With Didier Drogba out of contract and likely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, Roman Abramovich is ready to splash the cash to bring a new top forward to west London.

Falcao scored a brace for Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final, and has been a hit in his debut season at the Vicente Calderon.

With increased speculation over the Colombia international’s future, the hitman’s father has revealed that Falcao may leave the Spanish side.

“My son is very happy at Atletico and wants to stay, but his future depends on the board.”

Meanwhile, Hulk has been linked with a move away from Porto for some time, and his agent has confirmed that the Brazil international wants to leave the Portuguese champions this summer.

“The time for Hulk to move is now. He is the most coveted player in Europe and we should work together to do what is best for him,” Theodoro Fonseca confirmed.

The Blues have already sealed the signings of Kevin De Bruyne and Marko Marin for next season.

By Gareth McKnight

Reports that Roman Abramovich is losing patience with manager Andre-Villas Boas seem wide of the mark according to The Guardian, which suggests that the Chelsea owner will sanction moves for both Gary Cahill of Bolton and Diego Godin of Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea’s defensive frailties have been drawing unwanted pressure on Villas-Boas with the form of both John Terry and David Luiz fluctuating in recent weeks and Abramovich I prepared to back his under fire manager in the transfer window

The 25 year old Cahill has been attracting attention from a host of Premier League clubs in the last year but Bolton have thus far rebuffed all offers for the defender whose. The main stumbling block has come in the form of Bolton’s valuation of the defender however with less than a year to run on his contract the club may be willing to lower their asking price.

Diego Godin’s form for Atletico has been attracting attention from a host of clubs around Europe and Villas-Boas has identified the defender as one of his top targets come January. It is also widely accepted that Villas-Boas will attempt to raid his old club Porto for Uruguayan left back Alvaro Pereira as he looks to build a new, younger team at Chelsea.

After another busy round of fixtures in Spain, here is a round-up of the league that includes 13 of the shortlist of players to win the Ballon D’or.

The Big Two

No La Liga conversation is complete without reference to Real Madrid and Barcelona, and this is where our review starts. Despite surprise package Levante topping the table for the first few rounds of La Liga, their bubble has now been burst somewhat and all attention is back on the top two. Real, under the Special One are in scintillating form, scoring for fun and managing to keep clean sheets to boot. Both Higuain and Benzema are on fire, giving Mourinho the dilemma of his life when picking his starting striker. Add to this the form of Ronaldo and the resurgence of one Kaka, and the fact that Real can now offer solutions when Xabi Alonso is effectively man marked during games, they are looking more than a match for Barca.

Of course they went into the first Classico and mauling one point ahead of their fierce rivals, so Barca will not be unduly worried. However, one thing that Real have in their locker this season is the ability to grind out a 1 – 0 win – something that was lacking last season during games where teams effectively parked the bus in front of their goal and closed down Alonso. This was shown on the weekend where Sociedad literally played with a back five at the Anoeta, yet Madrid scored early courtesy of Higuain and held on for a hard fought win. Not a vintage Madrid performance but one that shows how far they have come under Mourinho.

Regardless of Los Blancos topping the table by as point, most people’s favourites for the La Liga crown is reigning champions Barcelona, who looked back to their best at the Camp Nou, with Messi making a clear signal to fans and the media with his goal celebration after his hat trick – the prolific striker had failed to score in 3 games yet after being played in his preferred position down the centre not the dreaded wing for the game, with Barca putting a grand total of 5 past a hapless Mallorca.

The Surprise of the season

Most people thought that the team wearing blue and red stripes would be the ones to top la liga throughout the season, and they have been for the past few rounds – yet it was Levante not  Barcelona doing this. Levante have been everyone’s surprise of the season and have looked to be living some sort of footballing fairy tale thus far, before this weekend being unbeaten, even being able to claim a victory over Mourinho’s men at the Ciudad de Valencia.

In players such as Sergio Ballesteros, Valencia have a core of seasoned professionals who offer much more to the team than their average age would suggest, and new coach Martinez settling into life at Levante quicker than anyone could have expected.

However this weekend the bubble was somewhat burst with a 2 – 0 defeat at the hands of Osasuna. Several things were said after the game – Martinez praised his players for their unbeaten run, the media inevitably predicted a rapid slide down the table to mimic that of Espanyol last season and it was noted that due to their small squad who are mostly the wrong side of thirty, a couple of injuries and suspensions will have serious effects on the team from Valencia. Yet should they take the lead, especially at home, Levante are dogged in their defending and whilst they are probably not going to finish in the European places, they should manage to avoid the relegation fight they were involved in last tie round.

