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Football Rumours – 04 January 2011

admin — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:49:21 +0000

Let us have a look at all the recent transfer developments in Spain.
Malaga, who just moved out of the relegation zone following a win
against Sporting Gijon are on a spending spree. The club have
confirmed the signing of Roma’s attacking midfielder Julio Baptista.
The former Arsenal star has signed a three and a half year deal at the
club. He becomes the fifth new face to join Manuel Pellegrini’s side
with Martin Demichelis, Ignacio Camacho, Sergio Asenjo and Enzo
Maresca already having signed for the club in the winter window.

Valencia, meanwhile, have won the race to sign France’s defender Adil
Rami from Lillle. A fee of £10 million was agreed for the transfer.
Los Che managed to defeat Marseille, Aston Villa and Liverpool for his
services. Rami will stay at Lille till the end of the season before
moving to the Mestalla where he has signed a four-year deal.

Atletico Madrid and Valencia are very interested in securing the
services of Birmingham’s Sebastien Larsson. The former Arsenal player
has shone for Alex McLeish’s side this season, but has stalled on a
new deal. His current contract expires in the summer and the player is
free to move on a Bosman deal. The two Spanish clubs, though, will
have to fend off interest from half a dozen EPL teams if they have to
secure Larsson’s signature.

Football Rumours – 13 June 2010

admin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:09:17 +0000

Football-rumours.info brings you a quick round-up of all the transfer gossip emanating out of Spain. Atletico Madrid manager Miguel Angel Gil has insisted that the club has not received any offers for either Kun Aguero or Diego Forlan. Both the players have been long-term targets for a host of European giants including Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan. Valencia president Manuel Llorente has admitted that a number of clubs are expressing interest in left winger David Silva and that it would be difficult to hold onto the Spanish international for next season. Valencia have also announced the signing of Getafe striker Roberto Soldado. He comes in to fill the void left by the departure of David Villa and Nikola Zigic.

Meanwhile, Sevilla’s bid for Juan Valero has been rejected by West Brom. WBA would need Valero’s expertise as they gear themselves to battle it out in the Premier League. Champions Barcelona have been busy in the off-season as well. Both Xavi and Pedro have agreed new contracts at the club while the club’s directors are pushing for Cesc to sign for the Catalans before the World Cup gets over. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are beginning their life under Mourinho. Higuain has signed a new contract with the club while Real are pushing for the signature of Lazio’s Kolarov.

Football Rumours – 28 February 2010

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:46:33 +0000

With more than two months left for the transfer window to open, there is no frenetic activity in the transfer market. But players and clubs have started saying all the right things that might help them when the window actually opens. David Moyes has warned the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal to stay clear of Jack Rodwell. Moyes does not want to part with the promising Everton youngster. Meanwhile, Gianfranco Zola has admitted that he would be powerless to stop Robert Green from moving to a bigger club. United’s plans to buy Rodwell though could be hit by a massive financial crunch. United will need to sell many of its key players to curtail their rising debt which has reached to levels of around £716m. Ben Foster and Michael Owen are the ones most likely to be shown the door.

Managerial movement is also a big talking point. Martin O’Neill has dismissed reports of him being Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor at Old Trafford. Rangers manager Walter Smith’s position is also uncertain at the Ibrox. The precarious nature of finances at the Scottish club has also resulted in Kris Boyd stalling contract negotiations. Last but not the least, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has backed Kieran Richardson to make the England left-back spot his own. Ashley Cole has been distracted with off field problems after a failed marriage. Wayne Bridge has decided to draw the curtains on his England career leaving the door open for a lot of youngsters.

Football Rumours – 28 January 2010

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:17:46 +0000

We start with a roundup of rumours about Premier League sides. Manchester City have started to build their squad after the defeat at the hands of United in the League Cup. They have enquired about Middlesbrough’s highly rated winger Adam Johnson. City are also targeting Roma right back Marco Motta and Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano. One player moving away from Manchester City could be Benjani. Galatasaray are keen on the Zimbabwean striker but will have to face stiff challenge from West Ham United. Check the latest soccer betting odds for their next game at Partybets.

Tottenham have beaten West Ham to the signature of former Chelsea midfielder Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic international was to join Upton Park from Spanish giants Barcelona but Tottenham came in at the last moment and stole a march on their London rivals. With the arrival of Gudjohnsen, the door may have closed on Roman Pavlyuchenko. Birmingham have opened talks to take the Russian international away from White Hart Lane. If you want to know the best odds on the market visit Partybets.com

We move to Scotland now where Pedro Mendes’ transfer to Sporting Lisbon seems to be in jeopardy due to his £25,000-per-week wage demand. Cross town rivals Celtic have expressed interest to sign Jeffren Suarez from Barcelona. They face stiff competition from Everton, Blackburn and Sevilla for his signature.

