Fergie steps in to steal top City target

by Simon Sparrowhawk

Could Manchester United be set to steal Edin Dzeko from under the noses of Manchester City? It appears a distinct possibility.

Last week there was more than just a little bit of chatter that Roberto Mancini was going to activate the Wolfsburg striker’s £34million release clause. That clause expired on June 1 and it seems City’s interest did not materialise in a formal bid. Could they rue that decision?

Sir Alex Ferguson is known to be a big admirer of the big Bosnian striker, who scored twice against United last season, and now appears to be preparing a bid for the player. And when he does, you can bet Dzeko will be interested.

Of course, the German side have recently confirmed Steve McLaren as their manager from next season and are not interested in selling their prized asset. However, McLaren’s appointment could be another bonus for Fergie. Lest we not forget that McLaren was Feguson’s assistant during the treble winning season of 1999 and knows how Dzeko could develop under his former boss.

Wolfsburg, and their new gaffer, will not want Dzeko to leave but after City failed to seal the deal before the clause in his contract expired it could, bizarrely, drag the price down.

The £34m clause would have acted as a good bargaining chip but, with the clause now removed, if Dzeko decides he wants to leave they may have to accept far less. As much as £10m less in fact.

There are strong rumours emanating from sources in the red half of Manchester about a £25m offer for the Bosnian hitman. So, what would he bring to Old Trafford?

Well, he brings goala. Dzeko has scored an astonishing 56 goals in 94 appearances for the recently deposed German champions and, at just 24, still has his best years ahead of him. United have struggled without a real target man if Wayne Rooney is absent and Dimitar Berbatov has failed to impress in such a role on numerous occasions.

Apologies for the cliché but Dzeko has great touch for such a big man and is comfortable receiving the ball into feet or via a more aerial route. With Nani and Antonio Valencia providing a barrage of service from the flanks there will be plenty of crosses to get his head on.

Any deal for Dzeko may mean the end for Berbatov though at Old Trafford. Is Fergie willing to cut his losses on a player that has only sporadically justified his £30m price tag? I, for one, am not so sure.

Will United steal Dzeko from City’s clutches for a relative bargain fee?

Fernando Torres: will he or won’t he?

by Simon Sparrowhawk

Fernando Torres goes into next month’s World Cup with his head spinning after a torrid season at Liverpool. Rumour has it he wants away from Anfield this summer, but where will he end up?

Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona are all known to be admirers of El Nino but more will try their luck if the Spaniard becomes available.

Liverpool will be in a strong position should their star man follow Cesc Fabregas’ path and request a move. Rafa Benitez will be able to start a bidding war. So, let’s assess the major contenders for his signature.

Chelsea: The Blues are allegedly at the front of the queue for Torres and they could certainly compete should a likely bidding war ensue. Backed by Roman Abramovich’s billions Carlo Ancelotti would fancy his chances of netting arguably the world’s finest striker. But, do Chelsea need him? They do have Didier Drogba after all. Drogba won the Golden Boot this season and Torres is highly susceptible to injury. He could cost upwards of £70million, surely Chelsea would be better served refreshing their team in other areas.

Manchester City: Torres is widely speculated to be Roberto Mancini’s number one target. Wages? Whatever Torres wants. Fee? Whatever Liverpool want. Money is not a problem for City, but they have one big problem and it’s called the Champions League. The primary reason for Torres leaving Anfield would be the lure of Champions League football, something the Eastlands outfit cannot offer. The former Atletico Madrid captain is motivated by success, not his bank balance, so a move to City does not make sense.

Barcelona: The prospect is mouthwatering. Lionel Messi, David Villa and Fernando Torres as a three-pronged forward line would be unstoppable. With Xavi, Andres Iniesta and, in all likelihood, Fabregas the supply line would be constant and deadly. But, can Barcelona afford him? And, do they even need him? They have Zlatan Ibrahimovic too and he wants to prove himself at the Camp Nou. Having already spent £40million on Villa and £60million last year on Ibrahimovic, can they justify £70million on Torres. Pep Guardiola knows what he is doing and Torres, Messi and Villa seems too good to be true…it probably is.

Real Madrid: It is no secret that Torres has said he will never play in the white of Real. He is Atletico born and bred, he was their youngest ever captain and is still a legend at the Vicente Calderon. Torres would not sacrifice his reputation, standing and legacy with the Atletico faithful to join Jose Mourinho (as seems almost guaranteed now) at the Santiago Bernabeu. I’m sorry Madridistas this will simply not happen.

