Bringing you the latest news, gossip and rumour from the last 24 hours.
News breaking in the last 24 hours is that Barcelona are ready to cut Ibrahim Afellay adrift and sell him to raise money for their own transfer targets. Arsenal and Tottenham are interested, and he presents a fascinating option for the Gunners, thanks to his friendship with Robin Van Persie. If Arsenal are serious about convincing Van Persie to stay, they could do worse than try to entice Afellay to the Emirates. The Express report that Afellay could be available for £6 million, which if true, should be described as a 'no-brainer'.
Liverpool's pursuit of their transfer targets is hopping up, and Sky Sports had a late update of Fabio Borini last night. The Italian striker's agent declared he is 'seriously considering' an offer from Anfield, and we expect a decision to come to a head on this one by the end of the week. The youngster scored nine times for Roma last season and made the Euro 2012 squad, and at 21 is a great talent for the future, with English football experience with Swansea, and his Chelsea youth team days.
The future of Nathaniel Clyne is the subject of debate today, with The Sun reporting the right-back is set to quit the club. The 21-year-old is interesting the trio of Manchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham. Chairman of Crystal Palace Steve Parish said that he wants clubs to put their offers in, and is working on a sale, admitting defeat in keeping the defender at Selhurst Park. He is out of contract, but Palace are entitled to fee to be decided by a tribunal, but Palace could settle with a fee outside of that if they can agree one. The England under-21 right-back has been the subject of speculation since January and it is looking increasingly as though he will play Premier League football next season.
Steven N'Zonzi is another who is set to quit his Championship club, and wants out of Blackburn sharp-ish. He has not been involved with Rovers' pre-season training, and The Metro report Arsenal are considering him as a cheaper option than Yann M'Vila. The paper adds Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa are also in the hunt for his signature. His contract lasts until 2015 and Rovers want around £5 million, and appear to have accepted they won't convince the 23-year-old central midfielder to stay.
The Guardian report that Rafael van der Vaart is not part of Andre Villas-Boas plans at Tottenham Hotspur and that he could be frozen out. The Dutch playmaker has been linked with a move to Germany, but the paper report Schalke have pulled out of the running. Former club Hamburg are frontrunners for his signature, say the paper, who elaborate that the 29-year-old does not fit tactical plans envisioned by Tottenham's new boss, with Gylfi Sigurdsson preferred for his willingness to track back.
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Dan Coombs
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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.
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