Samba sensation covets Chelsea move

(06-10-2010) Brazilian sensation Neymar dreams of playing for Chelsea. The 18-year-old is the hottest property in South American football at the moment, with the Blues having already failed with a £25m bid to bring him to Stamford Bridge from Santos.But the teenager still has his eyes on a move to West London. "To play for Chelsea would be an honour. Everything they have to offer is attractive to me,” Neymar told The Sun newspaper in an exclusive interview. "They have big players, they are in big competitions, they have a strong squad and I like the way they play.” He added: "Top players want to be part of something like that. I'm no different. But I'm happy at Santos. If I left it wouldn't be because Santos isn't a good place to be but only because the Premier League is a higher level.”

‘Red Devils wanted me’

(06-10-2010) EPL bad boy Craig Bellamy claims Manchester United tried to sign him. The Welsh striker is currently on the books of Championship team Cardiff City on loan from Manchester City. Tottenham were believed to be hot on his heels in the summer but City refused to allow him to join one of their main rivals. But, according to Bellamy, Spurs were not the only club interested in his services."Someone else came in from above Tottenham which would have caused a few stirs,” revealed the 31-year-old on Tuesday. "If I'd said I wanted to go there for one minute, my life in Manchester would have been really tough. It would've been a miracle had it come off.” He added: "I tried to work out whether to hold out for that one or go home. But because of the other club's interest, City panicked and pushed the Cardiff thing through."

Chelsea suffer defensive blow

(06-10-2010) Chelsea suffered a setback on Tuesday with the news that star central defender Alex will be sidelined for three weeks. The Brazilian, who fired home a sensational long-range free-kick against Arsenal over the weekend, picked up a thigh strain in the closing stages of the 2-0 victory. The 28-year-old will miss his country’s matches against Iran on Thursday and Ukraine next Monday. He is also likely to be absent for Chelsea's visits to Aston Villa and Spartak Moscow on 16 and 19 October. Alex was signed by the Blues from PSV Eindhoven in 2007. He has been first-choice alongside captain John Terry in the heart of the Stamford Bridge team’s defence this season.

Spurs eyeing World Cup star

(06-10-2010) Tottenham are keeping an eye on Atletico Madrid ace striker Diego Forlan after the Uruguayan sensation indicated that he may return to the EPL. Spurs were linked with a move for Forlan in the summer. "Everybody says things, that maybe you don't want to go back,” said Forlan on Tuesday. “The time I had in England was great and if I had the chance to go back I'd be really happy." The 31-year-old previously played for Manchester United but was shown the door after a disappointing two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford. His star has subsequently shone extremely brightly in Spain where he has starred for Atletico and Villareal, while also being named Player of the Tournament at this year’s World Cup.

Real star wants EPL return and other red-hot gossip

(06-10-2010) Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra is keen on a return to England in January. This has alerted a number of EPL clubs, most notably Manchester United and Tottenham. The French international has fallen down the pecking order at the Bernabeu this season under new manager Jose Mourinho. Diarra joined Real from Portsmouth two years ago and has also played for Arsenal and Chelsea in his career. Elsewhere, Juventus want to capitalise on Liverpool's financial problems by sealing a cut-price £10m deal for midfielder Alberto Aquilani in January; Chelsea are facing a fight to keep Gael Kakuta at Stamford Bridge with Bayern Munich preparing to swoop for the 19-year-old striker; Liverpool are ready to sell winger Ryan Babel in order to fund a move for talented Valencia midfielder Juan Mata; and Japan striker Keisuke Honda could be available in the January transfer window with Arsenal his likeliest suitors.

Bust up at City - report

(05-10-2010) Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez have been involved in a sensational bust-up. According to a report in Tuesday’s edition of The Sun newspaper, the Manchester City manager “poured out a string of insults” at Tevez after which the tiny Argentine swung his arms at the Italian. The row is said to have erupted in the dressing room at half-time during City's 2-1 win over Newcastle at Eastlands. Tevez and Mancini were however seen to shake hands after the 26-year-old was subbed late in the game.

Only City will challenge Chelsea – Essien

(05-10-2010) Michael Essien believes Manchester City are the only club that will challenge Chelsea this season. The Ghanaian’s Stamford Bridge team currently lead the EPL standings by four points after a sensational start to the season. Essien has led the charge with a string of powerful displays as Chelsea have nothched up six wins in their first seven games, their only loss coming against City two weeks ago. "Manchester City are our closest challengers right now," commented Essien on Monday. "You can see they made good signings and they will be up for it. We will see what happens. I don't know if they will have the stamina but they have the players to go out and do the job." Essien has been sidelined for 11 months over the past two seasons because of serious knee injuries but signed a new contract in the summer.