The top stories from papers and websites - 29 November 2012

• New Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez wants to bring in German forward Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen - he was also a target for previous Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo.


• Newly appointed QPR manager Harry Redknapp could move for out-of-favour Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.


• Liverpool are ready to pay Blackpool £6m to sign winger Thomas Ince in January, just 18 months after he was allowed to leave Anfield for £250,000.


• Newcastle's £800,000 swoop for NAC Breda's 21-year-old Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj has been put on hold until the summer at least - after his father was named as the club's new manager.


• Harry Redknapp is to give Rob Green another chance to establish himself as QPR's first-choice goalkeeper following an injury to team-mate Julio Cesar.

• Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil is back on Manchester United's radar after reports claimed the German international, 24, is considering his future.


• Turkish side Fenerbahce are ready to make a move for out-of-favour Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh. Meanwhile, Gunners frontman Nicklas Bendtner's loan spell at Juventus could be cut short as he has failed to impress.


• Chelsea are keeping tabs on Brazilian midfielder Bernard, valued at £6m by Atletico Mineiro and dubbed as the new Oscar.


• Liverpool are still to offer teenage sensation Raheem Sterling a new contract.


• Sunderland fear skipper Lee Cattermole could be sidelined for two months by a knee injury.


• Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway has criticised Arsene Wenger over his interest in Wilfried Zaha.

• Bohemians defender Kevin Feely, 20, has turned down a move to Everton in favour of joining Championship side Charlton on a two-year-deal.


• MK Dons boss Karl Robinson says his team's scouts have been asked not to attend to AFC Wimbledon games ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie.

• Arsenal and Manchester United have been alerted after it was revealed Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze, 20, has a release clause of £30million.


• Aston Villa have failed in a bid to take defender Abdoulaye Ba, 21, on loan with Porto only willing to consider a permanent deal.


• Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is understood to be in negotiations with Rangers for naming rights to Ibrox.


• Manchester United want 16 year-old Chelsea midfielder Conor Hunte.

• England manager Roy Hodgson believes scraping through to the World Cup via the play-offs will be acceptable.

• Former England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is in talks about taking over as Ukraine coach after Harry Redknapp turned the role down.

• Malaga insist Manchester United and City target Isco will sign a new long-term deal.


• Daniele De Rossi will snub Manchester City and Chelsea for either Paris St-Germain or Real Madrid.

• Perennial Manchester United target Wesley Sneijder has admitted he could leave Inter Milan over a contract dispute

• Brazilian full-back Wallace claims he will definitely move to Chelsea.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Vitesse Arnhem have issued a hands-off warning to clubs interested in Liverpool and Chelsea target Wilfried Bony.



Chelsea are chasing German striker Andre Schurrle - in case Rafa Benitez needs more help sorting out Fernando Torres, according to Mirror.



- Chelsea’s teenage midfielder Conor Hunte is wanted by Manchester United, according to Dailymail.



- Brazilian full-back Wallace claims he is on the verge of joining European champions Chelsea either in the January transfer window or next summer.



- Arsenal and Manchester United have been alerted after it was revealed that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has a release clause of £30million.



- Arsenal defender Andre Santos has confirmed a number of Turkish clubs have enquired about his possible availability.



- Benfica will sell misfit forward Nolito in January - and Liverpool are rumoured to be keen.



- Man Utd have stepped up their interest in Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Manchester United are on red alert after Dutch star Kevin Strootman set his sights on a move to the Premier League.



- Newcastle have joined the race for combative Anderlecht defender Cheikhou Kouyate, according to talkSPORT.



- Newcastle target Nemanja Gudelj is expected to stay at NAC Breda after his own father was named as the club's new boss.



- Aston Villa have been rebuffed in a bid to sign defender Abdoulaye Ba on loan from Porto.



- Aston Villa target Cyril Thereau has revealed he has been sounded out by Fiorentina - but says he is committed to current club Chievo Verona.



- Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic thinks his Bosnia-Herzegovina team-mate Miralem Pjanic has the right qualities to succeed in England.



