La Liga - Agent: Barcelona vying for Neymar

The future of the 19-year-old Santos forward has been subject of incessant speculation this summer, with Real Madrid the favourites to clinch his signing.

But the forward's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, insists a move to Madrid - reportedly long-standing admirers of the player - is Neymar's preference, but that Barcelona are now making their presence felt.

Ribeiro told www.as.com: "The exact situation is as follows: Barcelona want him next year and will pay next year, Madrid want him now and are prepared to pay now.

"The main problem is that the kid (Neymar) wants to play in the Club World Cup against Barcelona, and Santos are using their force to make him choose Barca.

"The numbers being talked about by both clubs (Madrid and Barcelona) are good, but Neymar would prefer a move to Madrid."

Ribeiro insists Neymar will make a final decision once Brazil's involvement in the Copa America is at an end.

Ribeiro claims that Pep Guardiola is prepared to wait until Libertadores winners Santos have competed in the Club World Cup in December, which would enable the Brazil club's president Luis Alvaro De Oliveira to honour a pledge he made that Neymar would lead the team at the tournament in Japan before moving to Europe.

Such a position would be favourable to Neymar's current club and such flexibility could see the European champions win the race for the forward.

Eurosport

Swimming-Huo wins third synchro platform diving gold

 China grabs second gold of diving competition

* Huo first to win three golds in synchro platform (Adds details, quotes)

China's Huo Liang clinched his third successive world title in the men's 10 metres synchronised diving on Sunday, combining with new partner Qiu Bo to give the hosts their second gold medal of the world swimming championships.

Huo and Qiu ran away with the title on 480.03 points, Germany's Patrick Hausding and Sascha Klein finished second on 443.01 and Ukraine's Oleksander Gorshkovozov and Oleksander Bondar were third on 435.36.

The 21-year-old Huo, the first man to win three world titles in the synchronised platform event, had won his previous two championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Lin Yue, and had only started training with Qiu two months ago after Lin was forced out with injury.

Despite dominating the competition, however, neither are certain they will still be together at the London Olympics next year, sidestepping questions about their future after being presented with their medals by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.

"We don't know yet, that will depend on the (team) leaders' arrangements," Qiu told reporters through an interpreter.

Huo said after qualifying that he had been nervous in his first competition with Qiu and that they had lacked a little in their synchronisation.

Those problems did not appear to make any difference in the final as the pair produced a series of high quality dives, while their nearest challengers -- especially the American duo David Boudia and Nick McCrory -- faltered as they attempted more difficult dives in the final rounds.

The Chinese pair, who had a 30-point lead heading into the final round, stamped their class on the event with their final dive, scoring 98.28 points from a twisting back, two and half somersault with two and half twists dive.

"I have not worked with Qui for that long and we are both very happy to have achieved such a performance," Huo said.

Britain's Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield finished sixth on 407.46 points. Waterfield had been battling illness before the competition.

"This was a tough week," Daley told reporters. "The London (Olympics) are going to be incredible and this competition is very valuable to us.

"There are still a couple of things we need to work on."

Now Adam must prove his true worth

It's good to see Charlie Adam's transfer to Liverpool finally go through, considering it has been on the cards since well before the season ended. He has benefited from playing a full campaign in the top flight for Blackpool rather than making a move in January, which so nearly happened, and now he has a full pre-season to get settled at his new club.

It's a great opportunity for the player. After the way things ended with Rangers, he now gets another chance to show he is cut out for a big club. Plus the big hike in wages he will get on Merseyside can't hurt either.

More importantly, though, it is a great move for Blackpool. Sure, they have lost their captain and star player, but the cash injection Adam's sale brings will be of great use to a side which has just been relegated from the Premier League. It gives Ian Holloway a real chance to revamp his squad and ensure the club's rapid rise was not just merely a flash in the pan. Ollie will certainly have work to do, having also lost the club's Player of the Season, David Vaughan, as well as Luke Varney's loan deal coming to an end.

There are, however, question marks over how Adam will fit into a squad already full to the brim with central midfield players.

Adam has thrived for the past two seasons in a team completely built around him. He was the fulcrum of that Blackpool side. Every time another player had the ball, they would always look for him first. When he had the ball at his feet in the centre of the park he lifted his gaze, that was the cue for DJ Campbell, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and co to make their forward runs.

