Football Transfers Talk (Ronaldo to Milan)

What does the Ibrahimovic signing mean for Martins?

a better striker

Well the fact that they're about to be knocked down 2 divisions is a pretty good "prove" that they've been cheating

No one has the sufficient proves to send us, and the other teams involved, to a lower division, still.

EDIT: Today they took the decision: Milan on Serie A; Juve, Lazio, Fiorentina on Serie B.

What does the Ibrahimovic signing mean for Martins?

Martins didn't even play that much last season (because of Julio Cruz) so I don't think it'll be a lot different than last season. Maybe he'll get traded in exchange for some defender/midfielder *hint* or just left in the shadow, like last season.

I don't agree with you there Joe. They were relegated to Serie B for a reason. The fact that no laws were broken doesn't mean much when the laws are crap to begin with. I mean, just because there's no law that says Moggi can't force officials to appoint referees that are biased for Juventus and stuff like that, doesn't make it any less despicable. It's still cheating.

Martins didn't even play that much last season (because of Julio Cruz) so I don't think it'll be a lot different than last season. Maybe he'll get traded in exchange for some defender/midfielder *hint* or just left in the shadow, like last season.

Thanks. I don't have the knowledge in football that I do in the NFL, MLB or NBA. Too many teams and leagues to keep up with, I just watch Barca whenever I can.

Dahl is right. You don't get relegated and lose millions of dollars for nothing.

Now that the verdict is clear, and we got relegated to Serie B I must say Moggi's an idiot. I hope he dies in prison (or everywhere... I just hope he dies )
Anyways we are starting in Serie B with €100 million, and we will probably get more since a lot of players are moving. Though I don't think it counts that much at last. We are in Serie B and we will probably stay there for 2 seasons since we even have a 30/15 (the verdict isn't definitive, so it could change) points of penalization in Serie B.

If Juventus are stripped of their last two titles, and Milan are stripped of their points from last season, does that make Inter the champions by default?

yep i think so.

We may soon be hearing about a victory parade somewhere in Italy celebrating inter's title.

If Juventus are stripped of their last two titles, and Milan are stripped of their points from last season, does that make Inter the champions by default?

I was wondering that too...but they still have not say anything on TV about the titles won by Juve the last two seasons.

I was wondering that too...but they still have not say anything on TV about the titles won by Juve the last two seasons.

They were stripped. Thats all the info I know. Its posted in the General thread.

Fergie to use Ruud cash for new duo



Sir Alex Ferguson is holding out for £15million for Ruud van Nistelrooy as he wants to sign Jermain Defoe and Tomasz Kuszczak with the cash.

Ferguson has to work with a limited budget under the Glazer regime but is prepared to offload van Nistelrooy to either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich so that he does not have to dip into his summer warchest for Spurs hitman Defoe or West Brom keeper Kuszczak.

Spanish giants Real ideally only want to stump up £10million for the Dutchman - but Fergie is prepared to play hardball so he can spend that amount on Defoe and £4million on Albion's Polish stopper.

West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace insists the transfer of Kuszczak to Old Trafford is "not a done deal" - but Albion's capture of Switzerland keeper Pascal Zuberbuhler hints that it is not far off.

Of greater concern to the United boss is securing the services of Defoe, who he wants to complete a quartet of strikers in his squad.

Ferguson has Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and the fit-again Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at his disposal - but wants a fourth forward to call upon as although Alan Smith will be fit by September, he is moulding him into a combative central midfielder.

The Red Devils chief had Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Solskjaer vying for starting roles in United's all-conquering 90s era - and admits he wants a return to those days.

"Over the years, we have always had four strikers," said Ferguson.

"At the moment we only definitely have Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney because we are considering whether to let Giuseppe Rossi leave on loan, Alan Smith won't be back until the end of August or beginning of September even if we consider him as a striker and we don't know where Ruud will be.

"Now Ole has come along and shown he could be the third."

im soo happy rud is leaving Man U but didnt they say they were getting Torres i hope they do

Defou is a nice goalkeeper!

