Its unclear whether he’s out of contract during the summer. Apparently Bates tried to nail him down with a new improved contract during the FA Cup run rather than letting him walk away for free. No-one knows for sure but they’re saying Fergie is trying to get in early to sign before the end of the season to avoid a bidding war. I don’t think Grayson is all that happy but it’s being driven by £££’s and Bates. Would be some move for the lad.
How much would they realistically get for him? would imagine £2-3m max? Would be an amazing move for him alright. Seems to have loads of confidence too but Utd should be a class above him. There really must be no money in the kitty for Fergie to spend.
Tis hard to say really. Back in January they could have realistically got 3 or 4m for him. He’s a bit out of form since then so maybe the 2-3m price would be more realistic. Bit of a change to be banging in goals against Huddersfield and Colchester to potentially playing in the Champions League. Following a similar enough path to someone like Ian Wright who only hit the top league in his mid 20’s.
If City get 4th place, they’re gonna spunk some wad out all over Europe this Summer
Manchester City are putting in place an £11m deal to sign the Germany international Jerome Boateng from Hamburg and precipitate an extensive summer spending spree aimed at establishing them as genuine title contenders next season.
City have denied reports in Germany that a deal has already been agreed for Boateng, but there have been detailed negotiations with the Bundesliga club and the 21-year-old defender has briefed journalists in his home country that he expects to be a part of Roberto Mancini’s team when they travel to the United States for a pre-season tour in July.
Boateng, the brother of Portsmouth’s Kevin-Prince Boateng, is a centre-half or right-back who has won three national caps and been on City’s radar since the January transfer window. Hamburg would not sell him at that point but Fulham’s opponents in the Europa League semi-finals have now accepted that he will leave them next month.
“We have been told by the player’s agent that Jerome Boateng is looking to move clubs this summer,” the chairman, Bernd Hoffman, said. “We have to accept this. Talks about a new contract at our club have stalled in recent months and therefore the player has the right to change clubs.”
The manager, Bruno Labbadia, added: “It is a pity to see him go. But I think it is better for us that he has told us at this point than at the end of the season.”
If everything goes according to plan, the transfer will mean Hamburg have banked £33m from City in the space of 20 months, having already sold them Vincent Kompany for £6m and Nigel de Jong for £16m.
Boateng, at 6ft 3in, prefers to play at centre-half but City may have greater need for him to fill in at right-back after a season in which the role has been shared by Micah Richards, Pablo Zabaleta and Nedum Onuoha but without an outstanding candidate. Otherwise, he would provide competition for the first-choice central defensive pairing of Joleon Lescott and Kolo Touré.
After two days off, City returned to training today to prepare for Saturday’s game against Manchester United, but Adam Johnson was unable to complete the session after feeling unwell. The former Middlesbrough player will be assessed in the morning and is not thought to be in danger of missing his first Manchester derby.
Barcelona have not ruled out Cesc Fábregas bid says sporting director
Arsenal chairman had said Barça agreed not to pursue captain
Barcelona’s sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, has denied that the Catalan club have agreed not to attempt to sign Arsenal’s Cesc Fábregas this summer.
Arsenal’s chairman Peter Hill-Wood yesterday claimed that Barça had promised not to bid for the Gunners captain. “There was a private conversation that took place in the boardroom and assurances have been made at the highest possible level,” said Hill-Wood. “Arsenal do not expect those to be broken.”
Begiristain, though, says the reigning European champions will pursue the player if they wish to do so. “If Barcelona considers it necessary for the team, [we will] go after him, always respecting the negotiations,” he told the Spanish newspaper AS.
“We have never said that we will not try to sign Cesc Fábregas. We’ll see what happens.”
Manchester City line up £50m Fernando Torres to front title challenge
Mancini confirms City interest in Liverpool striker
Di María also on Eastlands shopping list
Fernando Torres is believed to have some reservations regarding his future at Liverpool and could be open to a move to Manchester CIty
Roberto Mancini has laid down a marker for what promises to be another summer of huge spending at Manchester City by confirming that he would like to sign Fernando Torres and speaking openly about the club’s chances of persuading the Liverpool striker to leave Anfield.
Mancini said signing a player of Torres’s quality could be the catalyst to inspire City to mount a sustained challenge for next season’s Premier League title, and he described the Spaniard as belonging to an elite group of footballers including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Torres is known to be questioning his future at Anfield because of the way the club have regressed this season and Mancini spoke of the importance of City, currently fifth in the Premier League, breaking into the top four to help convince one of their principal transfer targets that moving to Eastlands would not be a downward step. “We are a top team and I think all the top teams are interested in Torres but sometimes it depends on the player because they want to play in the Champions League,” he said. “If we don’t get into the fourth position I think it will be difficult.”
Explaining his reasons for identifying Torres, Mancini said: “For me, he is with Carlos [Tevez], [Wayne] Rooney, [Lionel] Messi, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Cristiano] Ronaldo as the best in Europe. Fernando is a fantastic striker; all the teams in Europe would like him.”
