Sao Paulo officials are to speak with Arsenal about the possibility of extending Denilson’s loan spell at the Brazilian club.
Denilson returned to his homeland last year on a season-long loan deal, but it had looked as though he would be coming back to London this summer after Sao Paulo recently admitted they could not afford his transfer fee.
The 24-year-old had struggled at Arsenal before he was loaned out but the Gunners are now believed to want him back after some impressive performances for Sao Paulo.
Bond and Jordan leave Tottenham
Tottenham have parted company with assistant coaches Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan.
Bond and Jordan have exited White Hart Lane in the wake of Harry Redknapp’s departure as manager earlier this month. They were an integral part of Redknapp’s back room staff and oversaw the running of team affairs while he was recovering from heart surgery in November.
The duo were also prominent during Redknapp’s court case in January and February when the 65-year-old was found not guilty of two counts of cheating the public revenue.
The move clears the path for Andre Villas-Boas to install his own coaching team as the former Chelsea boss has reportedly won the race to succeed Redknapp.
Perry – I owe Gers
Ross Perry committed himself to newco Rangers because he still feels a debt of gratitude to the old club. The defender was one of 13 players who reported back to Murray Park for the start of pre-season training on Monday.
Perry’s Ibrox contract is set to expire at the end of season 2014-15 and he believes he still has plenty to offer during that period.
The 22-year-old said: “I’ve been here since I was 11 or 12 years old and Rangers have been there for my whole football career. They’ve been great to me and I think I owe them.
“I played a little bit last season but I think I’ve got a lot more to give.”
Guti expects to resolve future
Former Real Madrid star Guti hopes to have finalised where he will be plying his trade next season in the next couple of weeks.
The 35-year-old has been without a club since leaving Turkish side Besiktas in November but has no intention of hanging up his boots just yet .
He said: “In 10 or 15 days everything should be closed. I hope then to be able to announce that I’m going to continue playing for another year.”
Guti was linked with a move to newly-promoted Premier League club West Ham recently. The ex-Spain international spent 16 years at Madrid before moving to Turkey in 2010.
Skrtel committed to Liverpool
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has brushed aside speculation about his future after being linked with Manchester City and Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala.
While Skrtel’s agent has previously hinted the player wants to be reassured the club’s ambitions meet his own, the 27-year-old denied the transfer rumours.
“I will be leaving for Liverpool on July 6. I am very excited about the new season,” Skrtel said.
“There is also speculation about my exit from Liverpool but I can say that there was no offer on the table yet and we didn’t hold talks with any club.”
Skrtel, Liverpool’s player of the year last season, has two years remaining on his contract.
Rijkaard won’t coach Holland
Frank Rijkaard has no interest in managing Holland for the time being. He is one of several men who have been linked with the vacant post after Bert van Marwijk stepped down from his role following a disappointing Euro 2012.
But agent Perry Overeem said Rijkaard remains dedicated to his duties at Saudi Arabia.
“Frank’s contract runs until the end of 2013,” Overeem said.
“Saudi Arabia can no longer qualify for the World Cup of 2014, but there is more to do.”
Other candidates to succeed Van Marwijk include Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Frank de Boer, Guus Hiddink, Louis van Gaal and Co Adriaanse.
Drogba to fly to China on July 13
Didier Drogba will arrive in China on July 13 “at the latest” to join Shanghai Shenhua, the team’s coach said, amid huge anticipation he will help turn the club’s season around.
Shenhua has made a poor start to their Chinese Super League campaign this year, winning just three games and ranking 12th in the 16-club league.
“The (Shenhua) club told me his (Drogba) arrival will be on July 13th at the latest,” coach Sergio Batista told reporters.
An official confirmed the news, but would not disclose more details on the matter.
“Certainly I wish he could arrive as early as possible,” Batista said about Drogba.