Arsenal Close in on loan deal for Vivian

                              
The Italy international, who spent last season on loan with Fiorentina, is expected to sign for the season from Palermo and provide competition for current No.1 Wojciech Szczesny
Arsenal have reached an agreement with Palermo to sign goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano, Goal understands.

The 27-year-old Italy international is due to fly to London on Sunday night to discuss personal terms with the Gunners and undergo a medical, which is expected to take place on Monday morning.
The deal is likely to be a season-long loan, which gives Arsenal the option to buy Viviano at the end of the campaign.

It is understood that Arsenal will pay a substantial loan fee for the keeper, who became available after his club Palermo were relegated to Serie B.

Viviano spent last season on loan at Fiorentina but they have not taken up an option to buy him and he is now expected to complete a move to Arsenal before Monday night’s transfer deadline.

Arsene Wenger turned his attention to Viviano after continually revising his list of goalkeeping targets during the summer.

Arsenal had made moves for a string of keepers, including QPR’s Julio Cesar, Valencia’s Vicente Guaita and Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic

Arsenal in £40m talks with Real Madrid to sign Ozil

                         
Arsene Wenger has stepped up his pursuit of the German playmaker, who has fallen down the Bernabeu pecking order, and hopes to complete a spectacular deal on deadline day
Arsenal are in advanced talks with Real Madrid to sign Mesut Ozil for £40 million, Goal can reveal.

High-level discussions have been held between the clubs in recent days and Arsene Wenger is increasingly hopeful that a sensational late move for the Germany international can be completed before Monday night’s transfer deadline.

Arsenal are willing to pay a club-record £40m to capture Ozil, who has privately indicated he is keen to move to the Emirates Stadium, despite his public claims he is happy to stay and fight for his place in Carlo Ancelotti's side.

The Gunners now face a race against time to complete the deal in what promises to be a frantic final 24 hours of the window.

Wenger is targeting at least three new signings on deadline day as he tries to make amends for what has been a frustrating summer of transfer activity for the club.

As revealed by Goal, Arsenal have reached an agreement with Palermo to sign goalkeeper Emiliano Vivano on a season-long loan, with the Italian heading to London on Sunday night to discuss personal terms and undertake a medical.

Wenger is also working on a third deal as he seeks to strengthen a squad that has been severely weakened both by injury and high-profile departures in the past two summers.

Despite working with a transfer budget of up to £100m, Wenger has suffered repeated frustration in the transfer market this summer and is yet to make a cash signing.

The Frenchman’s priority has been to add a proven striker to the ranks but two bids for Luis Suarez were rejected by Liverpool, while moves for Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney and Karim Benzema have all been unsuccessful.

Wenger turned his attention to Real Madrid’s battery of elite attackers after it became increasingly clear that Bale was set for a world-record £86m move to Spain.

The Gunners tabled a £25.6m bid for Angel Di Maria last week but the player has begun the season in impressive form and is reluctant to cut his ties with the Bernabeu.

However, Ozil was left on the bench for Real’s 3-1 win earlier on Sunday after being substituted during the 1-0 win at Granada six days previously, which he reacted to by storming down the tunnel and onto the team bus.

Asked about overlooking Ozil in favour of Di Maria on Sunday, Ancelotti said: “It’s to be expected that he’s not happy. I don’t like players who are happy to be on the bench. It was a football decision to play Di María, who is playing well and with great intensity".

Arsenal have been given encouragement that Real are willing to off-load the 24-year-old playmaker as they prepare to trim costs and free up space in the team for Gareth Bale.

Ozil has been a fixture in the Real team, usually playing in the No10 role behind the centre-forward, since moving from Werder Bream in the summer of 2010. He has also won 47 caps for the Germany national team.

Assad: Syria capable of confronting attack

Syrian president says regime is fighting "terrorism" and will not be stopped by foreign aggression.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that his country is capable of confronting any external attack, a day after his US counterpart Barack Obama called for military action against him.

