Keane wants Lampard at Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane believes the addition of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard would bring a huge boost to the MLS club.



Lampard has yet to be offered an extension to his contract at Stamford Bridge - which expires at the end of the season - prompting speculation linking the 34-year-old with a move to the United States.



"Listen, we need players like that, and bringing in a Frank Lampard would obviously be good for the team," Keane told reporters.



"So hopefully, we will see him soon."



Former Tottenham striker Keane also commented on the future of Galaxy star Landon Donovan, who has previously indicated he was considering retirement in 2013.



The United States international, who has had two loan spells in the English Premier League with Everton, is expected to return to Bruce Arena's Galaxy squad ahead of the upcoming MLS season.



And Keane has insisted, although he has not spoken to his team-mate, any decision Donovan makes on his future should be respected.



"You have to respect someone's decision about what they want to do with their life," Keane said.



"For me, I enjoy being paid to do what I love. I can only speak on my experience, you have to respect someone's decision. If you need time off, you need time off."



Keane penned an extension to his LA Galaxy contract recently after reports emerged of a possible return to the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers in January.



The ex-Liverpool man said that it was an easy decision and expressed his happiness at being part of a growing league.



"I was happy here and there was no reason for me not to sign," Keane said.



"There's a lot of players in England that I speak to now even, younger players that want to come over here and play ... I was training with Tottenham for a couple weeks and a lot of the lads were asking how the league is going."

Starting role delights Lamps

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard admits he is delighted by his recent form for both club and country.

Lampard celebrate his goal against Brazil in a friendly game last week.

The 34-year-old is the subject of continuing speculation as to where he will be playing his club football next season - but served up a reminder of his powers with his ninth goal in his last 14 Blues appearances in Saturday's 4-1 win over Wigan.

Lampard, who may yet be offered a new contract by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, then continued his good form in England's 2-1 friendly win over Brazil in midweek as he coolly side-footed home the winner.

"It's not rocket science: the more you play you get sharper and you get match fit," Lampard told Chelsea TV. "Since I've been able to play regularly I feel like I've got sharpness and the confidence.

"I'm 34, you still need confidence of playing regular games. It certainly helps me, to get flow in your game; you ask any player that, I'm not on my own there.

"When you're playing regularly and you do start playing well, scoring goals, whatever position you're in, it's enjoyable to keep playing and it helps.



"You have to have an eye on the squad - it is a long season - so I'm not expecting, or asking, to play every single game. (But) it seems to me recently I've been able to play every three or four days, I've enjoyed it."

Di Matteo: 'Lampard, join Lazio!'

Roberto Di Matteo has advised Frank Lampard to join Lazio. “It would certainly be a good choice for both parties. I’ve given him my opinion.”



He played for the Biancocelesti in his career and talked to Sky Sport Italia about the reports linking Lampard with the Olimpico club.



“Lampard is a great player and a great professional, so I am certain he can play at least another two years at the top level,” said Di Matteo.



“I don’t know if he will join Lazio or not, but it would certainly be a good choice for both parties. We often talk and I gave him my opinion. At the end of the day he will make the decision.”



England midfielder Lampard has also been linked with Serie A sides Milan and Juventus, plus offers from the MLS.



Di Matteo was surprisingly sacked by Chelsea earlier this season, just months after becoming the first Coach to win the Champions League with that club.



“It was an incredibly emotional experience and a very difficult achievement. I had three fantastic months on the Chelsea bench, but also tough, as we worked up to 18 hours a day to achieve our results.



“I was pleased to hear the fans cheer my name after I left. It was love at first sight with the supporters the moment I arrived in London and I am sure that love will continue over the years.



“Have I had any contact with Italian clubs? I prefer not to talk about this, as I have a great deal of respect for the current Coaches. In any case, I won’t hide that I am very happy with what Lazio are doing in Serie A.”

Thursday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is keen on a move to Fiorentina, according to reports in Italy.



- Chelsea and Arsenal target Luke Shaw will sign a five-year deal at Southampton on his 18th birthday.



