West Ham United’s hopes of signing Liverpool front man Andy Carroll on a permanent basis have suffered a big blow after it was discovered that the England international will now be out of action for between four and five months, says the Daily Mirror.

The Hammers and Carroll’s parent club, Liverpool, agreed a transfer fee of just £15.5 million for the attacker to join the East End Premier League outfit for next season, with the player having just spent the entire previous campaign on loan in the capital with Sam Allardyce’s men.

However, it has now been established that Carroll, 24, picked up a serious heel injury during West Ham’s final top-flight fixture of the season against Reading and will be sidelined for between four and five months.

And that means that the striker, who netted an impressive seven times in 23 Premier League outings for West Ham last season, will now miss the entire pre season, and possibly also the start of the next campaign too.

Speculation that Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski is leaving the club this summer is rife but manager Jurgen Klopp says that the Polish star is going nowhere.

Klopp is preparing his side for the biggest game of their season this Saturday as they take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

Yet whilst attacking midfielder Mario Gotze will be departing Dortmund after the match the manager insists Lewandowski will not be following him.

“There is no topic of Lewandowski’s transfer right now,” Klopp told Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy.

“My conclusion is that Robert is not leaving Borussia, and he will play here for the next season and I will be able to use him. That is why I don’t want to even think about to which club he may fit better.”

The Poland international has been heavily linked with moves to both Bayern and Manchester United in recent weeks.

Yet Klopp seems determined to hold onto his star man and with 35 goals in all competitions for the German side it is hard to dispute the manager’s reasoning.

Lewandowski finished as joint top scorer alongside Stefan Kiessling in the 2012/13 Bundesliga season with 25 goals.

As well as that impressive tally the 24-year-old has also netted 10 times in this year’s Champions League – second only to Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo – which included four in the semi-finals against Ronaldo’s side.

Two goals in the final at Wembley on 25 May would put the Dortmund forward level with the Madrid superstar and would cap off another impressive season at the German club.

Whether fans will be seeing the Pole in yellow and black next season is another matter.

Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has refused to rule out a summer move away from the Emirates Stadium.

The German international has enjoyed a decent first season in England, netting 15 goals and adding 10 assists in 39 appearances.

But Podolski is also the most substitued player in Europe and has only completed the full 90 minutes on six ocassions this term.

The £11m signing from Cologne has been surprising linked with a move to Serie A Champions Juventus and the 30-year-old has confessed he is ‘honoured’ by the Old Lady’s interest.

“There are always offers, I don’t have any influence on that,” Podolski told German paper Bild.

“Of course I feel honoured.

“But, the fact is, I have a contract with Arsenal. There’s no reason to leave the club. However, in the football-business a lot of things are conceivable.”

Podolski, whose contract at the Emirates Stadium expires in 2016, has made no secret of his desire to play as a central striker – rather than on the wing – this season but failed to score in the three games in which deputise for the suspended Olivier Giroud this month.

Podolski’s contract in north London expires in 2016.

Veteran Aston Villa keeper Shay Given will only leave the Premier League club if they pay up the remaining three years on his big-money contract at Villa Park, says the Daily Star.

The experienced Republic of Ireland shot stopper has been in the Midlands for two seasons now since joining the club from Manchester City in a deal worth just £3.5 million.

However, after having been a first-team regular under previous head coach Alex McLeish in the previous campaign, when the 37-year-old made 32 Premier League appearances and 34 in all competitions, the goalkeeper has since lost his place between the sticks for the Villa to United States international Brad Guzan, featuring in only two matches in the top flight last season under new boss Paul Lambert.

And as a result, Given now wants a move away from Villa when the transfer window reopens for business on 1 June, although that would require his cash-strapped employers to pay off the remainder of his contract.

Dortmund have confirmed that Mario Gotze will not play in the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday, after failing to recover from injury.

The 20-year-old will not be included in the squad for the showpiece event against Bayern Munich, after suffering a setback in his expected return from a hamstring injury.

It ends an area of potential controversy considering he is set to join Bayern this summer, and has suffered an indifferent reaction from Dortmund fans since the news was broken.

He has been plagued with the injury since the Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid, and after weeks of rehabilitation aimed at being able to take part in the final, he has admitted defeat in the race to be fit.

“The final was my goal, and I’ve tried hard in recent weeks. I’m incredibly sorry for not being able to help the team in this important game. I have full confidence in our team and will travel to London to support off the field,” he told the official club website.

