So, Sam Allardyce is trying to attract Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy back to the Premiership, is he? As Big Sam says, it really would be a coup but is it just a dream or could it really become reality?

Blackburn Rover fans have had a mixed reaction to the news. Many have total faith in their manager who, after all, has managed to attract big players to his clubs before. Rivaldo, Campo, Okocha and, of course, Niocolas Anelka to name but a few. Others believe it is either a bridge just too far or that Nistelrooy will opt to stay with Real Madrid for a final year and then go back to PSV as all his family still live in Holland. So, let’s just look at the facts. Yes, Allardyce has the pedigree to snap up star players, even if Nistelrooy, at 33, is coming to the end of his playing career. Yes, he needs a replacement following the departure of Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City. And, yes, Ruud van Nistelrooy would be quite a bargain as Real Madrid are rumoured to want just 1.5 million pounds for him.

One of the big stumbling blocks could be wages as Big Sam himself admits that Blackburn could in no way match his Real Madrid salary. Would money be the main motivation for Nistelrooy to come back to the Premiership or would scoring goals again be his reward?

Spurs are also said to be in the running to sign the striker and the London club might well be the favourites in this race. However, the most likely scenario is that Nistelrooy will opt to go back to PSV where he will end his playing career. Although he once famously threatened to quit international football, he still has his sights set on the 2010 World Cup and would love to play in the tournament.

Nistelrooy is still a brilliant player and well capable of slotting home the goals. Pace isn’t particularly important for his game which is centred around position, control and accuracy. Would he get the service he needs at Blackburn? Nistelrooy has also had his fair share of injuries which has to be taken into consideration. However, given no problems, he probably has three years of play in him yet and the price tag of 1.5 million could be considered quite a bargain.

The Dutch striker was a prolific scorer during his five seasons at Manchester United, having been snapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson after he was spotted by his son, Darren. Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in less than 200 matches before moving to Real in 2006. However, he has fallen down the pecking order in recent times and even more so with the recent arrival of the big guns, Kaka and Ronaldo. At least he would spend less time sitting on the bench if he came to Ewood Park.

Nistelrooy is still the second highest goal scorer in Champions League history with 60 goals and was three times the Champions League top scorer, as well as the top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. It’s more likely that his heart will be with PSV, the club he joined at the end of the 1990s from Heerenveen at a then record transfer fee of 6.3 million pounds. You can see why Sam Allardyce would like to sign him but on this occasion, it might be a purchase just out of reach.

England had a lot of the ball in today’s (June 29th) final of the U21 Euro Championships in Malmo, Sweden. The problem was, they didn’t really know what to do with it, and Germany did. However, there probably weren’t too many people out there who would have bet on a 4-0 Germany victory. To those who did, then congratulations.

England were behind the eight ball from the get go, due to the suspension of strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and Fraizer Campbell, along with number one goalkeeper Joe Hart. But that’s the nature of football, and sports in general for that matter. You need to be prepared for anything and England clearly weren’t. While Theo Walcott, and James Milner are players with some admirable offensive skills, they’re not pure strikers.

In fact, England didn’t have any other strikers to suit up in the final and that shows the sorry state of football today as well as terrible management by England’s Stuart Pearce and his staff. How you can only take two strikers out of a squad of 23 to a major tournament is beyond me. But that just goes to show you how much importance is placed on scoring goals in today’s game.

Scott Loach, who played with Watford last season, started in goal, while many supporters thought Peterborough United’s Joe Lewis would have been a better choice. But in the end, it doesn’t really matter as you’re not going to win any football games if you don’t score at least one goal.

England got off to a good start, but Gonzalo Castro put Germany ahead with a beautifully timed run and an excellent pass from Mesut Ozil. Castro neatly slid the ball past the oncoming Loach. That goal held up until half time, but once the second period started it didn’t take Germany long to double the lead as Ozil let a screaming free kick go from 35 yards, that Loach totally misplayed and while he got his hand to it, the ball dribbled over the line.

