You knew it was only a matter of time before it would happen, even with the world’s current economical state. Real Madrid have broken the world transfer record that they already held by landing Kaka from AC Milan for £59m.
That signing looks to be only the start of Real’s monster summer spending spree, and if they can land one of their prime targets (you should already know who I’m talking about without me having to mention him by name), we could see the above record broken once again before the end of the summer.
In this morning’s roundup, we’ve got the latest on who Florentino Perez wants to follow Kaka to the Bernabeu and a whole lot more, with several of the world’s elite clubs busy trying to kickstart (or continue, in Bayern Munich’s case) their summer spending sprees.
Ronaldo And Villa To Join Kaka In Madrid?
After landing one superstar, Real Madrid are already outlining their next couple of deals to join the new-look Galacticos. Days after trying to make nice with Manchester United, Florentino Perez is once again talking up a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo, which is sure to put him in the doghouse with the United camp once again.
While a deal for Ronaldo may not be imminent, Real have reportedly agreed a fee of 38m with Valencia for striker David Villa, who is also a target for Chelsea. (Goal.com)
England
Chelsea Join Race For Ibrahimovic
Chelsea could offer Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, and Didier Drogba in a cash-plus-player swap for Inter Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: Considering what Inter value Ibra at and that Deco + Carvalho have been quoted £12m, Chelsea could still have to come up with £30m in cash to meet the valuation (factoring in Drogba’s value at around £15-20m). Deco and Carvalho are players Inter already want, and Drogba’s great when he feels like it, but all in all, it may not be as appetizing an offer as one that could come from Real Madrid or Barcelona.
AC Milan’s Pato Set For Ancelotti Talks
AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato is going to talk with new Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti before deciding whether he’ll stay at AC Milan or move to Chelsea in what could be a £45m deal. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Surely Ancelotti isn’t going to tell him to stay at AC Milan, is he? The £100m+ generated by selling Kaka and Pato would allow AC Milan to really spend big this summer and plan for the future, but I don’t like the idea of letting elite young talents like Pato and Yoann Gourcuff go elsewhere. Maybe that’s an indication of just how much Milan need the money.
Arsenal And Chelsea In For Melo
Arsenal and Chelsea are both in the hunt for Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo, and Fiorentina could be willing to discuss swap deals with both. Chelsea could offer Branislav Ivanovic, who was linked with a January move to Fiorentina, and Arsenal could offer William Gallas. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: Value-wise, Ivanovic would likely be a better option for a straight swap.
Chelsea Battle Real Madrid For Roma Defender
Chelsea and Real Madrid could be set to battle it out for Roma defender Juan. Juan penned a new contract just last month, but both Chelsea and Real are both expressing an interest in the Brazil international. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: With Carvalho likely on his way out (with Inter seemingly the likeliest destination), and Ivanovic able to slot in and start at right back if Jose Bosingwa leaves/Glen Johnson isn’t signed, Juan is a quality (and relatively inexpensive) option to partner John Terry in the center.
Owen An Option For Villa…Or Not?
So, what’s up with Michael Owen and Aston Villa? The Mirror says that Martin O’Neill has been given permission to make an offer for Owen, but according to other reports, including one by the
Daily Mail, O’Neill is distancing himself from any speculation involving Owen.
Analysis: Maybe that was O’Neill’s way of trying to say that he didn’t want to do his business in public, which isn’t a bad idea when you’re vying with others for someone.
Tottenham Favorites To Land Rodriguez
Tottenham are leading the chase for Atletico Madrid winger Maxi Rodriguez. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Atletico wouldn’t consider selling such a pivotal piece of their plans unless it was the right offer, so if Tottenham can come through with the right offer, it’d be a great signing. Rodriguez has the quality to be a star on the left for Spurs, which is what they thought they had when they signed David Bentley last summer.
Manchester City In Talks Over Baptista Move
Manchester City are in talks over a move for Roma star Julio Baptista. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: You’d think that Roma would be looking to add instead of subtract, but they could be looking to use the money from the sales of Juan and Baptistia to inject a little more youth in their ranks.
Could Pantelic Move To Fulham?
Hertha Berlin striker Marko Pantelic will be on the move this summer, and while his agent refused to tip his hand about interest from Fulham, he did say that the Serbia international has already made up his mind about where he’ll be playing next season. (Setanta Sports)
Analysis: Fulham’s scoring record of 39 goals in their 38 league matches shows that they could use a little more firepower in front of goal. That could partly be remedied by getting more consistent contributions from Andrew Johnson, but signing Pantelic would give Roy Hodgson another solid scoring option.
West Ham In Talks For Trio
West Ham are in the midst of trying to complete deals for a trio of players, Inter Milan winger Luis Jimenez (The Mirror) and defenders Rod Fanni (Rennes), and Matthew Bates (Middlesbrough). (The Mirror)
Analysis: West Ham can’t exactly be big spenders this summer, so Gianfranco Zola has to be thrifty all the while picking up quality additions.
