Primera - Villa to show respect to Valencia

Barcelona striker David Villa insists he will not celebrate if he scores against former side Valencia later this month as a mark of respect for the club he feels have made him the player he is today.

Barca host Valencia in the first game back when La Liga resumes after the international break and it promises to be an enthralling encounter at the Nou Camp.

Two-time reigning Spanish champions Barca are currently fourth in the standings while Valencia, despite seeing World Cup winners Villa, David Silva and Carlos Marchena leave this summer, are top of the pile with 16 points from a possible 18.

Advertisement

Primera - Mourinho rules out Bale deal

Jose Mourinho has effectively ruled out attempting to sign Gareth Bale by publicly stating his faith in Real Madrid left-back Marcelo.

Bale was reported to be a possible target for Mourinho, who was repeatedly linked with a move for the Tottenham Hotspur star during his time at Inter Milan last season.

Mourinho also spoke of his admiration for Chelsea Ashley Cole after arriving at the Bernabeu over the summer, but he appears to have been won over by Marcelo and is now content to have the Brazilian operating on the left side.

Serie A - Juve still keen on Dzeko

Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has revealed the club are still keen on signing Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko.

Dzeko, under contract until 2013, was eager to secure a move to Juve during the summer and claimed his club had "broken promises" by denying him the chance to leave.

Juve eventually made winger Milos Krasic their sole permitted non-EU signing for the transfer window, but Marotta is keen to see the deal completed in the future.

Serie A - Juve deny Buffon rumours

Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has dismissed reports Manchester United are working on a deal to sign Gianluigi Buffon.

United are currently in the process of identifying a successor to Edwin van der Sar, who turns 40 this month, and have recently spent time scouting Atletico Madrid youngster David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard of Aalesunds.

Reports have suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson may have made a move for Italy goalkeeper Buffon, 32, but Marotta insists no talks have taken place over a deal.

Buffon will be out of action for the rest of the year after suffering a back problem during the World Cup.

EPL - Bendtner to return

Nicklas Bendtner has insisted he is firing on all cylinders as he targets a comeback for Arsenal in a fortnight's time.

Bendtner has not featured for the Gunners since aggravating a groin complaint when representing Denmark during the World Cup finals in South Africa in the summer.

Arsenal's medical team were initially fearful that the forward would not play again this year, but Bendtner has responded well to treatment and has been training freely for a couple of weeks.

He says he is now pain-free and has set his sights on the Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on October 19 for his return.

Advertisement

EPL - Vieira hints at retirement date

Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira has hinted that he could retire from professional football as early as the end of the 2010-11 season.

Vieira, 34, has enjoyed a 17-year playing career since making his debut with Cannes in 1993. He has won numerous trophies during spells with Arsenal and Inter Milan, though his league title with Juventus in the 2005-06 season was rescinded due to the calciopoli scandal.

However, the midfielder's playing time at Manchester City is somewhat limited and he has made only two appearances in the Premier League this season, including a four-minute cameo in the 2-1 victory over Newcastle on Sunday.

The former France international, who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000, now admits he is nearing the end of his professional career.

EPL - Mannone considering loan move

Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone is ready to go out on loan to gain first-team football after being frozen out at Emirates Stadium.

Mannone has not been given a chance to prove himself this season despite the poor form of first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and his understudy Lukasz Fabianski's history of mistakes.

The Italy Under-21 international, who spent a month on loan with Championship side Barnsley in the 2006-07 season, made five Premier League appearances last term and also started three of the club's Champions League group games.

But this season Mannone has dropped to fourth in the pecking order, with Wojciech Szczesny taking the place on the bench with Almunia recently out due to injury.

EPL - Van Damme likely to return to Belgium

Wolves defender Jelle van Damme could leave the club in January to return to Belgium.

Van Damme, who previously had a spell in England with Southampton, has failed to settle in the Midlands and has told manager Mick McCarthy he would like to return home if the opportunity arises.

The defender has not played since coming on as a sub in the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on September 18.