Inter Milan: Italian football is back! Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho claimed the Champions League in Madrid this week, so Serie A can consider itself back in the big time. Internazionale are rich enough to stay in the race for Torres but will they be as successful next season? Mourinho is on his way to Spain and Inter cannot guarantee that the new boss will be able to keep them in the hunt for the biggest prizes. Torres wants trophies and, with Mourinho, Inter would stand a great chance. Without the Portuguese, I can’t see Torres moving to Italy.

Manchester United: Contrary to popular belief, the Red Devils could afford Torres’ potentially massive transfer fee. But, and it’s a very sizeable but, Fernando Torres plays for Liverpool. He is not a mercenary, he has morals and he loves the Liverpool fans. He will never move to the other end of the East Lancs Road. Torres to United is a complete non-starter.

So, the big question, where will Fernando Torres start next season? I know where I would be putting my money. Liverpool. He will not go to Real or United. City are not in the Champions League and Inter are about to lose Jose Mourinho. The only real possibilities are Chelsea and Barcelona. However, neither of them need to spend £70million on him.

Whether he likes it or not…El Nino is stuck at Anfield.

Man City muscle in on race for Spanish star

by Simon Sparrowhawk

Manchester City are intent on delivering a hammer blow to Barcelona’s hopes of signing Cesc Fabregas.

Rumours are swirling around Eastlands that Chief Executive Garry Cook has been authorised to make a stunning £65million bid for the Spanish international. The news will devastate fans at the Camp Nou who were desperately waiting to see the midfielder return to light up Catalonia.

It is believed that City made a last gasp effort to convince David Villa that he should move to England with an extraordinary £350,000 per week contract. However, the former Valencia striker turned down the cash to stay in Spain with Barcelona. The Catalan giants were riled by City’s attempt to snatch Villa and will no doubt be fuming that the Citizens are now plotting to blow them out of the water in the race for Fabregas.

Roberto Mancini’s side have been linked to just about everybody in recent days but an Eastlands insider confirmed: “There have been talks about a bid for Fabregas. The money is about the same as [Fernando] Torres.”

Fabregas has expressed his desire to leave the Emirates and Barca were expecting to negotiate a deal with Arsenal his services before the World Cup. However, City’s interest, and belief that they can attract another superstar, means Fabregas’ future may have to be decided on his return from South Africa.

City do not expect Fabregas to sign for them but the move demonstrates their power in the market. The former Barcelona trainee will be offered wages in the region £250,000 a week (after tax) by the Eastlands outfit who will not give up until the 23-year-old signs on the dotted line at the Camp Nou.

The only problem for City is that they are also considering a move for Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who would be available for about £45million. However, with City driving the cost of Fabregas’ transfer up then Barca will undoubtedly may want more cash to part with the Swede who has failed to set the world alight in Spain.

Can City take Fabregas to Manchester? It would be a massive coup, and you just never know…..

England’s Most Wanted: James Milner

by Simon Sparrowhawk

Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United – not a bad list of clubs to have chasing your signature. It’s fair to say, James Milner is spoilt for choice this summer.

On Wednesday, Manchester City started the transfer saga of the summer with a £20million bid for the England midfielder’s services. Aston Villa, who Milner could yet stick with, rejected the offer without a moment’s hesitation. As Martin O’Neill and Randy Lerner said an emphatic “No way” to City, they also began a bidding war amongst the richest clubs in the country.

Chelsea are said to be monitoring Milner’s situation very closely and a good World Cup campaign for the 24-year-old could give Carlo Ancelotti all the confirmation he needs to make an offer of his own. The Blues see Milner as a long term replacement for free-scoring Frank Lampard and, with their new policy of buying British, a move is surely on the cards.

Arsenal’s interest is far more recent, in fact it began the moment Cesc Fabregas asked to leave the Emirates. The Gunners will receive somewhere in the region of £40-£50million from Barcelona for their captain’s services, giving Arsene Wenger a sizeable summer budget. Arsenal’s status as North London’s Premier club is coming under serious threat from Tottenham Hostpur so they must replace their talisman and Milner has everything they need. He scores goals, he has good vision and technique but most importantly he has a brilliant engine and is not afraid to get stuck into tackles.

It’s City who have opened the bidding for Milner, but could it be their arch rivals who seal the deal? It’s widely reported that Sir Alex Ferguson is keeping an eye on Milner and there were rumours a month or so ago that a deal had already been done. Clearly this was not the case but United do have money to spend. They agreed a £35million fee with Lyon for Karim Benzema last summer, which they have not spent elsewhere. Milner fits the Ferguson mould nicely too. He has worked hard to improve his performances on the pitch and he keeps himself to himself off the field. The recently deposed champions need a regular contributor of goals from midfield to ease the burden on Wayne Rooney and Milner would provide that.

