Manchester City dismiss Jovetic enquiries from Juventus, AC Milan & Inter

The Montenegro international has only started one Premier League match for Manuel Pellegrini's side but will not be allowed to leave the Etihad Stadium as he nears full fitness

EXCLUSIVE
By Paul Clennam & Fabrizio Romano

Manchester City have rejected approaches from Juventus, AC Milan and Inter for injury-hit striker Stevan Jovetic.

The Montenegro international left Fiorentina in a deal initially worth £23.3 million (€27.6m) in July but has started just one Premier League match for Manuel Pellegrini's side, having struggled with hamstring and calf problems.

THE VIEW FROM ITALY

Federico Casotti | Goal Italy Last summer Juventus were extremely interested in Jovetic but the Bianconeri weren't able to reach an agreement with Fiorentina over the transfer fee - and that was the case for AC Milan, as well. Juventus also chased Dzeko for many years until 2011, when he chose Manchester City and become unobtainable. It seems as though Inter have the most pressing need for either Jovetic or Dzeko. With 34-year-old Diego Milito injured and Mauro Icardi and Ishak Belfodil both discarded by Walter Mazzarri, the only available striker is Rodrigo Palacio. The attack must be reinforced during the January transfer window, and Dzeko sounds like a more likely option.

He had previously revealed that he rejected the chance to join Juve over the summer and, with the Old Lady and a number of other Serie A clubs unable to match Fiorentina's valuation just months ago, they have now re-entered the fray hopeful of a loan deal.

City, however, are not interested. Jovetic is fit, has been training during the last week, and is nearly ready for the busy Christmas period after being out of action since the Capital One Cup clash with Newcastle in October.

Although his fledgling City career has been disrupted by injury, coaches at Carrington believe that the 24-year-old is a good professional capable of making a recovery and becoming, essentially, a new signing in the New Year.

Indeed, he has impressed on the pitch despite limited opportunities, having scored twice in just his second start for the club in a 5-0 Capital One Cup mauling of Wigan back in September.

Jovetic, who speaks perfect English, is settled in Manchester and has been made to feel especially welcome by Serbs Matija Nastasic and Alexandar Kolarov, as well as Bosnian Edin Dzeko.

Inter, pushing for a Champions League spot under the new ownership of Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir, held discussions with City at the beginning of December regarding their chances of landing Jovetic and Dzeko.

As revealed by Goal on Friday, though, the Bosnia striker is keen to wait until the end of the season, when he will have just one year left on his contract, before weighing up his options.

Tottenham are also interested but City will not entertain a loan deal for a man who has scored seven goals in 11 starts this season.

Villa: Arsenal made an offer for me

Spain's record goalscorer revealed that Arsenal were interested in securing his services while he was still at Barcelona, but has expressed his happiness at Atletico's progress

Atletico Madrid striker David Villa has revealed that he was the subject of a bid from Arsenal while he was still a Barcelona player.

The Gunners’ interest in the Spain international during his days at Camp Nou had long been rumoured, and Villa explained that it was only Barca’s reluctance to sell that prevented him from moving to the Premier League last January.

“Arsenal’s offer was very good for the club and great for me,” he said to Canal +.

“But they [Barcelona], did not deem it feasible for me to leave at that time. I was told that I was needed.”

Villa would eventually join Atletico in July for €5.1 million and, with eight goals in 15 league games, has helped the Rojiblancos to second place in la Liga, level on points at the top of the table with his former club.

And the 32-year-old could not hide his delight at his performances for his new side, though he maintained that he derived his primary pleasure from the fortunes of the team as a whole.

“I'm happy because my goals and performance on the field have helped the team to achieve their goals, because after all, as you know, I think more collective than individual,” he added.

Villa feels that Atletico, who have been impressive both domestically and abroad this season, are capable of great things, and commended the influence of coach Diego Simeone.

“This team was already complete [when I joined], and have been playing well for some years, being courageous and winning many important things,” he continued.

“They excited me from the offset, and have made me feel that the more I have integrated into the club, and Diego Simeone has the motivating virtues of Luis Aragones and Pep Guardiola.”

But Spain’s leading goalscorer still had nothing but praise for Barcelona, and insisted that there was never friction between himself and former Blaugrana team-mate Lionel Messi.

“Both Leo [Messi] and I, as with all team-mates that I’ve had at other clubs, had a very good relationship,” he said.

“The club has always shown me great affection, and fulfilled their promise to sell me in the summer. I have only words of gratitude for Barca.”

Van Persie considers Manchester United future

The Dutch striker, who will miss the next month with a thigh injury, is unconvinced by the training methods and tactics employed by his boss

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey

Robin van Persie is considering his Manchester United future as he harbours growing doubts over the David Moyes regime.

The Dutch striker has told friends that he is increasingly unhappy with the training and tactical methods employed by the Red Devils boss, which he believes have contributed to his worst run of injuries in three years.

