Transfer talk: Vucinic wants 'more prestigious' club than Blackburn

The 27-year-old striker has been linked with a move to the English Premier League and to Roma's Serie A rivals Juventus despite having two years remaining on his contract.

Olympics

David Weir, the former Scotland captain, believes most Scottish players want to play for Great Britain at next year's Olympic Games - and said those who do not are "foolish".

The 41-year-old Glasgow Rangers veteran claims his fellow professionals do not share the Scottish Football Association's (SFA) scepticism about the concept.

The SFA are concerned that any involvement in a British team could affect their independence as a football nation.

"If I was asked to play - although, let's be honest, that's not really that likely - I wouldn't hesitate for a second," Weir told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper.

"I think that's a widespread view among most [Scottish] players. The SFA can say what they want, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and any player who turned it down would regret it forever."

Blackburn Rovers

Mirko Vucinic's agent has ruled the Roma striker out of a move to Blackburn Rovers, saying he deserves a "more prestigious" club.

The 27 year old has been linked with a move to the Premier League and to Roma's Serie A rivals Juventus despite having two years remaining on his contract. But the Montenegro international's representative, Alessandro Lucci, told Sky Italia: "I have not heard anything. For now it's on standby because first we want to understand the intentions of Roma. Blackburn talk is just a rumour. It is a respectable club but I think Mirko deserves a more prestigious club."

Celtic

Neil Lennon, the manager of Scottish giants Celtic, will aim to convince Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal to sign new deals during the club's tour of Australia.

Izaguirre claimed on Saturday that Manchester United had made an approach for him while Kayal has been linked with moves to Liverpool and Valencia.

"We've opened preliminary talks with Kayal's people," Lennon, the Northern Irishman, told the Sunday Mail in Scotland. "He knows I want to keep him and he's making the right noises about staying. That's great news. It's the same for Izaguirre."

Chelsea

Ray Wilkins, the former Chelsea assistant coach, says the biggest challenge facing Andre Villas-Boas as the London club's manager will be to win over some of the high-profile names in the Stamford Bridge dressing room.

The 33-year-old Portuguese was appointed as Carlo Ancelotti's successor last week. Villas-Boas previously worked for Chelsea when Jose Mourinho was in charge, but Wilkins, who was Ancelotti's assistant until he was dismissed last November, told BBC Radio: "It is a massive test coming in at Chelsea as they have big players and big personalities in there as well. Has he worked with players of the experience, quality and personality of some of the guys there at Stamford Bridge?"

Arsenal

Alex Song, the Arsenal midfielder, has been fined for refusing a reconciliatory handshake from Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroon captain.

Song was fined a million Central African Francs (Dh8,000) by the Cameroon Football Federation. Song, who has not played for his country since a fall-out with Eto'o during the World Cup last year, had refused to shake hands with the African Footballer of the Year when the two met ahead of a match against Senegal earlier this month.

It was the first time that Song had returned to the squad since the World Cup. His disagreements with Eto'o led to him being sidelined during the tournament in South Africa.