Liverpool Joined By Juventus And AC Milan In Midfielder Transfer Merry Go Round

Alberto Aquilani’s transfer away from Liverpool is becoming more and more complicated.

AC Milan have joined the chase for Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

The 26-year-old remains hopeful of securing a permanent switch to Juventus, having impressed during a season-long loan spell back in his homeland.

But Serie A leaders Milan have entered the race for Aquilani as a replacement for playmaker Andrea Pirlo who himself is expected to join Juve on a free transfer this summer.

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Aquilani’s boyhood club Roma all lead the chase with Juve for Pirlo, which could spell an end to any plans to keep the Liverpool man at the Stadio Olimpico.

SOURCE: Click Liverpool

The future of Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani has long been up in the air.

Juventus have had the Italy international on loan for the season, and although they have been happy with his performances, they are unwilling to pay the price previously agreed with the Anfield club to gain his services on a permanent basis.

Now though, the transfer has taken another twist.

AC Milan have entered the race for Aquilani to replace the departing Andrea Pirlo, who will go to Juventus.

Could the AC Milan interest mean Liverpool get the money they are hoping for?

source

Read more...

Comolli: Stats dictate Liverpool transfer policy

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has revealed that the club place a big emphasis on stats when indentifying transfer targets and highlighted the positive attributes of potential signing Blaise Matuidi.

Comolli has been at Anfield since Fenway Sports Group took control of the club in November and is responsible for the club's transfer policy.

The Frenchman was behind the sale of Fernando Torres and signings of Andrew Carroll and Luis Suarez in January and he insists that the players' respective stats were influential in the club's decision to allow the Spanish striker join Chelsea.

"When you find yourself handling three of the biggest transfers in English football history in the last days of the market, precise figures allow you not to do that blind," Comolli said. "You have to act quickly. For Luis, I asked scouts to make inquiries in Holland.

"I looked at his stats over the last three years - especially the number of matches played. We are going in the right direction of players who don't get injured. We are going to take more and more account of the health of a player in the future. It costs so much having players who don't play.

"With Luis, we took account of the number of decisive passes, his performances against the big teams, against the little ones, in Europe, the difference between his goals scored at home and away."

And Comolli revealed that the club are interested in St Etienne midfielder Matuidi after being impressed by his qualities, supported by statistical analysis.

"In France, all the figures prove that the player who wins the most possession at the feet of his opponents is Blaise Matuidi," Comolli told the News of the World. "That is an extraordinary strong point. When the team plays high, it means a goal chance."

source

Read more...

Liverpool Plot Bids for £43m English Trio: Dalglish Makes Summer Transfer Plans

Anfield boss hopes to land talented trio.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy says he would be powerless to turn down a substantial offer for winger Matt Jarvis.
Liverpool and Everton are among a clutch of clubs monitoring the England international who signed a new five-year contract in the summer.

Breakthrough: Jarvis takes on Ghana’s Morgan Ayew-Dede on his England debut
McCarthy does not want lose the 24-year-old, but knows it will be an almost impossible task to keep him should Wolves be relegated.
McCarthy said: ‘If a top-four club offers unbelievable amounts of money for him – he wants to be a regular in the England team, and he can do whatever he wants with his salary and his career – then it becomes very difficult.
‘There are certain scenarios you just cannot stop.’

SOURCE: Daily Mail

Tottenham and Liverpool are reportedly leading the race for the £15 million-rated striker, who turned 18 on Thursday.

Jewell said: ‘I am hopeful he will stay but, let’s be honest, we are all at the mercy of the big clubs.
‘If Liverpool or Tottenham come in with money that is going to help us plough back into the team – silly money if you like – we have to listen to it.’

SOURCE: The Metro

As well as these two top talents Kenny Dalglish is also said to be one of many clubs looking to sign Bolton centre back Gary Cahill this summer, a player who apparently seems destined to leave the Reebok Stadium with Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Man United all also keen on the consistent centre back.

The Anfield club’s owners are ready to hand the Liverpool boss a significant transfer fund injection and those funds will be fuelled in part by the sales of some squad players who are not part of the club’s long term plans with the likes of Alberto Aquilani, Milan Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen, Emiliano Insua, Philipp Degen, Paul Konchesky and Joe Cole all reportedly set to leave the Merseyside club.

With veterans Jamie Carragher and Sotiris Kyrgiakos getting on a bit Dalglish is looking to boost his defence and is a big admirer of Bolton defender Gary Cahill who is now a regular part of the England set-up. He is also looking to boost his wide options and may feel that a move for Matt Jarvis a more realistic one that Ashley Young who is apparently hoping to seal a move to Man United.

Connor Wickham is very much one for the future and the Ipswich Town man seems very likely to leave Portman Road although the £15m valuation may scare off many potential suitors.

source

Read more...

Arsenal Boss to Sell Six Stars to Help Build £40m Transfer Fund

Arsene Wenger to conduct Emirates clear-out this summer.

Arsenal are ready to conduct a major clear-out of his Emirates squad regardless of whether he manages to lead the Gunners to the Premier League title. Arsene Wenger will look to offload a number of under-performing players as well as ditch others who are stalling on contract talks as he looks to generate significant funds to re-invest in big name signings this summer.

Gael Clichy is seemingly unsure as to whether he wishes to stay at the club he has spent eight years at and after the latest round of contract talks broke down, Wenger is now ready to listen to offers for the French international left back, not least because he has a ready made replacement in Kieran Gibbs raring to take the 25 year old’s place. The likes of Real Madrid and Juventus are thought to be interested in the former Cannes defender.

