All the very latest football news across Europe!

Merseyside Police have arrested two men on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was seriously injured before Liverpool's Champions League game with Roma at Anfield on Tuesday night. A 53-year-old man is in a critical condition following the incident, which occurred outside the Albert Pub - close to Anfield's famous Kop Stand - where fans were gathering before kick-off of the semi-final first-leg match - skysports.com

Chelsea and Manchester United fans are coming together for an emotional tribute to Ray Wilkins, who died earlier this month, when they meet in the FA Cup final on 19th May - Daily Mirror

Arsenal believe they can convince former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique to succeed Arsene Wenger as their manager. The Gunners' head of football relations Raul Sanllehi worked with Enrique at the Nou Camp Daily Mirror

Despite being tipped as a potential successor to Arsene Wenger, it is unlikely that Ralf Rangnick would be tempted back in to full-time coaching. The RB Leipzig sporting director has a contract until 2021 - Bild (German tabloid publication)

Patrick Vieira says he would be "ready" if he got a call from Arsenal, who are searching for a new manager to take over from Arsene Wenger. But the former Arsenal captain stressed his former club have not been in contact and that he still has the 2018 MLS season to complete with New York City FC, having signed a three-year deal in 2016 - skysports.com

Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, another candidate to take over from Wenger at Arsenal, has been offered the Italy job - The Times

Carlo Ancelotti is set to become Italy's next national team manager but only because he has been snubbed by both Arsenal and Chelsea - Daily Star

Germany manager Joachim Low is reluctant to take over from Wenger at Arsenal as he is concerned he would be "burnt out" after his team's World Cup defence in Russia - The Times

Barcelona have sacked Gerard Lopez as coach of their B side. Barca B have lost their last five matches and are 21st place in the Segunda Division, two points from safety with six matches remaining. Lopez has been replaced by Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta - skysports.com

Manchester United will have to offer £40m plus Luke Shaw if they want to sign Tottenham left-back Danny Rose this summer - The Sun

As well as Rose, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho wants to sign a right-back in the summer - The Guardian

Heung-Min Son wants to play at the Asian Games, according to South Korea's U23 coach, which means the Tottenham forward could miss the start of the Premier League season. The final of the Games, which are being held in Indonesia, is on 1st September with the 2018/19 Premier League season kicking off on 11th August - skysports.com

Real Madrid will target the signing of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, 29, in the summer as a stop-gap in their long-term pursuit of Tottenham striker Harry Kane - The Sun

Gareth Bale has added to speculation that he could be leaving Real Madrid by saying it is “an honour” to be linked with Bayern Munich, who face each other in the semi-finals of the Champions League tonight - skysports.com

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's hopes of making England's World Cup squad were dealt a serious blow after the midfielder was stretchered off during Liverpool's Champions League semi-final first-leg win over Roma. The England international suffered what appeared to be a knee injury when tackling Aleksandar Kolarov in the 18th minute and received lengthy treatment on the pitch - skysports.com

Manchester City have no plans to sell defender John Stones, 23, and the England international is still part of manager Pep Guardiola's plans - Daily Telegraph

Guardiola wants to be reunited with Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta at Manchester City. The 33-year-old Spain international has also been linked with Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain and a move to China - AS (Spanish daily sports newspaper)

Manchester City have withdrawn their interest in Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Fred, paving the way for Manchester United to make a move - Daily Star

Leicester are lining up a move for Porto right-back Ricardo Pereira, 24. The Portugal international has a £36m release clause in his contract - Daily Mirror

Hector Bellerin has made the clearest indication yet that he has no plans to leave Arsenal after revealing he has asked to wear the number two shirt next season. Despite signing a new Gunners contract last season which runs until 2023, the Spaniard has been consistently linked with both Manchester United and Juventus in the British and foreign press - skysports.com and The Sun

Chelsea will resist offers for Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata this summer unless either player makes it clear they want to leave - Daily Telegraph

West Ham are poised to offer 19 year-old defender Declan Rice a new long-term contract - skysports.com

Stoke City will stick with manager Paul Lambert even if the club are relegated to the Championship, says chairman Peter Coates - skysports.com

Stoke City have cancelled their end-of-season awards dinner as they believe it would be "inappropriate" because of the team's struggles this season - Daily Telegraph

Championship winners Wolves want to sign Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala, 27, and would have no problem meeting the Frenchman's £85,000-a-week wages - The Sun

Tottenham are in talks over a new deal with England youth international full-back Kyle Walker-Peters, 21 - ESPN

