Football Transfers Talk (Ronaldo to Milan)

United offer for Hargreaves



England midfielder Owen Hargreaves says he is weighing up a lucrative offer for his services from Manchester United.

The Bayern Munich man is expected to team up with Frank Lampard at the heart of The Three Lions' midfield for the friendly against Greece on Wednesday, but has domestic concerns to consider as well.

The 25-year-old has only just signed a contract extension with the Bundesliga giants, but has always wanted to prove himself in England.

It has now emerged that Sir Alex Ferguson has made a concrete offer for the Canadian-born player and Hargreaves is mulling over whether to make a long-awaited move to The Premiership.

"The offer from Manchester United is fantastic," Hargreaves told Sport Bild.

"Particularly as an England international, it is of interest and you never know if such an opportunity will arise again.

"Now is the time to take the next step to develop even further."

With the transfer deadline at the end of the month fast approaching, Ferguson had been tipped to bring in Villarreal's Marcos Senna, but the deal is thought to have stalled on the £8 million asking price for the midfielder.

The Red Devils have therefore turned to Hargreaves to join injured £18.6 million man Michael Carrick at the club.

Before the World Cup I wasn't a very big fan of him but ever since then my opinion has changed and if he was to come to Man Utd that would be a good move but I would prefer to see us getting a new striker rather than another midfielder.

Kuyt Completes Liverpool Move

Liverpool new-boy Dirk Kuyt has spoken of his pride to be joining Rafa Benitez's men.

The 26-year-old completed his switch to Anfield from Feyenoord on Friday after agreeing a four-year deal with the Premiership club.

Kuyt's switch to Liverpool ends a long-running transfer saga involving a number of Premiership clubs and the Dutchman says The Reds were always his favoured destination.

"I think Liverpool is a fantastic club, a very big club and for me it's a dream to play for a club like Liverpool," Kuyt told Sky Sports News.

"There were a few clubs who wanted me in the Premier League, but it's all about feeling and Liverpool gave me the best feeling. I really want to play for this club.

"It has taken a while. The guys from Liverpool gave me the trust that it would all come together. I'm very happy I'm here and I can't wait to play.

"I know Liverpool have been interested in me for a long time. When I heard about that, it gave me a special feeling.

"I said in Holland that I only wanted to leave for a bigger club. I think Liverpool is a fantastic club with a fantastic history."

Kuyt arrives at Liverpool with a reputation for scoring goals on a regular basis and the Dutch international is hoping to continue the tradition at Anfield.

However, he insists he will always put the club above individual honours and is not worried by the pressure that may come with his goalscoring reputation.

"I'm getting used to the pressure so it's no problem for me," he said. "The only thing that is important is the team going to win and it's not so important how many goals I score.

"I know I can score goals. I also scored lots of goals with Feyenoord and I expect a lot here, but I'm not a player who is going to say I will score 15 or 50 times.

"I'm a player who has said he wants to win trophies - that's the most important thing."

Having watched Premiership football for many years, Kuyt is excited to be finally getting the chance to prove himself on one of football's biggest stages.

"I can't wait to play in my first official match. It's very exciting. I think it's the best league in the world, so I can't wait to start," Kuyt continued.

"English football in Holland is very famous. Every weekend almost all the matches are live so I've watched a lot of English football.

"I think I can do well in this competition. I like to see the matches every week, so now it's going to happen for me to play myself in the Premier League."

Meanwhile, Kuyt believes Liverpool have the quality to challenge Chelsea for the Premiership title this season.

The Reds claimed the first win of the season between the two sides last weekend and Kuyt is confident Benitez has built a competitive squad.

"I think we have a very good squad. They beat Chelsea, I saw that match. I think we have a very good team and we will see what happens," he added.

"It will be good. It will be a dream to win the Premier League."

and

Manchester United have confirmed that they have handed a permanent contract to Polish keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

The Red Devils completed the capture of the 24-year-old from West Brom on Thursday, but it was claimed that the deal was a loan move with a view to a permanent arrangement.

