There is quite an Iberian battle going on for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, with both La Liga sides making bids to Arsenal for their captain.

Barcelona opened the bidding. for a player they have tapped up for three seasons, last week when they made an official bid of £27m. The bid was immediately turned down by Arsenal who have a price tag of around £44m on Fabregas.

According to the Spanish newspaper Sport, Real Madrid have made an official offer of 50m Euros (£45m) for Cesc Fabregas,

It's an interesting move by Mourinho who is said to be interested in having Fabregas in his midfield alongside Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil.

The offer puts a lot of pressure on Barcelona who have been trying to low ball Arsenal all summer for Fabregas.

There is quite an Iberian battle going on for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, with both La Liga sides making bids to Arsenal for their captain.

Barcelona opened the bidding. for a player they have tapped up for three seasons, last week when they made an official bid of £27m. The bid was immediately turned down by Arsenal who have a price tag of around £44m on Fabregas.

Sunday, Sunday, the red tops are full of more rumours and transfer stories, so much contradiction it makes you want to scream.

The People are reporting that Samir Nasri is not after £110K a week as previously reported but a staggering £160K a week. Well Samir if this is the case then it will be thanks for the memories but good-bye.

As the transfer windows edges closer to the end so does a conclusion to the Gary Cahill transfer saga. Arsenal have been linked with a move for Bolton's strong solid leader Gary Cahill all summer, and with only one season remaining before leaving on a free it looks like wenger is about to pay up and get his man for a reported £16.

Liverpool will challenge fellow Premiership rivals Chelsea and La Liga giants Barcelona for the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk's Willian according to reports in the Daily Mail.
The Brazilian midfielder has caught the attention of a number of top clubs around Europe after some impressive performances in this season's Champions League.

2011 Summer Preview: Barnet transfer for Rooney, Tottenham's new sponsors, Chelsea's unsackable manager and more - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Thanks to Twitter,the green light for the "Silly Season" to start has been well and truly lit. As we head for the sun, tabloids and social media sites are preparing to fill inches with nonsense, here are a few of the stories which will have us pulling our hair out.

There is quite an Iberian battle going on for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, with both La Liga sides making bids to Arsenal for their captain.

Barcelona opened the bidding. for a player they have tapped up for three seasons, last week when they made an official bid of £27m. The bid was immediately turned down by Arsenal who have a price tag of around £44m on Fabregas.

The two prized England Under 21 internationals Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones have recently moved from their respective clubs to two North West giants separated by the East Lancs road. As Liverpool were busy tying up a deal for Sunderland midfield all rounder Jordan Henderson, Manchester United were seemingly busy beating other Premier League heavyweights, including Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, to the signing of Blackburn Rovers defender Phil Jones.

Luca Modric has pretty much been a hot property this summer as despite the rejection of Tottenham Hotspurs in selling the player, reports claim that the player's suitors are not giving up on them and his agent pretty much encouraged the move.

Nikky Vukan, who represented Modric stated to the press that the recent offer worth around 22 million pound, allegedly made by Chelsea would be to little for Spurs in considering as the number are not far from what the Lilywhites paid to sign him few years ago.

Sky Sports has our fixtures for 2011-2012.

The Guardian reports on United entering bidding war for Modric.

BBC Sport has a video of Michael Owen's reaction to his horse winning at Ascot.

The Glazer Out blog talks about Supporters Direct.

United Rant discusses Lord Fergie.

Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient face a crucial week in oppostion to West Ham's Olympic Stadium move, writes Paul Kelso in this morning's Telegraph. The clubs will discover within days whether their challenge to United's tenancy of the Olympic Stadium has been successful after a High Court judge spent the early part of this week considering their case.

Liverpool must act quickly if they wish to stay in the race to sign St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi after Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint Germain lodged a £9m offer.
The Anfield club has been strongly linked with a move for the France international with talkSPORT claiming they were prepared to pay around £8m to take him to the Premier League.