At Liverpool, he will not be given that same status. Steven Gerrard is very much the big man on campus at Anfield. He is the man who has been doing Adam's job at Liverpool for more than a decade. Add to that the strong showings both Raul Meireles and Lucas put in under Kenny Dalglish last season, plus the recent big-money acquisition of Jordan Henderson, and it begins to look by no means certain that the Scot will feature week in, week out for the Reds.

Even if Dalglish goes for a 4-3-3 formation, with Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt buzzing around either side of Andy Carroll, Adam will have to play his way into that central trio.

If they do play 4-4-2 or a variation of it, Liverpool will need width to get the best out of Carroll. The England striker's game is about a lot more than just his aerial ability, of course, but to truly maximise the £35 million striker's attributes he will need service from wide areas. After missing out on long-term target Ashley Young, the club are doing their level best to bring in Stewart Downing, also from Aston Villa. I am sure, however, that they can recruit better than him for the sort of money which has been quoted. They have already paid over the odds for one Englishman this summer.

Adam does not have the mobility to make a position on the flank his own. In fact, the most capable to do just that would probably be Gerrard, but there is no way that is going to happen to him at his club, especially after having to do just that for England on so many occasions.

So Adam will really have to change his game if he is to succeed at Liverpool. He must be prepared to be patient as he will not be an automatic choice or see as much of the ball as he is used to when he does play. He must accept that he won't be taking nearly as many set pieces, and work harder on his defensive responsibilities. Rather than wearing the armband, he must let his new skipper have first refusal on playing the Hollywood balls up to the forwards.

But, if he can take his chances fully when they come, and show that there is more to his game than spraying the ball around from the comfort of the centre circle, then he could force himself into Dalglish's plans and fulfil his potential.

Petrov: Villa fine without Downing

Petrov hopes that Villa can retain the services of Downing and bids of £12 million and £15 million from Liverpool have already been rejected. But the Bulgaria international has faith in McLeish to ensure Villa remain competitive in the Premier League, even if Downing followsAshley Young out of the door.

Petrov said: "Young has moved on, so haveGareth Barry and James Milner in recent seasons but as a club we will keep fighting."

He added: "That's why the chairman brought in a manager with a fighting spirit.

"He will make sure we have a strong, competitive team that will be able to compete against other big teams in the Premier League. That's why he's been appointed.

"It's not nice to see good players go but that's the way football goes.

"We're not going to stop fighting, we're professionals and we're going to try to win as many games as we can to climb the table as high as we can."

He said: "We'd love to keep Stewart. He was exceptional last season and is a great talent.

"That's why he was voted the fans' player of the year and players' player of the year and he deserved both awards. He works really hard and, like I said, he's an exceptional talent.

"But the chairman (Randy Lerner) is the man who knows what is right and wrong for the club and he will always do what is right for the club and so will the manager."

PA Sport

Serie A - Inter 'not worried' if Sneijder leaves

Gasperini played down his lack of experience in coaching big clubs and rejected the idea that he would be in the shadows of Jose Mourinho, who won a Serie A, Italian Cup and Champions League treble the season before last.

"There's no doubt that Sneijder's a great player, but it's hard to know what's going to happen over the next 50 days," Gasperini said.

"Inter want to become a better team, and two years ago the departure of (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic left the team even stronger than it was before," he said referring to the Swede who has since played for Barcelona and AC Milan.

"I'm not worried about the situation surrounding Wesley. In the last few years, Inter have made fewer bad moves on the market than anybody else and have made the best decisions.

"So I have every reason to feel confident."

He added: "This team is full of great players capable of performing in different positions, and that includes Sneijder.

"What we must show right from the beginning is a strong mentality and a desire to achieve new targets."

Gasperini became Inter's fourth coach in little more than a year after Mourinho departed last summer and Rafa Benitez and Leonardo failed to last more than a few months each last season.

Inter were last season denied a sixth successive scudetto by AC Milan and were humiliatingly dumped out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Schalke 04 after a 5-2 home defeat in the first leg.

The 53-year-old has previously coached unglamorous Crotone and Genoa and will be taking charge of a big club for the first time, although he has coached the youth team at Juventus.

"Something can be learnt from each of them, though we know that everyone has their own methods and their own way of building up a rapport with the players," he said of his predecessors.

