Newcastle United have been alerted to the availability of Barcelona play-maker Ibrahim Afellay, the 26 year-old Dutch International who is of Moroccan descent. Ibrahim Afellay - available for £6M from Barcelona And it seems as if Barcelona are not asking the earth for this player, with £6M said to be the asking price.

Louis van Gaal could soon be plying his trade in the Premier League with Liverpool, but it is unclear whether this will be in a managerial role.
The Sun has reported that the Dutchman expects Liverpool to make him an offer in the coming days but it is unclear whether this will be in the role of sporting director or manager.

It seems the prices being asked for two of Newcastle's summer targets will see the Magpies pass, and look for better bargains elsewhere. Montpellier's Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa - too expensive? Ajax center-back and captain Jan Vertonghen has already come out and said he wants to join Tottenham, with his next choice being Arsenal so it's clear he doesn't [.

El holandés Rafael van der Vaart nunca se ha llevado bien con el sueco Zlatan Ibrahimovic ni siquiera cuando fueron compañeros de equipo en el Ajax de Holanda. La relación alcanzo su peor punto cuando el sueco lesiono a Rafael van der Vaart en un partido amistoso en el 2004 entre Suecia y Holanda.

Liverpool have made the first steps towards appointing Louis van Gaal as sporting director after meeting with him in Portugal last week.
There are, though, complications as to whether the Dutchman's methods match the way the Fenway Sports Group are seeking to restructure the club.
Van Gaal has been spending the summer at his house near Albufeira in the Algarve and it is understood that Ian Ayre, Liverpool's managing director, flew out to meet him last week.

Ajax center-back Jan Vertonghen wants Tottenham to complete his move to the north London club quickly. Jan Vertonghen wants Tottenham move finalized The Belgium international is close to a move, after Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy has been negotiating with his club Ajax in Amsterdam last week. But Jan is not happy that things are taking so long, and it [.

Sagna Confident RVP Will Stay, Wants M'Vila Signed Too

Bacary Sagna is confident that Arsenal will be successful in their attempts to secure captain Robin van Persie's long-term future and has urged the club to also sign Rennes' defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila in the summer transfer window.

So with the Euro 2012 championship just 13 agonising days away, here at footyblog we've taken the opportunity to look ahead to the competition and see which players we should be keeping an eye out for the likes of Eriksen, Muller and Perisic with the chance of becoming household names by the end of the competition.

A ‘Group of Death' is ascribed to every major football championships, and Euro 2012 is no different, with Group B hosting prospective champions, the Netherlands and Germany, and perennial under-achievers, Portugal, leaving poor Denmark to sweep up last place.

Denmark will be seen as the whipping boys for nations looking further than simple group qualification.

Depending on which report you read this morning, Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen is either set to sign for Spurs or he is poised to move up the Seven Sister Road and join someone else.

The Guardian's story is typical of the reports claiming that the Belgian is on his way to White Hart Lane with a £9m fee agreed between Daniel Levy and Ajax financial director Jerome Slop.

By Alan Duffy

They say you can prove anything with statistics and the latest statistical boffinry to throw us a cureveball comes courtesy of statty men and women Infostrada, who have thrown lots of games and facts and figures into a big magical computing machine, with some interesting results coming out the other end.

The Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen is getting frustrated that Tottenham have failed to agree a price with his club so that he can move to White Hart Lane, but he has also admitted that Arsene Wenger wants him at Arsenal but he won't move to the Emirates until Tottenham give up on negotiations with Ajax.

The Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen is getting frustrated that Tottenham have failed to agree a price with his club so that he can move to White Hart Lane, but he has also admitted that Arsene Wenger wants him at Arsenal but he won't move to the Emirates until Tottenham give up on negotiations with Ajax.

With Martin Kelly set to make his senior England debut and everyone remembering the club has more than just a new managerial hire to worry about, it's been a surprisingly busy day of Liverpool news after most of the week has seen a single-minded focus on questions over who would replace Kenny Dalglish and whether the fans could trust Fenway Sports Group's judgement in the matter.

It seems that Tottenham Hotspur have made the first move for Ajax captain and Belgium International center-back Jan Vertonghen. Jan Vertonghen in talks with Tottenham The news is that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has been spotted at the Amsterdam ArenA, and is trying to close the deal for the 6'3″ Ajax center-back.

Louis van Gaal is in line for a senior managerial role at Liverpool. The Dutchman was linked with a move to Anfield in the wake of Damien Comolli's dismissal as director of football in April. However, while it has since been decided to change the management structure at Liverpool, Van Gaal has remained under consideration for a revised role and is the leading contender to become the club's first sporting director.

From the outside, at least, Liverpool Football Club is in a holding pattern, a theoretical construct that may or may not field a "squad" to compete in various English and European footballing "competitions" in the coming season and that at present exists primarily as a vehicle for endless whisper, rumour, and speculation.

Both Didier Deschamps and Frank de Boer has ruled themselves out of Liverpool job by insisting they expects to be at their respective club next season.

Deschamps was considered by Liverpool as a replacement for Rafa Benitez two years ago. However after the sacking of Kenny Dalglish, Deschamps was again rumored as a potential candidate for the Liverpool hot seat.

Ajax boss Frank de Boer has ruled himself out of the running to take over as Liverpool manager, insisting he wants to stay in Amsterdam.
De Boer has been linked with the vacant Anfield job following Kenny Dalglish's sacking last week after a disappointing season culminated in the Reds' worst league finish for 18 years.

Didier Deschamps has distanced himself from speculation regarding the Liverpool manager's job by revealing he still expects to be at Marseille next season.
The 43-year-old former Juventus and Chelsea midfielder was reportedly on Liverpool's shortlist when Rafa Benitez left the club two years ago only for the job to go to Roy Hodgson.

