Juventus seal deal for Llorente

Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has agreed to join Italian giants Juventus on a four-year contract at the end of the season.



The Spain international, whose deal with Athletic expires at the end of June, will become a Juve player on July 1.



A statement on juventus.com read: "Juventus can confirm that Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente will join the club on July 1, 2013.



"The 27-year-old has agreed terms on a four-year deal and will move to Turin when his Athletic Bilbao contract expires at the end of the current season."



In November, Llorente announced his decision to leave the club where he has spent nine seasons since graduating from the academy.



Amid reported interest from a host of Barclays Premier League clubs including Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, Serie A champions Juventus publicly entered talks with Llorente at the start of January.



Llorente has made 334 appearances for Athletic, scoring 104 goals in all competitions, with his best return coming during the 2011-12 campaign when his 29 goals helped the Basque outfit to the Copa del Rey and Europa League finals.



His prolific record at San Mames has also earned Llorente international recognition. He has scored seven goals in 21 appearances for Spain and was included in the squads that won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.



Llorente has been used sparingly by Athletic coach Marcelo Bielsa since declaring his intention to leave, but his lack of activity has not dissuaded Juve, who currently lead the Serie A table by five points in their bid to retain the title.



Despite their dominance, Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte has struggled to forge an effective strikeforce from a pool of Mirko Vucinic, Fabio Quagliarella, Sebastian Giovinco and Alessandro Matri, with on-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner failing to make an impact due to injury.



Thursday's announcement cools speculation that Juve were prepared to pay Athletic to release Llorente early, with both Didier Drogba of Shanghai Shenhua and Lyon's Lisandro Lopez being targeted as short-term solutions to the club's lack of firepower.

Llorente going nowhere, says boss

Athletic Bilbao manager Marcelo Bielsa has insisted the club will not be selling their star striker Fernando Llorente in January.

The Spanish international has been linked with a move away from the La Liga outfit next month, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all being linked.



However Bielsa believes Athletic are going to stand firm to keep Llorente at the club, as they look to climb up the table from their current position of 15th.

He said: "The situation is what it is. Llorente leaving in January is something the club have rejected.



"There is already a fixed position, and his presence gives us something extra."

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has confirmed he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.



- Fernando Torres has insisted that he wants to see out the rest of his contract and is looking to win more trophies at Chelsea.



- Chelsea have once again watched Bayer Leverkusen striker Andre Schurrle in action as they weigh up a January bid for the Germany international, according to Sky Sports.



- Chelsea and Manchester United are on alert as Jose Mourinho is set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.



- Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Brazilian right-back Wallace from Fluminense in the January transfer window.



- Senad Lulic, the Lazio midfielder linked with Chelsea, is on Inter Milan's radar.



- Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, who is believed to be a target for Barcelona and Real Madrid, has reiterated that he sees himself playing abroad in the future, stating: "If the time comes and a team that's right comes in for me, then I'll look at it seriously. I'll see what happens. Everybody wants to be playing in the Champions League."



- Manchester City target Stefan Jovetic has no intention of leaving Fiorentina - yet.



- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to sign Schalke goalscorer Klass-Jan Huntelaar next month and he could be available for a cut-price £6million, according to Dailymail.



- Tottenham have made an enquiry for Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has also been linked with Liverpool, according to Goal.com.



- Daniel Sturridge's agent has denied the Chelsea striker has demanded £80,000 a week and a guaranteed role up front if he's to join Liverpool.



- Liverpool's hopes of signing Barcelona starlet Cristian Tello have been hit after news emerged that the forward is set to sign a new deal.



- Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has rejected talk of a possible swap between Wesley Sneijder and Paris Saint-Germain star Javier Pastore.



- Arsenal and Chelsea could be forced to ramp up their interest in Paris St. Germain’s Marco Verratti after Juventus emerged as serious contenders to sign him.



- Frank Lampard's hopes of heading out to the US to play in the MLS have been dealt another blow after David Beckham told his former club LA Galaxy to sign Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.



- Brazilian forward Neymar has insisted that he is happy at Santos for the moment and does not want to move to Europe yet.



- Barcelona star Ibrahim Afellay wants to make his loan move to Schalke permanent - dashing the hopes of Arsenal and Liverpool.



- AC Milan have rejected rumours linking Robinho with a move away from the San Siro in January.



- Atletico Madrid are desperate to agree a new contract with Adrian to ward off interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.



- PSV Eindhoven striker Jeremain Lens, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has admitted to Elf Voetbal that he is interested in playing in the Premier League.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Fernando Llorente has dropped the biggest hint yet that he wants out of Athletic Bilbao - by saying he is desperate to end his barren run and leave his side as high as possible in La Liga.



