England

German forward believes deal will be completed in coming weeks. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle has insisted that he is confident he will sign for Chelsea in the coming weeks according to Sky Sports. Schurrle has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge over the last few weeks with reports suggesting that Chelsea were in advanced talks with Bayer Leverkusen over the player’s signature. Negotiations reportedly hit a stumbling block however when Leverkusen requested that Belgian youngster Kevin De Bruyne be included as part of any deal for Schurrle. It is being suggested that De Bruyne is not keen on a move to Leverkusen and would instead prefer to move to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. But Schurrle insists that certain promises have been made to him over the last few weeks and he remains confident that he has played his last game for Leverkusen. Schurrle has been in fantastic form for Leverkusen this season, hitting the back of the net on fourteen separate occasions. Leverkusen Sporting Director Rudi Voller insisted that no deal has been completed with Chelsea for Schurrle but stated that there was no need to panic at this stage. Voller stated it was important for the club to find an alternative to Schurrle for the deal to go through.

Villains open talks with highly impressive Belgian forward. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal AlertsAston Villa boss Paul Lambert has revealed that the club have begun talks with Christian Benteke over a new deal according to The Birmingham Mail.The Belgian arrived at the club as a relatively unknown signing from Genk last summer and Lambert immediately placed his faith in the youngster by putting him in the starting eleven ahead of the more established Darren Bent.That faith has been repaid as Benteke went on to score a highly impressive 25 goals in his debut season and was one of the front-runners for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award.Those performances did not go unnoticed however with a number of top Premier League clubs reported to have been monitoring Benteke’s availability.The likes of Chelsea and Tottenham were both thought to be preparing summer bids for Benteke.But the player has expressed a desire to stay at the club and it now appears Benteke will put pen to paper on a new deal.The 22 year old is set to have his current pay package doubled as Villa look to ward off potential suitors for the player.Villa boss Lambert also admitted that he will be sitting down for talks with wantaway striker Darren Bent over the coming days.

Retiring defender insists club have long way to go before they can challenge for the Premier League. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Retiring Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has warned the club’s fans not to expect the club to challenge for the Premier League title any time soon according to The Daily Mail. The former England centre back is set to hang up his boots at the end of the season drawing a highly impressive career to a close. The defender was much loved by Liverpool fans for his commitment to the club and battling playing style but his parting words are unlikely to receive a warm welcome from the Kop. Carragher has stated his belief that it is unlikely that Liverpool will win league within the next two years and has insisted that the club should remain focused on returning to the top four. Liverpool are currently on course for a seventh placed finish which will not only see them miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League, but also the Europa League. But Carragher has qualified his statement by saying he believes the club have every chance of bringing the title back to Anfield within the next four or five seasons. Carragher won every major honour with the club he joined as a nine year old except the Premier League title.

Albion forward outcast again. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Premier League new boys Hull City are lining up a summer swoop for outcast West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie, according to The Mirror. The 31-year-old found himself outcast again this weekend, being made to miss out from making the squad for Sir Alex Ferguson's final farewell in a thrilling 5-5 draw after blasting him teammates following the previous week's 4-0 defeat to Norwich last weekend. It was a move considered too far for Baggies boss Steve Clarke who had slowly began to reintroduce the the Soviet-born Nigerian international after he disgraced himself during the January transfer window. Qdemwingie tried to force through a move to rivals QPR and then took to Twitter to slam the club an its fans. He has since become a target for jeers and jokes ever since, with TV host, and famed Albion fan, Adrian Chiles cracking a joke at his expense at the annual end of season club award dinner. He is largely expected to head for the exit this summer but so far Hull are the only side to enquire about his services. Last week Clarke had been hoping to get around £4.5 million for his services but Hull have so far fell well short of that valuation. Clarke is hoping now to at least drive them over £3 million and said: "It is not a charity."

Real Madrid defender could be set for move to Etihad Stadium. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Manuel Pellegrini is set to make Real Madrid defender Pepe one of his top priorities once he arrives at Manchester City according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The Malaga boss has been widely tipped to take over the vacant hotseat at the Etihad Stadium following the dismissal of Roberto Mancini last week. The Chilean manager has reportedly already begun drawing up a shortlist of potential targets and is ready to make a big money move for Portuguese defender Pepe. While Pepe has been an integral part of the Real Madrid team in recent years, the emergence of young French defender Raphael Varane has meant his place in the starting eleven is no longer as assured as it once was. It is thought that Real Madrid officials would sanction a summer exit for Pepe should they receive a bid in excess of £20 million for the player. It is not clear though whether Pepe will be responsive to the advances of Manchester City. The player is reportedly happy in the Spanish capital and is ready to fight for his place in the team. Much depends on who comes in to replace Jose Mourinho this summer and how he sees Pepe fitting into the Real Madrid setup.

