The other shoe has finally dropped.

Real Madrid have put up nine players for sale, including their whole Dutch contingent. Joining Heinze, Saviola and Mahamadou Diarra on the transfer list are Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rosten Drenthe, Rafael Van der Vaart and perhaps most surprisingly, the young trio of Arjen Robben, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder.

According to Sid Lowe, Real Madrid have faxed a list of players for sale to several Premier League clubs and are desperately looking to reduce their wage bill, reduce the number of non-Spanish players in the squad and to bring in funds to supplement their transfer strategy. Robben, Huntelaar and Sneijder are all expected to net Madrid handsome transfer revenue, even if they are unlikely to recover the full amount spent on these players.

After spending nearly £150m on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka in the space of 7 days, a massive deal already planned for David Villa (£40m) and with Madrid still needing a central defender, left back and central midfielder, Perez is, in his own words, condensing a 3-year plan into 1 year. If the past is any indication, Perez will not only bring more Galaticos to Real Madrid this summer but he will also load the club under massive debt and clear out the squad to make space for his Galacticos.

According to Sid, Madrid remain determined to sell players, even if they do not recuperate their original fees, and would also consider loans. Together, Sneijder, Drenthe, Robben and Van Nistelrooy account for almost 10m a year in wages, while Diarra is on 2.8m, Saviola 2.5m and Heinze 2m. So effectively speaking getting these 7 players out makes way for Ronaldo and Kaka at the club. The price one must pay for making the same mistakes twice.

I expect Manchester United to consider a bid for Huntelaar, Sneijder and possibly Mahamadou Diarra, considering that they were interested in signing Diarra at one point and both Sneijder and Huntelaar will add quality in the right areas at the club.

Then again, when it comes to Huntelaar, Robben, Diarra and Sneijder, they will have no shortage of suitors this summer, and you can expect Liverpool and Chelsea to be in the mix as well, not to mention Tottenham and Manchester City.

Fans of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Everton and even Portsmouth (if the takeover goes through before Madrid sells all the players) – who do you think your club will sign from Real Madrid?

“Real Madrid Firesale: Sneijder, Huntelaar, Robben, Diarra, Van der Vaart and Ruud for sale” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

We’re already in the middle of June, and though the signings haven’t been coming hard and fast just yet, that doesn’t mean that there’s a shortage of action thus far in the summer transfer window.

In this morning’s transfer news and rumors roundup, we’ve got tidbits from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Greece, with many big names and big clubs looking to spend, spend, spend. Some of the rumors are pretty concrete, while there is at least one in the bunch that, like Manchester United being linked with a move for Fernando Torres, are a little head-scratching, to say the least.

There are also a couple of signings to report, and remember, to keep up with all of the latest confirmed signings, check out our summer 2009 transfer lists.

England

Manchester United After Valencia Stars

There has been a great deal of speculation over the last few days about what Manchester United are going to do with the money they get from selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and it could be that a sizable chunk of those funds go towards signing Valencia stars David Villa and David Silva.

United are reportedly set to make a £45m bid for Villa (The Mirror). The competition could wide open between United, Barcelona (Sky Sports), and Chelsea for Villa, as his potential move to Real Madrid appears to have broken down (Daily Mail).

Meanwhile. Rafa Benitez might not like hearing about United making a concerted effort to land Silva, as the winger has been a target for Benitez for a while now but could be the subject of a £25m bid from United. (The Mirror)

Analysis: £25m looks to certainly be enough to land Silva, but even though they could outbid Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea for Villa, they could be out of luck if Villa prefers the chance to stay in Spain. Of course, if Barcelona land Villa, that’d all but free up the opportunity for a United move for Samuel Eto’o.

United and Boro In Downing Swap Deal?

Middlesbrough are heavily interested in Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, and there are reports that they could offer Stewart Downing to United to try to make a deal happen. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Both Scholes and Neville could be reluctant for such a move, but even so, it’d seem like United would come out a lot better in this deal, especially if they didn’t have to spend much of that sizable transfer kitty on purchasing Downing.

Costa On Shortlist To Replace Ronaldo?

Along with the moves mentioned above, United could be set to swoop for Gremio starlet Douglas Costa. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Brazil’s becoming more and more of a hotspot for United, and signing a prospect of Costa’s ability and potential would be worth the fee United may have to stump up. He’s only 18, so he’s more one for the future and wouldn’t be expected to step in and star right away. But as Ronaldo did when he arrived at United, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him earn first-team opportunities immediately.

