[Football] Summer 2009 transfer thread

[asim0]

Hmm I thought it was 'against rules' to sign a deal with the agent before speaking with the club? If it is true then Bayern are losing out on a lot of money they could've had by selling him this year.

[Rappy Veteran]

Inter Milan are looking to bolster their attacking options with the funds generated by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to Barcelona and Wesley Sneijder appears to top their list of preferences.

Sneijder's agent, Soren Lerby, was quoted earlier this week as saying his client had agreed to stay with Real Madrid.

However, news daily MARCA reports that, despite being part of coach Manuel Pellegrini's plans, Sneijder is still transfer-listed as Real look to shrink their overpopulated squad.

And it is reported that a fee of ?25 million will be required to prize Sneijder, who signed for Real in 2007, away from the Santiago Bernabeu.

Inter will also have to fend off interest from Aston Villa, who are very interested in the 25-year-old midfielder.

[Rappy Veteran]

Barcelona's sporting director Txiki Beguiristain admits the European champions could bid for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas if the price is right.

Fabregas, who left Barcelona for Arsenal six years ago, has regularly been linked with a return to Camp Nou, along with his old club's arch rivals Real Madrid.

AC Milan have also recently been linked with a ?30million bid, prompting Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood to insist the midfielder is not for sale.

However, Beguiristain has suggested Barca are prepared to test Arsenal's resolve to keep Fabregas providing the Spain international's price tag is not too high.

"It depends on how much we want to spend," said Beguiristain in Marca. "If we spend a lot of money, it is possible (to bid for Fabregas).

"We do not know how much it will be yet. We have not asked Arsenal.

"If the amount is too high, we will not try."

Beguiristain, however, does not intend to spend for spending's sake following the mindboggling sums coughed up by Real over the summer.

"We find it difficult to improve what we have and that is the reality," he said.

"Improving a team that has won a treble is difficult, and trying to improve dramatically can get you into trouble.

"Any new player must be compatible with the plans of the coach. Here the views of Pep Guardiola are critical."

One possible target for Barca is Shakhtar Donetsk's Dmytro Chygrynskiy, and Beguiristain did not deny he was on the club's radar.

"I don't want to dismiss any of the players we like and will help us improve," he said. "There are several options."

sky sports>]

[Crazysah]

Cesc Fabregas will not be leaving Arsenal. Arsene Wenger will do all in his might to keep him.

[Kralik]

Inter are also considering Rafael van der Vaart..

If Barca put in an insane bid for Cesc then in excess of ?60M `we should sell him and get 2-3 quality players..

[Rappy Veteran]

Barcelona have been given the green light to make an approach to Arsenal for Cesc Fabregas, according to a report.

The Blaugrana have set their sights on re-signing the midfielder who left them to join the Gunners six years ago, and believe that they have just a week to put a deal in place.

Arsenal take on Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers on August 18, and the Catalan giants want to tempt manager Arsene Wenger into selling before then to stop Fabregas from playing and therefore becoming cup-tied.

If he does appear in the first leg of the European encounter, Barca will be forced to forget about signing him, so an offer is due to be made this week, El Mundo Deportivo believe.

A phone call to the representatives of the playmaker saw Barcelona encouraged to make a move. They were supposedly told that Cesc would like the idea of returning to the Blaugrana if Arsenal could be persuaded.

But Wenger is unlikely to willingly let another key player go after a summer that has already seen him lose Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.

A fee of ?40 million or ?50m will be required to give Barcelona a chance of signing the playmaker, especially as Wenger is not interested in the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen in part exchangegoal]

[Rappy Veteran]

West Ham United are ready to swoop for Girondins de Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh after a move to Arsenal appeared to stall.

The Hammers are ready to offer the ?10 million that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger refused to pay for the Morocco international.

Bordeaux have admitted they have had no contact with the Gunners since they firmly rejected Arsenal's ?6m bid for the 25-year-old.

The French club's president Jean-Louis Triaud insists, "There is no sign of life from Arsenal. If Arsene Wenger really wants Marouane, I guess it will eventually manifest itself."

Meanwhile French newspaper L'Equipe claims that West Ham have emerged as favourites to sign the striker after rumours of a move to Fulham or Sunderland failed to progress.

Bordeaux are prepared to sell the forward and have lowered their original asking price from ?15m to around ?10m.

The French Ligue 1 outfit have drawn up a list of potential replacements, including Valencia striker Nicola Zigic and Fulham striker Diomansy Kamaragoal]

awesome:D; :D but this might make wenger pay more tho!

