Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Juventus and AC Milan are interested in signing Didier Drogba from Shanghai Shenhua.



- But Didier Drogba is nearing a switch to AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.



- Newcastle have signed a second French player in the space of 24 hours after confirming the arrival of forward Yoan Gouffran from Bordeaux on a four-year deal.



- Arsenal and Manchester United's hopes of signing Germany Under-17 captain Jonathan Tah have been dashed after he signed professional terms with Hamburg.



- Arsenal target Adrian Lopez insists he is unaffected by speculation linking him with the north London club and says he plans to continue at Atletico Madrid.



- Spurs and Arsenal could be encouraged to bid for Younes Belhanda after Montpellier revealed they had received no offer from Inter Milan for the playmaker.



- Tottenham have opted against recalling Danny Rose from his loan at Sunderland, meaning the defender will see out the season at the Stadium of Light.



- Tottenham target Miralem Pjanic has ruled out a move away from Roma following mooted interest from Barcelona.



- Tottenham midfielder Yago Falque has joined Primera Liga promotion hopefuls Almeria on loan until the end of the season.



- Chelsea winger Marko Marin intends to discuss his future at Stamford Bridge amid interest from clubs wanting to take him on loan, according to his agent.



- Manchester United's pursuit of Wilfried Zaha has been delayed by the departure of Crystal Palace co-owner Steve Parish to Australia, but the England international is still expected to sign for the Premier League leaders by the end of the month.



- Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Lille full-back Lucas Digne, according to Mercato365.



- Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made a personal check on Celtic's Victor Wanyama, and is now weighing up a bid for the midfielder.



- Newcastle have been boosted in their attempts to keep hold of Fabricio Coloccini after San Lorenzo pulled out of their bid to sign him.



- Fulham will have to stump up £1.3m to land Bulgaria defender Stanislav Manolev, according to sources in Holland.



- Fulham manager Martin Jol admits Sascha Riether could stay at Craven Cottage beyond this season if he maintains his current form for the club.



- New Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino has ruled out signing any of his former players from Espanyol.



- Michu has signed a new four-year contract to keep the prolific goalscorer at Swansea City until 2016, the Premier League club has said.



- West Ham United have announced that defender Guy Demel has signed a contract extension until 2015.



- Southampton are the latest club showing interest in Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, according to Sky Sports.



- Norwich are set to complete the signing of goalkeeper Lee Camp on a free transfer from Nottingham Forest until the end of the season.



- Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao has dismissed claims that talks with Real Madrid about a move across the Spanish capital have taken place.



- The agent of Guillermo Ochoa insists Liverpool are yet to firm up their reported interest in the Ajaccio goalkeeper.



- Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is set to extend his contract at Camp Nou until 2016 on Monday, the Catalan giants have confirmed.



- Atletico Madrid are preparing an offer for Southampton target Joan Verdu.



- Espanyol are ready to rescue Alou Diarra from his West Ham misery and take him to Spain.



- Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon has extended his contract with Juventus by two years, running until the end of 2015, the club confirmed today.



- Inter Milan have denied making a 14million euro bid for Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda.



- Fiorentina look set to sign Poland international Rafal Wolski from Legia Warsaw subject to the successful completion of a medical at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday.



- Napoli are plotting a move for Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone, according to sources in Italy.



- Palermo have officially agreed a deal for Blackburn creative midfielder Mauro Formica and reportedly also Wigan Athletic striker Mauro Boselli.



- Chievo has signed Chilean midfielder Felipe Seymour on loan from Genoa for the rest of the Serie A season.



- Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila has turned down the chance to move to the Premier League and signed for Russian side Rubin Kazan.



- Marseille are ready to beat Norwich City and Aston Villa to the signing of Senegal ace Modou Sougou.



- Mikael Silvestre could become the latest former Premier League player to join the MLS revolution after Portland Timbers revealed he had started training at the club.



- Jeffrey Bruma has revealed Hamburg are now attempting to make his loan from Chelsea permanent.



- Chile international Francisco Silva could make his debut for Osasuna against Barcelona this weekend after joining on loan from Universidad Catolica until the end of the season.



- Bristol Rovers have completed the signing of teenage striker Ryan Brunt from Stoke City on a two-and-a-half-year deal.



- Nottingham Forest have made a bid for Millwall striker Darius Henderson.



- Radoslaw Majewski has insisted he is keen to stay at Nottingham Forest but wants a longer-term deal than the extension he has been offered.



