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John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by signing new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi has become the latest Chelsea star to signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week after putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

'It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club,' he said.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a long contract this summer and Didier Drogba is expected to agree a new deal.

The Blues have also brought in Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Joe Cole is also close to signing a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1198080/John-Mikel-Obi-commits-future-Chelsea-agreeing-new-year-deal.html#ixzz0M0BaAAOS

Manchester City in talks with Arsenal over signing star striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Manchester City are in discussions with Arsenal over signing their striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The big-spending Eastlands club are keen to boost their squad further in what has already been a frantic summer in the transfer market.
City have already signed Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn, with Carlos Tevez set to cross town from Manchester United and join the revolution.

They are however keen to boost their attacking options further, having released a statement on Friday to say they were ending their interest in signing Barcelona star Samuel Eto'o.

Adebayor has reportedly been a target for European giants AC Milan and Barcelona.

His stock has fallen dramatically among Arsenal supporters after a string of disappointing performances.

Adebayor joined Arsenal in 2006, with his goals helping the Gunners to make a concerted challenge for the league title in 2007-08, before they fell away in the final two months of the season.

Samuel Eto'o edges towards Manchester City mega-move by telling Barcelona: I quit

Samuel Eto'o has told Barcelona he will quit the club this summer.

But the Cameroon striker will wait to see if Manchester United or AC Milan make an approach before accepting Manchester City's offer to make him the best-paid player in the world.

The 28-year-old has rejected Barcelona's offer of a two-year contract extension and has decided to leave now rather than at the end of his current deal next summer.
His agent Josep Maria Mesalles yesterday held talks at the Nou Camp with the European champions' technical secretary Txiki Begeristain.
After ruling out the option of the contract extension - half-heartedly offered by Barca director of football Raul Sanllehi without a pay rise - Mesalles discussed the possibility of Eto'o sitting out the final year of his contract.

But the Catalans are desperate to cash in now rather than lose him for nothing and both sides are so divided that Eto'o has decided to leave now, according to Barcelona-based newspaper Sport.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta this week admitted he had tried to call Eto'o several times during the summer vacations but that there had been no reply.

Reports this morning suggested City had given Eto'o a 24-hour deadline to decide on their offer of paying him £180,000 a week after tax. However, such a stance is inconsistent with manager Mark Hughes insisting they must be patient in their approach.

They are the only club to make a formal approach, and Barca are happy to accept a bid understood to be about £25million.

Eto'o, who is on holiday in New York, is also interested to hear if United are prepared to formalise reported interest in him. It is suggested he would be happy even to take a pay cut to join the Barclays Premier League champions, but there has been no bid and United are reportedly looking at other targets.
Reports in Spain today link them strongly to 21-year-old Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.

AC Milan are interested but say they cannot come close to City's stratospheric offer. But their ability to offer Champions League football next season could count more than the financial offer on the table.

Mesalles will be keen to talk to Milan general manager Adriano Galliani, who is due in Barcelona this week when his club compete in an indoor football tournament with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

So with City the only club formally declaring an interest they are the strong favourites for his signature, though his reluctance to immediately jump on board the Middle Eastlands revolution must be a worry.

Fabregas tug of war - Barca and Real Madrid do battle for £40m Arsenal skipper Cesc

Real Madrid are ready to rival Barcelona with a move for Cesc Fabregas after being frustrated in the chase of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Madrid yesterday moved for Roma midfielder Daniele de Rossi but were immediately knocked back by the Italians, leaving them to turn to third-choice Fabregas.

And Barcelona president Joan Laporta last night said the Arsenal midfielder should not be ruled out as an alternative to Franck Ribery, the Barcelona star who increasingly looks to be beyond their financial reach.
It is only a fortnight since Arsenal skipper Fabregas publicly declared: 'I am wholeheartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.'
But that has not deterred Laporta, who recently said Barca was in Fabregas's DNA, or, it seems, Madrid.

Bernabeu sporting director Jorge Valdano has refused to completely rule out a move for Liverpool midfielder Alonso, but admitted they were nowhere near agreement with Rafa Benitez's valuation of the player.

