liverpool agree 13m fee for joe allen

Liverpool are set to complete their second signing of the summer by snapping up Swansea City midfielder Joe Allen after the two clubs agreed a £13.5 million fee. It was reported that Swansea originally wanted £15m for the player, but it appears now that Liverpool will end up paying less for Allen due to the details of his terms at The Liberty Stadium. Liverpool were one of five clubs (the others are Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal) – who were told to pay the agreed figure to sign the 22-year-old. However, should a club from outside that quintet join the race for Allen and make a lower bid, it then becomes an open market and a bidders war, leaving Swansea with a difficult decision to make. http://www.football.co.uk

Giggs says gold would be career highlight

Manchester United great Ryan Giggs said Tuesday an Olympic gold would rank among the best moments of his career as he prepares to play his first international tournament at the age of 38. The Welsh winger will captain the Great Britain team when they return to Olympic competition after a gap of 52 years, starting with their match against Senegal at his United home ground of Old Trafford on Thursday. "It would be up there, definitely. I don't like to prioritise any trophies or medals because they are all good feelings, it's always a challenge no matter what you have won before," Giggs said. "This is a big challenge because of the quality that is there in the tournament." He added: "Obviously I'm looking forward to it. I've enjoyed every bit of the preparation so far. To be involved in a tournament at this point in my career is something I am excited about." "As a footballer you don't start off thinking you'd like to win a gold medal in the Olympics, you set out to win leagues and cups and European cups and hopefully we'll get the chance to go a long way." Giggs said it would be an unusual sensation to play at Old Trafford for a team other than United, for whom he has been a mainstay for nearly 15 years. "It will be strange but I have done it once before, when Wales played England here," he said. "It was strange that day because we were in the away dressing-room but fortunately we are in the home dressing-room this time. It will be different for me." http://www.football.co.uk

Malaysia XI v Arsenal - Match Preview

Arsenal start their pre-season tour of Asia with a fixture against Malaysia XI. The Malaysia XI team will mainly consist of Malaysian national team players, a team ranked 157th in the world. Young forward Benik Afobe is hoping to play and Ryo Miyaichi, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Bolton, should also play some part. Abou Diaby is fit for the Gunners, while Craig Eastmond, Francis Coquelin, Kyle Bartley, Ignasi Miquel and Nico Yennaris could all feature. The Gunners will of course be without Robin van Persie. The Dutch forward has been left out of the squad for the tour of Asia and is set to leave the club. http://www.football.co.uk

LA Galaxy v Tottenham Hotspur- Match Preview

The Home Depot Center — Carson, California LA Galaxy will be without David Beckham and Landon Donovan, as the duo prepare to feature for the MLS All Star game with Chelsea. Former Spurs forward Robbie Keane should feature, the Irishman has scored six goals in seven games since he returned from Euro 2012. New Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is likely to give another run-out to new signing Gylfi Sigurdsson and fellow new signing Jan Vertonghen may also be involved. The club have fined Croatian midfielder Luka Modric two weeks' wages, around £80,000, for missing the tour of the United States. The Spurs manager wants the situation resolved as quickly as possible. Villas-Boas said: "The situation is not dependent on Tottenham, it is dependent on the clubs who are interested in the player. "It's the first time Luka has taken these actions. The chairman and myself have been very open with the situation by saying we are willing to listen to offers for the player, which is uncommon. "We never doubt his human qualities but the club has to take action regarding a player who is missing on club duty and that's what we are doing. "We have to hold on to our values and our rights and at the moment, the situation for Luka is that he is under club discipline. "Unfortunately for him he is going to have to be fined by the club for not being present. "He is a player who has offered so much to Tottenham so we have to have a sense of respect for what he has done over the years for us, but the chairman feels that the fact he is not present is not common professional behaviour "Hopefully the situation can be solved in one of two ways - the two ways being that the clubs interested meet the demands of Tottenham regarding the player's value, or the player continues and returns to club duty." http://www.football.co.uk

Koscielny agrees new Gunners deal

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has agreed a new long-term contract with the Gunners. The 26-year-old France international joined Arsenal from Lorient in 2010 and has since established himself as a key member of Arsene Wenger's side. A statement on www.arsenal.com read: "Arsenal football club is delighted to announce that Laurent Koscielny has agreed to sign a new long-term contract." http://www.football.co.uk

Werner: Rodgers decides on Carroll

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists manager Brendan Rodgers will have the final say on the future of 35million striker Andy Carroll.
The 23-year-old England international has been the subject of intense speculation ever since Rodgers hinted earlier this summer that he might not have a future at Anfield. Carroll's situation remained unclear as he headed for North America to join up with his team-mates in Boston, after an extended break following the European Championship.
However, Werner is adamant that any decision will be down to Rodgers and he told Sky Sports News: "The only thing I can say is we will do what's best for the club. Brendan is clearly the leader here, and hopefully the question will be answered shortly. But at the moment, Andy is on the team and we are looking forward to his contributions."
Werner added: "At the moment, Andy is on the squad. He was an important member of the English team, he has got a lot of talent and we will see what happens there."
Carroll's former club Newcastle have tested the water with a speculative bid to take the player back on loan with a view to completing a permanent transfer next year, prompting Rodgers to rule out a temporary switch to any club with West Ham and Fulham also monitoring the situation.
However, while the Magpies' interest is ongoing, it remains to be seen whether or not they are prepared to meet Liverpool's asking price, understood to amount to £20million.
Carroll was signed by former Reds boss Kenny Dalglish, whose departure at the end of last season opened the door for Rodgers to secure one of the biggest jobs in English football.
Werner is delighted with the appointment, and is backing the former Swansea manager to make a significant impact.
He said: "I don't think anyone could have been happy with our performance on the pitch last year, no disrespect to Kenny. I think he is an iconic figure for Liverpool and he will always be appreciated for the stability that he brought to the club.
"Brendan brings a very thoughtful, modern, attacking philosophy - I think our fans will be very delighted with the attacking philosophy that he brings to Liverpool - and hopefully we will see improvement."



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Liverpools Suarez relaxed about Old Trafford return

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez took a swipe at the English media on Tuesday as he prepared to return to Old Trafford for the first time since his spat with Patrice Evra last season.
The Liverpool forward was hit with a lengthy ban last year after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Evra during a match at Anfield in October.
Suarez then triggered a fresh firestorm of controversy in the return fixture at Old Trafford when he pointedly refused to shake Evra's hand.
However Suarez is relaxed about his return to Manchester this week as Uruguay kick off their Olympic campaign against the United Arab Emirates.
"I am representing Uruguay and that's all that matters to me," Suarez said. "I said before that the English press is what matters least to me. I am proud to represent my country."
Suarez also brushed off suggestions that he might benefit from the experience of having played at Old Trafford before.
"I don't really know Old Trafford that well," he said. "I have played one match there. I have played just once at many stadiums, so I don't have to give advice to anyone on the stadiums we play at.
"It's a great stadium. What we have to do is play football at a spectacular ground."

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