Hamsik dismisses Napoli exit rumours

 

The Slovakia international says that he is more than happy to stay at the Stadio San Paolo and admits he is looking forward to Champions League football again next term

Marek Hamsik has dismissed reports linking him with a move away from Napoli this summer.

The Slovakia international has repeatedly been linked with the Stadio San Paolo exit door, with Chelsea reportedly taking an interest in the attacking midfielder.

Despite being the victim of three robberies during his time in Naples, the 25-year-old has maintained that he is happy with life in the city.

“As I have always said, I'm happy to be in Naples and I do not feel any need to change teams and city,” Hamsik told Corriere dello Sport.

Hamsik also admitted that he cannot wait to take part in next season’s Champions League after missing out on last season’s competition.

“The Champions League is a great experience, we are happy to live it again,” he added.

Napoli will be coached by Rafael Benitez in 2013/14 after the Spaniard was announced as the new boss last month after departing Chelsea.

Juventus have no reason to be upset if Milan approach Tevez, says Galliani

 

The Rossoneri director is not impressed with the Serie A champions' supposed discontent and has stressed they will open talks with the striker whenever they want to

AC Milan will not let Juventus' alleged interest in Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez get in the way of a potential bid for the Argentine, says Adriano Galliani.
The Milan CEO suggested earlier this week the San Siro side could rival the Turin giants for the 29-year-old's signature - who, as exclusively revealed by Goal, in also being chased by Liverpool - allegedly angering the Juventus chiefs with his comments.

However, Galliani has made it clear Milan do not feel any obligation towards Juve to stay away from Tevez.

"I have not heard anything from Juventus and I don't know why they would have any reason to be upset," Galliani told reporters.

"I have not talked to Tevez, but I might do so in the future. Either way, we are not doing anything illegal by talking to the player.

"We have not opened talks with City at the moment, but they know that we have been their best customers in recent years. We took Robinho, Nigel de Jong and Mario Balotelli from them."

Tevez has a contract with City until 2014, but is keen to leave the club this summer. 

Raiola: Ibrahimovic will stay at PSG

 

The striker's agent has stated that the Swede will remain with the Ligue 1 champions regardless of coach Carlo Ancelotti's future

Mino Raiola has given the clearest indication yet that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will remain with Paris Saint-Germain next season.

The former Barcelona star has been linked with a potential return to old club Juventus in recent weeks, but his agent has stressed he is more than happy to continue his career in Ligue 1 for the time being.

"Zlatan will continue next year. He is very happy in Paris. He won the title, he scored goals, he did his job, he did what he had to do and what he had promised,” Raiola told RMC.

PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti is hotly tipped to take over at Real Madrid this summer, but although he admits the Italian's departure would affect his client, Raiola has made it clear their futures are not intertwined.

“He has a good relationship with Carlo Ancelotti but Zlatan has always had good relationships with his coaches, except for Guardiola. It is unfortunate if Ancelotti departs but it happens," Raiola added.

Ibrahimovic scored 43 goals in all competitions last season as PSG claimed the Ligue 1 title and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The 31-year-old was in action for Sweden on Tuesday evening, scoring both goals in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Faroe Islands in Stockholm.

Draxler 'dreams' of Barcelona or Real Madrid move

 

The 19-year-old recently penned a new five-year deal with Schalke, but says a switch to either the Liga giants or Chelsea and Manchester United would be hard to turn down

Schalke star Julian Draxler has admitted a potential move to Barcelona or Real Madrid would be a "dream".

The 19-year-old penned a new contract in May to keep him at the Gelsenkirchen club until 2018, after insisting he would remain at the Bundesliga outfit for the upcoming 2013-14 season.

