Author: cimi

It looks like Tottenham Hotspurs’ recent activities in the Transfer market are set to gain further momentum as they are planning to outspend their London rivals Arsenal and try to snatch their target Adrien Lopez, who is currently at Spanish club Athletico Madrid.

With Arsenal’s captain Robin van Persie’s departure looking like just a matter of time, the Gunners are assessing available options and have shortlisted Spanish striker Lopez, who impressed many with his exploits in his debut season at Athletico last term.

However, the stumbling block between Athletico and Arsenal is the transfer fee, with Arsenal offering no more than £10 million for a player rated at £15 million by the La Liga outfit.

Tottenham have stolen the march here as they are reportedly ready to match Athletico’s valuation, and are also ready to triple his current salary. After signing a defender in the form of Belgian Jan Vertonghen and a midfielder in Gylfi Sigurdsson, will Tottenham sign a striker this time by pipping Arsenal to the signature of the highly rated 24-year old?

Bayern star Thomas Muller has reiterated his desire to stay on at the Allianz Arena amidst doubts over his future at the Bundesliga side.

Muller, 22, saw himself being relegated to bit part roles in the later half of the last season by manager Jupp Heynckes. The young attacking midfielder also saw himself losing favor of Germany national team coach Joachim Loew and played the role of a squad player during the Euros 2012.

The Die Roten youth product have drawn interest from Premiership duo of Arsenal and Chelsea this summer but the player insists he wants to stay at the Munich club and see out his current contract which expires in 2015.

He said: “Everyone who knows me knows that FC Bayern is my club. I am a Bayern player through and through and that should not really change.”

But he however insisted that he would look for a move elsewhere if his future at the club is under question as he is not prepared to sit out for major games.

He continued: “I would not be the kind of person to just sit out my contract if I was not satisfied with my situation in my club.

“But I don’t feel any transfer intentions at the moment.”

Russia’s player of the tournament Alan Dzagoev, who has been heavily linked with a summer move to either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspurs, has been strictly told by his club CSKA Moscow that he will not be allowed to leave the Russian club this Transfer window, much to the frustration of the young playmaker.

The attacker shone at the recently concluded Euro 2012 on a personal level, however could not do much as Russia were one of the early casualties as they crashed out in the Group stages. Dzagoev’s performances however did not go unnoticed, as the 21-year old garnered positive reviews for his three goals in Russia’s three group games.

The youngster’s impressive short stint in Poland and Ukraine has got him interest from several top European clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs, along with Inter Milan and Juventus as well, who are all thought to be keen on landing Dzagoev.

However, before things got further, CSKA Moscow have put an end to all speculation by making it clear that their midfield star will not be allowed to make his big European move…at least this summer.

Brazilian striker Hulk, who has been linked heavily with new European champions Chelsea, has revealed that he did not put pen to paper on any deal or agreement till now, and that he would rather focus on the task at hand, which are the upcoming Olympics in London.

After Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League triumph last season, owner Roman Abrahimovic has embarked on a spending spree and has already brought in Belgian sensation Eden Hazard along with young winger Marko Marin, however the Blues have also lost their veteran striker Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and defender Jose Bosingwa along the way.

With the London club looking to build a new look attack for next season, they have set their sights on Portugese club Porto’s Hulk, who has been putting up strong performances up front consistently for the last couple of seasons.

Even though Hulk has admitted in the past that a move to the European champions could be exciting, he claims that there have been no advancements on that front, and that he has not signed on any paper. Speaking to the local media, the 25-year old said, “I have nothing signed with Chelsea or another club.

“I have signed four more years with Porto and now I’m just focused on my job with selection for the Olympic Games in London … I have not spoken to anyone.”

Arsenal youth defender Ignasi Miquel has been attracting interest from La Liga heavyweights Barcelona but is likely to join Championship side Brighton on a loan deal.

The Spain U 19 international has spent the early part of his youth career at the Camp Nou and now the cash strapped Catalan side are looking to launch a £300k bid for the talented defender. Miquel appeared four times for the Gunners last season, making his Premier League debut against Liverpool when he was brought on for the injured Laurent Koscielny.

Arsene Wenger isn’t keen on letting go of the youngstar and is determind to ward off any interest. Former Chelsea footballer and now manager of Brighton Gus Poyet, is interested in bringing the versatile defender on loan to the Championship side. Wenger wants Miquel to gain further first team experience as he is unlikely to get the nod ahead of the likes of Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen and Per Mertesacker at the Emirates.

Miquel, who can also play left back, is likely to secure his loan deal to Brighton in the next week according to sources.