Football Rumours – 30 December 2009

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:44:35 +0000

It is that time of the season again when the rumour mill is abuzz with stories of players moving all around the place. The transfer window reopens in two days’ time and here is an attempt to keep you updated with the latest rumours.

Liverpool are looking to manufacture a loan move for former United hitman Ruud van Nistelrooy. United on the other hand are looking for goalkeeping reinforcements. They are readying a £20m bid for Lyon custodian Hugo Lloris. United are also keeping tabs on Everton’s Jack Rodwell and centre defender Bruno Alves, after it has emerged that Nemanja Vidic could jump ship and move to Real Madrid when the window opens.

Roberto Mancini’s arrival at Manchester City will surely spark a round of transfer deals. Mancini is reportedly interested in Palermo’s Danish centre half Simon Kjaer. Also on his list are Inter defender Ivan Cordoba, Juventus hard man Giorgio Chiellini, striker Antonio Cassano and veteran midfielder Dejan Stankovic. Mancini will also be forced to take a call on the Joe Hart situation, with Birmingham pushing to make his deal permanent. Arsene Wenger is thought to be interested in Craig Bellamy, but the Welsh international has expressed his desire to continue for City.

Owen Coyle’s Burnley are close to signing Algeria captain Yazid Mansouri for £1m from Lorient in the French League while Blackburn may lose Benni Mccarthy who is a surprise target for Birmingham City. Wolves are eyeing a move for Derby County winger Kris Commons.

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is set to raid his former club Celtic. He is readying a £6mn bid for the services of Stephen McManus, Barry Robson and Scott McDonald. And finally, it comes as no surprise that Wenger has his eyes on yet another young talent as he steps up his bid to sign 15-year-old QPR striker Raheem Sterling.

Football Rumours – 24 November 2009

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:59:39 +0000

The football rumour market is rife with speculation even though the transfer window is more than a month away. All major clubs are looking for reinforcements in January.

Chelsea are battling with Real Madrid for the signature of German international Frank Ribery. A fee of £45m is being talked about. On the other hand, Bayern have revealed that they had rejected a whopping £70m from Chelsea in the summer for Ribery. The Blues are also in the hunt for Sergio Aguero. Atletico Madrid though have been tight-lipped regarding this matter.

Liverpool are looking for reinforcements in the attacking department in order to save their stuttering Premier League campaign. They are looking to bring former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on loan from Real Madrid.

Manchester United are expressing interest in two of England’s rising stars. They are expected to make bids for West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell in January.

Their neighbours, Manchester City, on the other hand are going continental. They have their sights set on AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso. They have slight relief though, with the knowledge that Barcelona have cooled their interests over Robinho. The Catalan giants have instead turned their attention towards David Silva of Valencia.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is trying to manufacture a loan deal for Ben Foster as his first choice goalkeeper Craig Gordon is out with a broken arm. Also, Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is keen on Swansea captain Ashley Williams and Honduras striker Roger Rojas.

A lot is happening in terms of a managerial merry-go-round too. Argentina want Guus Hiddidnk to take over from Diego Maradona after Russia failed to make it to the World Cup. And, last but not the least, Alan Shearer could take over at Sheffield United if current manager Kevin Blackwell is sacked.

Football Rumours – 29 October 2009

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:16:02 +0000

As the transfer window is firmly shut, there is not much gossip doing the rounds. But still, some news or the other keeps trickling through. Spanish club Valencia are in the spotlight again. Liverpool are planning a swoop for their young playmaker Juan Mata. They are ready to pay as much as £16.5m for him. Bothe Liverpool and rivals Manchester United are keeping tabs on the David Villa situation. Villa sacked his agent for not orchestrating a move out of Valencia last summer, and is eager to move to a ‘bigger’ club.

Liverpool are also targeting Sampdoria midfielder Konan Vladimir, who is currently on loan at Bari while Arsene Wenger is very keen on Mexican teenager Martin Luis Galvan. Manchester City have proclaimed that they won’t be spending big in January. But they are fiercely pursuing the signature of Yaya Toure. With Kolo already captaining City, it would be enticing for Yaya to join his elder brother. City are also keeping tabs on the Brazilian pair of Ramirez and Maicon. On the other hand, Juventus are keen on taking Pablo Zabaleta to Turin, but it would be unlikely for City to sell their priced asset.

