Football Team Soccer: Transfer rumours

Showing posts with label Transfer rumours. Show all posts

A £20 Million Bid for Berbatov Should be Accepted

Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on April 2, 2011 in London, England.

You could say that Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney are like beauty and the beast. Watching the Bulgarian with the ball at his feet is a joy to behold, as he effortlessly glides past players with the silky skills of a suave, smooth and polished perfectionist. Meanwhile, Rooney charges around, with his undoubted quality, bullishly tracking back, rocketing cross field passes and sometimes getting involved in incidents he really shouldn't be.

You wouldn't, for example ever see Dimitar Berbatov screaming obscenities into a television camera after scoring a goal. That isn't his style, but both players are undeniably Manchester United quality, and are both passionate about their football.

However, the rumours circulating claim that Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to sell the "beauty" of this pairing for an amount in excess of £20 million. Manchester United's top scorer, who is also the Premier Leagues top scorer with 20 goals, seems to have fallen out of favour with the United manager as his starts in games have become all to infrequent. Javier Hernandez's growing reputation as a guaranteed goalscorer at important times has seen him propelled into a starting spot alongside Rooney, whose place in the team seems more or less guaranteed.

Bayern Munich have apparently noticed this, and will reportedly attempt to persuade Berbatov to come back to the country where he made his name - with Bayern Leverkusen. The Germans are supposedly preparing a £22 million bid for the striker who was bought by United in 2008 for £30.75 million.

After two seasons which saw the Bulgarian score a total of 26 in 86 games, he was labelled rather harshly as "Berbaflop". He had cost a lot of money, and at his age, (now 30), it was beginning to look like a bad buy from Ferguson. This season has proved all of his critics wrong, with a stunning total of vital goals in vital games including a hat-trick against Liverpool. He has now almost scored the same amount of goals this season than he did in his firs to season's at Old Trafford, yet starting games is becoming a rarity.

I like Berbatov - he has grown on me - especially this season, but I think if United are offered £22 million like is being reported, then Sir Alex should take it. It would be sad to see Berbatov go after what he has done for United this season, and his incredible touch and fantastic hold up play will be missed by many. His calm, collected figure will be missed too, but at his age, £22 million is a fantastic deal, and one that will not be equalled in the future if this opportunity is passed.

United could use the money this summer to sign a younger striker or midfielder, someone who can contribute to the team for many years to come. A central midfielder is what is needed, and a player similar to Owen Hargreaves who is the engine of a side.

It will be sad to see Berbatov go. He is a brilliant player, with a unique style. Strong when he needs to be, quick when he wants to be, and deadly in front of goal - always.

"The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real." - But...

Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder of FC Inter Milan during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale Milano at Olimpico Stadium on February 13, 2011 in Turin, Italy.

It is no secret that Manchester United need reinforcements in midfield. The frailty's have been for all to see this season, and it is credit to the winning mentality at the club that they are at the top of the Premier League table by five points without playing their best football.

Paul Scholes is still yet to sign an extension on his contract with the club, and if he does decide to retire or move on at the end of the season, Sir Alex will urgently need to find a replacement. Likewise, Owen Hargreaves' injuries continue to pester him, and whether or not Ferguson decides to stick with him and attempt to get his moneys worth for the Canadian is yet to be seen.

Nevertheless, it is no surprise that Inter Milan have confirmed United's interest in Wesley Sneijder. Last summer, Sir Alex dismissed the fact that he had made a bid for the 26 year-old Dutchman. He said:

“I don’t know where those reports about Sneijder came from. How can anybody turn me down when I haven’t even made a bid?”

The interest however has now been confirmed by the Inter Milan President, Massimo Moratti who said this:

“The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real. But I didn’t look into it. My only interest is seeing Sneijder play here for many more years to come.”

Sneijder is the creative spark that the United midfield would love to have. In 21 games this season, the Dutchman has scored 3, created 5 and unleashed an ambitious 93 shots on goal. He is quick, strong and powerful with accurate shooting ability but apparently out of United's reach.

LILILE PLAYER GERVINHO HEADING TO ATLETICO DE MADRID ?

Ivory Coast winger & French Club LILLE player GERVINHO has not as yet signed his renewal contract offer. This has been interpreted, especially by Spanish Sports press, that the player is seriously considering an apparent offer from Spanish Club ATLETICO DE MADRID.

Gervinho for Lille

The speculated price is around 10M€ & Lille would welcome the injection of cash. The player seems to feel that

£1 Billion for Modric

Luka Modric Luka Modric of Tottenham in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at White Hart Lane on March 19, 2011 in London, England.

Well it doesn't look like Luka Modric will be packing his bags, moving away from Tottenham and heading up North to Manchester or staying in the area and joining Chelsea. Not unless United or Chelsea, the two clubs linked with the Croatian midfielder are prepared to pay £1 billion for him.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager has led this Spurs side to a Champions League quarter final, beating one of the most successful European teams in AC Milan on the way. Luka Modric played a vital part in both helping Tottenham into the top four last season and their brilliant, over achieving success of reaching the latter stages of the prestigious European competition this year. The Tottenham manager emphasised the invaluable qualities that the 25 year-old holds in the side with a rather exaggerated expected transfer fee:

"I wouldn't want to sell him for £100 million, not even for a billion.

"He's the hub of the team."

He made his point. Of course, Redknapp would sell Modric for £1 billion - not that anyone - not even Manchester City would pay that ludicrous amount. But it is a clear statement that Modric is not for sale, and if an offer were to come in, it would have to be quite a substantial amount.