Wigan’s Scharner Rejects Sunderland Move
Wigan defender Paul Scharner has stated his desire to leave the club, but one place that he won’t be going is Sunderland. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: I see Steve Bruce doing well at Sunderland in the near future, but Scharner could have the opportunity to play European football right away with Everton, Aston Villa, or Fulham, who all have plenty of ambition and potential for the future.
Bolton To Bid For West Brom’s Robinson
Bolton are set to make a £2m bid for West Brom defender Paul Robinson. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Robinson has been at West Brom through thick and thin, helping West Brom go from the Championship to the Premier League twice, but the chance to hop right back into the top flight and reunite with former West Brom manager Gary Megson is an opportunity I don’t think he’ll pass up.
Birmingham Move For Newcastle’s Edgar
Birmingham are closing in on a deal for Newcastle defender David Edgar. The 22-year-old has been offered a four-year deal to join Alex McLeish’s squad. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Edgar came up through Newcastle’s academy, and his family has roots on Tyneside, so there might be the desire to stay and fight to bring Newcastle back into the top flight. But everyone’s for sale at Newcastle right now, and if the right offer comes in for Edgar, then he’s off.
McCarthy And Duff To Reunite At Wolves?
Wolves are interested in a move for Newcastle midfielder Damien Duff. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: I don’t know if wages would be a stumbling block if Wolves were to make a move for Duff, but if they aren’t, it’d be a good signing for Wolves’ hopes to land a player with the experience at the highest level that Duff has in his time with Blackburn, Chelsea, and Newcastle. He’s not the same player he was a few years ago, but he can still do a job in the top flight.
Spain
Barcelona After Toni And Forlan
Barcelona’s first-choice strike target would seem to be Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but they are also in pursuit of Bayern Munich star Luca Toni (Tribal Football) and Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan (Tribal Football).
Analysis: Out of the two, I think Forlan would be the better option, but I can’t say I see the deal involving Krkic and a permanent switch elsewhere. A loan maybe, because he needs to gain some experience, but that’s about it.
Italy
AC Milan To Beat Arsenal For Dzeko?
AC Milan could be set to beat out Arsenal for VfL Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko. Dzeko has stated that AC Milan have always been his favorite club (Sky Sports), and AC Milan’s Adriano Galliani confirming that there have been talks over Dzeko (Sky Sports), he could soon have his dream move.
Analysis: You know not to always take much stock in so and so saying that a certain club is their favorite one and has been since their childhood, but hey, maybe he’s telling the truth. Either way, he’s a darn fine forward, and better yet, he’ll take only a small chunk out of what AC Milan net for Kaka (and potentially Pato).
Inter Look For Carvalho Swap Deal
While Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho is being linked with being part of an Ibrahimovic swap deal, he’s also being linked with a separate swap move to Inter involving Nicolas Burdisso and Maxwell. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: Just what Chelsea are looking for in return for Carvalho and how much worth Burdisso and Maxwell would be to Carlo Ancelotti will determine how viable this deal is. I don’t think Carlo wants to add anybody who’s just going to take up space on his squad, and if he thinks they’d be nothing more than that, then he might prefer to do a deal involving mostly or all cash.
Roma To Bid For Pavlyuchenko
Roma are set to make an offer for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. Pavlyuchenko could cost Roma only £9m after Tottenham bought him for nearly £14m from Spartak Moscow last summer. (The Mirror)
Analysis: It’s a significant loss to take, but it doesn’t really seem like Harry Redknapp’s too interested in giving Pavyluchenko another season to prove himself at the club.
D’Agostino’s Move to Juventus Stalling?
Gaetano D’Agostino’s dream move to Juventus is currently being held up due to the reported refusal of Paolo de Ceglie and Claudio Marchisio to move to Udinese. (Goal.com)
Analysis: As much as D’Agostino wants this move to happen, he’ll be pretty disappointed if it doesn’t go through, but I think this is only a little bump in the road before the deal gets finalized.
Germany
Hleb To Return to Stuttgart?
VfB Stuttgart are interested in bringing Alexander Hleb back to the club he starred at for several seasons before moving to Arsenal in 2005. Hleb’s future at Barcelona is in doubt after he made only eight league starts in his first season at the club and wasn’t named on the substitutes’ bench for the Champions League final. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Bayern Munich are also in the hunt for Hleb, and if it comes down to money, Bayern will be able to offer Hleb more money than Stuttgart can. But, Stuttgart is where he made his reputation, and he could see a return as a golden opportunity for both he and the club.
Bayern Sign Twente Defender
Bayern Munich have sealed a €2.5m deal for FC Twente defender Edson Braafheid. The 26-year-old is set to sign a four-year deal with Bayern. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Bayern could yet make a move for a right back (Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa, maybe?), but if not, the acquisition of Braafheid could allow Philipp Lahm to move to the right.
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