That seemed to take the starch out of England, and while they did create a few chances, Lee Cattermole nicked the crossbar with a long-range shot in the 57th minute and two others were cleared off the line, but none of them actually forced the keeper to make a save, and Germany punished them further with goals by Sandro Wagner in the 79th and 84th minutes. He could have had a hat trick, but blew a sitter in the 77th minute after being set up by Ozil, who was a thorn in England’s side all night long.

The game was definitely decided by this point and it was just a matter of how many goals Germany might bang in. But, the scoring was over and Germany added the U21 title to go along with the U19 and U17 championships which they currently hold as well.

While Pearce will be seen as some type of hero in many experts’ eyes, let’s look at the facts here. He didn’t bring along enough attacking strength and paid the ultimate price for it after his strikers were suspended. And his team didn’t respond well in the big games. After taking a 3-0 lead against Sweden in the semi final, England then surrendered seven straight goals. So they didn’t look too good in the defensive end of the pitch either. I’m no expert, but that’s no way to win a championship.

While football’s a physical game that’s played on the pitch, it’s also a thinking person’s game that can often be won and lost on the drawing board. This is because like a chess match, the sport is open to many different tactics, and one of the most important strategies in soccer is to know which formation to use for each game. In fact, some observers feel there is too much thinking and planning going on and not enough action on the field.

Formations are described as the number of players in each area from the defensive line outwards. For example 2-3-5 means two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards. While the numbers describe the formation, it’s the attitude and style of play that dictates the game. For instance, a 3-5-2 formation can be used as a defensive or an offensive formation, depending on the system of play a team uses.

Up until the 1950s it was common for teams to use the 2-3-5 formation, which meant there were two full backs, three midfielders, two wingers, two inside forwards and a center forward. This is a very offense-oriented formation which is almost never used in modern football. Some people say the game started going downhill once this formation was abandoned in favor of more defensive systems, and it’s hard to argue with them.

The most common formation in today’s game is the 4-4-2, which is four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. However, as the sport has grown older, many managers have experimented with different variations of team formations, such as 4-4-1-1, and 4-5-1.

Player formations can be a very controversial topic with supporters, and a manager is often open for criticism if the formation used is unsuccessful. Most fans are very opinionated on this issue and it seems they will be for years to come. This could be because many teams are only using one or two forwards and this is often viewed as a negative tactic by many fans and coaches.

A team’s formation is often changed as the game goes on, depending on how it is working out and the score of the game. Adaptability is the key to success. If a team is trying to hold on to a lead it will often put on an extra defender and if they’re trailing you’ll usually see another attacker brought on the pitch. However, this usually leads to the question of why wasn’t the attacker on in the first place?

You’ll often see teams change their style of play when they’re facing different opponents. But this isn’t always the best thing to do. You should know what your team’s strengths are and play to them. If you’re changing your style to match the other team’s way of playing, then you’re at a disadvantage as they are presumably better at it than you are. There are too many coaches who are worried about the other team, when they should actually be letting the other team worry about them.

You should choose your formation based on your team’s strengths, while trying to exploit the other teams’ weaknesses.

Is Glen Johnson going to be the missing piece in the jigsaw to help Liverpool win the Championship or Champions League next season? Probably not but the 17.5 million pound acquisition of the England full-back from Portsmouth is certainly going to give the Reds more depth and strength. Rafa Benitez has already made it clear that we can expect one or two more important signings and though he insists Alvaro Arbeloa is still wanted at Liverpool, a bid from Real Madrid would put some extra cash into the coffers. Expect that to be on the table any day soon.

Johnson, still only 24, has made great strides over the last year or two, winning a regular place in the England team and looking a great prospect for the future. Although he was important at Chelsea, he was given limited chances but proved his worth following his move to Portsmouth in 2007.

Pompey paid four million pounds for Johnson and his outstanding season at Fratton Park pushed his price tag up more than four-fold. However, Benitez said it was well worth spending out a bit more than anticipated to bring in a player he regards as very good and still improving. Benitez told the Liverpool FC website that his first priority was to improve the team and bring in players of quality. However, it was also important for the Champions League onslaught that Johnson is English.

