3:39 PM

Martinez: Cattermole going nowhere

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Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is not bothered by the speculation surrounding midfielder Lee Cattermole. The midfielder who impressed during England's participation in the Under-21 European compeition has been linked with Liverpool, Tottenham and Sunderland. But Martinez said: "I am not worried about the situation with Lee, as he is still a young man and you want that interest."It is important he has his targets and keeps developing and we hope he can fulfil his potential. "We have all seen he is a leader and someone who can go to the very top. To have a player like that at your club is very exciting. "I want the top clubs in world football to be talking about our players."

3:31 PM

Blues confirm Sturridge deal

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Chelsea have confirmed the signing of promising young striker Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City on a four-year deal. The 19-year-old's fee has not been disclosed, but was settled by a tribunal. Sturridge, nephew of former Derby forward Dean, made 26 appearance for City last season, scoring four times. The England Under-20 forward will now join up with the rest of the first-team squad when they return for the start of pre-season training next week.

3:21 PM

"I agreed without a moment's thought"

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New Manchester United striker Michael Owen admits he leapt at the chance to join the Barclays Premier League champions. This came after a surprise phone call from manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The 29-year-old, whose contract with relegated Newcastle expired at the end of June, has signed a two-year deal at Old Trafford. Owen's poor injury record over recent years which blighted his spell at St James' Park was thought to be a major factor in the unwillingness of most of England's top clubs to consider taking him on a free transfer. With the likes of Hull and Stoke publicly declaring their interest in the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player it seemed Owen was destined to have to accept a substantial drop in both wages and the standard of football which he craved. In fact, his advisors he had just begun negotiations with a number of interested parties before a surprise phone call from Ferguson changed the outlook on everything. "I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me," said Owen. "I agreed without a moment's thought. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands. "I am now looking forward to being a Manchester United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. "I missed pre-season last year and am pleased that I will be starting at Carrington from day one. "I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I give him my assurance that I will repay him with my goals and performances." He added to MUTV: "It feels great. When I got the call from the manager to come round and meet him it was a shock, but I'm obviously really happy. "I've had a poor spell up at Newcastle but prior to that my career was very good, and I'm sure a top club like this can re-ignite my career." Owen added that his fitness problems of recent seasons should not be a concern for United's fans. "I'd like to think that everyone was quite surprised with my medical," he said. "I passed my medical and I've obviously passed them before, and my fitness is high. A lot is made out of it but I certainly don't feel like I'm injury prone." Ferguson has been a long-time admirer of Owen and his signing does not represent as much of a gamble as some have made out. The fact Owen was a free agent, and that he is believed to have agreed a basic salary with pay-as-you play bonuses, means the Old Trafford boss has nothing to lose. And Ferguson, who lost out to Real Madrid in the race to sign Lyon striker Karim Benzema, can see through the injury woes which have robbed Owen of what should have been the prime years of his career. He believes there is still plenty to come from a player who scored 158 goals in 297 matches for Liverpool and struck 40 times in 89 England internationals. "Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question," said the United boss. "Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish." Owen will hope moving to United, with the promise of Champions League football again, will help his bid to force his way back into Fabio Capello's England squad. That is particularly important with a World Cup - likely to be Owen's last major tournament - looming next summer. He no doubt thinks he will be helped by regularly playing alongside Capello's first-choice forward Wayne Rooney at United. If he remains injury-free he should still be able to score goals considering the amount of creativity United have on the field - one factor he desperately lacked during his disappointing spell at Newcastle. Owen may not replace the sheer number of goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, whom Ferguson sold to Madrid for a world-record £80million, or the work-rate of Carlos Tevez, who appears on the verge of a move to Manchester City after his lease agreement ran out at Old Trafford, but he has the knack of scoring at important times. It is that pedigree which Ferguson hopes will shine through next season.

1:01 AM

Premier League Transfer Zone

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A club-by-club guide to all the transfer ins, outs and rumours of the summer so far in the Premier League.

ARSENAL

In: Thomas Vermaelen (£10m from Ajax AFC)

Out: None

Rumours: Thomas Hitzlsperger (Stuttgart), Mamadou Sakho (PSG), Lorik Cana (Marseille), Brede Hangeland (Fulham), Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux), Blaise Matuidi (St. Etienne), Moussa Dembele (AZ Alkmaar), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina).