- Internacional striker Leandro Damiao has hinted that he could make a move to the Premier League in the future, with Chelsea a possible destination, telling The Elastico: "The Premier League holds great attraction, of course. I was in England for quite some time during the Olympics and it is a great country with good people."



- Florent Malouda still faces being frozen out of Chelsea despite the arrival of new manager Rafa Benitez, according to talkSPORT.



- Monaco are the latest club to show interest in Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, according to Dailymail.



- Marseille striker Loic Remy, who has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, could be sold for as little as €10million, his agent has told Le 10 Sport.



- Wesley Sneijder is heading towards the Inter Milan exit door - and the long-term Manchester United target could yet move to AC Milan.



- Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed speculation that he is considering leaving Real Madrid in order to return to Manchester United after meeting with Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson last week.



- Benfica want to end speculation over Oscar Cardozo's future by securing the Liverpool target for another two years.



- Atletico Madrid insist they are yet to receive any bids for star striker Radamel Falcao, who is a January target for both Chelsea and Man City.



- Sir Alex Ferguson will revive his interest in Everton defender Leighton Baines after conceding defeat in his move for Ashley Cole.



- Manchester City have been told it will take an offer of well in excess of £9million to sign Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Alen Halilovic, who has been dubbed the new Luka Modric.



- Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who in recent weeks has been linked with Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester City, has a £40million buy-out clause his contract, according to The People.



- Tottenham and Chelsea are facing increasing competition from Italy and Spain to sign highly-rated Sampdoria youngster Pedro Obiang.



- Tottenham defender Michael Dawson has shrugged off talk linking him with a move to be reunited with Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers.



- Sky Sports understands Everton are lining up a move for former Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon.



- Ryan Shawcross has declared that he is settled at Stoke City and has no intention of leaving as he does not think he would be where is now without manager Tony Pulis.



- Willian says he is open to a move to the Premier League, with Tottenham and Chelsea readying bids for the Shakhtar star.



- West Bromwich have joined the race to land promising Manchester City midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim, according to Dailymail.



- Marseille have no intention of sanctioning sales in January and would be keen on bringing Didier Drogba back to France.



- Ligue 1 side Troyes have bolstered their defensive options by signing former St Etienne player Sylvain Monsoreau on a free transfer.



- AC Milan forward Robinho says he has been 'sounded out' by clubs back in his native Brazil and is keeping an open mind about a January move.



- Leeds are ready to reward El Hadji Diouf with a new contract that will put him among the top earners at the club.

UEFA postpone Israel Europa League match

UEFA have confirmed the postponement of Athletic Bilbao's Europa League game against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona due to ongoing safety concerns in Israel.



The Primera Division club were set to fly to Tel Aviv in advance of tomorrow's game Group I fixture in nearby Haifa, despite recent violence in the neighbouring Gaza strip.



A bomb ripped through a bus near Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv this morning, wounding at least 10 people and prompting Athletic to contact UEFA's emergency panel in pursuit of a postponement to tomorrow's match.



A statement released by UEFA this afternoon read: "The UEFA Emergency Panel met today and decided to postpone the UEFA Europa League match between Hapoel Kiryat Shmona FC and Athletic Club which was scheduled to take place on Thursday November 22 at the Kiryat Eliezer Stadium in Haifa, due to the tense security situation in the region.



"A decision concerning the rescheduling of the match will be made by the end of the week."



A statement published on Athletic's official Twitter account read: "UEFA have confirmed to us that the match has been suspended."



Reports in Spain had suggested Athletic had already made attempts to convince the European game's governing body to hold the fixture outside of Israel, in light of the country's ongoing conflict with Palestine.



The Basque travelling party had arrived at Bilbao airport in anticipation of a five-hour flight to Israel, but UEFA's decision saw the players and coaching staff return to their Lezama training complex.

Bilbao president rules out Llorente sale

Athletic Bilbao president Josu Urrutia has issued a hands-off warning to clubs considering a January swoop for Fernando Llorente.



The striker has been linked with several of Europe's biggest sides and his lack of playing time under coach Marcelo Bielsa has led to more speculation he is set to depart in the upcoming transfer window.



However, Urrutia has made it clear the club have no intention of selling Llorente, who has attracted suitors in England and Italy, while admitting talks over a new deal for defender Fernando Amorebieta have not run smoothly.



"There will not be any movement in the winter. The team is much more competitive with Aritz (Aduriz) and Llorente in attack," he told reporters.



"There is no progress, but we are expecting a positive response (from Amorebieta's representatives) soon. We know that the player wants to renew."



Europa League runners-up last season, Athletic have struggled this campaign and have mustered just four La Liga wins to date.



But, Urrutia is remaining positive ahead of his side's clash with Real Madrid on Saturday, while leaping to the defence of teenager Iker Muniain.