- Crystal Palace have launched a bid to sign Swindon Town winger Matt Ritchie.



- Dagenham midfielder Luke Howell has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2015.



- Vasco have rejected a bid of around €8 million from Club World Cup champions Corinthians for centre-back Dedé.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Didier Drogba insists no clubs have made moves to sign him from Shanghai Shenhua amid speculation linking him with AC Milan and Juventus.



- Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric is considering a return to England, putting Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United on alert, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender, according to the Sunday Times.



- Manchester United youngster Andreas Pereira has put pen-to-paper on a first professional contract with the Red Devils.



- Manchester United face competition from Tottenham in the race to sign Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha, according to theMail on Sunday.



- Sir Alex Feguson is ready to call time on David De Gea's career at Old Trafford as he seeks a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window, according to Dailymail.



- Manchester City midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim is set to rejoin Stromgodset on a six month loan deal.



- Arsenal and Man Utd are monitoring Frank Lampard's contract situation at Chelsea, according to Goal.com.



- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken to Barcelona forward David Villa about a move to Emirates Stadium, according to The People.



- Arsenal have offered Napoli just under £1 million to take Eduardo Vargas on loan for the rest of the season, according to The Corriere dello Sport.



- And Wenger has indicated that Arsenal are looking to sign "one or two" players during the current transfer window.



- Chelsea risk losing January target Taison after his club Matalist Kharkiv set a deadline of Wednesday for the deal to be completed.



- Liverpool have made an offer of £7million for Italy international Davide Astori but are likely to miss out to Southampton.



- Sylvain Distin is likely to reject any overtures from Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland.



- West Ham have made a £3million bid for Blackburn’s Martin Olsson.



- West Ham face stiff competition from Fulham and QPR as they look to make a move for Newcastle defender Danny Simpson.



- West Ham could make a move for American duo Juan Agudelo and Graham Zusi.



- West Ham have signed Brazilian Wellington Paulista from Cruzeiro on a six-month loan deal with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.



- QPR have emerged as frontrunners in the race to sign Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, according to L'Equipe.



- Aston Villa are set to make a move for Swansea striker Danny Graham.



- Aston Villa are among those clubs keeping a close eye on Lazio defender Luis Cavanda, according to his agent.



- Sunderland have agreed a £3million fee for Bursaspor midfielder Alfred N’Diaye.



- Newcastle left-back Paul Dummett admits he is keen to return for a second loan spell at St Mirren.



- Blackpool boss Michael Appleton has warned Liverpool he's under no pressure to sell Tom Ince in order to fund his January spending.



- Jonathan de Guzman has an open mind on whether he will return to Villarreal when his loan to Swansea City expires.



- Norwich City striker Chris Martin has extended his loan spell with Swindon Town until February 2.



- Fulham target Maarten Stekelenburg will hold crunch talks with Roma officials on Tuesday after falling out of favour at the Stadio Olimpico.



- Southampton are ready to boost their survival bid with a £10m offer for Inter Milan youngster Philippe Coutinho, according to sources in Italy.



- Yossi Benayoun faces anxious wait over his future after Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez dropped a strong hint that he is no longer needed at Stamford Bridge.



- Sao Paulo are optimistic regarding their chances of turning Denilson's loan move from Arsenal into a permanent stay.



- Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has admitted they will have to spend carefully this month rather than make wholesale changes to the squad.



- Napoli striker Edinson Cavani is wanted by Manchester City as a replacement for Mario Balotelli, according to The People.



- Napoli forward Eduardo Vargas will move to Brazilian side Sao Paulo by the end of the week according to the club’s president.



- Fiorentina say they have no plans to sell striker Stevan Jovetic following the signing of Giuseppe Rossi.



- Israel defender Rami Gershon will join Celtic at their Marbella training camp after agreeing a six-month loan deal, according to his agent.



- Marseille have admitted that Loic Remy, who has been linked with Newcastle and Tottenham, could be sold this month.



- Marseille sporting director Jose Anigo has praised Joey Barton and suggested the Ligue 1 club would be interested in retaining the midfielder beyond his season-long loan from QPR.



- Schalke have opened the way for Tottenham to sign Lewis Holtby this month, rather than at the end of the season, for a cut-price £1.6million.



- Canadian midfielder Kyle Bekker has signed a deal with MLS that will see him made available in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft along with recent Generation Adidas addition Eriq Zavaleta, forward from Indiana.