- On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku is confident he will remain at West Brom for the remainder of the season - rather than return to his parent club Chelsea in January.



- Norwich boss Chris Hughton is weighing up a January move for Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths.



- Inter Milan are not interested in re-signing unsettled Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli in January, according to club president Massimo Moratti.



- The agent of AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato insists the striker is happy at Milan despite rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League or back to his native Brazil.



- Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Willian, who has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, has emerged as a target for Manchester City, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Malaga insist highly-coveted youngster Isco, who is wanted by Manchester United and Manchester City, is on course to sign a new long-term deal at the Spanish club.



- Daniele De Rossi will snub interest from Manchester City and Chelsea if he decides to leave Roma, according to sources in Italy.



- Inter Milan are poised to beat Spurs and Manchester United to the signature of Udinese defender Mehdi Benatia.

Scolari set for return to Brazil post

Luiz Felipe Scolari will be named as the new coach of 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil on Thursday, a source close to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has told Reuters.



The former Chelsea manager, who led Brazil to their last World Cup title in 2002, will replace Mano Menezes who was sacked last Friday.



CBF president Jose Maria Marin told reporters in Sao Paulo that the new coach would be announced on Thursday but declined to name him.

Cesar likely to miss Villa clash

QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar is a major doubt for Saturday's Premier League basement battle with Aston Villa at Loftus Road.



New manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that the groin injury that forced the Brazilian off at half-time in their game against Sunderland is expected to keep him out of Redknapp's first home game in charge.



Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, who came on for Ceasr at the Stadium of Light and played his part in denying the Black Cats in the 0-0 draw, looks set to keep his place against fellow early season strugglers Villa.



"Julio looks like he's done a groin," Redknapp told the club's website.



"We'll send him for a scan on Thursday, once the swelling goes down a bit, and see what the extent of the injury is. We're lucky that we've got two top goalkeepers.



"Cesar has won everything there is to win in the game. He's a top goalkeeper. Rob is an England international keeper and made a fantastic save when he came on.



"He didn't have a lot to do apart from that, but when he was called into action he was fantastic."

Messi back at top of AP rankings, Iniesta 3rd

Lionel Messi moved back to the top of the AP Global Soccer rankings, and Barcelona stayed No. 1 in the team poll after a 4-0 win over Levante in the Spanish league.



Messi earned 183 out of a possible 200 points from The Associated Press' panel of 20 global soccer journalists. Last week's winner, Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was second. Ibrahimovic topped the previous poll mainly for his four goals for Sweden against England.



Barcelona was voted the top club of the week after stretching its lead to three points over Atletico Madrid and 11 points over third-place Real Madrid.



Ibrahimovic had 124 points, while another Barcelona player, Andres Iniesta, moved into third place with 119.



"Two clinical finishes from Messi got Barca rolling towards a 4-0 win against Levante and followed his Champions League double against Spartak," panelist Will Tidey of the San Francisco-based Bleacher report said. "Gerd Mueller's record is just three goals away."



Mueller, a former Germany and Bayern Munich great, holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year with 85.



The panel's two Italian voters, Paulo Condi of La Gazzetta Dello Sport and Aurelio Capaldi of Rai Sport, paid tribute to Iniesta.



"He made things easy for Barca as he twice set up Messi, scored a goal and allowed Cesc Fabregas to kill the game," Capaldi said.



Borussia Dortmund, which is giving Bayern Munich a fight in the Bundesliga, had two players in the top five. Striker Robert Lewandowski was fourth with 83 points and midfielder Mario Goetze, who played a key role in Lewandowski's two goals in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Mainz, was fifth with 63.



"Mario Goetze is currently in superb form," Christian Schaetzle of website derfussballblogger.de said. "He was the outstanding player in both Dortmund's Champions League win in Amsterdam and in his side's important away win at Mainz in the Bundesliga, involved in nearly all the goals."



Several panelists thought Philippe Mexes' overhead kick in AC Milan's 3-1 Champions League victory at Anderlecht was even better than Ibrahimovic's dramatic goal against England a week earlier.



