Thursday transfer clockwatch

23.10 Thursday is drawing to a close but it has been another busy day of transfer activity and there promises to be more excitement in store tomorrow. Join skysports.com in the morning to keep up to date with all the developments and breaking news.

23.00 Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs has declared his intention to try and re-sign Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea.

22.23 Sky Sports News are leading their hourly bulletins with the news that bookmakers have slashed their odds on Michael Owen joining Manchester United. It is reported this evening that tentative talks have taken place between the striker's representatives and Old Trafford officials.

22.05 Real Madrid have confirmed they will no longer pursue David Villa after clinching a deal for Karim Benzema.

21.42 Chesterfield duo Gregor Robertson and Jack Lester have signed new deals to stay with the club.

21.20 Owen Coyle expects Steven Fletcher to justify his transfer fee after arriving at Burnley for £3million.

21.00 Stephen Ireland has expressed his delight at the way Manchester City have strengthened their squad this summer but admitted that competition for places will now be fierce.

20.38 Bordeaux defender Souleymane Diawara is on the brink of moving to Ligue 1 rivals Marseille.

20.16 Barnet have announced that they are close to finalising a deal for Swindon striker Jake Hyde.

20.07 Watford have allowed Tommy Smith to speak to an unnamed club after accepting a bid of £1.8million.

19.38 Our dedicated Transfer Centre gives you all the details you will need on what has happened so far this summer and you can check out the individual activity of every club or look at the completed deals in each league. If you want to know about the latest rumours and gossip, then head for our Paper Talk feature, where you can let us know of any whispers you have heard. Finally, the Sky Sports Scout gives you the lowdown on the hottest emerging talent in the global game.

18.56 Shrewsbury have bolstered their ranks by bringing in Lewis Neal on a two-year deal.

18.22 Skysports.com understands that Cardiff are set to win the race for in-demand Walsall defender Anthony Gerrard.

17.55 Watford have recruited Danny Graham on a two-year deal following his departure from Carlisle.

17.30 Chelsea have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Ross Turnbull on a free transfer from Middlesbrough. Turnbull has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

17.23 Bayern Munich executive chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is unconcerned by Franck Ribery's demand to join Real Madrid.

17.12 Roy Keane has strengthened his Ipswich squad with the acquisition of Damien Delaney from Queens Park Rangers.

17.10 Goalkeeper Joe Murphy has signed a new one-year deal, with the option of a second, at Scunthorpe after he rejected offers from a number of Premier League sides.

17.05 Lincoln City and Yeovil Town are waiting for Peterborough United striker Rene Howe to make a decision on his future.

16.57 Peterborough United midfielder Sergio Torres is determined to prove to manager Darren Ferguson that he has a future at London Road.

16.43 Tony Mowbray has announced that Paul Hartley and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink are to leave Celtic after their contracts came to an end.

16.38 Reports in South Wales claim Cardiff City are set to sign Anthony Gerrard from Walsall. Scunthorpe United had a bid rejected for the defender earlier on Thursday, and he has now due to agree personal terms and undergo a medical with Cardiff.

16.32 Former Brentford youngster Darius Charles' agent has told skysports.com that the Ebbsfleet United defender is the subject of an enquiry from a League Two club.

16.17 Valencia president Manuel Llorente has dismissed suggestions that the club are in negotiations with Barcelona over selling David Villa.

16.12 Coventry City midfielder Kevin Thornton has left the Championship club by mutual consent.

16.06 Serbia international Nemanja Vidic's agent has hit out at reports that the Manchester United defender could leave at Old Trafford.

15.56 Notts County have completed the signing of midfielder Ben Davies from Shrewsbury Town on a three-year deal.

15.53 Nottingham Forest have agreed an undisclosed fee to sign Lee Camp on a four-year contract from Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers.

15.44 Tranmere Rovers striker Ian Moore has signed a new two-year contract to stay at Prenton Park.

15.40 Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is keen to conclude a deal for Lee Bowyer and bring in further midfield reinforcements.

15.36 Uefa president Michel Platini admits he is 'embarrassed' by the amount of money changing hands in the transfer market although he insists he is powerless to stop it.

15.33 Watford manager Malky MacKay insists he is not looking to cash in on Tommy Smith this summer after receiving two bids for the striker, one of which was from Reading.

15.30 Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde is remaining tight-lipped over his Swansea future having already infuriated new boss Paulo Sousa after failing to return for pre-season training.