Liverpool want £40m for the 27-year-old, according to reports in Spain, leading Madrid to make a £26m move for Rossi, but the Italians immediately ruled out the sale of their 25-year-old talisman.
Third choice is Fabregas, though Madrid have yet to make a bid and are also looking at Villarreal's 24-year-old Spain international Santi Cazorla.

Barcelona would love to sign Fabregas, who left the club for Arsenal when he was 16. Laporta yesterday said he hoped to sign a striker, left winger and midfielder.

Pep Guardiola would most likely team Fabregas with Xavi in central midfield, using Andres Iniesta in a more advanced role wide on the left.

The European champions are working on a restricted budget and would are hoping to push through the sale of Samuel Eto'o to Manchester City in a bid to boost their spending power above £60m.

Arsenal, who don't have the biggest budget themselves, may demand £40m for Fabregas, but Madrid believe they could get him cheaper and, at 22, he is better value for money than Alonso.

Fabregas, on holiday in New York, is frustrated by Arsenal's four-year run without a major trophy but is thought to be happy to stay at the Emirates for at least another season to see if there is an upturn in fortunes.

He is said to have an agreement with Sandro Rosell, who hopes to unseat Laporta as president in Barcelona elections next summer.

Lionel Messi warns Arsenal and Liverpool he hopes Cesc and Mascherano will join him at Barcelona

Lionel Messi has warned all-conquering Barcelona they must not stand still - and has pinpointed Liverpool's Javier Mascherano and Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas as perfect recruits.

The Spanish giants may have achieved an unprecedented Spanish League, Cup and European treble last season, but the Argentina star believes they can still get stronger.

'We were spectacular last season and we hope that this term, we will be able to do the same, or at least repeat a little of what we achieved,' Messi told Catalan newspaper Sport.
'We were surprised by what we did last season but if players such as those who have been mentioned in the press arrive at the club to strengthen the team, it would be even better because it is important to be stronger.
'I hope Mascherano can come and we can form a solid partnership. His qualities are always appreciated. The same goes for Fabregas. A good footballer like him who can contribute a lot is always welcome.'

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola and technical secretary Txiki Begeristain have discussed recuiting both midfielders, though will be able to afford just one this summer.

The Spaniards would prefer Mascherano and have already spoken to his agent Walter Tamer, but Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is determined to hold on to both the Argentina star and Real Madrid target Xabi Alonso.
The 25-year-old is thought to be keen on a move but has told Barca he won't force the issue with Benitez because the Spaniards are stalling on where to concentrate a fairly limited budget.

Barca may be prepared to pay up to £30m for Mascherano but are also desperate to add a new attacking option.

Like Chelsea and Real Madrid, they are ready to to have one final go at signing Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich, though their second option is to renew a bid for Fabregas.

Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin and Manchester City forward Robinho have both been mentioned as alternatives, as has Valencia players Juan Mata and David Silva, but Fabregas has plenty of support within the Nou Camp and is largely seen as someone who will rejoin them sooner or later.
Arsenal have consistently insisted their skipper is not for sale and the 22-year-old recently said he was 'whole-heartedly committed' to the Gunners, but that hasn't stopped reports that Barca are willing to pay £35m for him.

In that case, Fabregas would be paired with Xavi in central midfielder, with Andres Iniesta played in an advanced role on the left wing, which he has performed before.

The future of Manchester City target Samuel Eto'o is still uncertain, but goalkeeper Victor Valdes -linked to Manchester United - and midfielder Yaya Toure have agreed new contracts.

Bringing in players has been more difficult, though Messi insists they should not concern themselves with the spending spree at Real Madrid that has seen Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol go to the Bernabeu.
'I am with Barcelona and I worry only about my team,' said Messi. 'Kaka has a lot of quality, but he will have to adapt himself. I can also talk about Iniesta. Training with him is the best.

'But both Cristiano and Kaka are fantastic players who will give Madrid a lot of strength. "El Clasico" is going to be unbelievable when it comes time to play, and yes - Barcelona will win again.'

