Chelsea resigns Legend

Done Deal: Chelsea Re-Sign Club Legend Didier Drogba On A One-Year Contract

The powerful striker returns.

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of club legend Didier Drogba from Galatasaray on a one-year contract.
The 36-year-old returns to the club two years after scoring the winning goal for the Blues in their 2012 Champions League final victory in Munich.
Drogba spent eight years previously at Stamford Bridge, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
The Ivory Coast international scored 157 goals in all competitions during his first spell in West London
“It was an easy decision – I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work with Jose again,” Drogba told the club’s website.
“Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me.”
The forward is the club’s all-time top European scorer, netting 34 times and also a record nine goals in nine finals that cemented the African’s place as a cult hero.
“He’s coming because he’s one of the best strikers in Europe,” manager Jose Mourinho said.
“I know his personality very well and I know if he comes back he’s not protected by history or what he’s done for this club previously. He is coming with the mentality to make more history.”
Since leaving the Bridge first time around Drogba has spent time in China with Shanghai Shenhua and then Gala.

Van Gaal style favours me

Juan Mata feels he will be well suited to Louis van Gaal's style of play as he looks forward to a bright new era at Manchester United.
Mata moved to Old Trafford for £37.5 million in January as David Moyes attempted to inspire a revival after a dismal start to the season, but was rarely played in his favoured No.10 role and was unable to bring about an upturn in fortunes with the Scot sacked in April.

United eventually finished 22 points behind champions Manchester City but, despite his disappointing start to life at United, Mata is confident United will be able to challenge for trophies again under Van Gaal.
"It's the start of a new era for the club, with a new manager and players coming in," he told MUTV. "I'm really happy with the manager's style of football and hopefully at the end of the season we can celebrate something, which would be amazing for him and for us.
"We're focused on improving and trying to learn from the manager, to play at our best level during the season. The main idea is to play as a team and compete for titles."
Van Gaal has finally taken charge of his squad after leading the Netherlands to third place at this summer's World Cup and will oversee his first match on Wednesday when United face Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
The Dutchman has been leading intense double-training sessions in LA and, with Spain having been eliminated at the group stage during the World Cup, Mata is playing a full part in the preparations.
"It will be a different pre-season for me because in the last six or seven years I've always had a tournament with the national team and haven't had a complete pre-season with my team," he said.
"So this time I will do the whole tour of the States, which is good for me to prepare for a long and hard season. This is my first pre-season with United and I'm enjoying it - the journey was good, the hotel is nice and the training ground is great."
He added: "The most important thing is to get ready, step-by-step, and not too hard because injuries can happen. It's important for us to prepare physically and mentally for the long season

Spurs complete the signing of Swansea duo

 

Swansea City have completed the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson from Tottenham, with Swans duo Ben Davies and Michel Vorm going the other way.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder completed a medical on Wednesday, having left Spurs' tour of the United States, before penning a four-year deal.

The Icelander struggled to hold down a starting berth at White Hart Lane, making just 26 Premier League starts in his two seasons at the club, but returns to the Liberty Stadium where he enjoyed a productive loan spell in 2012.

"I really enjoyed my time last time I was here, so it's really good to be back," he told the club's official website. "I was here for five or six months and still have a lot of memories. Hopefully this time it will be even better.

"The squad has changed a little bit, quite a lot of new players have come into the squad, but the core is still there."

Sigurdsson, then on loan from Hoffenheim, made 18 appearances under Brendan Rodgers, scoring seven goals and assisting a further three to endear himself to the Swansea faithful.

Crystal Palace were also intersted in the former Reading man, but he elected to return to south Wales and becomes the club's fifth signing of the summer after Lukasz Fabianski, Bafetimbi Gomis, Stephen Kingsley and Marvin Emnes.

The deal paved the way for left-back Ben Davies and goalkeeper Michel Vorm to join Spurs.

Ospina to Arsenal

Colombia No 1 Ospina, 25, will now head to Arsenal to complete his £3million deal. 

Inter closing in on Chicharito

Inter Milan could turn to Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez after being informed that Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic is not for sale.

The Sun are reporting that the Italian giants could move for the 26-year-old Mexican as they look to bolster their strike force this summer.

Milan endured a disappointing season last year, finishing fifth in Serie A and missing out on a place in the Champions League.

Argentine forward Rodrigo Palacio currently leads their front-line, with his countryman Mauro Icardi the only other forward currently on the clubs books with a chance of playing regularly in the first-team.