ASTON VILLA

In: None

Out: Gareth Barry (£12m to Man City), Martin Laursen (retired), Stuart Taylor (undisclosed to Man City)

Rumours: David Bentley (Tottenham), Steven Defour (Standard Liege), Michael Johnson, Micah Richards (both Man. City), Tuncay Sanli, David Wheater (both Middlesbrough), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Tim Borowski (Bayern), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona)

BIRMINGHAM

In: Scott Dann (£4m from Coventry), Christian Benitez (£9.2m from Santos Laguna), Joe Hart (Manchester City on loan), Roger Johnson (£5m from Cardiff), Giovanni Espinoza (undisclosed from Barcelona Sporting Club)

Out: Radhi Jaidi, Mehdi Nafti, Arthur Krysiak (all released), Stephen Kelly (free to Fulham), Robin Shroot (on loan to Burton Albion), Kemy Agustien (end of loan), Carlos Costly (end of loan), Scott Sinclair (end of loan)

Rumours: Danny Shittu (Bolton), Lee Bowyer (West Ham), Zat Knight (Aston Villa), Danny Simpson (Manchester United, on loan)

BLACKBURN

In: Elrio van Heerden (free from Club Bruges), Nikos Giannakopoulos (£52,000 from Asteras Tripolis), Gael Givet (undisclosed from Marseille), Lars Jacobsen (free from Everton), Steven N'Zonzi (undisclosed from Amiens SC)

Out: Aaron Mokoena (free to Portsmouth), Andre Ooijer (free to PSV Eindhoven), Kerimoglu Tugay (retired), Matt Derbyshire (undisclosed to Olympiakos), Roque Santa Cruz (£17m to Man City)

Rumours: Joey Barton, Alan Smith (both Newcastle), Tal Ben Haim (Manchester City), Jerome Rothen (PSG), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)

BOLTON

In: Sean Davis (free from Portsmouth)

Out: Blerim Dzemaili (undisclosed to Torino)

Rumours: Sylvain Distin (Portsmouth), Joey Barton (Newcastle), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Ferrie Bodde (Swansea), Paul Robinson (West Brom)

BURNLEY

In: Tyrone Mears (£500,000 from Derby), Steven Fletcher (£3m from Hibernian), David Edgar (free from Newcastle)

Out: Steve Jones, Gabor Kiraly, Alan Mahon (all released)

Rumours: Matthew Mills (Doncaster), Bobo Balde (Celtic)

CHELSEA

In: Scott Sinclair (returning from loan)

Out: Mineiro (released), Ben Sahar (undisclosed to Espanyol), Slobodan Rajkovic (on loan to FC Twente)

Rumours: Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Carlos Tevez (Manchester United), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), David Villa (Valencia), Alexander Pato, Andrea Pirlo (both AC Milan), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Moussa Dembele (AZ Alkmaar), Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City), Maicon (Inter)

EVERTON

In: Shkodran Mustafi (undisclosed from Hamburg), Anton Peterlin (undisclosed from Ventura County Fusion)

Out: Nuno Valente, Andy van der Meyde, Segundo Castillo (all released)

Rumours: Michael Owen (Newcastle), Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon), Jo (Manchester City), Niko Kranjcar (Portsmouth), Fabian Delph (Leeds), Stephen Hunt (Reading), Stephan Mbia (Rennes), Kyle Naughton (Sheffield United), Lorik Cana (Marseille), Marcus Berg (FC Groningen)

FULHAM

In: Stephen Kelly (free from Birmingham)

Out: None

Rumours: Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Chris Brunt (West Brom), Carlos Kameni (Espanyol), Jeremy Aliadere, Tuncay Sanli (both Middlesbrough), Paul Scharner (Wigan), Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Kalu Uche (Almeria), Kevin Doyle (Reading)

HULL

In: Steven Mouyokolo (free from Boulogne)

Out: Ryan France, Michael Bridges, John Welsh (all released), Wayne Brown (undisclosed to Leicester), Dean Windass (free to Darlington)

Rumours: Kevin Davies (Bolton), Tal Ben Haim, Darius Vassell (both Manchester City), Manucho, Frazier Campbell (both Manchester United), Liam Miller (free agent), Marc-Antoine Fortune (Nancy), Michael Owen (Newcastle)

LIVERPOOL

In: Glen Johnson (£17m from Portsmouth), Aaron King (undisclosed from Rushden and Diamonds)

