England
Chelsea Go To 50m For Torres?
According to the Mirror, Chelsea have made a £50m bid for Fernando Torres, after having an initial bid of 40m knocked back by Liverpool.
Analysis: If I said £40m was something that Liverpool should consider, I’m going to say the same thing about £50m. As valuable as Torres is when he’s fit and in form, he has his price, especially when it appears that luck is now not on his side when it comes to injuries.
City Agree Kolarov Deal
Manchester City have signed Lazio left back Aleksandar Kolarov for £17m. The Serbia international has penned a four-year deal worth £80k per week. (The Mirror)
Analysis: So where will Wayne Bridge end up? Chelsea could be looking for a new left back soon, but, er, yeah, never mind on two fronts.
Liverpool Leave It Late For Remy
West Ham might have been confident about their chances to land Nice striker Loic Remy, but it appears he‘s bound for Merseyside now. Liverpool have agreed a fee of around £12.5m for the 23-year-old, who is set to undergo a medical tomorrow ahead of officially completing his move. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Shame for West Ham, but Liverpool had the bid that was closer to Nice’s asking price of £13m.
Villa In For Djalo
Aston Villa are interested in Sporting Lisbon striker Yannick Djalo and could make a €5m bid. However, Sporting are looking for €7m for the 24-year-old. (Transfer Market Web)
Analysis: He’s not very tall, but he’s got strength and pace, so he could well hold his own against some of the Premier League’s burlier defenders. And he also has this. Perfect fit for the English game, I say.
Blues Turn To Dembele
Birmingham City could make a move for AZ Alkmaar striker Moussa Dembele, who is available for £5m. (The Guardian)
Analysis: Dembele was linked with the likes of Chelsea last summer after helping AZ win the Eredivisie title in the 2008/09 season, but his stock has obviously taken a dip after a disappointing campaign for player (only four league goals in 29 appearances) last season. All the better for Birmingham, as the 23-year-old is a player with a great deal of promise.
West Ham Land Piquionne
West Ham have signed striker Frederic Piquionne from Lyon for £1m. The veteran striker, who spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, has signed a three-year deal worth £40k per week. (The Sun)
Analysis: They may be missing out on Remy, but they will be getting one solid French striker. Piquionne acquitted himself quite well in the Premier League last season, and in a better situation and with more talent around him, he should do very well at West Ham.
Spain
Barca Snatch Sevilla Star
Barcelona have signed Sevilla star Adriano. Barcelona will pay €9.5m up front, and they could wind up paying a total of €13.5m. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Adriano was a key player for Sevilla all throughout his five and a half seasons at the club, and with his versatility, ability experience, and relative youth (he‘s still only 25), Barcelona could be netting a real bargain. They might not be landing Cesc and Mascherano this summer, but they’re not getting scrubs by any means.
Real Sign Leon
Real Madrid have completed the signing of Getafe winger Pedro Leon. Real will reportedly pay around €10m for the 23-year-old, who has signed a six-year deal with his new club. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Will he wind up back at Getafe as soon as he left, or does he stand a legitimate chance of finding a place in Jose Mourinho’s squad. It won’t be easy to do the latter, but he certainly has the ability and potential to.
Sevilla In Cigarini Talks
Sevilla are in advanced discussions with Napoli for midfielder Luca Cigarini, according to the player‘s agent. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Napoli may well be giving up on Cigarini a little quickly, considering he’s been at the club for only a year and at 23, hasn’t nearly reached his full potential yet. Loaning him out for a season to see how he develops might be a better idea than selling him outright, but we’ll see what kind of deal transpires.
Italy
Ronaldinho Staying In Milan
After it appeared that Ronaldinho was on the verge of a move to Flamengo, it looks like the former Barcelona star is now staying at AC Milan, as confirmed by club exec Adriano Galliani. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: As he should. Ronaldinho is coming off of his best season in a little while, and he’ll be a very important part of AC Milan’s hopes of doing more than just battling for a Champions League place and exiting the Champions League in the round of 16 again.
Udinese Near Denis Deal
Udinese are set to complete the signing of Napoli striker German Denis within the next few days. (Transfer Market Web)
Analysis: Denis made only 16 starts last season and stood to fall even further down the pecking order with the arrival of Edinson Cavani from Palermo. Udinese signed a couple of forwards for the future this summer, but landing Denis fills the need for someone to be a third scoring option up front to go with Antonio’s Di Natale and Floro Flores.
Germany
Wolfsburg Sign Mandzukic
VfL Wolfsburg have signed Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic from Dinamo Zagreb for €8m. The 24-year-old had also been linked with Aston Villa. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Mandzukic has been one of the leading scorers in the Croatian top flight in each of the last four seasons, and a move to a top league was only a matter of time. Does this mean that Steve McClaren is preparing for life after Edin Dzeko? No, considering that this might be more of a replacement for Obafemi Martins than for Dzeko.
Hannover Interested In Nemeth
Hannover 96 manager Mirko Slomka has stated his interest in young Liverpool striker Krisztian Nemeth. The Hungarian hitman is also drawing interest from newly-promoted Serie A side Lecce, who have made a £1m bid. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Nemeth has star potential, but he hasn’t yet made his first-team debut for Liverpool, and injuries have disrupted loan spells at Blackpool and AEK Athens in the last couple of seasons. For the sake of his development, he needs to move somewhere he can earn regular first-team football, and Hannover, who are in need of extra firepower, would offer that.
Russia
Zenit Move For Alves?
Zenit St. Petersburg are looking to thrash out a £12.5m deal for Porto defender Bruno Alves as quickly as possible to prevent Manchester United from making a move for the 28-year-old. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: With speculation about Nemanja Vidic’s future once again starting up, United could be in the market for a new center back, so don’t be surprised to see United steal in and snatch him late like they’ve done with many others before.
Scotland
Celtic Close On Murphy
Celtic have signed striker Daryl Murphy from Sunderland. The 27-year-old has signed a three-year deal with his new club. (The Mirror)
Analysis: After helping Sunderland earn promotion back to the Premier League in the 2006/07 season, he didn’t produce much over the last few seasons and fell a ways down the pecking order. But he had a solid loan spell at Ipswich Town last season, and at the very least, he should provide quality depth for Neil Lennon’s side.
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