United open talks for £25m Torres



Manchester United are in talks to sign £25million Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres as a replacement for outgoing Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Newcastle have all expressed an interest in van Nistelrooy but the Bernabeu looks his most likely destination, with director of football Pedrag Mijatovic reportedly in Manchester to finalise a £15million deal.

And United will use the money to help fund their bid for Spain star Torres.

A host of clubs are said to be keen on the 22-year-old but reports suggest that Sir Alex Ferguson is the first manager to firm up his interest and heads the list to land the player.

It could be a busy few weeks at Old Trafford with Ferguson admitting he is considering a raid on the Italian transfer market following the match-fixing scandal.

Fabio Cannavaro, Luca Toni, Patrick Vieira, Lilian Thuram, David Trezeguet and Pavel Nedved have all been linked.

And Ferguson admitted: "The Italian situation is something we are addressing."

Juve exodus begins: Cannavaro, Emerson to Real



Written by: Stephen Sharp
MADRID, Jul 20 (SW) - Juventus are already feeling the effects of relegation to Serie B as Real Madrid announced the signings of defender Fabio Cannavaro and holding midfielder Emerson late Wednesday night.

Cannavaro, 32, will be a starting central defender for Real under new manager Fabio Capello, for whom he and Emerson, 30, played while at the Stadio Delle Alpi.

Both Cannavaro and Emerson have joined the Spanish giants on a two-year contract, with the club also tacking on a third-year option for both players, who joined for a combined fee of €20 million.

Cannavaro has been rumored to be joining Capello at the Bernabéu since he captained Italy to the World Cup title and it is expected that more players will leave Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio in the coming weeks.

Damn, ages 30 and 32. Thats a bit too old for my liking and I doubt either will be there after their 2 year contract. Whatever happened to investing in youth? I'm not saying get young prospects but get younger stars (under 28 or so) instead of aging ones.

TABLOID TALK

Please note that these are the views published in the print media and are not necessarily factual nor the belief of skysports.com.

July 20

Liverpool have made a fresh bid for Birmingham winger Jermaine Pennant.

Blackburn will make Mido their highest paid player in order to persuade him to move to Ewood Park.

Ashley Cole will complete a switch to Chelsea next week, although Roberto Carlos could also still arrive at Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid - who remain keen on Cole.

Sylvain Distin is back on Portsmouth's radar, while Middlesbrough remain interested.

Boro are also looking at a possible deal for Sunderland's Julio Arca, who has been considering a move to Spain.

Sunderland could also finally lose Dean Whitehead after Reading made a third offer for the midfielder.

Reading are also hopeful of sealing a deal for Ghana stopper John Mensah.

Marseille have joined the chase to end Jean-Alain Boumsong's Newcastle nightmare.

The Cannavaro/Emerson deal was closed at €23million, not 20 as reported. It was announced by the new d.s. of Juventus, Alessio Secco.
Zambrotta and Thuram, also, are part of a deal with Barcelona FC that will cost Barca €20million. For these two transactions, Juventus will earn, in total (if the deals will be closed), €43million.
Good news for Juventus are also that Del Piero, Nedved and probably Buffon too, will play for the Old Lady next season.
Also, AS Roma is considering to deal with Juventus for Camoranesi and Trezeguet, in who also Inter is interested. But Trezeguet, probably, will not end playing for Inter, since they're more interested in Toni and one between Ibrahimovic and Crespo, who is also considering playing for Milan.
Link

Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle are believed to be vying for the capture of Damien Duff.

According to Sky Sports News, Chelsea have given Duff's agent permission to speak with the Premiership trio.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho declared earlier this week that he would allow the Irishman to leave Stamford Bridge if the right offer came in, sparking immediate speculation about where he might go next.

Tottenham expressed an interest in Duff some time ago as they tabled an unsuccessful £5 million bid.

Spurs were expected to up the ante following Mourinho's comments but may now have to pull out all the stops with rival heavyweights Newcastle and Liverpool entering the race to snap up the winger.

Magpies boss Glenn Roeder has been frustrated this summer in his attempts to attract top class performers to the North East, but has reassured fans that he is still hoping to strengthen.

The whole club are in need of a boost following Alan Shearer's retirement and Michael Owen's injury, and a player of Duff's calibre would undoubtedly satisfy a demanding set of supporters.