After dropping yet another clanger Manuel Almunia is likely to be sold just as soon as a side comes in with a decent offer and a move back to Spain appears to be on the cards. Utility man Emmanuel Eboue signed a contract extension at the tail end of last year but again if an offer of note was to come in for the Ivory Coast international then Wenger is prepared to allow the 27 year old to leave.

Brazilian midfielder Denilson has found first team football hard to come by this term and after managing 36 Premier League starts two seasons ago and 19 last term the tough tackling youngster has started just six top tier matches this season and is being chased by a number of Bundesliga sides as well as Serie A sides Genoa and Juventus. Arsene Wenger will consider offers for the Sao Paulo born battler and the player himself may be keen on a new challenge.

Though Sebastien Squillaci only arrived last summer the former Sevilla man is also in danger of being sold after a very mixed season that has seen the French international make elementary errors and could be axed if Wenger manages to bring in a new centre back with the likes of Gary Cahill and Serdar Tasci being high up on his list of potential signings.

Finally it appears that the Arsenal boss will look to field offers for Danish international Nicklas Bendtner who had something of a run-in with Wenger earlier in the season when the big striker made it clear he was not happy at his lack of first team opportunities and there appears to be a great deal of interest from the continent in the 23 year old forward. It is thought that Mexican international Carlos Vela could avoid being included in the cull thanks to his energetic and effective displays on loan at West Brom.

Wenger it seems does not have as much in the way of a transfer budget as some would imagine but the clear-out is not only being put into operation to balance the books but also being enacted to help usher in a new era of success at the North London club.

source

Read more...

Manchester United Plan Massive Spending Spree: £165m Transfer Warchest Made Available

Sir Alex Ferguson gets ready to spend on Old Trafford additions.

Manchester United’s parent company Red Football Joint Venture may have just posted a loss of £108.9m, but according to the Manchester Evening News, their position in the transfer market is stronger than ever. Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly has a £165m kitty with which he is free to spend, and with veteran players Edwin Van der Sar, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs either retired, considering it or in the latter stages of their career, there is certainly a need for reinforcement. Furthermore, the likes of Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen could be allowed to leave in the summer, with their expiring contracts unlikely to be renewed. “We have money in the bank so there is zero pressure on that, no pressure at all to sell any star player,” said chief executive David Gill. “The philosophy is to retain and attract the best players. We have £165m in the bank.”

SOURCE: Sportingo

Sir Alex Ferguson will be licking his lips as he scouts out new talent and make no mistake, his Old Trafford squad could well do with some freshening up. A number of his squad are either hanging up their boots or getting nearer to doing so, a number of other players are seriously under performing and though Manchester United are having a very good season and still on course for a treble, the wily Scot will know how quickly things can change.

The likes of Gabriel Obertan, Bebe and Jonny Evans have all looked poor this season. Young midfielder Darron Gibson has improved and earned a new contract as a result. Ferguson will be looking to bring in a new keeper and perhaps a new centre back having seen his back line suffer through injury and a drop in form.

There will be some players he needs to look for long term replacements for, like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes and such additions will not come cheaply, especially in today’s inflated transfer market. Remember also that Ferguson has not really spent the £80m the club received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo almost two years ago, and that money will have be burning a hole in the club’s pocket.

Whilst the club does have significant debts it does seem likely that the club’s sheer size and commercial pull is keeping the Premier League giants well about the water line. That said, one can understand how a great many supporters are not happy with the manner in which the Glazers are running things and clearly the longer they are saddled with these debts the more problematic things could become.

source

Read more...

Transfer Gossip

NOW CHELSEA WANT £50M FABREGAS
Yes, the gossip column is making a return just a week after the closure of the transfer window and it's returning with a bit of a bang...

'ROMAN ABRAMOVICH plans to make a £50million summer swoop for Cesc Fabregas.'

Or so says The Sun.

According to the paper, Chelsea are determined to 'hijack any Barcelona bid to land the Arsenal skipper and see the Spaniard as the ideal partner for Frank Lampard in the side's engine room.'

Quite how they intend to persuade Fabregas to give up North London or Barcelona for Stamford Bridge is entirely unclear, however.

REINA DROPS MANYOO HINT. MAYBE
Pepe Reina for Manchester United? Here we go again, but this time there are some rather intriguing from the man in question.

The Sun reckons that 'Asked directly about United's interest on Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Reina dropped a massive hint that it could happen.'

And here's what he has been quoted as saying:

"Yes, well Van der Sar will hang up his gloves in the summer so of course they are looking. I can't do anything. I can't say anything logically as I have a contract with Liverpool.

"Of course one likes to fight for titles and be in a team that does that. We always fought to be in the Champions League and try to win the title. But unfortunately it hasn't been the case in the last couple of years.

"I won't lie, I want to play in the Champions League and challenge for titles."

Hmmm.

HODGSON IN FRAME TO RETURN AT WBA
Surely he wouldn't?

The Daily Mirror says that 'Roy Hodgson is the leading contender to take over at West Brom - but is weighing up whether to make a swift return to management.'

Roy, if you're reading this, keep your dignity and don't do it.

'Alan Curbishley is also in the frame for the job at the Premier League strugglers, while St. Johnstone boss and former Baggies midfielder Derek McInnes will be considered,' reports the Mirror. 'But Hodgson, who was booted out of Anfield last month, has been approached by Albion and sounded out about the job.'

View the original article here

Read more...