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by agreeing a new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi is ready to sign a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week when he puts pen to paper at Stamford Bridge in the next few days.

Obi's agent John Shittu said: 'He will sign the deal early this week. Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract.

'It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club.'

Obi is due to report back for pre-season training next week but is expected to cut short his summer break by a few days to sign the new deal.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a new contract and Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Alex will follow soon.

The Blues have also confirmed they have agreed an £18million deal with CSKA Moscow for Yuri Zhirkov.

Bring me Tevez! Ancelotti demands Chelsea splash the cash to beat Manchester City to Carlos

Carlo Ancelotti has ordered Chelsea to go all out in their bid to sign Carlos Tevez.

The Argentina striker had been expected to complete his switch to Manchester City this week.

But new Blues boss Ancelotti has told owner Roman Abramovich to raise his offer for the club-less star after admitting a creative player was high on his wish list.
Tevez is available to buy at £25.5million after refusing to sign a long-term deal at champions Manchester United, where he spent the past two seasons.

Chelsea and City have both matched the asking price but Abramovich is unlikely to be able to offer the same astronomical wages available at Eastlands.

Mega-rich City, who have already splashed out £30m on Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry, are believed to have put a five-year deal worth £130,000 per week on the table.
Yet, Ancelotti is refusing to give up hope that Chelsea can lure the former West Ham striker to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are also thought to be looking at Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder and haven't completely given up on France star Franck Ribery, but Ancelotti said: 'Ribery is for sure a great player, but Ribery I think stays in Bayern Munich.'
'I think Chelsea is a strong team, a great team, a physical team that plays very well and can be improved with some creative players. And we are looking for these players.

'But you can be creative not only with creative players. You can be creative with creative ideas and a creative organisation. You can change the idea of the team with the same players.

'I would like to have a team that plays well, plays good, creative football and naturally I would like to win. For a coach it is important to win but it is important to build a team with good characteristics, to play well, to play with organisation.'

They have already wrapped up deals for Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge, while Milan forward Alexandre Pato remains in their sights.

Ancelotti has ruled out selling skipper John Terry to ambitious City, although he is expected to trim his squad ahead of the new campaign.

Watch Ronaldo's Real Madrid Unveiling Live

LEEDS, England , July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- bwin.com, the official sponsor of Real Madrid, will be providing live and exclusive online streaming of Cristiano Ronaldo's official unveiling as a Real Madrid player on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com will be the only place where supporters will be able to see the live unveiling of the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year as he completes his world record GBP80m move from Manchester United to the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo, who scored an incredible 117 goals in 242 starts during his time at Old Trafford, become the world's most expensive player, eclipsing the GBP56million Real paid of Brazilian midfielder Kaka earlier this summer.
To view the live and exclusive online stream, visit www.bwin.com at 7:30pm (GMT) on Monday 6th July.
bwin.com is the official sponsor of Real Madrid, AC Milan and FC Bayern Munich.
This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com .

UPDATE: WATCH IT LIVE HERE:http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=RealMadrid/Page/iframePromociones&cid=1202774982994&site=RealMadrid&language=en

Newcastle put Martins up for Sale

Obafemi Martins and Fabricio Coloccini are among the list of names Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley hopes to offload in a bid to slash the club's £65m annual wage bill and make the relegated club more attractive to sell.

Martins is one of the biggest earners at St James' Park and Ashley is desperate to get his £80,000-a-week wages off Newcastle's books as they prepare for life in the Championship.

The Guardian reports the 24-year-old Nigerian striker, who cost the Magpies £10m in 2006, has been linked with Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lyon but he will reportedly not be offered anymore than £40,000-a-week at any of the three clubs.
Coloccini, 27, another £10m purchase, is on £70,000-a-week but after a disappointing season is unlikely to earn that anywhere else - although Galatasaray have made a £4m bid for the Argentina defender.

Newcastle has attracted interest from Malaysia, the US and the UK but the club remains unsold with concerns about their £65m annual wage a major stumbling block.

Should 'Jay Jay' Okocha Come Back To Super Eagles?