There is plenty of rumour and speculation about Jose Mourinho's return to the Premier League at the moment in addition to rumours of Carlo Ancelotti's future. This morning in the SUN, they are running an article stating that Jose has decided to return to the Premier League as early as next season which could trigger a bidding war amongst the top clubs for his services.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are battling to secure the signature of Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago.
The Argentine midfielder has failed to command a regular first-team place at the Bernabeu since Jose Mourinho took charge of the club.
Gago still has two years left on his contract, but he is expected to be sold during the summer with Real Madrid looking for at least £10m.

Liverpool will begin its attempts to dethrone Manchester United with a summer move for Dennis Praet.
The 16-year-old Anderlecht midfielder, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Saturday, is one of the most exciting prospects in Belgian football and is set to be the subject of a bidding war in the summer.

As we all know, the games in the Premier League are massive for a whole host of clubs. One of those clubs is Tottenham. Are what we all have to admit was a fantastic season for them in the Champions League, their league form has been woeful of late. Today they head into the game at home to Birmingham one point clear of Liverpool who travel to Aston Villa.

Two fierce London rivals, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs continue their rivalry outside of the pitch as reports suggested that the two are currently in a bidding war to get FC Porto's prolific striker, Radamel Falcao.

Reports also speculated that both Spurs and the Gunners are willing to splash out around 30 million pound for the striker who successfully scored 17 goals in the Europa League this season, which helped Porto ending that competition as a winner.

Liverpool is set to renew their interest in Ipswich striker Connor Wickham when the summer transfer window opens for business according to reports in The Metro.
Wickham has had an impressive couple of season at the Tractor Boys and has attracted interest from a number of top clubs in England including, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.

While Milan confirms they are in negotiations for Belgium international Axel Witsel, its reported Liverpool have joined the bidding war.
This week it has become apparent that the Standard Liege starlet is the Rossoneri's number one transfer target for that left midfield role.
"We are in talks with the Standard Liege directors and made contact over the past few days," confessed Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani to SportItalia.

Blackpool may be forced to sell captain Charlie Adam for only half the £12million they wanted in January.
Liverpool is unwilling to pay more than £6m for the 25-year-old, who was the subject of a bidding war between them and Spurs six months ago.
Blackpool's relegation has meant Adams' price has dropped, particularly as he only has a year left on his contract.

Liverpool target Charles N'Zogbia will be sold this summer, should a suitable offer be made, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed.
"We have to sell Charles N'Zogbia because he's on the last year of his contract," Whelan told talkSPORT.
"We can't keep him if a big club comes for him and he does deserve a big club because he's that kind of quality player.

It seems the bidding war has come down to its final hours, with both CFC and PSG in frame to secure the young Argentine's signature. More after the jump:

Kicking into gear shortly?

Welp, color me surprised. This isn't exactly coming out of left-field mind you, but it does somewhat surprise me that we're actually in line to sign a legitimate budding superstar, and an Argentine at that.

Liverpool face competition from Real Madrid in the race to sign Brazilian starlet Lucas.
The Sao Paulo sensation has been heavily linked with a move to Europe, with clubs in England, Spain, Italy and France thought to be keen on a move for the 19-year-old midfielder.
However, El Confidencial claims that Los Blancos have stepped up their interest in the teenager, with Jose Mourinho tracking the player closely ahead of a possible move.

80 million quid.
Not be sniffed at. Five years of stability at a time of economic uncertainty.
So well done to the SPL on the signing of their new TV deal?
Not exactly.
£16 million a season (that's the figure being widely reported) for 60 live games. 30 games a season on ESPN and 30 more, Old Firm jamborees included, on Sky.

Liverpool fear they could miss out on top January target Ricky van Wolfswinkel, with Napoli in pole position to land the Utrecht striker.
The talented Dutch striker is on Roy Hodgson's radar as he desperately scours the market for January reinforcements for his struggling squad.
Van Wolfswinkel first came to Hodgson's attention when Utrecht played Liverpool in the Europa League at the back end of last year and the 21-year-old's progress has been monitored ever since.

Blue Monday. The most depressing day of the year.
Fitting that it was today we heard another version of the SPL's grand new plan for Scottish football.
Forget the two ten team leagues idea of a couple of weeks ago. The head honchos have listened to the near universal condemnation of that plan.

