Barton wants Marseille stay

Joey Barton believes he will not return to Queens Park Rangers if they are relegated, while he has also opened talks about extending his stay at Marseille.

Barton, 30, is currently on loan at the French club until the end of the season, when he will be due to return to west London.

But the midfielder feels he is more likely to be playing his football at Stade Velodrome than Loftus Road next season.

"For me to be part of the side that stayed up and not be part of the side that went down, it would be difficult for me to go back," Barton said. "I haven't closed my mind to it although I would really like to stay here.

"I'm in a good space mentally. I've held preliminary talks with Marseille about extending my stay here. They have asked me whether I would stay beyond the loan period.

"The likelihood is, unless there is a massive turnaround in fortunes, QPR will be in the Championship next season. What it seems to me as a neutral - and I am in France, no matter that I am contracted - is that they have got a big case of a lot of good individuals, a lot of good quality individuals, but not a good team."

Barton, who still has two years left on his QPR contract, moved to Marseille after being banned for 12 matches by the Football Association for his violent conduct against Manchester City on the final day of last season.

"It didn't end in great circumstances in west London for me," Barton said. "I know there has been a change in terms of the management structure, but something like that, and what goes on around that, lives with you beyond a managerial change."

That managerial change has seen Harry Redknapp come in to replace the sacked Mark Hughes and Barton believes that Redknapp has the experience to give the club a fighting chance of staying up.

"Harry Redknapp's record speaks for itself," he said. "This time last year he was being talked about as the only successor to Fabio Capello. He has always done well with players and always got players on board. He is a really good man-manager.

"If anyone can pull the players together, a manager of Redknapp's calibre is capable of that. They are in with a good chance now with Harry there."

QPR are currently bottom of the Premier League table, eight points adrift of safety, having still yet to record a win this season.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Marseille have rubbished suggestions they could land former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba on loan.



- Newcastle could miss out on top target Mathieu Debuchy as Juventus are ready to enter the race to sign him.



- Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists the Reds have no intention of selling Luis Suarez.



- Liverpool are trying to strike a deal with Sporting Lisbon for Jeffren Suarez, according to talkSPORT.



- Liverpool have contacted Chelsea about Daniel Sturridge's availability as they aim to make an immediate mark in the January window, according to Dailymail.



- Raheem Sterling is set to sign a new long-term contract at Liverpool, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.



- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits he would like Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the club, but admits the Portugal international is "unbuyable".



- Manchester United are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender next year, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Rio Ferdinand's 10-year career at Manchester United could end this summer when his contract expires after revealing to friends there is a 'big chance' he will be leaving.



- Manchester City could be encouraged to make a summer move for Stevan Jovetic after Fiorentina revealed their intention to "evaluate" his situation at the end of the season.



- Manchester City officials are set to fly to Croatia later this week to broker a deal with Dinamo Zagreb for wonderkid Alen Halilovic.



- Fernando Torres is facing the embarrassment of being axed for Chelsea's Champions League clash against Juventus as it emerges he wants to move back to Spain, according to Dailymail.



- Porto striker Jackson Martinez, who has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool, has admitted to Ojogo that he is pleased his performances have been noticed by some of Europe's biggest clubs.



- Barcelona are prepared to cool their interest in Gareth Bale because they believe the Tottenham winger will join Real Madrid should he move to Spain, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Scottish giant Celtic could be welcoming a new investor in the near future. The rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg (he now calls himself Snoop Lion) has expressed an interest in acquiring a stake in the team and sitting on the club's board.



- Championship side Charlton have signed highly-rated Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan until January 1.



- Portsmouth have re-signed Ricardo Rocha on a one-month deal, subject to Football Association clearance.

Barton: FA have a vendetta against me

Joey Barton has launched a new attack on the “sad little men” he says are running the Football Association and accused them of engaging in a vendetta against him.