Benitez said his pre-signing conversations with the right-back were very impressive. He liked his mentality and described him as a winner who wants to continue to get better. Manchester City and Chelsea obviously felt the same as both had been challenging for Johnson.

On this occasion, there was no dragging of feet by Liverpool who proved just how much they wanted him by acting swiftly and without delay. The 17.5 million price tag is likely to prove quite a bargain, given today’s crazy market and should Johnson ever decide to leave Liverpool in due course, the board should get a good return for their money. However, Johnson’s deal is for four years and given no injuries and continued form, he’s almost certain to become a regular in the squad.

Arbeloa, meantime, has just one year left on his contract and must be feeling pushed out, despite Benitez’s assurances. He joined Liverpool in January 2007 for 2.6 million from Deportivo La Coruna and that price tag is going to be considerably multiplied. Fans are saying the Reds still need another big name to finalise their squad in order to take the title away from Manchester United or to lift the European Cup. What a shame David Villa has opted to stay at Valencia. Or has he?

How has it come to this for Michael Owen? Having relegation candidates Hull and Stoke as the only real contenders for his signature was not what the former England striker had in mind at the end of his contract when he penned a four year deal at Newcastle in 2005.

No disrespect to the two clubs, but they’re hardly accustomed to the type of glamour associated with Owen’s former clubs Liverpool and Real Madrid. To see one of the best strikers of his generation suffer such premature demise really is quite sad and one would hope I’m not alone in hoping he can recapture the sort of form which earned him the Ballon d’Or award in 2001.

The 29-year-old becomes a free agent this week as his four year contract at St. James’ Park comes to an end, and the 89-time capped Englishman has even had to advertise his services with an embarrassing brochure detailing his qualities which was distributed to clubs by his representatives.

Yet despite his impressive CV and scoring ratio, Owen has only accumulated interest from teams at the lower end of the Premier League table. Surely his career record of 204 goals in just over 400 appearances merits higher interest? He nears the one in two ratio that every striker covets despite his long history of injuries, and not many strikers in Europe can offer that over a 418 game span.

In the current economic climate, it’s a wonder Owen doesn’t have a host of clubs lining up for his signature as the experienced striker is a potential bargain for any club.

He has stated his desire to stay in the Premier League but as of yet the only offers on the table won’t appeal greatly to him. Perhaps Owen is reluctant to try his luck abroad again, and who could blame him as his career has spiralled towards its present state ever since he decided to leave his boyhood club for the Bernabeu.






At the time, the change wasn’t necessary for Owen and he missed out on a Champions League medal after Rafael Benitez landed the prestigious trophy in his first season at Anfield. But now a change really is necessary and perhaps a move abroad might be more fitting for Owens career than it was in 2004.

The player has hinted that interest has been declared from several unnamed European clubs, and although he has expressed his desire to remain in England, the right club for him could lie elsewhere.

If he were to move to Roma for example, one of those clubs rumoured to be interested, Owen could realistically rejuvenate his England career under Italian Fabio Capello. Breaking the 90 cap barrier is surely one of the last targets in Owen’s career and a move to Capello’s homeland could turn the England boss’ head.






Lets be honest, he’s more likely to spend his time in the Italian capital than at the Britannia Stadium next year. Seria A is not the league it once was. Like Owen, it has struggled to live up to its name these past few years as aside from Milan, no other club has offered any real threat in the Champions League in recent years.

The standard has slipped no doubt, but Owen could use that to his advantage. Italians pride their football on solid defending therefore a striker can be considered a revelation by breaking the 15-goal mark and I for one think Owen is more than capable of achieving that.

Making a mark in Capello’s homeland is much more likely to impress the Italian rather than a handful of important goals in a relegation scrap, which is what Owen IS likely to face should he stay in England.

Or the former Real Madrid man might fancy setting the record straight by returning to Spain. Owen was deemed a failure in La Liga upon his return to England, despite netting 16 league goals when largely used as a substitute.

