Suarez may be ‘forced’ to leave Liverpool

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has admitted that he would find it difficult to turn down a move to Real Madrid, claiming he was not prepared to put up with the criticism from the press any longer.



Suarez claimed in an interview with Uruguayan radio station sport 890 that the treatment he has received from the press this season has affected his family and may force him to leave the Merseyside club.



The striker also confirmed that he has spoken to Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, and the manager knows what he wanted.



The 26-year-old will miss the first six games of next season as he serves the remainder of a ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. This is the second lengthy ban he has faced after being forced to miss 8 games after being convicted of racially abusing Patrice Evra.



Speaking to 890 Sport, Suarez said: “I’ve worked hard since childhood to get where I am and I keep getting constant criticism from the English press. It makes me tired. Liverpool want me to stay, but do not know what will happen. It would be difficult to say no to Real Madrid.”



Suarez said Liverpool had treated him well and he had “only words of thanks for the fans”, and added: “So far I have not received any official offer from Madrid.”



He continued: “I have a contract with Liverpool, but it would be very difficult to say no to Real Madrid. There are a lot of rumours in the transfer period, but you never know until firm offers are made.”



He added: “I’ve talked to the coach (Rodgers), and he knows what I want. He was a player. Some of the players understand my situation – enough said.”

Liverpool leading Atsu chase

Liverpool are leading the race to sign Porto winger .



Sky Sports revealed earlier this week an unnamed Premier League club had tabled a bid for Atsu and it is understood that Liverpool are the team in question.



Talks are thought to be continuing between the Reds and Porto as Brendan Rodgers' side look to win the race for the Ghana international.



However, Liverpool could face competition from Premier League rivals Everton and Arsenal for the highly-rated attacker.



Everton are thought be interested in Atsu especially if current Porto boss Vitor Pereira replaces David Moyes at Goodison Park, while Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the African's situation.



Atsu has found himself out of favour at Porto in recent months after refusing to sign a new deal at Estadio do Dragao.



The 21-year-old, who sees his current contract expire next summer, has continually rejected offers to extend his deal due to Porto's insistence to try and increase his release clause to €30m (£24million).



Atsu, who has previously expressed his desire to play in England, is expected to make a decision on his future once he plays for Ghana in their upcoming games against Kenya, Sudan and Lesotho next month.


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Papers Talk - 25 May 2013

The main football stories and transfer gossip making Saturday's morning newspapers.

• Jose Mourinho wants Luka Modric to join him at Chelsea.


• Frank Lampard is hoping Chelsea will now secure captain John Terry's future.


• Sergio Aguero has given incoming Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini a boost by confirming he is happy to stay at the club.


• Hull boss Steve Bruce fears missing out on making Ahmed Elmohamady his first summer signing.


• Manchester City are in a straight scrap with Real Madrid for the signature of £60million striker Edinson Cavani.


• Nottingham Forest and Reading target Billy Sharp heads a list of players not wanted by Southampton.


• Birmingham will allow Marlon King to leave for nothing this summer.


• Leeds want Reading's Ian Harte and Aston Villa's Eric Lichaj, both full-backs are free agents this summer.


• Stoke have turned down a transfer request from Steven Nzonzi.


• West Ham are shipping flop Modibo Maiga back to France.


• Nicky Shorey has been released by Reading as part of Nigel Adkins' post-relegation clearout.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich - Champions League preview

• Zinedine Zidane stepped up Real Madrid's pursuit of Gareth Bale yesterday.


• David Gill insists Wayne Rooney will be at Manchester United next season.


• Sergio Aguero wants to stay at Manchester City and spearhead Manuel Pellegrini's Etihad revolution.


• Sheffield United will name Stuart McCall as their new manager next week.


• Marlon King, Peter Lovenkrands, Darren Ambrose and Hayden Mullins have all been told they can leave Birmingham.


• Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has warned Christian Benteke to get real after the hitman claimed he could quit the club this summer.

• Rafa Benitez was last night appointed the new Napoli boss.


• Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane last night heaped praise on Gareth Bale in a clear attempt to lure him to the Bernabeu.


• Sergio Aguero has reassured Manchester City he has no intention of walking away from the club.


• Brendan Rodgers has been given the thumbs up by Liverpool chairman Tom Werner to spend more money this summer.


• Arsene Wenger is ready to smash Arsenal's wage structure to bring in stellar signings like Wayne Rooney.


• Fabio Coentrao wants to follow Jose Mourinho to Chelsea.


• Stuart McCall is turning down the chance to return to Sheffield United and is set to stay at Motherwell.


• Ambitious Leicester are considering making a move to bring Neil Lennon back to the club from Celtic.


• Liverpool have put in a £3million bid for Porto winger Christian Atsu.

• Arsenal are growing increasingly confident they can finance a record-breaking move for Wayne Rooney.


• Roberto Martinez was closing in on the Everton job last night.


• Real Madrid have added Luis Suarez to their extensive list of potential recruits.


• Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Besiktas could swell Arsenal's summer transfer kitty after showing an interest in Nicklas Bendtner and Gervinho.


• Monaco have confirmed the £60m signing of Porto's midfield duo James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho.

• David Gill is "confident" Wayne Rooney will still be at Manchester United next season.


• Fulham are ready to rescue Darren Bent from his Aston Villa nightmare with a £4million move.


• Stoke have targeted Mark Hughes as they step up their search for Tony Pulis' replacement.

Neymar to consider next move

Neymar will take his time to make a decision about his future after Santos accepted two offers for the Brazil forward.

Champions League final preview

The Brazilian side confirmed earlier they had accepted two bids for the 21-year-old, widely thought to be from Barcelona and Real Madrid.



But after a meeting between club officials, Neymar and the player's father, no immediate decision was reached.



A statement from the club read: "In a meeting with representatives of the management committee of Santos FC, striker Neymar Jr was made aware of the offers received by the club and he will analyse them in the coming days before making a final decision."



Neymar's contract expires at the end of next season and some reports had suggested an agreement with Barcelona was as good as signed.



But the striker insisted he would not be rushed into making a decision.



"This is an honour, the happiest moment of my life," he was quoted as saying on globoesporte.globo.com. "I will now think carefully about these two proposals.



"I will decide with my family. I'm in no hurry. The decision may come out in five minutes, half an hour or three days."



His father Neymar da Silva Sr, who also acts as his manager, added: "Now we will go home, sit down and talk. We could not make a decision in the heat of the moment. Let's talk and see what Neymar wants."



Neymar, who has already played more than 30 games for his country, has spent his whole career at Santos, who have repeatedly fended off interest from a host of European clubs.



Barca have long been on his tail, while Chelsea's interest has been rebuffed in the past.



All previous indications were that Neymar would join Barca, though he had also suggested previously that he would remain in Brazil until after next year's World Cup in the country.



Santos vice president Odilio Rodrigues said: "We did everything in our power to keep Neymar in Santos."



The club initially confirmed two bids had been accepted with a statement which read: "Santos FC announces that it has received two offers for the player Neymar da Silva Santos Junior.

"Given the offers and conditions of the player's contract, the management committee of the club have decided to sell the player.



"Neymar Jr and his father are expected at the Vila Belmiro stadium to choose which offer the player will accept."

Any transfer could be complicated by the complex nature of Neymar's ownership arrangement, with various investment groups holding a stake in the player as well as the club.

Champions League preview

Wembley will host the first ever all-German clash in a European Cup final as Bayern Munich face Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening.

Kick-Off 19:45 GMT | Live Stream  also Live Coverage on our FB Page World Football

A German side is therefore guaranteed to win the Champions League for the third time, and Bayern (2001) and Dortmund (1997) are two previous winners from the Bundesliga.

Bayern will be the favourites after an all-encompassing domestic season. Not only did they win the Bundesliga title earlier than any team in history, but they also set record for the most wins, fewest defeats, the fewest goals conceded, most clean sheets and best goal difference, and also scored in every league match.