- Metalist Kharkiv coach Miron Markevich has called for the club to let Taison complete his move to Chelsea.



- Manchester United are ready to ditch David De Gea and search for a new No. 1, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Reports in Spain claim that Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido will travel to London on Thursday morning in an attempt to sell striker Alvaro Negredo, with Arsenal favourites for the Spaniard's signature.



- Liverpool are hoping to lure Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish back in an ambassadorial role.



- Tottenham and Everton are battling it out to sign highly-rated France Under-21 international Massadio Haidara.



- Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas insists it is "extremely unlikely" Brazil star Leandro Damiao will join the club - but feels the club need to bolster their forward options.



- Everton are tracking Brazilian full-back Fernando Marcal ahead of a possible January move.



- Real Madrid are ready to rival Manchester City in the battle to sign Edinson Cavani.



- Fulham are locked in a battle with Club Bruges as they look to sign teenage star Junior Malanda.



- West Brom boss Steve Clarke says Swedish centre-back Jonas Olsson will not be leaving during the transfer window.



- Aston Villa have had an offer for Philippe Coutinho turned down by Inter Milan, according to the player's agent.



- Southampton and West Brom could miss out on Sergi Roberto, with Espanyol the front-runners to take the Barcelona starlet on loan.



- Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Robert Green has distanced himself from a move to Nottingham Forest.



- QPR have won the race to sign Spurs midfielder Jake Livermore on-loan for the rest of the season.



- West Ham are locked in a battle with Chelsea and Arsenal to clinch the signing of Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue.



- Fiorentina have entered the January transfer market, signing Torino's Marko Bakic and Siena's Marcelo Larrondo.



- Palermo have officially signed Napoli’s Andrea Dossena on an initial six-month loan deal.



- Real Betis manager Pepe Mel has called on Swansea to increase their offer for midfielder Jose Canas.



- Borussia Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl wants to see star striker Robert Lewandowski commit to the club.



- Ajax and Galatasaray are interested in Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi - less than six months after he moved to Anfield.



- Ligue 1 club Rennes have confirmed that their French midfielder Yann M’Vila is shaping up for a move to either England or Russia this January window.



- Valenciennes say Newcastle have made a bid for their left-back Gaetan Bong.



- The president of St Etienne has told Newcastle to drop their pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this month.



- Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto has joined Al Nasr on loan for the rest of the season, the Serie A club has confirmed.



- Wolves are weighing up a move for Hearts defender Andy Webster.



- Wolves defender Ethan Ebanks-Landell has returned to League One strugglers Bury for a further month on loan.



- Nottingham Forest have signed West Brom defender Gonzalo Jara on loan until the end of the season.



- Nottingham Forest boss Alex McLeish has told goalkeeper Lee Camp he is free to find another club.



- Crystal Palace have signed Manchester City forward Alex Nimely on loan until the end of the season.



- Notts County have completed the permanent signing of Andre Boucaud from Luton Town for an undisclosed fee.



- Bristol City have signed midfielder Liam Kelly from Kilmarnock on a three-and-a-half-year deal.



- Crawley have agreed the signing of striker Jimmy Spencer on loan from Huddersfield until the end of the season.



- Rochdale have completed the permanent signing of Shrewsbury forward Terry Gornell for an undisclosed fee.



- Aldershot midfielder Jordan Roberts has joined Blue Square Bet Premier outfit Tamworth on a one-month loan deal.



- Ross County have signed Ivan Sproule from SPL rivals Hibernian on an 18-month contract.



- Teenage Accrington forward Marcus Carver has agreed a new 18-month contract with the League Two club.



- Flamengo have broken their duck for the transfer window, officially announcing the signings of Elias and Gabriel on Thursday.



- The Portland Timbers added their third Designated Player on Thursday, announcing the signing of Argentine midfielder Diego Valeri on loan from Lanus.



- FC Dallas has signed Peruvian National Team goalkeeper Raúl Fernández, the club announced today. Per team and league policy the terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

Thursday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard could move to Serie A if he makes an expected exit from Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, according to his agent.