The sweet science of boxing is very much known for its many stories of comebacks - a former champion, either out of pocket or simply bored and missing the limelight and public adulation, comes out of retirement to fulfil some new expectations.

Football itself has had its own fair share of comebacks, none more notable than that of Cameroon's Roger Milla, who at 38 was called out of retirement by his country's president to go on to score four goals as the Indomitable Lions reached the last eight of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

The man who made famous the Makosa goal celebration also, at the ripe old age of 42, scored against Russia at the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, making him the oldest player ever to find the back of the net at this level.

Nigerian football is replete with its own international comebacks - the likes of Christain Chukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai and Ben Iroha all returned to the Eagles fold with various degrees of success.

Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha has also flirted with retirement from the international scene.

He first announced he will no longer wear the green-white-green shirt after he skippered an experimental Nigerian team which crashed out in the very first round of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

He would then be pressurised to return to the Super Eagles in time for the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia, where he emerged as one of the shinning lights of the tournament as Nigeria reached the semi-finals.

He again hung up his international football boots after the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt, months after he had failed to lead the Eagles to the World Cup finals in Germany as an unfancied Angola beat Nigeria to the punch.

Since his bow, the Eagles have struggled and struggled for creativity in the middle of the park.

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu is not willing to risk it and throw youngster Rabiu Ibrahim in at the deep end, while the likes of Christain Obodo, Kalu Uche, Wilson Oruma and even the now more defensive-minded Mikel have yet to assert themselves as the old-fashioned no.10 or playmaker.

In the team's last three World Cup qualifiers, the Eagles clearly missed a player like Okocha, who could dictate the pace of the game
as well as use his vision and dribbles to create chances for what on paper is one of the most feared strike forces in Africa.

In Maputo in March, strikers Ikechukwu Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Obinna Nsofor ran around the artificial pitch like some headless chickens, deprived of any service from the midfield.

In the home game against the Kenyans, not known for their midfield play, the Eagles engine-room again struggled so much so that it needed old war horse Nwankwo Kanu to get the Eagles flying again in the second half.

It is now very obvious that Mikel is not the new 'Jay Jay', and if at all he has to line up for Nigeria, it would be as a defensive midfielder, the role he now occupies with Chelsea.

Kalu Uche appeared to have settled in at central midfield in the previous round of the qualifiers, but as the competition has intensified in the final round, it looks like he is a lot happier playing a more offensive role than to carry the whole team as playmaker.

That may well explain why with his Spanish team, Almeria, he is played as a second striker.

'Jay Jay', on the other hand, is one of the top cheer leaders of the Eagles as a member of a Presidential Task Force mandated to ensure Nigeria's flag flies high at South Africa 2010.

In a recent interview, he told me that one of the happiest days of his life was the day he hung up his boots for good. But he also told me he still enjoys the occasional kickabout with friends.

Probably, it would be asking too much of his 35-year-old body to return for the crunch World Cup tie against Tunisia on September 6 in Abuja.

But who says that this crowd pleaser should not again be convinced to come back to star for the Eagles in time for next year's World Cup.

His boots have been too big for any of the younger pretenders to fill.

Michael Owen finally joins Manchester United

Michael Owen completed his shock move to Manchester United last night after being put through one of the most gruelling medical examinations in football history.

Determined to satisfy themselves that the injury-troubled 29-year-old will not spend more time in the treatment room than in training, the English champions sent him for two days of tests.

But after United's medical team gave the green light last night, the deal was confirmed.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question.

'Coming to United with the expectations that we have is something Michael will relish.'

Owen said: 'I know there will be people out there saying maybe the manager shouldn't have signed me. But when the first game kicks off I can do my talking on the pitch and I want to start with a bang.

'A lot has been made out of my fitness but I certainly do not think I'm injury-prone. I'm 29 and have played over 500 games at the highest levels for clubs and at international level so I can't have been on the treatment table all the time.

'I had just begun talking to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me and invited me to have breakfast with him, during which he told me that he wanted to sign me.

'I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands. I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I will repay him with my goals and performances.'

