Dortmund can't replace Lewandowski - Watzke

The BVB chief says only two or three players would be able to fill the void left by the Polish attacker this summer

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted that the club will not be able to find a suitable replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish attacker is set to leave the club for Bayern Munich at the end of the season on a free transfer, after establishing himself as one of the deadliest forwards in Europe over the past two seasons.

BVB have already announced that Adrian Ramos will arrive from Hertha Berlin this summer, while the DFB-Pokal finalists have also been heavily linked with a move for Torino's Ciro Immobile, but Watzke is still expecting his side to miss Lewandowski.

"I would caution against the idea that we will be able to replace him completely," he is quoted as saying by the club's official website.

"There are only two or three players of his quality in the world and we can't afford them. So far we have always been able to fill the void left by top quality players."

Despite Lewandowski's imminent departure, just a year after Mario Gotze's move to Bayern, Watzke insisted that he is unconcerned by rumours that ace attacker Marco Reus and coach Jurgen Klopp could also be lured away from Signal Iduna Park.

"It's not a surprise that our players are moving into the focus of top European clubs," the Dortmund CEO explained. "We know what we have in Marco.

"I'm quite sure that Marco likes it here with us very much and knows what he has at this extraordinary club. I'm sure that Marco will celebrate more successes with BVB.

"We are very pleased about the way Klopp and Mats Hummels have expressed their commitment to BVB again and again in the last couple of weeks.

"That shows that we on a path where sporting ambitions can be realised."

tottenham star Paulinho confident of sealing Chelsea switch

The Blues are yet to make contact with Spurs to negotiate for the out-of-favour Brazilian midfielder but are expected to push through a move after the World Cup is complete

Tottenham midfielder Paulinho wants to leave the club after the World Cup and is confident of completing a move to Chelsea.

The Blues are yet to make contact with Spurs over any deal for the Brazilian but they have identified the midfielder as a prime target ahead of the summer transfer window. 

The 25-year-old is also attracting interest from abroad, particularly Italy, but would favour a move to Chelsea, where Jose Mourinho is believed to consider him as a potential long-term replacement for Frank Lampard.

Paulinho is valued for his tactical and goalscoring qualities but has struggled to settle at Spurs following his €21 million move to north London from Corinthians last summer as part of the club's spending spree.

Spurs would demand at least €24m to sell the box-to-box midfielder just a year after he arrived at White Hart Lane and his future could be determined by the identity of the club's new manager once Tim Sherwood's departure is confirmed at the end of the season.

The broker who brought Paulinho to Spurs has strong ties to Chelsea, having been involved in deals to take international team-mates Willian and Oscar to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have made it known through third parties that they are preparing an offer for Paulinho after the World Cup and, while personal terms should be a formality, suggestions that a deal has already been agreed are wide of the mark.

Much could depend on how Paulinho performs at the World Cup, where is he expected to keep his place in Luis Felipe Scolari's first-choice starting line-up for the tournament hosts.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has a very frosty relationship with Chelsea chiefs. They fell out over the Blues' attempts to sign Luka Modric in 2011 and again last summer when Willian moved to Stamford Bridge despite completing a medical with Spurs.

Sources have told Goal that the members of the two boardrooms barely acknowledge each other when the two teams meet and Levy did not attend Chelsea's 4-0 home victory over Tottenham in Marc

Paulinho has publicly admitted his frustration with his first season in the Premier League and is believed to have felt let down 
by Tottenham’s decision to sack Andre Villas-Boas in December and was also told that the club would keep Gareth Bale, 
who moved to Real Madrid in August for a world-record €100m fee.
 
He initially found himself out of the side under Sherwood, who was privately scathing about Paulinho's poor attitude in training after the managerial change.

The Brazilian is said to have "completely downed tools" by sources at the club and found himself out of the side as Sherwood felt that he could not trust him to follow instructions.

Paulinho said in April: "I understand the team rotation because that’s how it works here but I am not feeling well or comfortable. I want to be present. I want to play."

The Sao Paulo-born midfielder has made 36 appearances for Spurs in all competitions this season, scoring seven goals.

Ronaldo sets sights on Champions League glory against 'fantastic' Altetico

The Real Madrid star is relishing a tough test against their city rivals in Lisbon and admits "nothing is impossible" for Portugal at the World Cup

Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to extend his Champions League goal record in the final against Atletico Madrid - but insists the trophy itself is more important.

The 29-year-old broke Lionel Messi's tally of 14 strikes in a single tournament this season, with his double in the semi-final win over Bayern Munich taking him to 16 for the 2013-14 campaign.

And Ronaldo has his sights set on adding to his remarkable scoring record in the final in Lisbon later this month - although he admits he would be delighted to see a team-mate score the winning goal.

"We've won the Copa del Rey, La Liga is difficult - although not impossible - and we are in the final of the Champions League. At the start of the season, we would have taken that," he told reporters at a Samsung event when asked about Madrid's season so far.

"We will play against a great side [in the Champions League final]. Finals are always 50-50 although we know we're facing a great rival. We hope it'll be a great night and that we win.

"They're a fantastic team. They're first in La Liga and that says a lot about them. It's beautiful to have two Spanish teams in the final, and also Sevilla, who are in the Europa League final.

"The record is good, I beat it, and it's in the past. Now what I want is to win the Champions League and score in the final, although if a team-mate scores that's fine, the important thing is to win the trophy."

Ronaldo is set to captain Portugal in the World Cup finals this summer and, while he believes Brazil and Spain are the favourites for the trophy, he believes "nothing is impossible" for his own side.

