Defending champions Manchester United look the best title bets ahead of the start of the new Premier League season, which is now just days away.
Odds on Man Utd to win the title are at their shortest since bwin.com launched its title betting market in June, with events over the last few weeks seemingly giving the Red Devils a better chance of retaining their crown.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side started out as 7/4 favourites to win the competition but their odds have been slashed to 3/2.
Meanwhile, odds on main rivals Chelsea to mount a successful challenge for the title have drifted, with the Blues now 11/4 shots having started out at 5/2.
United have spent big over the summer and with the hunt still on for a successor for Paul Scholes the chances are another player will arrive at Old Trafford before the close of the transfer window.
Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young have already arrived, while Wesley Sneijder is tipped to join them in a big-money move from Inter Milan.
Should the Dutchman complete his widely-anticipated move, United will arguably be stronger this season than they were last, which helps to explain why their odds have come in.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have been relatively quiet on the transfer front with Andre Villas-Boas only able to capture the signatures of Oriol Romeu and Thibaut Courtois, although Romelu Lukaku is expected to complete his move from Anderlecht imminently.
Crucially, Villas-Boas’ inability to bring in a creative midfielder looks to have dented Chelsea’s title chances, with the Blues considered weak in this area last season.
An injury to Michael Essien in pre-season has only made the need for midfield reinforcements more pressing.
This has left Chelsea closer than ever to third-favourites Manchester City in the title betting market, with the Citizens’ odds having been cut from 7/2 to 33/10.
Carlos Tevez might be heading towards the exit door, but the signing of Sergio Aguero means Roberto Mancini’s men are likely to have a big say in the destination of the title.
Liverpool and Arsenal are seen as the other two teams in with a realistic shot of Premier League success.
The Gunners have had a fraught pre-season, with boss Arsene Wenger having spent most of his time attempting to convince Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to stay.
It looks increasingly likely that both will depart the Emirates, and with this in mind it will come as no surprise to learn that their title odds have drifted from 6/1 to 9/1.
This makes them joint-fourth favourites with Liverpool, whose odds have been cut from 10/1 on the back of a significant summer outlay which has seen the likes of Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson arrive at Anfield.
Betting on Liverpool or Arsenal to win the title is certainly tempting given the potential returns available.
A successful £25 free bet on either side to finish first, available to new customers who sign up for a bwin account, would return £250.
However, an improved Man United remain the best bets, and will be even more fancied should Sneijder join up with Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and co at Old Trafford.
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