The Napoli boss has conceded defeat in his bid to retain the goalkeeper’s services, admitting that the club are unable to meet his wage demands

Rafael Benitez has acknowledged that Napoli will not be able to keep Pepe Reina at the club and the player will now return to Liverpool.

The Spain shot-stopper played 30 times in Serie A this season for Partenopei, contributing 10 clean sheets as his side claimed third spot behind Roma and champions Juventus.

Despite the 31-year-old impressing at Sao Paolo this campaign, Benitez has ruled out the possibility of him continuing at the club into next season, despite Liverpool spending €10 million to bring Simon Mignolet to Anfield last summer.

“Pepe has two years left on his contract with Liverpool, so I think he has to go back and stay there,” the former Valencia coach told talkSPORT.

“We cannot afford his wages at the moment. The Premier League is very important and we can’t pay big salaries in another country like they do in England. So Pepe will go back and he will fight for his position.”

Benitez, who spent six years as Liverpool boss from 2004 to 2010, winning a Champions League and FA Cup, also revealed that he himself intends to return to coach in the Premier League once more later in his career.

“It’s clear that I would go back in the Premier League,” the 54-year-old continued.

“I’m happy in Naples. I’m fine with the fans, with the city, with the president and the players. it’s all good here, but my family lives in England.

“My daughters go to school there and they will attend university there in England. My idea is, in the future, to return to the Premier League. At the moment I’m happy in Italy, and everyone is supporting me in this adventure, but you never know.”

The Blues confirmed a deal has been struck for the former Arsenal midfielder and the bookmakers offer 9/4 that they return to the top of the Premier League next season

Jose Mourinho seems to have spent little time dwelling on his side’s third-placed finish in the Premier League.

The Blues confirmed that they have added Cesc Fabregas to their squad and it looks as if the Barcelona man may not be the only La Liga star to swap Spain for Stamford Bridge this summer.

The 51-year-old Chelsea boss looks to have finalised a deal to bring Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa to Stamford Bridge. bet365 make Chelsea their 9/4 (3.25) second favourites for the 2014/15 Premier League title behind Manchester City (7/4) and a significant margin away from Manchester United (9/2), Liverpool (13/2) and Arsenal (9/1).

Despite a myriad of attacking midfield talent, Chelsea’s problems last season were in the goalscoring department. A combination of Demba Ba, Samuel Eto’o and Fernando Torres were deployed at various stages but the fact that Chelsea did not have a player in the top 10 Premier League marksmen for the last campaign speaks volumes.

Eden Hazard topped the goalscoring charts last season with 14 and Mourinho will hope that Costa, who fired Atletico to the La Liga title and Champions League final – scoring 36 times in the process – can bring his prolific form to south-west London should a move be completed.

Summer transfer windows in World Cup years can often prove the busiest of all but Mourinho looks intent on securing his targets before the start of this summer’s tournament in Brazil with Fabregas already signed and Costa admitting that he likely to join the club before the start of the new campaign.

With Thibaut Courtois set to return from a loan spell at Atletico Madrid which has spanned three years, Chelsea face another decision over their goalkeeping options.

Although there has been no announcement about the future of the 22-year-old Belgian, either with regards to a return to Vincente Calderon or to Chelsea where he would challenge Petr Cech for the number one spot, Atletico’s signing of goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from Getafe has cast further doubt over the situation and would seem to indicate that Courtois believes that he can leapfrog Cech to become Mourinho’s first choice, with the Portuguese potentially open to offers for the Czech Republic international. 

The sale of David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain could be somewhat nullified by the impressive form of Nemanja Matic since his return to the club and adding Fabregas to the squad would go a long way towards replacing the goals of outgoing midfielder Frank Lampard, who will leave the club after 13 years.

It looks set to the be a summer of change at Stamford Bridge but the encouraging sign for Chelsea backers is the swift and decisive move from Mourinho to ensure the squad’s major weakpoint has been addressed through the signing of Fabregas, giving them a potent attacking threat to take into the new campaign.

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A number of top players from around the globe will be looking to show what they can do over the next month and Goal ranks the best new faces

By Simone Gambino

In 1998, a young Michael Owen announced himself to the planet with a stellar performance against Argentina and was promptly awarded the title of best young player of the World Cup. Four years later, Ronaldinho led Brazil to victory and claimed the award.

Germans Lukas Podolski and Thomas Muller won it in 2006 and 2010. As the latest edition of the World Cup kicks off, Goal has put together a ranking of the current Under-21 stars, based on their performances at both club and international level, as well as their status in the squads for the tournament.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
1	Paul Pogba (France)	–	=

A real pillar of Didier Deschamps’ side, this could be the Juventus midfielder’s time to shine. The former Manchester United man provides goals, assists and real athleticism and is certain to be in the XI for the game against Honduras.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
2	Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)	–	=

Belgium have been touted as dark horses for the tournament and Lukaku’s goals will be key to their hopes of pulling off a shock. He seems to have put a few niggles behind him and is ready to make his mark against Algeria.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
3	Julian Draxler (Germany)	–	=

Marco Reus’ injury could well prove to be the making of Draxler. The Schalke youngster is pushing for a first-team spot and could star for this young Germany team. However, he has Muller, Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle and Podolski for company in the side.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
4	Adnan Januzaj (Belgio)	–	=

Januzaj was eligible for a variety of countries but pledged his future to Belgium and was promptly called up to the squad for the World Cup. He has the likes of Kevin Mirallas and Dries Mertens for competition but could emerge as a key player.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
5	Mateo Kovacic (Croatia)	–	=

The Croatian has shone for Inter and Kovacic is currently persuading Niko Kovac of his qualities behind the strikers. He has a great chance to show both club and country what he is capable of.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
6	Raheem Sterling (England)	–	=

After a sensational season for Liverpool, Sterling has a few arts of his game that need to ironed out, but looks to be a real star of the future. He may not start for Roy Hodgson but his pace is a real weapon off the bench.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
7	Raphael Varane (Francia)	–	=

Has struggled with injuries this season but his talent is there for all to see. One of the best young players France can look to, he will be a key cog in Deschamps’ defence.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
8	Memphis Depay (Netherlands)	–	=

Louis van Gaal is a big believer in Depay’s abilties, having shown his technique, strength and speed for PSV. It’s hard to predict the Oranje line-up but he could be decisive as a substitute if he doesn’t start.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV.	DIFF.
9	Ross Barkley (England)	–	=

Barkley has blossomed since Roberto Martinez’s arrival at Everton and the stage is set for him to make a big impact in Brazil this summer. He has quality and creativity and shone during the friendlies. He could be a surprise star of the tournament.

POS.	PLAYER	PREV	DIFF.
10	Juan Quintero (Colombia)	–	=

The former Pescara star is trying to convince Jose Pekerman to give him a spot in midfield after a decent campaign at Porto. Quintero is creative and unpredictable and is competing for a midfield berth with Fredy Guarin.

THE OUTSIDERS: FROM 11th TO 20th

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