Fabregas is not leaving Arsenal, insists Wenger

So the Big Day has arrived but as far as Arsene Wenger is concerned right now it's divorce and not marriage occupying his thoughts. The Gunners' boss is insisting there'll be no parting of the ways this summer between him and Cesc Fabregas.

Talking to reporters on Thursday Wenger rubbished reports that the 23-year-old Spaniard is on his way out of the Emirates once this season has run its course. "We are not in the transfer market and we do not want to sell our players," fumed Wenger. "The players that have contracts will stay here unless we decide otherwise. We want to keep our best players."

Yet even as Wenger was confidently declaring Fabregas's fidelity, Italian rag Corriere dello Sport claimed that Inter Milan were clearing the decks in order to welcome Fabregas into the fold.  

Apparently three of the club's biggest names - Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder and goalkeeper Julio Cesar – will be shipped out in the summer and the money raised from their sale used to pay Arsenal £35m for Fabregas.

Though it's Barcelona that have been constantly linked with a move for Fabregas, Corriere dello Sport report that in fact the midfield maestro will opt for Inter because he's unsure how much game time he would get in Barcelona's superstar XI.

If the Gunners do separate from Fabregas in the summer, then might FC Koln striker Lukas Podolski be bought with the proceeds? That's what the German daily Bild says, adding that the 25-year-old frontman is also popular with Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.

Asked by Bild what his plans were, Podolski replied somewhat enigmatically: "If it's up to me, I'll still be here next season... [but] without wanting to sound arrogant, I could succeed at a big European club, in England or Spain."

Podolski has every right to sound a touch arrogant: still only 25, he's scored 42 goals in 84 appearances for Germany, including a strike against England in last year's World Cup, but it's alleged he's grown tired of Koln's inability to hold on to a coach. Though AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund have also been mentioned as suitors, Podolski is believed to favour a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal his preferred destination.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has dismissed as fanciful reports that  Joe Cole might be on the brink of leaving Anfield after one injury-hit season. Talksport quoted Dalglish saying of the 29-year-old midfielder: "Joe has been fantastic since he has come here. His dedication and application on the training pitch has been superb... you would be insulting the boy to ask if he had the necessary desire. We couldn't have asked for any more of him in training."

Meanwhile the Reds are one of the clubs apparently in the mix for Schalke winger Jefferson Farfan. The Peruvian winger has caught the eye of several clubs this season during the German club's surprise run to the semi-finals of the Champions League and it's looking increasingly like a shootout between Liverpool, Roma and AC Milan for his services.

In an interview with Italian website calciomercatoweb.it, the player's agent, Raul Gonzalez, said: "Jefferson is under contract at Schalke until 2015 so if there is really a team interested in him they will first have to get in touch with the officials of Schalke and then after that they could have a conversation with us."

In other news, the Sun says that Spurs have big plans for Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan. Apparently Harry Redknapp is a fan of the former Rennes frontman and believes he can add some ballast to the Lilywhites' strikeforce. Though there have been no formal negotiations between the two clubs, the paper says that the 25-year-old Ghanaian - who's scored 11 goals in 30 games - is keen to swap Tyneside for Tottenham. ·