Chelsea loans winger De Bruyne to Werder Bremen

BREMEN, Germany   ●   Belgian winger Kevin De Bruyne is joining Werder Bremen on a one-season loan deal from Chelsea.

The Bundesliga club said Thursday that the transfer doesn’t include an option to sign the 21-year-old De Bruyne on a permanent deal.

De Bruyne joined Chelsea from Racing Genk in January but was then loaned back to the Belgian club for the rest of last season.

The Belgian is Werder Bremen’s seventh new signing for the new season. The club finished ninth in the 18-team top division last season.

Chelsea also signed winger Marko Marin from Bremen during the offseason.

● Manchester City have sold winger Vladimir Weiss to Pescara for an undisclosed fee after he failed to make the breakthrough into the first-team.

Weiss, 22, who helped City win the FA Youth Cup, only made four first-team appearances and just one in the Premier League.

The Slovakia international spent the last two-and-a-half years out on loan at Bolton, Rangers and Espanyol.

City have parted company with several fringe players this summer, with Owen Hargreaves, Gunnar Nielsen and Stuart Taylor all released, Greg Cunningham joining Bristol City and David Pizarro returning to Inter Milan after a loan spell.

●  Slovenia forward Milivoje Novakovic is joining J-League club Omiya Ardija on loan from FC Cologne, which was relegated from the Bundesliga.

Cologne said Thursday that the loan contract runs through to Jan. 1. The German club gave no details of the deal.

The 33-year-old Novakovic’s move from Cologne follows former teammate and Germany forward Lukas Podolski’s departure for Arsenal.

Novakovic has been with Cologne since 2006. He scored 82 goals in 176 matches.

● Newcastle United have increased their bid for French defender Mathieu Debuchy after their initial offer for the Lille star was rejected. Magpies boss Alan Pardew, who is looking to add Debuchy to his already expanding French contingent at Tyneside, initially made a €5m offer which was rejected by Les Dogues. He has made an improved offer, with sources claiming that the French club are holding out for something around £6m.

Newcastle’s French playmaker Yohan Cabaye, who also moved to the Magpies from Lille, has indicated that his former teammate Debuchy is willing to leave Lille and make the switch up north.

The success of Cabaye, who was sold for just £4.8m and proved to be one of the bargain buys of last season in the Premier League, has made Lille want more for French right back Debuchy.

● Inter Milan have edged closer to signing Manchester United target Lucas Moura, with reports in Italy claiming the Serie A outfit have agreed a transfer fee with his current club Sao Paulo.

Lucas has been linked with United and Real Madrid over the summer. But Sky Sport Italia reported late on Thursday evening that Inter had trumped their powerful rivals by agreeing to a €27 million transfer fee, which could rise to €32 million depending on appearances.

All clubs had previously balked at Sao Paulo’s €40 million valuation of Lucas, with United understood to have failed with bids before Inter increased their pursuit of the 19-year-old.

Earlier on Thursday, Inter president Massimo Moratti confirmed director Marco Branca had been in “ongoing” negotiations with Sao Paulo officials over the transfer fee.

“As you know we are strongly interested in the guy,” Moratti told Sky Sport Italia. “But our interest does not compel us to accept every kind of condition imposed.”

Lucas and his Brazil team-mates, meanwhile, are preparing to take on Honduras in the quarter-finals of the London Olympics at St. James’ Park this Saturday.