However, United have now confirmed that the player has made a permanent move to Old Trafford - with Paul McShane and Luke Steele heading in the opposite direction - although the first season is, somewhat curiously, being classed as a loan.

"Tomasz will be a Manchester United player for the next four years," said United chief executive David Gill.

"He has come to us on loan for the first year and then will join us permanently in July 2007.

"We would not have been interested in signing any player, even as one as good as Tomasz, on loan.

"We would hope Tomasz remains a Manchester United player for many years to come."

Looks like Van Der Sar has a bit of competition now but I don't think he will lose his spot as the no.1 keeper

Its more of a case of needing a solid reinforcement for an aging goalie. Van Der Sar will start for sure but this new guy will be his future replacement if he continues to progress well.

Lyon agree to let Diarra join Real


LYON (Reuters) -- Olympique Lyon have agreed to let Mali midfielder Mahamadou Diarra join Real Madrid, the five-times French champions said on Friday.

The clubs have agreed an undisclosed fee and Diarra will move providing he agrees personal terms, said a Lyon spokesman.

Diarra is expected in Madrid at the weekend to sort out the final details.

Real president Ramon Calderon confirmed to Spain's Radio Marca that his club had agreed to buy the 25-year-old.

"It's true," he said. "We've been working on this deal for some time at the express request of our coach (Fabio Capello)."

Capello added he was delighted with the signing.

"He is a very strong player and was our number one priority," he told a news conference after his side's defeat against Real Betis in a pre-season tournament in Cadiz.

Marca said Real would pay 26 million euros ($33.37 million) for the holding midfielder, who joined Lyon in 2002 from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem and won the last four Ligue 1 titles with the club.

Diarra was quoted as saying in French sports daily L'Equipe on Wednesday that he wanted to join Real and was prepared to consider going on strike to force the deal through.

"An offer from a club like Real Madrid happens once in your career," he said.

If the deal goes through, Diarra will become the fourth player to join the club since Calderon was elected president last month.

The nine-times European champions have also signed Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Brazil midfielder Emerson from Juventus and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester United, spending a combined 35 million euros on the trio.

Real, who have not won a major trophy since 2003, are also interested in Arsenal forward Jose Antonio Reyes.

"We can still sign more players and I think we will do so before the transfer deadline expires," Calderon said on Friday.

Real confirm Diarra deal



Real Madrid have confirmed the imminent signing of Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra.

The Spanish giants have spent the bulk of the summer trying to persuade Lyon to part with the Mali international.

Manchester United had also been keen on the powerful 25-year-old, but the player had long held a desire to move to La Liga.

A fee, believed to be in the region of €25 million (£17 million), has been agreed between the two clubs, with the figure less than Lyon had been demanding.

In a statement on their official website, Real confirmed that Diarra will be unveiled as a new signing in the coming days.

"Real Madrid would like to announce the agreement reached with Olympique Lyonnais and Mahamadou Diarra for the transfer of the player," read the statement.

"Diarra will have his medical exam and be officially presented to the media in the upcoming days."

New Real president Ramon Calderon revealed Diarra was a player that coach Fabio Capello had requested, and also stated other signings were on their way to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Calderon said: "It's who the coach asked for.

"We are happy we could provide Capello with Diarra because the coach considers him essential to the team. Signing Diarra was a main priority for Capello.

"I think we'll make Madridistas happy with some more good news, and (sports director Predrag) Mijatovic is trying to reach agreements with some players.

"The squad should be complete in about one week, but hopefully we'll have more good news before then."

I feel bad for some of the guys already on the team, especially guys considering DM because now they have to compete with Diarra and Emerson. Oh well, Graveson is definitely out, Julio Baptista may look to move also because for the talent he has its rough to be relegated to the bench for yet another year. Oh well...