The best of the rest

Valencia – after a  slightly slow start, Valencia are picking up pace, and have been fast climbing the table. They now occupy 4^th place after the weekend’s victory and have their eye on the third place that is currently held by local rivals Levante. After losing their three best players – Villa, Silva and Mata over the last couple of seasons, huge amounts of credit has to be given to long-time coach – well for a league famous for waving white handkerchiefs at Managers, being at the helm since 2008 is a long time – Unai Emery, who has weathered all of this and still managed to keep Valencia widely viewed as the ‘best of the rest’.

Sevilla – Currently sitting in 5^th place, there is now a gap opening up between the top four and the rest after a shock victory for Granada at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. In a season full of surprises, this can be put down to a bad day at the office for Sevilla who next up face  a flailing Mallorca side and will expect to bounce back and take all three points.

Atletico Madrid – one side who expect to e doing much better are the second best team in Madrid, Atletico, who fully expect to be sat in the top four. However, after a poor start to the season they sit 10^th, with a sizeable gap between themselves and the champion’s league places. After a good victory against Zaragoza, Atletico will be looking to this as a kick-start to their season.  With few goals scored this season and fan protests calling for Aragonez to return, the pressure on Gregorio Manzano has been alleviated slightly, yet improvements are vital.

Malaga – the Andalucians were the team that, after a huge influx of money then players, not to mention coach Manuel Pellagrini were everyone’s favourites to break into the top four this season. However this, so far, has not come to pass, and Malaga have been struggling, and were so lucky against Espanyol receiving a penalty for a very dubious handball and do not seem to be gelling quite in the way they should be.

The relegation Battle

Getafe sit rock bottom and after a heavy loss last weekend things look no brighter with local rivals Atletico up next. A shock victory for Granada gave them much needed points, yet the newly promoted Andalucians need to improve their form and fast if they don’t want to go straight back down.  The final club to occupy a spot in the bottom 3 is Racing, and the victory by a single goal over Betis cannot be underestimated in importance. Hector Cuper and his team will be looking to now climb the table, starting with the away tie at Granada next round.

Whilst Betis and Rayo have made decent starts, only 4 points separate both these promoted sides from the relegation zones, and they are still in danger and will be looking over their shoulders until a real gap is formed.

Villarreal – after a vital 2 – 0 win over Rayo this weekend, despite the missed penalty from skipper Marcos Senna, the yellow submarines have shot up the table and out of the relegation zone to 13^th.  With an European campaign still to worry about, not to mention keeping their head above the relegation zone, Garrido has his work cut out for him.

The bottom half of the table is so tight, with only 5 points separating rock bottom Getafe and 11^th placed Rayo, so anyone who has a poor run of form or can piece together a run of victories can drastically change their fortunes so early on in the season.

Game of Next round –  Levante v Valencia

3^rd play host to 4^th in a real test of Levante’s credentials. A must see.

FREE football app that pays you to view ads

Continuing our look into the foreign wags that put the Premier League ones to shame…

What a fantastic year it has been for Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan won the ‘best player’ award at the World Cup in South Africa last summer, had a fantastic season at Atletico Madrid and earned himself a move to Italian giants Inter Milan.

The best year of the 32-year-old’s life on the pitch was matched off the pitch when he bagged himself the stunning Victoria Saravia, a model who coincidentally used to date Forlan’s international team mate Carlos Bueno. Saravia is currently studying to be an actress in her native Uruguay but is often on hand to console the Inter Milan striker after another disappointing result in a current disappointing season. The former Manchester United striker played with David Beckham in England and is now looking to hold on to his own Victoria.

To see what all the fuss about Victoria Saravia is make sure you open up the gallery below

Over the last couple of years, then, I have soured distinctly in reaction to United’s transfer policy of buying unproven youngsters for inflated prices. I was furious when the club spent £10m on Chris Smalling, and apoplectic to see United pay twice that for Phil Jones. I also felt Ashley Young was somewhat over-priced and unnecessary. The club doesn’t actually have a great deal of disposable income, you see (thanks largely to a certain American leprechaun), so to see it ‘wasted’ in such heavy quantities was alarming.