Van Persie was ruled out for a month on Friday with a thigh strain sustained taking the corner that led to United's winner against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night and will not play again until the New Year.

The latest injury to Van Persie came in his second match back in the team following a month on the sidelines with toe and groin injuries. It is the Dutchman's third setback in what is becoming a frustrating second season at Old Trafford, as he also missed the Manchester derby and Capital One Cup clash with Liverpool in September.

Goal revealed in October than Van Persie is "disgruntled" at the greater emphasis on running and endurance in sessions under Moyes compared to the Sir Alex Ferguson regime.

It is understood that Van Persie believes he has been overtrained this season, which has made him more susceptible to injury. The player has also expressed his frustration that Rene Meulensteen, the former United first-team coach and his fellow Dutchman who is now the Fulham boss, was not retained by Moyes this summer when he succeeded Ferguson.

Van Persie's absence from the Manchester derby ended a remarkable run of 90 consecutive Premier League appearances at both Arsenal and United for the once injury-plagued striker, which stretched back to March 2011.

The 30-year-old, whose United contract runs until the summer of 2016, has still scored 10 goals, from 16 appearances, for United this season and Moyes spoke on Friday of his disappointment at not being able to pair him more with Wayne Rooney.

"It is unfortunate because I think if you look at our record with Wayne Rooney and Robin in the team it is actually very good and we have not had them for quite a period recently," observed the Scot.

Sources have said that the outspoken Dutchman has exchanged heated words with Moyes and his staff on a number of occasions at the club's Carrington headquarters this season.

Van Persie is understood to hold strong views on match preparation and rehabilitation, believing heavy-duty sessions do not suit his explosive style of play, body shape and the advanced stage of his career.

In contrast, Rooney has spoken of how Moyes' methods have reaped their rewards in terms of his own personal fitness.

"The training is different, there's a different style, a different way of thinking about how he wants us to play," said Rooney. "Honestly, the training has been so hard. 

"We've done a lot more running. Long running, quicker running, sharper running. I feel that's really benefited me. I feel as fit as I ever have done."

Moto G 16GB is only £129 from Tesco, but get a move on

Read Full Review

Mobile Phones

Tesco is piling the Moto G high and flogging it cheap, with the more capacious 16GB model of Motorola's new budget blower going for a mere£129 on the supermarket's website.

A search results page also lists the 8GB Moto G for the staggeringly inexpensive price of £99, but the link just redirects to another page, indicating that version has already sold out.

The 16GB normally goes for £160 SIM-free, so you're saving over £30 by buying it from Tesco. It'll be locked to Tesco's network, however, meaning you'll have to buy your pay as you go credit from the ubermarket. It's also only available in black.

"Sign up to our free credit tariff and we will triple your credit on top-ups of £10, £15 and £20 each month. If you top-up £15 or more you can choose from a free bundle of free texts, minutes or data," Tesco offers.

The Moto G launched last week and earned a mighty four and a half stars from our phone reviewer Andy -- and if anyone can spot a winner, it's that man. He loved its brilliant screen, sturdy build, reliable battery life and smooth interface, and for the price he reckons it's an absolute no-brainer.

Its 4.5-inch display packs in a humungous 1,280x720 pixels, making it capable of playing HD video -- and far, far sharper than any comparably priced mobile. It uses Android 4.3, the latest-but-one version of Google's software, which has a bazillion apps and runs buttery smooth on the G.

Have you seen a better deal for the Moto G? Or has another low-cost phone caught your eye? Shout it out in the comments, or on our money-saving Facebook page.

Galaxy Note 3 'Lite' tipped to keep 5.7-inch screen

Mobile Phones

Samsung's rumoured entry-level version of its Note 3 smart phone could keep the massive screen of its namesake, if fresh whispers are to be believed.

The display on the rumoured mobile will still measure 5.7 inches, according to a Korean-language report at ETNews, though peering through the fog of Google Translate suggests we could see the display use LCD rather than AMOLED tech, or deploy a camera with a lower megapixel count.

I've asked Samsung for comment on the possibility of a cheaper Note 3, and I'll let you know if I hear anything back.

It's worth taking this rumour (and all tech rumours) with a pinch or two of salt, though Samsung certainly has form when it comes to making multiple variants of the same smart phone.

The Galaxy S4 for instance has spawned the Galaxy S4 Active, the S4 Zoom and the cheaper, smaller S4 Mini.

Samsung could be hoping that a cheaper version of the Note 3 gets a larger swathe of shoppers hooked on its big screens and S-Pen stylus tech.

Samsung already makes the Galaxy Mega, a 6.3-inch monster mobile that's less sophisticated than the Note 3. Perhaps the South Korean tech giant is looking to create a low-cost hit using the Note 3's more famous name, however.

The so-called Note 3 'Lite' has been rumoured before, tipped to show itself at Mobile World Congress, a major tech trade show that kicks off in late February 2014.

