UPDATE: According to Chelsea’s official website, Chelsea have signed CSKA Moscow midfielder Yuri Zhirkov to a three-year deal.

July 6th, 2009 According to Chelsea’s official website, Chelsea have agreed to a deal with CSKA Moscow for midfielder Yuri Zhirkov. Now Chelsea and Zhirkov will work out a deal.

According to Sky Sports News, reports in France are indicating that Liverpool have agreed to a deal to sign 18-year-old Paris St Germain defender Chris Mavinga.

UPDATE: According to Carlo Garganese at Goal.com, Sky Sport Italia is reporting that Juventus have signed Arsenal target and Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo for €20million.

July 4th, 2009 According to James Dall at Sky Sports News, Fiorentina’s official website reported that the club is willing to accept Arsenal defender/winger Emmanuel Eboue + Cash for Felipe Melo. The statement read:

According to ESPN Soccernet, John Obi Mikel is expected to sign a new five-year deal with Chelsea worth about £70,000-a-week. His agent John Shittu said,

“He will sign the deal … Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract.

“It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club.”

According to Stoke City’s official website, Stoke City have signed Matthew Lund and Ben Marshall to two-year deals. Both came from Crewe Alexandra’s Academy.

UPDATE: According to ESPN Soccernet, Bordeaux winger Gabriel Obertan is undergoing a physical for Manchester United.

July 6th, 2009 According to ESPN Soccernet, L’Equipe is reporting that Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud admitted that Manchester United are leading the way for midfielder Gabriel Obertan. He said,

According to the Derby Telegraph, Derby County are interested in signing Arsenal’s 19-year-old midfielder Mark Randall on loan.

According to Chelsea’s official website, Chelsea are looking for a “marquee name.” Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck told Chelsea TV,

“We announced [Yuri] Zhirkov, and you know about [Ross] Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge. We are looking for a marquee name but as you know, as you read about it in the papers, most of the big clubs are chasing the same players. We are only going to get one of those top-notch players and there aren’t very many of them.”

“And we are only going to get one of those top-notch players if the price is right and he fits into our team appropriately. But we are looking and we are optimistic.”

UPDATE: According to Sky Sports News, Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce admitted that he will most likely not be able to sign Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch. He said,

“I think probably Ruud, from a salary point of view, is out of our reach … And I think he is not going to be fit until September, so that is not going to be what we are looking for at the moment … We need someone right now who can join up with the squad as soon as we can.”

“We think he [Peter Crouch] is probably out of our reach and bigger clubs than Blackburn will take him if Portsmouth decide they are going to sell him.

“No-one has said to me from Portsmouth that he is for sale so we haven’t done anything from that point of view.”

June 27th, 2009 According to ESPN Soccernet, Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce admitted that he would like to sign Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy, who has been linked with Tottenham as well. He said,

According to Manchester United’s official website, Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2013.