Contrary to recent rumours linking him with a move away from the club, Pedro is reportedly happy at Chelsea.

David Woods of the Daily Star reported on Thursday the Spaniard is seeking to leave the club in January, but according to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague he is not only happy to remain at Stamford Bridge but can’t move to another club having played for Barcelona and Chelsea already this season:

The 28-year-old has struggled to make an impact with the Blues since arriving in the summer, accruing just three goals and as many assists in all competitions.

However, the winger remains an excellent and experienced player from his time with Barca and Spain’s national side, so Chelsea should be aiming to keep him for some time to come.

After all, though he’s had a difficult five months, he’s hardly come into an ideal situation.

Even for experienced players, moving to another club, league and country can prove challenging—particularly when they’ve previously been a one-club man—and with the team struggling and a negative atmosphere surrounding, he’s not arrived in an environment conducive to helping him hit the ground running.

News that he wants to stay is encouraging, and the Blues should be prepared to keep him at least one season to show his true colours.

Chelsea have also been linked with Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour. According to Ignacio Lujan of Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t Metro‘s Mark Brus) the centre-back has struggled with Los Che since arriving from Monaco in the summer and could be available to the Blues for £19.7 million.

Per football writer David Cartlidge, the Tunisian has recently been dropped by Valencia boss Gary Neville and could be on his way out of the club already:

Though Chelsea certainly need to make strides to shore up their defence—they have already conceded more this season than they did in the entirety of the last—the 26-year-old may not be the answer.

At the price reported and with serious question marks over his ability on the pitch and attitude off it, Abdennour represents a serious gamble and a potentially volatile element that should not be thrown into the mixing pot at Stamford Bridge.

The Blue may also find stiff competition for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain star Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is out of contract in the summer and attracting widespread interest.

Per Sky in Italy (h/t Sky Sports), Chelsea are among the interested parties. However, according to Lorenzo Bettoni of Calciomercato, the Argentinian is keen on a return to Italy with AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus pursuing him.

Per the report his agent Alejandro Mazzoni told Italian journalists:

I’d like to know his future too. We are working on it but he has six months left on his contract with PSG and he won’t definitely leave his club in the current transfer window.

He could join Inter, because he likes Italian football and the club is interested in signing him, but there are only a few sides that can afford to pay his wages.

He’s not seeking to sign with specific club and he’ll consider Inter’s offer. Milan and Juve have also set sights on him. When a player is available for free in the summer, everyone wants to know more about him.

I speak a lot with Piero Ausilio [Inter’s Sporting Director] as we’re close friends.

Lavezzi is a reliable performer and hard-working winger who could make a useful addition to any side, particularly on a free transfer.

However, perhaps because of his poor record of contributing goals—he has scored just twice and assisted once this season—football writer Scott Nicholls is unimpressed with Chelsea’s reported interest:

Though he’s not a truly marquee player and he may not have a dramatic impact on the Blues’ squad, Chelsea could nevertheless do a lot worse than signing him for nothing.

According to the Daily Mail (h/t the Telegraph) midfield enforcer Nemanja Matic “is considering leaving” the club.

The Serbian was one of the most important players in Chelsea’s team last season, with his imposing physicality, excellent reading of the game and accomplished technique making him a perfect foil for the creative Cesc Fabregas in their double pivot in midfield.

However, Matic has been one of the club’s most under-performing players in this campaign. Football journalist Rafael Hernandez noted the contrast in performance:

As with Pedro, Matic has proven himself to be an excellent player, though, and he deserves the chance to build back his form and confidence.

If he’s given time and still can’t return to the form he once showed then moving him on is a good decision, but there’s no reason he can’t do so if allowed the opportunity.

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After the two faced off on the touchline during the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia on Tuesday, Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini accused his counterpart at Napoli, Maurizio Sarri, of hurling various slurs at him.