Internacional's Sobis bound for Spain



RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Striker Rafael Sobis will leave Internacional and join a Spanish first-division club for a reported $3.9 million, Brazilian sports media reported Tuesday.

Internacional declined to confirm the deal, saying the club never reported the sale of its athletes.

But Sobis told reporters Tuesday he was leaving. He said his last game for the club was a 1-1 draw with Palmeiras last Sunday when he scored a goal and was man of the match.

"My last goal for Inter was in that draw with Palmeiras," Sobis said on Pele's Web site. "As a precaution, I shouldn't play any more for Inter."

Sobis, who starred as Inter won its first Copa Libertadores title earlier this month, is likely bound for Santander, Sevilla or Valencia, the site said.

"The deal is done, but I'm not allowed to reveal the name of the club," Sobis was quoted as saying.

Other members of Inter's championship team also are headed overseas. Left wingback Jorge Wagner was sold to Real Betis for a reported $258,000, while defender Bolivar is bound for Monaco and midfielder Tinga is to move to Borussia Dortmund.

I'm pretty happy for Sobis. As a cople people know I have always been fond of him (especially in FM) and after seeing him in a few matches it is quite obvious he has a bright future ahead of him. Whichever team he goes to I hope he will have the opportunity to play and make a name for himself.

Newcastle agrees on Inter's Martins



NEWCASTLE, England (AP) -- Newcastle agreed to a $18.9 million transfer fee with Inter Milan for striker Obafemi Martins on Tuesday.

"It is now up to the player and the agent to agree terms on offer," chairman Freddy Shepherd said.

The Nigeria striker joined Inter from Reggina in 2001, scoring 49 goals in 134 appearances for the Neroazzurri. The 21-year-old forward handed in a transfer request earlier this month when Inter acquired Argentine striker Hernan Crespo on loan from Chelsea.

"Playing in the Premier League has been a long-term ambition, and I am extremely delighted with the prospect of concluding that in the next couple of days," Martins had said.

The player's agent had been at St. James' Park and has returned to Italy to discuss the offer with the player.

Isnt this guy 40 or something?






In other news, Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Arsenal has put in a bid for Chelsea's William Gallas.


Wenger has also ruled out a Real switch for Reyes. Kinda sad because I dont think Real Madrid really wanted him that much for him to be pushing so hard. It seemed more like a "why not?" kinda thing on their part.


Also, Faio Capelllo also declared he still want Kaka in a Madrid uniform. We will see how that goes.

Real will talk to Milan over Ronaldo move

MADRID, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon said on Tuesday that he will receive representatives from AC Milan to talk over the possible transfer of Brazilian striker Ronaldo.

'I will talk to Milan when they come tomorrow,' Calderon told reporters.


'I know they have already talked to the player and I don't think that is right, but we are still prepared to receive representatives from any friendly club.'

Calderon insisted that Real did not want to sell the 30-year-old three-times World Player of the Year, but did not rule out his sale if Milan were prepared to offer Brazil midfielder Kaka in exchange.

'We don't want to get rid of him, but we are prepared to negotiate,' he said. 'If Ronaldo wants to leave then we'll have to look for a solution. We don't want money, we want something else (Kaka).

'Ronaldo told me before that he wants to stay and finish his contract here, but we'll have to see what happens.'

Real have signed Dutch international striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from Manchester United in the close season and there have been question marks over Ronaldo's fitness and commitment during the course of the past 12 months.

The Brazilian will not be able to play for Real Madrid in their first match of the season against Villarreal on Sunday because he is still recovering from the knee surgery he underwent following the World Cup.

Milan reportedly makes Ronaldo bid



MADRID, Spain (AP) -- AC Milan representatives on Wednesday offered Real Madrid $28.1 million for Brazilian striker Ronaldo, sports daily Marca said.

The bid made by vice president Adriano Galliani and general manager Ariedo Braida is said to be $3.8 million less than Madrid's asking price for the three-time FIFA Player of the Year.