"Syria ... is capable of confronting any external aggression," state television quoted Assad as saying on Sunday at a meeting with Iranian officials. 

"The American threats of launching an attack against Syria will not discourage Syria away from its principles ... or its fight against terrorism supported by some regional and Western countries, first and foremost the United States of America."

yria generally refers to rebels fighting to topple Assad as "terrorists".

The comments came as John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said his government had obtained evidence that sarin gas was used in an attack in Syria last month that the US claims killed 1,400 people.

Hair and blood samples provided to the US from first responders on the scene of last month's attack in Damascus "have tested positive for signatures of sarin," Kerry told NBC and CNN television on Sunday.

Kerry said the "case is building'' for a military attack against the regime of Assad. However, the evidence has yet to be presented to the public.

The Assad regime is known to have stockpiles of sarin, a deadly nerve agent, although the regime has claimed that rebels have used the substance in attacks. 

The statements come a day after Obama stepped back from his threat to launch an attack unilaterally, instead saying he would consult the US Congress before any such action.

Obama said on Saturday that the US had presented a "powerful case" linking the Assad regime to the attack in Ghouta on August 21, and that the US military was prepared to launch a "limited" strike.

Congress is due back from its summer recess on September 9.

A French government source meanwhile told the AFP news agency that officials would soon declassify secret defence documents detailing Syria's chemical arsenal.

Bale completes Real Madrid move

The double PFA Player of the Year winner has finally sealed his move to the Santiago Bernabeu after months of negotiations and public posturing from all parties
Real Madrid have completed the signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham on a six-year deal.

Goal understands the two clubs agreed a world record £86 million fee for the Welshman at the beginning of last week, only for the deal to be delayed until Spurs had signed replacements.
After losing out to Chelsea for Anzhi Makhachkala attacker Willian, they completed a deal for Erik Lamela from Roma on Friday afternoon, as well as signing Christian Eriksen from Ajax.
The Spanish club have now announced that Bale will move to the Santiago Bernabeu to conclude one of the summer's most protracted, and inevitable, transfer sagas. He will be unveiled at 12:00BST on Monday before facing the press.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has said: "Gareth was a player we had absolutely no intention of selling as we look to build for the future. He is a player whose career we have fostered and developed and he was only a year into his new four year contract.

"Such has been the attention from Real Madrid and so great is Gareth's desire to join them, that we have taken the view that the player will not be sufficiently committed to our campaign in the current season.

"We have, therefore, with great reluctance, agreed to this sale and do so in the knowledge that we have an exceptionally strong squad to which we have added no fewer than seven top internationals. More importantly, we have an immense team spirit and a dressing room that is hungry for success.

"We wish Gareth all the best in the future and he shall always be welcome at the Lane."

Madrid have pursued the 24-year-old all summer, with a number of the club's players declaring their support of the prospective transfer in the media.

Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett hinted that his client would be interested in a move as far back as May, before reappearing on Spanish television in July to again suggest that a move could be in the offing.

Speculation increased at the end of July when Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas failed to deny that Madrid had lodged a massive offer for the double PFA Player of the Year, signalling a change in tact from the Portuguese and the north London club as a whole.

Bale returned to training following injury at the beginning of August, having already made clear that he wished to move to the Spanish capital. The two clubs continued to hold talks over a fee, with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy holding out for close to £100m, a figure which would have shattered the £80m paid by Madrid to Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

With Madrid expecting the transfer to be completed, the club erected the balcony which was to host Bale's unveiling as early as last Friday. The Spanish club had earlier listed replica 'Gareth Bale 11' shirts on their official website, though they since claimed that they had no control over the merchandising section.

Having agreed a deal at the beginning of the week, it appeared Bale would finally complete his protracted move. However, Spurs delayed the official announcement until they had signed a replacement - Lamela - while reports suggesting a second club had entered the running to sign the winger.

These tactics angered Bale, however, and he failed to report to training as he awaited confirmation of his big-money move.

Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United: Sturridge inflicts first defeat on Moyes

The England striker, on his birthday, was on hand to flick Daniel Agger's headed effort beyond David de Gea and into the net as Brendan Rodgers' side came out on top at Anfield

Daniel Sturridge was the hero as his winning goal helped Liverpool beat Manchester United 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday.The England striker flicked Daniel Agger's goal-bound effort beyond David de Gea and Tom Cleverley on the line in the first half to grab the goal that proved to be the winner in a fiery Premier League encounter.

United battled in vain to come back into the game, but Simon Mignolet remained defiant as he kept his third clean sheet of the season.

Brendan Rodgers was forced to change his Liverpool starting XI for the first time in the Premier League this season as a groin injury kept Kolo Toure out. Martin Skrtel replaced the Ivorian at the heart of Liverpool’s defence alongside Daniel Agger.

Wayne Rooney was the notable absentee for the visitors - the striker ruled out with a head injury – with Antonio Valencia dropping to the bench as Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs replaced them.With Tiago Ilori, Mamadou Sakho and Victor Moses all watching on from the stands ahead of potential moves to Anfield, the hosts had the perfect start with a goal inside four minutes.

Steven Gerrard’s corner was met by Agger and as his header flew towards goal, Sturridge reacted quickly to divert the ball into the back of the net from close range.

United reacted well to conceding so early and should have levelled on three occasions as Danny Welbeck and Robin van Persie both missed good chances.

Welbeck fired two shots straight at Simon Mignolet and Van Persie failed to react to a Giggs corner that had evaded a host of players inside the penalty area.

Rodgers’ side controlled the majority of the half with neat passing and fluid movement, but were unable to test David de Gea in the United goal.

Young – who had been quiet in the first half – went close to equalising for the visitors just after the break with United's best sight of goal. Liverpool failed to clear a corner but Young’s half-volley struck Glen Johnson and deflected away.

The rivalry between the two sides began to intensify as the game reached the hour mark, with referee Andre Marriner issuing five yellow cards – four of them to United players.Red Devils substitute Nani stung the palms of Mignolet minutes after coming on but the hosts were able to keep their opponents at bay.

Van Persie fired wide following a Chicharito through-ball and a fine De Gea save also denied Raheem Sterling in stoppage time as Liverpool clung on to record the victory. 

Liverpool's win, however, was tempered by the departure of Johnson late in the game through injury. Watching England manager Roy Hodgson will have been particularly concerned given Phil Jones also limped out in the second half.

Arab League discusses Syria crisis

Meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo advanced to Sunday "in light of rapid developments", official says.

The Arab League has discussed the ongoing crisis in Syria at a closed-door meeting in Cairo.

Ambassador level talks will be followed with the foreign ministers meeting due to start at 16:00 GMT.

The meeting in the Egyptian capital had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was advanced to Sunday "in light of rapid developments in the Syria situation and based on the request of several Arab states", Ahmed Ben Helli, Arab League deputy chief, said on Saturday.

The head of the opposition umbrella group backed by the West and Arab states is expected to ask Arab foreign ministers to back military intervention in Syria. The Arab League on Tuesday accused the Syrian government of carrying out a chemical-weapons attacks in a suburb of Damascus that killed hundreds of people, including children, on August 21. Permanent representatives condemned what they called the "horrible crime carried out with internationally prohibited chemical weapons", and put the "entire responsibility" on President Bashar al-Assad's government. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 after Assad's government failed to abide by an Arab peace plan that aimed to end the conflict. The 22-member organisation offered in March Syria's seat to the SNC and decided to let its member nations arm the rebels battling Assad's government. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, named the regional body on Friday among a list of allies "ready to respond" to the alleged chemical-weapons attack. However, some influential Arab League members, including Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria, have expressed opposition to foreign military intervention in Syria. Al Jazeera's Cairo correspondent Nadim Baba said that it would be disappointment for the US, if Arab League does not give a unified green light to military intervention in Syria. Some of the Gulf Arab countries, notably Qatar and the UAE, took part in the military operations in Libya that led to the removal of the longttime Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi from power and his eventual death in 2011. Bahrain hosts the US Fifth Fleet, while Centcom, the US  command responsible for 20 countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, has a regional headquarters in Qatar, which also hosts the largest US airbase in the Middle East.

