Guardiola will be Bayern coach

Pep Guardiola will become Bayern Munich manager in July, having agreed a three-year deal with the Bundesliga giants.



Former Barcelona coach Guardiola was confirmed as Bayern's next coach on Wednesday.



Current Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes remains in his post until the end of this season, when 41-year-old Guardiola will take over on a contract until summer 2016.



Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in the world and we are sure that he can make not just Bayern, but all of German football shine."



Guardiola will take over at the German giants on July 1, with Heynckes' contract running out on June 30.



The Spaniard announced last April he would be leaving Barca when his contract ran out at the end of the 2011/12 season and would be taking a year-long sabbatical from the game.



A host of clubs had been linked with the Spaniard since he left Barca, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea in England, Italian giants AC Milan and big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.



However, Bayern recently emerged as favourites to capture Guardiola's services and confirmed on Wednesday afternoon they had got their man.



Guardiola replaced Frank Rijkaard at Barca in 2008 and during his four years at the Nou Camp he led the Catalan giants to 13 trophies, making him the most successful coach in the club's history.

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Pep Guardiola has fuelled the intrigue surrounding his future by stressing his desire to work in England.



- Arsenal have abandoned their pursuit of Barcelona forward David Villa and could instead make a move for Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez, according to Goal.com.



- Arsenal are interested in Napoli midfielder Juan Camilo Zuniga but face competition from Barcelona, according to the player's agent.



- Manchester United are keeping an eye on Angel Di Maria's situation at Real Madrid as a potential replacement for Nani.



- Manchester United target James Rodriguez is wanted by Juventus, according to reports in Italy and Portugal.



- Manchester City and Chelsea target Marek Hamsik is ready to commit the rest of his career to Napoli, according to his agent.



- Carlos Tevez is reportedly considering a new contract offer at Manchester City that would keep him at the club until 2016.



- Frank Lampard has turned his back on a £20million offer to join former Chelsea team-mates Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in China.



- Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois says he wants to stay at Atletico Madrid for another year.



- Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Chelsea teenager Lucas Piazon will spend the rest of the season on loan at Spanish side Malaga.



- Fulham youngster Pajtim Kasami is wanted by Wolfsburg and Sampdoria as Martin Jol prepares to send him out on loan.



- Fulham have dropped out of the race to sign England goalkeeper Jack Butland - with Martin Jol on the verge of landing Roma's Maarten Stekelenburg.



- Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina could be a summer target for Atletico Madrid, according to reports in Spain.



- Molde have accepted a bid from Southampton for defender Vegard Forren.



- Newcastle have failed in a bid to land Lorient striker Jeremie Aliadiere.



- Newcastle United have made a bid for Nancy's Massadio Haidara.



- Newcastle target Massadio Haidara says he wants to join Roma rather than head to St James' Park.



- Newcastle are planning to bring the brilliant Ajax captain Siem de Jong to the Premier League in a £9million deal that will show their transfer ambition.



- Tottenham are maintaining interest in Palermo attacking midfielder Josip Ilicic, 24.



- Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert is looking to drag Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko onto his sinking ship - in the hope of plugging some of the leaks ahead of the relegation scramble.



- West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has cooled speculation linking Arsenal with a move for his midfielder Mohamed Diame.



- Winston Reid has agreed a new two-year extension to his West Ham contract to see off interest from Barclays Premier League heavyweights, including Newcastle.



- QPR could sell Stephane Mbia to Chelsea should they be successful with their pursuit of Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila, according to L’Equipe.



- Queens Park Rangers have hijacked Loic Remy’s move to the Barclays Premier League and swooped to steal the France striker from under Newcastle United’s noses in an £8million move.



- Southampton are among those to have expressed an interest in Bologna's Frederik Sorensen, claims the defender's agent.



- Barcelona are ready to join Real Madrid in the race to sign Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, according to El Mundo Deportivo.



- Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes insists he has made no decision over his future amid speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool.



- AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has again insisted the Serie A giants have no interest in signing Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli.



- Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder has hinted that he is ready to reject a move to Galatasaray after admitting that he is in no rush to make a decision about his future.



- Eduardo Vargas is set to join Gremio on a sixth-month loan deal on Wednesday.



- Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, who is believed to be a target for Manchester United, could join Juventus, his agent has told Sky Sports.



- Hamburg forward Son Heung-Min, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool, has emerged as a target for Tottenham, according to Bild.



- Borussia Dortmund defender Felipe Santana has dismissed speculation he will leave the Bundesliga club during this month's transfer window.



- The agent of Danish ace Christian Eriksen maintains the midfielder's focus is on Ajax despite ongoing interest.



- Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue is back on Arsenal's radar and is also a target for Chelsea, according to Le Sport 10.



- Nenê confirmed on Sunday that he is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Qatari club Al-Gharafa, rather than return to Brazil.



- Sao Paulo president Juvenal Juvencio admits they are interested in signing Denilson on a permanent deal from Arsenal, but not until June.



- Francesco Stella is set to leave Rangers after the Australian failed to make an impact at Ibrox.



- York City have signed striker Ben Everson until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.



- Derby County defender Tom Naylor has extended his loan at Bradford City by a further month.



- Ross County have completed the signing of Evangelos Ikonomou from Greek club Atromitos.



- Preston North End have signed defender Paul Connolly on loan from Leeds United until April.



- Bournemouth have agreed a fee with Aberdeen for highly-rated young winger Ryan Fraser.



- Toronto FC has confirmed the signing of Brazilian veteran Julio Cesar.

Pep stays guarded over return

Pep Guardiola has announced he wants to return to coaching - but is keeping his future plans close to his chest.

Former Barcelona boss Guardiola, who took a sabbatical from football after four years at the Nou Camp, has been suggested as the man most likely to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and as the next permanent manager at Chelsea.

Guardiola's confirmation that he is now looking to return to the game will spark renewed competition for the services of the man who steered Barcelona to 14 trophies in four seasons.

The 41-year-old told a news conference at the FIFA Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich: "Yes I would like to come back to coaching. I have been out of coaching for a year and it's what I would like but there is no reason to give any more specific details.

"I don't have a team to go to but I would like to go back to coaching. I have taken a decision to return to coaching but beyond that no decision has been taken."

Asked if he would consider Bayern Munich, who have also been linked with a move for him, Guardiola replied that it would be a "lack of respect" to talk about any team which currently has a coach.

Guardiola, who has been living in New York, said he had kept a close eye on Barca since leaving the club.

He added: "I keep on watching Barcelona on TV and it's a great show, a great team and I'm just a fan."

He also dismissed reports he would coach the Brazil national side at the 2014 World Cup in the South American country - Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed for a second spell in charge last month.



"I think it has to be someone from their own country," he said. "Scolari is one of many world-class coaches from Brazil.

Del Bosque backs Guardiola as top coach

Vicente del Bosque says he has voted for Pep Guardiola to win the 2012 FIFA Coach of the Year award.



The Spain coach was named on the final three-man shortlist for the prize, along with the former Barcelona boss and Jose Mourinho on Thursday.



"I voted for Guardiola because he is an important figure within our football," he told Terra.



"I did not do it on a whim, to support Barcelona or because of any 'anti-madridismo'. It would be good if he went back to work. He is young, has added things to the game and is passionate about this sport."



Del Bosque has also been impressed with the transition at Camp Nou since Tito Vilanova replaced Guardiola at the helm during the summer.



"Tito has taken over naturally. The important thing is that he has been able to maintain the enthusiasm of these players, who have won so much," he said.



The 61-year-old's next major assignment will be getting Spain ready to participate in next year's Confederations Cup and the former Real Madrid boss said preparation is absolutely paramount if his side are to continue their dominance.



"It will be a test ahead of the next World Cup. Our last experience of the competition before South Africa was good because we got to know everything that was waiting for us ahead of the World Cup," he said.



"In Spain we have lost a lot of the fear (we had before) of promoting a player from the 'cantera'. Clubs are conscious they have to take care of them and that benefits the national team. We have to trust the youngsters because they are very talented kids."

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has put Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United on alert after indicating he is ready to return to management, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Stephan El Shaarawy is set for a new contract at AC Milan amid continued interest from Manchester City in the striker.



- Manchester City are ready to join the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United in the race to sign Santos striker Neymar, according to The People.



- Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Willian should only join Arsenal, Chelsea, or Manchester United should he move to the Premier League, according to team-mate Eduardo, who doesn't believe Tottenham are a big enough club for the Brazilian.



- Liverpool are hopeful of signing Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in January for just £6million, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Galatasaray want to sign Joe Cole in loan in January - and are willing to pay the majority of his £100,000 a week wages, writes The Sunday People.



- Emmanuel Adebayor is wanted by Atletico Madrid as he looks for a way out of Tottenham – just 10 weeks after sealing a move to White Hart Lane, writes The Sunday People.



- Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, who continues to be linked with a move to Liverpool, insists he was right to snub a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, telling the Daily Mirror: "I remember my agent calling me to tell me that they had come in for me, but I told him straight away that I did not see any point in ­moving to ­Manchester City – and I still don’t. At the end of my career, we will see if I took the right decision."



- Zenit St Petersburg are ready to enter the race for Liverpool target Fernando Amorebieta.



- Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby has brushed aside speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal.



- Marouane Chamakh says he is facing a make-or-break season at Arsenal - and has hinted at a return to former club Bordeaux.



- Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones is ready to make a return to England if he is not given a new deal at the German club.



- Juventus are hoping to persuade Mehdi Benatia to turn down both Chelsea and Barcelona to stay in Italy, according to talkSPORT.



- Aston Villa are already looking at replacements for Darren Bent – and are ready to chase Saint-Etienne striker Pierre Aubameyang, writes The Sunday People.



- Bradford have signed Sunderland defender John Egan on loan until the new year, subject to Football League clearance.



- Roma's sporting director Franco Baldini admits the club will always listen to offers for Daniele De Rossi - but that does not mean they will sell.



- Santos have confirmed their interest in signing Paris Saint Germain midfielder Nene.



- Sky Sports understands Hull City have agreed a deal to re-sign Manchester United starlet Robbie Brady on loan

Vilanova appointed Barcelona coach

Tito Vilanova has been formally confirmed as Pep Guardiola's successor as Barcelona coach, agreeing a two-year contract to take charge at the Nou Camp until June 2014.



Vilanova is due to sign his contract on Friday and then be presented to the media.



"FC Barcelona have come to an agreement with Francesc 'Tito' Vilanova," read a statement on Barcelona's website.



"This season's first team assistant manager will be the head coach of FC Barcelona for two seasons, through June 30, 2014. Vilanova will sign his new contract this Friday on June 15 at 1200."



Guardiola announced in late April that he would step down from his position as coach to take a sabbatical, with the club immediately nominating Vilanova to take over.



Vilanova, who will be the 16th Catalan manager of the club, spent five years as the assistant coach, helping Guardiola during the most successful period in the club's history.



Together they won two Champions League crowns, three La Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, three Supercopas, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups.



However, this season ended in disappointment as they surrendered the league crown to rivals Real Madrid, and were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals by eventual champions Chelsea.



Also on Wednesday, Barcelona agreed a one-year contract extension with sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.



The 50-year-old Zubizarreta, whose previous deal was due to expire next summer, is now tied to the Primera Division giants until June 30, 2014.



There is also a clause in the agreement that would see the contract extended for an additional two years.



Former Barca and Spain goalkeeper Zubizarreta became sporting director at the Nou Camp in July 2010 after replacing fellow Basque Txiki Begiristain.

Guardiola set to sign new Barca deal

Pep Guardiola is expected to announce his decision to extend his Barcelona contract, Spanish daily AS understands.



The talented coach recently ended the final few months of his contract at Camp Nou, which led to speculations suggesting he could quit the Catalans at the end of the season.



Nevertheless, AS claims that Guardiola has decided to renew his contract with Barcelona and the official announcement could be made later today.



Guardiola’s representative Josep Maria Orobitg visited Camp Nou this morning, where he met with his client and his assistant Tito Vilanova.



AS believes this is a clear sign that the 41-year-old has finally decided to accept the offer from the club chiefs.



Barcelona vice-president Carles Vilarrubi yesterday expressed his confidence that Guardiola would renew his contract with the club.



“He knows he is at home and the entire Barcelona is with him,” Vilarrubi told TV3. “Will end well. Continues in our house.”



Guardiola is expected to sign a new one-year deal as it is his policy not to sign long-term contracts.