Mancini made the accusations during an interview with Italian broadcaster Rai TV (via Marcus Christenson of the Guardian—warning: link contains strong language):    

The confrontation on the touchline? You have to ask Sarri about that, he is a racist. People like him does not belong in football. He used racist words. I stood up to ask about the five minutes being added on and Sarri shouted ‘p–f’ and ‘f—-t’ at me. I would be proud to be that if he is what’s considered a man. People like him should not be in football. He is 60 years old. The fourth official heard but didn’t say anything. He came to see me in the changing room to apologise but he should really be ashamed of himself.

Sarri neither confirmed nor denied the allegations, per Rai Sport (via Italian football journalist Adam Digby):

Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina came to his manager’s defense.

“I don’t know precisely what the coach said, but when you are annoyed you say many things,” Reina said to Rai Sport (via Football Italia). “If he was wrong, he’ll be the first to admit that. Obviously these are things that should remain on the pitch. Many times people say things they don’t really believe.”

It’s no secret world football has a history with acts of racism and homophobia, particularly by supporters inside the stadium. The sport’s governing bodies can’t possibly eradicate what are societal issues, but they can deliver stiff punishments to those found guilty of committing the act(s).

Should the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) investigate Mancini’s claims and find Sarri did use homophobic slurs, then the Napoli manager deserves to be suspended.

Chalking up the transgression to a heat-of-the-moment mistake isn’t an excuse, and standing on the touchline of a football pitch doesn’t give a manager carte blanche to use offensive words or phrases.

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Manchester United are reportedly preparing a significant bid for Edinson Cavani in an attempt to prise the unhappy striker away from Paris Saint-Germain.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere Dello Sport (via Metro‘s Jamie Sanderson), United are set to make a “huge offer” for the Uruguayan as they look to see off interest from elsewhere.

Sport Witness provided some more specifics of the report, indicating that the Italian outlet quoted Cavani’s value at between €30 million (£22.9 million) and €40 million (£30.6 million), and that Juventus and Inter Milan are the interested clubs from Serie A:

Cavani has long been rumoured to be unhappy at PSG, where he is consistently in the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and is often forced to play on the left flank, rather than in his preferred centre-forward role.

He is still an efficient operator in front of goal, though, and he has netted 10 times in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this season, per WhoScored.com.

At United he could undoubtedly link up well with Wayne Rooney, while his arrival would take the pressure off Anthony Martial, the 20-year-old having been burdened with far too much responsibility in his first Premier League season due to a lack of alternative options.

However, Cavani is no spring chicken—in footballing terms—as he is set to turn 29 years old next month and likely has only a couple of years left at his peak.

Shelling out more than £20 million for him could prove to be bad business from United, but there would be definite benefits to adding more experience to the Red Devils front line.

He would surely also be a better proven strike addition than rumoured United target Yoshinori Muto, the Mainz striker whom Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones recently suggested would be a risky buy for the Red Devils:

Meanwhile, Martin Lipton in the Sun reported that Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel could be brought into Manchester United if David de Gea leaves the club for Real Madrid. 

According to the report, Los Blancos want to sign goalkeeper De Gea in the current transfer window before they are slapped with their registration ban, and United assistant manager Ryan Giggs sees Schmeichel as a possible successor.

The Welshman played with Schmeichel’s father, Peter, early in his career, but it is not necessarily just a nostalgic link.

The 29-year-old shot-stopper has been one of high-flying Leicester’s standout players this season, and he has established himself among the Premier League’s best, per the Times‘ Henry Winter:

However, it seems highly unlikely that United will be signing Schmeichel any time soon, not least because the chances of De Gea, 25, moving to Real in the current window are very slim, per Jeremy Cross in the Daily Star.

As one of the world’s best ‘keepers, De Gea will remain the No. 1 at United as long as he is fit and available, and the Red Devils do not need another backup stopper.

One player who could be on his way out of Old Trafford imminently, though, is Marouane Fellaini, who is reportedly a key target for AC Milan, with United asking for £19 million for the Belgian, per Italian source Calciomercato (via talkSPORT).

The towering midfielder was brought to Manchester by David Moyes for £27.5 million in 2013, but he has never really fit in at the club.

