker Burak Yilmaz, but has described the proposal as "laughable".

    The Biancocelesti are believed to have lodged an initial bid of €300,000 to secure a season-long loan move for the 28-year-old, before proposing to pay an additional €8.7 million at the end of the campaign to make the move permanent.

    Aysal, though, has laughed off the efforts of his Italian counterparts, describing the offer as "funny".

    He told Hurriyet: "Burak is one of the most valuable player of our team and we need him. He scored eight goals last season in Champions League.

    "Thank you for offer but we won't consider about it because the offer was a little bit funny."

    Yilmaz, whose current deal expires in 2016, netted 30 times for the Turkish giants last season en route to winning the domestic title for a second successive year.
     

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    Valencia not interested in Adrian Lopez, says Salva

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    Valencia president Amadeo Salva has refuted speculation linking the club with a move for Atletico Madrid attacker Adrian Lopez.

    Los Che have been strongly rumoured to be keen on bringing the Rojiblancos star, 25, to the Mestalla before the end of the transfer window after selling star man Roberto Soldado to Tottenham.

    However, Salva has denied the reports and insists their transfer activity will not extend beyond Monterrey striker Dorlan Pabon, who is heavily tipped to sign for the club.

    He told Cadena COPE: "We are not interested in Adrian Lopez, the Atleti player. We only want Pabon."

    The former Malaga loanee has netted 10 times in 67 appearances throughout his two-year spell in the Spanish capital.

    Valencia completed the signing of Helder Postiga on a two-year-deal 10 days ago as they look to replace Soldado's firepower in attack.
     
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