15.20 Fulham have confirmed defender Moritz Volz has left the club following the conclusion of his contract.

15.11 Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere has signed a new long-term contract at Emirates Stadium.

15.10 Crystal Palace have completed the signing of midfielder Darren Ambrose on a two-year contract following his release by Charlton Athletic.

15.06 Crystal Palace are considering moves for former Charlton winger Jerome Thomas and Fulham striker Eddie Johnson and have handed youngster Matthew Wright a one-year deal.

15.03 Wolves have succeeded in their appeal to win a work permit for Serbia international midfielder Nenad Milijas.

14.54 Sky Bet has revealed there has been a major plunge on Michael Owen joining Manchester United on a free transfer. His odds on moving to Old Trafford have been cut from 20/1 to 7/4, with Sky Bet's Mike Triffitt saying: "With Real Madrid hoovering up several high profile targets, United are running out of options to fill the void left by the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez and Owen is a cheap option. We've had a steady stream of bets on free agent Owen joining United today. A move to United should suit Owen, who wants to get back into the England squad and will feel he has a better chance with a higher profile club."

14.43 Republic of Ireland winger Alan O'Brien has entered talks with Swindon Town after leaving Hibernian earlier this week, skysports.com understands.

14.32 Celtic boss Tony Mowbray says he is in the dark on which club Marc-Antoine Fortune will be playing for this season. Mowbray signed the striker for West Brom last term, but he is also wanted by Fulham, Hull and Portsmouth.

14.13 Claude Puel insists that Karim Benzema wanted to stay at Lyon for another season but he could not turn down the offer of a six-year deal at Real Madrid.

13.57 Derby County boss Nigel Clough has confirmed he is ready to make new offers for Blackpool defender Shaun Barker and Crewe Alexandra full-back John Brayford.

13.44 Ivory Coast striker Boubacar Sanogo does not want to return to Werder Bremen after being linked with a move to Toulouse.

13.39 Paris St Germain will not break the bank to bring France international midfielder Patrick Vieira to the Parc des Princes.

13.26 Spanish winger Aaron is keen to establish himself at Rangers after rejecting the chance to return to Valencia.

13.23 Scunthorpe United midfielder Kevan Hurst has pledged his future to the club by signing a new two-year contract.

13.11 Experienced winger Glen Little is hoping to make the most of his fortnight on trial at Sheffield United.

13.01 Darlington boss Colin Todd has brought in 10 new players with the Quakers starting from scratch ahead of the new season.

12.48 Carlisle United boss Greg Abbott has revealed Michael Bridges has turned down the club's contract offer.

12.28 Brian Laws feels Sheffield Wednesday are a 'step closer' to signing Darren Potter on a permanent basis from Wolves.

12.14 Accrington Stanley are hoping to complete a deal for former Shrewsbury Town striker Michael Symes.

12.11 Speculation continues to link Aston Villa with Wigan defender Titus Bramble. The latest reports suggest Barry Bannan could be used as a makeweight in any deal.

12.10 Derby insist they have not received any approach from Celtic after reports linked Kris Commons with a move to the Scottish giants.

12.07 Exeter have made their first signings of the summer after capturing Scott Golbourne and Barry Corr.

12.05 Walsall have turned down a £200,000 offer for Anthony Gerrard from Scunthorpe.

12.03 Lyon want to sign Real Madrid's Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy to replace Karim Benzema, according to Marca.

11.55 New West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo says he is happy to press ahead with a deal for Simon Cox.

11.51 Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed his sadness at how the saga over Samuel Eto'o's future has unfolded.

11.40 The word in the skysports.com office is that Greg Halford is indeed on his way to Wolves. He's currently doing his medical and should sign later today to be ready to go on the club's pre-season tour of Australia this weekend.

11.31 Shrewsbury Town have paid a nominal fee to sign goalkeeper Chris Neal from Preston North End.

11.20 Napoli coach Roberto Donadoni expects unsettled Argentina Ezequiel Lavezzi to turn up for pre-season training on 10th July. The striker was linked with a move to Liverpool last month.

11.15 Southampton manager Mark Wotte is hoping West Ham United target Kelvin Davis could still stay at St Mary's.

11.11 Charlton defender Mark Hudson has joined Cardiff City in a deal thought to be worth £1.075million.

11.09 Sunderland defender Greg Halford could be heading for Wolves in a £2million deal, if local press reports prove to be accurate.

