Today’s actually a pretty quiet day in transfer news and rumors, though you could imagine a lot of clubs are quietly attempting to make deals happen as we move another day closer to the end of the January transfer window.
England
Manchester United are pondering a bid for veteran Roma defender Christian Panucci, who wants to leave the club after being named on the bench for Roma’s Sunday win at Napoli didn’t sit too well with him. (Tribalfootball)
Analysis: You can never have too many quality defenders, and with the rash of injuries that United have had in the back line, it’s not a bad idea to consider going for a proven commodity like Panucci.
So, you have the chance to nail down a move to the Premier League, and all you have to do is show up for a meeting? What do you do? Simple, you don’t show up, if you’re Frederico Chaves Guedes, or Fred, as the Lyon forward is referred to.
Analysis: Maybe he had a really good excuse, but that’s certainly not an encouraging sign for the future.
Alas, Fred’s no-show is taking a back seat to more talk about Robbie Keane returning to Tottenham, and today’s reports have ‘Arry thinking over a swap deal involving Aaron Lennon or Jermaine Jenas. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Lennon was actually linked with Liverpool last month, so maybe there’d be some interest there. If a move was to be made, Tottenham are in an advantageous position, since as was the case with Jermain Defoe and Portsmouth, Liverpool still owe Spurs a sizable chunk from their purchase of Keane.
Aston Villa have filled their need for a new striker this month with the signing of Emile Heskey, and they could already be preparing a move to try to land Heskey’s former striker partner Michael Owen on a free in the summer. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Outlandish? Not in the least. Villa have the money to afford him, and out of some of the options that he has been linked with thus far, they could have the most to offer him, with a realistic chance to compete for a Premier League title and potentially the opportunity to play in the Champions League again.
Now that West Ham have found a new striker, they’ve turned their attention to reinforcements in other areas. A £4m bid has been made for Spartak Moscow defensive midfielder/center back and Czech international Radoslav Kovac, who also interests Celtic, Udinese, and Hannover 96. (The Mirror)
Analysis: To make it through the month without having to sell all of their key players, being able to make some key reinforcements, and have a chance to end the month solidly in the top half of the table? Job superbly done Hammers.
While Andrei Arshavin may make a long-awaited move to the Premier League in the coming days, his club and international teammate Pavel Pogrebnyak may beat him to England, as Blackburn could nab him to replace the (possibly) outgoing Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Zenit may not be able to hold Blackburn to ransom like they have Arshavin’s suitors, since Pogrebnyak’s contract runs out in November. He’s a quality striker, so it’d be a good signing if Blackburn can get it done.
Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, and Stoke won’t exactly be throwing out 10m on a new striker, but they are all trying to nab Marlon Harewood, whose exit from Aston Villa seems to be a formality after the signing of Emile Heskey. (The Mirror)
Analysis: All three could use some additional firepower to help their push to stay up, and Harewood would be an inexpensive option. No doubt he’s itching to have a chance somewhere, so that fire could pay off big dividends for the club that lands him.
Italy
If AC Milan are to make their short-term loan deal for David Beckham permanent, which seems to be what both sides want, they could pay £4.5m to make it happen. (ESPN Soccernet)
Analysis: It would be a blow for MLS to lose him, considering all that has been invested in him, but that was one of the risks involved in allowing him to move on loan. Guess they didn’t bargain on him adapting as well as he has, eh?
Inter Milan are okay with letting Marco Materazzi to Tottenham, but they want something in return, namely Luka Modric. However, Serie A title rivals Juventus might have something to say about that one. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: I don’t think Modric is going to be sold just yet, but he will need to perform well over the rest of the season to assure that he has a place in Harry Redknapp’s plans for the future.
If you’ve spotted a juicy rumor that we’ve missed, post it in the comments along with a link to the source.
And if you want to keep up with all of the latest confirmed transfers, check out the updated January 2009 transfer lists.
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