Nonetheless, City are one of the few who could afford to make Liverpool an offer in excess of £50m, as well as making Torres the highest paid player in English football, with a weekly salary of about £200,000. Asked if City had an advantage over Torres’s other suitors, Mancini replied. “Probably.”
For a manager to be so open about his interest in a player is unusual but the Italian was speaking in the knowledge that Torres is open-minded to the idea.
When City looked into his potential availability last summer the message from Torres’s representatives was that the Spain international was not interested. That, however, changed to a “maybe” when the same calls were made in January and senior officials from Eastlands have been back in touch over the past fortnight.
Asked about City’s intentions tonight, the Liverpool manager, Rafael Benítez, seemed unperturbed. “We’ve said repeatedly that Fernando is not for sale and he still has three years of his contract remaining. So how can they sign a player who does not wish to leave?” he said.
Liverpool are seventh, with only an outside chance of the Champions League, and City are hoping to capitalise on what could be a disruptive summer at Anfield, with the club up for sale and Benítez being linked with the Juventus job.
Mancini was asked whether City stood a better chance of signing Torres if Benítez were to leave Anfield. “I saw in the newspapers in Italy that Benítez was going to Juventus but I don’t know if it’s true or false,” he said. I think if Benítez goes to Juventus, Benítez will get one, two or three players of his own [from Liverpool]. I have read that Liverpool have to sell one or two players but I don’t know what their situation is exactly." Asked if he felt confident that Liverpool would sell, he said: “I don’t know this.”
Mancini went on to confirm City’s long-standing interest in Benfica’s Argentina winger Ángel di María, as revealed in the Guardian last November. “It’s the same situation with Torres. Di Maria is a good player and, in the future, we’ll see.”
Representatives of Ronaldinho, the former world footballer of the year, are also understood to be planning to sound out City to see if there is any interest in arranging a deal with Milan. That idea has not yet taken off but, in the face of further questions about Torres, Mancini addressed the club’s desire to bring in a recognised superstar, having failed in the past with a world-record £92m offer for Kaká, then of Milan. “I think we must buy a top player,” he said. "We must make sure we don’t spend too much on normal [average] players but if there is the possibility to spend the money on top players, young players who can help us build a future, I think it is OK.
“If we want to win the Premier League ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United we must sign some important players. All the top players want to play in the Champions League. But next season I want to win the Premier League; this is my desire even ahead of the Champions League, and I want players to understand that Manchester City are an important project for the future and that they can come here – [and] not only if we get fourth position.”
Man City :rolleyes:
Fernando can hear the drums…
Are they going to play the tried and trusted 3-1-6 formation next year with all these strikers?
Forwards on there books at present:
Emmanuel Adebayor
Craig Bellamy
Valeri Bojinov *
Felipe Caicedo *
Jô *
Benjani Mwaruwari*
Alex Nimely
Robinho *
Roque Santa Cruz
Carlos Tevez
+
Torres
And Benitez is left with Ngog!
Keane to Wolves, if the rumours are to be believed.
Apparently he’s supported them since he was a young boy.
They were his 1st english club weren’t they?
Robbie Keane reminds me of NCC and Bandage. The similarities with NCC are very stark now that i think of it. Dub, knacker, confused, a walking contradiction, lost, stupid etc…
Is Bojinov off on loan somewhere (I presume that’s what the * is for)?
I love when Irish people are critical of Robbie Keane - it allows me to immediately discount their opinion on anything to do with soccer.
Wikipedia says he’s with Parma on loan and has 8 goals in 25 appearances.
What if English people were critical of Robbie? Would it be enough for you to discount their opinion? Like Harry Redknapp for one?
So your discounting all my soccer talk away because i think its ridiculous for Robbie Keane to say 3 times with different clubs that he followed them as a boy. Even though you have often agreed with me? EMMMMMMM?!?
I question his loyalty, not his football ability, although for a long time he was lazy and over weight for a pro footballer, but he definitely improved in that department. His inability to stay at a club shows a major flaw in his character as a professional sports man in my opinion. Anyone who keeps moving job is either shite at it or lazy or is in the wrong game.
Or is a thick fucker with a greedy agent.
The same player that has failed consistently at every anyway ambitious club he was at?
He is the best Irish forward ever but to ignore his glaring flaws is as idiotic as saying that an away goal is worth more than a home goal in a two legged tie.
He’s in the wrong game or he’s shite?
Eh he’s done rather well for himself Kev.
You should spend less time paying attention to his quotes and more time watching him play. He is, as KIB Man has said (not his biggest fan), probably the best Irish striker ever. That suggests he’s neither shite nor in the wrong game.
Would you suggest that someone like Hagi or Maradona or Stoichkov was shite because they moved regularly? Or maybe soccer wasn’t for them either.
It’s funny how no manager he played for ever considered him lazy or overweight - in fact it’s his insistence on playing regularly that has caused his moves to Celtic, Spurs (twice) and Leeds.
Away goal = Home goal + 0.0000000000001
That simple formula works for every two legged tie played where away goals are decisive. They are in fact worth more. They’re just not worth double.