- Dean Saunders has been appointed the new Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, replacing Stale Solbakken who was sacked on Saturday.



- Coventry have completed a permanent deal for striker Leon Clarke from Charlton on a two-and-a-half-year deal.



- Tranmere have secured a one-month extension on Bolton forward Michael O'Halloran's loan deal.



- Midfielder Oliver Risser has left Stevenage at the end of his loan spell and joined League Two Aldershot.

Friday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Didier Drogba is keen on a January move to Serie A, according to one of the agents involved in the potential transfer of the former Chelsea striker.



- Chelsea have completed the signing of striker Demba Ba from Newcastle United.



- Chelsea outcast Florent Malouda will be offered a Stamford Bridge escape route by French strugglers Evian TG.



- Chelsea are ready to renew their interest in Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to AS.



- Sevilla have turned down a €16million (£13m) offer for striker Alvaro Negredo from an unnamed club, who are believed to be Chelsea.



- And Fabio Coentrao, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea, could be offloaded by Real Madrid this month, according to the same publication.



- Aston Villa are following Lazio youngster Luis Pedro Cavanda 'with interest', according to the player's representative.



- Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has refused to rule out a move for Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott, after describing the England star as 'a top player'.



- Tottenham have completed the signing of former Manchester United starlet Zeki Fryers.



- Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Lewis Holtby this summer, subject to the Schalke and Germany star passing a medical.



- - Tottenham are willing to listen to offers for midfielders Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone.



- Newcastle and Reading have yet to launch bids for FC Twente defender Douglas - and they could be forced to wait for his signature.



- Newcastle could be dealt another blow with captain Fabricio Coloccini apparently keen to leave the club to return to Argentina.



- Newcastle are hoping to secure a £1m deal for Swiss 16-year-old Kevin Mbabu.



- Newcastle United, Tottenham, Juventus and Monaco are battling to sign Toulouse's Moussa Sissoko.



- Wigan has signed Honduras midielder Roger Espinoza from Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City.



- Sunderland have emerged as favourites to sign Danny Graham after lining up a bid for the £5million-rated Swansea striker.



- Sunderland are interested in Bursaspor midfielder Alfred N'Diaye.



- West Ham have signed striker Marouane Chamakh on loan from Arsenal until the end of the season, Hammers manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed.



- Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed the signing of FC Twente striker Chris David.



- Southampton have recalled Aaron Martin from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.



- QPR manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed the signing of defender Tal Ben Haim on a short-term contract until the end of the season.



- Queens Park Rangers vice-captain, Ryan Nelsen, is retiring from professional football to pursue a coaching job in the MLS. The 35-year-old New Zealander will be departing the club in the January transfer window.



- Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder would welcome a move to the Premier League, according to his agent.



- Roma striker Pablo Osvaldo has declared his intention to remain at the club, despite reports that he was unhappy with life at the Giallorossi.



- Fiorentina have officially announced the signing of Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi.



- Udinese have confirmed that they are in advanced talks with Napoli over the sale of Colombian international Pablo Armero.



- Sevilla have rejected a £14m offer for Chelsea and Newcastle target Alvaro Negredo - and their president insists they are under no pressure to sell the Spain forward this year.



- Malaga midfielder Diego Buonanotte has revealed he is keen to join Palermo as he awaits the outcome of negotiations between the two clubs.



- Bayern Munich have secured the services of Jan Kirchhoff from Mainz on a free transfer at the end of the 2012-13 season.



- Mathieu Valbuena will only consider leaving Marseille if Manchester United or rivals Manchester City want to sign him, according to his agent.



- Monaco have renewed their interest in Frank Lampard and the midfielder could be keen to agree terms.



- Anderlecht defender Roland Juhasz's agent is exploring a loan deal for the Hungary international after Sunderland were linked with a bid.



- PSV Eindhoven have completed the signing of promising midfielder Oscar Hiljemark from Swedish champions Elfsborg.



- Molde defender Vegard Forren, who is believed to be a target for Manchester United, is "very close" to securing a move to an unnamed club, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.



- Fernandinho, who has been linked with Manchester United and rivals Manchester City, insists he is committed to Shakhtar Donetsk.



- Leicester City have extended the loan deal of Manchester United defender Michael Keane until the end of the January transfer window.



- MK Dons have re-signed attacking midfielder Zeli Ismail on loan until the end of the season.