Coach Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly have hoped to have a full squad at his disposal for what is arguably their most important game of the season, but has nevertheless coped in Gotze’s absence since he picked up the injury.

With speculation surrounding the futures of several other members of their team, Dortmund have made copious amounts of new fans during their European adventure thus far.

Klopp will now hope that those taking part will remain fully focused on bringing home the Champions League trophy to cap off a remarkable ascent to the top of the European game.

Defender Mats Hummels has also been nursing an injury this week, but is confident he will be fit enough to make the starting line-up.

Fulham could make a surprise move to sign Ajax midfield player Ryan Babel this summer, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.

The talented Netherlands international, 26, is currently playing for the Eredivisie champions, however, his contract with the Dutch giants comes to an end on the last day of next month and so the winger would be available on a free contract.

And it is understood that Cottagers head coach Martin Jol is interested in bringing his compatriot to Craven Cottage next season, despite the wide man’s previously unsuccessful spell in the Premier League with Liverpool.

The Reds bought Babel from Ajax in the summer of 2007 for £11.5 million, however, during his four campaigns at Anfield the player failed to justify his price tag, finding the back of the net on just 22 occasions in 146 outings in all competitions for the Merseysiders.

However Babel, who has been capped 43 times by the Oranje in an eight-year international career to date, has been more successful in his second spell with Ajax and it is that form which Jol will be hoping he brings to west London next season if he does indeed decide to sign the player this summer.

Swansea City further confirm their credentials as a top Premier League side as no less than three of their team have been called up to the Netherlands national squad.

Michel Vorm, Jonathan De Guzman and uncapped Dwight Tiendalli have all been included in the 21-man group to play against Indonesia and China later this month.

The trio have been included alongside the likes of superstars Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie, as well as former Premier League favourites Dirk Kuyt and Rafael Van Der Vaart.

The call-up marks a remarkable year for Tiendalli, after being drafted in by manager Michael Laudrup on a free transfer to act as cover for Angel Rangel and Ben Davies.

Yet 21 appearances for the full-back has seen the 27-year-old play an important role in the Swans’ successful 2012/13 campaign and he was a regular starter in the side’s route to Capital One Cup triumph.

However, Tiendalli and Laudrup are yet to come to an agreement over a new contract for next season as originally the Dutchman was only drafted in on an emergency short-term deal.

“Whether I’m here, I don’t know, we will see what will happen,” the defender was quoted on walesonline.co.uk.

“My agent is dealing with everything and I’m not sure what the update is with the situation, I only know they’ve spoken to the club so we will see.

“Would I like to be here? Of course. I’ve said it before and I like it here, I like the players and they like me.”

Since the return of regular left-back Neil Taylor from an ankle injury Tiendalli has been pushed to fourth in the pecking order, but a tough upcoming season at the Liberty Stadium with Europa League football as well as league commitments, Laudrup may want to keep hold of his Dutch international.

Liverpool are keen on signing highly-rated young Schalke 04 defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos this summer, reports the Daily Mirror.

The Greece international, 21, is currently one of the most sought-after central defenders plying their trade on the Continent, having being capped on 16 occasions already by his country since making his international debut two years ago, during which time Papadopoulos has found the back of the net four times.

And with Reds head coach Brendan Rodgers known to be on the look-out at present for a new centre back to replace veteran Jamie Carragher at the back for the Merseysiders at Anfield next campaign, the Greek could be just the man to fill the Scouser’s large shoes.

Papadopoulos moved to the Bundesliga giants three years ago from Greek giants Olympiacos, during which time he has made 92 appearances in all competitions for the German side, scoring seven goals in the process.

After meeting with manager Roberto Martinez Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan reveals the Spaniard will have decided his future by noon on Thursday.

Whelan says that talks between him and Martinez resulted in the manager telling his boss that he will decide whether he wants to stay at Wigan or not within 24 hours.

“Roberto wants 24 hours to think about what is going on,” Whelan told BBC Sport.

“We are going to meet tomorrow and Roberto is going to make his mind up whether he wants to continue his contract with Wigan or whether he wants to take up a new position elsewhere.

“Tomorrow is D-Day.”

As yet Whelan says the club have had no formal approaches for the 39-year-old, who has been heavily linked with the managerial vacancies at both Everton and Stoke.

Since Wigan were relegated to the Championship after a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on the penultimate day of the season, it has been widely believed Martinez will leave the position he has held since 2009.

