Thiago Silva out for at least 3 weeks

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian defender Thiago Silva will be out for at least three weeks after he injured a thigh during Friday's 0-0 draw with Ajaccio, the capital club said Monday.



"Today's scan confirmed the injury in the left femoral biceps. He will be out for at least three weeks," a club statement read.



The news is a blow for PSG, whose failure to take three points against a side just one point off the drop zone cost them top spot after Lyon moved two points clear with a 2-1 win at Troyes.



Silva now faces a race against the clock to get fit for their UEFA Champions League last 16 first-leg against Valencia on February 11. French international Mamadou Sakho is set to deputise while Silva is out, partnering Brazilian Alex.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Paris Saint-Germain chief Leonardo has given the clearest indication yet the club will make a move for Cristiano Ronaldo.



- Chelsea plan to launch a £22million bid for Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, triggering a buy-out clause in his contract, according to The Times.



- Chelsea Under-21 captain Todd Kane has joined Blackburn Rovers on loan, it has been confirmed.



- Tottenham target Leandro Damiao is unlikely to leave Internacional this month, according to his agent.



- Everton's bid to sign Jake Livermore on loan has been rejected because Tottenham will not strengthen one of their rivals for the Champions League places.



- Manchester United are still interested in signing Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, according to the Daily Mail.



- Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sent his brother Martin on a scouting mission to Spain to run the rule over exciting Rayo Vallecano striker Leo Baptistao.



- And Manchester United expect to land Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha for £12million by the end of the January transfer window.



- Liverpool are ready to cut short Nuri Sahin's loan spell at Anfield, putting Borussia Dortmund on alert, according to the Daily Mail.



- Former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso has not yet considered signing a new deal with Real Madrid.



- Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom has signed a new long-term contract.



- West Ham are ready to move for Sylvain Distin - which could pave the way for James Tomkins to join Newcastle.



- Groningen defender Virgil van Dijk claims Premier League outfit Everton have expressed an interest in acquiring his services.



- Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, is a target for "a lot of clubs," his agent has told Goal.com.



- Steve Clarke has been handed a transfer window boost by keeping hold of Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season.



- Arsenal forward Theo Walcott will sign a new contract by the end of the week, according to the Daily Mail.



- Wojciech Szczesny claims to now be an Arsenal supporter and insists he has no intention of leaving the club.



- Sunderland are confident of seeing off a late challenge from QPR for Danny Graham and believe they would have signed him by now but for a snag over Kenwyne Jones’ proposed move to Swansea.



- Sunderland today completed the signing of Alfred N'Diaye from Turkish side Bursaspor for £3million.



- Harry Redknapp is trying to prise William Gallas from Tottenham to solve Queens Park Rangers’ problems in central defence.



- Crawley midfielder Hope Akpan has joined Reading on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £300,000.



- David Beckham will make the eagerly anticipated decision on his football future after crucial talks next week.



- AC Milan have confirmed their interest in appointing former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who has also been linked with Chelsea, as their next manager.



- They are also lining up a January move for Arsenal and Manchester City target Alessandro Matri.



- And have edged ahead in the race for Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham target Mehdi Benatia.



- Andrea Pirlo believes Chelsea would be foolish to allow fellow midfielder Frank Lampard to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.



- Juventus are ready to break the bank to land Didier Drogba on an 18-month loan deal, according to reports in France.



- Barcelona president Sandro Rosell insists Arsenal will not sign David Villa this month.



- Real Betis have opened the door for defensive midfielder Jose Canas to join Swansea.



- Arsenal are considering stepping up their interest in Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Napoli forward Eduardo Vargas has been offered to Arsenal, according to the Daily Mail.



- Lazio president Claudio Lotito has denied that they are chasing Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.



- AS Roma’s Pablo Osvaldo has caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich who are very interested in the striker, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.



- Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp says he has not given up hope of persuading star striker Robert Lewandowski to sign a new deal at the club despite strong interest from Manchester United.



- Inter Milan have confirmed they have accepted a bid for Wesley Sneijder from Galatasaray.



- But Sneijder is keen on a move to a "top" Premier League club, his agent has told BBC Sport.



- Paris St Germain have attempted to distance themselves from reports suggesting they are looking to put deals in place for Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole and Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.



- Marseille coach Elie Baup has hinted Loic Remy might stay at the Ligue 1 club and scupper Newcastle's chances of signing the talented striker.



