Liverpool are in the market for defensive reinforcements and it is believed they have lined up a move for AEK stopper Sotiris Kyrgiakos.

The Reds have been linked with the likes of Stoke's Ryan Shawcross and Hull's Michael Turner, but Kyrgiakos appears to be a cheaper option for Rafa Benitez.

With reports of Benitez having his transfer budget restricted Liverpool have switched their attentions to Kyrgiakos and they are believed to have agreed a €3million (£2.5million) fee with AEK for the 30-year-old.

Kyrgiakos is understood to have said his goodbyes to his AEK team-mates and is now thought to be travelling to England to hold talks with Liverpool officials and undergo a medical.

Werder Bremen have re-signed Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro on a permanent basis.

The Peruvian, who played for Bremen between 1999 and 2001, spent last season on loan with the club.

Pizarro impressed for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 17 goals en route to helping them finish 10th in the standings.

The 30-year-old has played for Chelsea in pre-season, but failed to make an impression on new manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Pizarro was omitted from Ancelotti's squad for last weekend's 2-1 win over Hull City in their season opener.

Hello fellow lovers of all that is hunky and man candy. Kristen here for another edition of Hunk of the Day. Today's hunk is from the land of Kiev and the pysanky egg. I am talking about Ukraine. Today's hunk is currently in the first team for Bayern Munich. May I present to you, the latest person enshrined into the brotherhood of hunkyness.....Anatoliy Tymoschuk!!!

Anatoliy here was born Anatoliy Oleksandrovych Tymoshchuk on March 30, 1979 in the town of Lutsk, Ukraine. In 2008, Tymoshchuk won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup as the captain of Zenit St. Petersburg. Other clubs that Anatoliy has played for include: Volyn Lutsk and Shakhtar.

In February, there was rumors swirling that he was going to leave Zenit. These rumors were eventually made true by Uli Hoeness. Tymoshchuk officially joined Bayern on 1 July 2009 with a contract that will expire on 30 June 2012. The transfer fee was undisclosed but German media reports put the deal at €14 million.

Since his 2000 debut, Tymoshchuk has become a key member of the Ukrainian national team. He gained recognition for his performance during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in which Ukraine reached the quarter-finals, earning a Man of the Match award during Ukraine's win over Tunisia.

Tymoshchuk has been described as one of the catalysts for Ukraine's first FIFA World Cup appearance. He is currently the vice-captain of the team, captaining in the absence of Andriy Shevchenko.

Finally, we come to the WAG part of this post. Tymo is indeed married. He is married to Nadiya Tymoshchuk. She is also his agent.

Awww, don't they look cute!?!

More random facts about Tymo...

• His favorite player is Lothar Matthäus.
• He is also a fan of the Ukrainian band Okean Elzy and Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel.
• He is an avid collector of wines, t-shirts, and icons
• After the last match of the 2007-08 season, he was physically restrained by the Moscow police when he tried to throw his match shirt to the Zenit fans

Well, there you go! A new Hunk of the Day....and yes, Kelsee....it will be an Asian guy, so you can, in the words of "Jose" on Special 1 TV, "shut up."  

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a great summer. Please bear with the current color scheme of the site. I am in the middle of making a new layout for this half of the season, and if it looks anything like the layout for the VfB blog, it will not disappoint! ;)

So, on to business. Today, we are inducting a youngin' today into the Hunk HoF. (Hall of Fame, if you couldn't guess.) Anyway, today, we are looking to former German champions VfB Stuttgart for today's Hunk. So, may I present to you the latest hunk....Stefano Celozzi!!

Young Stefano here was born on November 2, 1988 in the town of Günzburg, Germany. He is of Italian descent....(if you couldn't guess from his name.)

Celozzi started his professional career with Karlsruher SC, making his first appearance on 10 August 2008 in the DFB Cup 2008-09 round 1 against SpVgg Ansbach. He made his Bundesliga debut on 16 August 2008 in the opening fixture against VfL Bochum.

July of this year, he moved to Stuttgart.

There isn't much about this youngin' that I could dig up, but according to the profile of the official VfB Stuttgart website, www.vfb.de, his hobbies include cinema (going to the movies) and journeys.

If anyone else finds more about Stefano, I would love to know!! :) A pic of a potential WAG would reek of awesomeness (my inner WWE fan coming out).

That is it for now. I am getting ready for bed, so nighty night! :D

Here we are ladies and gents!! The start of a new Premier League season. This season, which is about as new as little baby Nora Torres, is already proving to be filled with injuries.

Our lads in red start this season away at Tottenham, who are going through a number of injuries. Play maker Jonathan Woodgate among others are 100% sure that they will not be able to play this weekend. Liverpool's skipper Steven Gerrard is also a doubt.

Liverpool only lost twice last season, but one of them was at the hands of Tottenham when they came back to win 2-1. This was the Red's only loss in 10 meetings with Spurs, but we also lost to them in the Carling Cup last season.