EPL - Newcastle urge FA to take De Jong action

Newcastle United have demanded strong action to be taken against Manchester City's Nigel De Jong as punishment for his leg-breaking tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa.

The Magpies have released a statement confirming they have written a strongly-worded letter to the Football Association asking for "the appropriate action" to be taken against De Jong for leaving Ben Arfa with a double break of his left leg. The incident went unpunished, even as a foul, by referee Martin Atkinson.

Ben Arfa now faces months on the sidelines after making a fine start to his Newcastle career and Toon boss Chris Hughton was unusually strident in his criticism of the Dutch midfielder, who has been gaining a notorious reputation in 2010. Previously, he achieved infamy for a March tackle on Bolton's Stuart Holden that left the American with a broken leg, and also for the chest-high kick on Xabi Alonso that caused worldwide disquiet when delivered in the World Cup final.

The latter incident saw match referee Howard Webb admit that he should have sent off De Jong but feared ruining the showpiece while Sunday's tackle on Ben Arfa has led to Netherlands coach Bert Van Marwijk dropping the City player from his squad ahead of a pair of Euro 2012 qualifiers. Van Marwijk explained the exclusion by saying that De Jong had clearly not responded to repeated warnings about the forcefulness of his tackling.

Advertisement

EPL - Chelsea star Alex out for three weeks

Chelsea defender Alex will be unavailable for up to three weeks due to a thigh injury sustained in Sunday's 2-0 win over Arsenal.

The Brazilian hobbled off in the closing stages at Stamford Bridge after his stunning free-kick had given his side an unassailable lead against their London rivals.

Alex will now miss his country's international friendless against Iran on Thursday and Ukraine on Monday, and Chelsea expect to be without his services for the Premier League tie against Aston Villa and Champions League fixture with Spartak Moscow following the international break.

News of Alex's injury is a setback for Chelsea as his defensive partner John Terry has also been suffering from fitness concerns in recent months.

Terry missed England's opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers due to a hamstring problem and although he has recovered from that injury, the former international captain says he is now suffering from bruised ribs ahead of his country's game against Montenegro on Tuesday.

Primera - Pedro sidelined for three weeks

Barcelona winger Pedro is set to be sidelined for around three weeks with a muscle injury, the Catalan club have confirmed.

Pedro was replaced late on in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca after damaging a muscle in his left leg and tests this morning have revealed the extent of the problem.

The estimated three-week lay-off would mean the World Cup winner will miss Spain's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania and Scotland, and, depending on how his recovery goes, Barca's league games against Valencia and Real Zaragoza as well as their Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen.

Primera - Forlan open to departure

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan has revealed he would relish the chance to return to the Premier League.

Forlan, 31, first moved to Europe with Manchester United in 2002 but, despite becoming a favourite among the club's fans, he scored just ten goals in 63 appearances and left for Villarreal in 2004.

He has since become one of the most prolific strikers in La Liga, winning Spain's top scorer trophy in 2004-05 and 2008-09, and has now said he would be delighted to be given a second chance in England.

Despite reports of interest from Tottenham and United over the summer, though, Forlan denied that an offer has already come in and stressed that he remains contracted to Atletico.

Advertisement

EPL - Pires training with Arsenal

Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires has been training with the club again after he was released by Spanish side Villarreal in the summer.

Pires, 36, has been mulling over offers from America, China and Turkey among others, and has been back in London to get back to full fitness while he makes up his mind over his future. The move mirrors that of Sol Campbell, who returned to train with Arsenal before earning himself a short-term contract, but manager Arsene Wenger has tipped him for a transfer back to France.

Pires moved to the Gunners from Marseille in 2000 for a fee of £6 million and became one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League, winning two Premier League titles during his six years in London.

EPL - Man Utd eye Lindegaard

Manchester United look set to launch a January bid to sign Aalesunds goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard after Eric Steele, the Premier League club's goalkeeping coach, flew to Norway to scout the player for a fifth time.