Rumours have surfaced about possible interest from Liverpool but a move to Anfield would be a sideways one for Milner now. If he is not desperate to play Champions League football then a move to Man City would be financially rewarding and the club is definitely going places.

Personally, I fear Milner will end up moving to Eastlands after City blow everyone out of the water with an extravagant offer. The safest move for the former Leeds man would be to make his way to Old Trafford where he would still get regular first team football and the guarantee of competing for trophies at home and in Europe.

James Milner is definitely the most wanted man in England, but what is the price on his head? And, who will pay it?

Manchester City offer GBP 100m for Milan’s Kaka

Will Kaka make the world-record transfer from Milan to Man City?

When Manchester City were taken over on the first of September by the Emirate based Abu Dhabi group, it sent a shockwave through the Premier League and many believed that it would lead to the men of Eastlands becoming a powerhouse in England in a relatively short period of time.  Within 24 hours of the takeover, Man City had landed coveted Real Madrid youngster Robinho in a British record transfer.  Even though they were unable to steal to be Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, there was no doubt that City had made a statement and it would be the first of many.

The day the summer transfer period ended, the rumours began about who City would go after in January, but with the struggling economy along with the fact that City weren’t currently playing in the Champion’s League, many questioned whether their newly found wealth would be able to lure big name players to Eastlands.  The likes of Buffon, Senna, Santa Cruz, Kaka, and even the great Ronaldo were all mentioned as possible January pickups for City, but few rumours seemed to have much steam until today.

Reports from several of the papers in England have City offering Milan an ASTOUNDING GBP 100m for their best player and former FIFA Player of the Year Kaka.  The Brazilian is indeed commonly acknowledged as biggest impact player currently playing in Serie A, but it seems like this deal may be too good to pass up.  Everyone knows how hard it is to depart with a guy like Kaka who seems almost irreplaceable, but with the reported amount City are offering it would almost seem stupid to not take the deal.

I may be wrong, but everyone knows one player doesn’t make a team and Milan could directly reinvest the cash right back into the club, which isn’t exactly lighting Italy or the UEFA Cup on fire this year.  Milan could bring at least three solid, well-known stars into the San Siro and strengthen their squad so they could maybe compete with the likes of Inter and Juventes this year in Italy.  It would allow the extremely talented teenager Pato to step into a bigger role and Milan could maybe bring in a veteran striker to help refine the Brazilian progidy.

Milan needs to think towards the future, as Inter appear to have Serie A pretty locked up currently and this deal could be exactly what they need to build a European heavyweight.  It may have negative side effects early, but if they could get into the Champion’s League next year, their newly rebuffed squad would have to be one of the favorites.  But like I said before, maybe I’m way off on this one from Milan’s point of view.

Now before I get to Manchester City and how this deal could affect them, I’d like to put the significance of this deal into perspective.  If the rumoured price is correct, it would more than DOUBLE the currently all-time record which was for Zidane in 2001 payed by Real Madrid.  It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since the transfer record was broken, but with City’s new owners, most would be shocked if they didn’t beat that number several times in the upcoming months. 

So once the shock would run off and Kaka would arrive at Eastlands, it leads to ask how will he affect the Eastlands outfit who look to be in a possible relegation battle?  He would inject a sense of creativity and loads of skill into the club which already has Robinho injected similar tools and City’s attacking midfield would look almost unstoppable to any club in the Premier League.  Kaka is a leader and despite the price-tag of 100million always following him around it would appear that he could be able to make the transition smoothly and have an immediate impact for City.

It can be extremely tough to predict how any given player will respond to the new surroundings in a new country, but Kaka appears ready to step into England.  His presence at Eastlands would likely bring in more big names as City look to pull a Chelsea and buy their title.  Money is power no matter where you are and with the possibility of playing of the best league in the world, along with one of the best players, stars from all over Europe may find themselves lured to Manchester City much to the dismay of the red side of Manchester. 

With this deal still pending all of this is just speculation and banter, but that’s what’s great about football, isn’t it?  Kaka coming to England would make the Premier League better and would bring more competition into a league which at times lacks parity.  I feel Milan would be stupid not to take the money and make good use of it as they look to rebuild a team which can compete in Europe’s biggest club tournament on a annual basis.  The deal really wouldn’t be a bad piece of business for the Citizens either as they have no lack of funds and are looking to build a club to compete next year at the top of the Premier League table…

So what are your thoughts? Would you take the deal if you were Milan? Do you think Milan will take this ridiculous amount of money? How would Kaka adapt to the English game and could he help City become the next Chelsea?

All of these questions will be answered in the upcoming days, months, and even years and the saga adds more fuel to the fire that is the English Transfer System…

By RJ Sepich