Petr Cech has been given the green light to talk to other clubs by Chelsea, according to the goalkeeper’s agent.
After a decade as number one, Cech has found himself second choice behind Thibaut Courtois this season as Chelsea won the Premier League and League Cup.
Jose Mourinho expressed a reluctance for Cech to move to rivals Arsenal, who are rumoured to be interested in the goalkeeper.
Mourinho said it would take “big” money to prise Cech away from Stamford Bridge.
Agent Viktor Kolar said: “Petr has a valid contract with his current club. However, I can confirm that we have been permitted to negotiate with interested parties.”
‘Japanese Messi’
FC Tokyo have taken advantage of Barcelona’s punishment for breaching rules on the transfer of young players by swooping to bring home a 13-year-old player dubbed the “Japanese Messi”.
Takefusa Kubo had signed for the Spanish giants in 2011 but the club were found guilty of “serious” youth transfer breaches between 2009 and 2013 by FIFA last year.
The teenager was forced to leave the Catalans and had been training in his homeland since April before opting to sign with the J.League title challengers.
Kubo could rejoin Barcelona when he turns 18.
Welbeck to miss Man. United return
Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck will miss the chance to haunt former club Manchester United for a second time this season after being ruled out of tomorrow’s Premier League game at Old Trafford with a knee injury.
The 24-year-old scored the winner in the Gunners’ 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory in March.
But Welbeck, who started brightly at the Emirates but has since gone off the boil playing in an unfavoured wide position, has missed Arsenal’s last two matches through injury.
“Welbeck is short a fraction but is not far away from returning,” Arsene Wenger said yesterday.
Matches off
The Argentina FA has postponed games across all professional divisions this weekend out of respect for Emanuel Ortega, who died on Thursday having fractured his skull last week.
The 21-year-old striker was playing for San Martin de Burzaco against Juventud Unida in a Primera C match held on May 4 when he struck his head on a concrete pillar during a challenge with an opponent.
He died 10 days later and a division-wide postponement proposed by the AFA has been agreed to by all clubs.
AFA president Luis Segura said: “I feel great sadness and dismay. While Emanuel’s situation was always complicated, we had hope, but unfortunately that has now gone.”
Gerrard urges Sterling to stay
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may be leaving in the summer but he wants talented youngster Raheem Sterling to stay.
Gerrard believes keeping 20-year-old Sterling, who has turned down a £100,000-a-week contract, is important as is more investment by Fenway Sports Group, despite them splashing £120 million last summer.
“My advice to Raheem is he needs a manager who is going to play him, to coach him, to believe in him. I think there is no one better for him than Brendan Rodgers,” he said.
“I think he should sign a new deal. The danger for younger players is they want it all too soon and go to another club and just become a number.”
Pearson keen on keeping Huth
Nigel Pearson has admitted he wants to keep Robert Huth at Leicester. The on-loan Stoke man has been at the King Power Stadium since February and has helped the Foxes to the brink of safety in the Premier League.
Huth, 30, has made 12 appearances for Leicester who are three points above the drop zone with two games left.
He has a year left on his contract at the Britannia Stadium but Foxes manager Pearson wants to keep the former Germany international at Leicester.
“The answer is yes,” he said, when asked if he was eager to sign Huth permanently.
“I’ve not spoken to Mark (Hughes, Stoke boss) about that and it’s not right for me to talk in the public domain without the relevant parties being involved in that conversation.”
No party for Magpies
Newcastle have cancelled their end-of-season awards dinner as head coach John Carver and his players battle to secure Premier League safety.
The event, which would have raised funds for the club’s charity Foundation, was due to take place at St James’ Park on Wed-nesday evening, four days before the final-day fixture against West Ham United.
However, the parlous on-field situation has led officials to cancel it to ensure the focus remains solely on collecting the points required to avert disaster.
It is not yet known if the dinner will be rescheduled, but the club has vowed to work with Foundation to find another way to provide support.