Ballack: Liverpool Main Title Threat Not United

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German International Michael Ballack has claimed that it is Liverpool and not Premier League Champions Manchester United, who pose the biggest threat to Chelsea’s title aspirations this season.

32-year-old Ballack had felt that the Red Devils were the main opposition to Chelsea bringing a 3rd Premiership title back to Stamford Bridge in five-years, but now believes that it is Rafa Benitez’s Reds side that will provide the main challenge to the Blues for the Premier League crown, come what May.

Ballack said: “A few weeks ago I was sure United were our strongest opponents.

“But now I think Liverpool are a major threat.

“They have shown in the past few games that they have the character to deal with being top of the league.

“They struggled in one or two games but even then we couldn’t get back on top.

“They deserve to be first and the teams behind have to wait for them to drop points or for teams in and around them to play each other. But they have shown they can handle pressure.”

Chelsea are just four-points clear of United and four behind leaders Liverpool as they face the European Champions at Old Trafford on Sunday, but United do have two games in hand.

'Little Kaka' In The Dark About United Move

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Partizan Belgrade starlet Adem Ljajic, who is known as ‘Little Kaka’ in Serbia has revealed that he is in the dark about a potential move to Premier League Champions Manchester United.

17-year-old Ljajic had been reportedly on the brink of a move to Old Trafford in January, when the transfer window reopens having already had a trial at the Premiership club recently.

Ljajic was understood to be heading to the Red Devils in a £9million deal that included team-mate midfielder Zoran Tosic, who has a hearing on Friday to see if he will be granted a work permit, which would allow Tosic to sign for the European Champions.

It is believed that the fee of £9million has already been agreed with officials at Partizan. However, Ljajic has revealed that he is in the dark about any switch to United and has insisted that his focus remains solely on playing for Partizan.

“I really don't know anything about it,” said Ljajic.

“Of course, I like the stories of me going to United, but the most important thing for me right now is Partizan.

“I concentrate only on the games and try to give my best for the team.”

Ljajic has already broken through into the Partizan Belgrade first-team and is already an Under-21 International, scoring on his debut, with La Liga Champions Real Madrid also reportedly interested in the Serbian along with the Red Devils and Arsenal.

Man United Set To Raid Spurs Again In January?

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Premier League Champions Manchester United are set to make another raid on Tottenham Hotspur in January, with Welsh International Gareth Bale the target, according to The Daily Mail.

19-year-old Bale only arrived at Spurs last in 2007 from Championship side Southampton, but his ability to play either as a left-back or further up the field has attracted the attention of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who could make a move for the Welshman as early as January.

Should the European Champions follow up their reported interest in January then new Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is likely to want to make a considerable profit on the £10million the North London club paid Southampton. With it believed that Redknapp has already started sounding out possible alternatives for Bale should he decide to make the move from White Hart Lane to Old Trafford.

However, Tottenham are likely to resist any move for Bale by United, having already seen England International Michael Carrick move to the Red Devils in 2006 and more recently star-striker Dimitar Berbatov this summer.

Bale has only made 16 league appearances for Tottenham since his move from Southampton due to a series of injuries and had to sit out most of the last Premiership season, but is under contract at White Hart Lane until 2012, having signed a new four-year deal in August.

Spurs Chief Levy: Berbatov Refused To Play & Showed No Respect

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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has blasted former player Dimitar Berbatov, with the Spurs chief claiming that the Bulgarian International twice refused to play for the North London club as he tried to engineer a move to Manchester United.

Berbatov, finally got his wish to leave White Hart Lane for Old Trafford on transfer deadline day in a £30.75million deal that saw Frazier Campbell come the other way on loan, but levy insists that Berbatov’s refusal to play in the Premier League matches against Sunderland and Chelsea had “a detrimental affect” on the Tottenham dressing room.

“We had a player who had refused to play two games for us, having a detrimental affect on the dressing-room,” said Levy.

“We'd known for a year that the player had wanted out of this club."

Berbatov was a £10.9million signing from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in 2006, with Levy claiming that Berbatov had wanted to leave for the European Champions since 2007 after an outstanding debut season in the Premiership.

"We were very disappointed,” Levy said.

“Dimitar Berbatov was a player who we brought to this club at a time when Man Utd were interested in him.

“He made a conscious decision to come to this club, we invested a lot of money, nobody had ever heard of Dimitar Berbatov when we bought him.

“A year later with 10 days to go to the end of the window he tells us he wants to leave to go to Manchester United.”

Levy also believes that Berbatov’s conduct throughout the whole transfer saga, showed contempt for Spurs and that the Bulgarian didn’t treat Tottenham with the respect it deserved after putting Berbatov on the map.

“I don't think he treated this club with the respect that we honestly deserved," Levy continued.

“We put him on the map, I think he's an outstanding player, but he signed a long-term contract with this club and I think he should have stayed.

“I had so many conversations with him. He kept saying it was about his ambition to play for Manchester United. It wasn't a money issue. We offered him a new contract and he wasn't even interested in discussing it.”