by Chinners » Wed Jun 16, 2010 6:57 am
RAGS ALLOWED TO TEMPT ROBINHO
Manchester United given green light to make shock move for Robinho as the Brazilian is rumoured to be interested in joining the Old Trafford club. The Eastlands striker has spent the last six months on loan to Santos and appears unlikely to be returning to his current employers and has been linked with moves to a number of clubs including Real Madrid and AC Milan but it is rumoured that the 26 year old would jump at the chance of a move to City’s near neighbours if the chance arose.
It seems unlikely that Roberto Mancini would allow such a move but at the same time could well simply accept the highest bid for the attacker and if that came from Sir Alex Ferguson then he would surely have to consider such an offer.
Ferguson has been linked with moves for a number of strikers as he looks to add more attacking options to help share the load that is currently being overly burdened on Wayne Rooney. Dimitar Berbatov may well be on his way out and Michael Owen is a constant injury doubt.
It is unknown as to how much of the original £30m outlay Mancini would expect for Robinho but one would imagine a deal in the region of £20m would be accepted and the one question would be whether Sir Alex is interested in making such a move and whether the heavily indebted club can afford to bring in a big money signing this summer.
"I think it is only a question of a few days"
A host of the Premier League’s top clubs are likely to be disappointed in their alleged pursuit of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik, after the 22-year-old revealed he is on the verge of signing a contract extension at the Serie A club. The attacking midfielder flattered to deceive during Slovakia’s unconvincing 1-1 draw with New Zealand yesterday, but the likes of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger are all long-term admirers of the precocious star while Manchester City have also been linked.
AC Milan and Juventus were also in the running for the midfielder although Manchester United and Arsenal were strongly linked with the youngster last summer, but Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were shocked at Napoli’s £25 million valuation. Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini is well are of the player and has had scouts at Napoli’s games throughout the season, although it now seems likely the 22-year-old will stay in Italy.
Hamsik is currently at the World Cup captaining Slovakia, who face Paraguay on Sunday, and although Manchester United have seemingly earmarked the star as a potential replacement for the evergreen Paul Scholes, Hamisk looks set to spurn the advances of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Despite rumoured interest in the attacking midfielder from a host of clubs Hamisk has not had his head turned by the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, City and Manchester United and intimated he was happy to remain with Napoli.
The Manchester United and Arsenal target told the Daily Mail: "I'm very happy that the president (of Napoli) is happy with me and values me,"
"We are about to sign a new contract and I think it is only a question of a few days."
The player's situation could well change should Slovakia's captain inspire his country to go on an unlikely World Cup run, but with defending champions Italy also in their group, the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal are unlikely to be seeing too much of the diminutive Serie A star this summer.
Everton pull-out of race to sign Martin Petrov following release from Manchester City
Everton have pulled out of the race to sign newly released winger Martin Petrov due to a combination of age, costly wage demands, and a worrying injury record, according to the Liverpool Echo.
While Everton manager David Moyes is keen on signing an experienced midfielder, the newspaper claim that he is looking at other options even with Petrov commanding no transfer fee.
Petrov, who was released from Manchester City on June 8, has also been linked with a move to Birmingham based side Aston Villa, and the future of the ex-Atletico Madrid winger is set to be resolved in the coming weeks.
Due to a series of serious injuries, Petrov has made just 25 Premier League appearances in his last two seasons at Manchester City, scoring five goals in the process
Yaya/Alves update
Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure is close to sealing a move to Manchester City, with outgoing Barca president Joan Laporta claiming the sale is "very advanced". (See Tuesday's bollox) Toure's team-mate Dani Alves could also be on his way to Eastlands after the Brazilian right-back rejected the Catalan club's latest contract offer. Daily Mail
Manchester City have reportedly resumed their interest in Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano .
According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, the player's agent, Beppe Bozzo, was in contact with Manchester City about bringing the 27-year-old former Roma and Real Madrid star to Eastlands.