- Yossi Benayoun has returned to Chelsea after his miserable loan spell with West Ham ended.



- Demba Ba is on the verge of joining Chelsea from Newcastle after agreeing a three-and-a-half year contract.



- Newcastle have opened talks with Marseille striker Loic Remy, according to reports.



- Manchester United and Manchester City face a serious fight to sign Malaga star Isco, with Real Madrid emerging as contenders to sign him.



- Manchester United and Arsenal target Sofiane Feghouli has agreed to renew his contract with Valencia, with the attacker due to sign the deal tomorrow, according to the club's official website.



- Jesse Lingard has returned to Manchester United following his loan spell at Leicester.



- Metalist Kharkiv forward Taison, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea, has revealed he has spoken to Blues owner Roman Abramovich over a potential to Stamford Bridge.



- Liverpool striker Adam Morgan has been allowed to join League Two Rotherham United on loan following the arrival of Daniel Sturridge at Anfield.



- Norwich, Sunderland and Stoke are in a three-way battle to sign Celtic star Gary Hooper.



- Tottenham have confirmed they have struck a deal with Belgian club Standard Liege to sign defender Zeki Fryers.



- Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy has completed his £5.5million move to Newcastle.



- Blackpool insist a fee is yet to be agreed with Liverpool for Thomas Ince.



- Arsenal are unwilling to increase their offer for Atletico Madrid forward Adrian Lopez and trigger his £14million buy-out clause, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea target Eduardo Vargas is set to leave Napoli this month.



- Ryan Shawcross has committed his future to Stoke by agreeing a new five-and-a-half-year contract.



- Fulham are the mystery club bidding for Molde defensive star Vegard Forren.



- Southampton manager Nigel Adkins has refuted claims that Arsene Wenger spoke to him about the availability of left-back Luke Shaw.



- Swansea striker Danny Graham is a target for Reading and Norwich in the January transfer window.



- West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he wants to sign a left-back in the January transfer window and is poised to make a move for Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock.



- West Ham are closing in on their second signing of the transfer window with the Arsenal forward Marouane Chamakh set to join the club on loan.



- West Ham have secured the signing of Republic of Ireland Under-19 striker Sean Maguire from Waterford United.



- Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish expects Wilfried Zaha to stay at Selhurst Park until the summer – but admits a big bid could tempt the Championship club to sell in January.



- QPR manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed that he is set to sign former Portsmouth centre-back Tal Ben Haim on a deal to the end of the season.



- Alexandre Pato has officially completed his transfer from Milan to Corinthians for €15m, pending a medical.



- Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes still does not know if he will sign a new contract and could consider a move abroad.



- Fernando Llorente transfer saga could be coming to a close amid confirmation that Juventus have officially approached the wantaway Athletic Bilbao striker.



- Real Madrid are hoping to offload former Chelsea and Manchester City target Fabio Coentrao this month, according to talkSPORT.



- Cagliari captain Daniele Conti has signed a new contract which will see him bring up 15 years' service with the club.



- Borussia Dortmund insist Mario Goetze, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, is happy at the club.



- Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila has reignited speculation over a move to Arsenal by questioning his future at the Ligue 1 club.



- Lyon forward Bafetimbi Gomis, who has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool, could be available for as little as €10million, according to French radio station RMC.



- Israel defender Rami Gershon is in Glasgow for talks over a possible move to SPL champions Celtic.



- Nouha Dicko has been recalled from his loan spell at Blackpool by Wigan.



- Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway is signing Norwich midfielder Jacob Butterfield on loan for a month.



- Nottingham Forest have signed promising winger Stephen McLaughlin from Irish side Derry City.



- Leicester midfielder Neil Danns has returned to the King Power Stadium following his loan spell at Bristol City.



- Stevenage manager Gary Smith has signed Southampton striker Sam Hoskins on loan until the end of the season.



