VfB Stuttgart have confirmed that they turned down a Bundesliga record bid of €25 million from Bayern Munich for star striker Mario Gomez…

The powerful striker has had sensational back-to-back seasons with Stuttgart and has been linked with clubs all around Europe, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan and Roma.

However, a poor Euro 2008 - his first showing on the big stage - cooled much interest from around Europe, but Bayern Munich remained in the hunt to lure yet another striker to the Allianz Arena, where they already have Lucas Podolski, Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

Bayern have inisted that they are not yet out of the hunt and will swoop for Super Mario next year. Stuttgart, meanwhile, are satisfied to have maintained their stance.

“We didn’t want any team’s money,” said Stuttgart manager Horst Heldt. “We wanted to keep Germany’s player of the year.”

Ref From Hans Schmidt, Goal.com

Francesco Totti has warned Roma they must buy at least two more star players to hope of competing for the top three places.

“John Arne Riise and Simone Loria are two excellent reinforcements, but now I expect another two signings of great quality,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If we want to compete with Inter, Milan and Juventus, we need at least two more important players. At the moment, we are the fourth strongest side in Serie A.”

While those two have been brought in from Liverpool and Siena respectively, Roma have also sold Amantino Mancini, Ludovic Giuly and Matteo Ferrari.

It is particularly galling to lose Mancini to rivals Inter just a year after Cristian Chivu made the same journey.

“Inter are trying to strengthen their side by weakening ours. They have the capabilities to cherry-pick from other clubs, while it is more difficult for us.”

Transfer gossip has them very close to capturing Brazilian hitman Julio Baptista from Real Madrid, although there are also rumours that Jose Antonio Reyes is on his way from Atletico Madrid.

“I like Baptista and hope he does come to Roma, but we need another reinforcement after that.”

The transfer market could make a sharp turn for the Giallorossi after it was announced this morning that Italpetroli – the Sensi family’s company that owns Roma – have agreed to extend the terms of their loan with UniCredit.

This means more cash is freed up in the short-term to spend on new players.

“We will try to repeat our past success and aim for something more important than the Coppa Italia,” said the captain.

“The fact the Champions League Final will be played in Rome is an event that for my generation won’t return again. It is our objective, even more so than the Scudetto.”

The last time this match was hosted by the Italian capital was in 1984, when Liverpool and Bruce Grobbelaar’s ‘spaghetti legs’ saw off the Giallorossi in a shoot-out.

“I was eight years old. I watched it on television with my whole family. I remember Roberto Pruzzo’s goal and the silence during the penalties. Rome was mute.”

Ref From channel4.com

Italy boss Marcello Lippi has backed Inter to win the Scudetto and outlined his strategy to restore glory to the Azzurri.

There’s a fascinating Serie A campaign in prospect as Inter look to maintain their grasp on the crown but face a fight from Milan, Roma and Juventus.

However, Lippi has great respect for the Nerazzurri’s new boss Jose Mourinho and thinks the Portuguese man can deliver the silverware,

“I believe Inter will win the Scudetto again because I really like the Coach that Massimo Moratti has brought in,” Lippi told Tg5.

“Mourinho is a closed person, but when all the players speak so highly of a boss it means that he has sowed the seeds correctly.”

Lippi will be watching the new campaign with eager interest having been charged with the task of building another winning Italy side ahead of World Cup 2010.

“I want to rebuild a winning group and lots of the players who were at Euro 2008 will be there,” the 60-year-old said.

“I need to choose intelligent players who know how important it is to be a compact unit with united goals and to be playing for one another. Those were the qualities that allowed us to win the World Cup.”

Ref From channel4.com