Jovetic, 24, made just 13 Premier League appearances for Premier League champions City last season as he struggled with injuries. However, he still managed to score six goals in all competitions, and reports that he could be set to return to Italy, where he last played for Fiorentina, have proved wide of the mark.

Hernandez has been with United since 2010, scoring 59 goals in 152 appearances. However, he managed just nine last term, with only four of those coming in the Premier League – marking the first year he has failed to hit double figures in the competition.

Van Gaal to get rid of Seven

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal could axe up to seven more players this summer following the sale of Patrice Evra, who is expected to complete his move to Serie A champions Juventus later today.

Anderson, Javier Hernandez, Wilfried Zaha, Nani, Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling and Bebe are all at risk of being sold by the Red Devils' new boss.

Hummels To United

Manchester United are close to completing a deal for Borussia Dortmund and Germany star Mats Hummels.

Louis van Gaal has seen the defence at Old Trafford as a key area to strengthen this summer. Both Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand departed the club this summer, leaving Manchester United with just three young centre-backs in the form of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans.


The report suggests that the deal will be worth around £16 million and that it could be announced at any point this week. Hummels would become the third signing under Van Gaal following deals for Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera.

Dortmund are believed to be happy with the fee as it makes economic sense for them to part ways for the German international while his stake is high. Hummels enjoyed an excellent World Cup and was a crucial piece in Joachim Low's team that went on to take home the trophy.

Dortmund have already secured a replacement in the form of Matthias Ginter. The young centre-back excelled for Freiburg last season and falls in line with Jurgen Klopp's transfer ethos over the last few seasons. Ginter, 19, will be given the chance to fill the void left by Hummels, who was also brought in cheaply as a teenager.

Evra to Juve official

Manchester United have sold full-back Patrice Evra to Italian champions Juventus, reports the club's official site.
The French international, who made 379 appearances for the club throughout his nine seasons, won a number of trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League. Having joined the club from Monaco in January 2006, in the same month former captain Nemanja Vidic arrived at the club, Evra quickly became United's No.1 left-back, and played an integral role for the side throughout his Old Trafford career.

Cristiano Ronaldo's son still has 'no idea' who mum is

Cristiano Ronaldo’s son still has no idea who his mum is – four years after his birth, the youngster’s family admitted last night.
The Real Madrid and Portugal star’s sister Elma said Cristiano Jnr, dubbed Cristianinho, has stopped asking about the woman, believed to be a surrogate mother.
She added: “Once we told him she was in Heaven, but my brother and mum asked us not to repeat it.
"We say now his mum went travelling . He doesn’t ask anymore.”
Questions about the woman surfaced again last week when Ronaldo’s mum Dolores Aveiro released an official biography in which she revealed she went to the US to pick up Cristianinho after his 2010 birth.
She said Ronaldo, 29, told her: “The mum will never be known.”
Dolores lives in Madrid with her son to help him bring up his boy.
Her ­biographer Paulo Sousa Costa hinted Ronaldo may wed girlfriend Irina Shayk.
He said: “Dolores knows sooner or later he’ll get married.”

Top ten smoking footballers

1. Jack Wilshere
No wonder he’s tense. Aaron Ramsey has emerged from his shadow to become the lifeblood of the Arsenal team, and thanks to the signings of Mesut Ozil and Mathieu Flamini, Wilshere is far from assured of his place in the Gunners first choice midfield.
Sometimes, sitting back with a cigarette just feels right. Other times, you get lung cancer.

2. Lionel Messi
Jack Wilshere will never become one of the world’s best players if he smokes. This guy is terrible at football.
Given that his team-mates support an anti-smoking campaign, Messi lighting up may not have gone down brilliantly at Camp Nou.

3. Zinedine Zidane
Zidane was one of the most aesthetically pleasing footballers to watch, and – let’s face it – not one of the most athletic.
Whether that was down to his smoking habit remains unclear.

4. Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli has always been somewhat of a maverick, a loose cannon who Jose Mourinho described as unmanageable.
The Italy international also enjoyed a cigarette on plenty of occasions, which former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini wasn’t a huge fan of, but would allow if he found the back of the net consistently.

5. Laurent Koscielny
There’s nothing worse than a lonely cigarette break, pondering the hubris of man with each puff. At least Jack Wilshere isn’t alone amongst his Arsenal team-mates, for Laurent Koscielny also appears to have picked up the habit – at least, according to this picture.

