Arsenal 'lose out' on teenage Spanish striker Alvaro Morata

ARSENAL'S hopes of landing Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata appear to have gone the way of their reputation. According to Talksport the 19-year-old frontman caught the eye of Arsene Wenger after scoring 22 goals in 45 games for the Real Madrid B team and the Arsenal boss was reportedly looking to snap up the teenager as soon as possible.

Now Talksport claims that Morata would prefer to remain in Spain than risk signing for the gaffe-prone Gunners. Spanish outfit Sevilla are apparently in talks with Madrid to discuss a sale that would include a buy-back clause in any future deal.

Carlos Tevez's move to Paris Saint Germain appears to have hit the buffers after the French outfit failed to reach an agreement with Manchester City. French sports daily L'Equipe says that PSG were serious in their intent to buy the Argentine striker but it's proved impossible to strike a deal with the Sky Blues.

"We have ended the negotiations for Tevez," said PSG sporting director Leonardo. "There seemed to be an opportunity to sign him, and we studied it. However, in the end we couldn't reach an agreement, despite our good offer. We will not make any excessive offers, so we've ended talks. It's over."

No details were made public but it's believed PSG's failure to reach a deal with City will open the door for another offer from Inter Milan.

Werder Bremen midfielder Marko Marin is doing his best to distance himself from rumours linking him with a move to Tottenham. The German playmaker missed training with his club on Tuesday, fuelling speculation that he was on his way to London to talk terms with the Lilywhites. But Marin's agent has dismissed such talk as tittle-tattle. "Marko is in Bremen and has completed training," Fali Ramadani told German sports rag Kicker.

Elsewhere the Metro claims that Liverpool are in talks to sign FC Groningen striker David Texeira. It had been believed that Reds boss Kenny Dalglish was after Twente star Luuk de Jong but apparently the canny Scot isn't sure de Jong has what it takes to make a fist of it in the Premier League. Instead he's turned his attention to 20-year-old Uruguayan Texeira.

It's believed Liverpool will make an £8m offer for the youngster before the end of the month, although a complicated arrangement in place with Texeira's former club, Defensor Sporting, means that the fee will end up being closer to £10m. The Metro says that Liverpool will "sweeten the deal" by offering to visit Groningen to play a pre-season friendly next summer.

One of the more outlandish January deals could be the arrival in Brighton of Michael Owen. The Sun says that the Manchester United striker is being chased by the Championship club who see the former England frontman as the answer to their play-off prayers. Owen has never been a favourite of Alex Ferguson's since joining United in 2009 and a chance to help Brighton in their push to promotion could be just the ticket for the 32-year-old.

Finally, The Daily Telegraph quotes Mino Raiola, agent of Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, as saying the 21-year-old might leave England to escape further controversy. Balotelli, labelled 'Bonkers' because of his antics since arriving at Eastlands 18 months ago, is up on a violent conduct charge as the result of an alleged stamp against Tottenham's Scott Parker.

Railoa said: "I do not believe there is a persecution against Balotelli... but if I discover that there is something strange, I have a duty to protect him and take him away." ·