"There have been generations of important Inter coaches and players. I will become a part of that starting from now and I must concentrate on the immediate future.

"I have always thought highly of Mourinho but now we should only to look to the past for inspiration, because we all know that what matters here is winning; that is the determining factor. We have to be positive and produce good football on the pitch."

Reuters

La Liga - Real Madrid sign £27m Coentrao

"Fabio Coentrao officially became Real Madrid's latest signing by signing a six-season contract with the club after passing his medical," Real said in a statement on their website.

Benfica had announced the deal in a statement earlier on Tuesday.

Coentrao, 23, had a contract with the Portuguese club until 2016 and is regarded as one of the most promising left-backs in Europe.

He is the fifth squad reinforcement of the close season for Real's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho following the acquisitions of Turkey midfielders Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop, French defender Raphael Varane and Spanish forward Jose Callejon.

Coentrao joined Benfica from Rio Ave in 2007 as a winger but failed to make an impact in his first season and went on three consecutive loan spells, including a short and unimpressive one at Spanish club Real Zaragoza.

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus recalled Coentrao in 2009 andconverted him into a speedy and tricky left back who became akey member of the team who won the Portuguese Premier Leaguetitle in 2010 for the first time in five years.

Coentrao's fine club form earned him a place in the national team and he impressed at last year's World Cup.

"The left-back is solid in attack, has excellent dribbling skills, has a powerful shot and is extremely versatile, which allows him to play in any winger position," Real said.

Real spokesman Oscar Ribot could not immediately be reached to comment on Spanish media reports that the club's Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay would be sold to Benfica for 10 million euros and Netherlands midfielder Royston Drenthe would be loaned to the Portuguese club.

Reuters

Women's World Cup - England down Japan to top group

A thoroughly professional performance from Hope Powell's side saw them come through a stern test from the Japanese, and it was two brilliantly taken goals from Ellen White and Rachel Yankey that saw them take the three points.

England started the game at an incredibly high tempo with the obvious intention of not giving Japan any time on the ball in midfield and snuffing out the creative abilities of Japanese playmakers Homare Sawa and Aya Miyama.

The tactic worked well as Japan looked unsettled, and England then broke the deadlock after just fifteen minutes through White.

Karen Carney got on the ball inside her own half and picked out the run of White with a stunning forty-yard ball over the top of the defence which fell right in to the striker's path.

Despite the pass being incredible, the highlight of the move was yet to come as White saw Ayumi Kaihori off her line and proceeded to produce a superb first time lobbed volley that floated over the keeper and in to the net for a great goal.

Japan looked rattled as England continued to press hard, before they finally began to come back in to the game as the half went on, although without really troubling Karen Bardsley in the England net.

It was White who came closest to a second goal in the opening half as she attempted an overhead kick from a Jess Clarke cross which was only kept out by a fabulous save from Kaihori.

Japan came within a whisker of equalising right at the start of the second-half when the ever-reliable Miyama drove in a free-kick from the right wing which evaded the head of Alex Scott and very nearly fell to Yuki Nagasato, but the Japanese striker's lunge could only divert the ball wide for a goal-kick.

England were being pressed and were struggling to get hold of the ball, but Japan's hopes were dashed in the 65th minute when they conceded a second.

Carney broke through the middle of midfield and spread the ball to White on the left who in-turn laid it back to the advancing Rachel Unitt.

The left-back swung in a cross towards the substitute Yankey who pushed the ball away from her with her first touch and then lobbed the advancing Kaihori with her second to make it 2-0.

Both sides knew it was over at this point and although Japan huffed and puffed they never really threatened Bardsley throughout, as the English keeper dominated her penalty area with some fabulous catches from corners.

England saw the game out very professionally and qualified as winners of Group B ahead of Japan in second.

In the group's other match, New Zealand scored two goals in stoppage time to earn an unlikely 2-2 draw with Mexico in Sinsheim.

Phil Haigh / Eurosport

Premier League - Arsenal's Invincibles: Where are they now

Arsenal won the last of their 13 league titles in some style, going the entire season unbeaten. In all, they went 49 Premier League games without suffering defeat, a run which started following a home loss to Leeds United in May 2003 and was ended by Manchester United at Old Trafford 15 months later.