6. Dimitar Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov is probably the worst role model out there in terms of dissuading people to start smoking. Because let’s face it – he looks quite cool.













7. Diego Maradona
Why go for a mere cigarette when you can smoke a massive Cuban cigar on a boat?
 
You may be cool but you will never be Maradona with a Che Guevara ink on your arm smoking Cubans on a boat cool. 

8. Mesut Ozil 

 Smoking clearly hasn’t hampered Mesut Ozil. With five assists and a goal in his first five games for Arsenal, he seems to be doing okay.
 

9. Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney has regularly been pictured smoking, and the Manchester United forward has often been accused of not being at peak fitness for a footballer of his level.

10. Ashley Cole

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Tottenham closing in for Swansea City duo.

Swansea City left-back Ben Davies, is close to completing his move to Tottenham, the young Welsh defender has left the Swans pre-season tour of the US to attend a medical in North London.
The Welsh international, 21, is expected to move to White Hart Lane, while Gylfi Sigurdsson – a former Swans loanee – is likely to go in the opposite direction.
Michel Vorm, another target for Tottenham, who is currently on holiday following his time with the Dutch World Cup team, is also believed to be close to putting pen to paper on a deal with Spurs, where he will play as a back-up to first choice stopper Hugo Lloris.
The two clubs have agreed that Davies and Sigurdsson are both valued at £10m, with the two players swapping clubs in a straight switch, while Vorm will cost Tottenham around £5m.
Sigurdsson – who had looked to be heading for Crystal Palace – will move back to the Liberty Stadium as part of the deal. The Icelander spent the 2011/12 season on loan in south Wales and looks likely to return after being withdrawn from Spurs’ line-up to face Seattle Sounders last night.
Pochettino is yet to make any reinforcements this summer and has admitted he doesn’t expect to spend big like Andre Villas-Boas did a year ago. Memphis Depay has also been linked with a move to White Hart Lane, but funds are likely to be low following the Gareth Bale fueled spree last summer.

Liver to unveill La Liga maestro next week

A player who was linked with a whole host of top clubs last summer, Liverpool now look to be winning the race for Spanish starlet Isco, who is leaving after just one season with Real Madrid. The former Malaga playmaker is a superb young talent and could benefit from a move to a club where he would be given more regular first-team football, and his style of play would surely see him fit in well at Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers has been determined to sign the 22-year-old after learning of his availability, and it seems as though a bid of £34m will now be enough for the club to bring him in this summer, completing a trio of excellent-looking acquisitions for the title hopefuls.

Wenger to sell four to buy khedira

Arsene Wenger may well have successfully secured the signings of Alexis Sanchez and Mathieu Debuchy but he has set his sights on at least two more summer additions and is set to sell four players to help fund further transfers in the coming week.
Sportscorner24 understands that the Arsenal are hoping to complete the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira and have a £23m deal in place to do so but are locked in contract talks with the German international whilst also eyeing up a deal to sign a new keeper as well as a further defensive capture.
With this in mind there are a number of first team players who look set to leave the Emirates Stadium with German forward Lukas Podolski seemingly set to be the first to make such an exit.
A tweet sent from the 29 year old’s official Twitter account yesterday all but confirmed Podolski’s imminent move to La Liga side Sevilla, with Arsenal set to secure around £12m from the sale of the former Koln man who has enjoyed an up and down time of it during his two seasons at the Premier League club.




Another player likely to be heading to Spain is Santi Cazorla, who has been strongly linked with a move back to La Liga for some weeks, and Atletico Madrid are said to be a probable destination for the playmaker.
The arrival of Sanchez is likely to impact on Cazorla’s first team chances with Wenger looking to field the Chilean as well as Mesut Ozil and England winger Theo Walcott, leaving the former Malaga man out in the cold.
Much like Podolski the pint sized Spaniard put in a solid first campaign but was out of sorts last season and Wenger will hope to recoup at least two third of the £15m they paid for Cazorla in August 2012.





Whilst Wenger would be keen to keep hold of Cazorla for added strength in depth the 29 year old is likely to be unhappy with such a role at this juncture in his career and is also said to be homesick.
Arsene Wenger is ready to sell Belgian bit-part player Thomas Vermaelen and is willing to allow the former Ajax man to complete his long awaited move to Man United, with new Old Trafford boss keen on bringing in the experienced adaptable defender.