Modric only signed a long term contract at Spurs last year, and the players' representative, Mario Mamic reiterated Redknapps sentiments:

"These are just rumours. Luka has a contract until 2016 and Tottenham have no plans to sell him. He has an excellent relationship with coach [Harry] Redknapp and only signed a contract extension with Spurs last summer."

The rumours that Mamic spoke of refer to apparent interest from several English clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Italian side Juventus and Inter Milan. Certainly, Modric has his fans; he is a fantastic player and has been described by the former Chelsea assistant Ray Wilkins as one of the best midfielder's in the Premier League. Gerard Houllier, the current Aston Villa manager also heaped praise on Modric:

"Not only is he a very hard worker, he has a good brain and he provided some calmness and composure to the midfield. His passing was neat and his contribution was outstanding. He was not only winning the ball, he was passing well. We thought that he was very influential. He did not just work hard, he made the other people play well around him."

He may not be worth £100 million or £1 billion, but Luka Modric is certainly a fantastic asset to Tottenham, and understandably has the best teams in the world watching him.

Daniele De Rossi Transfer News

Daniele De Rossi Daniele De Rossi of AS Roma reacts during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Brescia Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on February 2, 2011 in Rome, Italy.

The past few days have seen Daniele De Rossi's name mentioned quite a few times in the transfer gossip columns in stories linking the Italian midfielder to Manchester United. This happened only a couple of weeks ago with Javier Pastore, the Argentinian attacking midfielder who was supposedly close to a Manchester United move. I haven't heard much since.

So this is all about the De Rossi Move:

The 27 year-old is apparently prepared to leave Roma, the club he has played for over a decade. De Rossi has suffered a turbulent time in recent years, including the shooting of his father-in-law in a gang attack and the separation from his wife. The player recently told of his recent struggle with the club he began his career with, and explained that he feels that things are changing for the worse. He said after elbowing the opposition and getting sent off in Roma's recent Champions League clash with Shackhtar Donetsk:

"They used to treat me as one of their own, they would tell me to throw in another elbow, but now the wind has changed. Something here at Roma is changing. For a year and a half, the things I've heard that have given me the most pride have come from outside Rome. I have had moments at a low ebb, in which I wasn't at my best. Do I feel wounded?

"Yes, but I don't want to play the victim, I don't want people to come and tell me how great I am. The wound will heal itself. Then, everyone makes his own assessments."

His father, Alberto, admits that the player “would never want to face a future away from Roma” but acknowledges that “if he expressed himself [in that way], then there is a cause behind it.”

His contract at Roma expires in June 2012 and his current wages reach £60,000 a week. That is well within United's budget, and with Sir Alex reportedly being given £100 million to spend, the £20 million fee supposedly being asked for the defensive midfielder would not be a problem. However, 27 is not the ideal age for Sir Alex who has been and will be looking more to youth to replace the older generation of Giggs, Scholes and van der sar.

The former Roma striker Ruggiero Rizzitelli does not believe that De Rossi will leave Italy:

"The truth is De Rossi won't leave Roma. He is their Bandieraplayer, the future captain. He is already named as the new captain after Francesco Totti."

"De Rossi has already rejected Real Madrid in the past. Two years ago the club had asked for him, but he and [former Roma owners] the Sensi family said no because he is a Roman, a Romanista and he wants to end his career at Roma like Totti.

"His dream is to remain at Roma with the backing of the new owners and the promise of a strong team to challenge."

The 2006 World Cup winners' future is looking uncertain, that is for sure. Whether it simply be transfer speculation or actual truth lies at the bottom of this story is yet to be discovered, but he would be a fantastic addition to the Manchester United side, as a perfect replacement for Owen Hargreaves.

REAL MADRID HAS DE ROSSI ON THEIR AGENDA - AGAIN ?

It´s that time again of the season when it has turned the final curve & the finish line is in sight that Football Clubs begin to think about the next season & Football players representatives position themselves to put their "stock" on sale & in the prime points on the shopping shelves. REAL MADRID, as always, is talked about now & all year round, as rumours begin to appear on a daily basis.

Video: A Look at Arsenal Target Kévin Gameiro

Kevin Gameiro, a 23 year old French striker currently playing for Ligue 1 side Lorient is a reported transfer target for Arsenal.

The forward has apparently been watched by Arsenal scouts sent by Arsene Wenger to track his progress - and they have been impressed. The young striker has played a total of 26 games this season, scoring 17 and creating 3. His consistency has also impressed Arsenal scouts, with talk of a move not distracting his on field impact at Lorient, with goals continuing to flow.

Gameiro is a fast, energetic player with good dribbling abilities, demonstrated in the video below. He is contracted to Lorient until the end of the 2011/2012 season, but the club president, Loic Fery admitted that it is likely they will have to let the player go:

"It is true that we are mulling over three options."

"We can let him go when his contract expires, sell him in the summer or renew his contract. But the latter is complicated because we have made several incredible efforts and he has not accepted."

Fey said in August:

"There is no such thing as an untransferable player. Gameiro, and players like him, can and will leave the club, even if we would prefer that they stay.

Tottenham were said to be interested late 2010, but did not move for Gameiro and Arsenal have since been linked strongly with the player who would cost around £10 - 15 million. The fact that he has rejected several contract extensions at Lorient suggests that he may have his eye somewhere else, and Lorient would surely rather cash in on him than wait until his contract runs its course.

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