RB Leipzig are targeting Tottenham teenager Reo Griffiths, who has scored more than 30 goals for the club's youth teams this season - Daily Mirror

Dylan Levitt has signed a professional contract with Manchester United. The Wales Under-19 international midfielder has impressed for the Under-18 Premier League North champions this season - skysports.com

Argentine top-flight leaders Boca Juniors want to sign Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 40, whose contract at Juventus expires at the end of the season - Radio Continental via ESPN

Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor is likely to sign a pre-contract agreement to join Rangers this summer. Nothing has been agreed, but the 36-year-old, who is out of contract this summer, could be set to return to the club he played for between 2001 and 2012 - sksports.com and Daily Mail

Rangers have suffered an Old Firm hammer blow after keeper Wes Foderingham was ruled out of Sunday's potential title decider - Daily Record

The Best Footballers NOT going to the 2014 World Cup!

On Wednesday night the thirty-second and final remaining place for the 2014 World Cup finals in Rio was secured by Uruguay. Earlier in the day Mexico completed the formalities of defeating New Zealand and so the teams heading to Brazil were confirmed.

However some high profile teams will be missing next summer at one of the biggest sporting events in the world including the likes of Sweden, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia and Denmark. Along with these missing teams there are some tremendously talented players who will also absent from footballs greatest global stage.


GK: Petr Cech - (Czech Republic)
Chelsea’s stalwart will not be adding to his 105 caps for Czech Republic this summer as Cech misses out on his second World Cup in succession. Cech played in every minute of his nation's group stage qualifying campaign but was unable to secure their place in Brazil. The Chelsea shot-stopper conceded nine goals in ten matches as his side finished third in the group. However at 31 Cech should not give up hope of featuring in Russia 2018. The giant goalkeeper remains a vital player for club and country.

RB: Lukasz Piszczek - (Poland)
Borussia Dortmund's marauding full-back (right) misses out. The Pole loves to gallop forward and is great in doing so. It's a shame we will not see this mans bursting runs forward in Brazil. Piszczek scored twice in qualifying but could not help Poland out of England’s group.

CB: Daniel Agger - (Denmark)
Denmark's leading scorer during World Cup qualifying, Agger (extreme right) was incredibly unlucky not to make the World Cup, with his side the only country to finish second in their qualifying group and miss out on a play-off spot.

CB: Branislav Ivanovic - (Serbia)
The Chelsea defender was one of only two players to take the field in every one of Serbia's matches during qualifying but his side performed poorly, missing out on a play-off place to rivals Croatia

LB: David Alaba - (Austria)
Placed in a qualifying group alongside Germany and Sweden, the Bayern Munich full-back was unable to guide Austria to their first World Cup since 1998 - although he contributed more than most, leading the goalscoring ranks with six strikes.

DM: Nemanja Matic - (Serbia)
The Benfica midfielder only returned to the international fold in September after a lengthy absence but will be missed in Brazil. Last season's Primera Liga 'Player of the Year' has established himself as one of Europe’s most impressive combative midfielders.

LM: Gareth Bale - (Wales)
Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes and Ian Rush never managed to play in a major international tournament and the world's most expensive footballer will not feature in Rio, but the 24 year-old has time on his side. He will be focusing on helping Wales qualify for The 2016 UEFA European Championships, which will be held in France.

RM: Arda Turan - (Turkey)
Turan is one of Atletico Madrid’s prized assets, having made his move to Spain from Galatasaray in 2011. The 26-year-old is also a very influential member of the Turkey squad, creating 29 chances for his Turkish teammates in qualifying. Turan also has 13 goals in his international career to date.

AM: Marek Hamsik - (Slovakia)
Napoli midfielder Hamsik is most definitely the name that catches the eye when scanning the Slovakia squad. Hamsik has attracted a lot of attention across Europe and is another key name that will be missing out on the World Cup in 2014, after Slovakia finished well behind Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece in qualifying.

ST: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Currently leading the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with nine goals in 12 games, Lewandowski (right) could only help his nation finish fourth in England's qualifying group.

ST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
The mercurial Swede, famed for his spectacular goals as well as his outrageous comments, did his bit in the play-off against Portugal, scoring twice but he could not haul a below par Swedish side to the finals.


Other noticeable absentees:

Gylfi Sigurdsson - (Iceland) Iceland's fairytale came to an end with a 2-0 play-off defeat against Croatia, which means the Tottenham midfielder will not make his debut at a World Cup finals.