During the Spaniard’s reign at the DW Stadium the club have dramatically battled to avoid relegation in both 2010/11 and 2011/12 and also recorded an unlikely 0-1 FA Cup win over Manchester City on 10 May.

In previous years the former Swansea boss has been linked with Liverpool and several other high profile positions, yet has always stayed loyal to the Latics.

Whilst Whelan praises the commitment shown by Martinez even he must surely realise that holding onto their star manager is going to be extremely difficult this time around.

Fulham have confirmed that they have signed Athletic Bilbao centre-back Fernando Amorebieta on a four-year deal.

The 28-year-old arrives on a free transfer from La Liga after spending eight years at the San Mames Stadium and playing over 250 times for Bilbao.

“I’m delighted to have signed a four-year deal with Fulham and I’m looking forward to competing in the Barclays Premier League next season,” the defender told the club’s website.

The announcement that Amorebieta has signed at Craven Cottage comes shortly after the club confirmed the capture of Ghanaian international Derek Boateng.

Boateng has joined Fulham on a one-year deal after arriving from FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Ukrainian league.

Amorebieta meanwhile has the unfortunate record of being the most dismissed player in Spanish league history with a whopping 11 red cards during his time at Athletic.

The Venezuela international has eight caps for his country and one goal – scored against Argentina in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Amorebieta had been seeking a move from Bilbao for some time and the Premier League was always his preferred destination.

Following a bust-up with coach Marcelo Biesla the Venezuelan hired representatives to secure his transfer to England.

The fact that the club had also sold key players Javi Martinez and Fernando Llorente in the last 12 months is believed to have been another factor in Amorebieta’s decision.

The centre-back will officially join the Cottagers on July 1 once his current deal with Athletic has run out.

Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that he will leave the club this summer, as Manchester City prepare to swoop in for his services.

The Chilean tactician is widely expected to be named the new City coach following Roberto Mancini’s dismissal earlier this month, and he will hope to build on the success he has enjoyed in Spain.

However, there is yet to be any official confirmation from either party as to whether he will be in charge later this summer, but he did reveal that Malaga would hold a special place in his life moving forward.

After three years in charge, Pellegrini will bid farewell to the supporters on Sunday against Deportivo and expects it to be an emotional goodbye.

“Professionally, I am living my final hours in Malaga. On Sunday I will take charge of my last game as Malaga coach at La Rosaleda. It will be very emotional, and we expect to leave the club qualified for Europe, with the mission completed and with the misfortune that the project changed,” he said at a ceremony on Wednesday morning, according to ESPN.

Pellegrini has previously had spells in charge at both Villarreal and Real Madrid, and has now hinted at becoming part of a project where he feels he can fulfil his sporting ambitions.

Speculation will undoubtedly intensify over his expected arrival in Manchester, but he was keen to stress his appreciation to the club he will be leaving behind, where he was certainly loved considering his leadership through testing times.

“The agreement with the club has been satisfactory and is appreciated. Each person has the right to keep to his own path. I am not leaving for financial reasons, but to a sporting project which allows me to feel fulfilled,” he added.

Here’s a great infographic summarising the spending throughout the Premier League over the last year:

Next season could be even more exciting.

As well as traditional heavyweights Chelsea, Manchester United and Man City expected to spend big money with new managers looking to shape their teams, Arsenal have bigger transfer funds than they’ve had for years, and Tottenham and Liverpool will also be keen to keep pace with the top sides.

Who’s your money on?

With the draft over with and team’s beginning their off-season activities this week with the start of OTA’s, two teams are starting to differentiate themselves as the early candidates for a Lombardi trophy next February.

The Denver Broncos, led by future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning possess a group of receivers that are capable of creating mismatches and big time plays against most NFL defences.

Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas will command attention on the outside from both a cornerback and safety in some offensive packages.

However with the addition of Wes Welker in the slot, arguably one of the best to play the position, opposing defences are in a situation where they know they can’t cover all three, its just a case of picking the one player you think will be easiest to bring down after the catch.

The defence is nothing to ignore in Mile High stadium either led by outside linebacker Von Miller, who will be in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year, due to his incredible ability to get after the Quarterback in every game he plays.

Their biggest competition at this early stage is the San Francisco 49ers, who will look to bully teams into submission with their tough defence, before letting Colin Kaepernick run the read-option and beating opponents with a power run game.

Led by a linebacker corps of a who’s who of defensive all-stars, including Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith, Navarro Bowman and Ahmed Brooks, any team hoping to run the ball on this set of players will struggle to gain anything but a yard or two at most, as there is just no way these player get beat on a regular basis.

