Who? - Fernando Torres - Speculation
Where is he? - Liverpool
Who is he linked with? - Chelsea

Fernando Torres has dismissed speculation he will leave Liverpool this summer by saying he sees his long-term future at the Merseyside club. The Spanish superstar has been linked with a big money move to Chelsea this week, but insists he is happy at Anfield after a successful first season. "It is an honour to be linked to clubs like Barcelona, Chelsea, or Arsenal," he said. "But I am not thinking about a change and I want to continue playing for Liverpool for many years to come. I have been able to enjoy every minute at a club where things have gone well. I have been part of a team where every player shares the same goals and where a player can rely on the support of his team-mates. I have also worked with a manager who believed in me. It was the combination of all these factors."

Who? - Peter Crouch - Speculation
Where is he? - Liverpool
Who is he linked with? - Portsmouth

Liverpool are set to lower their valuation of Portsmouth target Peter Crouch, according to reports. The Anfield side had previously asked 15million for the striker, but could now accept just 10million for his services. Pompey forward Jermain Defoe is one man hoping manager Harry Redknapp will offer that and he believes Crouch's signing could help take the FA Cup winners up to the next level. "It would be great if Crouchie came," he said. "He is still under contract at Liverpool but we will see. I think we can go far next season but we do need a bigger squad."

Who? - Cristiano Ronaldo - Speculation
Where is he? - Manchester United
Who is he linked with? - Real Madrid

Real Madrid appear to have finally admitted defeat in their bid to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United this summer. The Old Trafford club have continually denied speculation linking the 23-year-old Portugal international with a move to the Bernabeu following his impressive season. Ronaldo scored a remarkable 42 times as United secured a Premier League and Champions League double in the season just ended. The Red Devils threatened to report the Spanish giants to FIFA over their public pursuit of Ronaldo and Real now appear resigned to the fact that the former Sporting Lisbon starlet will be remaining in Manchester for at least another year. "You can't buy what the owner does not want to sell," admitted Real president Ramon Calderon, who has himself released several media statements revealing his admiration for the player in recent weeks. Real Madrid are friends with Manchester United and we do not want to fall out with them."

Who? - Diego Capel - Speculation
Where is he? - Seville
Who is he linked with? - Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur have not yet matched the valuation for Diego Capel, according to Sevilla president Jose Maria del Rey. The London club have been linked in recent weeks with the highly-rated midfielder, who has a clause in his contract which stipulates he can leave if a certain amount is offered. However, Del Nido has said: "From the discussions with his agents, I have no news if Tottenham are going to pay his buy-out clause, which is 15.6 million euros [12.3 million]. And I ask: Would a foreign club use the clause in Spain? Clubs have asked for three or four players from our squad, but we do not put them on the market. If there are players with low buy-out clauses who could leave, as it happened with [Seydou] Keita [and Barcelona], the club can come and see me on Tuesday."

Who? - Shaun Maloney - Speculation
Where is he? - Aston Villa
Who is he linked with? - Celtic

Aston Villa midfielder Shaun Maloney has revealed his frustration with life at the club. The 25-year-old joined the Midlands side from Celtic in 2007, but has struggled to settle and been linked with a switch back to Scotland ever since. "I've got something to think about," he said. "I have started to enjoy the club down south but I've just not played and I don't think that's ideal. One day I'd like to come back and play in Scotland but I have got a few years left on my contract at Villa so we will see what happens."

Who? - Gareth Barry - Speculation
Where is he? - Aston Villa
Who is he linked with? - Liverpool

Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry will sort out his future at Villa Park after England's friendly against Trinidad & Tobago at the weekend. The 27-year-old midfielder is a target for Liverpool, but Barry says he has yet to hold serious talks with Villa boss Martin O'Neill to decide on whether to stay or move on. He said after the 2-0 victory of the USA: "Will I be at Villa next season? That is something I've been speaking to the manager and chairman about. We've already had one meeting. My idea was to get these two games out of the way and I am sure we will be speaking again soon. Any sort of interest by a big club is flattering, but I am still an Aston Villa player. I've got two years left of my contract and until some sort of bid is accepted, or the manager tells me otherwise, there is no decision to make. No decision has been made because no bid has been accepted."