Bolton Lead Race For Veloso?

Bolton are back in for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso, and after refusing to overbid for Veloso in January, could be in with a £10.2m offer for the 23-year-old, who’s also been linked with Arsenal. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £10.2m is still a little lower than Sporting might like to get for Veloso, but it could be a sign that Bolton are willing to fork out a little more in order to land him.

Bentley And Huddlestone To Sign For Villa?

It could only be a matter of time before Aston Villa seal the deal on a couple of new signings, as there are reports that they are close on Tottenham pair David Bentley (Goal.com) and Tom Huddlestone (Birmingham Mail).

Analysis: Considering their interest in Bentley, Huddlestone, and Jermaine Jenas, I’m surprised they haven’t been strongly linked with Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko, considering a forward should also be on their summer wishlist.

Several Sides Interested In Newcastle’s Martins

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Everton are all interested in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins (Tribal Football), but they could face competition from a mystery Bundesliga club (Tribal Football).

Analysis: Everton would be a great fit, considering the familiar faces that would await, but wages would likely be a stumbling block, and that could also be the case with Aston Villa. No telling what the situation could be with the Bundesliga club, but Arsenal may well be the best match financially – but that could all hinge on whether or not they sell Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fulham And West Ham Interested In Acquafresca

It’s a London battle for young Italian striker Robert Acquafresca, as Fulham and West Ham are both interested in the 21-year-old. Acquafresca was supposed to go to Genoa as part of the deal that brought Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter, but he could yet move elsewhere, with even Juventus being linked with a move. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: I don’t have any doubts that Acquafresca could succeed in the Premier League, but if Juventus come in for him, that might be an opportunity that’s too hard to pass up.

Sunderland Bid For Cattermole

Sunderland have made a £7m bid for Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Well they sure aren’t sitting on their money, are they? That’s certainly a tempting offer for Wigan, considering it’s double what they paid for Cattermole just last summer. I don’t know if Wigan will offload him right now though, unless he’s just that eager to be reunited with Steve Bruce. If someone’s willing to pay 7m for him right now, they could be in line to get a lot more if he continues to develop well over the next season or two. Besides, the sale of Antonio Valencia will net a nice amount of transfer funds for Roberto Martinez.

Wolves Sign Milijas

Wolves have completed the signing of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Nenad Milijas. (The Guardian)

Analysis: For a little while, the deal looked to be in some doubt, but in the end, Wolves fought off some pretty good competition to land the free-scoring midfielder.

Birmingham Bid For Gomez

Birmingham have made a £1.5m offer to Espanyol for midfielder Jordi Gomez, who starred on loan for Swansea last season. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: With Roberto Martinez set to complete his move from Swansea to Wigan anytime now, Birmingham could face some competition from Wigan for Gomez, so it might be in Birmingham’s best interests to try to get him signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible.

Spain

Real Madrid Offer Sneijder For Inter’s Maicon

Real Madrid could be set to offer Inter Milan €20m plus attacker Wesley Sneijder in a bid for right back Maicon. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Sounds like a reasonable deal. Sneijder’s someone that has been linked with Inter, and €20m + Sneijder would meet the €40m asking price that Inter have for Maicon.

Italy

AC Milan Sign Cissokho

AC Milan have completed the signing of Porto defender Aly Cissokho for €15m. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: This time last summer, Cissokho had just made the jump from France’s Ligue 2 to Portugal, joining Vitoria du Setubal, and now, he’s signed for AC Milan. Talk about a quick rise!

Inter Closing In On Double Swoop

Jose Mourinho could be close to being reunited with Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, as Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti spoke hopefully about being able to agree a deal with Chelsea for the duo. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Seems to be only a formality, really.

Juventus To Swap Trezeguet For Rossi?

Juventus are prepared to offer striker David Trezeguet as part of a swap deal for Villarreal star Giuseppe Rossi. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £15m + Trezeguet would fall a little short of Rossi’s buyout clause of £40m, but it could get Villarreal to bite, or at least think seriously about the offer. Trezeguet might turn down the chance though, considering the interest that he’s had from the likes of Inter, Real Madrid, and others.

Lazio In Talks For Barnetta

Lazio are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Barnetta’s valuation is reportedly €10m, but even though Lazio don’t exactly have the room to break the bank on summer purchases, it shouldn’t be a problem to spend the right amount on a player who’s certainly worth it.

Germany

Wolfsburg Want Berbatov?