Galliani and Braida, who were to watch Madrid's preseason match with Anderlecht at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, are hoping to complete the negotiations before they return to Italy, Marca added.

However, Madrid president Ramon Calderon told TV channel Cuatro he wanted to speak to Ronaldo before taking a decision.

"This won't be resolved tonight," Calderon said. "The first thing is find out what the player thinks. In principle, he would like to stay."

Ronaldo couldn't play in Wednesday's game due to his recovery from a knee injury. He also was expected to miss Madrid's opening Spanish league match against Villarreal on Sunday.

Calderon indicated on Tuesday he would be interested in trading Ronaldo for Milan's attacking midfielder Kaka, whose arrival he promised in campaigning for Madrid's presidency in July.

But Galliani told Italy's Sky TV before boarding a plane for Madrid: "Kaka is not for sale."

However, Marca reported that Madrid may negotiate as part of any transfer for Ronaldo a first option on Kaka.

Ronaldo reportedly is unsettled because he may lose his place in Madrid's first 11 to recent acquisition Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The Brazilian, who has two years left on his contract, threatened to leave last season after being regularly jeered by fans attending Madrid's home games.

Ronaldo, who turns 30 next month, spent five years in Milan with rival Inter before joining Madrid in 2002. He helped Madrid win the Spanish league in his first season but since then the club has won nothing in its longest streak without silverware since the early 1950s.

Milan is not getting Ronaldo if "Kakà is not for sale"... Real wants Kakà, Milan wants Ronaldo, no one is gonna get the player they want if they don't give the other team the player the other team wants.
Anyways: $19 milion for Martins?!?!?!? God...that is wasting money

Nope, no way Ronaldo is gonna go to Milan, he's old and fat, if they actually get him, its going to be another dumb move after they let Sheva go.

28 million for Ronaldo??? Maybe 4 years ago, but now? I don't think so. What a stupid thing to do.

Clear-cut winners of this years silly season:
Liverpool.

Mark Gonzalez, Kuyt/Kuijt and keeping Gerrard. Bloody hell.

Losers:
Manure.

Carrick? Seriously? Michael Carrick?

On another note it's a fucking miracle that W.B.A managed to keep Davies in the squad after those offers. Davies is a beast.

Nope, no way Ronaldo is gonna go to Milan, he's old and fat, if they actually get him, its going to be another dumb move after they let Sheva go.

Stupid comment: "Ronaldo is fat and old"... Ronaldo is the only one who does what he does with two knee surgeries and a two-year inactivity on him. Also, I think you know that now that Sheva doesn't play for Milan, the only two strikers Milan has are Inzaghi, 32-year-old and really slow striker, and Gilardino, an absolute flop, absolutely useless striker. So I don't think signing Ronaldo would be a "dumb" move for Milan. I think he could do even more than what Sheva did, for Milan.
And, just to let you know, Milan didn't "let go" Sheva, Sheva wanted to leave the club because his wife was moving to England. The club couldn't do anything about it.

Nope, no way Ronaldo is gonna go to Milan, he's old and fat, if they actually get him, its going to be another dumb move after they let Sheva go.

Stupid comment: "Ronaldo is fat and old"... Ronaldo is the only one who does what he does with two knee surgeries and a two-year inactivity on him. Also, I think you know that now that Sheva doesn't play for Milan, the only two strikers Milan has are Inzaghi, 32-year-old and really slow striker

Wha'? Now you can call Inzaghi loads of things, but really slow? Nono. He's a lazy fucker who seems to think that the strikes that goes offside the most times during a match wins. But slow he is not. He's still one of the fastest players in the Serie A over 5 meters (admittadly the only 5 meters he'll run).

Gilardino, an absolute flop, absolutely useless striker. So I don't think signing Ronaldo would be a "dumb" move for Milan.

