Mesut Ozil Transfer Bids Expected 'From Arsenal, Spurs And Chelsea'

Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs has admitted he is expecting to receive offers from a number of clubs for in-demand playmaker Mesut Ozil - but has claimed there have been no concrete bids yet.

Bremen, who must qualify for next season's Champions League, are eager to renegotiate Ozil's contract, which expires in 12 months time.

But they look set to face a tough decision if he opts to hold out, with the three London clubs to have qualified for Europe's top competition - Spurs, Arsenal, and Chelsea - all expected to express an interest in the player.

Allofs is already playing hardball, however, saying he would rather risk losing the player on a free next summer than compromising on a price for the 21-year-old during the current transfer window.

"Now he is playing a fantastic World Cup campaign, there is definitely increasing interest," Allofs told German newspaper Bild.

"But when it comes down to concrete bids, nothing has been done. We want him to stay on and actually there is no news.

"There are no indications he does not want to see out his contract at our club."

Ozil has emerged as one of Germany's leading lights at the World Cup - pulling the strings for the national team in much the same way as he already does for his club side.

And Werder chief Allofs said he is determined to keep the current squad together to reach the lucrative group phase of the world's premiere club competition.

"We need to have success on the field, especially in Champions League qualification," he added.

"For this we need to have a good team."

Bayern Warn Chelsea Off Schweinsteiger & Muller

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned clubs they have no chance of signing the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller this summer.

Having reached the Champions League final and now the World Cup semi-finals with Germany, Schweinsteiger and Muller have been linked with big-money moves to the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea.

However, Rummenigge said: "If any club should make an approach for one of our players, it would be useless. Our reaction would always be the same - no way, absolutely no way.

"We are not eager to start any negotiation about our players. We won't sell any of these players. The quality of our team is important and we are in a very comfortable situation in that we don't have financial pressure at all."

Ballack Ousted From Team Camp

Michael Ballack has been ousted from the Germany camp after a massive rift with captain Philipp Lahm.

The crocked ex-Chelsea star faces a bleak international future after Lahm insisted he will not give up the captain's armband next season.

Boss Joachim Low, preparing his side for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Spain, revealed Ballack was asked to leave as team doctors did not have time to treat his ankle injury.

The midfielder will not be present for the showdown in Durban to decide who faces Holland in Sunday's final.

Ballack, 33, joined up with the German squad last week to act as a cheerleader.

But his presence has caused tensions in a group who have done brilliantly without him.

Lahm piled on the pain by insisting: "I won't give back the armband to Ballack. They will have to take it off me."

Chelsea Sign Czech Youngster Tomas Kalas

Reigning Premier League champions Chelsea have confirmed the transfer of promising defender Tomas Kalas from Czech Republic side Sigma Olomouc. The 17-year-old will stay in his homeland on loan next season before moving to Stamford Bridge.

Details about the transfer fee paid and the length of the young defender's contract with Chelsea have not been disclosed. However, according to a report on BBC Sport, Chelsea will pay Sigma Olomouc a fee in the region of €5.5 million for Kalas.

Kalas is considered to be one of the best players around in his age category and clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal and Milan were reportedly also keeping tabs on the centre-back.

Neil Bath, Chelsea academy manager, was very satisfied with the capture of Kalas.

"We feel there is a lot of potential in the player, and we feel at the minute it is the right time to get him," said Bath on the official club website. "But it would be good for him to stay there and get first team experience, and we look forward to him joining us next year. Obviously we will stay in touch and he will come across here when appropriate. He is a right-sided centre-half who can play right-back."

Chelsea Defender Ricardo Carvalho Set For Inter Switch

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to sanction Ricardo Carvalho's transfer to Inter as he prepares to shake up his defence, according to the Daily Star.

Carvalho, 32, has been an important part of the Blues' defence since he followed Jose Mourinho to the club six years ago. In recent seasons, however, a succession of injuries have restricted his appearances and he missed much of last season with damaged ankle ligaments.

Despite these problems, new Inter head coach Rafael Benitez is believed to be ready to bring the player to the San Siro. This transfer will see Alex becomes John Terry's partner at the heart of Chelsea's rearguard.

Keeper Out On Loan

Reserve squad goalkeeper Rhys Taylor will begin the season on loan at Crewe Alexandra.

The 20 year-old this week begins a two-month stay at the League Two club who are managed by former Chelsea coach Dario Gradi.

Last season Taylor made eight appearances for our reserves and spent six weeks on loan at Queens Park Rangers but was an unused substitute for their first team.

All In The Planning

With pre-season back underway it is a busy time at Cobham, and for none more so than fitness coach Glen Driscoll, who has been explaining the club's training regimes.

The players not on World Cup duty reported at 9am on Monday for their first day back at work, though they had been expected to be keeping in shape while enjoying their holidays, and after a series of medical tests it was out onto the field to get going.

'It starts from off-season when the players have their programs. They came in early on Monday and split into three groups where they were assessed by the medical department,' Driscoll explains.

'They go out and do the yo-yo test, which is like the bleep test, but we don't do the one that goes on until they drop, it is just to get an idea of the levels they hit in six minutes and from there we gauge how they are doing aerobically. Afterwards they will do power tests and then we're pretty much straight into the football.'

The trips of the early '80s to Aberystwyth where the local sand dunes provided a suitably gruelling regime are now consigned to history, certainly at Chelsea anyway, where our staff prefer to use footballs as early as possible in their work.

'We don't run these days, I am sure other clubs still do, but here we get them straight back into the football,' Driscoll says.

'It is more specific, and we can understand that you can get fit by the football. We have a lot of detail and planning gone into every session for the whole of pre-season.

'That came from towards the end of last season, from about March we started to meet with Carlo and all the science team, and we could tell you now including Carlo's tactical sessions, how it all adds up and gives the players their strength and aerobic qualities they will need for the season.'

That is certainly a great deal of planning, but do things get harder with the staggered return of our World Cup players?

'We have a whole group of players coming back later, which is a challenge we have,' he says, 'but having done last season with Carlo it helps to make it easier and not being on a long tour gives us a lot more control.'

With August 8 the date of our first competitive fixture, there is a month before our backroom staff know if their hard work has paid off, but having helped secure the Double last time around, there is every confidence the same can be delivered.

Run For Charity In Royal Parks Half Marathon

Chelsea's charity partners Right To Play and Help A London Child are gearing up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon which takes place on October 10.

The 13.1 mile run goes through four of the capital city's Royal Parks - Hyde Park, St. James' Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens - just as the seasons are turning and the parks are at their best.

The money raised will help children that need support, love and education both in London and in the poorest countries around the world.

If you have never run before this is the run for you - with excellent training and fundraising support, plus a running vest, goody bag and free massage. You'll not even notice you've run over 13 miles!