It is understood Owen's troublesome knee was examined by a specialist in London on Thursday before he arrived in Manchester yesterday morning for yet more fitness checks.

Owen began the day at the club's state-of-the-art Carrington training complex before moving to a private hospital on the outskirts of the city for a further examination.

Owen has agreed a two-year deal, with an option for another season. If Owen can stay fit and even go close to rediscovering the kind of form that earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2001, he could become a sensational piece of business.
As well as arriving on a free, Owen has accepted a low basic wage that will only rise if he earns the performance-related bonuses.

The striker is desperate to prove his doubters wrong and silence those who think he is more interested in his horse racing stables than football.

He particularly wants to demonstrate to Fabio Capello that he can no longer be omitted from the England squad.

After four difficult years at Newcastle he has his heart set on boarding the plane to next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Ferguson must be impressed by the player's willingness to drop his basic wage from £110,000 a week to nearer £20,000.

He will also see Owen as someone who could prove an effective partner in attack for Wayne Rooney, who has expressed a desire to be given a more central role now that Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid.

Ferguson has looked at other strikers, including Valencia's David Villa, but the striker wants to stay in Spain. In Owen, however, United might have someone just as prolific - for a fraction of the price.

Inter Boss Jose Mourinho Lands In Nigeria For Three Day Visit

Inter coach Jose Mourinho arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday for a three day visit as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).

According to the BBC, Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3-5 July, seeking to encourage coaches and officials of the project, which is run by the Kwara state government.

The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation, despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.

"It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football, as well as the KFA," Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.

"He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.

"We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.

"Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the 'Special One' on this trip."

The trip, facilitated by DanJan Sports, is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the KFA to the rest of the world.

"The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them," David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained. "We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.

"The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.”

Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy, which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria's Kwara State.

Chelsea snub £30million Manchester City bid for John Terry

Manchester City last night had a £30million bid for England captain John Terry rejected, as Chelsea told them he is not for sale at any price.

Stamford Bridge officials released a statement exclusively to Sportsmail after confirming that a bid had been made in person by City chief executive Garry Cook.
Cook asked to meet Peter Kenyon, the Stamford Bridge chief executive, yesterday to discuss Chelsea's pursuit of talented young striker Daniel Sturridge.
It was something that surprised Chelsea when they had already said they would be happy to let an independent tribunal set the size of the fee for the 19-year-old.

But an even bigger surprise followed when Cook suddenly presented a letter with a formal offer for Terry. Kenyon was understood to be stunned, not least because he had already made it clear to Cook last season that the club captain and the heartbeat of the Chelsea team was not available at any price.

A club statement issued last night said: 'Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has completely rejected an offer from Manchester City for John Terry.

'It was made clear to City, for the second time following another approach last season, that we would not entertain any conversation on the subject. At that time John also reiterated his total commitment to Chelsea. We would like to make clear, and will not do so again, that John is not for sale.'
That Cook offered such a derisory sum further amazed Chelsea. When Bayern Munich are demanding £65m for Franck Ribery and Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid for £80m, and when City are prepared to pay vast sums for players like Robinho and Samuel Eto'o, less than £30million for one of the world's best centre halves seems low.

But City have long had their eye on Terry and Chelsea suspect this amounts to the latest stage in a poker game designed to try to lure exactly the kind of inspirational figure Mark Hughes wants in his team at Eastlands.

When City tabled an offer last season, Terry expressed his loyalty to a club he has served with distinction his entire career.

But the money on offer could yet prove tempting when the richest club in England would be prepared to almost double his current £130,000-aweek wage. Terry is already the highest paid player at Stamford Bridge but City could take him into an elite occupied only by players such as Ronaldo and Kaka at Real Madrid.
City plan to make at least one major impact signing this summer. Not least because they were left so embarrassed over the Kaka debacle when Cook responded to missing out on the Brazilian by launching an astonishing verbal attack on AC Milan. The former Nike executive, relatively new to football at the time, branded the Italian giants 'bottlers'.

