Afternoon Report: 30 January

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has said the door is still open for Victor Valdes to sign a new contract. The 31-year-old goalkeeper is expected to leave the club, after revealing he will not extend his current deal. [ESPN]

Roberto Mancini admitted he was sad to see Mario Balotelli quit Manchester City. The Italian striker has returned to Serie 'A', joining AC Milan in a deal worth £22m.  [Daily Mirror]

Arsenal look set to miss out on Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff. The France international is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid. [Daily Star]

Lewis Holtby has revealed he was always keen to join Tottenham straight away after agreeing to sign for the club. An agreement was reached for a summer switch, but Spurs paid £1.5m to bring that transfer forward. [tottenhamhotspur.com]

Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to recall Robin Van Persie, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic for the visit of Southampton tonight. The Manchester United boss rested the key trio for the FA Cup tie against Fulham last weekend. [Daily Mirror]

Rafa Benitez has admitted Chelsea's squad is thin on the ground, but he does not expect to do any more business in the transfer window. And the Blues boss revealed Petr Cech and David Luiz will both miss Chelsea's visit to Reading this evening.