Chelsea have agreed terms with Fluminense to sign Wallace in the January transfer window, with the full-back to join the squad in the summer.
The 18-year-old defender is a former Brazil Under-17s international team-mate of new team-mate Lucas Piazon and moves to Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee.
More to follow…
The agent of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has denied rumours that the midfielder could be leaving the French capital after claims he could be set for a move back to Italy.
Reports in the media suggested that the former Pescara player could be set to sign for Juventus if Carlo Ancelotti is removed from his posiiton as coach at the Parc des Princes, but the 20-year-old’s representative Donato Di Campli has denied the claims.
“There is no truth in the stories that Marco will return to Italy,” he told Il Sussidiario.
“He’s very happy at PSG. They are one of the most important clubs in the world and one with a very ambitious project.
“The story about Marco leaving PSG has only come out because of the Ancelotti rumours. But Marco’s future is not tied to that of Ancelotti.”
Juventus were rumoured to be interested in the Italy international in the summer as they look for a long-term replacement for Andrea Pirlo, but were reported to be unwilling to pay Pescara’s asking price of €12 million.
Dirk Kuyt has admitted that he has spoken to his Netherlands teammate Wesley Sneijder about the prospect of joining Fenerbahce after rumours that the Turkish club may be interested in the Inter Milan midfielder.
Sneijder has refused to sign a new deal at the San Siro and looks unlikely to figure for the first team until he puts pen to paper, with a number of clubs, including The Yellow Canaries, eager to prise the 28-year-old away from the 2010 Champions League winners.
Former Liverpool winger Kuyt has revealed that he has tried to sell the idea of moving to the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to his international teammate and he believes that the former Real Madrid playmaker could be interested in the transfer.
“It is to be expected that I speak to him often and I think he has been affected by what I told him and he liked it,” he told Milliyet.
“I told him that Fenerbahce sympathise with his situation.”
Kuyt also said that the capture of Sneijder would be an exciting move for Turkish football, although beating the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich to his signature could prove difficult.
“We know that Sneijder is an expensive player and there are other clubs that want him too. I did not ask whether he will come here but I know there are people that wonder about him in Turkey.
“The transfer would be wonderful from our point of view. He has to make a decision but I don’t know what he is thinking.”
Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente has revealed that he will be leaving the Spanish club at the end of the current campaign after failing to agree a new deal with last season’s Europa League finalists.
The Spain international has been linked with a move away from San Mames throughout 2012 after falling out with coach Marco Bielsa, with Juventus amongst the clubs who have been rumoured to be interested in the forward.
The 27-year-old is out of contract in June, and when he was questioned at a press conference as to whether he would be departing Los Leones in the summer, he said: “Yes. It’s not about the money and I have not felt blackmailed by the club.
“Looking back at what has happened since I made my first appearance at San Mames has made this a sad decision.”
Llorente claimed that the press has not made the situation any easier for him due to the number of rumours about his future that have been circulating in the media, though he claimed that was not the reason for his decision.
He also thanked the club’s fans and players for their support.
“The press has not helped anything. They have successfully increased the bad environment, but leaving the team is for other reasons.
“I feel loved by the fans. The players are with me and I really appreciate it.“
Despite explaining his desire to leave, the striker has reiterated that he wants to contribute for the remainder of the season, starting with their Europa League game against Sparta Prague on Thursday.
“I want to play. The atmosphere will be fantastic, but we must also play our part.”
West Brom manager Steve Clarke has rejected recent speculation linking striker Shane Long with a January move to Premier League rivals Liverpool, insisting his striker is “not for sale”.
Following an impressive recent stint as his side’s lone striker which has yielded seven goals so far this season, the Irish forward has been the subject of a number of reports claiming that Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers may be weighing up a January bid.
But Clarke, who was a first team coach at Anfield until the summer, has dismissed the links as unsubstantiated.
“For me it’s lazy journalism,” the Scot told the Birmingham Mail. “Liverpool need a striker and Shane is playing well so a journalist has put it together and tried to make a story out of it.
“Shane is not for sale and I’d be very surprised if Brendan Rodgers wanted to take Shane anyway.
“People are merely looking at connections and making stories out of it.”
Clarke also backed his summer signing Markus Rosenberg to chip in with goals for the club, despite a difficult debut for the Swedish international in the Baggies in Saturday’s defeat to Stoke City.
“It was a game that was difficult for anyone to shine in,” he added. “He didn’t get many chances. Markus will score goals, for sure, we’ve no doubt about that.”