In one of the more interesting transfer rumors of the day, Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is being linked with a loan move to VfL Wolfsburg. (Sofia Echo)

Analysis: Though things didn’t exactly go completely swimmingly at United last season, Berbatov’s not going anywhere.

Stuttgart Interested In Tottenham Striker

VfB Stuttgart could be targeting Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. According to Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt, the Russian striker has come up in discussions within the club. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: After selling Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich for €30m, Stuttgart have money to spend and a big void to fill up front. Replicating Gomez’s 33-goal output from this past season might be a little much to ask, but Pavlyuchenko does have the quality to succeed in the Bundesliga, even though his struggles at Tottenham last season might convince some otherwise.

France

Shevchenko Offered To French Trio

Chelsea have offered striker Andriy Shevchenko to Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco. Lyon have turned down the opportunity to sign the Ukrainian, but Marseille and Monaco are still considering the chance to snap him up. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Safe to say then that Sheva doesn’t have a future at Chelsea, eh?

Coupet To Sign For PSG

Former Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet could be set for a quick return to Ligue 1, as he has agreed personal terms over a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Coupet moved from Lyon to Atletico Madrid last summer, but after seeing little time last season, will be back on familiar soil if a fee can be agreed. (Goal.com)

Analysis: With current #1 Mickael Landreau looking to leave, PSG needed to swoop for a quality replacement, and Coupet, with his long history of success with Lyon, certainly fits the bill.

Greece

Panathinaikos Close On Drenthe?

Panathinaikos are going all out in their efforts to sign Real Madrid’s Royston Drenthe, as they could offer £11m in order to land the versatile Dutchman. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: That’s about the same amount Real spent to sign Drenthe from Feyenoord in the summer of 2007, so I don’t see them turning down an offer of that amount. Drenthe hasn’t exactly blossomed at Real, and he wouldn’t appear to have much of a future there, so the only holdup might be whether or not he wants to move to Greece or to a more elite league.

“Transfer Rumors (15 June 09): Man United after Valencia stars Villa and Silva, Aston Villa close on Tottenham duo, Berbatov and Pavlyuchenko linked with Bundesliga moves, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Manchester United have accepted a world record offer of £80 Million for Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Manchester United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player,” said a statement from the English club official website. It added that the decision came at Ronaldo’s request after he “again expressed his desire to leave the club”.

Comments from United fans on Ronaldo leaving are both positive and negative. One Man U fan sums it up neatly by saying: ”

Late Monday evening the lastest transfer rumours concerning Kaka’ was confirmed. The Brazilian playmaker leaves Italian side AC Milan for Spanish Real Madrid.

According to Italian and Spanish news the 27 year old Brazilian cost 65m Euro, which makes Kaka the second most expensive football player of all time (Zinedine Zidane still claim the numberone spot).

Zinedine Zidane, nowadays working for Real Madrid as an advisor, confirmed on Monday at a pressconference in Rome that Kaka had signed for Real Madrid.

Who is next on the list for new president Perez and his Los Galacticos v2.o? Ronaldo? Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Ribery? Nothing is for sure but we will soon find out.

Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said: “I don’t know if we’ll be able to keep Kaka because they have offered him so much money.” It is claimed Kaka’s father and agent Bosco Leite sealed the deal in Madrid. More to follow soon.

Earlier this year during the January transfer window, Kaka rejected a £100m transfer and a reported wage offer of £500,000-a-week (!!!) to go to Manchester City.

Today’s tittle-tattle is off to live in a floating duck house – because we deserve to be safe from foxes too

Forget Manchester United v Barcelona, The New Harry Potter Movie v The New Terminator Movie or Peter Andre and Katie Price v The Possibility That Newspapers Might Stop Writing About Them Soon, the real heavyweight clash of the summer is going to be an all-out three-way tussle between Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Glen Johnson for the title of Interminable Transfer Story of the Year 2009.

Today’s updates in brief, because if we’re not sick of these yarns already we certainly will be soon:

1) Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere – “at the moment I’m at United and I don’t care what happens in Madrid”.

2) Nobody could be arsed making up anything new about Carlos Tevez yesterday, except for the not entirely surprising revelation that he’s going to start next week’s Champions League final on the bench.

3) Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benítez are giving Glen Johnson a clear choice between cockerel and liver bird. Either way it looks like he’ll have some kind of avian lifeform on his chest next season.

Now, on with the other stuff.

Firstly, an excuse to point you in the direction of the undisputed goal of the season (alright, you can dispute it if you like, but it’s pretty popular here at the Mill): Swindon goal machine Simon Cox is favouring a £1.2m switch to Celtic over rival offers from West Brom, Bolton and Leicester.