"Spain and Brazil are the great favourites. Portugal have to take it game by game, because, in football, nothing is impossible," he added.

"I want to enjoy the World Cup in Brazil, it's a brotherly country for me, and they speak my language."

Alves: I'll leave Barcelona if the energy doesn't change

The defender could depart Camp Nou this summer and insists that this season will be a "disaster" if the Catalan giants fail to reclaim the league title

Dani Alves has cast doubts on his future at Barcelona, saying he will leave unless there is a "change in energy" at the club.

The 31-year-old right-back joined the Catalan giants from Sevilla in 2008 and has won a plethora of trophies at Camp Nou, including four La Liga titles as well as two Champions Leagues and Club World Cups.

But the Brazilian, who has been linked to a move to Paris Saint-Germain recently, said that he feels hurt by the amount of criticism he and the team have received this term as they crashed out of the Champions League and continue to trail Atletico Madrid in La Liga. As a result, he claimed he could leave the club this summer.

"It’s very hard to get the chance to play for Barcelona and, whether people like it or not, I’m part of the history of this club," he told RAC1. "I need energy, it’s what motivates me; I’m an upbeat, happy person.

"I’ve always been like that, but because the results aren’t what people expect, they need someone to shoot at and I feel shot at. I really believe in energy, I live off this energy and, if you start to create negative energy, things don’t flow.

"If this energy doesn’t change, I’ll probably leave because it wears you down. If I'm to stay this summer, there has to be a change of energy."

Alves then turned his attention to his side's title run-in. With two weeks of the season remaining, they sit three points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, who they face on the final day.

“If we don’t win the league, this season is a disaster," he said. “We’re getting too many chances, and you can’t let chances slip. I trust this team 100 per cent and I guarantee we won’t disappoint."

He further indicated that the speculation surrounding Luis Enrique taking over from current coach Gerardo Martino comes at an inopportune moment for the team.

"As a player I think he was phenomenal and as a coach he’s doing a very good job at Celta, but I think that at this club people are often too hasty. We’re still fighting for the title. People need to take things a bit more calmly, not rush things so much, because the season hasn’t finished."

He was then asked for his thoughts on his side's signing of compatriot Neymar.

"Very strange things happen here. Real Madrid were going to pay €100 million for Neymar, Barca get him for €57m and people say it’s an incredible amount. What’s incredible is that he came here when €100m was being offered."

Rodgers: Lallana a terrific young player

The Southampton captain has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield in recent days and the Liverpool manager admits he is an admirer of the 25-year-old

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed his admiration for Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana, describing the England international as a "terrific young player."

It emerged last month that the Reds, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham were monitoring Lallana with a view to a possible summer move.

Recent days have seen renewed speculation linking the 25-year-old with a move to Anfield and Rodgers admits he is a big fan of the Southampton star.

"Adam is a terrific young player....there is always speculation," he told reporters.

On Thursday Lallana hinted that he wants to stay at Southampton beyond the summer after accepting the club's Player of the Year award.

"The club means the world to me," he said.

"I've been here since I was 12 and I want to keep progressing with the club. I just hope we can make strides forward in the summer and just keep going from step-to-step and doing well.

"I've got a great relationship with the fans. We've been on a journey, and this is the icing on the cake.

Chelsea will sign a striker, confirms Mourinho

The Portuguese has reiterated the need for the Blues to bolster their attacking options with Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa set to move to Stamford Bridge this summer

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Chelsea will sign a striker this summer as the club look to bounce back from a trophyless season.

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22/1	Diego Costa is 22/1 with Paddy Power to be the top scorer at the World Cup

Mourinho returned to Chelsea in June 2013 after a six-year absence, but has failed to deliver any silverware in his first season back in London, with the club looking set to finish third in the Premier League.

There was disappointment in Europe, too, with Mourinho's men suffering a semi-final exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Portuguese has not been shy in criticising his current strikers in public, with Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba netting just 18 league goals between them this season.

And in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Mourinho reiterated Chelsea's need to bolster their attacking options, following Atletico striker Diego Costa having agreed to move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season in a deal worth €42 million.

"The striker is something we are speaking about for a long, long time," he said.

"In December and January, when all of you [the press] were asking why we were not bringing a striker, I was clear in saying it's something we were working on, that we were preparing the long-term future and not just an immediate solution.

"It's normal that we're going to bring a striker now. We have good strikers, good players, but it's the normal evolution of the team.

"Everyone wants the summer transfer window to improve and one area that we want to improve is the strikers' position

Ronaldo my role model for Manchester United success - Januzaj

The highly-rated Belgian is keen to emulate the former Red Devils forward by embracing a regime of increased physical training to become stronger on the ball

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj says that he is using former Red Devils hero Cristiano Ronaldoas a model for his development.

Since making his United debut against Sunderland as an 18-year old earlier in the season, the Belgian is now regarded as one of the brightest prospects in world football and sees the Real Madrid superstar as the example to follow.

Januzaj cites the Portuguese's commitment to physical training in the gym as a particular lesson as he attempts to become stronger on the ball.

"I watch [Ronaldo] a lot and try to do the same things that he does," the youngster told Inside United. "He is a very good player.

"I always look at him and watch his games as well and try do what he is doing and remember what he did at Manchester United.

"I have to work hard in the gym like he did because, when he came here, he wasn't strong but, after a year or so, he became really strong and could push people away. I'm getting a bit stronger now due to the gym work."