He is often used by Louis van Gaal as a utility player, but he is hardly a first-team regular and would not be hugely missed at Old Trafford—although their midfield depth would be affected.

However, United are clearly not eager to let him go on the cheap and Milan will have to shell out a decent chunk of cash to sign him up.

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Nemanja Vidic was officially released by Inter Milan on Monday, bringing the veteran centre-back’s tenure with the Nerazzurri to an unceremonious end.   

Per Football Italia, the club released a statement to clarify the decision was one of mutual consent.

Vidic joined Inter in 2014 after a lengthy and successful career with Manchester United, but he failed to replicate his form in Serie A. He had yet to appear in a match this season after undergoing hip surgery.

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Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse meet for the second time in three days when the pair face each other in the Coupe de France round of 32 at Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

With a Coupe de la Ligue semi-final to come, this encounter is the second of three between the two clubs in the space of just 11 days.

Date: Tuesday, January 19

Time: 9:00 p.m. CET (8:00 p.m. GMT/3:00 p.m. EST)

Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris

TV Info: Eurosport (France) and beIN Sports/beIN Sports Ñ (USA)

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect

Preamble

PSG and Toulouse met as recently last Saturday in Ligue 1, but they will face each other on the pitch again on Tuesday—this time in the Coupe de France.

The Ligue 1 leaders won 1-0 at Stadium Municipal last weekend, but Dominique Arribage’s men gave Les Parisiens’ heavily rotated side a stern test.

Laurent Blanc’s team will be expected to advance to the round of 16, but with Le President likely to field a weakened starting XI, Le Tefece will fancy their chances of springing a surprise in Paris.

PSG are the current holders of the Coupe de France, but Blanc has made it clear that the competition will not be a major priority for his players this season.

With this in mind, TFC may well be targeting this meeting as the most winnable out of the pair’s January trilogy.

Form Lines (all competitions)

PSG

W 0-1 vs. Inter Milan (Friendly)

W 0-1 vs. ES Wasquehal (Coupe de France)

W 2-0 vs. SC Bastia (Ligue 1)

W 2-1 vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Coupe de la Ligue)

W 0-1 vs. Toulouse (Ligue 1)

Toulouse

D 1-1 vs. Lille OSC (Ligue 1)

W 0-5 vs. Entente Sannois Saint-Gratien (Coupe de France)

W 1-3 vs. Stade de Reims (Ligue 1)

W 2-1 (AET) vs. Olympique de Marseille (Coupe de la Ligue)

L 0-1 vs. PSG (Ligue 1)

Predicted Formations

PSG (4-3-3): Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Aurier, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Stambouli, Verratti, Rabiot; Lavezzi, Ibrahimovic (c), Cavani.

Toulouse (4-4-2): Lafont; Tisserand, Spajic, Diop, Matheus; Doumbia, Somalia, Akpa-Akpro (c), Trejo; Braithwaite, Ben Yedder.

Player to Watch Per Side

PSG got a good look at Toulouse’s danger man, Wissam Ben Yedder, when the pair met last Saturday. The French champions may well have won at Stadium Municipal, but the 25-year-old caused them plenty of problems in defence.

The Frenchman has 10 goals from his last 10 appearances across all competitions, and he will be trying to keep his current hot streak of form going in the capital on Tuesday.

As for PSG, Edinson Cavani will be the hosts’ player to watch. After a number of poor performances and complaints about his attitude, the Uruguay international has been dropped by Blanc for the last few games and needs to prove a point.

El Matador started on the bench for the 1-0 win over Toulouse over the weekend, but he was introduced after 18 minutes because of Javier Pastore’s injury.

Cavani failed to impress—again—so badly needs a good performance in front of goal to get some of his critics, not to mention the PSG fans, off his back.

Key Battle

If Toulouse can replicate their performance from last Saturday at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, then the big question will be whether or not they can penetrate PSG’s defence.

With Thiago Silva expected to be back from injury—although only on the bench—Marquinhos rested after suffering a knock over the weekend and David Luiz struggling with discomfort in his back, young Presnel Kimpembe should start for the hosts.