Liverpool are set battle Manchester United in the race to sign Brazilian defender Michael Bastos.
The 27-year-old Lyon full back is expected to leave the Ligue 1 outfit in the summer, and Liverpool are thought to have joined the race to sign the £22 million rated player.
An attack-minded left back, Bastos left Lille in the summer of 2009 for a fee in the region of €18 million, and has gone on to become a star at the Stade de Gerland.

The Guardian is reporting that last season's treble winners Inter Milan are set to begin a bidding war over Spurs winger Gareth Bale by offering the North Londoners £40m for his services.

In addition to paying the huge transfer sum, it is being reported that the Serie A giants will triple his current wages to £120,000 as club president Massimo Moratti is a huge admirer of the player.

Liverpool are expected to bid for Newcastle defender Jose Enrique in the summer, according to reports.
The Spanish full back has impressed in the Barclays Premier League this season, and the Sunday Mirror reports that Liverpool will launch a summer bid to bring the player to Anfield.
Manchester United are also thought to be interested in bringing the player to Old Trafford, and the pair could start a bidding war at the end of the season.

Liverpool has reportedly joined the race to sign Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a number of Barclays Premier League clubs as his stock continues to rise at the Reebok, with Liverpool thought to be one of the clubs interested.
The News of the World claimed Kenny Dalglish was keen to bring the player to Anfield in the middle of January, although Liverpool never made an official approach for the player.

I have been bombarded with questions over Eden Hazard recently some I have been able to answer and others not. If you haven't read my last article on Eden Hazard you may find it beneficial to read before continuing with this article, just so you can get the full picture!

I'm fortunate enough get a fair bit of news from people very knowledgeable about French football and the clubs in question.

Liverpool are thought to have competition in the race to sign Slovenian playmaker Josip Ilicic.
The 23-year-old Palermo star has been linked with a number of Barclays Premier League teams as his stock continues to rise in Italy, with Liverpool thought to be one of the clubs keen to bring the player to England.

Manchester United is reportedly considering a summer move for Liverpool and Tottenham target Charlie Adam.
The Blackpool captain has been in impressive form during his debut Barclays Premier League season and – despite missing out on the chance to leave Bloomfield Road in January – he seems almost certain to depart when the transfer window reopens.

- Jason Davis
My apologies for a dead, dead, dead-dead-dead Friday, but I'm pretty spent today. This always happens, my burning the candle at both ends and then melting into the weekend with nary a bit of energy left. It makes for really lazy Fridays where the closest I come to posting is considering a topic, thinking about what I would write, then forgetting about it altogether and staring out of my office window for an hour or three.

Highly rated Slovenian prospect Luka Kranjc could be on his way to England this summer according to reports in the local media.
Liverpool and Chelsea head a list of potential suitors for the promising central defender whose situation is also being closely monitored by Serie A giants Juventus.
La Republicca is reporting that the 15-year-old NK Maribor academy graduate will likely move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, after it emerged that Chelsea made a formal collaboration agreement with the club before Christmas.

It could be that a bidding war is brewing for Newcastle's top left-back Jose Enrique. Jose Enrique - has been great for Newcastle Let's be clear from the start that we would love for Jose to stay on Tyneside, because he's a good player and been very loyal to the club in his nearly four [...]

Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland are set to be involved in a bidding war in the summer for Lorient striker Kevin Gameiro. The 23 year old has caught the attention of both Harry Redknapp and Steve Bruce after some excellent performances for Lorient in the ongoing 10/11 Ligue 1 season. Gameiro, who at the age of [.

Liverpool's hopes of signing Mark Marin have hit a snag at the news that the playmaker wants to stay at Werder Bremen.
The 22-year-old has impressed a number of Europe's big clubs, interest that may have led to a bidding war this summer.
However the German has distanced himself from the rumours linking him with Liverpool.

Bolton bosses have privately hinted they will be entertaining bids from a number of clubs this summer for highly-rated centre-back Gary Cahill, with Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, and even Manchester City expected to make offers.
Cahill has just one year remaining on his Trotters contract and looks increasingly unlikely to sign a new deal - leaving Owen Coyle with little choice but to offload him this close season.