Arsenal

Hobbs eyes new top-flight switch
Lincoln City have insisted teenager Jack Hobbs' transfer to Arsenal could still go ahead. The FA Cup holders have reportedly asked for a change to the compensation package for the 16-year-old, which has upset the Lincoln board. But Lincoln director Keith Rowe, who is overseeing the deal, has told BBC Radio Lincolnshire the club's board will review the transfer later this week. It is understood both Spurs and Bolton are also keen to sign Hobbs.

Celtic lead chase for Aliadiere
Celtic want to sign Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere, 22, on a season-long loan and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has given the move the green light. "It is a possibility. There are other clubs interested in him but it's fair to say Celtic are the favourites," said Wenger in the Daily Record newspaper. "I would be happy for him to go to Celtic. He would have the chance of getting experience in Europe. "I've spoken with Gordon Strachan but it's up to the player." Wenger, who expects the striker to decide on his future within a week, signed Aliadiere in 1999. Blackburn, Manchester City, West Ham, Lyon and Lille were also hoping to bring him in for a season, but it is Celtic who lead the chase. And while the club have refused to comment, chief executive Peter Lawwell is reportedly confident he can push through a deal. Aliadiere has made just a handful of starts in his time at Arsenal and has had to contend with a number of injuries, most notably a knee ligament injury that ruled him out for most of last season.

Robinho's Real transfer in danger
Robinho's much-anticipated move to Real Madrid is in danger of collapsing and Arsenal could be the team to profit. There are reports in the Spanish media the Gunners have made a £14m offer for the highly-rated Santos striker, 21. "He is a player very much in demand and his price has gone up in recent weeks," said Juan Figer, the Brazilian's agent. "It's true that Arsenal are interested, but it's not a question of it being a race. The fact is that Real Madrid have an advantage." Robinho's transfer from Santos to the Bernabeu appeared to be close to being finalised last week with the move set to be confirmed after he had fulfilled his commitments with Brazil at the Confederations Cup. However, Figer, who owns 40% of Robinho's rights, has warned that Santos, who own the remaining 60%, could hold out for more than the £11.3m Real Madrid offered. "At the time I said Madrid should have closed the deal and not just assured themselves an option on the player and now it is going to cost them a lot more time and effort to sign him. "Although they only have 60% of his rights, Santos are calm. He has a buy-out clause of $50m (£27m) and a contract until the end of June 2008. "There is an agreement between Real Madrid and Robinho, but he has a contract with Santos and he has become a state matter in Brazil. "He is the best player in the Brazilian league and nobody wants to see him leave the country, not even the president."

Juve set sights on Gunner Vieira
Juventus have admitted that they want to sign Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira. The Italian champions have rejected a £30m approach from Chelsea for striker David Trezeguet, 27, and are instead intent on strengthening their squad. To that end, Juve managing director Luciano Moggi has identified Vieira, 29, as a potential summer target. "What we want is a midfield partner for Emerson - and our wish is to buy Vieira if Arsenal are willing to sell," Moggi is quoted as saying in The Sun. "Obviously, they will not let him go cheaply as he is a magnificent, winning midfielder but if Arsenal are willing to do business, we'd buy him tomorrow." Chelsea turned to Trezeguet - Juve's third-choice frontman behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Del Piero - after failing to lure Samuel Eto'o or Andrei Shevchenko from Barcelona and AC Milan respectively. Blues boss Jose Mourinho continued his search after both Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman failed to impress last season, despite Chelsea's Premiership title triumph. But Moggi dismissed the approach out of hand. "They made a formal offer for Trezeguet but none of our 'champion' players is for sale," he said. As Juventus claimed they had rejected an approach from Chelsea for Trezeguet, Mourinho was admitting it was becoming more difficult to sign top stars, even with Roman Abramovich's financial firepower. He told Portuguese children's programme Morangos com Acucar (Strawberries with Sugar): "It is very difficult for Chelsea to sign players because the team is already good and great clubs want to keep their best players. "In the last three years, I said I was going to win the league and I didn't miss and probably there are a lot of people who are waiting for that moment. But I suspect I will win it again next year."