United have been following Lindegaard for several months as they hunt for a successor to Edwin van der Sar. The Dutchman, who joined United from Fulham in 2005, turns 40 in October and is expected to announce his retirement at the end of the season.

Last weekend, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson flew to Valencia to cast his eye over another candidate, David de Gea, the Spain Under-21 goalkeeper, but switched his attention back to Lindegaard and dispatched Steele to watch the Denmark international during Aalesunds' 2-1 defeat at Stabaeck on Sunday.

Lindegaard, 26, originally moved to Aalesunds on loan after struggling to make his mark at Danish club Odense, but impressed so much that they signed him on a three-year deal. He made his international debut in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Iceland last month and has been attracting a lot of attention since claiming a regular first-team place at the Colour Line Stadion.

United sold England goalkeeper Ben Foster to Birmingham City in the summer and only have Tomasz Kuszczak as an experienced alternative to Van der Sar.

Serie A - Abbiati out for three weeks

AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati has been ruled out for up to three weeks with a groin problem.

Abbiati, 33, sustained the injury during Saturday night's 1-0 win at Parma and will miss the majority of October's matches.

The former Italy international will sit out the glamour Champions League trip to Real Madrid on October 19 and the Serie A clash with Chievo three days beforehand. Marco Amelia, who joined Milan on loan from Genoa this summer, will deputise.

Advertisement

Primera - Valencia debt down to €400m

Valencia have reduced their debt by €150 million after selling three of the club's star players.

Club president Manuel Llorente says the debt stood at €550 million last summer and, following the sales of David Villa, David Silva and Carlos Marchena, it has now come down to around €400 million.

Llorente recently said Valencia, currently top of La Liga, would not be looking to sell any more players to bring the debt down further.

Valencia have invested €150 million in the construction of a new 75,000-capacity stadium, but the debt has stalled progress. Llorente recently said that he would be open to the prospect of a ground share if another club was willing to co-fund the project.

Primera - Diarra hints at Real departure

Lassana Diarra has hinted that he could leave Real Madrid if he is not given more playing time by coach Jose Mourinho.

Diarra, 25, has started only three of Real's games this season and is growing frustrated on the sidelines after spells at Arsenal and Portsmouth. He has been linked with a move to Manchester United in January and would follow in the footsteps of George Graham in the 60s and 70s who played for Arsenal, Chelsea and United if he did choose to move to Old Trafford.

The defensive midfielder has long been compared to France legend Claude Makelele since signing for Chelsea in 2005, but has failed to settle at his clubs and now looks to be keen to move on again.

EPL - Jovanovic dismisses quit reports

Liverpool forward Milan Jovanovic has dismissed reports that he is unsettled at the club and had threatened to leave in January.

Last week it was claimed the Serbia international, whose free transfer from Standard Liege was secured by Rafael Benitez before he left in the summer, was unhappy at Anfield after seeing his first-team chances dwindle already. However, the 29-year-old insisted nothing could be further from the truth.

Advertisement

Serie A - Muntari set for Inter exit

Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari looks set to quit the Serie A club following a bust-up with manager Rafael Benitez.

Muntari was so furious about being omitted from the squad for Sunday's Derby d'Italia against Juventus that rather than watch the match from the stands he stormed out of the San Siro and went home.

Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport report Muntari will hold showdown talks with Benitez later this week and will be fined for his petulant reaction.

Benitez offered Muntari as part of a deal for Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt when he initially took over at the Nerazzurri in the summer and doesn't appear to be a fan of the 25-year-old Ghanaian international.

EPL - Schwarzer won't rule out January move

Mark Schwarzer has reignited the possibility of a move to Arsenal by saying he will consider any offers that are put to Fulham in January.

Schwarzer, 37, was the subject of interest from Arsene Wenger over the summer and even handed in a transfer request at Craven Cottage in an effort to secure a move to Emirates Stadium.

Fulham were unwilling to sell their No. 1, meaning Schwarzer was forced to remain with Mark Hughes' side. However, the Australian believes the situation could be reassessed in January.