Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has stepped up the chase for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.
Martinez, 21, has been on Liverpool's radar for the past two seasons but Benitez is putting together his hit-list for next season.
Liverpool sent a scout to watch Martinez at Atletico Madrid last Thursday and Bilbao are well aware of Benitez's interest.

Roman Pavlyuchenko is enduring a torrid time at White Hart Lane. The Spurs frontman can't get into the team and boss Harry Redknapp seems hesitant to sell him until the summer despite interest from Russia. It seems certain he will go down as a ‘flop' in England, but he is by no means the worst of the bunch.

Wrap
Third Round Draw:
Hamburg v Anderlecht FK Rubin Kazan v Vfl Wolfsburg Atletico Madrid v Sporting Lisbon Benfica v Marseille Panathinaikos v Standard Liege Lillie v Liverpool Juventus v Fulham Valencia v Werder Bremen

By FRANCO PANIZO

It's no secret that Chelsea is intrigued by Sergio Aguero, but that partnership looks closer to becoming a reality after the Argentine striker revealed he is excited at the possibility of playing for the Blues.

Following the World Cup, OTP takes a look at the possible talent that could be moving to the Premier League this summer after impressing on the world's biggest stage. 1. Diego Forlan Impressive throughout the tournament, the ex-Manchester United flop has lived up to his potential with Atletico Madrid in Spain.

The MLS Generation adidas squad completed an unbeaten tour of Spain on Wednesday by beating Atletico Madrid's reserves, 4-1, on the strength of two goals from Kansas City striker Teal Bunbury.

Just a day after beating Rayo Vallecano in a rain-soaked game, the Generation adidas squad rolled to its easiest win of the trip.

Two goal from Radamel Falcao helped Atletico Madrid to a 3-0 win over fellow Spaniards Athletic Bilbao and their second UEFA Europa League trophy in three seasons.

Falcao, who became the first player to win successive Europa League/UEFA Cups with different sides having scored the winning goal for Porto last season, opened the scoring on seven minutes with a spectacular goal, taking the ball into the box and curling the ball round three defenders and the keeper from the edge of the box for his 11th goal in 15 Europa League games this season.

Saturday
- Chelsea's Michael Ballack headed to Zuma and Frank Lampard hit up ChinaWhite to celebrate their win this weekend. Yes. ChinaWhite. It still exists, Kickettes.

- As the good fellas at World of MUFC alerted us, Emma Neville gave birth to her second daughter, Sophie, last week.

No.10 Quique Flores Atletico Madrid

This former Spanish footballer is tall, dark, handsome, and devastating in a suit. Forget football, Quique give New York Fashion Week a try.

SEE THE REST OF THE LIST AFTER THE BREAK

No.

Anfield hero ready to return from lay off with a World Cup bang?

Buy Spain World Cup 2010 Tickets at Affordable Prices!

There were some who unwisely baulked when Rafa Benitez stumped up £26.5m on Fernando Torres three year ago but of all the complaints one could lay at the Anfield manager's door that particular deal is not one of them.

By Ollie Irish

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Fulham's Clint Dempsey during a training session at the HSH Nordbank Arena

Photos: Joe Giddens / EMPICS

Some exclusive shots of Clint Dempsey, Damien Duff and co. being put through their paces ahead of tonight's Europa League final.

Cash-strapped, poverty-stricken Real Madrid (yes, the very same side that spent over £200 million pounds on transfer fees last summer) have apparently baulked at the exorbitant price tag Liverpool have slapped on Steven Gerrard's head and requested that they be allowed to pinch the influential midfielder on the cheap the cheeky sods!

Rafa Benitez lines up deal for experienced Argentine.

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Sky Sports News understands Liverpool are in talks to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Maxi Rodriguez.

Hello 2010. Hello readers. Pies is back in the saddle, a couple of pounds heavier (thanks poutine) but no less motivated. So, no messing, first up this year we have some breaky news for you. Arsenal fans, prepare to weep into your Fair Trade muesli...