- Doncaster manager Dean Saunders has signed defender Andy Griffin on a deal until the end of the season.



- Brentford defender Shaleum Logan has signed a new 18-month contract with the League One promotion hopefuls.



- Bournemouth have signed Bristol City striker Brett Pitman on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell at Dean Court.

Top-selling official EPL player jerseys

Robin van Persie’s popularity at Manchester United since joining from Arsenal in the summer is demonstrated by news that his is the best-selling official Barclays Premier League shirt in North America this season.



Figures released by Sporting ID, which produces the names, numbers and sleeve badges of the Barclays Premier League, show that the United forward, who has scored 11 Premier League goals so far, leads his United strike partner Wayne Rooney, who was found to have had the best-selling shirt in the League’s history. In third is Chelsea striker Fernando Torres.

"North American soccer fans support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else"

Robert Thayne

United States striker Clint Dempsey is the biggest mover, rising to sixth after his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur in August. Dempsey is the first US player to make the top 10 in North American sales.

"North American soccer fans continue to support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else, often waking at 4am to catch games on TV," said Sporting iD’s global sales and marketing director Robert Thayne. "Players like Van Persie, Eden Hazard, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere are top-class players playing for the biggest clubs in the world and their fans in North America are really no different than the ones who live in the UK.

“They are clearly showing their support of these players and their club by personalizing jerseys with official Premier League player names, numbers and sleeve badges.”



Top-selling official Barclays Premier League player jerseys in North America : -



1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

3. Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

8. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)

9. Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

10. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Rafa: Lamps not past it

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez insists talks with Frank Lampard over a new contract have not been halted because his best days are behind him.

Benitez, in charge at Chelsea on an interim basis until the end of the season, said there was no doubt about "his condition, his levels, his quality" after reports emerged that the England midfielder was planning for life away from Stamford Bridge.



Lampard is out of contract at the end of the season and, although he would love to stay in West London, the opportunity to sign a pre-contract elsewhere will arrive in January.



"For sure, he's a fantastic player, a great professional - there's no doubt about this," said Benitez at a press conference ahead of the Club World Cup final against Corinthians.



"Also, when I talk to the people in charge, they are telling me the same, so nobody has any doubt about his condition, his levels, his quality.



"So the decision could be analysing different things, not just the quality of the player."

Benítez: Lampard and Cole are on their way out

Rafael Benitez has revealed he expects Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole to leave Chelsea in the summer.



Benitez has signed a short-term contract at Stamford Bridge and has adopted a squad that boasts several players with uncertain futures.



Both Cole and Lampard are yet to clarify what their careers hold when their contracts expire, with Cole so far only offered a one-year deal. Lampard has not received a fresh offer and has been linked with moves to China or the US.



Asked if he believes the players, both Champions League winners, will leave in the summer, Benitez said in the Guardian: "I think so.



"I don't have all the information and it's not fair to tell me I'm only here for seven months and then expect me to have an influence at the club over the next two or three years, but I think that's the case at the moment."



Benitez claims he does not enjoy mind games, but that did not stop him taking part in them during his first Friday press conference as he placed Arsene Wenger ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson as a manager.



On his first full day in the Chelsea job, the Spaniard was greeted with a typical barb from his old sparring partner Ferguson, who claimed he was "lucky" to be in a position to win a second Club World Cup.



Benitez, however, responded by talking about how he ranked Wenger above the Manchester United manager when he first came to England, and that any such comments were only in reply to other managers "pushing him".



"No, I don't enjoy that [mind games]. I enjoy my team playing well and winning games. I have to defend my team, my club, so I cannot wait while they push and push," Benitez said.



"You're playing to win trophies, and only one can win it. Some managers in the middle of the table can be friendly, but only one wins it. People try to win in different ways. I like to respect people, but sometimes I cannot because they push you...



"There are a lot of good managers in the world, many who have won trophies. I don't like to talk about other managers.



"When I came to England I knew the other managers. Arsene Wenger was the best manager who had been here for a while. But I cannot talk about these things every day."