He even amassed the best goals-per-minute ratio in the league in his sole season in Spain’s capital, which is enough alone to suggest he was not a flop there. However the doubters still accuse, but perhaps a return to La Liga would offer him the chance to prove such people wrong.

A switch to the likes of Villareal or Sevilla could be perfect for him. And if Diego Forlan can net so many goals in that division I’m sure Owen can do the same!






A further reason why a move abroad is Owen’s best option is the reduced amount of media coverage he would receive. The English press love to ridicule, and no one has been ridiculed more in recent years than the “finished” Michael Owen.

A move to a hot country would allow Owen to relax and find his form without the press on his back every second, and that could be crucial if he is to re-emerge as a candidate for seat on the England plane heading to South Africa next summer.

It worked for Kevin Keegan when he moved to Hamburg in 1977. True, Germany is not a hot country but it did allow Keegan to unwind and regain his status as one of the best strikers in Europe after winning the European Player of the Year in his second season there.

The former Liverpool striker had achieved “pop-star” status in England for his rock star barnet and his womanising skills. But after winning the European Cup with Liverpool in his last season there, Keegan upped sticks and left for Germany to escape the limelight.

Owen shares certain characters with his former manager in terms of their style of play, and I feel he could learn from Keegan’s moves as a player. One thing is for sure, Fabio Capello will rarely keep tabs on goings-on at the Britannia or KC Stadium next year, so do the sensible thing Michael, and take your chances overseas.

It’s fitting that Andriy Shevchenko used to be a boxer as a kid. The forgotten 32-year-old Chelsea forward is at the moment like a struggling fighter, lying on the canvas after a 10th round knock-down. He looks beaten, tired and fed up with what he’s putting himself through, but he knows he has to get up. He knows he can’t give in and succumb to throwing in the towel with his career on the line.

It was boxing which first captured the imagination of sports-mad Shevchenko as a kid, and he even competed at LLWI Ukrainian junior league level before discovering his gift for football. But after being coached at both sports as a youngster, the former Dinamo Kiev striker needs to take a boxer’s mentality into his current profession, and he needs it now more than ever.

Carlo Ancelotti took over the reigns at Chelsea at the beginning of this month, and for Shevchenko it must have felt like the bell sounding a second after he’d found his feet on time following that 10th round flooring.

After all, Ancelotti is the coach who guided him to great things at Milan. To winning the Champions League in 2003 and following it up with the Seria A title the next year, polished off with the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.

Under the Italian boss Shevchenko became the most feared striker in the planet and when Roman Abramovich sweet talked his fellow Eastern European into joining his billionaire’s playground at Chelsea in 2006, defences up and down the country feared for their dignity.

When the Russian finally landed the Ukrainian for £30.8m they were getting an AC Milan legend. The Rossineri’s second all-time goalscorer, who at the time was the 3rd highest scorer in the history of European club football. A genuine modern legend, who simply couldn’t fail to live up to his billing upon his switch to London.

Except he could…and he did. It wasn’t entirely the player’s fault however as he was brought to the club in circumstances the English game is not yet equipped to deal with. Jose Mourinho was the Chelsea boss but Shevchenko certainly wasn’t his signing, and the Portuguese master showed both the Ukrainian and Abramovich exactly why they called him the ‘boss’.

Mourinho was reluctant to use the Ukrainian as a mainstay in his starting line up, instead preferring Didier Drogba, the signing he himself had arranged. ‘The Special One’ proved exactly why the formula of chairmen and owners buying players simply doesn’t work in English football. Rafael Benitez reiterated this with his similar shabby treatment of Robbie Keane, a £20m flop signed by then Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry.





It’s the players who suffer ultimately, and boy has Shevchenko suffered. Keane, incidentally, has since returned successfully to Tottenham where Liverpool bought him from in a move which mirrored that of Shevchenko’s loan return to his ‘home’ at AC Milan last year.

