Jose Mourinho’s lack of efficient personnel to cover for the John Terry - Gary Cahill partnership at the back, has led the Portuguese manager to identify 19 year old Kurt Zouma as a key transfer target in January, as reported by the Daily Mirror. Zouma is reported to have a host of suitors in line for his signature, including Premier League giants Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, mega-rich French club Monaco and Italian clubs Napoli and Inter Milan.

Zouma started his footballing journey in Vaulx-en-Velin, located in the Northeast part of the French city of Lyon in 2003. He stayed there till 2009, when he decided to move to the Southwest and joined St. Etienne. His formative years continued for 2 years. He made his debut for the senior team at the end of August 2011 in the French League Cup against Bordeaux, after signing a three year deal before the season began.

David Moyes have agreed to sell Netherlands captain and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie to Spanish giants Barcelona for 38 million pounds, according to reports in Catalan newspaper Sport.

There was a rumour emerging from Old Trafford regarding Van Persie’s dislike of the new Manchester United manager, which was further elevated by Mark Lawrenson, BBC pundit and former Liverpool defender, that the striker could have already submitted a transfer request.

Van Persie’s clash with Moyes is not new, as they had quite an argument, before the season began, with the striker defining the Scotsman’s training regime as too intensive and also questioned Moyes’ management style. Also, the decision to replace Rene Meulensteen, the first team coach under Sir Alex Ferguson, did not sit well with the striker.

The contenders for this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the best player of 2013 and for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2013 award were announced today on FIFA.com, francefootball.fr and YouTube.

In alphabetical order, the FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees are: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Lionel Messi (Argentina) and Franck Ribéry (France), while Nadine Angerer (Germany), Marta (Brazil) and Abby Wambach (USA) will contest the women’s award.

Arsenal take on Napoli in the UEFA Champions League at the Stadio San Paolo on Wednesday. The match is a crunch clash for both teams, with Napoli’s hopes of qualifying for the last 16 still hanging in the balance while Arsenal must avoid defeat to ensure that their status as group leaders remain intact. Both sets of fans will also keep a close eye on the other match, in which Marseille host Borussia Dortmund at the Stade Velodrome. It is a curious scenario in which all 3 teams still in the running may potentially end on 12 points and one of them will cruelly miss out on making it to the knockout rounds.

Napoli head into the game in topsy-turvy form, managing only one win in their last five matches just as their rivals for the Serie A title are pulling away from them. The latest setback came against Udinese, against whom they led thrice but failed to make their advantage count. On the other hand, Arsenal are on a roll and are sitting at the top of the Premier League with a 5-point cushion. But, Arsene Wenger knows Arsenal cannot rest easy on their laurels or they risk losing top spot which will make their life difficult in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Ashley Cole is coming towards the twilight of his career. He gave his all for both the clubs he ever played for, Arsenal and Chelsea and is the most capped full back England has ever produced, with 106 appearances to his name. This season was supposed to be his season, with the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho back at the helm of the Blues. However, things haven’t quite gone according to script.

It was Jose Mourinho who first brought Cole to Chelsea in 2006 in rather ignominious circumstances. Before the start of this season, Cole confessed that the Portuguese did not see his best form in his first stint with the club and was hoping to impress him this time out. Cole’s season started brightly as he started the first 7 games for the club and managed to maintain clean sheets on 3 occasions. A rib injury before the game against Cardiff City saw him ruled out of the fixture. Though he returned for the next two fixtures, Cole struggled in those games and was predictably benched.

Chelsea take on Steaua Bucharest in the UEFA Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. While Chelsea have already qualified, Steaua will only be playing for pride as they cannot make it into the last 16 of the Champions League or qualify for the Europa League. The top two spots in Group E are still up for grabs with Chelsea on 9 points followed closely by Basel (8 points) and Schalke (7 points). Chelsea would want to take the top spot and make it through as group winners, so as to avoid any potential banana skins in the last 16 draw.

Both teams are having similar fortunes in their domestic leagues, with Chelsea currently 3rd placed in the Premier League and Steaua also sitting comfortably in third in the Romania Liga. Neither team has had an ideal preparation for the match, with Chelsea losing to Stoke 3-2 at the Britannia Stadium and Steaua on a run of draws, with their last victory coming in late October. The Blues have been troubled in Europe, having already been beaten twice by Basel and Mourinho would be wanting to ensure that the final match sees Chelsea ending the group stage on a high.