Demy de Zeeuw could finally make his move away from AZ in the winter transfer window after Valencia made an official enquiry about his services, according to De Telegraaf.

The 25-year-old came close to leaving the Alkmaar-based outfit in the summer when he appeared to be set to join Ajax, but that transfer fell through.

Valencia have been monitoring De Zeeuw since last term and are now ready to test AZ's resolve with a bid if they are encouraged after initial contact has been made.

Los Che coach Unai Emery is hoping to add a number of his own signings to a squad that he was unable to influence when taking over at the end of last season.

While the summer months were spent trying to hold on to David Villa and David Silva amid an off-field power struggle at boardroom level, only goalkeeper Renan was signed.

The rest of the incoming players returned to the club because their loan deals had finished or the club opted to repurchase them, as in Pablo's case when he moved from Getafe.

De Zeeuw would be Emery's first out-field signing and he is keen to wrap up a deal as quickly as possible and it appears that AZ tainer Louis van Gaal is resigned to losing the Dutch international.

Cesc Fàbregas has reiterated that he is keen to stay at Arsenal at the moment but admitted that he would be keen to return to play for Barcelona during his career.

The Catalan midfielder has been strongly linked with a move away from the Emirates in the opening weeks of the new campaign in both the English and Spanish media.

While Barça are not keen to make a move without knowing that he would certainly say yes, Cesc sought to ward off any approach by the club by stating that he is still keen to play for the Gunners.

"Right now I am happy at Arsenal, but I cannot deny that returning to my country to play for Barça would be the realisation of a dream," Sport quote him as saying.

"Last summer I chose to stay in London and at the moment I am sure that it was the right decision and I hope to win trophies here."

Coming from a Barcelona-supporting family in Arenys del Mar, north of the Catalan capital, Cesc still watches the Blaugrana whenever he can and is pleased with what he is seeing this season.

"The fact is that Barça are producing some fantastic football that is always great to watch," he explained.

Sport believe that if Arsenal fall short again this season then a move by Barça could prove to be too tempting for Cesc, who has stated in the past that the north London club need to strengthen.

 

Klaas Jan Huntelaar's agent Arnold Oosterveer has denied the rumors that Huntelaar is on the verge of signing a new deal at Ajax...

Prolific hit man Klaas Jan Huntelaar will not sign a new deal at Amsterdam giants Ajax in the near future. His current deal at Ajax expires in 2010 and both parties were reportedly on the verge of discussing a new deal in the upcoming weeks. "We opted to stall negotiations about a new deal earlier this year to create a little more rest around Klaas Jan [Huntelaar]. Nevertheless, we'll re-open the negotiations in the next couple of weeks," stated Ajax director Henri van der Aat to De Telegraaf. However, Huntelaar's agent Arnold Oosterveer has now moved to deny the report. "I can guarantee that there are no appointments planned between Ajax and Klaas Jan Huntelaar to discuss a new deal. Not in this week and not in the near future," stated Oosterveer to Voetbal International. Furthermore, he refused to reply to Van der Aat's remark that Huntelaar insisted on a limited fee release clause of seventeen million euros when they were negotiating a new deal in August. "No comment," was the short answer when Oosterveer was confronted with the Ajax director's statements in his De Telegraaf interview. Huntelaar's reluctance to discuss a new deal at the Amsterdam side feeds speculation that Huntelaar's planning to stay at Ajax until 2010 and walk out the door for free when his contract expires.

Injured striker Fernando Torres has turned down the opportunity to watch Liverpool's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid from the luxury of a VIP seat at the Vicente Calderon...

A hamstring tear has denied Torres the sensational homecoming that was planned for him by UEFA's Champions League draw.

The 24-year-old, who moved from Atleti to Anfield last year, was forced from the field early in Spain's World Cup qualifier against Belgium last week, and tests confirmed that he would be out of action for up to 15 days.

Thus, Torres will not face his former team-mates in Wednesday night's blockbuster in the Spanish capital, where he plied his trade for six years after graduating from Atletico's youth system in 2001.

'El Nino' was given the chance to view the game in style, however, as los Rojiblancos offered their former idol a place in the Calderon's VIP section.

But Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez told the Daily Mail: "We talked with the doctor and physios, and with the player himself, and we decided it was important for him to stay here and continue with his recovery."

Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has requested for his club to launch an appeal to have his red card against Atlético Madrid overturned.

Van Nistelrooy struck Real Madrid’s opening goal after just half a minute into the derbi clash against Atlético at the weekend, before going on to net a second which appeared to be wrongfully disallowed by the referee.

However, that was the last action of his run-in with the match official as, five minutes before the break, he was given his marching orders after a crude sliding challenge on Maniche.

Still, the Dutchman believes that the offense only warranted a yellow card and, as such, he has personally requested that the club launch a formal appeal to the Competition Committee to have the red card rescinded in order to play against Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabéu next weekend.

