The week has come and gone, and while we haven’t seen a great number of deals in the Premier League as of yet, that should be changing in the coming days, as you’ll see in today’s roundup.
England
With things currently at a stalemate between Blackburn and Manchester City over Roque Santa Cruz, City are set to make an £18m bid for Juventus striker David Trezeguet. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: £18m happens to be the price that Blackburn want for Santa Cruz, and they best put that money towards trying to get him instead of Trezeguet, who has already ruled out a move to City..
Speaking of Santa Cruz, the deal that seemed to be a near certainty may be on the verge of not happening, if City’s final offer of £17.5m can’t sway Blackburn. (The Mirror)
Analysis: That sounds reasonable enough. I mean, a mere £500k shouldn’t be that big of an issue, should it? Even so, it’s not as if paying that extra £500k would be out of City’s range, but I guess that’s saying something about not wanting to overpay, even by that much.
Chelsea are interested in Benfica winger Angel Di Maria, but they’ll likely have to wait until the summer to make a move for the £15m rated 20-year-old. (The Times)
Analysis: Di Maria, who was one of the stars of Argentina’s Olympic triumph last summer, is still very much developing at 20, but he’s one to watch for the future. If he does reach his potential, he’ll be worth a lot more than £15m soon.
Tottenham have made an official bid of £6m for Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones, but as you would expect, it’s been rejected. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Jones cost Sunderland £6m, so that was a bit of a silly bid by Spurs. Even if the fee was suitable enough, a move to Tottenham would be a lateral one right now, considering that both sides are trying to fight for survival.
Everton have had a loan bid for American striker Jozy Altidore rejected by Villareal. (Goal.com)
Analysis: He’s already dented the Villareal first team in his first season, making six appearances. A loan move to Everton would likely allow him to get some regular starts under his belt, but Villareal might prefer to loan him to another La Liga club.
Meanwhile, the Toffees are set for a double raid of Hearts, with defender Cristophe Berra and left winger Andrew Driver in their sights. (The Mirror)
Analysis: With not a lot of money to spend in January, David Moyes is doing some smart shopping by going for quality young players that won’t cost him a fortune. Hearts won’t like to lose two of their top players (and academy graduates) for a relatively small fee, but such is the nature of the market in the SPL.
Spain
Real Madrid are going to end their pursuit of Wigan winger Antonio Valencia, thanks to the Latics’ £20m asking price for the Ecuadorian star. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: I didn’t think Wigan were going to sell him in January, though had Real put up the £20m, it’d have been tempting. Time to go back in for Jermaine Pennant then?
France
PSG have entered the hunt for Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, but they face competition from Newcastle and Blackburn, among others. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: A move away from City looks to be in Onuoha’s best interests if he wants regular football, but he’ll likely remain in the Premier League instead of moving abroad.
Scotland
Kris Boyd’s move to Birmingham is off after the Rangers’ striker demanded £20k per week, which was much higher than what Birmingham were willing to pay. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Considering the lack of interest from the Premier League right now, a move to a promotion chaser might be his only route to there and a bigger payday, so it might not have been such a bad idea to take the money. Rangers, who need to sell but say they don’t, might try to revive the deal, but it seems like Alex McLeish is already looking forward.
If you have a juicy rumor that we may have missed, post it in the comments, along with the link to the source, if possible.
And if you want to keep up with all of the latest confirmed transfers, check out our updated transfer lists.
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