- Stevenage have signed Udinese striker Steve Beleck on loan until the end of the season.



- Bradford City have extended the loan deal of Newcastle United's teenage defender Curtis Good by a further month.



- Preston North End have handed Luke Foster a contract until the end of the season after the defender's early impact at Deepdale.



- Yeovil have signed Matthew Dolan on a short-term loan from Championship outfit Middlesbrough.

FIFA reject Drogba loan appeal

FIFA have turned down a request from Didier Drogba to be allowed to leave Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua on loan ahead of the transfer window.



The Ivory Coast striker, who has been linked with a short-term move back to previous club Chelsea, had put in a request to the world governing body only for it to be rejected.



FIFA said in a statement: "We can confirm that the player Didier Drogba submitted a request for authorisation to be registered outside an open registration period for a club on a loan basis.



"FIFA has informed him about the relevant regulations... that players may only be registered during one of the two annual registration periods fixed by the relevant association."



FIFA said the only exception was when a player's contract expired outside a transfer window.



Drogba had been hoping to get a temporary move to build fitness ahead of the African Nations Cup in January.

Drogba requests Shanghai exit on loan

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has asked for special permission to move on loan from his Chinese club despite the official transfer window being closed.

FIFA says it is considering the request for an exemption from international rules which currently prevent Drogba from representing another club until January 1.



Drogba's season with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua finished this month and a move would allow the Ivory Coast captain, 34, to play for a new team and prepare for the African Cup of Nations, begins on January 19. Drogba is contracted with Shanghai until 2014.



Since Drogba's departure from Chelsea last summer the club's attacking options have been limited, leading to speculation that a short-term return to Stamford Bridge could be considered, as well as Roman Abramovich's longer-term desire to sign Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid.

Since his departure to Chinese club, Chelsea

 missing  the hit-man badly. 

Liverpool are keen to buy Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea, having failed to land him on-loan in the summer transfer window, and with the England striker anxious for regular football there could be a flurry of transfer activity following the departure of manager Roberto Di Matteo on Wednesday morning.



Manchester City and Real Madrid are also interested in Falcao, 26, but the Colombian striker's €48 million buy-out clause has not been met, and Atletico Madrid have shown no intent of dropping their asking price.



With Fernando Torres' days at Chelsea looking increasingly numbered, Abramovich could concede defeat in his £50 million gamble and offer the Spanish striker as a makeweight in the deal.



Falcao, who scored a hat-trick against Chelsea in the European Super Cup, recently talked up a move to the Premier League, and claimed to have been a big fan of Chelsea great Gianfranco Zola.



"Chelsea are champions of Europe and there is not much more to say than that," he said. "Even after winning the Champions League they still go and sign players of the highest quality. Their ambition is clear.



"I would not be worried about the physical aspect of the Premier League. I have scored goals in Argentina, Portugal and now Spain. I am confident I can adapt my game to any league. I would welcome the challenge of the Premier League.



"I was also a big fan of Gianfranco Zola when I was growing up. I have watched the Premier League for a long time. There is so much quality and it is such an exciting league. Of course it is nice to think I might play in it.'



Didier Drogba's departure from Chelsea in the summer, has limited the team's options in attack, and the priority is to find a new goalscorer now that Torres continues to misfire in front of goal.



Abramovich promised Torres, 28, his big chance this season by declining to buy a replacement for Drogba but he has failed to make the expected impact, scoring only four Premier League goals so far.



After facing Falcao in the 1-1 draw between Brazil and Colombia in New Jersey, David Luiz welcomed any potential move for the Atletico man.



"I'm happy when there are great names attached to Chelsea," he said. "He's a great player. It would be a good choice for Falcao to come to Chelsea. All of the players would be happy."

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Marseille have rubbished suggestions they could land former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba on loan.



- Newcastle could miss out on top target Mathieu Debuchy as Juventus are ready to enter the race to sign him.



- Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists the Reds have no intention of selling Luis Suarez.



- Liverpool are trying to strike a deal with Sporting Lisbon for Jeffren Suarez, according to talkSPORT.



- Liverpool have contacted Chelsea about Daniel Sturridge's availability as they aim to make an immediate mark in the January window, according to Dailymail.



- Raheem Sterling is set to sign a new long-term contract at Liverpool, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.



- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits he would like Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the club, but admits the Portugal international is "unbuyable".