It could be a huge chance for the 20-year-old to impress, but equally, Toulouse’s Ben Yedder and Martin Braithwaite will see it as a chance for them to exploit a weaker than usual PSG back line and secure a surprise win for Le Tefece.

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Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema left the pitch with an ankle injury during Los Blancos’ La Liga match against Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

Continue for updates.

Benzema Injury Caused by Madrid Team-Mate

Sunday, January 17

Benzema’s outing against Sporting Gijon came to a sudden end when he took an accidental kick to the ankle from team-mate James Rodriguez, per ESPN FC’s Dermot Corrigan.

He was able to walk around, but manager Zinedine Zidane made the decision to take him off the pitch and bring on Mateo Kovacic regardless, per the club’s official Twitter account.

The France international’s absence would be a blow to Los Blancos as they vie for the La Liga title with archrivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The forward is a regular contributor of goals, so Real will miss his clinical finishing, not to mention his creativity and ability to link up well with Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his stead, Zidane has few forward options and could turn to the relatively untested Jese to fill in for Benzema.

Alternatively, the Frenchman could opt to field another midfielder and push Ronaldo into a central striking role—though that was something Zidane’s predecessor, Rafael Benitez, tried out with mixed results.

Ronaldo might just have to put up with a temporary switch to centre-forward, though, as adding another midfielder would allow Zidane to make more use of £24.5 million summer signing Kovacic, who has largely been restricted to the bench since arriving from Inter Milan. 

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Alexandre Pato is reportedly on his way to join Chelsea in the Premier League, after being linked with a host of clubs from England in recent weeks.      

Brazilian publication Lance (h/t Tom Maston of Goal.com) claim the Stamford Bridge club are in talks with the Corinthians forward, with the player keen on a return to European club football.

Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur also believes the player will join the west London club:

According to Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Bruce Archer of the Daily Express), Liverpool were in pole position to land the Brazilian player. However, it now appears the champions have raced ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s outfit. Pato was on loan at Sao Paulo last term, and he dramatically improved his form during his stay at the club.

The 26-year-old hit 15 goals in all competitions for his loan club, according to WhoScored.com, and he appears ready for the step up to the Premier League in due course. 

Chelsea could also recruit a second forward with Pato, as the Blues consider Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi.

On Wednesday, the Argentinian international’s agent, Alessandro Moggi, told Italian outlet Sport Mediaset (h/t ESPN FC) that Inter Milan and the Blues were the two clubs interested in the player’s services.

Both players would be experienced options for interim manager Guus Hiddink, as he looks to rescue Chelsea’s ambitions of Champions League football next term.

However, the club are into the knockout round of Europe’s premier club tournament, and new signings in January will boost Chelsea’s charge in the competition.

Pato was lauded when he first arrived in Europe after signing for AC Milan in Italy, but at 26, he still has much to offer—with plenty of miles left on the clock. 

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Chelsea are reportedly preparing to offer €40 million to recruit AC Milan‘s Carlos Bacca in January, but the Rossoneri are unwilling to part with the striker in the wake of Luiz Adriano’s departure.

That’s according to an exclusive from Fede Albrizio of Calciomercato (translated by Edo Dalmonte), who notes the club have “no intention” of letting Bacca go and he will “remain a Milan player” until at least the end of the season, with Milan Channel (h/t Football Italia) confirming Adriano is heading to Chinese side Jiangsu Suning FC.

The 29-year-old has 10 goals and three assists to his name in all competitions this season, and he impressed last year with an outstanding campaign for Sevilla, per WhoScored.com:

As evidenced by his solid tally, Bacca has continued to show himself to be a potent frontman in Italian football, with football writer Adam Digby highlighting his importance to Milan:

Chelsea have little quality cover for Diego Costa at centre-forward—something that has hindered them this year with the Spain international spending much of the campaign severely out of form—so it’s understandable the Blues would target a clinical and skilful player such as Bacca.

