Carlos Cuellar has completed his move to Aston Villa from Rangers, signing a four-year contract…

The defender earned himself a prestigious reputation in Europe last season with some heroic performances for Rangers as they battled their way to the UEFA Cup final.

The Spaniard, who was unfortunate to miss out on making the Euro 2008 winning squad, is manager Martin O’Neill’s sixth signing of the summer.

The fee is as yet undisclosed, but rumoured to be in the region of £6-7 million, with the 26-year-old set to start the season in the centre of defence alongside Martin Laursen.

The die-hard defender had only recently declared he was happy at Ibrox, but the Gers’ embarrassing elimination from Europe against Kaunas in the preliminary qualifiers is likely to have swayed his decision.

Though he has fond memories of his former club, he is already looking forward to playing in what he proclaims the best league in the world, adding that he is hoping for some silverware as well as a call-up to Spain.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Cuellar said: “I’m joining a big club in the Premier League. This is the best league in the world and last year Villa did very well. They play very good football and had a fantastic season. So I am very happy to come here with the opportunity of playing in the Premier League.

“We are also playing in Europe this season, so that will be good.

“I watched Villa last season and Martin O’Neill is a very good coach. He plays exciting, attacking football and I am excited to be here.

“I follow Premier League football because at the moment I think it is the best in the world, so it is good to play my football here.

“The football here is very offensive and the most honest in Europe. Players here are strong and it is a very difficult league.

“My ambition is to play for my country and I think with Aston Villa I will have that possibility. Every player wants to play international football and that is my aim.

“I won the Scottish Cup with Rangers last season and it would be nice to win a trophy with Aston Villa here in England. We have a very good team and could get some trophies.

“The UEFA Cup run with Rangers last season was a fantastic experience, even though we lost the final. It was an amazing experience and playing in a European final was a great moment in my career.

“Maybe I could do even better at Villa this season. It would be very good to have a good run in this competition.”

Ref From Brian O’Ryan, Goal.com

The Gareth Barry transfer saga continues with Liverpool releasing an official statement on their club website claiming that the price tag Aston Villa have placed on Barry is out of their reach.

The proposed transfer of the Villa captain to Liverpool looks set to become the longest running transfer saga of the summer. Yet, whilst the latest statement from Liverpool suggests a deal will not be done, there are likely to be further twists and turns before the end transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The latest twist stems from the club’s website which has posted an official statement explaining Liverpool’s stance on the matter.

In the statment Chief Executive Rick Parry states that, despite speculation to the opposite, the club’s American owners and manager Rafael Benitez are not at odds over the deal. Instead, he reveals that the club simply feels that the price tag Villa have slapped on Barry is unrealistic.

“There has been a lot of comment regarding our position with regards to Gareth Barry,” states Parry in the official statement, “This is not about questioning the manager’s judgment or the ability of a particular player. The owners have clearly demonstrated throughout the year they are willing to back Rafa in the transfer market and will continue to do so.”

Whilst Liverpool have been happy to spend £20 million on bringing Robbie Keane to Anfield from Tottenham, they appear unwilling to spend £18 million on Barry, despite reportedly having the funds available.

To confuse matters further, Liverpool have also been linked with an £18 million for David Silva today, which will only add fuel to an already burning fire.

The Liverpool statement however, appears to confirm that a deal for Barry is now unlikely as the Anfield club appear unwilling to meet Villa’s price tag. It states: “It is obviously the selling club’s prerogative to put whatever price they want on the player, but on this occasion Liverpool think the price quoted is too high.”

Despite the statement, Martin O’Neill is unlikely to drop his price for Barry, and with the midfielder reportedly desperate to quit Villa Park for Anfield, the saga looks set to continue for some time yet.

Ref From Gill Clark - goal.com

Andy Johnson has finally completed his long-awaited move from Everton to Fulham for a fee in the region of £10 million, according to Sky Sports News. He has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage…

The striker is thought to have wanted a move back to London for personal reasons.

He had his medical over a week ago but, due to Fulham’s notoriously strict policies and fears over an old injury, it has taken until today for a new fee to be agreed in light of the injury risk and the deal has now been completed.

Everton manager David Moyes was eager to hold onto the former Crystal Palace hit-man and insisted he would not be sold to finance a move for Joao Moutinho or Diego Milito.

He later revealed that Johnson was the one who in fact had his heart set on leaving the club and Fulham were determined to secure his services as something of a replacement for fan favourite Brian McBride, who returned to his native United States at the end of last season.

The 27-year-old has been a little less than prolific for the Toffees since signing for £8.6 million in 2006, but the club have nevertheless made a sizeable profit in their sale to Fulham, as the fee is due to rise as high as £13 million based on appearances.

The initial deal was to present the cash up front, but concerns over an old injury revealed by Fulham’s stringent medical examinations resulted in a week of renegotiation over the transfer fee, which Fulham were determined to cut considerably and make contingent on the player making a certain number of appearances.

Johnson is Fulham’s twelfth signing of the summer, as Roy Hodgson looks to entirely restructure his squad in order to push up towards mid-table following last season’s dramatic last day escape from the drop.

Johnson has been capped eight times for England, but has yet to score.

Ref From Chet Winter, Goal.com