Ewan Macdonald and James Walker-Roberts look back on Matchday 7 of Primera action with an eye on those who made out best - and worst - after the weekend's games...

WINNERS

Paco Chaparro - The most weathered face in Spanish football can finally crack a grin after Betis opened their winning account against Mallorca. A 3-0 home victory silenced the home critics - for now - as Emaná put in a showboating performance. Chaparro's job remains safe - again, for now. Manuel Ruiz de Lopera could, and probably will, swing the axe at any time.

Sporting Gijón - The Asturian side have just managed their first home win in the Primera in a decade, giving the long-suffering fans at the Molinón a chance to celebrate. It was "only" Osasuna, but three points are three points for the side whose time in the Segunda made the Israelites' jaunt in the desert seem like a long weekend.

Unai Emery - The young Basque may have the Primera's lamest haircut but he also has the best debutant record of any Valencia manager, ever. After his side's 4-0 thumping of Numancia he warned that Los Che can improve further yet, which may have weekend opponents Recreativo sucking their thumbs in anticipation.

Andrés Iniesta - Put in a fine performance for Barça away to Athletic Bilbao to cap off a week that also gave him international success. What's more, Barça have now won six in a row, and he's played in every single one of them. Consolation for being left off the Ballon d'Or shortlist, then...

Andrés Palop - The veteran Sevilla goalkeeper was in record breaking mood on Sunday night as he smashed not only the club record for the amount of minutes without conceding in the league but also the number of consecutive clean-sheets. The ex-Valencia stopper has not seen his net bulge for 495 minutes of La Liga action now since Mate Bilic scored way back on matchday 2.

LOSERS

Atlético Madrid - Whilst cross-town rivals Real Madrid are finding every way they can to win matches at the moment Atlético are doing exactly the opposite. Three consecutive league defeats, culminating this weekend with a heartbreaking loss to Los Blancos, and suddenly Atlético find their superb start in tatters and the league leaders a massive ten points ahead.

Osasuna - Los Rojillos might have installed fresh blood at the helm in the form of José Antonio Camacho but it looks like they need more than just a new manager following a disappointing defeat to newly-promoted Sporting Gijón which leaves them second from bottom in La Liga. They hold the unfortunate stat of being the only club in the top-flight without a win to their name and if that doesn't change sooner rather than later more heads will surely roll.

Clos Gomez - Sergio Agüero and Wesley Sneijder played second fiddle to the man in black at the Madrid derby as he well and truly stole the show with his antics on Saturday night. Two disallowed goals, two very debatable sendings-off and an overall poor handling of the game saw him grab the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Racing Santander/Deportivo La Coruña - One side winless away from home and the other winless at home it was inevitable that the spell would be broken as they clashed on Sunday, or would it? Unfortunately for Miguel Ángel Lotina and Juan Ramón López Muñiz none of their strikers could hit a barn door from ten paces at the moment and with 9 goals between them so far it is fair to say that David Villa will not exactly be quaking in his boots at their respective Pichichi prospects.

Numancia - Numancia grabbed all the headlines on the opening day as they shocked Barcelona but since then they have obtained just a point and currently prop up the table after seven matches. A four nil defeat to Valencia was harsh but the reality is that in this league hard work alone isn't enough and unless they start to score more they will find themselves back in Segunda.

Manchester United have joined Real Madrid in the chase to sign Brazilian starlet Douglas Costa from Grêmio at the end of the current season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that he is interested in the 18-year-old attacking midfielder and indicated that he is ready to weigh up making a move for the player.

Madrid have been watching Costa for over a year, according to Marca, but have yet to make anything official because they are keen for him to continue developing at his current club.

With United now joining the chase though, that could move the situation along and Ferguson will certainly be keen not to miss out.

"He is a player that we like and does seem to be very interesting," the Spanish paper quotes the Scottish manager as saying.

Costa has been compared to Ronaldinho and Robinho by pundits in Brazil thanks to his speed, creativity and mental strength and will no doubt attract more suitors if his departure looks set to happen.

Ferguson would be keen to win the race over Madrid after the Spanish club's unsettling move quest for Cristiano Ronaldo last summer angered him.

Ewan Macdonald picks out the best and brightest from the seventh weekend of Liga action...

As always, more players impressed than there were places available in our team of the week, but nonetheless eleven star performers have been hand-picked to line up in Goal.com's best eleven.

A few teams aside, it was not a matchday for goalscorers. Only two sides managed more than two goals while fully eight didn't hit the back of the net at all. Of course that meant that there were no shortage of goalkeepers keeping clean sheets, but only one could make the line-up.