Imagine my consternation and confusion, then, as I watch all three blossom into star players in this still-young but already enthralling 2011/12 season. Jones’ runs from the back have been as mesmerising as they are unstoppable, and Smalling’s defensive improvements have more than covered for his colleague’s occasional absence in the back four. Young, meanwhile, is holding the excellent and indefatigable Park Ji-Sung out of the team, and forcing Antonio Valencia – one of the 2010/11 Premier League’s most improved players – into covering at right-back. Additional, cheaper (or home-grown) young arrivals are also thriving in Fergie’s new up-tempo system, primarily Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Tom Cleverley.

That brings us, then, to the last element of Old Trafford’s youth revolution – and the man who has probably come in for more criticism in his embryonic United career than the other three put together. David de Gea briefly looked over-whelmed by the astronomical price-tag which has made him the second-most expensive goalkeeper in history (behind Gianluigi Buffon, no less) at the tender age of 20.

He was unconvincing at best against Manchester City in the Community Shield, and seemed intimidated by West Brom’s physicality in the league curtain-raiser, something he doubtless has barely experienced in two years as Atletico’s number one. It was beginning to look like another typical Ferguson blunder in his on-going pursuit of becoming a decent judge of goalkeepers – a flaw that Tomasz Kuszczak is probably painfully aware of right now as he officially slides behind Ben Amos in the Old Trafford pecking order.

In the last four games, though, after an uneventful night in the triumph over Tottenham, the real de Gea has started to emerge from behind his price-tag. United may have conceded twice against Arsenal in one of the most famous games in Old Trafford’s century of service, but the young Spaniard saved Robin van Persie’s spot-kick. Then, against Chelsea, despite succumbing to a deft finish from Fernando Torres, he produced a couple of excellent reaction stops, especially the one that denied Ramires in the first half. At the weekend, de Gea looked transformed, sprinting out to punch away Rory Delap’s early throw and standing up to the threat of Peter Crouch in the air.

It is too early to say whether de Gea is on the path to fully justifying that enormous price-tag – but in the last two years, Ferguson and his scouts have unearthed a plethora of young diamonds ready to shine. We wait with baited breath to see if the Spaniard is another.

Fulham – inaugural finalists in the second-tier European competition – face a battle with Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, while Stoke City will go up against FC Thun, of Switzerland.

The other English club in the play-off – Championship side Birmingham City – will take on Portuguese club Nacional.

Fifth in La Liga last term, Sevilla will take on last season’s fourth-placed Bundesliga side Hannover 96, and their fellow Spanish club Athletic Bilbao will go up against Turkish side Trabzonspor.

Spanish giants Celtic will be keen to avoid any early exits after rivals Rangers’ embarrassing Champions League qualifying defeat in mid-week, when they face Swiss side Sion in their play-off.

In other notable play-off fixtures, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos will go head to head, AS Roma will take on Slovan Bratislava and 2011 finalists Sporting Braga will face Swiss outfit Young Boys.

And it means Stoke, who qualified for the Europa League as losing finalists in last season’s FA Cup, will take a narrow lead into the second leg, set to be played in Split on August 5.

Fellow English Premier League side Fulham, who reached UEFA’s second-tier continental competition via their domestic fair play ranking, managed a 0-0 draw in their first-leg match away to RNK Split.

La Liga club Atletico Madrid, who defeated Fulham in the inaugural final of the revamped Europa League in 2010, began with a 2-1 win at home to Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset.

Former Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes struck twice in the second half for the hosts, who conceded a goal to Oyvind Storflor with 10 minutes remaining.

Leonard Kweuke bagged a hat-trick as Sparta Prague smashed FK Sarajevo 5-0.

Dinamo Tbilisi were also big winners, coming away from KR Reykjavik with a 4-1 victory.

Slask Wroclaw were held to a 0-0 draw in their match at home to Lokomotiv Sofia, while Irish club Sligo Rovers also managed a goalless draw at Ukrainians Vorskla.

Lokomotiv’s rivals Levski Sofia fared better, recording a 2-1 win at home to Spartak Trnava.

Abdoulrazak Boukhari and Jonathan Pitroipa both claimed a brace as Stade Rennes ran out 5-2 winners at Georgian side Metalurgi Rustavi.

Aalesund eased past Elfsborg 4-0 and Hapoel Tel-Aviv saw off FC Vaduz by the same score-line.