My Spanish is sketchy at best I can say "Dos cervezas por favor" in a reasonably convincing accent but even I can understand the latest headline in Spanish rag AS, which announces with some confidence that Arsenal midfield starlet Fran Merida has signed for Atletico Madrid (the club he supported as a kid).

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Malaga
(1-0) 35' Cristiano Ronaldo, (2-0) 39' Cristiano Ronaldo
It takes them a while to get going, during which they are normally indebted to Casillas and poor finishing from their opponents, but after a while a couple of flashes of excellence gets Real Madrid out of jail and on the road to three points.

Thomas Ujfalusi injured Leo Messi this weekend, when the Atletico Madrid defender's clumsy attempt to tackle the Barcelona attacker got a lot more ankle than it did ball. It wasn't pretty, and Messi will be out for two weeks or more.

Ujfalusi was sent off for the tackle, but Barcelona players have complained about the harshness of the tackle, with Pique going as far as saying that Messi was "hunted" by Atletico.

Thomas Ujfalusi injured Leo Messi this weekend, when the Atletico Madrid defender's clumsy attempt to tackle the Barcelona attacker got a lot more ankle than it did ball. It wasn't pretty, and Messi will be out for two weeks or more.

Ujfalusi was sent off for the tackle, but Barcelona players have complained about the harshness of the tackle, with Pique going as far as saying that Messi was "hunted" by Atletico.

Having been 'forced' to leave the EPL with not a very excellent rapport back when he was playing for Manchester United, Diego Forlan, doesn't has any fear of taking another challenge in the league should a good offer comes for him.

The striker revealed this thought in a latest interview with Sky Sport news as he stated that despite what everyone said and think about his career in England back than, he is actually happy with the seasons he got at Old Trafford and won't be hesitate to try play in the league one more time.

By Chris Wright

Bit of an iffy source on this one, but word on Pies Street is that Arsenal have taken goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to one side and told him that he will be free to leave the club in the January transfer window.

Almunia's current deal expires in the summer of 2012, but Arsenal are reportedly willing to offload the 33-year-old for a bit of cash (approx £1-1.

Maxi Rodriguez is willing to take a pay cut to seal a move to Liverpool.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder wants to play regular first-team football to cement his place in Argentina's World Cup squad.
The 29-year-old, who has also been linked with Boca Juniors and Juventus, is out of contract at the end of the season but, according to Spanish newspaper AS, will lower his £4.

Does Rafa have an Anfield ace up his sleeve?

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West Ham United defender James Tomkins is interesting Liverpool.

Last night's jubilation of Fulham's win over Hamburg undoubtedly went long into the night in South-West London. However it's not just fans of the Cottagers who should be celebrating this morning, but fans of every aspiring bottom-half Premier League and Championship team alike. Because what Fulham did last night gave hope to the rest of us that anything is possible if stick to a simple and cost-effective business plan.

By Chris Wright

That is all.

MORE LOOKALIKES

Perhaps the only story more romantic than Ghana's deep run into this summer's World Cup was the sensational form of a sleeping football giant: Uruguay. Backed by the excellent form of strikers Luis Suarez and a reignited Diego Forlan, Uruguay finished in fourth place, putting the South Americans back on the map.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is believed to be lining up Diego Forlan to replace Fernando Torres, amid fears that the Spanish international is ready to walk out of Anfield.
According to The People, the Kop chief is ready to build for the future and has his sights set on bringing the Atletico Madrid star back to the Premier League if his stellar striker decides to move on this summer.

Fernando Torres is preparing to drop a bombshell on new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson in January by handing in a written transfer request, it has been suggested.
Torres is reportedly disgruntled at the Reds' manager's failure to bring in any more big-name signings since Joe Cole's arrival on a free transfer.

LIVERPOOL flop Andriy Voronin is on the verge of heading back to Hertha Berlin for around £2.5million.
But he does not look too bothered as these pictures show - and who can blame him!
While his Kop team-mates shiver in the cold, Voronin is on a sunshine break in Miami Beach with wife Yulia.