[Shibby]

I heard Pompey may have Anthony Vanden Borre from Genoa on loan!

[Rappy Veteran]

I heard Pompey may have Anthony Vanden Borre from Genoa on loan!

a football manager legend! :D

[Shibby]

Dam right he is. ?

Boudewijn Zenden is in talks with Blackburn, Hull and Pompey.

[Martyn]

He's boss Bolo. Sound fella.

[Rappy Veteran]

According to Marca, cash-rich Manchester City have not given up on signing Lionel Messi and are interested in capturing him at all costs.

The Argentina international is currently in talks with Barcelona over a new contract and City have used that situation to renew their interest in the gifted footballer.

It is believed the Premier League club have approached Messi's agent to let the player know of their interest, having handed the 22-year-old a blank cheque, in effect asking him to name his price.

This is not the first time that City have expressed an interest in Messi. In the winter transfer window, they were ready to pay his release clause, set at ?150 million, and offer him ?12 million per season after tax.

Messi rejected the approach and it is understood City's new attempt will receive a similarly short shrift as he is happy at the Camp Nou and wants to stay in a team that can challenge on all frontsgoal]

[Rappy Veteran]

Hull City are close to sealing a switch for Real Madrid forward Alvaro Negredo, according to the player's agent Alejandro Camano.

With the likes of Karim Benzema, Raul and Gonzalo Higuain all ahead of him in the pecking order at the Bernabeu, the 23-year-old Negredo is reportedly keen on a switch to the Premier League.

Despite having completed the loan signing of American international striker Jozy Altidore, it would appear that Hull are desperate to improve their attacking options ahead of the new Premier League season.

Tottenham, Sevilla and Villarreal have all been linked with a move for Negredo although the Tigers appear to be the front runners in the race for his signature.

The Spaniard scored 19 goals for Almeria in La Liga last term and his agent has admitted that a move to the KC Stadium remains a distinct possibility.

"It's 100 per cent possible [a move to Hull City]," Camano told The Hull Daily Mail.

"I have had calls with the chairman [Paul Duffen]. He [Negredo] likes the team and it's possible he will play in the Premier League.

"The chairman is a good man but the deal is not totally 100 per cent yet."

[goal]

[Martyn]

If Negredo goes to Hull that will be a big coup for them.

[Rappy Veteran]

Portsmouth have completed the loan signing of Belgian midfielder Anthony Vanden Borre from Italian side Genoa.

The 21-year-old has joined the south coast club on a season-long deal subject to international clearance.

"He's threatened to do so much for quite a while - now's the time for him to come up with the goods," said Portsmouth manager Paul Hart.

Hart has also revealed he signed striker Mark Viduka in June, but has since had no contact with the player.

The Australia international, 33, was released by Newcastle following their relegation from the Premier League.

With Portsmouth lacking firepower since the departure of Jermain Defoe, and more recently Peter Crouch, Hart signed Viduka - only for the ex-Leeds and Middlesbrough player to go absent soon after.

"As far as I understand, the contractual negotiations went well, he was happy with the deal," Hart told BBC Radio 5 live.

"That deal was done in the back-end of June - and he's still in Croatia."

Despite the uncertainty over Viduka's future at Fratton Park, Hart is delighted to have captured the versatile Vanden Borre.

"He played right back for his country (against the Czech Republic) on Wednesday night but he can also play in midfield. He's good in both positions," said the Portsmouth boss.

Pompey are thought to have an exclusive option to buy the former Fiorentina player, who has won 18 Belgium caps, when the loan deal ends.

Vanden Borre, who made his international debut against Turkey in 2004 at the age of 16, could go straight into the Portsmouth squad for their Premier League opener against Fulham on Saturday, providing the club receive international clearance for the Congo-born player.

[bbc]

[Rappy Veteran]

Real Madrid are considering offering cash plus the services of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben to Bayern Munich in order to land superstar Franck Ribery, according to a report in Marca.

The France international has been the subject of a prolonged transfer saga and his future at the Allianz Arena appears to be anything but decided.

Real Madrid have allegedly not given up on signing Ribery and are preparing to include two of their Dutch players in order to make the deal happen.

Both Sneijder and Robben are part of coach Manuel Pellegrini's plans, but Real Madrid will not think twice before letting them go if an interesting opportunity arises.

The Spanish paper claims that Rafael van der Vaart is also a possibility, but that Bayern's preferences lean towards the other two Holland internationals.

