Transfer thread

[SHSUHorn]

We can use this forum to keep up with all the transfers in what should be a crazy off season with the Italian teams having to see off some of there guys...

As a big Man U fan I'm hearing...

Torres, Vieria (former Arsenal captain), Carrick, and Gattuso.

Real is getting Van Nistelroy, and Cannavaro.

Chelsea picked up Ballack, and Shevchenko and I still don't know what the hell they are going to due with all of those midfielders.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Chelsea are currently courting Zambrotta who states that his first intention is to stay in Italy and most likely play for AC Milan, if that doesn't go through, Chelsea will jump on him. Mourinho has stated he just wants a world class full back and he will be done with the transfer market

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Kaka is still on the block, word has it that Chelsea and Real Madrid are fighting for his signature. Although AC Milan are denying such reports, they state that they are not going to force to sell any players even with the outcome of their scandal. Gattuso also has consistantly stated, that he will only leave AC Milan when he is no longer needed. Buffon is currently Milan's top priority. The goalie has also stated he would prefer staying in Italy than moving abroad.

 

[SHSUHorn]

I think Kaka's game is more suited for La Liga not EPL. Arsenal picked up Rosicky who scored the two goals against the U.S in the World Cup opener.

Gatusso's wife is Scottish and if he were to make a move Man U would be the only spot he would go to. I think he stays in Italy myself.

I'm hearing Nedved to Tottenham and Trezeguet to Liverpool.

Have you heard anything on Luca Toni?

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Luca Toni is most likely going to stay in Italy and is probably going to Inter Milan or AC Milan.

Tottenham are chasing both Pavel Nedved and Damien Duff. I do not think Trezeguet will go to Liverpool now that Dirk Kuyt is expected to sign with the Reds within the next 48 hours. However, Satyr may know more as he is a Liverpool fan.

I agree that Kaka is better off in La Liga, Chelsea and Real Madrid are a joke to the game, buy big names but can't even win the Champs League.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

RUUD SET FOR MADRID SWITCH Ruud van Nistelrooy seems set to seal his move from Manchester United to Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Although neither club are making any comment on the striker, rumours are circulating that the 30-year-old will have a medical in the Spanish capital.
If the speculation is correct, United have presumably reached a compromise over the fee after Sir Alex Ferguson suggested the Red Devils would demand £15million for the former PSV Eindhoven star.
Although Bayern Munich and a number of Premiership clubs had expressed interest in van Nistelrooy, one of only eight players in United history to score 150 goals for the club, Real were always his favoured option.
With star striker Ronaldo sidelined after opting to return to Brazil for a knee operation, new Real coach Fabio Capello needed a proven goalscorer and earlier this week expressed his admiration for the player.
Providing van Nistelrooy comes through his medical with no problems, it is anticipated he will be unveiled at some point in the next 24 hours and be reunited again with David Beckham after spending two successful years with the former England skipper before his own move to Madrid.

However, sources close to United cast doubt on the reports, privately claiming there had been no deal with Madrid and that van Nistelrooy was still officially a Red Devils player.

From sportinglife.com

 

[Toronto_Mike]