Once these players have made sure the opposition won’t be scoring many point, Colin Kaepernick leads the most versatile and exciting offence in the NFC onto a field, where a mixture of running, passing and sheer audacity will see the 49ers light up the scoreboard on a vast array of NFL teams next season.

While training camps are still two months away, the early signs show that the Broncos and the 49ers are clearly to the two teams to beat at this stage.

You can check out available NFL Super Bowl odds here, and take advantage of some good early prices set for both of these teams.

Manchester City defender Gael Clichy says that recently-departed head coach Roberto Mancini must shoulder most of the responsibility for his sacking at Eastlands, reports the Independent.

The France international was brought to the mega-rich Premier League club by the Italian from Arsenal for just £7 million in July 2011 and admits that some players at City may not have given their all for the former Fiorentina, Lazio and Inter Milan coach last season.

Mancini was sacked by City last week after the club had finished the campaign as runners-up to city-rivals Manchester United a year on from having won their first-ever Premier League title, while they also suffered the ignominy of losing the FA Cup final to relegated Wigan Athletic at Wembley.

However, in his four-year stay in the north west, Mancini still managed to win both the Premier League title and the FA Cup, while in total he won 113 of his 191 matches in charge of the club giving him an impressive overall win percentage of 59.

“He’s the manager and you have to take responsibility,” said Clichy. “The manager is there to make the choices.

“Of course, when results are good it’s all down to the manager. When the results are not so good, it’s also down to him. We have to be aware that he was probably at fault for this, but as players on the pitch we also have to take responsibility and also know that we didn’t perform.

“Whether we played three, four or six at the back – that doesn’t matter, you have to give 100 per cent and sometimes this year we didn’t give anything.”

Everton midfield player Phil Neville says that he is interested in replacing David Moyes in the Goodison Park hot seat next season, according to reports in the Guardian.

The former England international has still to decide whether or not he will continue his glittering playing career next season, although if he does opt to carry on it will not be with the Toffees, with Neville’s contract with the Merseysiders set to expire at the end of next month.

And if the 36-year-old does decide that his current knee injury is too severe to allow him to extend his 19-year career, then he may move straight into top-level management, with both Premier League outfits Stoke City and Everton believed to be interested in giving Neville his first taste in management.

Neville has featured in 689 matches for both Manchester United and Everton since making his Red Devils debut in 1994, scoring 13 goals in the process, and would bring with him a host of top-level experience to the job were he to succeed Moyes next season.

“It would be a really good job to get. I know there are players who have gone into jobs and failed but I just think I have prepared,” said Neville.

“I have prepared for the last five seasons and I have got some really nice decisions to make. I am prepared for every eventuality.”

Paris Saint-Germain are using their bargaining power for Real Madrid target Carlo Ancelotti by seeking to bring in three players from the Santiago Bernabeu in exchange.

According to Marca, PSG may only be willing to let the Italian go if Madrid accept their bids for Angel Di Maria, Fabio Coentrao and Pepe.

Ancelotti has expressed his desire to leave the Stade De France in order to succeed Jose Mourinho at Madrid, but with a year still left on his current contract the Ligue 1 champions are in a position to give demands to the Spanish giants.

It could even be that PSG want one of the players to be handed to them as a free transfer in order to sweeten the smooth transaction of Ancelotti’s move to the Bernabeu.

The Parisians have the upper hand in the deal as they are in no rush to get rid of their manager and as a result, Madrid president Florentino Perez will have to enter negotiations with PSG chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Los Blancos are reported to want Pepe out of the club anyway, with David Luiz as a possible replacement and therefore the Portugal international could act as the perfect makeweight.

Di Maria meanwhile cost Madrid nearly £30million less than three years ago, whilst Coentrao was a £26.4million purchase in 2011.

Therefore the Spanish club are likely to want receive a similar fee to tempt the pair away from the Bernabeu, although they may be prepared to lower their expectations in order to land Ancelotti.

Veteran Chelsea midfield player Frank Lampard has admitted that he did not enjoy a close working relationship with ‘interim’ Chelsea head coach Rafa Benitez last season, reports the Sun.

The former Valencia, Liverpool and Inter Milan boss replaced Roberto Di Matteo in the Stamford Bridge dug-out last November after the popular Italian was sacked by the Blues’ billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

And in the intervening six-month period, the Spaniard managed to guide the west London club to a top three finish in the Premier League, and with it automatic entry into next season’s Uefa Champions League, as well as victory in the final of the Uefa Europa League against Benfica earlier this month.