It is believed Real would also put ?30 million on the table, making for a total bid that surpasses the ?60m mark and nears the ?80m Bayern asked for Ribery earlier in the summer.

[goal[/b]al]

[Rappy Veteran]

Inter and Real Madrid are thought to have agreed a fee for Wesley Sneijder, but the Dutchman is still reluctant to move.

The recent arrivals at the Bernabeu have thrown Sneijder's future into serious doubt, but he has remained adamant in his desire to stay at the club.

According to Italian website 24oredisport, both clubs have agreed on a fee of around ?19million for Sneijder, with ?8.5million paid immediately, and the rest in a year's time.

Inter are also ready to offer Sneijder a four year deal, with wages of around ?3.7million per season.

It appears that all that remains is Sneijder's confirmation, However, this might prove hard to come by, as he continues to prefer the option of staying in Madrgoalal]

[Rappy Veteran]

Arsenal are reportedly interested in making a move for Real Madrid outcast Rafael van der Vaart.

The Mail on Sunday claims that the Gunners will attempt to boost their midfield by making a ?7 million move for the Dutch star, who is unwanted at the Bernabeu following their summer spending spree.

The report also quotes the 26-year-old as insisting he would be happy to come to England and that he already know which club he wants to play for.

?I really want to come to England,? admitted Van der Vaart.

?There are a number of clubs with offers where I can go in Germany, Spain and Italy. I have also had a request from Martin Jol to go back to Ajax.

?But none of those options appeal to me.

?I want to go to the Premier League and I know where I want to play.?

The Gunners have had a relatively quiet summer in the transfer market, adding only Thomas Vermaelen to the ranks, whilst allowing Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to leave.

This has led many commentators to dismiss their chances of success this season. However, the north Londoners began their campaign in sensational style yesterday with a 6-1 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park.

[Kralik]

Well that would be money wasted if its true.. we don't need any more attacking midfielders coz we're all set in that dept with Nasri, Cesc, Arshavin and Denilson..

[Rappy Veteran]

West Ham hope to secure the permanent transfer of the highly-rated Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh in a deal thought to be worth around ?7 million.

Chief executive Scott Duxbury will fly to France to try to secure a move for the 25 year-old, who remains of interest to Arsenal.

If West Ham sign Chamakh it will come as a huge relief to manager Gianfranco Zola, who has made no secret of his desire to bring in at least one new striker this summer. West Ham will partly finance the deal with the expected sale of defender James Collins, who is interesting Stoke City and is available for around ?5 million. Talks between the two clubs are ongoing.

One concern for West Ham is that Chamakh may carry out his threat to see out the final year of his contract at Bordeaux and then agree a free transfer next summer to Arsenal, who had a ?5 million bid for the Moroccan international rejected earlier this summer.

Understandably the French club are keen to avoid that scenario and want to conclude a swift deal with West Ham, who are confident that negotiations will be successfully concluded on Tuesday.

[Rappy Veteran]

Skysports.com understands Liverpool are closing in on a shock move for former Rangers defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos.

Liverpool are in the market for defensive reinforcements and it is believed they have lined up a move for AEK stopper Kyrgiakos.

The Reds have been linked with the likes of Stoke's Ryan Shawcross and Hull's Michael Turner, but Kyrgiakos appears to be a cheaper option for Rafa Benitez.

With reports of Benitez having his transfer budget restricted Liverpool have switched their attentions to Kyrgiakos and they are believed to have agreed a ?3million (?2.5million) fee with AEK for the 30-year-old.

Kyrgiakos is understood to have said his goodbyes to his AEK team-mates and is now thought to be travelling to England to hold talks with Liverpool officials and undergo a medical.

SourcSky Sports/b>

[Shibby]

Pomepy boss Paul hart seems to like Shittu and McCann of Bolton. Please please god no. We need wingers!

[Rappy Veteran]

UPDATE: Sotiris Kyrgiakos has officially announced, via his personal website, that he is now a Liverpool player.

"Never in my life have I hidden from the consequences of my choices," a statement from the 30-year-old said.

"I said last week that I would be an AEK Athens player for the next four years and I meant what I said at the time.

"Today, however, I had to make the most important decision in my career. Going back on my word was difficult, but this is life, and life can bring about strange things."

[Subject Delta]

Wow that's a little unexpected. Anyone got any idea on what manner of defender he is, I don't recall ever seeing him play?

[Rappy Veteran]

He played as a centre back for AEK and yeah I think its unexpected certainly looked twice when I read it but I suppose its in Rafa's budget not being nasty but he's cheap and he has a good record for Rangers when he played for them.