• Blow for Chelsea as Cech tears calf muscle in training
• Goalkeeper missed a month of last season with similar injury

Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Cech will be out of action for a month after tearing a calf muscle in his right leg.

Cech, 28, suffered the injury in training on Tuesday, and medical tests confirmed he will miss the start of the new season as a result.

Cech missed a month of last season with a similar injury sustained at Internazionale in the Champions League.

A spokesman for Chelsea confirmed: “Petr will be out for around a month after scans showed a tear in his right calf. He is expected to miss the rest of the pre-season campaign.”

Chelseaguardian.co.uk

• Brazilian media say offer was around €20m (£16.9m)
• 18-year-old striker was ignored by Brazil for World Cup

The Brazilian club Santos have said they have rejected a bid from Chelsea to sign the teenage striker Neymar.

The São Paulo club said on their website that the offer was made this morning. Though the club did not reveal Chelsea’s bid, the Brazilian media are reporting it was around €20m (£16.9m). The Brazilian club reiterated they do not intend to negotiate over the 18-year-old player.

Neymar, who is reported to have a €35m buyout clause at Santos, is the most talked-about player in Brazilian football this year. Neymar has played for Brazil’s under-16 and under-17 squads but has not yet played for the senior national team.

Many fans and local media wanted him to play in the 2010 World Cup but he was left out by the coach, Dunga, who lost his job following the team’s elimination in the quarter-finals by Holland.

ChelseaSantosTransfer windowguardian.co.uk