Luis Suarez has reaffirmed his commitment to Liverpool and rejected suggestions he has spoken to either Barcelona or Real Madrid regarding a summer transfer.
The 25-year-old was the club's top scorer last term, but the Reds' failure to qualify for Champions League football for a third season in succession has seen Suarez linked with a move away from Anfield.

Europa está apostando más que nunca al futbol femenino y el club holandés Ajax no puede quedarse atrás. Hace unas horas emitió un comunicado oficial en donde informa que formará su filial femenil para que compita en la Liga BeNe para la temporada 2012-2013.

La liga BeNe es un ambicioso proyecto que contempla unir a equipos de Bélgica y Holanda en una sola liga.

By Alan Duffy

Introduced to the world by the Ajax duo of Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen in 1982 and then totally messed up by Arsenal's Thierry Henry and Robert Pires in 2005 (see above), the famous two-man penalty kick trick has once again reared its cheeky head, this time in the less glamorous environs of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Second Division.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez admits he is dreaming of a switch to Spain.
The 25-year-old, who joined the Reds in a £23million deal from Dutch side Ajax in January 2011, says he would like to test himself in La Liga at some point of his career.
Uruguay international Suarez believes it is one of the top three domestic leagues, alongside the Premier League and Serie A, in world football.

Robben's a Man on a Mission (Simon Kuper, Mio Stadium)

Robben isn't really a "Dutch" footballer. He was born in Bedum in the windswept north of the Netherlands, 60 kilometres from the German border. No great Dutch footballer had come from the north since the Koeman brothers 25 years early, and none has ever come from Bedum.

Many areas of the media suggested that Ajax captain and Belgian international Jan Vertonghen was at White Hart Lane on Sunday and it was therefore assumed that the defender would soon become Tottenham's first signing of the summer.

Stories in the Daily Mail however claim that while that should have been the case, the two clubs involved are deadlocked over the player's fee.

Vitesse is on its way back to the Dutch (sub)top, under the management and guidance of John van den Brom. And 22 year old Alexander Buttner, a product of the Ajax youth development, is one of the key players in that new team. He had his wanderings in the team, [read more]

The Ideal Arsenal Staring XI for 2012/13, featuring Vertonghen, M'Vila, Podolski and RVP - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Arsenal have been through something of a rollercoaster season, starting very slowly before a revival has the north London side 90 minutes away from a respectable third place.

News in the Daily Mail today that Newcastle are lining up a move for the exciting young Ajax left back Nicolai Boilesen. Nicolai Boilesen Danish International left back This lad stands 6'1″ tall and has played for all the Danish youth sides, from U16 through U21, and has two full caps too, getting his first cap [.

By Mohamed Moallim

Jim Collins, in "Good to Great", wrote the secret of long-term corporate success lies in cultivating a distinctive set of values. For all the talk of diversity and globalisation, this usually means promoting from within and putting down deep local roots.

Arsene Wenger was hoping to add Jan Vertonghen to his early acquisition of Lukas Podolski but reports today strongly suggest that the 25-year old Belgian international is heading to Arsenal's North London rivals, Spurs. Vertonghen can play as a holding midfielder as well as his more normal position as a defender.

The man at the centre of much of our transfer talk at the moment is Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen and much of the media is suggesting that White Hart Lane is his preferred destination.

Firstly, the 25 year old hinted that an offer from Spurs was already in,

"I owe much to Ajax, I have always given my whole heart and soul for them.

AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played down talk that he will be making a sensational return to La Liga by joining newly crowned Spanish champions Real Madrid this summer.

Ibrahimovic, who recently voiced his intention to stay on at Milan until the end of his career, has cut a frustrating figure at the San Siro of late.

Tottenham's Summer 2012 Transfer Targets - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

There's no hiding the fact that the wheels have come off Tottenham Hotspur's season, but what did fans expect at the start of the campaign?

Whilst I believe that Champions League qualification was always the minimum standard required, many fans are already looking ahead to the summer transfer window and who they want to see at White Hart Lane in 2013.

The Top 20 Derbies In Europe By Attendance - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Watched by a global TV audience of around 650 million, it's been described as 'the mother of all derbies' and the second most important game in the world (after El Clasico) but is the Manchester derby the biggest derby in Europe?

We all know that Alan Pardew was at FC Twente last weekend to check out some Newcastle transfer targets in the game with Ajax. Roberto Rosales - FC Twente right back interesting Newcastle? Most reports suggest he was looking at Jan Vertonghen, who is also an Arsenal and Tottenham target, and we don't think he will be coming to Newcastle in the summer.

On this week's review section we salute the champions of Spain and Holland, wonder what happened to Manchester United and are shocked to see a manager attack a player in Italy.

Last month, Johan Cruyff turned 65. As the famous saying goes: "you don't stop playing because you get old... You get old because you stop playing..." Well, "Jopie" is still playing. At Ajax, Barca and at Chivas. He's working with his Foundation, in his University and in the meantime shows [read more]

By Chris Wright

You may remember that around this time a year ago, Ajax 'keeper Maaaaaarten Sticklebricksekelenberg put a few extra nicks in the Eredivisie trophy (or the 'Johan Cruyff Shield' to give it its proper name) when he threw it under a bus during the club's victory parade around Amsterdam.

Among several noteworthy events in the soccer world today (including Ajax clinching the title repeat), Lionel Messi bagged a hat trick to beat both Málaga and Gerd Müller's 39-year-old record for goals in a single European club campaign.In case you're not keeping score at home, Messi's new standard of 68 goals was achieved with a La Liga-record of 46, 14 in the Champions League, three from the