Turning attention to lower leagues in England now, Watford are pushing hard to extend the loan deals of Tom Cleverley and Henri Lansbury, who are on loan from Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. But Ipswich boss Roy Keane has seen his bid to sign Danny Higginbotham and Leon Court on loan till January rejected by Stoke City.

And finally in some international news, Argentina coach Diego Maradona has tipped Benfica striker Angel di Maria to be the next worldwide superstar. Needless to say, Chelsea are tracking his progress with the Portugese outfit.

Football Rumours – 12 September 2009

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:38:11 +0000

A host of signings have been taking place inspite of the fact that the transfer window shut down 12 days back. West Ham have signed Mexico forward Guillermo Franco for a year on a free transfer after he was released by Villareal in the summer. Former Middlesborough and Newcastle forward Mark Viduka has decided to return to his home in Australia according to his agent. The Australian is a free agent and was linked with Portsmouth during the transfer window and also later on. Glauber Berti, the former Manchester City defender, currently without a club is on trial at Hull City. Middlesborough are set to beat Newcastle to the signing of Everton striker James Vaughan on loan. Boro are also keen on £2m rated Hull City forward Caleb Folan. Coventry City face competition from Swansea and Doncaster to sign 19-year old Wolves’ forward Sam Vokes. Manchester United are eyeing Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev from CSKA Moscow while Liverpool look forward to sign Chelsea and Brazil defender Alex for free next summer. Scott McDonald, the Celtic forward is a loan target for Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Matinez who hopes to sign him on a permanent basis later on.

Inter Milan manager, Jose Mourinho’s advances towards Salomon Kalou have forced Chelsea to open new contract talks with the forward. Fulham manager, Roy Hodgson is also keen on tying up his centre back Brede Hangelaand to a new contract after he successfully fended off interest from Arsenal and Everton during the transfer window. Tommy Spurr rejected a move to Everton during the summer and is set to sign a new contract with Sheffield Wednesday

Football Rumours – 04 September 2009

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:49:59 +0000

With the transfer deadline behind us, we will take a look at some of the obscure moves that took place on deadline day and also at those which failed at the last moment. There was lot of talk about a possible swap deal between David Bentley and Martin Petrov. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy pulled the plug on the deal after it appeared that Manchester City only wanted to loan Bentley for a year. City defender Richard Dunne’s move was completed 24-hours after the window closed, when his paperwork was ratified by the Football League.

There’s trouble brewing at Middlesbrough too. Middlesbrough insist that striker Alfonso Alves remains their player despite an announcement on the website of Qatari side Al-Sadd that he has signed a three-year deal to play for them. The deadlock is yet to be broken. Spartak Moscow pulled out of the deal to sign Roman Pavlyuchenko after Spurs demanded a staggering £17.6 m for the Russian. West Ham’s search for strikers continues even after the window. They are tracking free agent Mark Viduka after they failed to sign Manchester City’s Benjani – apparently due to their inability to track down his agent. Reports also suggest that Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner rejected offers from Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to sign a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Elsewhere, a lot of loan deals went through on the final day. David Nugent joined Burnley on loan from Pompey while Ivan Klasnic signed for Bolton from French club Nantes for six months. Versatile midfielder Teemu Tainio joine Birmigham on a season long loan from Sunderland.

We’ll be back next week with more transfers from England and beyond.

Football Rumours – 28 August 2009

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:03:51 +0000

With just four days left for the transfer window to close, many Premier League side are jostling with each other for last minute signings. The biggest transfer of the week involved mega-rich Manchester City. They signed Joeleon Lescott from Everton for a fee of around £22 million. To fill the defensive void left by Lescott, Everton have made a £3 million offer for Portsmouth center half Sylvain Distin. Manchester City have agreed a £6 million fee for Richard Dunne. Dunne will complete his move to Aston Villa on agreeing personal terms. Martin O’Neill hopes that Dunne would add experience to his young defense and fill the boots of Martin Laursen who retired at the end of last season.

Roy Keane has made bids for four of his former Sunderland players – Carlos Edwards, Grant Leadbitter, Nyron Nosworthy and Daryl Murphy. Edwards and Leadbitter have been given permission to talk with Sunderland and are close to agreeing personal terms. Meanwhile, Birmingham City are keen on Middlesbrough’s Sanli Tuncay. Birmingham hope to tie up a £ 5 million deal for the Turkish star but they face stiff competition from Villa, Cologne, Stuttgart and Fenerbache. Al-Sadd, the Qatari club, have made an increased offer for Afonso Alves, the forward who cost Middlesbrough a club-record £12 million last year while Bolton Wanderers’ £6.5 million offer for Achille Emana has been turned down by Real Betis. The Cameroon midfield player cost £5.5 million when he moved from French side Toulouse last summer.