- Manchester United are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender next year, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Rio Ferdinand's 10-year career at Manchester United could end this summer when his contract expires after revealing to friends there is a 'big chance' he will be leaving.



- Manchester City could be encouraged to make a summer move for Stevan Jovetic after Fiorentina revealed their intention to "evaluate" his situation at the end of the season.



- Manchester City officials are set to fly to Croatia later this week to broker a deal with Dinamo Zagreb for wonderkid Alen Halilovic.



- Fernando Torres is facing the embarrassment of being axed for Chelsea's Champions League clash against Juventus as it emerges he wants to move back to Spain, according to Dailymail.



- Porto striker Jackson Martinez, who has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool, has admitted to Ojogo that he is pleased his performances have been noticed by some of Europe's biggest clubs.



- Barcelona are prepared to cool their interest in Gareth Bale because they believe the Tottenham winger will join Real Madrid should he move to Spain, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Scottish giant Celtic could be welcoming a new investor in the near future. The rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg (he now calls himself Snoop Lion) has expressed an interest in acquiring a stake in the team and sitting on the club's board.



- Championship side Charlton have signed highly-rated Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan until January 1.



- Portsmouth have re-signed Ricardo Rocha on a one-month deal, subject to Football Association clearance.

Drogba insists money not a factor

Didier Drogba insisted a new challenge and not money was the motivating factor for his move to Shanghai Shenhua.



The former Chelsea striker was presented by Shanghai today after last month agreeing a two-and-a-half year contract reportedly worth £200,000 a week with the Chinese Super League outfit.



The 34-year-old Ivory Coast international said at his unveiling that the desire for a "big challenge", and not financial reasons, was behind his decision to quit Europe for Asia.



When quizzed on his salary, Drogba said: "It's not really important, the most important thing is I come here to help Chinese football."



He added: "The money's not really what is the most important thing, because everybody knows that I give a lot of my money to my foundation, so really I didn't come here with the idea of making a lot of money



"I know China is a great sports country, so for me it was also a big challenge because it would have been easy for me to stay in Europe and go to another team, another big team, but I want to achieve this challenge so that's why I decided to come here."



Drogba played a key role in last season's Champions League success with Chelsea, while he also won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups during eight hugely successful seasons at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba seals Shanghai move

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba today confirmed his long-expected move to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.



 The 34-year-old, who confirmed his intention to leave Stamford Bridge following Chelsea's UEFA Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, has signed a two-and-a-half year deal reportedly worth £200,000 a week with the Chinese Super League side.



He will join up with former Chelsea colleague Nicolas Anelka, who joined the club in January. Drogba has been linked with Shanghai for several months after contract talks with Chelsea stalled over the length of a new deal.



The Premier League club had said they hoped to keep the Ivorian after he scored the all-important equaliser and then the winning penalty in the Champions League triumph in Munich last month. Drogba today said in a statement released by his agents: "I have considered all the offers I have received in the past few weeks, but feel that Shanghai Shenhua FC is the right move for me at this time.



"I am looking forward to a new challenge, to experiencing a new culture, and excited about the new developments in the Chinese Super League. When Chelsea went to China last year, we had a great time and I met some amazing fans. I hope to help promote Chinese football around the world and further improve the links between China and Africa."



Drogba scored 157 goals in all competitions for Chelsea, finishing with 100 in 226 league appearances since signing from Marseille for £24m in 2004, one of Jose Mourinho's first major signings for the club. He had an exceptional record in cup finals, scoring nine goals in nine different finals, including one in this year's 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Liverpool.



However, he failed to gel with Fernando Torres and began to find himself rotated at Stamford Bridge, despite the huge struggles of the Spaniard following his £50m switch from Liverpool, making it likely he would leave this summer.



Shanghai owner Zhu Jun said: "We have been wanting to sign Didier for a while, and are very happy that it has finally happened. He is an incredible player, who has won so many trophies in his career, we feel that his experience and ability will be a very valuable asset to our squad. Shanghai is one of the most influential cities in the world, and we are very excited to welcome Didier here."



Shanghai's new manager Sergio Batista said: "Drogba is a very good soccer player, his outstanding skills and amazing experience will give us motivation to improve our games. It is my honour to invite him to join in our team. At last I have to say that the club owner Zhu Jun did his utmost to bring Drogba to Shenhua."

Drogba set to sign for Shanghai Shenhua

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to sign for Shanghai Shenhua, joining Nicolas Anelka at the Chinese club, its chief investor said.