Out: Sami Hyypia (free to Bayer Leverkusen), Jack Hobbs (undisclosed to Leicester), Paul Anderson (£250,000 to Nottingham Forest)

Rumours: Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Carlos Tevez (Manchester United), David Silva, David Villa (both Valencia), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona), Mauro Zarate (Lazio), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Javi Martinez (Bilbao), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)

MANCHESTER CITY

In: Gareth Barry (£12m from Aston Villa), Roque Santa Cruz (£17m from Blackburn), Nils Zander (undisclosed from Schalke), Stuart Taylor (undisclosed from Aston Villa), Richard Martin (returning from loan)

Out: Joe Hart (on loan to Birmingham), Michael Ball, Dietmar Hamann, Darius Vassell, Danny Mills (all released)

Rumours: Carlos Tevez (Manchester United), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter), Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan (both Atletico Madrid), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor (both Arsenal)

MANCHESTER UNITED

In: Antonio Valencia (undisclosed from Wigan)

Out: Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m to Real Madrid), Carlos Tevez (end of loan)

Rumours: David Villa, David Silva (both Valencia), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Douglas Costa (Gremio), Neymar da Silva (Santos), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

PORTSMOUTH

In: Aaron Mokoena (free from Blackburn)

Out: Glen Johnson (£12m to Liverpool), Djimi Traore (undisclosed to Monaco), Sean Davis (free transfer to Bolton Wanderers)

Rumours: Sam Ricketts (Hull), Manuel Fernandes (Valencia), Gary O'Neill (Middlesbrough), Gelson Fernandes (Man City), Momo (Xerez), Sekou Cisse (Roda JC)

STOKE

In: None

Out: Vincent Pericard (released)

Rumours: Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins (both Newcastle), Stephen Kelly (Birmingham), Benjani (Man City), Paul Scholes (Man United), Jeremy Aliadere (Middlesbrough)

SUNDERLAND

In: None

Out: Dwight Yorke, David Connolly, Arnau Riera, Nick Colgan, Niall McArdle (all released), Darren Ward (retired), Peter Hartley (free to Hartlepool United), Michael Chopra (£4m to Cardiff City)

Rumours: Richard Dunne (Man City), Darren Bent, Didier Zokora (both Tottenham), Steven Davis (Rangers), Stephen Hunt (Reading), Nikola Zigic (Racing Santander/Valencia), Peter Lovenkrands (Newcastle), Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool), Frazier Campbell (Manchester United)

TOTTENHAM

In: None

Out: Ricardo Rocha, David Hutton, Simon Hawkins (released)

Rumours: Maxi Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland), Arda Turan (Galatasaray), Lee Cattermole (Wigan), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Marcos Senna, Sebastian Eguren (both Villarreal), Marcus Berg (FC Groningen), Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux)

WEST HAM

In: Peter Kurucz (undisclosed from Ujpest FC), Luis Jimenez (on loan from Inter Milan)

Out: Lucas Neill, Diego Tristan, Lee Bowyer, Walter Lopez, Tony Stokes, Jimmy Walker (all released), Joe Widdowson (free to Grimsby Town), Freddie Sears (on loan to Crystal palace), Kyel Reid (free to Sheffield United)

Rumours: Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City), Matt Bates (Middlesbrough), Steven Taylor (Newcastle), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04), Mancini (Inter Milan), Marc-Antoine Fortune (Nancy), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona), Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland)

WIGAN

In: Jordi Gomez (undisclosed from Espanyol)

Out: Antonio Valencia (undisclosed to Manchester United)

Rumours: Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool), Steven Davis (Rangers), Sylvain Ebanks-Blake (Wolves), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Frazier Campbell (Manchester United), Matt Kilgallon (Sheffield United).

WOLVES

In: Nenad Milijas (£2.6m from Red Star Belgrade), Marcus Hahnemann (free from Reading), Kevin Doyle (£6.5m from Reading), Andrew Surman (undisclosed from Southampton)

Out: Lewis Gobern (released)

Rumours: Danny Shittu (Bolton), Ronald Zubar (Marseille), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Oguchi Onweyu (Standard Liege)

12:28 AM

New Gunners deal for Ramsey

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Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey has agreed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.

The 18-year-old arrived at Emirates Stadium from Cardiff last summer in what was understood to be a £5million deal.