Young Boys of Bern defeated KVC Westerlo 3-1, while Young Boys’ fellow Swiss side FC Thun managed a credible 2-2 draw at Palermo.

Other clubs to win the first leg of their third-round matches included Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Nacional de Madeira and Club Brugge.

Scottish Premier League team Hearts were held 1-1 away to Hungarians Paksi SE.

And it means Stoke, who qualified for the Europa League as losing finalists in last season’s FA Cup, will take a narrow lead into the second leg, set to be played in Split on August 5.

Fellow English Premier League side Fulham, who reached UEFA’s second-tier continental competition via their domestic fair play ranking, managed a 0-0 draw in their first-leg match away to RNK Split.

La Liga club Atletico Madrid, who defeated Fulham in the inaugural final of the revamped Europa League in 2010, began with a 2-1 win at home to Norwegian outfit Stromsgodset.

Former Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes struck twice in the second half for the hosts, who conceded a goal to Oyvind Storflor with 10 minutes remaining.

Leonard Kweuke bagged a hat-trick as Sparta Prague smashed FK Sarajevo 5-0.

Dinamo Tbilisi were also big winners, coming away from KR Reykjavik with a 4-1 victory.

Slask Wroclaw were held to a 0-0 draw in their match at home to Lokomotiv Sofia, while Irish club Sligo Rovers also managed a goalless draw at Ukrainians Vorskla.

Lokomotiv’s rivals Levski Sofia fared better, recording a 2-1 win at home to Spartak Trnava.

Abdoulrazak Boukhari and Jonathan Pitroipa both claimed a brace as Stade Rennes ran out 5-2 winners at Georgian side Metalurgi Rustavi.

Aalesund eased past Elfsborg 4-0 and Hapoel Tel-Aviv saw off FC Vaduz by the same score-line.

Young Boys of Bern defeated KVC Westerlo 3-1, while Young Boys’ fellow Swiss side FC Thun managed a credible 2-2 draw at Palermo.

Other clubs to win the first leg of their third-round matches included Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Nacional de Madeira and Club Brugge.

Scottish Premier League team Hearts were held 1-1 away to Hungarians Paksi SE.

“Aguero signs!” City posted via their official Twitter account on Wednesday.

The club also posted pictures of the forward being greeted by the club’s fans outside the club’s newly named Etihad Stadium.

La Liga outfit Malaga have also splashed the cash, signing Spanish international Santi Cazorla from Villarreal for a reported fee of 20 million pounds.

Malaga announced the transfer on Tuesday after the midfielder completed a medical and he has signed a five-year contract.

Cazorla is the 10th new signing at Malaga, joining the likes of new signings Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquin and Jeremy Toulalan.

Returning to the English Premier League, Bolton have signed 27-year-old midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker on a free transfer.

Reo-Coker captained Aston Villa last season and he is expected to make his Wanderers debut in a friendly against Bury on Wednesday.

Newly promoted Swansea City have moved to bolster their strikeforce, with Brendan Rodgers’ side said to have agreed a 1.75 million pound fee with Middlesbrough for forward Leroy Lita.

Meanwhile a move for Ben Foster appears only a matter of time from being sorted, with the Birmingham shot-stopper set to link up with Roy Hodgson at West Bromwich Albion.

“Just arrived in Manchester to finalise details of deal with City. Everything is going well,” Aguero tweeted on Wednesday.

Atletico manager Gregorio Manzano confirmed the deal was coming to an end on Spanish radio station Cope.

“It does look like this long-running issue will be resolved in the coming hours. It is at an end,” Manzano said.

“The truth is that I hoped to reflect on (Aguero’s) decision to leave favourably. I had hoped that he could have chosen a better, more professional way to leave and shown more love to the club.”

Atletico’s La Liga rivals Malaga have also splashed the cash, signing Spain international Santi Cazorla from Villarreal for a reported fee of 20 million pounds.

Malaga announced the transfer on Tuesday after the midfielder completed a medical and he has signed a five-year-contract.

Cazorla is the 10th new signing at Malaga, joining the likes of new signings Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquin and Jeremy Toulalan.

Newly promoted English Premier League club Swansea City have moved to bolster their strikeforce, with Brendan Rodgers’ side said to have agreed a 1.75 million-pound fee with Middlesbrough for forward Leroy Lita.