Liverpool and Spurs have both been busy this transfer window too. Liverpool adding players like Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani, while Spurs have brought back Peter Crouch.

Last season, Tottenham made their worst start ever to a Premier League season with only 2 points in 8 matches.

We will have to see what happens this time. Stay tuned to the blog on Sunday as I will be doing match commentary.

Torres' New Deal

According to Liverpool's official website, www.liverpoolfc.tv,

"Fernando Torres had put pen to an improved contract at Anfield. The 25-year old striker agreed the terms of the deal back in May and has now completed the formalities of signing the new contract. Torres was already tied to Anfield for the next four seasons after signing a six year deal in 2007. This new deal includes an option for a further year's extension to 2014."

Liverpool new boy Alberto Aquilani was presented to the press today. It didn't take long for the Italian to show his love for fellow teammate Steven Gerrard.

"Even before coming to Liverpool, I thought Steven Gerrard was the strongest midfielder in the world. I will be very proud to play alongsige him and I hope I can learn from his game. I am looking forward to playing in the same team with players of that kind. Liverpool have had good players for a number of years and I have always liked their system of play."

Aquilani, like Gerrard right now is injured. Gerrard is still doubtful for the season opener away against Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham, like Liverpool have to deal with a few injuries. Jonathan Woodgate among others will not be able to start on Sunday for Tottenham.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez addressed the media today about his injured skipper,

"I am not sure about Steven. I was really pleased he was pulled out of the squad as a precaution. You could see there were six substitutions in the game, so Fabio Capello was doing great for the players. As our game is on Sunday, then maybe Steven will have a chance. If it was on Saturday it would be more difficult."

Aquilani is currently trying to get over a stubborn ankle injury and will not be able to make his LFC debut for up to two months. Aquilani is aware of this and he is trying to make the best of this horrible situation.

"I cannot wait to be involved as it is a different type of league to the one in Italy and a difficult level to play in. I am very excited about what lies ahead. This is a very important occasion for me as I am joining a big club with a rich history. This is one of the best leagues in the world and Liverpool have to be one of the main candidates for winning the title."

 Aquilani was brought in to replace Xabi Alonso who moved to Real Madrid this summer. Alberto commented about Xabi:

"He was a very important player at this club. But I am not his natual substitute as I do not have the same characteristics as him. I have a different style in that I like to move around and not stay in the same place."

What lies ahead for Alberto? We will have to see once the new season starts this weekend. Plus, stay tuned for the offical match preview. :)

Photos from the media day:

Hai everyone! How have you all been this summer? I am so glad to be back here on the blog. It was a long 2 months or so. :S Anyway, I am back and ready to rumble!! :D Anyway, I will be working on a update and whatnot. Anyway, hope to hear from you all real soon. :)

 Credit to the people at the Sun for this lovely gross photo. I can't believe that I am actually going to say this, but Paris Hiltion has just ruined my chance of ever liking Cristiano Ronaldo.

A little background info for the foreign readers who don't know who Hilton is. She is an heiress to a hotel fortune. She really isn't known for anything else. She is what we call the bike of the "entertainment" world because everyone has had a go on her.

Anyway, Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Madrid is a world record.

The scoring machine and Paris got down and dirty as they teamed up to celebrate the soccer ace's £80million transfer.

A witness said: "They were sucking each other's faces off like their plane was going down. At one point Ronaldo had a bottle between his legs and Paris was stroking it. It was very racy."

The pair were united in Hollywood's posh My House nightspot as news broke that Man Utd had accepted the mega-offer for Ronaldo from Spanish giants Real Madrid.

After sharing steamy cuddles and expensive champagne for two hours, Paris headed to sister Nicky's home in the Hollywood Hills at 2:05am.

Ronaldo, 24, joined her there an hour later after a brief stop at his hotel.

He left at 5am with a broad grin plastered across his face.

Paris, 28, last night confirmed she and the Portuguese wonder winger - now the world's most expensive player - were an item.

She told a friend: "He's hot, a real athlete - and the chemistry between us was electric." 

The American party girl hitched up with Ronaldo just 24 hours after dumping previous love Doug Reinhardt. He has played baseball for the Anaheim Angels and Baltimore Orioles - and is a TV personality in the States.  

But in a withering put-down last night, Paris told a friend: "Cristiano's much better than my ex. He was nothing but a low-paid minor league baseball player."

Ronaldo is on holiday in California after Manchester United's season ended in Premier League glory and Champions League defeat. Paris tried to pull him at the same time a year ago, thrusting herself at him in LA club Villa.

On that occasion the player knocked her back. But he never fell off her radar.

And a pal said: "She was determined to get her man this time. And what Paris wants, Paris gets. "She has been telling anyone who will listen that Ronaldo is the hottest thing she has ever seen. "She thinks he is sexy and exotic, and loves his body. And she loves men with accents. She says it's like an aphrodisiac."