Right now Samuel Eto'o is still believed to be within their reach, although they feel they are being used by the striker in his pay dispute with Barcelona. Eto'o, who will cost around £25m, will be available on a free next summer but City have offered a staggering £10m a year, net, in an attempt to lure him to the Barclays Premier League this summer.

A more realistic target is Carlos Tevez, who is expected to join the club early next week - even though others are interested. City will not want to fail in their Tevez bid after missing out on Terry. Cook, whose transfer-market prowess is being monitored by City's backers, is under pressure to close deals.

One observer commented: 'City have a lot of clout in the transfer market because of their backing, but it's important they go about their business in the right manner also.'

Cook and his top team were pleased when Roque Santa Cruz eventually arrived from Blackburn to spearhead the attack, alongside Robinho and - hopefully - Tevez.

Mark Hughes, however, demanded a top centre back. Although City continue to monitor Arsenal's Kolo Toure, Terry was always first choice for Hughes, who sees him as the iron man to lead his team and stabilise a back four that often conceded soft goals last season.

City say they hope to break into the top four this season and moving for a player of Terry's standing would appear to support their claims. They mean business and, although they have failed with this audacious effort, there will be more money flowing from their coffers in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's imminent £18m recruit Yuri Zhirkov has been provided with personal armed bodyguards for the first time in a move seen in Moscow as a sign that his deal is agreed.

Zhirkov, 25, is expected to arrive in London on Monday and has a reputation for mixing freely with journalists and fans.

But now security men prevent access to him. 'All we can do now is watch Zhirkov from a distance,' said Sovetski Sport. 'His huge and extremely intimidating bodyguards who followed him everywhere did not let us ask him any questions about negotiations of his move to Chelsea and the date of his flight to London.'

Owen arrives for Manchester United medical ahead of shock free transfer to the champions

Michael Owen was today undergoing a stringent medical before completing his free transfer to Manchester United.

The former England striker, whose contract with Newcastle expired on Wednesday, is on the brink of a sensational move to United after accepting the terms of a pay-as-you-play one-year deal with the champions.

Talks were understood to have been continuing last night and the 29-year-old, who made his name playing for United's arch-rivals Liverpool, was pictured arriving at the champions' Carrington training complex this morning.
Ferguson believes the 29-year-old is a gamble worth taking if he can stay injury-free and return to the kind of goalscoring form that made him European Footballer of the Year in 2001.
It is believed Owen could be offered as little as £20,000 a week as a basic salary but with massive performance-related bonuses which could take him close to the £110,000 a week he was on at Newcastle United.

It has been a difficult time for Owen. Dropped from the England squad by Fabio Capello and the captain of the woeful Newcastle side who were relegated at the end of last season, he was ridiculed recently when his management company advertised his credentials in a brochure sent to a number of clubs.

There was thought to have been interest from Aston Villa and Everton, while Hull City manager Phil Brown made public his wish to lure Owen to the KC Stadium.

But agent Tony Stephens may have negotiated a dream move that could propel him back into the England squad in time for the World Cup.

The move would be a free transfer as Owen's Newcastle contract expired on Wednesday.
Neither United nor Owen's management company WMG would comment last night, but it is believed he is travelling to Manchester today for a medical, having
already undergone an assessment of his troublesome knee yesterday.

The move failed to impress United fans, particularly after the club said they had received £80million in a single payment from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo and they had been linked to the likes of Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema.

The Republik of Mancunia website, under the heading ‘God No, Not Michael
Owen’, lists 10 reasons why the club
should not sign him.

One fan wrote: ‘Not in a million years. I’d rather bring Bellion back . . . than have Michael “I’m a crocked scouse” Owen.’

But Owen has proved himself an excellent strike partner to Wayne Rooney with England and Ferguson clearly considers him a decent acquisition when the financial risk is so small. The United boss declined to move for Owen when the player left Real Madrid for Newcastle four years ago in a £16million deal.

His medical record will be a worry, however, having gone down with injury or illness 16 times during his time at Newcastle. Within his first four months at St James' Park, Owen pulled a hamstring, strained his groin and broke a metatarsal. Having signed for a club record £16m, he made only 58 Premier League starts.