However the Gunners boss will demand at least £12m for his services and will only sell once he has brought in a suitable replacement to act as a back-up to first choice central defensive pair Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.



Finally Wenger will reluctantly listen to offers of around £6m for young defender Carl Jenkinson, who is said to be unhappy about Arsenal’s signing of Debuchy, leaving the England man out in the cold following the departure of previous first-choice right-back Bacary Sagna.
West Ham are thought to be keen and it’s a move that Jenkinson is apparently open to

Liver agree £16m for Lovren

 

Though Liverpool had little issue finding the back of the net last term they were very leaky at the back and the likes of Mamadou Sakho, Kolo Toure and Daniel Agger all failed to provide Martin Sktel with a solid partner in the centre of the Anfield defence, a role that 24 year old Croatian Lovren would certainly fill with aplomb.
Southampton paid Lyon £8.5m for Lovren last summer and whilst Ronald Koeman may have been keen to keep hold of the player the south-coast side will almost double their money in the space of a year, funds that can then be re-invested with the Dutch manager already publicly confirming his interest in Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar, stating;
“Ron [Vlaar] would definitely be an option.
“But I think he won’t be cheap right now. Let’s just wait and see.

Rodriguez in Madrid

James Rodriguez has arrived in the Spanish capital today with his agent and girlfriend ahead of the transfer to Real Madrid as it has been revealed that he has refused to play any match with Monaco...

Roma Sign 'Little Messi' Iturbe

Argentine midfielder Juan Iturbe joins Italian club Roma from Chievo Verona for £17.4m.

Mourinho wants Miranda

After signing Filipe Luis on Friday, Chelsea are in talks over a £20m bid for another Brazilian Atletico Madrid defender - 29-year-old Joao Miranda.

AC Milan and Juve wants Lavezzi

Juventus and AC Milan are ready to ramp up their efforts to sign Ezequiel Lavezzi. The Argentine, who could be surplus to requirements should PSG sign Angel di Maria, has attracted interest from Chelsea but is likely to return to Italy this summer.

Am not going anywhere Turan

Atletico Madrid winger Arda Turan is not interested in a move to Liverpool or Arsenal and plans to extend his stay in the Spanish capital.

Benitez wants Alonso at Napoli

Napoli wants to sign Xabi Alonso who is knee on a reunion with his former coach Rafa Benitez, and who see Alonso as a solution to his midfield problems.

Real Madrid eye Alvaro Negredo

Real Madrid want Negredo as a replacement for Alvaro Morata who as joined Juventus. The spanish striker is seen by Ancelotti as an ideal back up striker for Karim Benzema.

Arsenal submits a bid for Carvalho

It is believed that his club are holding out for an offer closer to the €45m release clause he has in his current contract.
With Arsenal being Arsenal, an opening bid of €30m probably means that they won’t go as high as €45m, but it is reassuring to see them continue to shop at the top end of the market rather than where we have become used to seeing them – in the £10m or less bin.
Don’t get me wrong, while Arsenal operated under severe financial restrictions after they moved to the Emirates Stadium, that bin has served Arsenal well. Sure, there’ve been a few duds that have fallen out of the bin and had to be shoved back in, but on the whole, Arsenal have shopped well given how much their hands were tied.
With the signing of Mesut Ozil last summer and Alexis Sanchez this, those shackles seem to have been released. The new commercial deals, including those with Emirates and PUMA, mean that Arsenal finally have the cash to step out of the bargain basement and see what is on offer on the upper levels where the fancy people shop.
Carvalho would be a great addition to the Arsenal squad. Not only is he young but he is able to play in central midfield, as a holding midfielder and as a centreback, positions Arsenal could do with strengthening before the window shuts.
He had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United for the early part of the summer, but after they allegedly sent a delegation to Portugal at the end of June, not much more has been heard of them. Perhaps they stopped off somewhere to enjoy the sunshine for a bit and forgot what they were there for.
Regardless, Arsene’s ability to spot a player plus Arsenal’s ability to actually pay for them now means that by the end of this window Arsenal will likely have the strongest side they’ve had in this post-Highbury era.

Casillas wants Arsenal switch

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas is reportedly keen on a move to Arsenal this summer, so much so he wants the Spaniards to terminate his contract and allow him to leave for free.
Casillas helped Real to La Decima in May with victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final.

