Today’s transfer roundup starts and ends with rumors that may or may not have any merit.
Is there any chance at all that Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Manchester United for Real Madrid in the summer? The Daily Mail is looking to put a spin on some comments Ronaldo made in reference to his future which insinuate that he’s undecided on what will happen after the Champions League final. Innnnnteresting, eh?
Rumor Rating: 1 – Tell us something we don’t know – we already know he wants to play in Spain at some point, so you can’t rule anything completely out. Real are up for making him the highest-paid player in the world, but why would United let him go, even if they’re offered a world-record fee?
Barcelona have decided to prolong their signing Sevilla’s Daniel Alves by throwing another Sevilla player into the deal, in midfielder Seydou Keita.
They’re set to pay 25 million euros for Alves, but have run into a temporary snag since Sevilla feels a little lowballed by Barca’s 10 million euro valuation of the 28-year old Mali international.
Rumor Rating: 5 – This deal will still happen, though the longer it drags on, the more time there is for other clubs to throw their hat into the ring for Alves.
The Blaugrana could also be on the verge of a 17 million euro deal for Boca Juniors star Rodrigo Palacio. The 26-year old attacker was a Barcelona target last summer, but the move didn’t materialize then.
Rumor Rating: 4 – Palacio is good, very, very good. That is all.
Barca are also reportedly interested in signing Zinedine Zidane’s best friend, Marco Materazzi.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Materazzi missed a crucial late penalty against Siena last Sunday, which would’ve given the Nerazzurri a win that would’ve virtually clinched the Serie A title, and if Inter fail to wrap it up on Sunday, Materazzi may well want to get on the first train to Spain.
In all seriousness, he is turning 35 in August, so Inter may see fit to replace him.
Porto have stolen Argentine midfielder Tomas Costa from under Napoli’s noses, signing the 23-year old Rosario Central star on a 2.5 million pound deal after he looked set for a move to Serie A.
Rumor Rating: 5 – Finders keepers, losers weepers?
Could Andriy Shevchenko be on his way to Fenerbahce? According to the Daily Mail, the Champions League quarterfinalists are prepared to pay Chelsea 7 million for the veteran striker, and can meet his wage demands.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Drop the two, carry the one, subtract, and that’s a loss of more than 23 million pounds. However, Turkey could be the perfect place for him to find himself, just like former Chelsea ‘flop’ Mateja Kezman has.
Also according to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are after Espanyol midfielder/winger Albert Riera, and could offer cash plus Sebastian Leto (loan) to nab the 26-year old, who broke into the Spanish national team last October and has a goal in four appearances. Riera previously had a loan spell with Manchester City in the second half of the 2005/06 season.
Rumor Rating: 4 – Well, Rafa does love his fellow countrymen, doesn’t he?
But what about Florent Malouda? The Sun say that Liverpool want to offer Chelsea 10 million pounds for Malouda, whose debut season at Chelsea, well, could have been better.
Rumor Rating: 1 – His agent says it’s just a rumor, so we’ll leave it at that for now. It took a few seasons for Malouda to have his best seasons in previous stops at Guingamp (3rd season – double-digit goals) and Lyon (4th season – double-digit goals), so Chelsea may be waiting for the same thing to happen for him in London.
So, what do you think of today’s rumors? Any chance that CR7 packs his bags for Madrid in the summer? Riera or Malouda for Liverpool? Sheva for the Turkish league?
Chime in, chip in, and enjoy your Friday!
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