After seeing such a key player in Adriano to leave, though, Milan aren’t overly likely to entertain offers for the Colombian, as allowing Bacca to follow suit would surely devastate what’s left of their season.

That said, with the club eighth in Serie A and highly unlikely to finish in a UEFA Champions League spot, it’s not inconceivable they could write off the current campaign, take a large offer such as the reported fee and rebuild in the summer.

Still, the Blues might have more luck in recruiting Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi.

According to an exclusive from Giulio Rondino of Calciomercato (translated by Edo Dalmonte), Inter Milan are “unlikely” to pursue him in January with PSG hoping for between €5 and €6 million to part with him now rather than allowing him to see out his final six months in the French capital.

On Wednesday, the Argentinian’s agent Alessandro Moggi told Sport Mediaset (h/t ESPN) that Inter and Chelsea were the two parties interested in Lavezzi, so with the Nerazzurri seemingly out of the race for now, the Blues could have a clear run at the winger.

Chelsea have less immediate need for a wide man than a striker as they already have the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro.

Lavezzi has completed just two games from his 22 appearances in all competitions this season—and scored twice—and would likely welcome a fresh start, though he might not get on the pitch that much more at Stamford Bridge.

Football writer Andrew Gibney recently wrote in a column for Unibet that the 30-year-old’s work rate, “drive, pace and intensity” would make him a useful signing for a Premier League side in January.

The winger is not a prolific contributor of goals but could certainly make a strong alternative to the Blues’ current crop of wide men—who, aside from Willian, have been largely poor this season—so it would be easy to see Chelsea bringing him in this winter or for free in the summer.  

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Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc admitted he discussed a “problem” with star striker Edinson Cavani amid rumours Arsenal are once again interested in signing the long-term transfer target.

As reported by French daily L’Equipe (h/t ESPN FC’s Mark Rodden), Cavani left for his winter break before PSG’s final match of 2015, a decision that did not sit well with a number of team-mates. Cavani was unable to play due to a calf injury, but several players wanted him to stay for the final match, per the report.

Blanc admitted to reporters there had been a meeting to discuss several issues with the squad, including the situation with the Uruguay international, although he tried to talk down the incident:

We have several meetings like that to talk about various problems. Not only problems, incidentally — things to improve, things to look at again, things to change.

So we did indeed talk about Cavani too but it wasn’t the main talking point of the meeting.

We discussed Cavani for a precise problem. It was in-house dealings like we discussed other times for other players.

Cavani is not a problem. There was a situation that had to be judged, that had to be discussed and that we had to have an exchange about. That’s all.

The 28-year-old has already scored 10 goals in 14 Ligue 1 starts this season, per WhoScored.com, but his future in the French capital remains unclear. Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport (h/t Independent‘s Tom Sheen) claims the Gunners have been given the “green light” to make a bid, with an asking price of £40 million expected.

This latest incident involving Cavani will do little to silence transfer speculation, which has existed ever since the player first joined PSG. A star striker with Napoli, he was forced to reinvent himself as a winger to play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Paris, and it inevitably led to questions.

In January 2014, it was already suggested he wanted to leave the club, per the Daily Mail (h/t ESPN FC), and similar versions of the same rumour have popped up in every single transfer window since.

The story is usually similar: Cavani doesn’t like playing second fiddle to Ibrahimovic and feels like he should be a main striker, not a winger. Per WhoScored, nearly half of his starts this season have been central, but Cavani wants more, as he doesn’t play his best football out wide.

As you can see in this video, he still looks pretty good no matter where he plays:

Cavani is a hot-and-cold type of player, who can look wildly impressive in two or three straight matches and miss the easiest of chances in the next. The lack of consistency may have something to do with his constant moving between winger and striker, but it won’t convince too many teams to spend some £40 million on him.

Bleacher Report UK’s Andrew Gibney noted the PSG fans aren’t always too keen on Cavani, either:

The Cavani situation remains one of the oddest in French football, as he always seems to be on the verge of leaving Paris, but never actually does. At a price of £40 million, it will be hard to find any takers, particularly a club like Arsenal, who have an established scorer in Olivier Giroud and don’t often throw around that kind of money.