Mancini has always admired Cassano and was linked with the player in January when he eyed him as a possible replacement for Brazilian striker Robinho.
Cassano's quality has never been in doubt, but his temperament led Marcello Lippi to exclude him from the Italy squad.
Cassano scored nine goals in 31 games for Sampdoria last season, helping his side to fourth place in Serie A and Champions League qualification.
His contract with the club expires at the end of the 2012/2013 season and he is valued at €10-15 million.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Real Madrid are planning a £110m double swoop for England World Cup players Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. The Spanish giants will offer £80m for Manchester United striker Rooney and will also try to prise Liverpool captain Gerrard from Anfield to bolster their midfield. Daily Star
West Ham are considering a £4m move for Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Nigeria keeper Vincent Enyeama. In direct contrast to the Hammers' current number one Robert Green, Enyeama, 27, has enjoyed an excellent start to the World Cup, excelling in the Super Eagles' 1-0 defeat by Argentina on Saturday. the Sun
Juan Roman Riquelme's agent Barry McIntosh claims the "lure of London" could result in the 31-year-old Boca Juniors playmaker turning down four other Premier League clubs in favour of a move to West Ham. the Sun
Real Madrid will use French striker Karim Benzema as a makeweight in their bid to prise Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic away from Manchester United. Daily Mail
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will loan full-back Kyle Walker and midfielder Danny Rose to Portsmouth once the Championship club's transfer embargo is lifted. Daily Mail
Arsenal target Laurent Koscielny has pleaded with his club Lorient to accept the Gunners' latest offer. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is thought to have bid £8.3m for the 24-year-old centre-back. Daily Mail
OTHER BOLLOX
England boss Fabio Capello will continue to name his side two hours before kick-off, despite some members of his squad being keen to learn their fate earlier. the Sun
Algeria have admitted they are hoping England keeper Robert Green keeps his place after his calamitous error in Saturday's Group C opener and are planning a shoot-on-sight policy in the hope of a repeat performance. Daily Mirror
Fifa has defended its decision to censure questions put to the North Korean coach and players by the media. At Tuesday's press conference journalists were cut off in mid flow when they attempted to broach the subject of the country's failure to screen their matches. Daily Telegraph
Portugal midfielder Deco has criticised manager Carlos Queiroz following their 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast, saying he was played out of position on the right wing. The Chelsea player was substituted in the 62nd minute. imScouting
Liverpool will refuse to discuss player departures until a new manager is in place, despite interest in striker Fernando Torres and midfielder Yossi Benayoun. The club are hopeful of naming Fulham boss Roy Hodgson as the successor to Rafael Benitez within the next week. Daily Mirror
Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson is adamant highly rated defender David Wheater is staying on Teesside this summer after the 22-year-old was linked with a number of Premier League clubs. Daily Mail
Chairman of Premier League new boys Blackpool, Karl Oyston, has criticised other clubs for their willingness to go into debt. According to Oyston, some accept they will lose money before the season has even started. the Sun
George Burley could return to management, with Crystal Palace keen on the former Ipswich and Scotland boss. Daily Mirror
England's mental approach could scupper their hopes of winning the World Cup, according to Fulham and United States forward Clint Dempsey. Dempsey, who scored the equaliser in Saturday's 1-1 draw between the sides, believes Capello's team are playing with fear. the Sun
Football fans in North Korea will have to wait until today to see any action from their 2-1 loss to Brazil. While the match was on, they were treated to the delights of Echo of Mountain, a comedy based on farmers' attempts to boost grain output. (Daily Telegraph)
Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has admitted he is obsessed by social networking site Twitter. Forlan - DiegoForlan7 on the site - should count himself lucky however as other nations have banned players from tweeting for the duration of the World Cup. the Sun
Switzerland's training sessions have been accompanied by the continual hum of vuvuzela noise, with locals invited to display their musical talents to help Ottmar Hitzfeld's side get used to the noise ahead of their Group H opener against Spain. the Sun
Last edited by
Chinners on Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:15 am, edited 5 times in total.