Ronaldo made a beeline for Paris as soon as he spotted her with Nicky in My House.

He had intended to have drinks with some cousins but quit them to spend the rest of the night with Paris.

A nightclub source said: "As soon as he saw Paris, Cristiano kept staring at her and looking her up and down. He went over to her table to say hi - and appeared to be smitten. The two were flirting and laughing together all night. It was as if no woman but Paris existed in the club. Cristiano told Paris all about his new deal with Real Madrid and they toasted his massive new pay packet with Cristal champagne."

A bottle of Cristal can cost up to £650. And the club source said Ronaldo spent more than £15,000 on the bubbly and other drinks.

An onlooker said: "Ronaldo and Paris were all over each other, kissing in a VIP booth. They were kissing on the lips and meeting people as a couple, holding hands or with his arm around her. Her hands were all over his lap. There was a lot of very suggestive body language.

"They looked adorable together. It was as though they'd been dating for ages. He was reclined all the way back in a chair with his legs spread wide open. It looked almost pornographic.

"Paris's black minidress was getting higher and higher as the night wore on. At one point people on a neighbouring table threw silver confetti at them. A bunch stuck to Paris's upper thigh, which she draped over Ronaldo's lap."

At times Nicky tried to haul the pair up to dance with her. But they were too transfixed by each other to move.

The onlooker said: "Nicky was looking very bored and eventually she leaned over Paris's lap and grabbed Ronaldo's hands and started dancing with him in the seat.

"Then she stood up and started dancing, trying to get the happy couple to join her. But they were too busy going at it."

Paris had promised to marry strapping Reinhardt, 24. But she ended their six-month relationship after a row in another LA club on Tuesday night.

Reinhardt later arrived at her gated estate to discover he had been locked out.

Just before the split, he described Paris as "the Princess Diana of our generation"

He wrote on Twitter: "Such an amazing woman, so giving, gracious and beautiful. I love my princess. Paris is my world. Such a sweet angel."

Today, through a statement, Doug wished Paris the best of luck.

It read: "Doug refuses to take part in this ridiculous media circus. He wishes Paris and all of her future boyfriends the best of luck."

 

A word to Real Madrid....WATCH OUT FOR PARIS! She is a (excuse my language) a filthy slut and she will out a stain on your team if she continues to be with Ronaldo.

Also, about Hilton...she would be nothing if the media didn't pay attention to her.

Finally, Cristiano....GET OUT AS SOON AS YOU CAN! Trust me Cristiano. I usually don't care about you, but oh dear god....this is the worse of the worse. Get back with one of your old ladies. :S

Anyway, thank you so much to the Sun for the photos and for the quotes. For video, and more photos, please go to the Sun's website

Manchester United have confirmed they have accepted a bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's future at United has been the subject of constant speculation, with Real having trailed his signature for the last three summers.

Real president Florentino Perez has made no secret of the fact that he would like to lure Ronaldo to El Santiago Bernabeu.

The Spanish titans have now agreed an £80million offer for the Portuguese ace and United have given the World Player of the Year permission to talk to the capital club.

Ronaldo will head to the Spanish capital to hold discussions with Real and undergo a medical.

Real have already snapped up Brazilian superstar Kaka in a world-record deal, but a move for Ronaldo would significantly eclipse that figure.

"Manchester United have received a world-record, unconditional offer of £80million for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid," read a club statement.

"At Cristiano's request - who has again expressed his desire to leave - and after discussion with the player's representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player.

"Matters are expected to be concluded by 30th June. The club will not comment until further notice."

Real confirmed the news in a brief statement on their website, adding that they hoped to finalise matters as soon as possible.

"Real Madrid confirm they have made an offer to Manchester United for the acquisition of the rights of the player Cristiano Ronaldo. The club hope to reach an agreement with the player in the next few days."

The news is bound to be greeted with some scepticism by United fans, who have repeatedly been told no deal had been agreed for the sale of FIFA's World Player of the Year in the face of regular statements from Spain the former Sporting Lisbon star was bound for the Bernabeu.

It was even suggested Ronaldo would be due a £20million compensation fee from Real if the deal did not go through by June 30, the date United now state themselves as when they expect matters to be concluded.

It now remains to be seen where the transfer fee could be reinvested in a squad that almost, but not quite, proved good enough to win back-to-back Champions League trophies, in addition to a hat-trick of Premier League titles.

The name of Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery is bound to crop up as a potential replacement, although the 27-year-old seems overpriced at the £40million figure being bandied about in some quarters, with Wigan's Antonio Valencia also in the frame.

Ferguson will certainly be making plans already to ensure his new faces are on board before United head to Asia for their pre-season tour.

Amid the frenzy over Ronaldo's impending departure, it is bound to be asked whether the current debt hanging over United of almost £700million has played any part in the decision to accept Real's huge bid.

*story spotted on www.skysports.com*