He vented his spleen on Twitter after learning that the first game Olympique Marseille played – against Rennes on Sept 2 – after he moved to France on loan from Queens Park Rangers does not count towards the 12-match ban he is serving for violent conduct on the final day of the last Premier League season at Eastlands.



Barton left QPR on Aug 31 but he claimed on Thursday night that the FA “couldn’t be bothered” registering the move until Sept 3 or 4. It means that the former England international cannot play for Marseille at Bordeaux on Saturday as he had been expecting.



“So my 12-match ban is now a 13-match ban,” he tweeted. “You gotta love the English FA. Well, no actually, you don’t! Ban has been extended as when I signed for Marseille on Friday 31st, the English FA where [sic] closed over the weekend and couldn’t be bothered ... registering me until the 3/4th.



“It’s so ludicrous a decision it’s like they have some hidden agenda/vendetta against me? Oh, ---- yeah I forgot, they actually do. I know who you are. You know who you are. Would I swap with you? Nope £sadlittlemen.”



It is understood, however, that it is normal for international clearance to take additional time because of the additional number of associations involved, particularly if a weekend intervenes.



There will also be surprise that Barton and Marseille were apparently not aware of the situation when he moved to France at the end of the transfer window.

Thursday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Chelsea are considering a January bid for Marseille striker Loic Remy as a possible replacement for Daniel Sturridge, according to the London Evening Standard.



- Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has admitted Radamel Falcao, who has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City, could leave the club in January should his €60million buy-out clause be met.



- Real Madrid have made the first move in the race to sign Chelsea target Radamel Falcao, according to reports in Spain.



- Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is a transfer target for Fiorentina.



- Manchester United target Arturo Vidal has quashed suggestions he will leave Juventus and insists he is happy in Turin, according to talkSPORT.



- Corinthians have dismissed reports linking Paulinho with a move to Chelsea, with coach Tite telling Globo Esporte: "I have no idea where this information has come from. We are at an important stage in Corinthians' history and this information will not disrupt us.



"Money doesn't buy everything. It could be a lot of money, but if the player is smart and has ambition like Paulinho does, then money will not be enough."



"Everyone wants him, but that changes nothing."



- Wilfried Zaha, who has been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, is worth £20million, Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish has told the South London Press.



- Josip Ilicic's agent doubts the Palermo midfielder will leave the club in January and says there has been no contact with Liverpool.



- Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed teenager Suso is on the verge of signing a new, improved contract with the club.



- Manchester City has denied its alleged interest in Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fàbregas after rumours to this effect were echoed by the media.



- Michael Dawson insists he still has a future at Tottenham – despite almost being sold by Andre Villas-Boas this summer.



- AC Milan are ready to battle Arsenal for the services of Montpellier skipper Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, according to talkSPORT.



- Sky Sports understands a host of the Premier League's big guns are tracking Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross.



- Arsenal will make a £15million offer for Spain striker Adrian Lopez when the transfer window re-opens, according to MARCA.



- Mattia Perin's agent claims Manchester City are among the clubs monitoring the progress of the on-loan Pescara goalkeeper.



- Isco is currently under contract at Málaga until June 2016. The Andalusian outfit will only consider selling him if the bidding club covers the player’s buyout clause – which amounts to €21 million.



- The agent of Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has insisted that there has been no contact from Lazio - but has refused to rule out talks with the Italians taking place in the near future.



- Juventus enter race to sign Manchester United winger Nani, according to Dailymail.



- Udinese have secured the future of Giovanni Pasquale after the left-back signed a contract extension to stay at the Serie A club until 2016.



- Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has declared he is staying put after rumours linked him with a move away from AC Milan.



- Celtic boss Neil Lennon has poured scorn on suggestions Gary Hooper may be on his way to Liverpool as contract talks continue with the striker.

Bad-boy Joey Barton in new bust-up during 'friendly'

Joey Barton was involved in a new on-pitch bust-up — just 46 days into his loan at Marseille.

