Football transfer news

Blackpool winger Tom Ince has told Manchester United and Liverpool that he is in no rush to leave Bloomfield Road.

The England Under-21 international has been chased by a host of Premier League sides, including Brendan Rodgers’ and Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides, after impressing for the Tangerines in the Championship.

The 20-year-old – the son of former England international Paul Ince – has scored nine times already this season, but he wanted to distance himself from a move to the top flight.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for Blackpool. I’ve been given the chance to play week in, week out at a very high level,” he told The Sun.

“It is flattering to have all that interest. It shows you are playing good football and are in good form but my focus is on playing for Blackpool.”

Ince was a part of the Liverpool youth team before being allowed to leave Anfield for free last summer when the club decided not to offer him a new contract.

Goal.com exclusively revealed that Manchester United are lining up a £5 million January swoop for the 20-year-old.

Blackpool rejected a £4m bid from Swansea City for the attacking midfielder in August.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ agent Paul Koutsoliakos has stressed that the Schalke defender has no intention of joining AC Milan any time soon.

The Greece international had been linked with a move to Massimilano Allegri’s side, following the departure of key centre-back Thiago Silva to Paris this summer.

The 20-year-old’s representative, however, has explained that his client is happy with life in the Bundesliga and has no immediate plans regarding a transfer to Italy.

“The rumours are a strange one to me,” he told calciomercato.com. “He has only just signed until 2016 at Schalke.

“Maybe the clubs have contacted each other directly, but all I can say is that at the time of signing, Schalke and the player were completely satisfied.

“The boy is happy at the club and his family are entirely settled in Gelsenkirchen.”

Koutsoliakos also lavished praise on the Greek centre-back, saying that a move in the distant future would be possible.

He said of Papadopoulos: “In terms of his age, Kyriakos is one of the best defenders in the world, so it is obvious that other clubs may be interested, but we are not thinking of a move.

“Maybe one day we will go and experience another league, but not now.”

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo admits he does not know whether midfielder Frank Lampard will remain at the club beyond January.

The 34-year-old’s current contract at Stamford Bridge expires in the summer and, with an extension yet to be agreed, he has been linked with a move to MLS side LA Galaxy and Chinese outfit Guizhou Renhe in the new year.

When questioned about the veteran’s future, the Italian manager revealed he had no knowledge of the current state of negotiations over a potential new deal.

“Ultimately that’s between the player and the club to agree a new arrangement,” the Blues boss told reporters.

“I’m not aware how the discussions are going at the moment.”

Ashley Cole’s contract also expires in the summer and the left-back has been heavily linked with a move to Carlo Ancelotti’s Paris Saint-Germain, but Di Matteo reiterated he wants to keep both men.

“The players know that I would like them to stay. They are fantastic players who have always performed to a high level for us, for myself too.

“I’ve told them that. I hope they will stay,” he added.

Lampard has been at Chelsea since arriving from West Ham in 2001, becoming the Blues’ third all-time highest goalscorer and the only midfielder to have scored over 150 Premier League goals.

The 34-year-old has made 15 appearances in all competitions this term but has struggled to hold down a starting place, and is currently sidelined with a calf strain.

Piero Ausilio has admitted Inter were interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti during the summer transfer window.

The 20-year-old has shined for les Parisiens since joining the club from Pescara back in July and has missed just one of their 12 league games this season.

His performances have drawn plaudits from far and wide and the sporting director admitted he could well have been a Nerazzurri player, but for the intervention of the Ligue 1 club.

“When we had the chance to chat to the boy last July, we had invested a lot of money in a player who will be the future of Inter, [Fredy] Guarin,” he told the Inter Channel.

“I think with Verratti it was hoped, and not only by us, [that we could] gain a bit of time, but when clubs like PSG come in you can’t really do much.

“PSG always swoop to snap up our targets after we’ve done the scouting work? That’s something I must ask Leonardo about. I’m joking of course, he does his job very well.”

Verratti’s displays saw him make his Italy debut in a friendly against England back in August and Ausilio can see similarities between him and another esteemed member of the Azzurri squad.

“He’s an excellent footballer and I think a key moment in his development came when [former Pescara coach] Zdenek Zeman moved him into a different position,” he added.

“He used to play as an attacking midfielder, just like Pirlo, the difference being that Verratti dropped into a deeper role at a very young age.

“Carlo Ancelotti had the idea of playing him in front of the defence and now he’s become one of the best. I hope he can follow in Pirlo’s footsteps. He’s got bags of quality, but life is about moments.”

USA international forward Juan Agudelo has begun training with Celtic, but insists he is not on trial with the Scottish side.

The 19-year-old’s agent Ron Waxman, announced that the Chivas striker had joined up with the SPL champions on Friday morning.

And Agudelo confirmed the news via his personal Twitter, writing: “Yes I’m here in Glasgow training with #Celtic. Nothing to hide.”

The Colombian-born forward trained with both Liverpool and Stuttgart to maintain fitness during the MLS off-season last year, and has underlined that he has no intentions of joining Celtic permanently.

The former New York Red Bulls star assisted Michael Bradley’s strike in the USA’s 2-2 draw with Russia over the international break.