11.00 Valencia striker David Villa has been in touch with Barcelona about a move to the European champions, Spanish media said on Thursday.

10.52 Barca's Alexander Hleb has received offers but is happy at the Camp Nou, according to his agent.

10.47 Bristol City boss Gary Johnson expects Lee Martin to join Ipswich Town after ending his interest in the Manchester United winger.

10.35 Hibernian have confirmed the signing of midfielder Kevin McBride on a free transfer from Falkirk.

10.31 Billy Reid has revealed that Burnley have enquired about teenage sensation James McCarthy.

10.23 Peter Sweeney is expecting to join Grimsby, who are also chasing Chester defender Paul Linwood.

10.14 Huddersfield winger Gary Roberts has set his sights on promotion after signing a new three-year deal.

10.10 Gillingham goalkeeper Simon Royce has ended doubts about his future by signing a new one-year contract.

9.59 Brentford have completed the signing of out-of-contract winger Myles Weston from Notts County.

9.55 Stoke chairman Peter Coates has played down reports - without rejecting out of hand - rumours of a swoop for West Ham defender James Collins.

9.51 Ipswich have signed Troy Brown after he impressed both Jim Magilton and his successor Roy Keane.

9.45 Reports emanating from France have suggested Celtic have lodged a £7million bid for Nantes pair Marc-Antoine Fortune and Landry Nguemo. Fortune impressed under new Hoops boss Tony Mowbray while on-loan at West Brom last season. Nguemo is a Cameroonian midfielder.

9.32 Abdul Kader Keita will sign a three-year contract with Galatasaray in a few days according to his club Lyon.

9.20 According to reports from Spain, Liverpool are keen on 16-year-old Sevilla winger Luis Alberto.

9.12 Wigan have signed Honduras midfielder Hendry Thomas from Deportivo Olimpia on a three-year contract. Portsmouth and Sunderland had also been linked with the 24-year-old.

9.05 Stoke City have ruled out making a bid for Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins. According to a report in the The Sun, the Nigerian has just received a pay-rise as per the conditions of his contract. Probably not a goal-related clause...

8.52 Interesting line in The Guardian with regards Michael Owen. They reckon Manchester United are monitoring his situation carefully as they believe they could land the free agent on wages worth a piffling £40,000-a-week. With Karim Benzema off to Real Madrid and a lack of genuine alternatives, could Sir Alex turn to a player he was known to be keen on earlier in his career?

8.45 Franck Ribery wants to leave Bayern Munich and join Real Madrid, sports daily L'Equipe quote the France midfielder as declaring. Ribery went on to say 'it's Real or nothing' before breaking into a chorus of 'it's my party and I'll cry if I want to'.

8.39 Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has cast himself as party-pooper amid a frenzy of transfer activity, as he believes the Premier League needs to adopt a salary cap in a bid to achieve financial stability. Who invited the accountant?

8.31 Hamilton have confirmed Burnley's interest in teenage midfielder James McCarthy.

8.20 Peter Lovenkrands is on the lookout for a new club after being informed by letter that he was not required to turn up for pre-season training at Newcastle.

8.15 Everton are set to sign Leeds United starlet Luke Garbutt, according to a report in the Yorkshire Post.

08.07 Wolves boss Mick McCarthy says he hopes Andrew Surman's arrival at Molineux will not be seen as taking advantage of Southampton's current plight.

7.51 Read our updated Paper Talk for all of the best from today's written press.

7.40 Reports from Scandinavia suggest Celtic and Birmingham are interested in Icelandic star Solvi Ottesen.

7.30 Sol Campbell admits he is aware of interest from a number of clubs for his services as he weighs up his options for next season.

7.10 An early line from this morning's press sees Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti again being linked with a bid for his former AC Milan charge Alexandre Pato.

07.05 Our dedicated Transfer Centre gives you all the details you will need on what has happened so far this summer and you can check out the individual activity of every club or look at the completed deals in each league. If you want to know about the latest rumours and gossip, then head for our Paper Talk feature, where you can let us know of any whispers you have heard. Finally, the Sky Sports Scout gives you the lowdown on the hottest emerging talent in the global game.

07.00 Welcome to the skysports.com transfer clockwatch. Stay with us every day and we will bring you all the latest breaking news on any deals, offers and speculation as it happens.