Ramsey made 22 first team appearances for the Gunners, which started with the Champions League qualifier against Steve McClaren's FC Twente.

The former Cardiff youngster netted his first, and so far only, senior goal in the 5-2 European victory at Fenerbahce during October.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is more than happy with Ramsey's progress so far.

"Aaron made a very good contribution in his first season and he showed that he is a very intelligent player with great quality," said Wenger.

"He is still only 18 and we are really looking forward to seeing him develop with us in the forthcoming years."

Arsenal yesterday handed professional contracts to four members of their successful FA Youth Cup team, while confirming Portugal Under-21 international Amaury Bischoff was one of eight players released.

Defenders Luke Ayling (17), Craig Eastmond (18), Cedric Evina (17) and 18-year-old keeper James Shea have all been signed on by the Gunners following an impressive campaign which also saw the youngsters win the FA Premier Academy League under the guidance of former centre-half Steve Bould.

12:26 AM

Juve deny interest in Alonso

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Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli insists the Serie A giants are not interested in signing Xabi Alonso.

Speculation is rife that Juve have joined the race to sign the Spain international, who they tried to tempt to the Stadio Olimpico last year.

However, Cobolli Gigli claims they are not in the hunt for Alonso, who has also been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

"There are a lot of names for midfield but not that of Xabi Alonso," he said. "I learnt from the press about our interest for the Spanish player.

"He's a great player but I think that to say that I have read his name in the papers says it all."

Cobolli Gigli also revealed that Juve are still interested in Udinese playmaker Gaetano D'Agostino despite their bid hitting several stumbling blocks.

"Negotiations have cooled somewhat," he added. "It's about finding a solution between what our valuation is and the Friuli club's valuation of the player.

"The matter is complicated, the fact is that Udinese apart from money want our players who we believe will be part of the future backbone of Juventus.

"However, we still have our esteem and theoretical interest for the player."

12:24 AM

Santa Cruz relieved to be at City

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Roque Santa Cruz admitted he got frustrated at times waiting for the chance to work with Mark Hughes again.

Santa Cruz became Hughes' second major summer signing last week when he completed an £18million move from Blackburn.

It was six times the figure Hughes paid to bring the Paraguayan to Ewood Park two years ago, a measure of the impact Santa Cruz has had in the Premier League following seven seasons at Bayern Munich.

The South American remembers what an enjoyable year he had working with Hughes at Blackburn, and knows the Welshman tried to get him as soon as he agreed to join Manchester City last summer.

Twelve months on, the dream has finally become reality, ending a difficult period for Santa Cruz, during which he was concerned about his chances of ending up at Eastlands.

"I have waited a long time for this," he said.

"There were stages when I thought things were a bit difficult.

"Obviously the manager made his interest in me quite clear and obviously I was very keen to come.

"I also had to show respect for Blackburn but I was seduced by the fact Mark Hughes was here and I had the chance to play for him again."

While some have questioned Hughes' ability to draw performances out of top class players, Santa Cruz is in no doubt.

He shares similar traits to the City chief that he is convinced will continue to draw the best out of him.

"I know the way the manager likes to work and what he thinks about football," said Santa Cruz.

"He has a winning mentality deep inside and it is the same for me.

"I know we will play to win every week and try to win things. That is why the decision to come here was so easy."

Santa Cruz is acutely aware of the growing expectation surrounding City.

He also hears talk of potential new arrivals like Samuel Eto'o and Carlos Tevez.

Not that it bothers him. The South American feels competition comes with the territory at a big club.

"That will only make the club stronger and make people do even better," he said. "They will want to show how good they are.

"I am delighted to be here with the players we already have. I don't know who else is coming but anyone who does will make us stronger and that is very welcome."

Ironically, Santa Cruz's competitive debut is likely to come at Blackburn given City are due to open the new campaign at Ewood Park on August 15.

It will be the start of a big season for the Blues, who will be expected not just to challenge for the top six, as chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak has previously stated, but push to break into the top four.

"The top four is the aim," said Santa Cruz.

"Winning trophies is a very hard task. It is certainly not going to happen from one day to the next and it is going to take a lot of work.

"Everyone has their own goals but it is important that everyone thinks in the same way and is pushing in the right direction.

"Just to say we want to win as many games as possible will not be enough. We have to know in our own minds where we are going to finish."