Football news

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not lining up a bid for Gareth Barry even though he is an admirer of the Aston Villa captain.

Wenger admitted he is looking to sign a midfielder with rumours suggesting Liverpool schemer Xabi Alonso is his top target but Barry is not in his sights.

"I don't know if Gareth Barry will leave Aston Villa or not, but I am not on his case," Wenger told reporters.

"I like Gareth Barry and I like two or three other players but it is better I don't mention names.

"If we sign a player we will come out and tell you, but I can say to you now that we are not close to signing anybody."

Drogba ruled out of season opener

Didier Drogba is set to miss Chelsea's Premier League opener against Portsmouth on August 17 as he has yet to fully recover from a knee injury, Blues' manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has revealed.

"Didier will not play in our first game and will probably miss the second against Wigan," said Scolari.

"If there are no more problems he should be ready for the game after that, Tottenham on August 31."

With Drogba sidelined, Chelsea will be relying heavily on Nicolas Anelka, who hit four goals in a 5-0 mauling of Milan on Sunday.

Salomon Kalou is away at the Olympics and Scolari has hinted Andriy Shevchenko is not a contender to start the first game of the season.

Hammers sign Lastuvka on loan

West Ham have completed the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka on a season-long loan with an option of making his deal permanent.

"I hope that I will get into good shape overall and will be as helpful to the team as possible. So far I have had only good feelings," Lastuvka said. The one-time Czech Republic international also had offers from Sparta Prague, Salzburg and Banik Ostrava during the summer.

Lastuvka has already had one spell in England with Fulham, although he was unable to secure regular football ahead of Antti Niemi.

Liverpool's Leto denied work permit

Liverpool's young Argentinian winger Sebastian Leto has been refused a work permit for the new season and is now set to leave Anfield on loan, with Olympiakos a likely destination.

Leto figured four times for the Reds last term while on an Italian passport but that was later revoked by the Italian government, which is now subject to an appeal.

Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, has called for a change in the process for awarding work permits. "The system needs to change, clearly," a disappointed Benitez said.

"I cannot understand how an Argentine player who has been in pre-selection for the Olympic squad and has played in the Champions League and at a club like Liverpool is not good enough."

Kaka worried about knee injury

Milan's woes appeared to increase on Sunday when Kaka said he had no idea how long it will take him to fully recover from his latest injury.

"I am in bad shape. I don't know when I'll be back," he told journalists.

The Brazilian limped off during the 1-0 defeat to Sevilla in Moscow and played no part in Milan's 5-0 thrashing by Chelsea on Sunday.

Milan's official website said Kaka's injury was caused by "an inflammation of the knee," but reports from Brazil speculated that it is a case of tendonitis in the same knee that underwent surgery in May and will keep him on the sidelines for at least two weeks.

Juventus on Schweinsteiger alert

Juventus are prepared to revive their efforts to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, according to a report in Tuttosport.

The Serie A club, who were first linked with the German international during Euro 2008, were said to be close to agreeing a deal for Liverpool's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso but the transfer never materialised.

Tuttosport reported that the Bianconeri are ready to enter into negotiations for Schweinsteiger as the latter has yet to sign a new contract with the Bundesliga champions.

Schalke's Ivan Rakitic could become a target for Juventus if they fail to land Schweinsteiger.

Spurs win Feyenoord tournament

Tottenham Hotspur beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 to win the Feyenoord Jubilee Tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday.

Jermaine Jenas set up Darren Bent after eight minutes to open the scoring and early in the second half Jenas connected with Giovani dos Santos to double the lead, while two minutes before time Jamie O'Hara added a third.

Tottenham, who beat Celtic 2-0 on Friday, finished first with six points. Celtic placed second following a 3-1 victory over hosts Feyenoord, scoring through Giorgos Samaras and Dutchman Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who hit two.