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Arsenal and Liverpool’s hopes of beefing up their attack force by tempting Fernando Llorente to leave Athletic Bilbao has increased greatly after the player himself declared to ESPN that he would be leaving the Basque club, but only when his contract expires in the summer and not during the winter transfer window. The 27 year old is also wanted by Italian Champions Juventus and with wages set to dictate his future we can safely assume that the English duo will quietly step out of the race.

Chelsea fans will continue to cast a resentful eye at West Brom for the near future it seems as the high-flying Baggies are currently managed by ex-Chelsea coach Steve Clarke and also posses a functioning Chelsea-owned striker in Romelu Lukaku. Rafael ‘Interim Chelsea boss until Roman Abramovich gets bored’ Benitez has further endeared himself to the loving Blues faithful by declaring to The Sun that the on-song Belgian striker will not return to Chelsea in January and will instead ‘help’ the club by further improving as a striker by remaining at the Hawthorns.

In further depressing news for Chelsea fans on the attacking front, the Metro reports that Bayer Leverkusen’s Andre Schurrle will not be leaving the Bundesilga anytime soon, with the source of the information being none other than the German star’s father. The 22 year old was heavily linked with Chelsea in the summer but the European Champions failed to lure him away from the Bay Arena and with Schurrle Sr stating that his son had ‘no reason to move till next summer’, the scramble for his £28m signature should intensify in the summer.

Sounds Realistic

Andre Villas-Boas has struggled to pluck players from his native Portuguese Liga ever since taking over at Tottenham and the Metro reports that AVB is likely to face defeat in his pursuit of Sporting Lisbon striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, whose agent declared that the 23 year old had plenty of unfinished business at the club and a January move would be impossible.

QPR’s haphazard recruitment policy has played a major role in their current dire situation and the ultimate transfer market expert, Harry Redknapp, intends to correct that by ending Scott Sinclair’s ‘I told you so’ nightmarish time at Manchester City, so claims the Express.

Liverpool have rekindled their interest in Dynamo Kiev striker Artem Milevskiy according to the Mirror, with the Ukrainian club keen to cash in on the 27 year old in January rather than lose him for free in the summer. The Reds have been behind forward for two years now, with a certain Roy Hodgson first registering an interest in the player.

Whether or not Pepe Reina makes the move to Arsenal in January, Brendan Rodgers is looking for better quality in goal, with this morning's Daily Mail reporting that the new Liverpool boss has identified future England stopper Jack Butland and talented German Ron-Robert Zieler as possible replacements. - new

Swansea's Spanish superstar Michu's exploits in front of goal are not just surprising everyone in England, but also attracting attention from across the continent, with Napoli and Genoa both reportedly having added the player to their Christmas Shopping List according to the Daily Mirror. Are the Swans going to make a neat profit on the man they bought 6 months ago for £2 million or will they fight tooth and nail to hang on to the player? - new

Ever heard of Modou Sougou? He's a winger for Champions League hopefuls CFR Cluj, and the Daily Mail reports that scouts Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa will all be making their way over to Old Trafford today to watch the 27-year old in action ahead of a possible January bid. - new

Some more news coming from Tyneside, and it appears that Newcastle are keen on adding Southampton's young skipper Adam Lallana to their squad in the winter. The Daily Mirror believes that a £5 million bid is in the offing. Chances are though if the Saints are entertaining offers, the Magpies will probably not be the only bidders. - new

Andre Santos' short spell as a Gunner could come to an end early in January with Sao Paulo reportedly ready to move for the technically poor Brazilian left-back according to reports in the Metro. Arsenal spent a massive £6.2 million to bring the player over from Fenerbache in 2011, and would be lucky to recover half that sum. - new

Back to the Baggies, and Steve Clarke has brushed off speculation that striker Shane Long could be the subject of a bid from Liverpool in the January transfer window according to reports in Express and Star. The 25-year old striker has an impeccable work rate and knows his way to goal, leaving West Brom to consider the reality that he could well move to a bigger club before too... er... long. - new

Completed Transfer

Chelsea’s search for defensive solidity has led them to Samba land once again as Fluminense’s Wallace became the latest addition to the ever-growing Brazilian contingent at the Bridge. The Blues confirmed the 18 year olds capture on their official website, with the back-up for 1^st choice back-up Cesar Azpilicueta reportedly costing €5.5m.

No Way Jose Rumour

French Manchester City-Paris St.Germain are having sleepless nights at the thought of losing their summer signing Marco Verratti to one among Arsenal, Chelsea and Juventus according to TalkSport, despite the fact that the talented 20 year old midfielder has a contract till 2017. The Italian’s future is supposedly clouded by the fact that manager Carlo Ancelotti’s position is under threat, which seemingly has a direct impact on his own career at the club he joined from Pescara less than six months ago.