Because a couple of them happen to be quite tall, today’s defensive rumours will be brought to you in order of the players’ height: Birmingham City want 6ft 6in Zat Knight to make the long trudge from Villa Park in order to create a dream defensive partnership with coming-on-a-free veteran Bobo Balde. Arsenal – for whom Emmanuel Adebayor looks to have played his last game – are ready to test Fulham’s resolve with a £15m bid for 6ft 5in Brede Hangeland (for that money, the only thing they’ll be testing is Mohamed Al Fayed’s resolve to agree gracefully, rather than dropping to his knees, drooling and crying “yes, yes, yes” repeatedly).

And Chelsea are lining up a sensational £22m swoop for Internazionale’s 6ft 1in Douglas Maicon, although Real Madrid are also interested. If this is true and the deal indeed goes through at this price, it would take Roman Abramovich’s spending on first-team right-backs alone to £57.5m, following the purchases of Jose Bosingwa (£16.3m), Paulo Ferreira (£13.2m) and our good friend, the Rumour Mill veteran Glen Johnson (£6m).

Back to Birmingham, who are vying with Villa for £8m-rated Argentinian midfield starlet Lucas Biglia, currently wowing Belgians with Anderlecht, and plotting a £6m double raid on Derby County for Kris Commons and Giles Barnes.

While Blues are planning for promotion, Newcastle are making contingency plans for relegation. If they do go down, Sébastien Bassong will be off sharpish. “You have to plan for your career and playing in the second division would be a step backwards,” he says in one paper. “I’m an ambitious boy and playing Championship football never crossed my mind – it would be a step backwards,” he adds in another. It’s all in the translation, you see. They would also be happy to loan Alan Smith for the season if they go down – perfect for any club that needs a £60,000-a-week adornment to their treatment room.

Talking of which, West Ham are open to offers for Dean Ashton – perfect for any club that meeds a £7m adornment to their treatment room.

And Sunderland want Hamburg’s former Tottenham manager Martin Jol to replace Ricky Sbragia. “He wants another chance in the Premier League, where he feels he has unfinished business,” says “a source”.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-brede-hangeland-to-arsenal/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/real-denies-pre-agreement-for-ronaldo-transfer/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/real-denies-pre-agreement-for-ronaldo-transfer/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 15:35:00 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/real-denies-pre-agreement-for-ronaldo-transfer/ Spanish giants Real Madrid denied Friday persistent media reports that it has a pre-agreement to sign Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
“Real Madrid wishes to deny news that have appeared in several media regarding an alleged signing of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. No pre-agreement exists between the club and the player, his agent or [...]

Another week, another rumor linking Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Will it ever end? Not until he actually moves to Madrid, which can’t happen soon enough for some. But, until he moves, he’ll still be popping up in our transfer news and rumors column, along with several other tidbits from around England and Europe.

Spain

Ronaldo or Ribery for Real?

It appears that Real Madrid are going to go all out to sign a world-class winger in the summer, but which one will it be? According to the Daily Mirror, Real are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo 200k a week to move to Madrid. However, the Daily Mail says that Real’s efforts are focused on Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery.

Analysis: It doesn’t seem too likely that Ronaldo’s leaving Manchester just yet, but fortunately, Ribery certainly seems to be doing his best to get his move to Madrid.

Real Bid for Wigan Winger Valencia

If Real can’t land Ronaldo or Ribery, who will they turn to? The agent of Wigan winger Antonio Valencia has confirmed that Real Madrid have made a bid for the Ecuadorian star. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Wigan weren’t ready to part with him when Real went after him in January, but Steve Bruce knows that it’s only a matter of time before he leaves. The preferred destination could be Manchester United, but if United aren’t in need of a new winger this summer, then Real will be free to have him.

Barcelona to Rekindle Interest in Bayern’s Lahm?

Barcelona could follow suit with their archrivals by making a move for a Bayern Munich star, as Bayern left back Philipp Lahm could be in their sights again after a failed move in January. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: So, is this is a nice way of saying that they don’t want Eric Abidal anymore?

England

Manchester City to Move for Forlan

Could Diego Forlan be on his way back to Manchester? The former Manchester United man could be, as Manchester City are set to make a move for the Atletico Madrid striker, who’s also been recently linked with Liverpool. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: If Liverpool can afford him, I’d favor them for his signature because they offer a chance to win the Premier League and Champions League, but that all depends on how much Rafa has at his disposal, and if Atletico are going to stand firm by their asking price.