But having already lost his place to Diego Lopez for domestic league matches and with Carlo Ancelotti said to be bringing in Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Casillas is now looking for a new challenge.


Arsenal have long been admirers of the Spanish international and despite already reportedly agreeing a £3.2m fee for Nice’s David Ospina, the Gunners could yet still be in the market for a goalkeeper with Valencia said to also be interested in the Colombian.

Arsene Wenger has already seen Lukasz Fabianski join Swansea this summer and despite Wojciech Szczesny having his best season in an Arsenal shirt last term, question marks still remain over his ability.

Costa given a jersey number

The Brazilian born Spain international will wear the number 19 shirt for the Blues throughout the coming season, reports the Chelsea website.
The jersey was previously occupied by Demba Ba, who confirmed his transfer to Besiktas earlier today, and Costa will hope to endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful rather more than the Senegal international, who was never really given a chance by Jose Mourinho.

QPR to move for Van De Vaart

QPR manager Harry Redknapp is planning moves for Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, Stoke City striker Peter Crouch and Tottenham full-back Kyle Naughton.

Cavani could replace Rooney

Manchester United will reignite their interest in Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani if Wayne Rooney fails to convince Louis van Gaal.

Van Gaal to increase Vermaelen bid

Manchester United will launch a fresh £10 million bid for Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen.

Jovetic to Inter

 



 Inter Milan still wants to bring in a striker to complete Mazzarri still wants to bring in a striker to complete his project of re-building Inter and the club are negotiationg with Manchester City for Stevan Jovetic. It will be either be a loan or a transfer with structured payments. 

Wenger to have a word with Wilshire on Smoking

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger wants to speak to Jack Wilshere after the England midfielder  attracted negative headlines this week – and believes the coming season could be pivotal if the player is to reach his full potential.

Wilshere was criticised by his manager last season after he was pictured smoking a cigarette outside a nightclub and, in the aftermath, pledged it would not happen again.

But the 22-year-old was photographed smoking again this week while on holiday, and Wenger, while not overly concerned, wants to find out what exactly happened. “I haven’t spoken to him so it’s very difficult for me to make any statement,” said the manager. “I know what you can make of pictures – I have to speak to him really to see what happened before I come out publicly.

“I’m not deeply concerned by it. I just want to know what happened and before I know what happened, I don’t want to talk too much about it.”

Man United Make Late Bid To Beat Real Madrid To Signing Rodriguez

 

Manchester United look set to make a last-ditch effort to thwart Real Madrid’s move for AS Monaco winger James Rodriguez with a sensational swap deal on the table for the Ligue 1 side.

Although it is widely expected that Rodriguez’s fine World Cup form for Colombia will earn him a £71m move to Madrid sometime next week, United remain big fans of his and will hope to see their ambitious cash-plus-players bid win the race for his signature.
 
United could try offering a fee of around £35m as well as both Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez, with the two squad members at Old Trafford hopefully enough to tempt Monaco into thinking their star player could be adequately replaced.

Although neither player has been on top form in recent times for the Red Devils, they remain highly regarded talents and have been linked with some big clubs over the course of the last few months due to their uncertain situations at Old Trafford.

Japanese playmaker Kagawa could prove a useful addition for Monaco off the pitch as well as on it, with the arrival of the 25-year-old surely set to boost the club’s commercial revenue in the far east.
The former Borussia Dortmund star could also replace Rodriguez’s influence in the attacking midfield position, having established himself as one of the best playmakers in Europe during his time in the Bundesliga, showing great creativity, skill and an eye for goal, even if he has not quite managed to rediscover his touch in united shirt.

Arsenal to unveil Khedira on monday

Arsenal will look to unveil German midfielder Sami Khedira as their third high-profile signing of the summer after the north London side registered a bid that has been accepted by La Liga side Real Madrid.

Arsenal Agree £15.8m Deal to Sign Mario Balotelli.

Arsenal are close to securing a deal to sign AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli after the north London side agreed to meet the San Siro side’s valuation of the 23 year old.

Despite having already signed Alexis Sanchez the Premier League side are keen to bring in a further addition to boost their attack and with Arsene Wenger looking to field the Chilean in a wide role the signing of another central striking option is paramount.
Wenger sees Balotelli as the man who can not only offer overworked Frenchman Olivier Giroud some much needed support but is likely to battle the former Montpellier man hard for a starting berth.

