West Ham United will have to wait until next week to discover whether their work permit application for Pachuca striker Enner Valencia has been successful. The Hammers had hoped to complete the £12million deal this week, ahead of two pre-season friendlies in New Zealand. However, the London club does not expect a definitive answer from the Home Office before the weekend and will not receive the news until Monday at the earliest. Co-chairman David Gold told his followers on social media site Twitter: “Hopefully it will be issued early next week.” West Ham’s desperation to see the transfer go through…
Author: Staff Writer
Chelsea are reportedly weighing up a big-money bid for Roma defender Mehdi Benatia just days after Blues boss Jose Mourinho ruled out further signings. The Portugese declared that all his incoming business was done following the acquisition of striker Diego Costa and full-back Filipe Luis from Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona midfield man Cesc Fabregas. However, Italian source Il Tempo claims the west London outfit have been alerted to the fact that Benatia’s £32million switch to Manchester City is virtually dead in the water, while fellow suitors Liverpool have so far been put off by the asking price. Premier League champions…
The son of West Ham United co-chairman David Sullivan could find himself in hot water after appearing to ridicule club record signing Andy Carroll. Jack Sullivan endorsed a parody account on social media site Twitter which pretends to represent the views of Hammers forward Carlton Cole. Making light of the fact that England international Carroll has suffered an injury setback in pre-season training, Sullivan retweeted a message from @_CarltonCole9 which read: “Only three things are certain in life. Death, taxes and Andy Carroll injuring himself.” The former Newcastle United talisman will have to sit out West Ham’s pre-season friendlies against…
Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet is still confident of landing Liverpool striker Fabio Borini despite seeing the Italian jet out with the rest of the Reds squad to the USA for a pre-season tour. The Black Cats hope to secure his services in a £14million raid and are waiting for answers from both the Merseyside giants and the player. Poyet told Sky Sports News: “I am calm about Fabio because I know the whole situation. “There are things that you can know and there are things we cannot say but right now we just need to wait. “There is a…
Manchester United are prepared to offer more money than bitter rivals Liverpool for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, according to fresh reports in the Italian media. TuttoSport claims the Red Devils are hopeful of landing the Chile international for £39.7million, while the Merseyside outfit will offer no more than £29m. Liverpool’s stance puts United firmly in the driving seat to secure Vidal’s services if the Turin heavyweights decide to cash in. TuttoSport believes Juve are still reluctant to part company with the 27-year-old but the final decision will ultimately rest with the player himself, as the Serie A champions are reluctant…
North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are hot on the case to sign Shakhtar Donetsk forward Douglas Costa amidst reports the player has fled the Ukraine during the current political conflicts with neighbouring Russia. Costa is believed to have turned on his heels in a bid to seek safe refuge from the warzone that has edged frightfully close to his club, training ground and family home in the Ukraine. The Brazilian striker, who has played for Shakhtar for four-and-a-half years, is currently in Switzerland with five of his team-mates and took to social media to inform his Shakhtar followers that…
French Ligue 1 heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain will be made to pay a penalty for the incomprehensible behaviour of a small minority of their supporters during last season’s Champions League run. A decision has been made by UEFA regarding punishment over the disgusting acts of violence aimed towards disabled Chelsea fans during the first leg of the quarter final clash between the two sides in April. Travelling Blues supporters in the disabled section had suffered abuse in the form of coins, bottles and chewing gum thrown at them, and many of the victims also claim they had been spat at and…
The West Ham board propose to change their traditional club crest of crossed hammers and castle and include the world ‘London’ in the name, to give the West Ham brand a more global appeal. The club’s vision is to build a stronger presence and raise their status as a top London side so people will speak about West Ham in the same breath as Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Chairman David Sullivan believes that the rebrand project will massively benefit the club commercially but has pledged to initiate the process only on the say so of the fans. Despite the board’s…
Football Express News understands that Manchester City are leading the race to sign Isco after James Rodriguez signed for Real Madrid. The talented Spaniard joined Real Madrid last summer from Malaga in a £28m move and made 53 appearances for Los Blancos last season, scoring 11 and assisting eight times. But, his time at the club is about to change with the addition of James Rodriguez from Monaco on Tuesday, leaving the youngster doubting his playing time next season. Isco, along with Angel Di Maria and Sami Khedira are now expected to leave the club and it is understood that…
Barcelona misfit Bojan has reached a decision on where to spend his immediate future and he is opting for Premier League side Stoke City, according to reports that have emerged in Spain. Following weeks of discussions between the two clubs, the 23-year-old is believed to have finally been swayed by Stoke boss Mark Hughes who reportedly made a direct approach earlier this month to discuss his wishes for the player to join him at the Potters. The pair were said to have met in the UK less than a fortnight ago and a one-season loan proposal was laid on the…