Aaron Ramsey - (Wales) The Arsenal star has improved beyond recognition this season and now boast statistics to rival any midfielder in Europe. It would have been fascinating to see if Ramsey could replicate his stunning club form on the world stage in Brazil.

Christian Eriksen - (Denmark) The Denmark midfielder (right) is yet to make his mark in the Premier League this season, but he created more goalscoring chances than any other player in the Eredivisie (Dutch League) with Ajax last season.

Andriy Yarmalenko - (Ukraine) Yarmolenko can play as a winger or as a centre-forward. The 24 year-old plays his club football for Dynamo Kiev and has an excellent goal scoring record for both club and country.

Henrik Mkhitaryan - (Armenia) The Borussia Dortmund maestro has impressed in the Bundesliga this season but remains hampered at the international level by one of Europe's weaker teams. Mkhitaryan played every minute of qualifying and inspired impressive results like the 2-2 draw against Italy in Naples, but it wasn't enough.

Neven Subotić - (Serbia) Subotić has dazzled for Borussia Dortmund, but his national team didn't cut the mustard. To add to his woes it was recently confirmed he will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

Stevan Jovetic - (Montenegro)
Montenegro have risen rapidly since they gained independence in 2008 and Manchester City's £22million forward has been a key player during that time.

Matija Nastasic - (Serbia)
The third Serbian defender on this list, it is a wonder how they do not have a better defensive record, but at 20 years of age Nastasic still has plenty of time ahead of him to make it to a World Cup.

Under the radar - Rising stars to look out for at Euro 2012

The UEFA European Football Championships is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA, and has been held every four years since 1960.
In all, 27 nations have appeared at least once in the final tournament. Of these, only twelve have made it to the final, and nine of them have won it at least once. With three titles, Germany is the most successful European Championship team. Both Spain and France have won the tournament twice, with Spain the current holders. No team has ever won consecutive titles.

The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012, will be the 14th European Championship of its kind. The finals will be hosted by Poland and the Ukraine between the 8th June and the 1st July 2012. It is the first time that either nation has hosted the tournament.

With the Euro 2012 tournament now only days away it would be easy to select a world-beating squad of stars appearing at Euro 2012. No doubt the likes of Casillas, Buffon, Lahm, Cole, Ramos, Sneijder, van der Vaart, Schweinsteiger, Pirlo, Xavi, Robben, Ozil, Benzema, Van Persie, Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo would be among some of the first names on any team sheet.

However, dig a little deeper and there's a whole host of new talent that could emerge at this summer's European Championships. Here's the Beer, Footy and Birds guide of 'rising stars' to watch out for at the Championships. These players will be hoping to make a significant impression on the big stage in Poland and the Ukraine.

Lukas Piszczek (Poland)
Current club: Borussia Dortmund / Position: Defender
Age: 27 / International debut: Feb 2007 v. Estonia

Originally a right-winger or striker, the Polish internationals career has really taken off since switching to right-back during the 2009-10 season whilst at Hertha Berlin. Since Borussia Dortmund signed the Pole on a three-year deal in May 2010 his career has continued to flourish. Piszczek (right) has missed just three league games in two seasons since moving to Borussia Dortmund, winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles, alongside fellow internationals Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski, who have all featured heavily for Dortmund. His attacking prowess saw him score four times and provide seven assists for Dortmund, and he will be pivotal to the co-hosts chances of progressing in what looks like a very open group featuring Russia, Greece and the Czech Republic.

Igor Akinfeev (Russia)
Current club: CSKA Moscow / Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 26 / International debut: April 2004 v. Norway

A regular starter for CSKA Moscow since he was 17, Akinfeev is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and the constant subject of big-money transfer rumours. Akinfeev is captain of CSKA and has helped his club win numerous trophies including the UEFA Cup, three Russian Premier League titles and the Russian Cup on five occasions. He was at his best at Euro 2008 when he posted two shutouts and helped Russia reach the semi-finals.

Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
Current club: Ajax / Position Midfield
Age: 20 / International debut: March 2010 v. Austria

The Danish star is one of the brightest prospects in Europe, making up for his slight build with his imaginative and creative play in the centre of midfield. A product of the revered Ajax academy, Christian Eriksen has been closely watched for a few years now. He has helped Ajax to back to back Dutch league titles and was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and Danish Footballer of the Year in 2011. Linked with big money moves to a variety of Premier League sides, should he have a successful tournament it's almost inevitable he will be on the move this summer, despite being contracted to Ajax until 2014

Kevin Strootman (Netherlands)
Current club: PSV Eindhoven / Position: Midfield
Age: 22 / International debut: Feb 2011 v. Austria

PSV Eindhoven's 22-year-old captain Kevin Strootman (right) has become the lynchpin of PSV’s midfield since joining in June 2011 from FC Utrecht, in a joint deal with Dries Mertens for 13 million Euros. He started out playing just off the striker as at Sparta Rotterdam but has since flourished in a deeper role, He has been called 'the new Roy Keane' in some quarters, having quickly established himself as a key player for both club and country. Strootman is vying with Manchester City's Nigel de Jong for a starting role, having only made his debut in February 2011. The classy midfielder has been linked with a big money summer move, with both the Milan clubs and Manchester United just three of the sides hoping to secure the signature of the Dutchman.

Yann M’Vila (France)
Current club: Rennes / Position: Defensive Midfielder
Age: 21 / International debut: Aug 2010 v. Norway

The Rennes holding midfielder has played for France at every youth level before making an accomplished senior debut in Laurent Blanc's first game in charge, against Norway. He was a regular in France’s Euro 2012 qualifying group, which saw them lose only one of their ten group games. Known for his all-action style of play, he has been described as a player with excellent defensive abilities who is often instrumental in building-up attacks from the back. He boasts a fantastic work-rate, and is robust in the challenge with his impressive physical strength. M’Vila was awarded a place in the French Ligue 1 team of the year for the 2010-12 season.

Rasmus Elm (Sweden)
Current club: AZ Alkmaar / Position: Midfield
Age: 24 / International debut: March 2011 v. Moldova

Elm (right) has been dogged by injuries in recent years. However, in the past season he has been lauded by fans and press alike, and Euro 2012 might be the former Sweden U19 captain’s chance to shine on the international stage.
Plying his trade with Dutch Eredivise side AZ Alkmaar Elm made 36 appearances for AZ this season and netted 13 goals. Elm and AZ are thought to have agreed terms with Liverpool and it is likely the 24 year-old could join up with the Anfield outfit after the tournament for a fee reported to be in the region of £8 million.

Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine)
Current club: Dynamo Kiev / Position: Midfield or Forward
Age: 22 / International debut: Sept 2009 v. Andorra

Should Andriy Shevchenko's fitness problems prevent him from making an impact, his Dynamo Kiev team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko may be the best alternative. The talented 22-year-old is capable of playing up front but it is on the left of a front three where he truly thrives, as his blend of pace, power and exceptional close control prove to be a devastating mixture. Yarmolenko scored on his full international debut against Andorra in 2009, but still took part at this summer's European Under-21 Championships in order to gain tournament experience.

Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Current club: Borrusia Dortmund / Position: Forward
Age: 23 / International debut: Sept 2008 v. San Marino

Poland's outstanding player and biggest goal threat, Robert Lewandowski arrives at Euro 2012 in the form of his life. He was voted the Bundesliga's Player of the Year for 2011-12 after firing Borussia Dortmund to the domestic double. His hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the German Cup final took his tally to 30 goals in all competitions (plus eight assists). His form and fitness are absolutely critical to Poland's chances - they have no other forward in his class. Lewandowski, who usually plays as a lone striker for club and country, was given his international debut in a World Cup qualifier in 2008, and took just nine minutes to get on the scoresheet.

Mario Götze (Germany)
Current club: Borussia Dortmund / Position: Attack Midfield
Age: 20 / International debut: Nov 2010 v. Sweden

Although Germany have midfield talent in abundance, Mario Gotze’s spellbinding performances for Borussia Dortmund, helping them to a second consecutive Bundesliga title, will further bolster Germany’s claim to be among the tournament favourites. Götze (right) a product of Dortmund's youth academy has quick feet, flawless technical skills and endlessly creativity. As a 17-year-old in his debut season with Borussia Dortmund, he contributed 5 goals and 15 assists as they won the Bundesliga title during the 2010-11 season and he’s retained the trophy with them again during 2011/12. Despite missing a sizable chunk of last season due to a hip injury, he was still able to score 5 times and set up 5 for his team-mates in a mere 15 league appearances. He also became the country’s joint youngest ever goalscorer when he netted against Brazil in August 2011, aged 19 years and 68 days old and you can be sure he will be eyeing equally as big scalps this summer. With the attacking midfield flair of Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil, and Lucas Podolski at his disposal, it will be interesting to see how German manager Joachim Loew will accommodate the youngster into an already star studded midfield.