Arsenal keeper Taylor joins Villa
Aston Villa boss David O'Leary has signed Arsenal goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, 24, on a four-year deal. The ex-England Under-21 international - O'Leary's third summer signing - says he is desperate to push Thomas Sorensen for the number one spot. Taylor said: "This is all about career progression. It was no good for me to stay at Arsenal. "Thomas is a great goalkeeper. But it's up to me to push him all the way," he told Villa's website. "This is a new start. I enjoyeed my time at Arsenal but it's time to move on." Taylor made 30 senior appearances for the Gunners but has fallen down the pecking order at Highbury and was third choice behind Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almnunia. The Romford-born keeper has had loan spells with Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace, Peterborough and spent time with Leicester last season. O'Leary has already signed midfielder Patrick Berger from Portsmouth and Newcastle defender Aaron Hughes.

Rape claim Arsenal star released
Arsenal star Robin van Persie has been released from custody in Holland, two weeks after being arrested over allegations of rape. The 21-year-old married striker had been in a Rotterdam jail since a woman claimed he attacked her on 13 June. Prosecutors said Van Persie had been released on Monday afternoon and was free to return to England. The spokeswoman said he remained a suspect, but it was no longer necessary to hold him. Van Persie had been visiting Holland with the Dutch squad for the World Cup qualifiers. The player moved to the north London club from Dutch side Feyenoord for £2.75m last summer.

Karbassiyoon seals Burnley move
Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has made former Arsenal full-back Danny Karbassiyoon his fifth summer signing. The 20-year-old American-born defender has agreed a two-year deal at Turf Moor after being released by the Gunners at the end of last season. Karbassiyoon played three League Cup games for Arsenal last season. "I'm really excited to be at Burnley. There was interest from other clubs but I weighed all my options up and wanted to come here," he said. "In order to advance my career I have to get out and start playing football and that's what I hope to do here." Karbassiyoon, who was on loan at Ipswich last term, is likely to challenge for the left-back role vacated by Mo Camara's move to Celtic.

Madrid dismiss Owen exit rumours
Real Madrid have moved to end rumours about the future of Michael Owen by insisting the striker is not for sale. The 25-year-old, who has had limited Bernabeu starts, has been linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. But Real director of football Arrigo Sacchi told the Daily Star: "Owen is not for sale because he is part of our coach Wanderley Luxemburgo's plans. "Some things written about who is coming to and leaving Real are almost as incredible as science fiction." Sacchi said that Owen remained content in Madrid. "Owen has not told us he is unhappy or that he wants to leave and that is what really matters to us, not what stories appear in the press. "He has signed a contract and he is a very professional player. "Since I have been at Madrid I have never heard him complain - not even when he was not in the first team and, like all players, wanted to play more minutes." And Sacchi denied that Chelsea had been pursuing Owen or any of their players. "Chelsea have not been in touch with us to make an offer for him, or in recent times for any of our players."

Robinho admits Spanish preference
Brazil striker Robinho has angered current club Santos by revealing that he wants to move to Real Madrid. The 21-year-old, also a transfer target of Arsenal, admitted his preference for the Spanish side after Brazil's 4-1 Confederations Cup win over Argentina. "I hope to play for Real. I have spoken to them - it will be good for my career to go now," he told Brazilian TV. Santos president Marcelo Teixeira reacted angrily by slapping a £28m price tag on his star player. Robinho, whose contract runs until 2008, has been the subject of constant speculation over a possible move, but has usually ducked questions over his future. But he said he he would return to Brazil to try to persuade Teixeira to allow him to leave. "It'll be good for the safety of my family as well," said Robinho, whose mother was kidnapped and held captive for 40 days last year before being released. "Spain is an ideal country for Brazilian players and I know Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo very well. But Teixeira said he was fed up with the constant speculation and accused the Spanish giants of jumping the gun. "It's a lack of respect for Santos," he said. "They might have economic and financial power but it doesn't mean that they can do what they want, when they what." "There is no situation which is favourable to any negotiation with Real Madrid unless it involves the penalty clause. "He grew up and became valuable at Santos and we need him to stay. It's still not the moment for him to go."

Edu takes parting shot at Wenger
Former Arsenal midfielder Edu has taken a swipe at Gunners boss Arsene Wenger after completing his move to Valencia. "I had an odd season with Arsenal," the 27-year-old Brazilian said. "As I had played in the Copa America I arrived two months later, then I got injured and then came the possibility to join Valencia in the winter. "My situation was a bit bad because Arsene Wenger put a lot of pressure on me, and kept me out a little because I did not want to sign a new contract." But speaking at his presentation to the media by the Spanish club, he added: "When you play for a great team there will always be competition. "I am here to battle and I will do everything possible to always play."