Clichy only made 12 league appearances in the 'Invincibles' campaign, but it was enough to see him past the 10 required to earn a championship medal. His departure marks the end of an era for the Gunners, as he was the last player at the club to contribute to that title victory. It was current Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas's first season at the club, but he did not make a single league appearance that term.

So what became of the rest of Clichy's unbeaten title-winning comrades?

Jens Lehmann: 'Mad Jens' started every match of the campaign in his first year at the club following his move from Borussia Dortmund. The eccentric German was sent off in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in Paris, but that failed to dent the fans' affection for him. Left for Stuttgart in 2008 but, after retiring last summer, made a brief return to the Gunners squad last season to aid their goalkeeping injury crisis and put in a characteristically madcap performance in April's 3-1 win at Blackpool.

Lauren: The Cameroon right-back left Arsenal after seven years at the club to join Portsmouth in 2007. He spent two years on the South Coast but missed out on an FA Cup winners' medal as he was not included in the Pompey squad for their victorious 2008 FA Cup final. Made a handful of appearances for Spanish side Cordoba before retiring last year, although he remains a resident of southern Spain today.

Sol Campbell: In the absence of the retired Tony Adams it was the former Tottenham defender who led the Gunners' defence to glory. Scored in the Champions League final defeat against Barcelona before leaving for Portsmouth in 2006 and leading them to FA Cup glory two years later. A bizarre and ill-advised move to League Two outfit Notts County in 2009 lasted a single match, a 2-1 defeat at Morecambe. However, the cancellation of his contract at Meadow Lane allowed him to sign a short-term deal back at Arsenal for the second half of that season. He made 14 appearances for his former club that year, and even scored in a Champions League defeat at Porto. Spent last season at Newcastle, where he only made eight appearances, and is now a free agent.

Kolo Toure: After being converted from a midfielder to a centre-back by Arsene Wenger, Toure formed the bedrock of Arsenal's defence alongside Campbell. Made over 300 appearances for the Gunners before moving to Manchester City in 2009. Currently suspended for failing a dope test, which the Ivorian claims is due to him taking his wife's slimming tablets.

Pascal Cygan: The French defender was viewed as a hot prospect when he was signed from Lille in 2002, but he never truly convinced in Arsenal colours. Still, he made 18 league appearances in 2003-04. Moved to Villarreal in 2006, and now plies his trade at Spanish second division outfit Cartagena.

Martin Keown: The rugged centre-back just snuck his way to a third league winners' medal courtesy of seven substitute appearances along with just three league starts. One of those appearances was the ill-tempered 0-0 draw with Manchester United, when he famously goaded Ruud van Nistelrooy after the Dutchman had missed a penalty. He was fined £5,000 by the FA for his conduct. His second spell at Arsenal ended in 2004, and he retired after short spells at Leicester City and Reading. Keown now works as a part-time coach and scout for the Gunners, and is also a television and radio pundit.

Ashley Cole: Cole's eight-year spell as a professional at Arsenal ended on a sour note in 2006 when he moved toChelsea. It was not so much his cross-London switch that irked many Gunners fans, but the manner of it. In his autobiography, published after the World Cup in Germany, he famously described how he almost crashed his car upon hearing that Arsenal would only offer him £55,000 a week instead of his desired £60,000. Since moving to Stamford Bridge he has won another league title, married and divorced the nation's sweetheart, Cheryl Cole, shot an intern with an air rifle and been fined for swearing at a police officer. Recently announced he is opening a restaurant in New York in partnership with rap megastar Jay Z.

Fredrik Ljungberg: The Swedish midfielder scored with real consistency for much of his time at Arsenal. Easily distinguished by his spiky dyed red hair, Ljungberg netted 72 goals in 328 games for the Gunners between 1998 and 2007, when he moved to West Ham. A year at Upton Park was enough to send him packing to America, where he spent two years with Seattle Sounders and a less successful four months at Chicago Fire. Returned to Britain last season for a short-term contract with Celtic but is now a free agent.

Ray Parlour: 'The Romford Pele' was one of the last of the Arsenal old guard still at the club during the 'Invincibles' campaign, which came at the end of his 13-year tenure. Had a forgettable three years at Middlesbrough followed by a four-month stint at Hull which is remembered by few outside of Humberside, but much of the money earned in those spells went to paying for his landmark crippling divorce settlement. Now works as a media pundit.