"His goal was more beautiful than that of Ibrahimovic, because he controlled the ball first with the chest and there was a goalkeeper between the posts," Francois Colin of Belgium's De Standaard said. "Most of all this was a game that mattered."



For Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News, it was a "prettier goal in many ways than the bicycle kick from Ibrahimovic."



Mexes' efforts brought him into sixth place.



With Barcelona seemingly glued into the top team position, Bayern and Dortmund were second and third in the AP poll, with no English team in the top five for the first time since the survey began.



Barcelona had 176 points, well ahead of Bayern with 129 and Dortmund with 105. Real Madrid, which lost to Real Betis on Sunday, plunged to 24th.



"There's a team in Europe nobody expected anything from before this Champions League season," Schaetzle said. "Borussia Dortmund won Group D, the Group of Death (with opponents Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax), with its phenomenal 4-1 win at Ajax to reach the Round of 16."



AC Milan was rewarded for its 1-0 victory over Serie A leader Juventus and the victory over Anderlecht by being voted into fourth by the panel, which gives 10 points to their top choice down to one point for 10th.



Unglamorous English team West Bromwich Albion, which has slipped almost unnoticed into third place in the Premier League, was in the top 10 for the second straight week, coming in eighth, a few points behind Manchester United.



Newly-crowned J-League champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima was voted into 10th after clinching the title with one round still to play.



John Duerden, of website www.kickoffasia.com, paid tribute to J-League top scorer Hisato Sato.



"He has had his critics over the years but his goals have given a first title to Hiroshima," Duerden said.

Real looking to offload Kaká in January

The winter transfer window is approaching and the potential departure of Kaká from Real Madrid is once again a talking point. The Brazilian has not had many opportunities this season and it seems Real intends to dispose of the player, whilst reducing the team's wage bill.



The Real Madrid camp is convinced that the midfielder will be offloaded in the winter transfer window. Brazilian side Corinthians and the New York Red Bulls are said to be keeping tabs on the player, as the club and José Mourinho look to facilitate his departure.



The Portuguese coach is determined to see the back of Kaká and is making life difficult for him at the club. Mourinho wanted to sell the Brazilian in the summer and hopes to do so in the near future, despite the fact that the player has been training extra hard over the last few months and has put on good displays when called into action, when the team has been struggling.



Kaká has only featured in eight matches this campaign, which has all been down to Mourinho. His first game was against Deportivo de La Coruña and he started against Ajax two days after being selected for the Brazil national team.



Sources at the club believe that Mourinho did not want the player to perform well for his country without having played for his club, which led the coach to use the midfielder in these two matches – in which he played to a good standard.



It is no secret that Mourinho wants rid of Kaká, who was surprisingly left out of the squad to face Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey.

The top stories from papers and websites - 28 November 2012

• Theo Walcott does not feature in Arsenal's official 2013 calendar - fuelling speculation he is set to quit the club.


• Harry Redknapp insists he can keep QPR in the Premier League.


• Chelsea are still refusing to say sorry to Mark Clattenburg despite withdrawing claims of racial abuse.


• Juan Mata says the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo at Chelsea shows how "hard and unjust" football can be.


• Martin Jol has backed Rafa Benitez to beat the Chelsea hate mob.


• Arsene Wenger says he doesn't know if he still has the backing of the majority of Arsenal fans.


• David Moyes will finally sit down with Everton chief Bill Kenwright in the New Year and talk about his contract.


• Arsenal have been told to forget about signing Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.


• Manchester United have stepped up their bid to land St Etienne defender Kurt Zouma.


• Newcastle are on the trail of Serbia Under-21 international Nemanja Gudeji.


• Andre Villas-Boas rates Jermain Defoe alongside Falcao as the best striker he has worked with.


• Anzhi Makhachkala boss Guus Hiddink is set to retire at the end of the season.

• Chelsea last night refused to say sorry to Mark Clattenburg.


• Southampton whizkid Luke Shaw has promised not to quit St Mary's to join one of the Premier League's giants.