This week our excellent eleven lines up in something of a 4-4-1-1 formation with attacking wingers:

Diego López
Damiá - Pepe - Prieto - Adriano
Simão - Emaná - Aurelio - Iniesta
                Mata
Villa

Goalkeeper

Diego López (Villarreal): Another clean sheet for the current 'Zamora', and one that came complete with a penalty save. All those years on the bench at Real Madrid did him no harm whatsoever.

Defenders

Damiá Abella (Real Betis): Damiá actually played more of a midfield role for the Béticos during their 3-0 thrashing of Mallorca, but he's known as a right-back and he was certainly not shy about dropping back when it mattered. A mature showing.

Pepe (Real Madrid): Amidst difficult circumstances the Portuguese kept Kun Agüero shackled well for most of the heated derbi.

David Prieto (Sevilla): A perfect performance from the local boy made good, who is proving that he is well and truly a late bloomer worth watching.

Adriano (Sevilla): A roving, rushing left-back who wasn't shy about getting among the goals at Almería to preserve his side's great run of form.

Midfielders

Simão Sabrosa (Atlético Madrid): Changed the game for the rojiblancos when he came on and netted the equaliser in the Madrid clásico. An attacking substitution of the best sort.

Achille Emaná (Real Betis): Emaná's best performance in a verdiblanco shirt by far, and one of the best individual showings of the entire matchday. A masterful showing capped off by a late goal.

Mehmet Aurelio (Real Betis): Kept Mallorca's ineffectual midfield at bay and even got among the assists. Like Emaná, that was probably his best performance yet for his new side.

Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona): Started on the right side of attack but drifted around as the game went on, and to good effect, too. Although he didn't manage to provide an assist he was still his usual, effervescent self for the blaugrana.

Juan Mata (Valencia): Along with David Villa he creates a superb attacking double-act. Real Madrid may regret having let him go as he goes from strength to strength.

Striker

David Villa (Valencia): Superlatives are wasted on Villa, who remains, at this moment in time, the best striker in the country. It was 'only' Numancia but he still got among the goals and the action in convincing fashion.

Honourable Mentions

Record-breaking stopper Andrés Palop put in a great showing for Sevilla and only just missed the cut, while Gerard Piqué had one of his better performances for Barcelona at centre-back. Gonzalo and Godín of Villarreal were also a classy pairing.

Further up the pitch Sergio García had a good game for Betis, while Málaga's Eliseu was a key figure in his side's comeback against Getafe. Garmendia was one of the few threats for Athletic versus Barça, while substitute Camuñas' service for Recre deserved more than 1-1 draw against Valladolid (for whom Víctor excelled.) Medhi Lacen played a calm game for Racing, and Bilic was a positive influence for Sporting.

Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid are amongst the major European clubs eyeing the signing of France starlet Karim Benzema, according to the player’s agent.

The Lyon striker has followed up from an outstanding performance in Ligue 1 last season to start the current campaign strongly after what was a disappointing Euro 2008 tournament for him and his nation.

And according to his agent, Benzema is being chased by three of the world’s biggest clubs, with many French football analysts predicting this season will be the 20-year-old’s last in France.

United already have an array of attacking talent at their disposal with the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez plying their trade at Old Trafford.

However, the future of Tevez has came under severe scrutiny in recent weeks with the Argentinean still not secured on a permanent contract, with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson having reportedly eyed Benzema as an option last summer.

And Benzema’s agent has said there are also other top clubs eyeing his client’s signature.

“Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United are not the only clubs following Karim because all the big European clubs are,” Djaziri said to France-Football.

“Our contacts with the clubs are constant and our contacts did not start last year but since Karim is 16! But we are transparent with Lyon on every point and they are aware of everything happening.”

After being out for two weeks with a hamstring injury the Dutch midefielder is in the squad of 18 for the trip to Italy to face Juventus in the Champions League. The Spanish champions, then, have a better time of it than Juve as far as injuries are concerned...

This week see argubly the most anticipated group match of this seasons Champions League as Real Madrid travel to Turin to face Juventus, and Madrid have been boosted by the return of Robben to their injury-hit side.

With Guti and Diarra missing from midfield and Miguel Torres also out, Robben's return will give Schuster another option as he selects his side to take on the old lady of Italian football. The midfielder is notoriously known as the 'The Glass Man' by the Spanish media in relation to his injury-proneness, and has struggled to stay fit for an extended period since joining from Chelsea in 2007. But when he does play he has been vital to the team and the German Coach will be delighted to have him back available for selection.

Christoph Metzelder is also included in the squad after being excluded from Real's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening. Missing from the squad for technical reasons are Michel Sagado and Javier Saviola.

Full Madrid squad to face Juventus:
Casillas, Dudek, Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Metzelder, Heinze, Marcelo, Javi Garcia, Drenthe, De la Red, Gago, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Higuaín, Robben, Van Nistelrooy, Raul.