It’s a new week, and we’ve got a fresh batch of transfer news and rumors from around Europe. We’ve got tidbits from England, Italy, and Germany in today’s roundup, with names big, medium, and small all being linked with moves from here to there.
England
Tottenham Enter Race for Tevez
Tottenham have joined the queue of teams looking to sign Carlos Tevez, as Spurs are being linked with a 25m offer for the Argentine hit-man. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: If he can combine effort and goal-scoring more often, he’s easily worth the 25m and then some, but if he did combine those two things more, he wouldn’t be on the market right now.
Cisse Reveals Summer Spurs Switch
On-loan Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse reacted to being left out of the starting XI for the club’s weekend match at Bolton by telling his teammates that he’s off to Tottenham in the summer. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Well, that’s a good way to assure that you won’t be in the starting lineup for the last two games, eh Djibril? There’s no telling whether or not this is actually true, or if he was saying it just for devilment, but given his little outburst, I might be considering if my name was Harry Redknapp.
Arsenal After Zenit Striker Pogrebnyak
After striking gold with Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal are going digging in St. Petersburg again, this time lining up Arshavin’s former Zenit teammate Pavel Pogrebnyak as a replacement for the itching-to-leave Emmanuel Adebayor. (The Mirror)
Analysis: He’d certainly be one of the less expensive options on the market, and Zenit won’t have much room to do what they did with Arshavin, considering that Pogrebnyak is out of contract in six months.
Aston Villa Like Ajax’s Vermaelen
Aston Villa could be in the market for a new center back in the summer, and one of the names at the top of their list is Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen, who Martin O’Neill went to personally scout over the weekend. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Even if Laursen is able to overcome his injury problems, Villa do need to bolster their defense, and adding a player who’s young and has experience at a high level for club and country can only improve their back line.
Fulham In for Stockport Striker Johnson
Roy Hodgson is looking to the lower leagues to bolster his front line, targeting 21-year-old Stockport County striker Oli Johnson. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Given Stockport’s current financial straits, Fulham should be able to get him on the cheap. He looks to be more for the future than the present, but to make the move up from non-league to League One to the Premier League in less than a year is certainly something to be proud of either way.
Portsmouth’s Davis Wanted by Several
Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis is a serious target for newly-promoted Birmingham, but Alex McLeish could face competition from Wigan, Bolton, and fellow promoted side Wolves for the 29-year-old. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Davis will be out of contract this summer, so it might all come down to who’s going to fork out the best wages. Birmingham seem to be willing to fork out a sizable amount to add his experience to their ranks, so they’ve got a chance.
Italy
Juventus Set for Talks for Valencia’s Silva
Valencia winger David Silva confirmed yesterday that the club has given his agent the go-ahead to negotiate with Juventus. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: Silva may not want to leave Valencia, but selling him would certainly be a much-needed boost for the club financially (and so will Champions League qualification), and I think you can expect a few more clubs, including one or two (or more) from the Premier League, to enter the race with this bit of news.
Inter After Fiorentina Star Melo
Jose Mourinho is reportedly eyeing Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo as a potential replacement for Patrick Vieira. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: Fiorentina signed Melo just last summer from Almeria for 13m, and he’s already discussing an extension to his current contract, but Inter would have no problem paying the 12m buyout clause, so this one can‘t be ruled out yet.
Shevchenko Wants to Stay at AC Milan
His second spell at the club has been nowhere near as successful as his first, but on-loan AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko says he would like to finish his career at the San Siro. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: So, does that mean he’s going to retire after this season? In all seriousness, it doesn’t seem too likely at present that his stay in Milan will be extended, and his future at Chelsea seems to be grim, so he may just have to hope that Milan have enough faith in his abilities to keep him past this season.
Germany
Bayern Confirm Interest In Barcelona’s Hleb
Bayern Munich are hoping to beat out Juventus for Werder Bremen star Diego, but if they miss out on the Brazilian, Alexander Hleb is next on their wish list. (Tribal Football)
Analysis: This is like someone telling you, “Yeah, I like you, but I’ll only date you if the guy I like more turns me down.” As is though, he could be their guy in the end, because I don’t see Werder selling to Bayern, especially if Juventus offer what they’ve been holding out for.
Daily Links
Fletcher to Miss UEFA Champions League Final
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher will not play in the Champions League final against Barcelona, as UEFA unsurprisingly upheld his red card against Arsenal.
Mexico Withdraws from CONMEBOL Tournaments
Mexico’s football federation has withdrawn its teams from participation in CONMEBOL tournaments after the South American football federation’s decision to force two Mexican sides to play their Copa Libertadores home legs in Colombia.
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