It’s Monday, and this week that means this is one of the few times you’ll be seeing me around here this week, as I’m taking a trip to see my best mate get hitched. I’m sure you won’t miss me too much, since the roundups will be going on without me, but for those who will, I thought it’d be nice to let you know.
Anyhow, enough of that–onto the news!
According to Robinho’s agent, the Brazilian attacker would be interested in a move to Manchester United. Robinho has been linked with being part of a cash + player deal for Cristiano Ronaldo,.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Robinho’s expendable, we know that much. But, the key hurdle here is whether or not United are going to relent and sell Ronaldo.
Luiz Felipe Scolari and Chelsea are reportedly interested in making a move for Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, after the performance that Schweinsteiger had in helping end Scolari’s run as Portugal head man.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Schweinsteiger would certainly be within Chelsea’s price range, and he’s replaceable in a midfield that already has two other top talents in Halil Altintop and Franck Ribery.
According to News of the World, Newcastle could be set to make a 6 million pound bid for Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Lennon has developed into a regular in Tottenham’s starting lineup over the last few seasons, and at 21, he’s still far from a finished product. However, Juande Ramos could be willing to sell him, especially with other attacking talents like David Bentley on his radar.
The Mirror says that Everton could make a move for Darren Bent, though to do it, David Moyes will have to offload Andy Johnson.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Spurs may be looking for more than the eight million or so that Everton could be willing to offer, which could see them lose out to ambitious Sunderland, who could pay 12 million for Bent.
Blackburn are interested in a move for Harry Kewell, who’s looking for a new club after being let go by Liverpool. Roma are also interested in Kewell, so Blackburn may have to work fast.
Rumor Rating: 5 – There are a lot of moves that could be set off depending on what Blackburn decide to do now that they have a new manager in place.
According to the Mirror, Portsmouth are set to make a two million pound bid for Tottenham’s Younes Kaboul, who could be on his way out after an unimpressive debut season with Spurs.
Rumor Rating: 4 – He cost eight million pounds last summer when he came from Auxerre, so Tottenham are set to take a hit, albeit willingly, to sell him.
West Brom are set to sign Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi for 2.5 million pounds. Ipswich and Norwich were also interested in Ameobi, while Stoke, where he was on loan last season, turned down the chance to sign him permanently.
Rumor Rating: 5 – The Baggies have made the front line a priority thus far, signing Aston Villa’s Luke Moore and Hearts’ Roman Bednar, so they might be looking for reinforcements in other areas now that they’re set to have a trio of new target-men in their ranks.
Stoke are lining up a million pound move for Jamaican midfielder Rudolph Austin from Portmore United.
Rumor Rating: 5 – Stoke tried to nab the 23-year old midfielder last year, but they couldn’t get a work permit. However, that won’t be a stumbling block this time around, so the deal should be done soon.
Birmingham don’t want to sell James McFadden, but he wants to leave, according to his agent. McFadden wants top-level football, and with Celtic sniffing around, the opportunity’s there for him.
Rumor Rating: 4 – Birmingham really don’t want to let one of their key players go, but in the end, they may have to, especially if this news gets Celtic to pony up a tempting offer.
Croatian defender Robert Kovac is hoping to land a move to the Premier League, as he doesn’t plan to see out the final year of his contract with Borussia Dortmund.
Rumor Rating: 5 – Kovac has played at the highest level with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, so the 34-year old may be looking for a new challenge at the tail end of his career.
Spain
Sevilla could be set for another cash injection, as Inter are interested in a move for the versatile Adriano, and could make a cash + David Suazo swap for him.
Rumor Rating: 4 – Now, on one hand, they’re letting some of their top players go, which leaves some pretty big holes. But with the money that they’ve pocketed and could still yet pocket, they could really invest in the future.
Getafe have some retooling to do after their successful campaign last term, and one of the players they have in their sights is River Plate attacker Augusto Fernandez.
Rumor Rating: 4 – A bid of four million euros could land Fernandez, who made his debut with the Argentine senior national team earlier this year.
Valladolid have snapped up Atletico Madrid striker Braulio Nobrega, who spent last season on loan at Getafe, where he played a key role in the club getting to the UEFA Cup quarters.
Rumor Rating: 5 – The fee for the 22-year old is 1.5 million euros plus incentives, and while he wasn’t going to play much (if any) part for Atletico next season, he’ll be a key part of Valladolid’s push to stay up in La Liga.
Italy
Roma are interested in Chievo forward Victor Obinna. The 21-year old Nigerian has been a regular in Chievo’s squad for the last three seasons since his move from Enyimba, and he has a goal in three appearances for the Nigerian national team.
Rumor Rating: 4 – The newly-promoted club would be reluctant to let one of their gems go, but a sale could free up some valuable funds for transfers that could keep them in Serie A after.
Catania could make a move for Fiorentina striker Daniele Cacia, who is likely surplus to requirements at Fiorentina after playing a very limited role last season.
Rumor Rating: 5 – Cacia played for Italy at U-17 and U-19 levels, and now that he’s 24, he might be looking for that move that will allow him to get regular first-team chances and a shot at proving his worth on the top flight.
Germany
After finishing 5th in the Bundesliga last season, Wolfsburg are looking to take that next step into the top three. So far, they’ve made some solid signings in Andrea Barzagli and Christian Zaccardo from Palermo, but now they have Alexander Hleb in their sights.
Rumor Rating: 3 – Wolfsburg’s current manager, Felix Magath, worked with Hleb at Stuttgart, so there’s a personal connection. You’d still think that he’ll end up with either a Barcelona or Bayern Munich if he does leave, but Wolfsburg can afford him, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they actually landed him.
Well, that’s it for today. What do you think of today’s rumors? Schweinsteiger to Chelsea? Lennon to Newcastle? Robinho + cash for Ronaldo?
Chime in, chip in, and I’ll be back tomorrow!
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