• Andre Villas-Boas rates Jermain Defoe alongside £50million superstar Radamel Falcao.


• Sir Alex Ferguson will invite transfer target Kurt Zouma to Old Trafford in a bid to seal a £9million deal.


• Fulham and West Ham are set for a £5million January tussle over Benfica midfielder Nolito.


• Zenit St Petersburg want Andrey Arshavin for a cut-price £2million.

• Ruud van Nistelrooy has backed Robin van Persie to make Manchester United Premier League champions again.


• Andre Villas-Boas insists Jermain Defoe is not for sale after comparing the Spurs striker to Falcao.


• Everton boss David Moyes will wait until after the transfer window before pledging his future to the club.


• Southampton whizkid Luke Shaw - dubbed the new Gareth Bale - insists he is staying at St Mary's.

• Theo Walcott and Bacary Sagna have been omitted from Arsenal's official 2013 calendar, fuelling speculation they will become the next big-name players to leave the club.


• Scott Sinclair has been told he can leave Manchester City if he grows tired of a bit-part role.


• West Ham are poised to sign young Irish striker Sean Maguire.


• Newcastle are interested in NAC Breda midfielder NemanjaGudeji.


• Roger Espinoza is close to finalising a move from Sporting Kansas City to Wigan.


• Manchester United are on red alert after Dutch star Kevin Strootman set his sights on a move to the Premier League. The Red Devils have registered their interest in the £20m-rated PSV midfielder, who is also wanted by Real Madrid and AC Milan.


• Andre Villas-Boas has told new QPR manager Harry Redknapp to forget about signing Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.


• West Ham are poised to sign young Irish striker Sean Maguire after he impressed on trial.

• Harry Redknapp's return to management ended in a chorus of boos - not for him, but Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill.


• Frank Lampard wants to end his career in the USA - a decision that will spark a major scramble for his signature from MLS clubs.


• Ruud van Nistelrooy is backing Robin van Persie to win back the Premier League title for Manchester United.


• Chelsea are weighing up a bid to lure Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez to Stamford Bridge in January.


• Arsenal are involved in a tug of war with Inter Milan in a bid to bring Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby and Stuttgart player Zdravko Kuzmanovic to the Emirates.


• Christian Eriksen is being linked with a move to Tottenham in January after snubbing Ajax’s efforts to discuss a new contract.

• Rafael Benitez became the first Chelsea manager yesterday to question openly whether Fernando Torres would ever reproduce the form that he showed under him at Liverpool.


• Ramires remains adamant that he heard Mark Clattenburg make a racist comment despite Chelsea resolving their differences with the referee in a public statement yesterday.

• Harry Redknapp's first game as QPR manager will at least bring a measure of encouragement.


• Chelsea have expressed regret over their handling of aspects of the complaint of abuse lodged against Mark Clattenburg, with all parties involved now seeking to draw a line under the controversy ahead of the official's return to top-flight refereeing tonight.

• The Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck was left in no doubt as to the feelings of the Premier League's 16 Select Group referees over the Mark Clattenburg affair in a meeting with them on Monday that prompted yesterday's statement of "regret'' from the club.


• Rafael Benitez, the interim Chelsea manager, has said that Fernando Torres may never be the same player he was at Liverpool, though will change his training regime to try to restore the striker's pace.

• Harry Redknapp began his mission to rescue bottom-placed QPR with a well-deserved point and a team performance brimming with graft, if little craft, on a wet Wearside last night.


• Darren Bent suffered another humiliating snub but just when Aston Villa's players threatened to further ridicule his continued omission, Christian Benteke spared his manager from a more severe inquest.


• Liverpool are hopeful the managerial chaos at Chelsea will not impact on their efforts to sign Daniel Sturridge in January.


• Sinclair is facing an uncertain future at Man City with the club identifying Malaga attacking midfielder Isco as a leading summer target.

• Chelsea are said to be ready to test Feyenoord's resolve in January by lodging a £5million bid for their contract rebel captain Stefan de Vrij.