However, despite winning 28 of his 48 matches in charge of the Champions League holders and losing just ten of those contests, the England international says that he never really got close to Benitez.

“There are certain managers you build relationships with and feel closer to. He’s not that kind of bloke,” said Lampard.

“Other managers draw a bit of a line and keep it that way. Rafa’s more like that.

“He was not really the sort of manager you could sit and talk with.

“We had a couple of conversations about my future in which he was quite honest saying that he wasn’t really involved.

“So that’s where that conversation ends.

“He’s not a manager who goes round putting his arm around every player — and I’m not saying that’s wrong.

“There are a lot of managers like that, Fabio Capello was like that with England.”

West Ham United are keen to sign coveted Chelsea front man Romeu Lukaku on loan for next season, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.

The giant Belgium international has just completed a highly successful season-long loan at West Bromwich Albion, during which time the powerful attacker found the back of the net on 17 occasions in 35 Premier League outings, as well as recording four assists for the team cause in that period.

However, the 20-year-old’s time at the Hawthorns has now come to a close, although it is understood that the Uefa Champions League holders are still keen on offloading the player once again on loan next season.

And the Hammers are hoping to be able to be able to pair the striker, who netted an impressive hat-trick against champions Manchester United in the final league game of the season on Sunday, up front with fellow front man Andy Carroll at Upton Park next campaign.

“Lukaku would be a loan again. We’d maybe buy him a year later if Chelsea decide they don’t want him,” said West Ham joint-chairman David Sullivan.

Reports in the Italian media suggest that Milan will replace Massimiliano Allegri with former star Clarence Seedorf, as well as bringing back Paolo Maldini to the club.

Allegri’s future has been clouded with great uncertainty over the past few months, and despite securing third place and Champions League football on Sunday, it remains unclear as to whether he has done enough to save his job.

The Italian tactician met with club vice-president Adriano Galliani on Wednesday, and despite the meeting lasting almost two hours, the pair said they merely “enjoyed a long good coffee” with little given away regarding his future.

It is thought that they discussed the 45-year-old’s severance package, with club owner Silvio Berlusconi adamant on finding a new coach for next season.

Allegri currently earns a €2.8m annual salary, and it is expected that he will be relieved of his position in the forthcoming days.

However, according to Corriere dello Sport, Milan will hire Seedorf to replace his former coach, despite the Dutchman having no previous experience in management.

The Italian paper speculates that the club will offer him a three-year deal, in what would be a remarkable return to the Rossoneri considered he left just last summer to join Botafogo.

In addition, he wouldn’t be the only Milan legend to return, with Paolo Maldini set to become part of the new set-up at the club.

According to the Corriere, the 44-year-old will be handed a role involving club transfers, and will also act as an aid to Seedorf as he embarks on his first coaching adventure.

Meanwhile, Allegri is expected to join Roma this summer as part of the on-going managerial merry-go-round in Serie A.

Where: Ferozeshah Kotla

When: 15.30 BST

Watch the live stream of Rajasthan Royals v Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 IPL play-offs online.

It is the first eliminator of the 2013 IPL play-offs as Rajasthan Royals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad to see who will play Mumbai Indians on Friday.

The Sunrisers qualified for the final four of the tournament in dramatic style, with successive victories against Rajasthan and Kolkata Knight Riders seeing them edge ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore courtesy of just one win.

It is a fairy-tale story for the newest franchise in the competition, after Hyderabad were established to replace the now defunct Deccan Chargers last season.

Home form was the key to their success, losing just one at their ground all campaign and a spin bowling attack of Amit Mishra and Thisara Perera helped see off several accomplished batsmen.

It has been with the ball that the Sunrisers have had their most impact, with No.1 ICC Test bowler Dale Steyn providing superb support to the spinners.

It’s been a different situation for the Royals as accomplished batting has seen them make the play-offs against the odds.

A small budget has not deterred Rahul Dravid and his team and whilst the experience of the Indian captain and all-rounder Shane Watson has been vital, it has been coupled with the faith put in young players such as Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson.

Whilst Hyderabad go into this match in good form, Rajasthan have actually lost their last two fixtures of the IPL after taking their foot off the accelerator towards the end of the tournament when they qualified with two matches spare.

The winner of this tie will go onto play Mumbai in the second qualifier on Friday with the victor of that facing Chennai Super Kings in the final.