Football’s bad-boy grabbed his opponent around the neck and wrestled him to the ground during a 'friendly'.



Joey Barton loses his rag as he grabs Guy-Roland Niangbo around the neck and drags him to the ground



The pair were separated by players and staff but Barton continued the row by jabbing his finger towards Istres striker Guy-Roland Niangbo and his team-mates.

DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? ... Joey Barton continues the feud

QPR midfielder Barton is still serving a 12-match domestic ban for his madness at Manchester City on the final day of last season.

But he left his team-mates in no doubt that he cannot wait for his first Ligue 1 match with a committed display during the kickaround.

LEAVE IT ... Joey Barton is kept away from fuming Istres player.

Milan confirm interest in Marseille star

AC Milan have moved to confirm reports that they are following Marseille defender Nicolas N’Koulou.



The Cameroon international is widely regarded as one of the most talented defenders in world football, with former teammate Stephane M’Bia claiming N’Koulou was even better than Thiago Silva.



This is an interesting comparison given that the 22-year-old could easily end up replacing the Brazilian at AC Milan.



Namely, the Rossoneri have admitted they are closely following the highly rated centre-back.



“We have followed him from the days he played at Monaco,” Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida explained to La Provence.



“Personally, I even saw his first match in the ASM jersey. We are following, we are observing him as well as the others.



”Maybe we’ll hire a great defender, but we need to look well ahead. Level is very important.”



The Rossoneri are widely expected to enter the market for a new centre-back in January, with the Marseille defender high on their wish list.



Nicolas N’Koulou has joined OM in the summer of 2011 from Monaco and immediately developed into a key member of the side at Velodrome.



The talented centre-back has made 38 Ligue 1 appearances for the French giants, but has yet to score his first goal for the club.

Ligue 1: OM stayed three points clear of Paris SG

Marseille stayed three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain as the pair played out a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

All the goals came in an entertaining first half, with Andre-Pierre Gignac the first to strike for the hosts at Stade Velodrome.



But two stunning Zlatan Ibrahimovic goals in the space of a couple of minutes dramatically swung the game in the visitors' favour.



Gignac levelled before the break, and although PSG had the better of the second half, they were unable to find a winner.



France international Gignac opened the scoring in the 17th minute, escaping the attentions of Alex to angle his effort past Salvatore Sirigu.



The goal sparked an incredible 10-minute period in which Carlo Ancelotti's men turned the game around in magnificent style.

Ibrahimovic once again showed his class, steering a volleyed back-heel into the net from a corner.



Moments later, the Swede gave PSG the lead, firing a fizzing 30-yard free-kick past a helpless Steve Mandanda.



Marseille have been hard to beat this season and responded in the 32nd minute as Gignac headed in a Mathieu Valbuena corner.



The second half was a far tighter affair as the visitors dominated but struggled to create opportunities as the clash ended in a draw.



Lyon missed their chance to move into second after being held to a 1-1 draw by Lorient at Stade Yves Allainmat.



Bafetimbi Gomis opened the scoring midway through the first half, but his effort was cancelled out by Jeremie Aliadiere just after half-time.



Brest and Bordeaux played out a 1-1 draw as Eden Ben Basat and Cheick Diabate traded goals at Stade Francis-Le Ble.

Marseille sign Lucas Mendes

Marseille has signed defender Lucas Mendes on a four-year deal from Brazilian club Coritiba.



The French club, which is top of the league after three matches, said on its website Thursday that the Brazilian successfully passed a medical. No financial details were given.



The 22-year-old Mendes can play at either left back or centre half, the position he last played for Coritiba.



Mendes, who played 139 matches in a four-year spell with Coritiba and scored two goals, says "it was my dream to play in Europe and I thank Marseille for giving me the opportunity."



Marseille has recruited modestly as it desperately tries to reduce debts. It recently sold France midfielder Alou Diarra to West Ham and Spanish right back Cesar Azpilicueta to Chelsea.