Archive » 2009 » May

Manchester City and Tottenham have joined the race to sign Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry, according to reports. The 28-year-old is strongly linked with an exit from Villa Park this summer after Martin O’Neill’s men failed to qualify for the Champions League. Liverpool, who came close to signing him last year, are linked again this year, along with Arsenal, who are looking to add experience to their midfield. However, Harry Redknapp is hoping to revamp his squad this summer too, while Mark Hughes also wants to spend big in the close-season. Barry has been at Villa since 1997 and is a regular in the England squad.

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has revealed he often discusses his club with reported target Franck Ribery. The Old Trafford outfit are rumoured to be considering a big-money move for the Bayern Munich midfielder in the summer as Cristiano Ronaldo is still linked with Real Madrid. They were reported to have offered Bayern

Aston Villa defender Curtis Davies has called on his team to bid for Michael Owen. The Newcastle United striker is certain to leave on a free this summer after the Magpies were relegated to the Championship on Sunday. He’s struggled for form and has lost his place in the England squad in a difficult season, but Davies believes it would be a statement of intent if Villa were to come in for him. “I’d love to see him here at Villa if that was an opportunity,” he said. “If we are ever in the running for a player like that, it will show the progression of this club.”

Sporting Lisbon have claimed that Miguel Veloso, the Portuguese international midfielder who has been frequently linked with a move to several Premier League clubs, is not for sale. Veloso has had issues with Sporting boss Paulo Bento this season, and reports had suggested that he had been transfer-listed by the club. However, his agent has denied that the 23-year-old player is up for sale. “That is not true, Sporting do not work that way, and the club will soon have presidential elections and no-one knows who will win,” Paulo Barbosa said. “The player has a contract with the club, what could happen is that if interesting offers for both the club and the player are made, then they will be studied.” Veloso has been a target of Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton in the past, and is certain to be of interest to a number of top flight English clubs again this summer.

Everton have been linked with a move for Elia, one of the most promising young strikers in Holland. The 22-year-old Dutch striker has been a revelation for Steve McClaren’s FC Twente this season, and he was watched by Everton scouts at the Dutch Cup Final on Sunday. Elia was also recently named as the best young player in the Dutch Eredivisie for 2008/09. PSV Eindhoven are reported to have made a bid for Elia, while the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester City have also been linked in recent months. He announced this week that he will be leaving Twente this summer: “I have played my last game for FC Twente in the KNVB Beker final, but I do not know yet where I will play in the new season,” he said. “As agreed with FC Twente it’s the end of the line here. I haven’t spoken with any club up until now. That will happen in the coming days.”

Source: Sky Sports

West Brom are considering an audacious summer move for Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson. The Baggies have looked into the feasibility of signing the ex-Scotland captain for next season’s Championship assault. And the Birmingham Mail understands that Ferguson even attended Sunday’s game against Liverpool as a guest of the club following a brief tour of Albion’s facilities.

Source: Birmingham Mail

Silvio Berlusconi has lifted the lid on plans for AC Milan to sign Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. The club’s owner, and Italian prime minister, told fans on a weekend walkabout in Sicily of replacing Chelsea-bound coach Carlo Ancelotti with Marco van Basten, as well as bringing in Adebayor. ‘Marco for me is like a son,’ said Berlusconi. ‘He is a piece of Milan history.’ Then when asked which new players would arrive at the Serie A giants he said: ‘There is a good chance we will get Adebayor.’

Source: Daily Mail

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is stepping up his bid to bring former United hero Diego Forlan back to the Premier League. Hughes and executive chairman Garry Cook watched Forlan fire Atletico Madrid into next season’s Champions League – but he wants to tempt him to return to England in the summer instead. Forlan knows of City’s interest, with his Argentinian agent approached again after a move in the last window fell through because of the valuation on his head.

Source: Daily Mirror

Tottenham are back in the race for Wolfsburg’s red hot Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko. The 23-year-old has attracted interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton and Blackburn but Spurs are in the driving seat after watching him score nine goals in four games this month. Wolfsburg are poised for the first Bundesliga triumph in their history after Dzeko hit a hat-trick in their 5-0 away win at neighbours Hannover last weekend. The prolific striker, valued at £12million, is unhappy after his mentor, manager Felix Magath, was allowed to leave for Schalke. He said: “I will have to consider my options at the end of the season.”

Source: Daily Mail

Chelsea anchorman John Obi Mikel is set to leave for Inter Milan in the summer, according to reports. The Nigeria international was signed by current Inter boss Jose Mourinho in 2006, but has struggled to find regular first team football at Stamford Bridge. He and his agent are understood to have reached an agreement with Inter, although there are still small details to be ironed out. It is expected the midfielder will fetch around 15million euros and will be offered a five-year deal. Mikel’s move to Chelsea was clouded in controversy as he had already agreed to sign for Manchester United. The transfer was eventually resolved when Chelsea paid Sir Alex Ferguson’s side £12m to cancel their deal.

Source: Goal.com