Much in the way we need to regularly (aka hourly) check our horoscopes in order to feel safe and secure, we also need to know what's happening with the homes of professional footballers. Such is life.

Back in Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United days, most of his off-the-pitch antics occurred in this "offensive, brutal and insensitive" £4 million mansion in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

By Ollie Irish

Maxi Rodriguez, South America's favourite panty liner, is set to hop on a plane tomorrow morning and fly to the north-west for his medical with Liverpool, ahead of a cut-price £1m-£1.5m move from Atletico Madrid.

This could turn out to be a VERY good bit of business for not only Atletico who want the high-earning Argentine off their wage bill but also for Liverpool, who get a proven international for less than the price of a Championship player (salary not withstanding).

Liverpool Football Club have today finally announced the signing of Maxi Rodriguez on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid, who has signed a 3 and half year contract at Anfield. The worst kept secret of the transfer window has finally been made public, the Argentine will wear number 17.

Bookies up and down the country are tipping former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish or former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink to takeover from under pressure manager Rafa Benitez.
Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup last night at Anfield at the hands of Championship side Reading, which now sees the reds fighting for fourth place having been knocked out of the Champions League and League Cup.

By Chris Wright

Here's the hottest transfer gossip to dribble off presses this morning...

Gerrard catches up on a little light Reading

Rumour No. 1: One of those 'sources close to/someone in our office reckons' stories has surfaced this morning as, according to The Daily Star, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has one eye on the exit door at Anfield.

EPL on Setanta: Manchester City - Portsmouth at 8:30am. On Fox Soccer Channel: Arsenal - Manchester United at 11am. Championship on Setanta: Cardiff City - Doncaster at 5pm. Serie A on FSC: Milan - Livorno at 9am and Juventus - Lazio at 2:30pm. La Liga on ESPN Deportes: Getafe - Racing Santander at 11pm and Malaga - Atletico Madrid at 1pm.

Europa League on GolTV: Villarreal - VfL Wolfsburg at 1pm, Atletico Madrid - Galatasaray at 3pm, and Panathinaikos - AS Roma at 8pm. Copa Libertadoes on Fox Sports en Espanol: Universidad - Caracas at 5pm and Alianza Lima - Estudiantes at 7:30pm. All Times Eastern

Clint Dempsey and Fulham will look to ride the momentum from their dramatic Round of 16 series victory over Juventus when the Cottagers take on Wolfsburg in the Europa League quarterfinals, which were draw on Friday.

Liverpool scored a tough draw, taking on Portuguese power Benfica.

EPL on Fox Soccer Plus: Birmingham City - Liverpool at 10am and Fulham - Wigan Athletic at 2pm. On Fox Soccer Channel: Everton - West Ham United at 11am. Eredivisie on ESPN Deportes: Willem II - PSV Eindhoven at 8am. Bundesliga on GolTV: Vfl Wolfsburg - Hoffenheim at 10:30am. La Liga on Deportes: Valencia - Osasuna at 11am.

The Europa League quarterfinals conclude today with eight teams still battling for places in the semifinals.

Fulham and Liverpool are carrying the flag for the English Premier League as both teams look to knock off tough opponents. The Cottagers carry a 2-1 advantage to Germany against Wolfsburg, while the Reds look to erase a 2-1 deficit against Benfica.

Argentine striker issues most blatant "come and get me plea" to Stamford Bridge side.

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Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero has, for the first time, conceded that he would relish the chance of joining Chelsea.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the club needs to make 'three or four quality signings' to improve next season.
The Reds have had a poor campaign and have failed to live up to expectations that they could challenge for the Premier League this term.
While they are still in the hunt for Europa League glory, Rafa Benitez's men need a number of other results to go their way if they are to finish fourth in the league and qualify for next year's UEFA Champions League.

By Ollie Irish

Pies brings you some exclusive snaps of Liverpool going through the motions at Melwood ahead of this evening's Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid:

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Photos: Peter Byrne / PA