- Former Chelsea and Liverpool target Andreas Laudrup is set to join St Etienne on loan.



- Maarten Stekelenburg's agent has left the door open for the Dutch goalkeeper to leave AS Roma despite no current offers.



- Celtic have confirmed Israel defender Rami Gershon has joined the club on loan from Standard Liege until the end of the season.



- Motherwell have taken Huddersfield Town striker Kallum Higginbotham on loan until the end of the season.



- According to Lancenet, a deal has been agreed that will see former Corinthians midfielder Elias join Flamengo on loan later this week.



- Slovakian midfielder Jan Gregus looks set to complete his one-year loan move to Bolton Wanderers.



- Leeds striker Andy Gray is set for a second spell at Bradford City after agreeing an 18-month deal with the Bantams.



- Millwall have boosted their attacking options with the signing of Bristol City winger Martyn Woolford.



- Bernard Mensah has committed his long-term future to Watford by signing a new contract with the club.



- Rotherham have confirmed that Peterborough winger Daniel Kearns has joined the club on loan.

PSG deny contact with Ashley Cole

Paris Saint-Germain have rubbished reports that they will attempt to lure Ashley Cole away from Chelsea during the January transfer window.



Cole is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, and interim boss Rafael Benitez appeared to reveal during one of his opening press conferences as manager that the England defender would depart the Blues in the summer.



Benitez has since moved to clarify those comments, suggesting Cole could stay at Chelsea beyond his existing deal, but neither Cole nor Frank Lampard - another in his final year - have yet agreed new terms.



Big-spending PSG are currently managed by Carlo Ancelotti, who previously coached Cole during his time at Chelsea. But sporting director Leonardo insists any report of a move in the transfer market is based purely on that link.



"We have never spoken with Ashley Cole, there has never been any contact," Leonardo told the media.



"Carlo was his coach at Chelsea, that's why that story is doing the rounds."



Leonardo also quashed talk of a move for Wesley Sneijder, saying: "Sincerely, we have never contacted Wesley Sneijder to come to PSG - we have five players in his position already."



Lampard was Chelsea's match-winner in their Sunday trip to Everton, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win, but says he remains in the dark as to whether he will be offered new terms at the club.



"At the minute there is nothing been said and my contract's till the summer," Lampard told the BBC. "I'm enjoying playing, I'm working hard in training, I'm loving being part of the team and the ability we've got in the team.



"That's all I can tell you at the minute, and that's fair enough for me, I'm happy just to keep playing well and contributing to winning games."

Ibrahimovic PSG deal close to completion

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's agent is hopeful the AC Milan striker will complete his move to Paris Saint-Germain soon, saying Sunday that Serie A is about to lose its last remaining star.



Thiago Silva signed a five-year contract with PSG on Saturday and Mino Raiola is in discussions with the big-spending club for Ibrahimovic to join his former Milan teammate.



"Everyone asks me if it is 90 or 99 percent done. But these percentage stories don't interest me," Raiola tells French newspaper L'Equipe. "In my mind, you have a deal, or you don't. There is nothing in between.



"Today, nothing is finalized yet. We will keep working on this deal. I insist on one point: in a contract, every detail is important. But I really hope to reach an agreement with PSG. This weekend is a time for reflection."



PSG has yet to agree to Ibrahimovic's salary demands with the stumbling block thought to be the French 75 percent tax on wages above a million euros ($1.23 million) per year.



Ibrahimovic joined Milan from Barcelona on loan in 2010 and the move was made permanent the following season. The 30-year-old was Serie A's top goalscorer last season - a feat he also achieved with Inter Milan in 2009.



The Sweden captain spent three seasons at Inter and two at Juventus, winning the Serie A title every year - although the two he won with Juventus were later revoked because of the match-fixing scandal.



Ibrahimovic also won the Dutch league twice with Ajax and the Spanish title with Barcelona before lifting another Serie A trophy with Milan.



"Zlatan will make Ligue 1 more interesting and his departure will make Serie A poorer," Raiola says. "When he goes, there will not be any more big names left in Italy. For me Zlatan is the best player in the world, he has a winning spirit. He is a player who, on his own, can light up a stadium. I hope the French fans will appreciate him.



"His arrival at PSG would be an exceptional event. Usually, we only see this kind of deal in England. Now, it is possible in Paris, this fascinating and magnificent capital."

Thiago Silva signs for PSG

Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Thiago Silva from AC Milan for a reported fee of 42million euros.