Patrick Vieira: This campaign saw the rangy France midfielder at the very peak of his powers, and his captaincy was so often the driving force behind his team remaining unbeaten for the entire league season. Arguably the best midfielder of his type in the world at the time, Vieira would only stay at Arsenal for one more season before sealing a long-mooted big-money move to Juventus. That only lasted a year due to Juve's relegation as a result of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, but his switch to Internazionale garnered four Serie A titles in as many years. Returned to England for an 18-month spell at Manchester City which, although he was largely a bit-part player, still ended with him picking up a fifth FA Cup winners' medal.

Gilberto Silva: Arsenal fans must have thought they were getting an archetypal Samba-style player when the Brazilian scored on his debut against Liverpool in 2002, but his run of three goals in his first 11 games for the club was deceptive - he was actually a sturdy, canny and intelligent holding midfielder who struck up a key partnership with Vieira. Regularly captained the side following Vieira's departure before he too left in 2008, for Panathinaikos.  His three-year spell inGreece has now ended and Gilberto is back in his home country with Gremio.

Edu: Often forgotten in the shadow of his more exalted midfield colleagues, but the Brazilian still made 30 league appearances in this campaign, although more than half were from the bench. Left Arsenal in 2005 for Valencia, and in 2009 made the move back to Brazil with his first club, Corinthians, from whom he had joined Arsenal in 2001.

Robert Pires: Nicknamed D'Artagnan for his Musketeer-inspired facial hair, but that in no way defined the France winger's time at Arsenal. In six years at Arsenal he scored 84 goals in all competitions and set up countless more as he surged down the left flank with his distinctive gait, which was somewhere between a waddle and a glide. Left in 2006 to spend four decent years at Villarreal before returning to England with Aston Villa last season on a short-term contract. That underwhelming cameo at Villa Park will not dim his memory among the Gunners' faithful, but it may mean he will struggle to find a new club at the age of 37.

Jose Antonio Reyes: Only joined Arsenal midway through the season for a sizeable fee of £10.5 million, but got enough game time to claim a title winners' medal within five months of his arrival in England. Never fully blossomed in the Premier League, and was loaned out to Real Madrid in 2006, where he again won the league in his first season. Now plying his trade across the Spanish capital at Atletico Madrid.

Dennis Bergkamp: The technically supreme Dutchman may have been in his mid-30s by this time, but he still started more than 20 league matches in 2003-04, scoring four times. Retired from football in 2006 - his testimonial was the first match to be played at the Emirates Stadium - and after a break from football is now a coach at Ajax, his boyhood club.

Thierry Henry: The undisputed star of the 'Invincibles' team, Henry scored an incredible 30 league goals that season (including four in one match against Leeds), contributing to his winning both the PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards for the second year running. Left for Barcelona in 2007, where his three-year spell saw him endure two under-par seasons either side of an excellent one which won him a Champions League winners' medal. Now living it up stateside as a striker for MLS side New York Red Bulls.

Jeremie Aliadiere: It is a bit cruel to follow up an Arsenal legend with Aliadiere, who in eight injury-ravaged years at the club made just 29 league appearances and scored only the once. However, 10 of those appearances came in 2003-04, earning him a medal. Three years at Middlesbrough yielded 11 league goals in total, and he was released in May 2010. As a free agent, Aliadiere was welcomed to train with the Arsenal squad and he turned out in the same reserve match which saw Lehmann's return to the club, leading to jokes that he might be next in line for a recall to the first team. That never happened, and he has now been picked up by French club Lorient.

Nwankwo Kanu: Another player to leave at the end of the unbeaten season, Kanu made the requisite 10 appearances to take a winners' medal with him to West Brom. After two years there, his career was resurrected at Portsmouth, where he scored the winning goal in the 2008 FA Cup final. He made it on to the Wembley pitch again in the 2010 showpiece as a substitute, but could not stop Chelsea retaining the trophy. Kanu turns 35 in August, but still has two years left on his current Pompey deal.

Sylvain Wiltord: Initially a big player for the Gunners following his £13m move from Bordeaux in 2000, by the time he had clocked up his 12th and final league appearance of 2003-04 it was clear he was on his way out. Returned to France with Lyon, where he won three Ligue 1 titles before re-joining his first club, Rennes. At 37, he is now a free agent following spells at Marseille and Metz.