A round-up of Monday's biggest transfer rumours and gossip. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Andre Villas-Boas will look to strengthen his midfield this summer with the signing of Joao Moutinho from Porto, who is also a target for Monaco. Full story: The Sun. However, the Spurs boss also says his priority in the transfer market is to keep Gareth Bale at the club, despite strong interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United. Full story: Daily Mirror. Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez could be joined by Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain at Italian champions Juventus this summer, as they seek a double swoop to improve their strike force. Full story: Daily Mirror. Tevez is also said to be considering moves to France, with both Monaco and PSG showing an interest in the 29-year-old. Full story: Gazzetta Dello Sport. Liverpool are considering making an offer for Tottenham left-back Danny Rose, who has just finished a successful loan spell at Sunderland. Full story: Daily Mail. However, Andre Villas-Boas may still have Rose in his first team plans next season, despite rumours that he is looking for a new left-back. Full story: Sky Sports. Bayer Leverkusen winger Andre Schurrle says he has played his last game for a club, and appears to be close to completing his move to Chelsea. Full story: Sky Sports. New Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini will make Real Madrid defender Pepe a target when he joins the club. Full story: Daily Mail. Swansea's Ashley Williams insists he knows nothing about the supposed interest in him from Arsenal and Liverpool. Full story: Sky Sports. Aston Villa will hope to keep in-demand striker Christian Benteke at the club and have opened talks over a new deal for the young Belgian. Full story: Birmingham Mail. Want-away West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie could be offloaded to newly promoted Hull City this summer. Full story: Daily Mirror. Premier League duo Norwich and Swansea are eyeing up highly rated 23-year-old Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter. Full story: Sky Sports. Hull City and Swansea are reportedly keen on Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. Full story: Daily Mirror. Sources in Spain reveal that Jose Mourinho could be sacked by Real Madrid before the end of the season in La Liga. Full story: El Mundo. PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti has tipped the retiring David Beckham for a career in management. Full story: Daily Telegraph. The French giants have also rejected an approach from Real Madrid to take Ancelotti to the Bernebeu as their new manager. Full story: Sky Sports. Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez appeared to be snubbed by players like John Terry and Frank Lampard in their end-of-season thanks in speeches given at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Full story: Daily Mirror.

London events for people with curious minds. This will be the last edition of Week in Geek as an individual article. Instead, we will cover the more exciting events and exhibitions as standalone preview articles. Other events will be listed in our daily ‘things to do in London’ articles or weekend updates, which can be subscribed to by email alert here. Monday 20 May COMEDY: Rob Newman (pictured) begins a series of nine performances of his New Theory of Evolution at the Little Angel Theatre. £10, prebook, runs till 31 May QUANTUM: Jonathan Oppenheim is at the Royal Society for a Cafe Scientifique all about quantum information and the real-world applications it can and could lead to. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm Tuesday 21 May ROAR!: Last year, Valerie Colin-Russ published a book about London’s 10,000 sculpted lions. Now she’s at Guildhall Library to discuss this colossal pride. Free, just turn up, 2pm SMILE: Wellcome Collection’s Roy Porter Lecture, given by Colin Jones, tackles a novel subject: how the toothy smile was invented in 18th Century Paris. Free, prebook, 6.30pm Wednesday 22 May SURGERY: The Royal Institution opens late for an evening devoted to surgery. After a talk by a team of Imperial College surgeons, explore the first floor and bar area where you can have a play with…and oh dear we can’t help this pun…cutting edge surgical tools. £10, prebook, 7pm

144 to Edmonton Green 2008-08-17 13:30:20 Flickr | Facebook page | Twitter | POSTCARD BOOK originally published on my old site 2011-06-16 09:22:09

Portuguese boss told Ronaldo will be staying at Real Madrid. Check in to Transfer Window: Done Deal Alerts Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has been told to forget any ambitions he might have to tempt Cristiano Ronaldo away from the Bernabeu this summer according to The Mirror. The Special One is widely expected to leave the Spanish giants this season after enduring a difficult season at the club. A poor start to the current campaign saw them give rivals Barcelona an unassailable lead in La Liga while the club failed to win any silverware after finding themselves knocked out of the Champions League and Copa Del Rey in recent weeks by Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid respectively. Mourinho is widely expected to be appointed as the new Chelsea manager in the coming weeks and it is thought that club owner Roman Abramovich is ready to give the manager significant sums of money to restore Chelsea amongst the European elite. That prompted speculation that Mourinho could try to bring Cristiano Ronaldo with him to Stamford Bridge but Real Madrid boss Florentino Perez has moved to pour cold water on the speculation, angrily insisting the Portuguese winger was going nowhere. The news will come to the dismay of Manchester United too who were also thought to be keen to bring Ronaldo back to the Premier League.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have reportedly split after nearly four years together