Wha'?! He's coming off a bad season. But that's just ignorant. Do you actually watch these players play or are you just generally guessing by clicking around in FM?

Anyone calling Ronaldo old, fat and useless needs to read up a bit more on whats been going on with him recently. The guy has always been a top quality striker and still will be after the weight he has taken off in an attempt to put himself in the best position to have a great year for Real Madrid. I see no reason why he cant do well with Ruud (who has said he wants to play with Ronaldo) and with the manager's backing (Capello basically shut down the Milan move because he says he wants the striker contrary to popular belief) I dont expect him to be going anywhere.

Nope, no way Ronaldo is gonna go to Milan, he's old and fat, if they actually get him, its going to be another dumb move after they let Sheva go.

Stupid comment: "Ronaldo is fat and old"... Ronaldo is the only one who does what he does with two knee surgeries and a two-year inactivity on him. Also, I think you know that now that Sheva doesn't play for Milan, the only two strikers Milan has are Inzaghi, 32-year-old and really slow striker

Wha'? Now you can call Inzaghi loads of things, but really slow? Nono. He's a lazy fucker who seems to think that the strikes that goes offside the most times during a match wins. But slow he is not. He's still one of the fastest players in the Serie A over 5 meters (admittadly the only 5 meters he'll run).

Gilardino, an absolute flop, absolutely useless striker. So I don't think signing Ronaldo would be a "dumb" move for Milan.

Wha'?! He's coming off a bad season. But that's just ignorant. Do you actually watch these players play or are you just generally guessing by clicking around in FM?

Dude, I've watched 60+ games of the Serie A last season... Inzaghi is slow as hell, maybe not when he has the ball but when someone sends him a pass a bit long he won't reach it in any way. If you've seen the second game against Red Star you sure have noticed that too. He has been and he still is a great striker but he's not as fast as he used to be, he is slow now, it's normal, I mean he's not exactly a 20-year older.
And yes, Gilardino is a flop... Everybody now says he just had a bad season, but with the bad season he's shown he isn't able to play with a team full of good players like Milan (and the Italian National Team). I mean, he was like a great striker when he played for Parma, but I think almost everyone would, playing for Parma: a team where the greatest player is Paolo Cannavaro.

Nope, no way Ronaldo is gonna go to Milan, he's old and fat, if they actually get him, its going to be another dumb move after they let Sheva go.

Stupid comment: "Ronaldo is fat and old"... Ronaldo is the only one who does what he does with two knee surgeries and a two-year inactivity on him. Also, I think you know that now that Sheva doesn't play for Milan, the only two strikers Milan has are Inzaghi, 32-year-old and really slow striker

Wha'? Now you can call Inzaghi loads of things, but really slow? Nono. He's a lazy fucker who seems to think that the strikes that goes offside the most times during a match wins. But slow he is not. He's still one of the fastest players in the Serie A over 5 meters (admittadly the only 5 meters he'll run).

Gilardino, an absolute flop, absolutely useless striker. So I don't think signing Ronaldo would be a "dumb" move for Milan.

Wha'?! He's coming off a bad season. But that's just ignorant. Do you actually watch these players play or are you just generally guessing by clicking around in FM?

Dude, I've watched 60+ games of the Serie A last season... Inzaghi is slow as hell, maybe not when he has the ball but when someone sends him a pass a bit long he won't reach it in any way. If you've seen the second game against Red Star you sure have noticed that too. He has been and he still is a great striker but he's not as fast as he used to be, he is slow now, it's normal, I mean he's not exactly a 20-year older.

I'd rather say that he's lazy. Never once in his carreer did he run at balls he thought there might be a possibility of him not reaching them. But slow? No, I really disagree.

He's still one of the fastest players over 3-6 meters in the Serie A. Much like Ronaldo is in the Primavera. But that doesn't mean that they use that speed to their advantage. Both players are lazy, and that shows.