Real Madrid Get Benzema

Karim Benzema is poised to become the latest big-name arrival at Real Madrid after Lyon accepted a bid from the Spanish side for the highly-rated France international.

Benzema: Not staying at Lyon after all...

The 21-year-old is set to join Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu after his French employers agreed to a 35m euro (£29.7m) approach from Madrid, who with this deal will see their summer spending spree pass the 200m euro mark.

The fee could yet rise to 41m euros (£34.8m) dependent on performance clauses.

A statement posted on Madrid's official website this evening confirmed the deal, saying: ''Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique Lyonnais have reached an agreement for the transfer of Karim Benzema, contingent upon the player's medical examination and the signing of his contracts.

''The 21-year-old striker will sign a six-year contract with Real Madrid.''

Benzema will become Florentino Perez's fourth signing since returning to the Madrid presidency a month ago, following the arrivals of Kaka, Ronaldo and Raul Albiol.

Madrid and Manchester United had been vying for the services of Benzema but a deal appeared unlikely with Lyon continuing to insist before today that the player would remain at the Stade Gerland for at least one more season.

However, Les Gones announced the deal on their official website on Wednesday afternoon.

The statement on olweb.fr read: ''A few days ago Karim Benzema informed the club president Jean Michel Aulas of his desire to move to the Madrid club, which had always been his favourite club after Lyon, earlier than he had foreseen.

''The player wanted to seize the opportunity which Real Madrid offered him to be one of the major elements in their new ambitious project based around the greatest players of the world.

''Lyon accepted Karim Benzema's decision and negotiated the conditions of a transfer which satisfies all the different parties. The club wishes Karim the greatest success with Real Madrid.''

The France forward came through the ranks at Lyon and burst onto the scene in the 2007-08 season with 31 goals in 51 games, a streak that saw him named Ligue 1 player of the year as well as top the league's scoring charts.

The last campaign was less impressive for both club and player, as Lyon ended the season without the Ligue 1 title for the first time in eight years, but Benzema nevertheless scored 23 goals in all competitions - an average of a goal every other game.

Adebayor fights with a nigerian fan at the Lagos Airport

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor had a furious four-letter word bust-up with an Arsenal fan at Lagos airport who accused him of not pulling his weight for the club.

Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas admits he was flattered by reports Inter Milan were interested in signing him during the January transfer window, but insists he is committed to Spurs, according to today's national papers.

Manchester United target Karim Benzema says he would rather move to Spain from Lyon than the Premier League.

Striker Robin van Persie says he will only sign a new contract at Arsenal if they can match his desire to win silverware.

Report: Arsenal Line-Up Real Madrid's Huntelaar To Replace Barcelona-Bound Emmanuel Adebayor

According to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Star, Spanish giants Barcelona are preparing an end-of-season offer for Arsenal forward Emmanuel Adebayor.

The 6ft 3in forward, who found the back of the net 30 times in all competitions for the Gunners last season, is wanted by La Blaugrana as both Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry could leave in the summer.

It is thought that Los Cules have also identified Arsenal's Robin van Persie as a possible arrival, but while manager Arsene Wenger would be prepared to sell Adebayor for around €22.7 million, he is eager to keep hold of the Dutch forward.

Apparently, Wenger already has a potential replacement in mind in the form of Real Madrid's Dutch international striker, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The 25-year-old only moved to the Bernabeu from Ajax in the January transfer window, for €20m, but it is claimed Los Blancos are already prepared to let him go in the summer, possibly for around €17m.

African Debate: CAF Bungles Awards Yet Again

How credible is the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year Award?

Not very credible, and unless something drastic is done about this, it will soon become a scandal.

Before CAF took over this award in 1992, it was organised by France Football Magazine. Football Football began the awards in 1970 and over time, winners were mainly from Francophone countries or playing in the French league.

Nigeria's Austin 'Jay-Jay' Okocha was twice denied the award by CAF, in 1998 and 2004.