RIBERY GOING NOWHERE - MARSEILLE
Marseille president Pape Diouf is adamant Franck Ribery will not leave the Mediterranean giants this summer and has vowed to reject all offers for the winger.
The 23-year-old is coveted by five-time French champions Lyon as well as Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Having been a late call-up to Raymond Domenech's squad, Ribery displayed his talent on the world stage last month as France reached the final of the World Cup.
Now Marseille are looking forward to seeing him link up with another French international - newly-acquired loan-signing Djibril Cisse, who has arrived from Liverpool.
Cisse, the top scorer in Ligue 1 with Auxerre in 2001/02 and 2003/04, is currently recovering from a broken leg.
"Ribery belongs to Marseille for another four years and his contract has been reassessed," Diouf told L'Equipe.
"We are counting on him to make OM a more ambitious club next year.
"He will stay at Marseille, no matter how high the offers are. Our intentions are to turn down any offer. He will not go."
Ribery joined Marseille from Galatasaray last summer and quickly established himself as a key player.
Diouf admitted he will leave the club at some point in the future, but said now was not the time.
"I am not stubborn," he added. "I understand, and I approve, that a player like Thierry Henry asked himself the question whether or not he wanted to stay with Arsenal after seven years with them.
"But I struggle to understand when a player like Franck asks himself the question after just one season during which he brought us a lot and we brought him a lot too.
"He is still in a progression phase and Marseille is the ideal place for him to continue doing that.
"We cannot say that Franck Ribery will never go. We can understand that after two years with us, if he does not feel he has progressed, he is tempted to join a bigger club.
"But for now the club's ambitions include him staying which is essential."
Ribery, who is currently on holiday, will join his team-mates and meet with new coach Albert Emon at the end of July.
Ligue 1 gets underway on August 5 with Marseille travelling to newly-promoted Sedan.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

DUFF LINKED WITH IMMINENT SPURS SWITCH
Damien Duff will reportedly join Spurs from Chelsea in the next few days for a fee of £11 million.
It is claimed that Republic of Ireland international Duff will move across London to sign a £60,000 a-week contract at White Hart Lane in order to play regular first-team football.
Jose Mourinho's summer signings of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko suggest that he will revert to a 4-4-2 formation next season - meaning even fewer opportunities for Duff.
Boss Martin Jol has been a long-term admirer of the 27 year-old and will be delighted to finally get this man as Spurs look to build on last season's fifth place finish in the Premiership.
If completed, the deal would take Jol's summer spending to £33 million after the signings of Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov, midfielder Didier Zokora from St Etienne and defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto from Lens.
Duff returned for pre-season training on Monday as speculation intensified.
The Republic of Ireland international reported for Blues duty on the first day back after the summer break.
The 27-year-old was joined at Chelsea's Cobham training ground by new signings Salomon Kalou and Hilario.
Duff, Carlo Cudicini, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Geremi and Lassana Diarra were also involved in the sessions.
Chelsea's World Cup stars are expected to begin pre-season training over the next two weeks.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

ZAMBROTTA PREFERS MILAN
Juventus full-back Gianluca Zambrotta will only consider a move to Chelsea if his club fail to reach an agreement with AC Milan, according to his agent.
Chelsea are in race with Real Madrid and Barcelona to sign the World Cup winner and a representative of the Barclays Premiership champions will discuss a move with Juve later this week.
However, it is AC Milan who appear to have the upper hand in the negotiations.
"Zambrotta's wish is to stay in Italy but not at Juventus, and the only club that can afford the transfer and that have shown a keen interest is AC Milan," Zambrotta's agent Giuseppe Bonetto said.
"Should Juve fail to reach an agreement with AC Milan then Zambrotta will consider the other alternatives.
"An agent representing Chelsea will meet Juventus in the next few days.
"It will be down to Juventus to make the decisions and let us know what the options are once there is something concrete.
"Chelsea are not the only ones interested in Zambrotta as Real Madrid and Barcelona are also keen to sign the player."
Juve were relegated to Serie B for their part in the match-fixing scandal.
They will also start next season with a 30-point deficit, meaning they are set to spend two seasons outside the top flight.
Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed Chelsea are unlikely to be at full strength for the Community Shield as several players will still be recovering from the World Cup.
The Blues face Liverpool in Cardiff on August 13 with Mourinho prepared to rest some of his biggest names as they complete their recovery from Germany.
Williams Gallas and Claude Makelele featured for France in the final while Ricardo Carvalho and Paolo Ferreira contributed to Portugal's passage into the last four.
In contrast, Manchester United have already been able to field a near full strength side for the opening game of their pre-season tour to South Africa, a 4-0 victory over the Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
Mourinho claims Chelsea's rivals will be better prepared for the new campaign and does not expect to have a full squad to select from until late August.
"Manchester United played in South Africa with a first XI, we cannot do this," Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
"I believe our first part of the season will be quite difficult. For example, when we play the Community Shield, Liverpool have already played Champions League matches and have been training for a month.
"When we play Manchester City in the first game it will be a very similar situation so I think we won't start in the full position.
"We have a lot of quality and I believe everyone will be back fit with a lot of enthusiasm.
"But the reality is we have to play with half the team for our first game in the United States. Some of them will not be ready to play in the Community.
"It's a competition and it's a cup we enjoyed winning last season and of course we want to win this time around as well, but I'll look at it in a different way."
Chelsea's World Cup stars will return to pre-season training over the next two weeks.
The Blues will travel to the United States for a pre-season training camp and will play the Major League All-Stars on August 5.