The Ivory Coast international, 34, will announce the move on his personal website, Zhu Jun told the state Xinhua news agency, in a deal that will reportedly put Drogba on 200,000 pounds ($314,000) a week.



French forward Anelka, who joined Shenhua in January also from Chelsea, has openly said that he wants Drogba to join him at the ambitious Chinese club.



Zhu denied a report in Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News that Drogba, who left Chelsea after helping the English Premier League club to their first Champions League triumph last month, would earn an annual salary of 12.0 million euros ($15.1 million).



Another Shanghai newspaper, the Oriental Morning Post, said Monday that Shenhua have offered Drogba 200,000 pounds a week.



Deep-pocketed Shenhua have spent lavishly on foreign talent, including coaches. They sacked head coach Jean Tigana earlier this season and replaced him with former Argentina manager Sergio Batista last month.



They are currently 12th in the 16-club Super League.

Drogba named best Ivorian player

Didier Drogba has been named Ivory Coast player of the year, beating Manchester City's Yaya Toure and Levante's Arouna Kone.



The ex-Chelsea forward collected 110 votes from journalists and 17,863 people online, totalling 37.69 per cent of the vote, while African Footballer of the Year Toure finished on 30.16 per cent, with the former Sevilla forward Kone completing the top three with 12.29 per cent.



Drogba claimed the accolade for the second time, after first scooping the honour in 2007.



The Elephants captain contributed to the team's run to the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.



However, he did miss a crucial penalty kick against Zambia in the title decider.



The 34-year-old, who announced his decision to leave Stamford Bridge in May, scored Chelsea's equaliser and the decisive penalty against Bayern Munich to clinch the Champions League at the Allianz Arena.



Former winners of the Sport Ivoire Award are Kolo Toure (2006), Drogba (2007), Yaya Toure (2008 and 2009) and Gervinho (2010 and 2011).

Redknapp expresses Drogba admiration

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he is a huge admirer of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, but has also said that the Ivorian's wage demands would prove to be a stumbling block to any potential move for the player in the summer.



Drogba's contract with the Blues is up at the end of the current season and he has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Chinese side Shanghai Shenua, where his former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka is now in charge.



The 34-year-old produced a timely reminder of his value over the past week with impressive goalscoring displays against Spurs in the FA Cup and Barcelona in the Champions League, and Redknapp believes he could still do an excellent job for Chelsea or any other club which can afford him.



"He is a free but I was just reading in the paper about him going to China," said Redknapp. "It seems the money in China at the moment is incredible. Players can go there and make a fortune.



"He would be a great player for Chelsea to keep or for somebody else to take. Anyone would be interested but you would have to be able to afford his wages. That is going to be the key. If he is on a free you are going to have to pay him a fortune.



"But he is a powerhouse when he is on his game. He is strong and almost unplayable when he is really at it. It was an amazing goal he scored against us. He smashed it from an angle.



"His strength in holding [Spurs defender William] Gallas off and then hitting the ball from where he did, there aren't too many players who could have done that."



Another running theme is Redknapp's constant link to the England position, something which was stirred up again this week when FA board member and Bolton chairman Phil Gartside said the 65-year-old would do an 'outstanding' job.



There have been suggestions that the continuous speculation has contributed to Spurs' slump in form, but Redknapp refuses to pay any credence to such an idea.



"Other people talk about [England] but I don't talk about it," he said. "I just concentrate on my job here and never look beyond Tottenham. "Recently it was only the Norwich game really (where Spurs played poorly).



"Arsenal did not lose to Wigan and QPR because they were concentrating on Arsene Wenger going to manage France, were they?"

Di Matteo backs Drogba to go on

Roberto Di Matteo says Didier Drogba could play for Chelsea for another two years as he defended the striker's play-acting against Barcelona.



Drogba's Jekyll-and-Hyde performance in the Blues' astonishing 1-0 Champions League semi-final first-leg win on Wednesday night saw him praised and castigated in almost equal measure.



The veteran striker's matchwinning effort days after a man-of-the-match display in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final thrashing of Tottenham led his agent to claim Chelsea would now cave in to his demands for a new two-year contract.



Yet, reports on Friday morning suggest the club would jettison the 34-year-old - who rejected a one-year extension to his current deal - at the end of the season, regardless of his heroics.



Drogba insisted on Wednesday night he still had two or three years left at the highest level and Di Matteo agreed on Friday, saying: "Yeah, whether it's for Chelsea or somebody else."



