According to James Dall at Sky Sports News, Hull City boss Phil Brown expects defender Sam Ricketts to stay at the club despite being linked with Portsmouth and Everton. Brown also hopes to sign four or five more players. He said,

“It [negotiations with Ricketts] is something that is ongoing and has been for six months - and something that will be ongoing for the next six months, I dare say … He has got another year left on his contract so I fully expect him to be in for pre-season training.

“There is nothing with regards to any of the players making any kind of move with regards to getting away.”

“At this moment in time I am quite happy with the squad I have got and I am trying to improve it by bringing in four or five quality Premier League players … It is difficult in a week that we could get five or six deals done but it is not beyond the realms of possibility.”

“When I first arrived we did three in one day and last season we did three in one day as well.”

According to Sulmaan Ahmad and Will Wood at Goal.com, an unnamed source that has worked closely with several Manchester City transfers said that Carlos Tevez will join the club. The source said,

“Carlos Tevez was keen on the Chelsea deal, as he wanted to be a regular in the Champions League and be immediately challenging for the title … However, the City offer was hard to refuse and it’s an exciting project.”

“All being well, the deal should be concluded by Monday evening, or even earlier if the paperwork is sorted.”

According to the Sunderland Echo, Sunderland striker Michael Chopra has officially joined Cardiff City today. The two clubs agreed to a deal that would send Chopra on loan until July 1st, where he would then join Cardiff permanently.

It is believed that the deal for Chopra is £3m – £2m less than what Sunderland had paid for him.

According to Portsmouth’s official website, Portsmouth striker Kanu is considering his option of another year with the club. Meanwhile Portsmouth have not had any discussions yet with defender Sol Campbell. Executive chairman Peter Storrie said,

“Kanu has the option of another year, which he is considering … There are not any discussions going on with Sol at the moment. In terms of whether there will be further discussions, we’ll look at it next week.”

According to Football Spy at the Daily Mirror, Ipswich are prepared to pay Manchester United £2million for winger/striker Lee Martin.

According to Luis Mira at Goal.com, A Bola is reporting that Liverpool have made a €3.5 million offer for River Plate striker Radamel Falcao. Falcao appeared set to join Benfica prior to this offer from Liverpool.

According to Sky Sports News, Arsenal defender William Gallas is looking forward to next season with the club despite being linked with a move to Inter Milan. Gallas said,

“We have not talked about renewing the contract, but I am relaxed and looking forward to next season with Arsenal.”

According to Manchester City’s official website, Manchester City have released:

Danny Mills, Daniel Sturridge, Darius Vassell, Didi Hamann, Michael Ball, Glauber Berti, and Richard Martin.

According to Portsmouth’s official website, Portsmouth have released:

Djimi Traore, Glen Little, Lauren, Noe Pamarot, and Jerome Thomas.

According to Burnley’s official website, Burnley have agreed to a four-year deal with Newcastle defender David Edgar. Because Edgar is under 24 (22), Newcastle will receive compensation for the loss of him.

UPDATE: According to ESPN Soccernet, Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is still interested in Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o. He said,

“We have made an offer but there appears to be a situation between the player and his club that we cannot be part of … We just have to sit back and see what develops. Patience is a word that has been mentioned and we may need some of it.”

Manchester City are rumored to have made a £25million offer for Eto’o and offered a personal deal worth £250,000-a-week.

June 29th, 2009 According to ESPN Soccernet, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o seems like he will turn down a large offer from Manchester City and instead play out the final year of his contract. Eto’o’s agent Josep Maria Mesalles told ONA FM,

According to Robin Bairner at Goal.com, L’Equipe is reporting that Bordeaux are considering Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre as a replacement for Souleymane Diawara as he looks set to leave.

According to Wolverhampton’s official website, Wolverhampton signed Southampton midfielder Andrew Surman for an undisclosed fee. Surman signed a three-year deal with the club option for a fourth year.

According to Salvatore Landolina at Goal.com, Il Corriere Della Sera is reporting that Blackburn are set to give 35-year-old striker Christian Vieri a ten day trial with the club starting Saturday.

UPDATE: According to Bolton’s official website, Bolton have signed Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis on a free transfer. Davis agreed to a three-year deal with the club.

June 17th, 2009 According to Sky Sports News, Bolton are set to sign Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis on a free transfer. Davis’ contract with Portsmouth expires later this month.

According to Arsenal’s official website, midfielder Aaron Ramsey has agreed to a long-term contract with Arsenal.

According to Real Madrid’s official website, Real Madrid and Lyon have agreed to a deal for striker Karim Benzema. Benzema will undergo a physical in the next few days.