And yes, Gilardino is a flop... Everybody now says he just had a bad season, but with the bad season he's shown he isn't able to play with a team full of good players like Milan (and the Italian National Team). I mean, he was like a great striker when he played for Parma, but I think almost everyone would, playing for Parma: a team where the greatest player is Paolo Cannavaro.

Tch, the Parma that Gilardino thrived in used such a diffrent system than Milan and Gli Azzurri. In Parma the focus was getting the ball down the flanks and in both Milan and Gli Azzurri the focus is rather on slow playbuilding with Prilo as the playmaker. In Parma it was all about speed and the breaks whereas Milan and Gli is so mych more skilled than the Parma of a few years back that they actually can control the game in a diffrent way.

But sure, Gilardino has to adapt, and that now. But calling him a bad player? He's shown a strikers instinct in the box this year aswell, but has not been able to pull it off.

FC Bayern München is up to sign Mark Van Bommel (CF Barcelona)

Van Bommel could not make an impact on CF Barcelona and agreed with Bayern to a deal.
Bayern hope that the deal will help them to fill the position Michael Ballack left after his transfer to Chelsea.
Barcelona will receive about 6 million euros for Van Bommel.


I did not look for any article, maybe Dadamafia has one that comfirms the deal.

I did not look for any article, maybe Dadamafia has one that comfirms the deal.

Here you go.

Van Bommel signs with Bayern



MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- Netherlands international Mark van Bommel will replace Michael Ballack at Bayern Munich.

A three-year contract has been agreed with Barcelona and the player, Bayern said Saturday.

As a central midfielder, the 29-year-old van Bommel is expected to fill the hole left by longtime Bayern star Ballack, who signed with Chelsea in May.

Despite the signing of van Bommel, who has played 40 games for the Netherlands, Bayern said Owen Hargreaves will not be allowed to leave the club and play for Manchester United.

"We have a solid agreement with Barcelona and the player [van Bommel]," Bayern manager Uli Hoeness said.

"But Owen stays -- you can bet your house on that. [Manchester United coach] Sir Alex [Ferguson] has to plan without Hargreaves."

The England player's pleas to leave for Manchester United have been rejected several times by Bayern, which has publicly reprimanded Hargreaves for pushing the issue.

Van Bommel is expected to take a medical examination and sign a contract this week, Bayern said. He has been a reserve at Barcelona under Frank Rijkaard and is eligible to play for Bayern in this season's Champions League.

Bayern coach Felix Magath, whose side has looked shaky without Ballack, pushed for the signing of van Bommel.

Bayern played 0-0 against FC Nuremberg on Saturday. Last week, Barcelona humbled Bayern 4-0 in a friendly.

Dont know why I didnt adress this before but apparently United are hot on the trail of David Trezeguet. Wouldnt be too bad a signing and would help in adding great depth to the United strike force. If they get him then too bad for Tevez (may eventually end up at Chelsea but oh well). Heres an update.

Trezeguet absence starts rumours



Written by: Chris Nixon
TURIN, Aug 28 (SW) – The absence of David Trezeguet from the Juventus lineup to take on Napoli in the Coppa Italia has started rumours of a supposed link up with Manchester United.

The French international is one of the few remaining stars in Turin after a summer of high-profile exits from the Bianconeri, and reports suggest he could be on his way to The Premiership for £17 million.

Trezeguet has been associated with various moves in Europe this summer, but Juventus will be hoping to keep the player with only days to go before the closure of the summer transfer window.

juventus is losing all their good players

Trezeguet's overrated.

Agree with Jae...He's fucking overrated, but he could still help Juve in Serie B. Also, it seems that Camoranesi is moving too.

Now it looks like they wont be getting him, oh well. I'll wait to see what happens at the deadline. Treze may not be the best striker around but he can still score goals and would fit right into the team with hopefully no ego trips. Last thing United would need is some player coming in wanting to take the spotlight from the team. A bit on the pricey side though but hey, they spent 18 on Carrick.