More Jackson Martinez Rumours

Speaking of strikers who are seemingly always linked with Arsenal, Atletico Madrid‘s Jackson Martinez once again makes an appearance.

Gossip website Don Balon (h/t Daily Express‘ Dan Gibbs) claims Atletico manager Diego Simeone wants to sell the Colombian to the Gunners in order to facilitate a move for Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi. Don Balon is not to be confused with the Spanish magazine that went out of business in 2011.

Martinez has been a flop since moving to Spain during the summer, scoring just two goals in La Liga action, per WhoScored.com. He was consistently linked with the Gunners before moving to Atletico, per Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express, so it’s not much of a surprise to see these rumours pop up once again.

The total lack of goals means Arsenal will likely have no interest in taking Martinez off Simeone’s hands whatsoever, and that’s assuming the manager is actually ready to give up on his big summer acquisition. So far, he has backed the player at every turn, per Goal’s Nicholas McGee.

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The agent of reported Arsenal and Manchester United target Marcelo Brozovic has confirmed several Premier League clubs have shown an interest in the Inter Milan midfielder, opening the door for a move during the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Corriere dello Sport (h/t Calciomercato.com), Miroslav Bicanic refused to rule out a transfer, saying:

Brozovic is part of the group of the new top players on the transfer market. We hope that he will continue this way and that he will do very well in 2016. Will he remain at Inter at the end of the season? This depends from the market and from the eventual offers. Last week I was in England, but I promise not to reveal the names of the clubs interested.

He made similar comments earlier this week in an interview with Calciomercato.com (h/t talkSPORT), amid rumours both Arsenal and Manchester United have been following the player since his days with Dinamo Zagreb.

Brozovic moved to Inter on loan in January of 2015, and the deal includes a “conditional obligation” to make the move permanent at the end of his two-year stint, per the club’s official website. After a slow start to his career in Italy, the 23-year-old has found his best form of late and has become one of the club’s most intriguing young talents.

He’s a versatile attacking midfielder who also feels comfortable out wide, and Brozovic is already a regular contributor for the Croatia national team, which isn’t exactly short of quality midfielders. He has shown he can keep up with the likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic, which is a positive sign with an eye on the future.

Brozovic has developed a knack for scoring spectacular goals during his time in Italy, as you can see in the video below:

Transfer speculation surrounding Brozovic has been constant during the January transfer window, with the Italian media publishing stories mainly involving Arsenal on a regular basis, per Sport Witness’ Tom Coast.

His agent has done a great job talking up the midfielder, but it’s a little odd to hear this much transfer chatter about a player who has only started eight matches in Serie A this season, per WhoScored.com. Brozovic shows a lot of potential, but he hasn’t exactly set the world alight.

Inter manager Roberto Mancini has already ruled out a transfer for the foreseeable future, per Football Italia, and Brozovic’s status as a loan player complicates matters.

And then there’s the fee. Per Football Italia, the total deal to bring Brozovic to Milan will cost the Nerazzurri €8 million, which is a bargain, and should the club decide to move the youngster on, they will surely look to turn a hefty profit.

Calciomercato.com (h/t Football Italia) claimed Inter had set a minimum price tag of €15 million, which may seem rather low for a player the Italian media talks so often about.

Those reports surfaced in December, when Brozovic had “struggled for playing time in the year since arriving at San Siro” and had been “tipped for a January exit.”

He has now found his best form, but prospective buyers won’t spend a ton of money on a player just because he’s had a good run of matches lasting about a month. Brozovic is still finding―and proving―himself in Italy, and a club like Arsenal will need to see a lot more out of him before making an investment.

If Brozovic can keep up this form and continue his development in the Italian fashion capital, a summer move may become a possibility. Clearing up the complicated loan deal with Zagreb will only aid the negotiating process.

Until then, expect to hear plenty more from the midfielder’s agent and the Italian media, but little else. 

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