Who? - Brian McBride - Very likely
Where is he? - Fulham
Who is he linked with? - America

Fulham's veteran American striker Brian McBride has opted to leave the club and return to his homeland this summer. The 35-year-old frontman, who has also played in England for Preston North End and Everton, joined the Cottagers in January 2004 and scored 40 goals in 153 appearances for Fulham. He told the club's official website: "After much consideration with my family, we have decided to leave Fulham after four and a half fantastic years. I have always stated my intention to return to America at some stage and this seems like the right moment in my career to move on. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the club, the chairman, the staff and wonderful fans for all their support, on and off the pitch, during my time at Fulham. I take great pride in the fact that my last appearance for Fulham saw the club maintain their Premier League status. I leave with some wonderful memories from my time at Fulham and the club will always be in my heart. I would like to wish the club, Roy Hodgson and my team-mates every success for the future."

Jose Mourinho has told the Internazionale president, Massimo Moratti, that he wishes to make Frank Lampard, the Chelsea midfielder, his priority signing as he begins the latest chapter of his whirlwind managerial career.

Moratti will back the Portuguese in the transfer market; he always does with his managers and there have been plenty of them since 1995, when he first took charge at the Serie A club.

The prospect of a deal being struck for Lampard, who thrived under Mourinho's direction at Stamford Bridge and who has 12 months to run on his existing contract, is fair. Yet Mourinho would be unwise to view any successful conclusion to the notion as evidence of his pre-eminence in the corridors of power at San Siro.

When Mourinho swept into Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2005, fresh from his Champions League triumph at Porto, brimming with self-assurance, he stamped the irresistible force of his personality all over a club which had long lacked conviction. Having styled himself The Special One, he also made it plain that he was the boss. Control would be his while the players would begin to believe and be cast in the mind-set of winners.

It will be a different story, though, at Inter, and how Mourinho adapts to a club with an illustrious past and a dressing room packed with fully formed champions will hold the key to his success. His first test arrives today, when he is presented as the successor to Roberto Mancini, whose three straight scudetti were not enough to earn him another shot at the Champions League. It would not be Mourinho without the wisecracks and the brashness but it would be a surprise and, indeed, an error if he were to reprise the routine of his Chelsea unveiling.

It will be more difficult for him to breathe such infectious bravado into his new club and nor will he be able, as he did for the early part of his Chelsea reign, to shut himself away with his players and keep the owner and directors at arm's length. Moratti takes an active interest in squad affairs, he has his favourites and he is the first to know when a player has a grievance. That will remain the case.

Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge was precipitated because he could not tolerate the desire of the owner, Roman Abramovich, to become more hands-on with his plaything. He confused interest with interference and, as he began to be gripped by paranoia, he also worried about the influence of Frank Arnesen, the director of youth development, and Avram Grant, then the director of football.

At Inter players are signed by the sporting director, Marco Branca, on behalf of the board. The coach historically asks for positions to be filled and the director does the rest, formulating a shortlist and moving for the most viable target. Control will not be Mourinho's; he must learn to live with this. Yesterday Moratti admitted the team which start the defence of their title next season may look familiar. "I have read lots of names but I have yet to speak with him [Mourinho] about the transfer market. I would like to change very little of this squad which has won so much."

Mourinho has been out of the game for eight months, ample time to prepare for his next challenge. Since it has been apparent that Inter would be his next destination, he has meticulously compiled dossiers on each player and he looks forward to testing his man-management skills on them. He used the carrot and the stick in equal measure at Chelsea - his treatment of Joe Cole, for example - but there could be fireworks if he attempts similar tactics with established members of the Inter squad. There would be knocks on Moratti's door. Mourinho will need to chose his battles wisely and become the consummate politician.

Above all, though, Mourinho must win - and not only in Serie A. Moratti is consumed with the Champions League and his burning ambition is to return the club to the very top of the continental game, where they stood in the 1960s under the presidency of his father, Angelo. Moratti was at the end of his teenage years when Inter won the European Cup in 1964 and 1965, their only successes in the competition, and he remembers well the successful tenure of Helenio Herrera. Moratti sees something of Herrera in Mourinho. The Argentina-born French national was an undistinguished player but a pioneer of motivational coaching techniques and a strict disciplinarian.

Mourinho has always appeared destined for a job in Italy and he now has the onerous task of emulating Herrera's achievements in Europe. A long line of coaches have failed. Mourinho knows that Moratti is not the tolerant type in such situations.

