Bilbao stunned by Fulham swoop

Athletic Bilbao have been stunned to learn that Fernando Amorebieta will join Fulham on a free for less than they offered him to stay.



Fulham are understood to have agreed a four-year deal to bring the Venezuelan international defender to Craven Cottage in the summer.



The 28-year-old centre-back's contract with the Basque club expires in June and he decided against signing a new deal there to exercise his right to leave as a free agent.



Voz Populi claims today that Amorebieta turned down the chance to renew his contract with Athletic Bilbao for five more years on a contract worth €1.8 million per year - more than he has accepted to sign pre-contract terms with Fulham.



He broke off his relationship with his agent Gorka Arrinda, who had negotiated the new contract with Athletic, to instruct a British-based agency to find him a club in the Premier League.



The 6ft 4inch defender was also linked with a move to Arsenal during the January transfer window.

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has confirmed he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.



- Fernando Torres has insisted that he wants to see out the rest of his contract and is looking to win more trophies at Chelsea.



- Chelsea have once again watched Bayer Leverkusen striker Andre Schurrle in action as they weigh up a January bid for the Germany international, according to Sky Sports.



- Chelsea and Manchester United are on alert as Jose Mourinho is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.



- Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Brazilian right-back Wallace from Fluminense in the January transfer window.



- Senad Lulic, the Lazio midfielder linked with Chelsea, is on Inter Milan's radar.



- Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, who is believed to be a target for Barcelona and Real Madrid, has reiterated that he sees himself playing abroad in the future, stating: "If the time comes and a team that's right comes in for me, then I'll look at it seriously. I'll see what happens. Everybody wants to be playing in the Champions League."



- Manchester City target Stefan Jovetic has no intention of leaving Fiorentina - yet.



- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to sign Schalke goalscorer Klass-Jan Huntelaar next month and he could be available for a cut-price £6million, according to Dailymail.



- Tottenham have made an enquiry for Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has also been linked with Liverpool, according to Goal.com.



- Daniel Sturridge's agent has denied the Chelsea striker has demanded £80,000 a week and a guaranteed role up front if he's to join Liverpool.



- Liverpool's hopes of signing Barcelona starlet Cristian Tello have been hit after news emerged that the forward is set to sign a new deal.



- Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has rejected talk of a possible swap between Wesley Sneijder and Paris Saint-Germain star Javier Pastore.



- Arsenal and Chelsea could be forced to ramp up their interest in Paris St. Germain’s Marco Verratti after Juventus emerged as serious contenders to sign him.



- Frank Lampard's hopes of heading out to the US to play in the MLS have been dealt another blow after David Beckham told his former club LA Galaxy to sign Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.



- Brazilian forward Neymar has insisted that he is happy at Santos for the moment and does not want to move to Europe yet.



- Barcelona star Ibrahim Afellay wants to make his loan move to Schalke permanent - dashing the hopes of Arsenal and Liverpool.



- AC Milan have rejected rumours linking Robinho with a move away from the San Siro in January.



- Atletico Madrid are desperate to agree a new contract with Adrian to ward off interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.



- PSV Eindhoven striker Jeremain Lens, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has admitted to Elf Voetbal that he is interested in playing in the Premier League.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Fernando Llorente has dropped the biggest hint yet that he wants out of Athletic Bilbao - by saying he is desperate to end his barren run and leave his side as high as possible in La Liga.



- Internacional striker Leandro Damiao has hinted that he could make a move to the Premier League in the future, with Chelsea a possible destination, telling The Elastico: "The Premier League holds great attraction, of course. I was in England for quite some time during the Olympics and it is a great country with good people."



- Florent Malouda still faces being frozen out of Chelsea despite the arrival of new manager Rafa Benitez, according to talkSPORT.



- Monaco are the latest club to show interest in Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, according to Dailymail.



- Marseille striker Loic Remy, who has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, could be sold for as little as €10million, his agent has told Le 10 Sport.



- Wesley Sneijder is heading towards the Inter Milan exit door - and the long-term Manchester United target could yet move to AC Milan.



- Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed speculation that he is considering leaving Real Madrid in order to return to Manchester United after meeting with Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson last week.



- Benfica want to end speculation over Oscar Cardozo's future by securing the Liverpool target for another two years.



- Atletico Madrid insist they are yet to receive any bids for star striker Radamel Falcao, who is a January target for both Chelsea and Man City.



- Sir Alex Ferguson will revive his interest in Everton defender Leighton Baines after conceding defeat in his move for Ashley Cole.



- Manchester City have been told it will take an offer of well in excess of £9million to sign Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Alen Halilovic, who has been dubbed the new Luka Modric.



- Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who in recent weeks has been linked with Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester City, has a £40million buy-out clause his contract, according to The People.



- Tottenham and Chelsea are facing increasing competition from Italy and Spain to sign highly-rated Sampdoria youngster Pedro Obiang.



- Tottenham defender Michael Dawson has shrugged off talk linking him with a move to be reunited with Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers.



- Sky Sports understands Everton are lining up a move for former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.



- Ryan Shawcross has declared that he is settled at Stoke City and has no intention of leaving as he does not think he would be where is now without manager Tony Pulis.



- Willian says he is open to a move to the Premier League, with Tottenham and Chelsea readying bids for the Shakhtar star.



- West Bromwich have joined the race to land promising Manchester City midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim, according to Dailymail.



- Marseille have no intention of sanctioning sales in January and would be keen on bringing Didier Drogba back to France.



- Ligue 1 side Troyes have bolstered their defensive options by signing former St Etienne player Sylvain Monsoreau on a free transfer.



