A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Xavi apologises for Fabregas jibe
BARCELONA midfielder Xavi insists he did not mean to cause offence with his recent comments about Cesc Fabregas and described the whole controversy as "absurd".
Xavi last week claimed Arsenal captain Fabregas had told him he was “suffering” because of his desire to join the Catalan club. That provoked the ire of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who accused Xavi of being disrespectful, but the Spain international insists he did not mean to upset anyone.
“I’m sorry. My intention was not to offend Arsenal and Wenger,” Xavi said yesterday.
“We know that Cesc has this desire to come and I said that he was suffering. But I don’t want to offend either Wenger or Arsenal. I was only looking out for the interests of Cesc and Barca. The controversy seems absurd to me. I don’t want to get into a war of words.”
Chelsea said to have bid for Anderlecht striker Lukaku
CHELSEA have reportedly made a bid for Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku. The Blues have long been leading the chase for the 18-year-old, who is valued at around €23 million by his club.
And according to sources, that interest has now been formalised into an offer for the Belgian starlet.
Lukaku, who has also been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham in the past, is already a regular for his club and a full international while he’s also been touted as the new Didier Drogba by some for his powerful style of play.
While he has been linked to clubs throughout Europe, he has previously revealed he wanted to move to the Premier League. And as a confirmed Chelsea fan, the lure of a move to Stamford Bridge could prove too powerful to resist.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge have both spoken out about their desire to stay at Stamford Bridge and compete for a place.
Bent won't be reviewing his position
DARREN Bent says it will be impossible for Aston Villa to replace Ashley Young and Stewart Downing but the England international insists the club’s decision to sell two of its most influential players this summer has not led him to question his own future.
Villa’s club-record signing could be forgiven for feeling disillusioned after seeing Young and Downing – two players he singled out as key factors in his decision to switch to the Midlands in January – move on to Manchester United and Liverpool in the space of a few weeks. According to Bent, his England team-mates provided “the best service in the Premier League”, helping him to score nine goals in 16 games.
“It’s a big loss, you can’t dispute that,” said Bent. Yet the 27-year-old striker made it clear he felt no need to review his own position in the wake of their departures. “I wouldn’t say it has affected me with the club,” he said.
Jovanovic close to Anfield exit
LIVERPOOL forward Milan Jovanovic appears to be edging closer to the exit at Anfield with a return to Belgium looking likely.
The 30-year-old joined the Reds on a free transfer last summer from Standard Liege but struggled to hold down a regular place.
He made just one start after Kenny Dalglish took over for the second half of the season and did not make the squad for the final four months of the campaign.
The Serbia international’s wife has already expressed her preference to return to Belgium and it appears Anderlecht have made their move.
“We’re currently negotiating with Jovanovic but we couldn’t achieve an agreement,” a spokesman for the Belgian side said.
“We’re very much interested and the player would like to come. Anderlecht are due to contact Liverpool today.”
Neymar ready to join Real
NEYMAR’S on-off transfer saga appears to be back on after his agent claimed the Santos star is ready to join Real Madrid.
Just on Tuesday Neymar announced he would be staying at Santos for the foreseeable future. But the Brazilian teenage sensation is now said to be on the verge of agreeing a deal with Real Madrid.
Chelsea and Barcelona have also been chasing the 19-year-old but it seems Real have won the race and are willing to pay Neymar’s €45 million get-out clause.
“There is nothing else to discuss. The only thing left is for Real Madrid to pay up,” his agent, Wagner Ribeiro said. “If they do, Santos have nothing to do apart from pick up their share of the transfer fee.”
Morrison in more police trouble Agent claims
RAVEL Morrison, Manchester United’s immensely talented but troubled young footballer, has been interviewed by police over new allegations of harassment.
Morrison, an England youth international, is already the subject of a 12-month referral order after two court cases within the past six months, and the 18-year-old has been warned that if he breaks that order he will be sent to prison for a year.
He has also been advised by a district judge to seek counselling about domestic abuse after twice being arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and receiving a police caution for assaulting his mother.
The latest case follows a complaint from the family of a teenage mugging victim who gave evidence against two of Morrison’s friends in a robbery trial last year.
In January Morrison admitted two charges of intimidating a witness after subjecting the same boy to a two-day ordeal to try to stop him from going to court.