Wenger against director of football model as Tottenham continue to splash the cash

Arsenal have secured just two free transfers this summer and failed in bids for Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain, while Franco Baldini has led a £90 million spending spree at Spurs
Arsene Wenger has insisted he will never agree to work alongside a director of football figure at Arsenaldespite Tottenham's success with Franco Baldini.

Spurs have pre-emptively reinvested the record-breaking sum expected for Gareth Bale with a spending spree worth upwards of £90 million, breaking their transfer record three times during the summer.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have just two free signings to boast thus far, but Wenger prefers to keep a firm eye on potential purchases himself as he is in charge of their on-pitch performances.

"I would not work with a ­director of football because they buy the players and when it does not work you are guilty for not using them well," Wenger told reporters.

"I am not against having ­people to help me buy, sell and negotiate because I cannot do it all. But I think the final ­decision always has to belong to the manager to decide who comes in and who goes out because he is ­responsible for the style of play and ­results.
"I stand up for the results of a team I have chosen. The ­manager should be responsible for the players who come in.

"I cannot deny the transfer window is a problem for me because it conflicts with a ­period where the competition has started already and I need big focus on the competition.

"It's not as easy any more because the market has become more open and international. There are more contenders, but not more players. I always want to be in a position where I do not have to buy."

Wenger has been the target of frustrated Arsenal fans this summer following failed bids for Luis Suarez and hesitation seeing Gonzalo Higuain join Napoli, but he has insisted his desire to succeed at the Emirates Stadium has not faltered.

"I don’t look too far ahead, I never have," he added. "This job teaches you a lot about yourself and I know one thing, everywhere I have worked has been to the last day with full commitment.

"That commitment will not change. Do I go or stay? I think I have shown my commitment to this club because I said no to many, many, many, many clubs while I have been here. I don't need to show my loyalty."

Judges Nicole Scherzinger and Gary Barlow join Caroline Flack to launch the new series of The X Factor 2013

The X Factor 2013 launch: Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger is full of confidence in a daring navy jumpsuit at the launch of The X Factor's new series in London.
 

Ancelotti devises special fitness plan for Bale

The Tottenham forward will complete his move to Real Madrid imminently and his new coach is anxious for the Welshman to make up for lost time during pre-season
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has devised a special fitness plan to speed up Gareth Bale's integration into the squad once his transfer from Tottenham is finally sealed.

The 24-year-old has not played an official game since scoring for Spurs in a friendly win against Swindon on July 16 and will only start training with Madrid on September 11 due to international commitments with Wales.
Ancelotti is determined for Bale to be match fit as soon as possible and has tasked his trusted conditioning coach Giovanni Mauri with structuring a tailored programme, which will include monitoring the forward's diet, extensive gym work and match simulation exercises.

Provided all goes according to schedule with his fitness plan, Bale could be in line for his long-awaited Madrid debut away to Villarreal in the Primera Division on September 14.

Madrid are set to complete the signing of Bale in the next 24 hours and plan to unveil their new player on Monday, but the Spanish side are frustrated that he will head off with Wales immediately.
A deal with Tottenham has been in place for several days and Madrid had hoped to unveil Bale last Tuesday, but Spurs are still busy in the transfer market themselves and discussions over how the fee will be paid have held up the announcement.

Madrid erected a stage in the stands for Bale's presentation on August 23, but the Blancos have been forced to dismantle the construction for the visit of Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday.

Madrid may now opt to unveil Bale on the pitch itself, as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo among others, and president Florentino Perez hopes for a packed-out Santiago Bernabeu as most madrilenos return from their summer holidays.