 

[SHSUHorn]

Emerson and Cannavaro both going to Real Madrid.

 

[SHSUHorn]

Buffon says he's staying at Juve

 

[Toronto_Mike]

COLE CLOSE TO CHELSEA MOVE - REPORTS

Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole's move to Chelsea should be completed by the end of the month, according to reports.
The Sun claims only "minor details" need to be ironed out before the England man moves to Stamford Bridge for £16million, with the Daily Star reporting the deal will go through in the next 10 days.
The 25-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Premiership champions and was even fined £75,000 after he was "tapped up" by Chelsea last January.
But it now appears the controversial move is closer to completion than ever, with Cole having apparently told friends at his wedding at the weekend that he hopes to be a Blues player by the end of the week.
Arsenal could go some way towards making up for Cole's departure, though, by raiding crisis-hit Juventus for French World Cup star Lilian Thuram.
With Philippe Senderos out for two months with a shoulder injury picked up at the World Cup, Arsene Wenger needs to recruit a high-quality central defender and Thuram is the man he wants, according to the Star.
After Juve's relegation, Thuram has made it clear there is "really little chance" he will play in Serie B and the 34-year-old could be destined for Highbury.

 

[Satyr]

Cisse went to Marseille, Didi Hamman made a Manchester City switch. Liverpool FC have brought Agger, Gonzalez, Alves, Bellamy, still in hunt for Joaquin, Trezeguet.

 

[SHSUHorn]

Zambrotta and Thuram to Barcelona

 

[Satyr]

Duff to Newcastle

Del Horno to Valencia

 

[Toronto_Mike]

DUFF COMPLETES NEWCASTLE MOVE

Newcastle have completed the signing of winger Damien Duff from Chelsea.
The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international passed a medical on Tyneside, while the first team were on their way back from Norway after beating Lillestrom in a UEFA Cup qualifying round tie.
Duff has signed a five-year contract at St James' Park, with the fee undisclosed but understood to be in the region of £10million.

The fee for Duff had already been agreed between the clubs, and Duff had settled on personal terms after holding talks with Newcastle officials.
Duff helped Chelsea win the Premiership twice, but the competition for places after Michael Ballack's arrival meant he would not be guaranteed first-team football at Stamford Bridge in the coming campaign.
At Newcastle, that should not be a worry, as he has been bought to inject pace, invention and quality into the Magpies midfield.
Earlier in the day, and before the medical had been completed, Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder told Setanta Sports 2: "I can't tell you how pleased I am about getting a player of that quality.
"I would think it will excite our fans as well. I played for Newcastle - admittedly a long time ago - but we had the likes of Chrissy Waddle playing in that team that I played in and (the fans) love ball-players who can go past players and get crosses in and Damien is that type of player."
Roeder, who revealed Duff had been given "rave reviews" from international team-mates Shay Given and Stephen Carr as well as former Chelsea colleague Scott Parker, hopes the capture of Duff will only be the start of a busy summer of transfer activity at St James' Park.
Duff will be unveiled at St James' Park on Monday afternoon.
"Then we can start talking about the next player," said Roeder. "But we've got a list of players now that we want to start working our way through."
Duff was also wanted by Tottenham.
Chelsea were unwilling to sell Duff - a £17million signing from Blackburn in 2003 - to Tottenham for £7million but declared themselves ready to offload the wide man at the right price.
The move is one which will excite Newcastle's fans, who have seen captain Alan Shearer retire and £17million striker Michael Owen head off for another long spell in the treatment room.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