Valencia have slapped a €40million price tag on the head of striker David Villa, but are content to listen to offers for the 26 year old.

It is generally assumed that at least one of Valencia's 'big name' players will be sold off over the summer in order to ease their financial difficulties and it seems as if that player could be Villa.

They have not officially transfer-listed the striker, but Valencia are ready to listen to offers, although their €40million request may be a little unrealistic at this point in time.

A number of clubs are reported to be preparing bids in the region of €25million for Villa, but this is not a figure at which Valencia would be willing to part company with 'el Guaje'.

Villa has indicated that he doesn't wish to discuss his future until after Euro 2008, and Valencia will be hopeful that a good tournament for him would see his market value rise closer to their own valuation.

The future of Villa was one of a number of subjects that new Valencia coach Unai Emery and his assistant Juan Carlos Carcedo discussed with the club's technical staff as the pair turned up for their first official day of work in charge of Los Che.

They had a two and a half hour meeting with the technical staff, before also conversing at length with head of medical services Antonio Giner and doctor Frasquet and they begin their plans for next season.

Manchester City were last night celebrating the capture of Mark Hughes after the club showed great determination to land their man by agreeing a staggering £4.6million compensation deal with Blackburn Rovers.

City owner Thaksin Shinawatra welcomed Hughes to City, subject to personal terms being agreed at a dinner with senior board members in London last night when a four-year deal was expected to be finalised.

"He's an outstanding manager who has achieved many things with Blackburn," Thaksin told Sportsmail last night. "Mark was always the first choice of our new executive chairman, Garry Cook. Together they will make a great team. They will both prove to be excellent acquisitions, I'm sure.

"These are exciting times for Manchester City and I hope the supporters can understand that I share their goals.

"That sometimes means making ruthless decisions. Now we can go forward to a new era, with a new management structure and great hope and ambition."

City, who formally ended Sven Goran Eriksson's oneyear reign on Monday, had hoped to prise away Hughes and his backroom staff for £1.5m but they were stunned when Blackburn officials initially asked for a figure close to £7m.

With Chelsea lingering on the fringes and Hughes making little secret of hearing what the London club may have to offer, a day of tense negotiations between lawyers representing Blackburn and City's Pairoj Piempongsant, the senior advisor to Thaksin, and transfer negotiator Kia Joorabchian, resulted in a deal being thrashed out.

Shinawatra was last night expecting to speak to Hughes by telephone to welcome him to the club and one aide said: "The owner is very relieved and very excited.

"He now believes he has the right team in place off the field and wants to give them the right players on the field. These are good times for Manchester City."

Contracts were being thrashed out for Hughes, No 2 Mark Bowen and goalkeeping coaches Eddie Niedzwiecki and Kevin Hitchcock.

The only member of the Hughes backroom team not certain to move is youth coach Glynn Hodges.

The former Wales boss is expected to be paid in the region of £3m a year - £500,000 more than the out-going Eriksson.

Transfer targets were due to be discussed at last night's London meeting, also attended by City's new chairman Cook, with Blackburn and England star David Bentley at the top of Hughes' wanted list.

Thaksin will endorse a spending spree that he hopes will include Barcelona's Brazil superstar, Ronaldinho.

Piempongsant and other City officials will fly to Brazil at the weekend for talks at the player's family home and they hope that visit will result in his sensational signing from Barcelona.

They plan to team him up with £20m Brazilian striker Jo. City are in action early this season because of their Fair Play qualification for the UEFA Cup and Thaksin said: "There is no time to lose."

Jo's signing - for a club record fee - will be formally announced when City unveil Hughes at a press conference which is likely to take place tomorrow.

There is a sense of resignation at Blackburn over Hughes' decision to leave and left back Stephen Warnock has already indicated that he may move on because of the manager's imminent departure.

Warnock said: "I signed a new contract under the impression that Mark is going to be our manager. I'm happy to be at the club because I'm enjoying playing for the manager.

"It's not that I don't enjoy the club itself, but he was the reason I came. I wanted to play for him.

"I respected him as a player and I respect what he's doing as a manager.

"Fingers crossed he'll stay, but obviously if he's given permission to speak to another club then you just never know what can happen."

Former Bolton and Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is known to be interested in the job at Blackburn but Paul Ince, who steered MK Dons to promotion to League One, is also thought to be a strong contender.