Drogba is far from the only thirtysomething whose Chelsea future was in doubt, with Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda and Paulo Ferreira also said to be on borrowed time.



Di Matteo pointed out there were plenty of examples of players who had starred at top clubs into their late thirties, including Manchester United duo Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, as well as Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola.



He added: "I'm happy with the team, with the squad that we have and with the way they are responding and performing - young, old, middle-aged, whatever you want to call it."



Di Matteo, who currently has no input on comings and goings at Stamford Bridge, added of Drogba: "You've seen him many, many years now over the course of his career here and I'm sure you've made your own assessment of what kind of character he is.



"He's been with the club a long time and he's part of the history of this club - like many players that we've had here - and he always will be.



"The final decision (over his future) is going to be the club's decision."



Di Matteo also saw no need to "have a word" with Drogba over his less well received antics against Barca.



Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed he had done just that with Ashley Young amid accusations of diving against the winger but suggested what went on at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night was much worse.



But Di Matteo insisted he had "fair players" and claimed Drogba took "a physical battering" against Barca, one which saw the Ivorian pick up a knee injury that left him in a race against time to be fit for the second leg.



Drogba's theatrical reaction to challenges made on him allowed Chelsea to run down the clock on Wednesday.



Di Matteo said: "Listen, you know how many times we were behind and other teams 'lost' time against us?



"You know how many times? Many times.



"Every team does that. Let me tell you, Barca do it as well."



The 41-year-old insisted he was against diving, however.



"Whether we can find way to eradicate it from our game, I'm not sure," he said.



"I think it would be nice, it would be fairer for everybody if we could.



"But it's been part of football for a long, long time."



He added: "The majority of players don't dive.



"It's a minority and we shouldn't generalise and put everybody in the same pot."



Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has suggested foreign players introduced diving to England.



But Di Matteo said: "It doesn't matter from what nationality you come."



"Lately, there have been a few issues about it. But there have been issues before as well in the season and in previous seasons.



"The issue's always been there. It's maybe a little bit more at hand now because of what's happened in the last couple of weeks but it's an issue that's always there."

Agent: Drogba may stay

Didier Drogba's agent believes Chelsea are having second thoughts about allowing the striker to leave this summer.



Drogba's contract finishes at the end of the season and he looked set to move, with China, the Middle East, France and the US all mooted as possible destinations.

But agent Thierno Seidy says the goals which Drogba has scored in recent FA Cup and Champions League matches will lead to u-turn.

"Talks are going on with executive director (Ron Gourlay), and we will take stock with him before the end of the season," Seidy told L'Equipe.

"I believe what Didier is currently showing will lead the club to a new thought. Didier loves Chelsea and he wants to stay, but if things have to happen another way, he will leave. This time, we can make the decision by ourselves.



"Didier will be a free agent at the end of the season, so he is master of his own fate to sign his last contract."

"We have a lot of offers from everywhere. But one thing is for sure, if Didier will play in England next season, it will be at Chelsea and nowhere else."

Anelka targeting Drogba swoop

Shanghai Shenhua player-manager Nicolas Anelka is eyeing a swoop for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.



The Frenchman moved to the Chinese club in January to take on a playing role but was recently promoted following the sacking of Jean Tigana.



And he has now admitted he hopes to raid his former club as well as attempting to bring in one of his countrymen from Portugal's Maritimo.



"I hope Selim Benachour and Didier Drogba will quickly join us," Anelka told Le Journal du Dimanche.



"I hope they come. It is up to the club to see if we have the right means."



As for his new job, Anelka has admitted that the influence of some of his own former managers convinced him to take the plunge into coaching, and noted that playing in the Premier League for much of his career has given him an English sensibility.



"I have been impressed by Carlo Ancelotti, Kevin Keegan, Arsene Wenger, Guus Hiddink, Christoph Daum and Sam Allardyce," he said.



"I have also looked at Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp. I have a very English philosophy of coaching."



The 33-year-old also conceded that he faced a difficult challenge in his first role as a manager, but says he was unaware of the specifics regarding his promotion.



"Jean Tigana? I don't know what happened with the coach, but it looked like an impasse," Anelka said.



"As usual I will take on, trying to seize that challenge, which is the greatest of my career. We start almost from scratch again.



"Florent Ibenge will take the daily training sessions. To assist us there will be Alioune Toure and Ian Walker for the keepers."