Aliadiere signs on at Celtic Park
French striker Jeremie Aliadiere has completed a one-year loan move to Celtic from Arsenal. The 22-year-old arrived in Glasgow on Thursday afternoon to become Gordon Strachan's second signing. "My ambition is to score a lot of goals and play in the Champions League. I knew straight away this would be the best opportunity for me," he said. "It is a big club with big ambitions. To play in front of 60,000 people is really exciting and that was a factor." Strachan insisted he would be delighted if Aliadiere went back to London having made himself a crowd favourite at Parkhead in the same way Craig Bellamy did. "If the fans are screaming for him to stay and he has scored lots of goals I would love it," said Strachan. "I'm not disappointed I have got him for just a year. It makes me happy because it is a bonus. It just was not possible to have him for longer. A lot of people in England would have liked him for a year so I can't be too greedy. "When I spoke to Arsene Wenger he told me, 'He has got a future here, we just want him to prepare for that future with you'. "At the moment probably the world's top striker (Thierry Henry) is keeping him out of the team and Bergkamp has been a genius for the last 10 years. So it has been hard for him. "He needs now to play first team games. He is at an age now where reserve team football is no good to him. He needs to find out how good he can be." Aliadiere has made just a handful of starts in his time at Arsenal and has had to contend with a number of injuries, most notably a knee ligament injury that ruled him out for most of last season. He joins defender Mo Camara at the club. Maciej Zurawski is also expected to sign at the beginning of next week, while Strachan is still hopeful of bringing Bellamy back to the club. Striker Craig Beattie has also penned a new three-year deal with the club. A statement on Arsenal's website said: "The 22-year-old striker will be with the SPL club for the entire campaign in order to gain invaluable experience. "But he remains part of Arsene Wenger's plans and, at the same time as announcing his loan move, signed a new long-term extension to his contract with Arsenal."

Owusu-Abeyie signs Arsenal deal
Arsenal teenager Quincy Owusu-Abeyie has signed a new long-term contract to stay with the Premiership outfit. Owusu-Abeyie, 19, broke into their first-team squad last season and made an immediate impact with a goal in the Carling Cup win over Everton. The Dutchman has recently been representing his country in the World Youth Championship. Meanwhile, Arsenal youngsters Matthew Connolly, 17 and Kerrea Gilbert, 18, have both signed as professionals.

Gunners tempt Reyes with new deal
Arsenal are set to offer Spanish striker Jose Antonio Reyes a contract to keep him at the Gunners until 2010, according to the player's agent. Jesus Rodriguez de Moya dismissed speculation linking Reyes, 21, with a move back to Spain with Real Madrid. Moya told the Daily Star: "Despite everything that has been said Arsenal are happy with Jose and have shown it with this offer. "We've not talked about Real because we've never received an offer." Reyes has proved a big hit at Highbury since his £10.5m capture from Seville in January 2004. Speculation surrounding a return to Spain reached a height last February when he was caught out by a hoax telephone call from a Spanish radio station. Reyes admitted to somebody impersonating Real Madrid director of football Emilio Butragueno that he wanted to play for Real. Moya added: "Reyes will have the final word, but he is happy in London now."

Henry says he will not join Barca
Thierry Henry insists he will not leave Arsenal to join Barcelona. The 27-year-old has been touted as a top target for the La Liga champions as coach Frank Rijkaard strengthens his squad for next season. But Henry intends to stay and said: "I have no intention of going anywhere. I'm very happy at Arsenal. It's the family spirit that matters. "I heard that Spanish clubs are ready to pay out to secure my transfer but that's not part of my plans." Henry needs five more goals to equal Ian Wright's all-time Arsenal record of 185 goals, and has already set his sights on reclaiming the title in the club's last season at Highbury. He said: "We did not go backwards last season but getting the title back will be very difficult." And Arsenal have insisted they have no intention of selling the star.

Reading sign Stack in loan deal
Reading have signed Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack, 23, on loan - with a view to a permanent move in January. The permanent switch is subject to the outcome of a court case in September. He has made five senior appearances for the Gunners, but spent last season on loan at Millwall and has also been loaned out to Belgian club Beveren. "With Jamie Young out on loan, it was imperative we signed another goalkeeper," director of football Nick Hammond told Reading's website. "Graham is an excellent young keeper and I am very pleased that we have held off a number of clubs to bring him to Madejski Stadium."

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