- AC Milan forward Robinho says he has been 'sounded out' by clubs back in his native Brazil and is keeping an open mind about a January move.



- Leeds are ready to reward El Hadji Diouf with a new contract that will put him among the top earners at the club.

UEFA postpone Israel Europa League match

UEFA have confirmed the postponement of Athletic Bilbao's Europa League game against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona due to ongoing safety concerns in Israel.



The Primera Division club were set to fly to Tel Aviv in advance of tomorrow's game Group I fixture in nearby Haifa, despite recent violence in the neighbouring Gaza strip.



A bomb ripped through a bus near Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv this morning, wounding at least 10 people and prompting Athletic to contact UEFA's emergency panel in pursuit of a postponement to tomorrow's match.



A statement released by UEFA this afternoon read: "The UEFA Emergency Panel met today and decided to postpone the UEFA Europa League match between Hapoel Kiryat Shmona FC and Athletic Club which was scheduled to take place on Thursday November 22 at the Kiryat Eliezer Stadium in Haifa, due to the tense security situation in the region.



"A decision concerning the rescheduling of the match will be made by the end of the week."



A statement published on Athletic's official Twitter account read: "UEFA have confirmed to us that the match has been suspended."



Reports in Spain had suggested Athletic had already made attempts to convince the European game's governing body to hold the fixture outside of Israel, in light of the country's ongoing conflict with Palestine.



The Basque travelling party had arrived at Bilbao airport in anticipation of a five-hour flight to Israel, but UEFA's decision saw the players and coaching staff return to their Lezama training complex.

Bilbao president rules out Llorente sale

Athletic Bilbao president Josu Urrutia has issued a hands-off warning to clubs considering a January swoop for Fernando Llorente.



The striker has been linked with several of Europe's biggest sides and his lack of playing time under coach Marcelo Bielsa has led to more speculation he is set to depart in the upcoming transfer window.



However, Urrutia has made it clear the club have no intention of selling Llorente, who has attracted suitors in England and Italy, while admitting talks over a new deal for defender Fernando Amorebieta have not run smoothly.



"There will not be any movement in the winter. The team is much more competitive with Aritz (Aduriz) and Llorente in attack," he told reporters.



"There is no progress, but we are expecting a positive response (from Amorebieta's representatives) soon. We know that the player wants to renew."



Europa League runners-up last season, Athletic have struggled this campaign and have mustered just four La Liga wins to date.



But, Urrutia is remaining positive ahead of his side's clash with Real Madrid on Saturday, while leaping to the defence of teenager Iker Muniain.



"This time last year we had the same number of points in the league. The team has had a number of issues to contend with but we still have great passion," he said.



"Real Madrid are favourites but you never know how the game will unfold.



"Anyone can make a mistake. At his age, Iker shows great character. It is normal with very young players."

Friday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Arsenal are considering a January bid for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, according to the Daily Mail.



- And Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insists manager Arsene Wenger is not afraid to spend money in the transfer market, and speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live has claimed the Frenchman is not "conservative" when it comes to buying new players.



- Chelsea are favourites to win the race to sign Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao next year, according to bookmakers Sky Bet after Atletico general manager Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitted that the club would benefit should his prize asset be bought out of his contract.



- Anderlecht striker Dieumerci Mbokani, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has put clubs on alert by admitting he is ready to leave Belgium next year.



- Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic will not join Juventus in the January transfer window, his agent has toldItasportpress.



- Arsenal defender Johan Djourou will not be joining Roma in January, according to his agent.



- Liverpool starlet Suso has revealed he wants to stay at the club "for a long time" despite reported interest from Real Madrid.



- Sydney FC striker Alessandro Del Piero has admitted he snubbed a summer move to Liverpool at least partly because of the Heysel disaster.



- Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman has revealed that potential suitors would be lucky to get England U-21 international striker Wilfried Zaha for £11 million, Sky Sports understands.



- According to Sky Sports, Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz, who is currently on loan at Malaga CF, has revealed that he does not plan on returning to the English Premier League at the end of the 2012-13 season.



- Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre, who spent nine seasons at Old Trafford, is training with the club, and is reportedly in search of employment at another Premier League outfit, Sky Sports can reveal.

Susaeta signs new contract with Athletic Bilbao

Spanish football club Athletic Club Bilbao confirmed it has reached an agreement with winger Markel Susaeta over extending his contract for four years.



Susaeta has agreed to extend his contract, which was due to expire at the end of June 2013, until the end of June 2017, while Susaeta's buyout clause has been raised to 35 million Euros, Xinhua reports.



The announcement is good news for the club and should provide a morale boost after Spain international Javi Martinez joined Bayern Munich at the end of August after the German giants paid his 40 million euros buyout clause.



It also looks increasingly likely that striker Fernando Llorente will abandon the club at the end of the season after refusing offers of a new contract.



Susaeta made his first team debut for Athletic five seasons ago under the guidance of Joaquin Caparros and the product of the club's youth system has made over 200 first team appearances.



Last season saw him enjoy his best ever season, appearing in all 38 of Athletic's BBVA Primera Liga matches, as well as making nine appearances in the Copa del Rey and a further 16 in the Europa League in a campaign in which his club reached the final of both the domestic and European competitions.



Susaeta scored Athletic's goal in their 2-0 win at home to Valladolid eight days ago, highlighting how he has been able to score with greater ease in recent months. Last season he was the club's second highest scorer after Llorente with a total of 12 goals in all competitions.



Athletic will now turn their attentions to assuring the future of central defender Fernando Amorebieta, another player whose contract expires in 2013.