"This time last year we had the same number of points in the league. The team has had a number of issues to contend with but we still have great passion," he said.



"Real Madrid are favourites but you never know how the game will unfold.



"Anyone can make a mistake. At his age, Iker shows great character. It is normal with very young players."

Llorente content at Bilbao

Fernando Llorente insisted he is happy at Athletic Bilbao, despite being flattered by the alleged interest of some of Europe's top clubs.



The Spain international recently admitted he would be open to moving to England, having previously played down reports linking him with Premier League champions Manchester City.



It has also been reported that Barcelona are keen on the forward, but Llorente claims he has no great desire to leave Stadio San Mames this off-season.



"It's always nice to have teams interested in you, as it means that you have had a good season," he told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.



"But I am happy because I am already at a great club in Athletic."



Meanwhile, Llorente - part of Spain's 23-man squad for Euro 2012 - did not see any game time in his country's tournament opener against Italy but remains confident he can force his way into Vicente del Bosque's side.



"I always hope," he said.



"We all hope to get an opportunity - that is what we are working for."



It remains to be seen if Llorente will see any action in their crucial Group C clash with Republic of Ireland on Thursday, a game which he acknowledges will be difficult for the defending Euro champions.



"We will try to play a great game, but it will not be easy because Ireland always gives their all," he said.



"They are aggressive and the game will probably take a lot out of us. But (despite the draw against Italy) the atmosphere in the squad is still great; so far very relaxed.



"We are very calm, working well and now looking forward to the game and hopefully getting our first win, which would give us great confidence."

Atletico, Bilbao go to war in Bucharest

Atletico Madrid aim to rejoin the European football elite on Wednesday by beating Athletic Bilbao in an all-Spanish Europa League final in Bucharest.



Atletico won the inaugural Europa League two years ago 2-1 against England's Fulham in Hamburg.



They followed up that triumph three months later by overcoming Champions League winners Inter Milan 2-0 in Monte Carlo for the European Super Cup.



"We want to repeat what we achieved in 2010," said captain Antonio Lopez. "That was a wonderful achievement, now we want to do it again."



However, it will be a very different Atletico team on Wednesday to the one that beat Fulham and Inter.



Only four players - Lopez himself, Alvaro Dominguez, Luis Perea and Paulo Assuncao - are still at the club, and none of these four are sure of their place in the starting lineup of coach Diego Simeone.



Lopez and Perea are about to leave the club. They were given an emoptional send-off by the Estadio Calderon on Saturday before a 2-1 defeat of Malaga which left Atletico in fifth place.



"On Wednesday we will be playing for our lives. It will be a great day. It is very difficult to reach a final ... I hope it will be the icing on the cake to my spell at the club," Perea said.



Lopez said: "I always said that I didn't want to leave this club without picking up a trophy, and fortunately I have been able to lift two (in 2010). I hope we don't miss the chance to pick up a third one."



Neither team has any injury worries. While Simeone was putting out his best 11 against Malaga, Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa was resting most of his first-teamers in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Getafe.



Bilbao is the European team which has played most games this season, in reaching not only the Europa League final but also the Spanish cup final.



The wear and tear on Bielsa's young Basques has caused them to slip down to 10th in La Liga.



However, they will be fresh and keen on Wednesday, determined to give the club a first continental trophy - and rub out the memory of a narrow defeat on away goals against Juventus in the 1977 Uefa Cup final.



Bilbao are a unique case in European football because they eschew foreign signings and field only players born or brought up in the Basque provinces.



"We are expectant, wanting the day of the final to arrive straight away," said Ander Iturraspe, one of Bilbao's many promising prospects.



"The fans are also expectant, as always, with a lot of hope. We perceive this and it is very positive for us to know that we have that pressure to do our best."



Another of Bielsa's young midfield tigers, Oscar de Marcos, said: "In the past few days I have had a tension in my stomach when I think about the final. We have to keep this tension at bay. We are all waiting for the big day to arrive, we can hardly wait."



Iturraspe and De Marcos will line up in midfield alongside the elegant Ander Herrera and the lively Markel Susaeta, with enfant terrible Iker Muniain in attack alongside Spain striker Fernando Llorente.



Herrera, Muniain and Llorente are high on the shopping lists of many top clubs for this summer, alongside midfielder-cum-defender Javi Martinez, another Spanish international.



Wednesday's game is the first European final played in Romania. Around 15 000 fans of each club are expected to make the trip, many of them without a match ticket.



Bucharest police expect few problems between the two groups of supporters as Atletico and Bilbao have always enjoyed good relations.



Atletico were founded in 1903 by a group of Basque students in Madrid as a branch of their beloved Bilbao club. This is why the two teams have similar names and colours, and a long-standing friendship between them.