Man United Launch £8m Bid for De Jong

Man United boss Louis van Gaal has reportedly tabled a bid for AC Milan midfielder Nigel de Jong.
 
It is perhaps unsurprising that the new Old Trafford manager would target members of the Dutch national team squad he has just led to a third place finish at the 2014 World Cup though some may feel it odd that Man United would chase a player who has of course represented local rivals Man City.

Rio Ferdinand joins QPR on one-year deal

The centre-back left Manchester United at the end of last season, ending a 12-year association with the club, and has now been reunited with his former West Ham boss Harry Redknapp

Mother wanted to abort Cristiano Ronaldo

The mother of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolores Aveiro, has admitted that she attempted to have an abortion whilst pregnant with her son.

The revelation came after she published a book entitled ‘Mother Courage’ which was released in Portugal on Friday.
And she has revealed that she took a homemade recipe in a bid to rid herself of the infant after a doctor refused to help her terminate the pregnancy.
“I wanted to abort but the doctor didn’t support my decision,” she admits in the book.

Michu to Napoli on loan

Napoli agree a season-long loan for Michu with view to signing the Swansea forward for £8m.

Premiere clubs in to sign Pirlo

Antonio Conte announced his resignation as Juve boss this week, following three consecutive Serie A titles, after falling out with the club over transfer strategy.
And the man being tipped to replace him is former AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri, who Pirlo claims forced him out of the club in 2011.
After the switch, Pirlo said: "Milan offered me a one-year extension, but I wanted three years because I was younger than the other players whose contracts were expiring.
"But the real reason behind why I left Milan was because Allegri wanted to use Massimo Ambrosini or Mark van Bommel in front of the defence instead of me. That meant that I had to change position on the pitch. So I said 'no thanks' to Milan and chose Juventus.
"Milan decided that I was no longer useful to them. I understood that immediately during our meeting."

Manchester United to make offer for Rodriguez

Having impressed at the 2014 World Cup and finishing the tournament as the Golden Boot winner, the AS Monaco man is hot property.

Although the 22-year-old has admitted that Real Madrid would be his ideal destination, the Red Devils are hoping to compete for Rodriguez’s signature.

Done deal Kroos off to Real Madrid

Bayern Munich have announced that midfielder Toni Kroos will be joining Real Madrid with immediate effect after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

 The midfield ace is currently on a three-week holiday after that victory and will join up with his new teammates at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu after that and has signed a six-year contract with the Los Blancos.

Vidal is not going anywhere

Juventus chief Giuseppe Marotta has ruled out selling midfielder Arturo Vidal to Manchester United this summer, insisting that the Chilean has told him that he's "happy' to be staying put in Turin and not be heading to Old Trafford.

BEST DRIBBLERS OF FIFA WORLD CUP 2014

  


5. Hueng-Min Son ( South Korea ) 4.5 dribblers per game

 The pinup boy of South Korean football, Son proved last season with Bayer Leverkusen that he has the potential to develop into a genuinely top level player in European football. At the World Cup, his teammates couldn’t perform to his level, and Son’s men crashed out at the group stages.


 


4. Arjen Robben  (Holland)  4.9 dribbles per game

Undeniably one of the best players at this summer’s World Cup, Robben’s Dutch side crashed out on penalties at the semi-final stage, losing to Argentina. Robben though had been dynamic and dangerous until then, notching three goals and registering one assist as well. Unfortunately, his dribbles often ended in a rather theatrical fall…

 
 
3. Angel Di Maria ( Argentina)  5 dribbles per game

The South American flyer had his tournament cut short with injury, but scored an excellent winner against Switzerland in the Last 16. Despite being deployed in a central midfield role rather than on the wing, Di Maria was still happy to pick up the ball and run with it.

 

2. Alexis Sanchez (Chile) 5.5 dribblers per game

Sanchez’s Chileans were excellent during the Group Stages, and his side were tremendously unlucky to lose to Brazil A.E.T in the Last 16. The world-class forward scored twice, assisted one, and has earned a blockbuster move to Arsenal this summer.

 

1. Lionel Messi ( Argentina) 6.6 dribbles per game

Messi won the World Cup’s Golden Ball, awarded to its best player, and attempted more dribblers per match than any other player. Despite this, and his four goals early on – he failed to reach his lofty heights, and ultimately saw his side fall short in the final against the Germans.