DEL HORNO COMPLETES CHE SWITCH

Valencia have completed the signing of full-back Asier del Horno from Chelsea.
The clubs agreed on a fee - thought to be £4.8million - for Del Horno, and he successfully agreed personal terms with the Primera Liga club, signing a six-year contract to replace Fabio Aurelio after the Brazilian's move to Liverpool.
The 25-year-old joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £8million last summer but struggled to hold down a regular place in Jose Mourinho's side.
He played a part in Chelsea winning their second successive Premiership title but could now be replaced at Stamford Bridge by Arsenal and England left-back Ashley Cole.
Chelsea lose over £3million on Spain international Del Horno, who was sent off for a clumsy challenge on Lionel Messi in the 2-1 Champions League defeat by Barcelona in February.
His departure has left Wayne Bridge as the only recognised left-back at Stamford Bridge, although French central defender William Gallas can play in the position and was often used in place of Del Horno last season.
With Del Horno gone, Mourinho has freed up space in the squad for Cole to complete his reported £16million transfer.
Cole fits the bill as a world-class full-back, with his return to fitness and form in the World Cup underlining his credentials.
Bridge has been given a public vote of confidence with Mourinho praising his condition after a loan spell at Fulham and he looks set to stay with the Barclays Premiership champions.
Mourinho, speaking at the launch of the club's new kit 48 hours before Del Horno's sale went through, refused to comment on speculation linking him with Cole but did say Chelsea would buy a replacement should Del Horno leave.
"Ashley Cole is an Arsenal player. It's not correct to say anything about him," he said.
"We have Wayne Bridge back. His spirit at Fulham was good and it was a good move for him and for us. If we sell Del Horno we will have a space in our squad.
"But if Del Horno goes back to Spain we will need a good left-back. The transfer window is open and for sure we'll have two left-backs."

 

[Toronto_Mike]

REAL CONFIRM RUUD DEAL

Ruud van Nistelrooy will become a Real Madrid player on Friday, the Spanish club have announced.
According to a statement on the club website, the Holland striker is scheduled to have a medical in Madrid in the morning before signing a three-year deal.
The statement read: "Real Madrid announce they have an agreement with Manchester United for the transfer of the player Ruud van Nistelrooy.
"The player will be contracted with the club for the next three seasons.
"He will undergo a medical on Friday morning and will be presented in the evening at 7pm at the Palco de Honor at the Santiago Bernabeu."
A statement released by United read: "We have given permission for Ruud van Nistelrooy to travel to Real Madrid for a medical.
"But the terms of agreement are yet to be finalised between the two clubs."
The player was back at Manchester United's Carrington training ground on Thursday.
Boss Sir Alex Ferguson on Wednesday rejected the notion United would be interested in doing a deal at the price Madrid are believed to have offered, approximately £10million.
United's blunt refusal to do business with either Madrid or Bayern Munich for anything less than the £15million asking price appeared to have left Van Nistelrooy in limbo.
Ferguson has been especially complimentary about the striker's attitude in training this week, but since the massive bust-up between the pair at the end of last season, it is hard to see how Van Nistelrooy has any future at Old Trafford.
Having already submitted a written transfer request to the United board, Van Nistelrooy was facing the uncomfortable prospect of being forced to turn out in a pre-season game over the next four days.
United head to Preston on Saturday and then Macclesfield next Monday, when Ferguson has revealed his intention to field some of his World Cup stars.