Mirrored except for one thing – success. While normal service was resumed for Keane at White Hart Lane, it has been a different story for the Ukrainian’s return to the San Siro. The striker did not find the net once in his 17 league outings last term for Milan and was largely subject to embarrassing cameo appearances to please the crowd towards the end of the campaign.

Just two goals in all competitions after 26 games has damaged his previously incredible record for the Italian giants. But his performances were so poor and his confidence so low that not even his beloved Milan fans would take him back again.

And so the fallen star returns to Stamford Bridge with hopes of making an impact in the final year of his contract, and with his former Milan boss now in charge his hopes actually seem very real. He had the opportunity to join Monaco and bask in a luxury villa reflecting on what has been an amazing career. But upon hearing of Ancelotti’s arrival in London, the man who once coached him to be the best striker in the world, he fancies another crack at the Premier League.

At 32, Shevchenko is sitting in the corner ready to come out for the 11th round of his career. The next round is crucial if he is to prolong his career the full distance. He knows he hasn’t got long, he knows he’s already been knocked down, but he also knows it’s not over. The Ukrainian is now reunited with his father-figure coach, determined not to go out of his Chelsea career without a fight.

It’ll take all the patience, discipline and skill of a boxer to turn this one around, but for Shevchenko, next season is there for the taking. So don’t rule him out just yet, because this one could yet go to the scorecards.

The USA were well on the road to their first ever men’s FIFA tournament win today (June 28th) after they took a 2-0 lead over Brazil in the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa. However, they made the fatal mistake that most teams do once they get a lead, they simply stopped playing and let the game slip through their fingers as Brazil came back and punished them for it wad walked off the pitch with a 3-2 win after 90 minutes.

Clint Dempsey got the Americans of to a great start as he scored in the 10th minute on their first attack of the game as he bounced a shot past Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar.

Robinho came down left wing in the 13th minute and unleashed low right-footed shot that toward the far low corner, but keeper Tim Howard dove and turned it away with a fine save. Howard also made excellent stops in the 25th and 27th minutes and then Landon Donovan scored his 41st goal for the USA on a lightning-quick counter attack. Donovan slotted home a left footer into the low corner to the left of Cesar after a pass from Charlie Davies and the USA found themselves up 2-0 after just 27 minutes.

Howard made a fine save in the 35th minute and then Luis Fabiano headed over the bar just a few seconds later on the ensuing corner kick. Fabiano then missed a chance to get Brazil on the scoreboard before the half ended as he missed a low cross in injury time.

However Fabiano made amends for it in the first minute of the second half as he drove home a low left footer from edge of the box to make it 2-1. It was obviously the worst thing that could have happened for the Americans and it was a sign of things to come.

Howard made another fine save from a corner in the in 58th min and just a few moments later, Kaka, with a downward header, looked like he had tied the game up, but the ball was pushed out by Howard and off of the crossbar. Television replays couldn’t show if the whole ball definitely crossed the line because of their angles, but it looked like it may have gone in.

Dempsey had a chance to make it 3-1, but his left footer was saved by Cesar in 66th minute. In the 67th, Brazilian manager Dunga made a double substitution as he brought on Elano, and Daniel Alves came on for Andre Santos and Ramires.

That seemed to spark the team and Fabiano beat the offside trap in 70th minute and broke in on Howard, but the keeper came off his line well and made the save.

Brazil finally tied it at 2-2 when Kaka’s close-range shot hit the crossbar and bounced out right to Fabiano, who headed the rebound into the net for his tournament-leading fifth goal in the 74th minute. The inevitable happened just 10 minutes later as Brazilian captain Lucio headed in a corner kick from Elano in the 84th minute for the 3-2 winner and Brazil’s third Confederations Cup title.

The Americans only have themselves to blame as they didn’t continue playing the style that had put them in front 2-0. They failed to attack with any consistency at all in the final 45 minutes and paid the price for it.

In the third-place game, Spain beat hosts South Africa 3-2 in extra time.

