Wright-Philips: Manchester City have turned down a big-money offer from Premier League champions Chelsea for England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. "We have always stressed that we want Shaun to stay...and Shaun himself has always been adamant that he is happy here as the club continues to build on the excellent progress made under the leadership of (manager) Stuart Pearce," said City in a statement. The bid from Chelsea for the 23-year-old winger was reported to be £18 million.

Essien: Olympique Lyon midfielder Michael Essien is still hopeful of joining English champions Chelsea. Lyon are determined to keep the gifted Ghana international despite several lucrative offers from the Premier League club."I do not think Lyon will shut the door," Essien said."I am confident both clubs will reach an agreement."

Baptista: Sevilla president Jose del Nido says he has rejected a renewed offer of €20 million from Arsenal for the club's Brazilian forward Julio Baptista. "The figures are still not close to what we are asking for," Del Nido said.

Arsenal: Arsenal's forward Jose Antonio Reyes and defender Gael Clichy signed new long-term contracts with the Premier League club. Reyes signed a new six-year contract while Clichy has also extended his contract, securing his future with the club until 2010.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.