Tottenham Lead Race for Wolfsburg Star Dzeko

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko has been lighting it up in the Bundesliga this season, and he could soon be doing the same in the Premier League. A number of English sides are being linked with the Bosnian star, with Tottenham reportedly leading the way for the 12m man. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: It could be hard to turn down the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, unless one of them offered him regular first-team football, but his height, not to mention his prolific scoring ability, would be a welcome addition to Tottenham’s front line.

Tottenham and Chelsea Battle for Lazio’s Pandev

Tottenham could look to make a 15m move for Lazio striker Goran Pandev, though they could be set to face competition from Chelsea for the Macedonian star. (Daily Mail)

em>Analysis: Pandev’s been a pretty solid scorer in Serie A over the last few seasons, but if their options came down to Pandev or Dzeko, I’d take Dzeko.

Italy

Inter Set to Snap Up Duo

Inter Milan are set to complete a double deal with Genoa for striker Diego Milito and midfielder Thiago Motta. Milito and Motta will move to the San Siro in exchange for 16m and young striker Robert Acquafresca. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Tough blow for Genoa to lose a couple of key pieces to their run to a European place, but the deal works out well for them. Not only do they get some cash to strengthen their squad, but the 21-year-old Acquafresca is one of the top young prospects in Italy, and he’s already proven himself as a regular scorer in Serie A, with back-to-back double-digit goal hauls with Cagliari.

Scotland

Celtic In Hunt for Barcelona’s Krkic?

The chances are high that Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic will go out on loan next season, and the latest club to show their interest in the youngster is Celtic. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Celtic already have a relationship with Barcelona thanks to their move for Marc Crosas last summer, so the seeds are there, but my guess is that he’ll stay in Spain.

Daily Links

Cohen Apologizes for Hillsborough Comments

World football Daily host Steven Cohen has finally apologized for his controversial comments about the Hillsborough disaster.

The Best and Worst Englishmen to Play in Italy

Stephen Darwin takes a look at some of the most and least successful Englishmen to ply their trade on Italian soil.

More Great Quotes from Andrei Arshavin

Andrei Arshavin has been a great addition to the Premier League not only because of his skills on the pitch, but also because of his blunt honesty.

“Transfer Rumors (19 May 09): Ribery, Ronaldo, or Valencia for Real Madrid?, Tottenham chase Lazio’s Pandev and Wolfsburg’s Dzeko, Inter set to snap up Genoa duo, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The Daily Mail ‘exclusively’ reveal that the Ecuador international is set to join Real Madrid after Latics boss Steve Bruce thrashed out a £21.5million deal with the Spanish club.

Despite the fact that Valencia does not feature on Real Madrid president-elect Florentino Perez’s wanted list the deal will apparently force the hand of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Although the players agent Diego Herrera said: “Real Madrid made an offer last week, but nobody from Wigan has told me of an offer from Manchester United.”

Valencia, 23, is seen by United as a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who, as we all know, is permanently linked with a move to Madrid.

However, the Daily Star claim that Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is the one who will be on his way to Real if Perez returns as club president. £21m should just about do it.

According to the Daily Mirror’s Football Spy Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is set to move for Lazio’s £15million-rated striker Goran Pandev to beef up his attack. Presumably ‘Arry will have to get rid of one of Darren Bent, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Robbie Keane or Jermain Defoe from his beef-lacking attacking first.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s pursuit of AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has taken a new twist after it emerged that the club are reluctant to recruit the Italian’s trusted assistants, according to The Times.

Mauro Tassotti and Filippo Galli will not be following the Italian to Stamford Bridge as owner Roman Abramovich would prefer Ancelotti to work with the club’s existing coaching staff of Ray Wilkins and Paul Clement.

But Milan loan-star David Beckham has revealed in The Sun how the players are begging Carlo Ancelotti not to quit the Rossoneri for Chelsea.

“Every single one of the Milan players loves him, adores him and doesn’t want him to go,” Beckham said.

Newcastle United could play themselves out of a £140m takeover if they are demoted from the Premier League this weekend. The Guardian reports that investors from the United States and the Middle East are lining up an offer to buy out unpopular owner Mike Ashley – but it all hangs on the club avoiding relegation.

And finally… an interesting story in The Independent claims top-flight footballers in England are routinely surrounded by gangsters who pose a threat to their reputations and tempt many towards criminality. That is according to a former Premier League player just released from prison after serving four years of an eight-year term for his involvement in a drugs ring.