However, following concrete interest from Borussia Dortmund, Draxler says a move to the two Liga giants, plus Chelsea or Manchester United, could see him leave the Veltins-Arena.
"Which boy doesn't dream about playing for Real, Barca, Chelsea or Manchester United? That's nothing to be ashamed of," he told Sport1.
The attacking midfielder, who has six caps for the national side, has a €45.5 million release clause, and the player's representative, Roger Wittmann, insists the full figure will have to be met to trigger a departure from Schalke.

"The player costs 45.5 million, and he has to agree. These are the conditions of the transfer," Wittmann told Bild.

Reports in the British press on Wednesday have linked new Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho with a move for Draxler, but the Schalke sporting director, Horst Heldt, has insisted the Blues are yet to confirm any interest.

Heldt told Bild: "There has been no official transfer enquiry from Chelsea. and we are not in contact with them.

"But, it must be noted, there will always be interest in players with the qualities Julian Draxler has."

'Robben staying with Bayern' – Sammer

 

The Bavarians official says that the Dutch winger will not be leaving the club this summer and believes the club owe their Champions League success to him

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer has insisted that Arjen Robben will not depart the Allianz Arena this summer.

The winger’s future has been subject of speculation after he fell down the pecking order at the Allianz Arena last season, but the former Chelsea man forced his way back into the starting XI in the latter months of the season.

Robben eventually scored the winning goal in their 2-1 Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund and Sammer has said that the Dutchman will remain with die Roten.

“The truth is, he still has a two-year contract, next season he will continue playing for us,” Sammer told Voetbal International.

“I read a lot of nonsense stories. Arjen has long lacked the recognition [given to other] creative players like Franck Ribery and he will love and appreciation the [fans now have].

“For his career, winning the Champions League has been very important I know it from experience. The Bavarians owe their Champions League victory to Arjen Robben.”

The former defender also refuted claims that the club will lose some of their competitive edge next season after claiming an historic treble of major honours.

Jupp Heynckes’ side won the Champions League, Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal last season, and Sammer feels that the success will only make the team want to succeed again next term.

“The pressure is on every top team, it is no different [at Bayern] of course, we have won absolutely everything and want to continue to belong to the European top We have to stay hungry."

Lionel Messi stunned by tax fraud claims

 

The Barcelona star, along with father Jorge, has been accused of evading tax charges over a three-year period and is alleged to owe in the region of €4 million

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been rocked by accusations of tax evasion, totalling over €4 million between 2006 and 2009.

The Spanish tax authorities are investigating claims that the four-time Ballon d’Or winner and his father, Jorge Horacio, have avoided paying the charges due from sales of the 25-year-old's image rights by operating through companies based outside of the country.

A complaint, signed by prosecutor Raquel Amado, was filed with the courthouse in the Gava district of Barcelona on Wednesday.

Messi moved quickly to deny the claims, and in a statement released via his official Facebook account, he revealed he had only been made aware of the developments through media channels and not official sources.

He said:"We have learned through the media about the claim filed by the Spanish tax authorities.

"We are surprised about this news, because we have not committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all of our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants, who will take care of clarifying this situation.”

Under Spanish law, Messi could face a maximum penalty of six years in prison if found guilty.

Kagawa hoping to emulate Rooney and Van Persie

 

The former BVB man wants to boost his confidence and become an influential figure at Man United after a successful but unspectacular first year in England

Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa wants to focus his efforts on becoming a more influential figure at Old Trafford next season.

The Japan international midfielder was rotated in and out of the Red Devils side last season, partly due to injuries, as they charged towards their 13th Premier League title.
The 24-year-old did not make the impact he would have liked during his maiden campaign in a United shirt nd has vowed to kick on in the new era of David Moyes's management.

"I wasn't satisfied with my overall performance but I played well in the second half of the season and started to get more and more confidence," Kagawa told Sports Illustrated.

"Hopefully, I can keep that going at the Confederations Cup.

"In this business, you need to be like Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie and prove yourself if you want the ball. I want to be a player like them, which means I need results."

The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder made 26 appearances in his first season at Old Trafford, finding the back of the net six times.