The Brazil international has signed a five-year contract with the big-spending Ligue 1 outfit.



A statement on PSG's website read: "Thiago Silva, 27, a Brazilian international, from AC Milan, has signed this Saturday with Paris Saint-Germain for five seasons."



A statement on the AC Milan website read: "AC Milan announces that it has sold Thiago Silva to PSG."



Thiago Silva's Milan team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also been linked with a move to the Parisiens.

Ancelotti rules out Villa

Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti has dismissed reports linking his side with Barcelona striker David Villa.



Spanish daily Sport had claimed earlier on Saturday that PSG were lining up a 30 million euros bid for the striker as they are desperate to add to their attacking options.



Questioned about the report, Ancelotti rated Villa as a quality striker, but ruled out a move for the 30-year-old, who spent most of last season on the sidelines with a fractured tibia.



"We have not thought about David Villa for the simple reason that he has been injured for a long time," Ancelotti told a press conference.



"He is a great forward, but we are in the process of searching for one who does not have physical problems.



"Besides, I do not even think that Barcelona would let him go."



The Italian coach then commented on the situation of Mamadou Sakho, who revealed earlier in the month he could leave PSG if the club signed a new centre-back in the summer.



"He has to understand that PSG will become a big club, and that at every big club, there is a lot of competition to win a place," Ancelotti said.



"I hope that Mamadou accepts the competition like he told me when we had a discussion together.



"I make my decisions solely in relation to what I see on the pitch, rather than a player's price tag.



"If he asks to leave, it well be up to the club and myself to make the decision, but today I say that Sakho will stay."

Agent confirms PSG interest in Cardozo

The agent of Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo has confirmed reports linking his client with a move to Parc des Princes.



The Paraguayan is widely tipped to leave the Eagles following yet another impressive season at La Luz, and he has seen his name linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs.



Paris Saint-Germain were thought to be leading the race for the highly rated forward and the player’s representative now confirms the Saints have enquired about his client.



Asked by Le 10 Sport about the real story about PSG and Cardozo, agent Pedro Aldave replied: “There is an interest in the player.”



Benfica are ready to cash in on one of their star players and Aldave admits Cardozo is looking to leave this summer.



“He wants to leave. But, only in the case he is offered better conditions than at Benfica. We are talking about the top foreign scorer in the history of the club.”



The Paraguayan international joined Benfica in a €9.2 million deal from Newell’s Old Boys in June 2007 and has since scored 87 goals in 133 league games for the Eagles.



Cardozo finished last season as top scorer of Portuguese Primeira league with 20 goals in 29 games.

AC Milan Demand €65M from PSG for Thiago Silva

AC Milan have moved the goalposts over Paris Saint-Germain’s Thiago Silva bid, with sources in Italy suggesting the Rossoneri now want €65M for the Brazilian stopper.



The Italian club’s owner Silvio Berlusconi had admitted that PSG offered €46M for Silva – and that was a figure he simply could not refuse.



But in the face of a furious reaction from the Milan faithful, with whom Silva is extremely popular, Berlusconi has asked for more money.



This may make PSG consider withdrawing from the chase for the 27-year-old as Milan seek to claim the maximum amount to address financial problems at the club.



The departure of Silva would be a huge blow to the Rossoneri and the player himself is already thought to have come to an agreement on personal terms at the Parc des Princes.



Silva would earn €9M per year if he moved to the French capital.

Milan open to Thiago Silva sale

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani expects the negotiations in selling defender Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain to be arduous.

Galliani was in Paris yesterday to hold talks with PSG executives with a view to the Brazil international joining the French club.



Milan were adamant they would not sell Silva but are now tempted with reports PSG have reportedly increased their offer to 50million euros.



"It will be a long negotiation process with PSG," Galliani said to Gazzetta dello Sport.



The fact that Milan are considering Silva's possible departure has been met with criticism by the Rossoneri faithful.



"Silva is a player that you cannot substitute, regardless of the amount of money offered," AC Milan striker Antonio Cassano said.



"Thiago makes up 50% of the squad."



Former AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini would be surprised if the Rossoneri let Silva leave the San Siro this summer.



"Thiago's transfer is a sign of weakness," Maldini said. "He is the great defender there is in the world right now and Milan cannot do without him."



The 27-year-old Silva, who is also a reported target of Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona, is under contract with Milan until June 2016.