Their chances of landing the 27-year-old flyer could recede this weekend though if they were to crash out of Europe against Lillestrom.

Liverpool's interest is the most surprising, with Reds boss Rafa Benitez insisting that his priority was the right side of midfield, not the left.

However, the Spaniard is determined to turn his side into genuine Premiership contenders and is keen to take every opportunity to bolster his squad.

Having already secured the likes of Craig Bellamy and Mark Gonzalez, it is evident that Benitez has put a lot of emphasis on pace, while the prospect of UEFA Champions League football could sway Duff towards Anfield.

The situation is sure to become clearer over the coming days, as Duff, Chelsea and the three admirers all weigh up their next move.

Duff is expected to join Newcastle. Good signing but they need a striker not another 'good' midfielder, I'm surprised they aren't raiding Italy.

Meanwhile Athletico keep saying Torres is not going anywhere and got pretty pissed at all the news about him leaving the team, pretty happy to hear that cause I wanna see Torres stay at Athletico and not go to frikkin Man United, Chelsea or Real Madrid.

He hasn't got a future in Atletico Madrid. It is not the team it was in the past. So I think he should leave, maybe not Manchester United or Chelsea because the change of game-playing between the LFP and the Premier League is huge, and he's not ready for such a big change yet, so I'd like him to wear a Real Madrid/Barca jersey next season. If he really wants to play in the Premier League then Real Madrid and Barcelona are mostly the only teams in the LFP that could prepare him for it.

Valencia, Del Horno finalize transfer



Written by: Stephen Sharp
VALENCIA, Jul 22 (SW) - A day after agreeing a fee to buy him from Chelsea, Valencia reached personal terms with Spain international defender Asier del Horno on Saturday.

Del Horno, who joins for a fee reported to be £4.8 million, signed a massive six-year contract with the Mestalla outfit, and his move could pave the way for an Ashley Cole or Roberto Carlos move to Stamford Bridge.

An ankle injury prevented del Horno from finishing the season on the pitch with Chelsea after he appeared in 25 Premiership games. Del Horno had joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £8 million last summer.

The defender will be Valencia's starting left-back for the upcoming season, replacing Brazilian Fabio Aurelio who left for Liverpool.

Del Horno becomes Valencia's second signing from the Premiership this summer, with Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes joining them earlier in the transfer season.

Transfer talk: Vieira off to Inter

Juventus midfielder Patrick Vieira is on the verge of joining Serie A rivals Inter Milan, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport. An agreement has been reached for a 13-million euro fee, and only a few details are left to be sorted out between the two clubs.

A four-year contract, with a salary of 4.5 million euros a season, is said to await the 30-year old at the San Siro.

According to the same report, Juve striker David Trezeguet is being courted by AS Roma.

Duff Signs For United



NEWCASTLE United have announced that Damien Duff has passed his medical, and signed a five-year contract with the Magpies.

Duff, who started as a junior with Blackburn Rovers, made 190 starts for the Ewood Park outfit - with a further 33 from the bench - netting 35 goals.

He then moved to Chelsea for £17m, and has picked up two Premiership winners medals during his time at Stamford Bridge wher he started 95 games in all competitions.

The Republic of Ireland international, who has 58 caps and seven goals, will be unveiled at St. James' Park on Monday afternoon.

Duff has scored three times against United in recent seasons, once for Blackburn in their 5-1 defeat at Gallowgate and then in the 5-0 and 3-0 defeats at Stamford Bridge.

On a side note has anyone heard of the ridiculous bids being rumored to have been made for Kaka? 100mil from Chelsea was supposedly rejected and Real are said to have made a 56 mil bid. Damn, I hope thats just a rumour because he isnt worth all that.


Also some guy from Uruguay named Diego Lugano is rumored to be joining Real Madrid. Hewon Top Defender in Brazilian league.

Wow, i really hope Chelsea acquire Ashley Cole.. Along with the addition of Ballack, id say we look pretty safe to repeat

Also, Looking forward to seeing Cole's missus in the Chelsea blue

Cheryl Tweedy is fucking hot...

Agree, but what does that have to do with football?