The fact England beat Sweden on penalties after a 120-minute, 3-3 draw didn’t really come as much of a surprise as many experts thought it would go down to the wire, (including England manager Stuart Pearce), but the way the game played out took quite a few people off guard.

In what looked like to be a walkover for England, after taking a 3-0 lead into the dressing room at half time, suddenly became a game of life and death for them as they blew the lead and looked certain to go tumbling out of the European U21 Championship semi final in a most humiliating way.

Martin Cranie silenced the Swedish crowd after just 53 seconds with a goal off a corner from James Milner. Then Nedum Onuoha doubled the lead in the 27th minute on another Milner corner. Sweden has been brutal all throughout the tournament on set pieces and in the 38th minute they failed to clear another corner and Mattias Bjarsmyr eventually ended up putting it in his own net for what looked like to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

The second half started with England looking adventurous. Theo Walcott made a brilliant run in the 51st minute which showed why he’s so important to England’s future. Pearce had no choice but to play the speedy youngster today as it would have shattered Walcott’s confidence. Here’s a kid who is good enough to score a hat trick in a World Cup Qualifier away in Croatia for the senior team, but isn’t always getting into the U21 squad. He has to play for the U21s or he’ll obviously begin to have doubts about his ability. There’s no way England can afford to screw with this guy’s mind. When he’s healthy and available, he has to play. It’s as simple as that.

Sweden cut the lead to 3-1 in the 68th minute when Marcus Berg was left unmarked in the box and he right-footed a shot home. It was his sixth goal of the tournament. This brought the crowd back to life

The stadium got a lot louder just seven minutes later as England gave up a ridiculous free kick just outside of the box and Ola Toivonen slammed it home.

Berg then raised the roof off of the stadium with his seventh goal of the event as he leveled the score at 3-3 in the 81st minute. England had completely lost the plot and Pearce’s substitutions need to be questioned as he couldn’t leave things alone when they were going well for the team. As they say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Sub Fraizer Campbell, who came on for Gabriel Agbonalahor in the 59th minute, darkened the skies more for England as he was sent off in the 84th for his second yellow card in 25 minutes.

It was one-way traffic from then on as Sweden opened the floodgates, but couldn’t find the winner, even though Berg came close to scoring his third of the game in extra time, but his header ricocheted off of the crossbar.

England managed to hang on until the final whistle and Pearce’s prediction of a penalty shootout came true. I’m not sure if he was dreading it though, as he’s been on the losing end of them twice as a player and once with the U21s in that marathon 32 penalty shootout to Holland in the semi finals two years ago, or if he was actually looking forward to it, to finally get the monkey off his back.

Either way, Milner stepped up to take the first kick and promptly ended up on his ass while taking one of the worst spot kicks in the history of football. But English keeper Joe Hart saved Sweden’s first penalty to even things up. Hart then took the next penalty and got England on the board. Things were level at 4-4 after five penalties each. Kieran Gibbs, put the visitors ahead 5-4 and then Guillermo hit the post on Sweden’s sixth shot and that what all she wrote. England had won a rare penalty shootout and will now face Germany, who beat Italy 1-0 in the other semi final, in the championship game on Monday June 29th.

Things won’t bee easy though as Hart, Agbonalahor, and Campbell will all miss the match because of suspension.

Aston Villa striker John Carew has backed striker partner Gabriel gbonlahor to come back even stronger next season.

The Brummie forward began last season in electric form, netting a hattrick on the opening day of the season against Manchester City at Villa Park.
The England Under-21 international, who is currently on duty with Stuart Pearce’s side, continued his good form throughout the first half of the season as he set the pace at the top of the goalscoring charts.

However, a loss of form which seen him net just two goals in the latter stages of the season showed signs of the 22-year-old’s room for education, and mentor Carew believes he can learn from the experience.

“Gabby was fantastic last year,” Carew told the Birmingham Mail.
“He was one of the top scorers in the league. During the season a player of his age will have ups and downs.