At the 1998 World Cup in France, Okocha caught the eye so much that Paris Saint-Germain promptly forked out a then record-breaking $17 million to prise the stylish midfielder from Fenerbahce in Turkey. Yet Morocco's Mustapha Hadji was preferred by CAF as the Player of the Year for 1998.

And in 2004, Okocha led an average Nigerian team to reach the last four at the Nations Cup in Tunisia, even scoring three goals to emerge as one of the tournament's leading scorers. Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o would later be preferred as Africa's Player of the Year.

In 2007, CAF gifted the gong to a surprised Frederic Kanoute of Mali.

Didier Drogba was far and away the stand-out player that year but his "undoing" was that he elected to stay back with his national team at the then ongoing Nations Cup, rather than break camp and fly out to pick up his prize in neighbouring Togo.

The truth was that the awards ceremony in Togo was ill-timed and once again showed how easily CAF can be manipulated by powerful sponsors, even beyond reason.

The 2007 award was a farce, and it went a long way in further reducing the value of what is supposed to be the continent's most prestigious individual accolade.

Following on the heels of this was the installation of Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor as Africa's top player for 2008.

No one doubts the talent of Adebayor or what he achieved at English club Arsenal last year. Yet, Arsenal did not win anything in the year under review and Togo failed to qualify for the 2008 Nations Cup.

Mohamed Aboutrika, on the other hand, played a pivotal role as Egypt won a record sixth Nations cup in Ghana. He scored four goals including the championship winner.

Aboutrika followed up on this months later by inspiring Al Ahly to land an unprecedented sixth CAF Champions League trophy.

The football in the English Premier League is on a higher level than what we have in Egypt or even the CAF Champions League, but it must also be argued that Adebayor netted 30 goals in 49 games playing alongside top-class players like Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb.

By endorsing Adebayor's nomination, CAF has again acknowledged that football on the continent is many light years behind that in Europe. It was more a case of anything foreign, better than what we may ever have here.

To CAF's credit, they did what they could not dare do in 2007 - publish a detailed breakdown of how the voting went for the 2008 Player of the Year Award.

But even then, it is rather worrying that only 37 of the 53 national team coaches (less than 70%) thought it important to respond to this poll. Would the 16 other coaches not have made a difference in the final outcome?

Had CAF been offering these member-nations monetary grants, they would have been oversubscribed by these same countries.

CAF must therefore re-design its voting format to be more representative, as it is with the FIFA awards, where both national team coaches and their captains as well as representatives of FIFpro are involved in the voting.

If the Cairo-based association insist on bungling this award, it can only mean that organisers of rival such awards may soon be having the last laugh, because the CAF award will soon be a bad joke for football.

Eto’o Wants More Pay From Barcelona

As Samuel Eto’o’s reaches the tail-end of his current contract with Barcelona, rumours about his future have began circulating frantically.

A whole host of clubs big and small, from Inter to Chelsea to PSG and Marseille, have all expressed their interest to snap up the Cameroonian, while Barca themselves are weighing up their options whether to extend his stay or head for a fresh direction in the form of David Villa or Karim Benzema.

As for Eto’o himself, he is desperate to remain at the Camp Nou, but he also wants his Catalan employers to make him one of the best paid players in the world. His current term runs out on June 30, 2010 and he wants the club to consider him an indispensable player, alongside Lionel Messi, and grant him a huge pay rise.

Although the Blaugrana have never made exact figures of player wages available to the public, a study from a Portuguese website, www.futebolfinance.com believes that Eto’o is asking for around €7.5 million net per season, compared to Messi, who is the third best paid footballer in the world behind only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka with an estimated annual salary of €8.4 million.

Meanwhile, AS believes that the Barca boardroom are in fact trying to speed up negotiations to tie down Eto’o. The club want his future sorted before the start of next season, so as not to distract the striker’s focus on the football pitch and also to prevent any potential suitors from enticing him with bigger offers.

It is also understood that president, Joan Laporta is eager to use the possible success of securing Eto’o’s long-term future as a means of winning votes ahead of the club’s presidential elections in the spring of 2010.