Would you buy a cheaper Note 3? Or would you rather pay extra for a more polished device? And how big is too big for a smart phone? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook 

Russia looms large in US response on Ukraine

As Ukrainian protests against the government's turnaround on a wide-ranging trade deal with the EU have escalated in recent weeks, the US has often kept a low profile. Sending the wrong signal, goes the thinking, could cause further deterioration in Washington's fraught relationship with Russia on a range of recent foreign policy quandaries.

In remarks following massive demonstrations in central Kyiv last week, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, 'We don't think this is a zero-sum game. Ukraine can have a strong relationship with Russia, with the EU and the United States. There's enough room for all of us to be friends here,' during a foreign policy briefing.

This week, the tone turned less conciliatory in a phone call between US Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Monday (09.12.2013) as well as in a statement on Tuesday by Secretary of State John Kerry. The focus in both was on condemning the use of violence against Ukrainian protesters and, secondarily, on expressing support for Ukrainian leaders to return to the table for talks on the EU trade agreement. The State Department added on Wednesday that it is considering sanctions against Ukraine in light of Kyiv's harsh response to protests.

But comments on the country believed to be behind Ukraine's about-face on the trade deal have been noticeably lacking in the US response thus far, says Russia and Eurasia expert Jeffrey Mankoff of the Wasington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

'The statements that have been coming out of Washington haven't really mentioned Russia. They've mentioned Ukraine,' Mankoff tells DW, 'There's nothing about: 'Russia should butt out, stop pressuring the Ukrainians.''

Setting the right priorities?

Jessica Gienow-Hecht of the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies in Berlin agrees that Russia's influence on immediate foreign policy questions for the US is setting the tone for Washington's answer to the Ukrainian turmoil - an answer that has consisted primarily of silence until this week.

'The short-term US national interest is to work on the relationship toward Russia,' says Gienow-Hecht, explaining that US officials are emphasizing progress on key international issues of the last year over the longer-term threat of Russia forging a new economic and military bloc that could resemble the Soviet Union in certain respects.

Over the last year, the international community has dealt repeatedly with disputes in which the US and Russia have been at opposite sides of the table, including the Syrian civil war, nuclear proliferation in Iran and the question of extraditing Edward Snowden to his home country. On the first two issues, the US and Russia have at least managed to find compromises.

Washington and Moscow are at a point where they are 'condemned' to work together, Russia expert Jeffrey Mankoff says, despite the two powers recognizing that Ukraine could become a very explosive issue in their bilateral relationship.

Just as the US is exhibiting caution in its response to Ukraine, so, too, is Russia, says Mankoff, 'Certainly, the Russians have shown in the past that they can seize on developments in the post-Soviet space as a way to wield a club at the West and, specifically, at the US. There hasn't been a lot of that so far, and I think that's an interesting development.'

A new foreign policy test for Obama

The US may also be tempering its tone when it comes to the role Russia played in Ukraine's abandonment of the EU trade pact, but this week is bringing signals of a more forceful US response on other fronts. John Kerry's statement to Ukrainian leaders expressed 'disgust' at the response to protesters, while his office raised the threat of sanctions, and a diplomatic envoy traveled to Moscow to express American support for the EU-Ukraine trade pact.

That may help Obama dodge another round of complaints from his opponents that his foreign policy lacks direction and is leading to a decline in American prestige abroad.

Nonetheless, the administration's broader foreign policy goals remain somewhat inscrutable, says Jessica Gienow-Hecht, 'What we are missing very clearly is a signal for the world and for the American voter as to: What is your priority? Is it just to keep your hegemonic place, or to establish a new order, or is it maybe to make sure that the order also works?'

As Ukrainian protesters continue to defy police and smash Soviet emblems, it's clear that world order won't include an updated Russian-led bloc unless Moscow overcomes heavy resistance.

The story behind Obama’s “selfie”

By: Salma Tantawi

During the farewell of South African leader Nelson Mandela, a certain photo of three people taking a “selfie” shot with a smartphone has spiked up the internet, said people were US president Barack Obama, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. And it didn’t help that US First Lady Michelle Obama looked quiet unhappy and out of the picture.

The AFP photo taken by Roberto Schmidt has made its way around news websites and social media websites followed by its consequences, where Michelle Obama seemed to have switched seats with the US president later.

Yesterday, the photographer who took the photo told the whole story on AFP blog, where photojournalists sometimes tell the readers more on the story behind the pictures they’ve taken. Schmidt has described the event as more of a celebration of Mandela’s life rather than a morbid funeral.

“It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid. The ceremony had already gone on for two hours and would last another two. The atmosphere was totally relaxed – I didn’t see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the US or not. We are in Africa.” Wrote Roberto Schmidt on AFP’s blog.

He added that while the First Lady might look peeved, she was in fact joking with those around her seconds earlier, and the look that was captured on her face above was done so by chance.