“He will be a fantastic player and I think he had a good season again. He’s been doing it since I got here and I think next year he will be even better.
Despite the indifferent form in the latter stages Agbonlahor still earned a nomination for the PFA Young Player of The Year, which was won by teammate Ashley Young, and 29-year-old Carew thinks there’s more to come.

“He will continue to score goals. You can score a lot of goals in a short period and then it can suddenly stop for a few games,” he added.
“That’s part of it. You just have to keep your confidence up. You have to do the same because if it’s worked before it will work again.”

Meanwhile Villa have announced a pre-season friendly date with Italian giants Fiorentina which will take place at Villa Park on August 8th.
Fiorentina boast Champions League qualification and represent a stern challenge for Martin O’Neill’s side, but the boss is looking forward to the task.

“To follow up our Peace Cup participation with a home game against real quality European opposition in Fiorentina is fantastic and ideal preparation for the start of the season,” he said.

The friendly date will bring back memories of Villa’s pre-season 3-0 thumping of fellow-Italians Inter Milan two seasons ago and O’Neill is hoping for a repeat performance.

“If it’s half as good as the match against Inter Milan here two seasons ago, it will be terrific.” One player who could join up with the senior squad for pre-season is Arsenal Under-16s captain Samir Carruthers. The teenager is expected to put pen to paper at Villa Park having recently turned down an offer to remain at the Emirates.

Villa’s academy director Bryon Jones has revealed a deal is in place to bring the promising youngster to their setup. “He was offered a contract by Arsenal and turned it down. We were given permission by Arsenal to speak to him. “We have agreed in principle a contract and hopefully he is going to sign for us on July 1st.”

Bayern Munich have once again insisted that in-demand midfielder Franck Ribery is not for sale at any price.

The Frenchman is one of Europe’s top stars and is reportedly being tracked by top rate clubs Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the latter said to be his preferred destination. Inconsistent reports coming from Germany have led to the biggest transfer saga of the summer, with Real Madrid ready to make yet another substantial offer for one of the world’s best players.

Bayern legend and current club chairman Karl-Heinze Rummenigge has however reiterated that the Bundesliga giants are unwilling to part ways with the 26-year-old. “Franck Ribery is irreplaceable,” he told L’Equipe. “Real Madrid know our position: he is not for sale. “That Franck wants to go to Real is not a surprise. It’s a fascinating club and attractive on a financial level. But Bayern are not a bad club either.

“At our club the doors are solid and very resistant and we’re not going to push up the bidding. The France international joined Bayern from Marseille for €25m in 2007 and has been a revelation in an otherwise disappointing two seasons for the German club, and Rummenigge knows Ribery is key if they are to return to the top of Europe again.

“Ribery figures among the best players of the world. And when you have a player of this quality among the squad you don’t separate. “We want to build around this player who (Bayern coach) Louis van Gaal absolutely wants under his command.”

Meanwhile, striker Luca Toni has revealed he is open to a return to Italy with Inter and AC Milan monitoring his situation. The former Fiorentina poacher has spent two successful seasons in Germany but after netting almost 60 goals in that time the 32-year-old’s future is uncertain.

The arrival of €30m striker Mario Gomez from VfB Stuttgart plus reported interest in Lazio forward Goran Pandev has left the Italian international pondering his future, and he admits Seria A is a likely destination.“I’d like to come back,” he said. “I know there is the crisis that clubs can’t invest so much, but someone looked at me.” “Inter and Milan? There have been talks, but to arrive to a transfer these are not enough.

“I’m not a slave of my salary. Should I not find space at Bayern, I won’t have problems in coming back to Italy also reducing it (his salary). “And it doesn’t seem to me that my season with 18 goals in 35 matches has been so negative.”

Toni was part of Italy’s World Cup winning side of 2006 and remains a part of Marcello Lippi’s set up as they prepare for the defence of their trophy next year, and the 6 ft 5 striker knows he has an important season ahead of him.

“I want to play in the year that will end with the World Cup. I haven’t done a good Confederations Cup, but it hasn’t been nothing better or nothing worse than the others,” he added.