This dominance has been reflected on the European stage. Bayern won all four of their quarter and semi-final matches, scoring eleven goals without conceding against Juventus and Barcelona.

Bayern will also be hoping to redress their final form, having lost to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea on penalty last season in their home stadium, the Allianz Arena.

The match will be Jupp Heynckes penultimate match in charge before he leaves the club and allows Pep Guardiola to take his place at the helm.



Possible Line-ups:



Team News



Borussia Dortmund



- Mario Götze has been ruled out of the final against his future employers with the injury that he picked up in the semi final second leg against Real Madrid.

- Jurgen Klopp is likely to field the same starting eleven that played Hoffenheim last weekend, even if they did succumb to a loss against lowly Hoffenheim.

- That will mean Marco Reus plays in a central role behind lone striker Robert Lewandowski, with Kevin Grosskreutz lining upon the left. Klopp has also recently tried out Ilkay Gundogan in a more attack-minded role but it hasn't been all that successful, so he is unlikely to go with it again.



Bayern Munich



- Toni Kroos will not make it back in time to play at Wembley, but Arjen Robben has been in fantastic form of late and he will keep his place on the right, with Thomas Müller again playing centrally.

- There are unlikely to be any surprises in Jupp Heynckes' lineup, with the usual team having hit 4 past Gladbach last weekend.

- Holger Badstuber had yet more bad news yesterday after it was confirmed that he won't play again in 2013 after undergoing surgery on his knee injury.



Match Facts

Bayern have kept a clean sheet in their last 4 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Bayern have won 6 of their last 7 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Bayern have scored at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches in the Champions League (including qualifiers).

Borussia Dortmund have seen under 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against Bayern in all competitions.

Borussia Dortmund are undefeated in 9 of their last 10 home matches against Bayern in all competitions.



Top scorers in CL for Dortmund and Bayern

Lewandowski 10 | Müller 8

Reus 4 | Pizarro 4

Santana 2 | Robben 3

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Mazzarri replaces Stramaccioni at Inter

Inter Milan has parted company with head coach Andrea Stramaccioni after his first full season as a Serie A coach ended in huge disappointment, with Walter Mazzarri confirmed as his replacement.



The 37-year-old Stramaccioni has paid the price after only guiding Inter to a ninth-placed finish - a worst performance since 1994 - while overseeing 16 league defeats in the 2012-2013 campaign.



Mazzarri, who announced his decision to leave runner-up Napoli last weekend, has been named as Inter's new coach on a two-year deal.



A statement published on inter.it read: "Inter would like to communicate that they have reached an agreement with Walter Mazzarri - the new coach of Inter.



"Inter thank Andrea Stramaccioni for his great efforts and the professionalism he showed in a particularly difficult year.



"The agreement with Walter Mazzarri will last for two years."

Monaco spend big on Porto duo

Monaco have confirmed the signings of FC Porto duo Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez on five-year deals for a combined fee of €70million.

Both players collected Portuguese winners' medals for the third season in a row earlier this month and a number of European clubs were believed to have been chasing their signatures before Russian billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev opened his chequebook.



Portuguese international Moutinho, who has spent the last three years with Porto since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2010, came at a price of €25million.



News of the 26-year-old's transfer will be a major blow for Tottenham Hotspur, who had been expected to revive their interest in the midfielder this summer after missing out last year.



Colombian winger Rodriguez has collected eight trophies in a three-year spell in Portugal and has commanded a €45million fee.



A statement issued by Porto read: "Futebol Clube do Porto would like to inform the market that it has reached an agreement with Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club for the permanent transfer of players James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho.



"The combined fee of this transfer is €70million (£60m), €45m (£38.4m) for the transfer of James Rodriguez and €25m (£21.4m) for the transfer of Joao Moutinho."



Claudio Ranieri's side have also been linked with a big-money move for Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, who has attracted interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City.