The word of the day is…persistence.
Manchester City haven’t given up in their pursuit of Everton defender Joleon Lescott, despite there not being any indication from Everton that they want to let Lescott go without a serious scrap.
While their persistence might not be paying off (yet, at least), it’s paying off for Hull City. Hull were frustrated beyond belief in their endeavors over the last couple of months, but they’re now picking up steam in the market to the point where they’re making ambitious bids for Real Madrid strikers.
Elsewhere, the Franck Ribery to so-and-so for £35-40m rumors are persisting, even though Bayern have said that they’re looking for at least double.
You’ve got to love the summer transfer window, right? Anywho, keep reading to find out more about those headlines and the rest of the day’s big transfer stories, and if you want to keep up with all of the latest summer moves, check out our updated summer transfer lists.
England
Chelsea Bid For Ribery And Pazzini
According to The Sun, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is set to fly to Germany to make a £40m bid for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery.
Analysis: This elicits the same response from me that it has before. But hey, I could be wrong, and if I am, it won’t be the first time.
According to French reports, Chelsea are eying Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini, and a bid of €18m could be forthcoming. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Go back to the start of the year, and people would be scratching their heads, considering he was a bit-part player for Fiorentina at the time. But after moving to Sampdoria in January, he scored 11 league goals in 19 appearances and four more in the Coppa Italia, and bam, his value has skyrocketed to the point where he’s a Chelsea target. But is he the real thing or a one-time wonder?
Lescott’s Transfer Request Rejected
Despite the fact that Everton have rejected defender Joleon Lescott’s written transfer request, Manchester City remain confident that they’ll be able to wrap up a deal worth £20m + add-ons in time for him to be available for Saturday’s Premier League opener at Blackburn. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: So, is David Moyes going to have to fax City a piece of paper with a giant ‘NO!’ written on it? I applaud Everton taking a stand, but in the end, it might be best to just let him go because of the potentially detrimental impact of having someone in your squad that doesn’t want to be there, and this is likely the most they’ll get for him. And hey, they can spend part of that little windfall on the defender mentioned below and still be every bit as strong at the back.
City Return For Distin?
If City miss out on Lescott and West Ham’s Matthew Upson, The Sun says that they’ll turn to Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin, who played for City from 2002-07.
Analysis: Not only would City save a lot of money by moving for Distin, but they’d be getting invaluable experience and leadership, not to mention reliability and durability in a key area for City.
West Ham In For Chamakh?
West Ham could make a move for Bordeaux striker and Arsenal target Marouane Chamakh. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Arsenal are taking their time with their pursuit of Chamakh, and they don’t really look to be in a hurry to offer up the eight-figure fee that Bordeaux want, so West Ham could very well steal in and land him if they make the offer that the Gunners appear to be hesitant to make.
Uche Set For Fulham
Fulham have agreed a £2.5m deal with Almeria for striker Kalu Uche. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: When Uche gets a starting nod, he often makes the most of it, so Roy Hodgson might do well to give him regular starts from the outset. He spent the first few months of last season on the bench for Almeria, but he was inserted in the starting lineup in January and wound up scoring eight goals in 16 league starts from there.
Hull Move For Negredo And Zenden
According to the Daily Mail, Hull City have made a concrete offer for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo.
Analysis: You’d have to think that the chances of them actually pulling it off would appear to be pretty slim, considering the other sides he’s been linked with, but anything can happen. He wants to play in the Premier League, and if Hull were able to pull off this coup, it’d force a lot of people to change their predictions about Hull finishing in or near the bottom three.
Hull are also looking to land former Liverpool, Chelsea, and Middlesbrough midfielder Bolo Zenden. (The Sun)
Analysis: Zenden may not be counted on to start regularly, but he can definitely fill a need for quality depth for Hull.
Salgado In Blackburn Talks
Former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado flew to Lancashire last night to have talks with Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce over a move to Ewood Park. (Daily Mail)
Analysis:Shrewd move, or is Big Sam just being cheap? His experience and success make him an attractive option, but how much does he have left in the tank? He was a bit-part player at Real for his last few seasons, but he may not be past it just yet.
Mancienne Set For Wolves Return
Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne will go to Wolves tomorrow to wrap up a loan return to the club. (Express and Star)
Analysis: He wasn’t going to figure in regularly for Chelsea this season, so this will be a good move for him, not only because he’ll get significant Premier League experience, but also because impressing for Wolves could help him earn his first England senior caps.
Spain
Malaga Interested In Kezman
Malaga are set to meet with Paris Saint-Germain next week over a potential move for Serbian striker Mateja Kezman. (Transfer Market Web)
Analysis: Kezman started PSG’s last four league matches last season, but he made only six league starts overall, and he was only a last-minute sub in PSG’s season opener against Montpellier, so it’d appear to be in his best interests to move on.
Italy
Vieira Staying At Inter
Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira has reportedly elected to remain at the club, despite heavy speculation linking him with a return to the Premier League. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Don’t be surprised if he ends up in this space again in January, if France qualify for the World Cup. If he sees limited time at Inter in the first few months of the season, he could look to move in January so he can get regular starts and keep himself in prime match fitness to ensure he’s able to play a key role for France in South Africa.
Inter Target Gourcuff?
Inter Milan could make a move for Bordeaux winger Yoann Gourcuff. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Unless an astronomical offer comes in for Gourcuff (and €20m is not an astronomical offer), he’s not going anywhere.
Milan Move For Bale And De Silvestri
AC Milan could be set to shell out €13m for Tottenham left back Gareth Bale and €8m + either defender Massimo Oddo or winger Ignazio Abate for Lazio right back Lorenzo de Silvestri. (Goal.com)
Analysis: While some Tottenham fans might cringe at the thought of Bale going on to be a world star at AC Milan, you’ve got to applaud their concerted push to go younger across the board, especially at the back. Looks like they finally got the memo, though it’d have been nice for them to have held on to the man mentioned in the above tidbit.
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