Chelsea chase Verón and Cole

Double deal
Clubs taking part have until 12.00CET to register players for the two-legged tie on 12/13 and 26/27 August that stands between them and the group stage. Premiership side Chelsea have been particularly busy, with moves for midfield men Juan Sebastián Verón and Joe Cole.

Nearly done
Manchester United FC accepted the London club's €21.2m bid for Argentinian international Verón this morning. The 28-year-old will move south "subject to contract and player medical". Last night, Chelsea agreed a fee of €9.3m for young England player Joe Cole with London rivals West Ham United FC.

Six big names
Verón and Cole would be the latest high-profile signings made by Chelsea since the takeover by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich last month. The club have already bought Damien Duff, Glen Johnson, Geremi and Wayne Bridge.

Time running out
Elsewhere, others know time is running out to bring in new faces. BV Borussia Dortmund have had major injury troubles, including the loss of Evanilson and Torsten Frings to serious knee problems. Speaking to the club's official website, sporting director Michael Zorc said: "We need to find a player who will improve us, who's fit and who's available now. This alone rules out the signing of a number of players."

Completed transfers
Some sides have managed to make new signings who could be registered in time to compete in the third qualifying round. Scottish champions Rangers FC have just added defenders Paolo Vanoli and Henning Berg to their ranks, while their Russian counterparts FC Lokomotiv Moskva have completed moves for Brazilian midfield duo Jorge Wagner and Leandro. Portugal's SL Benfica have acquired FC Barcelona forward Geovanni on a permanent three-year deal.