Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed the signing of FC Twente striker Chris David.
The cottagers missed out on the 19-year-old in the summer after running out of time to complete the move for the young Dutchman.
David’s oppertunities at FC Twente have been rare since he refused to sign a new contract at the club which paved the way for a move to Craven Cottage.
More to follow…
EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey| Chief Correspondent
Arsenal have made a formal approach for David Villa as they prepare a second bid for Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez, Goal.com can reveal.
The Londoners remain in talks with Atletico to sign Adrian after tabling an opening offer of around £10 million, (€12m) which was revealed by Goal.com earlier this week.
But Arsenal will not push through the deal for Adrian until they are definitively told by Barcelona that Villa is not available for a transfer this month.
| EXPERT VIEW |
| Martin Langer | Goal.com Spain
The transfer of David Villa makes sense on every different level for Barcelona.
To start with, it is clear that the player hasn’t been the same for Barcelona since he returned from his broken leg and sources from within the club say that the staff is starting to doubt that he could ever return to form. Even if he does, he wouldn’t be playing in his favourite central position because it’s Lionel Messi’s property and, barring a very unlikely injury to the Argentina star, Villa would again be relegated to playing on the wings where he faces the ferocious competition of Pedro, Alexis, Tello, Cuenca and even Iniesta, who has been playing there as of late. It is no secret that Villa wants to play and every day he spends on the bench his market value drops, so it would be logical that Barça would try to cash in on a player who doesn’t seem to be essential for the team’s short- or long-term plans. |
Arsene Wenger is a long-time admirer of Villa, who turned 31 last month, and is prepared to pay up to £13.8m (€17m) to sign him on a permanent deal and match his current €136,000-a-week wages.
Goal.com understands that Wenger has learned that Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer is keen to join Arsenal and make what would be a sensational move to Emirates Stadium after growing frustrated with his lack of opportunities at Camp Nou.
But Barcelona are playing hardball and remain reluctant to off-load such a valuable asset ahead of a twin assault on the Champions League and La Liga titles. The Catalan club have rejected the possibility of Villa going out on loan until the end of the season.
Arsenal are prepared to bide their time even though they have made bolstering their strikeforce a top priority in the window.
Wenger wants to sign a mobile, orthodox centre-forward this month who can play anywhere across his forward line and dovetail with his current first-choice spearheads Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal will only sign one senior frontman this month and Wenger’s sights are now firmly set on either Villa or fellow Spain international Adrian.
It is understood that a fee of €14.8m could be enough to push through the Adrian deal, which is lower than the €18.1m release clause in the forward’s contract.
Goal.com understands that Arsenal opened negotiations with Atletico to sign the 24-year-old before Christmas. As revealed by Goal.com in October, Arsene Wenger has been closely pursuing Adrian, as he is known in his homeland, for months after failing to sign him last summer.
Villa’s potential availability has prompted a slight change of approach but it is uncertain whether Barca will come to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been encouraged in their pursuit of Adrian by the knowledge that he has a buy-out clause in his contract.
The Premier League club initially stopped short of triggering it with their first offer, as they try to take advantage of Adrian’s diminished status in Diego Simeone’s title-challenging team.
Despite scoring for the Spanish national team this season, the forward has started just six of Atletico’s 17 La Liga matches, scoring two goals.
Nevertheless, Wenger has received excellent feedback from his scouts on Adrian, who has the versatility to play anywhere across the front three and has been hailed in some quarters as the new Villa.
He has a proven scoring record at age-group level for his club and Spain, won the Golden Boot at the 2011 European Under-21 Championship – scoring five goals for the tournament winners – and followed that up with 18 goals for Atletico last season.
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EXCLUSIVE
By Greg Stobart
Liverpool have made the first move for Schalke star Lewis Holtby but the midfielder favours a move to Tottenham as he prepares to make a decision on his future.
Holtby is expected to make an announcement on his next club in the coming days after publicly declaring his intention not to sign a new deal with Schalke before his contract expires in the summer.
It is understood Holtby is most likely to sign a pre-contract agreement with a view to a free transfer at the end of the season, although Schalke are prepared to sell this month to ensure they recoup a transfer fee for one of their key players.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has declared an interest in Holtby, who is eager to move to the Premier League, but Liverpool were the first club to make him a formal offer, with the player’s representatives allowed to officially talk to non-German clubs from January 1.
Holtby is keen for first-team football and to play for a club in the Champions League, which as it stands is a more likely prospect at Arsenal or third-placed Tottenham than at Anfield.
The all-action midfielder would prefer a switch to north London and Spurs are in pole position for his signature, with suggestions in Germany that the club have representatives attempting to strike a deal at Schalke’s warm weather training camp in Qatar.
The likes of Inter, Valencia and Bayern Munich have also been monitoring Holtby’s situation but the player – who supports Everton and has an English father – is committed to proving himself in the Premier League.
Schalke were desperate for Holtby to sign a new deal but the Germany international declined to follow striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in committing his future to the club.
Holtby, who has three caps for Germany, has made 77 appearances for Schalke since arriving from Alemannia Aachen in 2009, scoring 12 goals so far during his time at the Veltins Arena.
Bayern Munich have secured the services of Jan Kirchhoff from Mainz on a free transfer at the end of the 2012-13 season.
The centre-back has an expiring contract with his current club, and will sign a deal with the Bavarians until June 2016.
“We are very pleased that such a young and talented Under-21 international has made the decision to join Bayern,” chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Bild.
The 22-year-old had also caught the attention of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, but has opted to continue his career at the Allianz Arena instead.
“Kirchhoff is a rough diamond. I am very happy that he comes to Bayern and has opted to accept the challenge,” sporting director Matthias Sammer added.
Kirchhoff came through the ranks of the Eintracht Frankfurt youth academy, before joining Mainz in 2007.
Bayern Munich have secured the services of Jan Kirchhof from Mainz on a free transfer at the end of the 2012-13 season.
The centre-back has an expiring contract with his current club, and will sign a deal with the Bavarians until June 2016.
“We are very pleased that such a young and talented Under-21 international has made the decision to join Bayern,” chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Bild.
The 22-year-old had also caught the attention of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, but has opted to continue his career at the Allianz Arena instead.
“Kirchhof is a rough diamond. I am very happy that he comes to Bayern and has opted to accept the challenge,” sporting director Matthias Sammer added.
Kirchhof came through the ranks of the Eintracht Frankfurt youth academy, before joining Mainz in 2007.