Chelsea Set to Turn To £14m Manchester City Man As Joe Cole Replacement
Chelsea are considering making a move for Manchester United target Stephen Ireland. The Manchester City midfielder is apparently ready to leave Eastlands as a result of limited first team opportunities under Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti is ready to weigh in with a bid for the Irish international especially if contract rebel Joe Cole does not sign on the dotted line.
The Premier League champions have tried to convince the 28 year old England international to agree a new deal but he may well choose to leave the club in order to cement first team football elsewhere. Stephen Ireland can play in a myriad of midfield positions and whilst he may find it hard to secure first team football himself at the west London club he could be swayed into a move to secure a taste of Champions League football.
A number of sides, aside from Man United, have been linked with a move for Ireland including Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa and he is apparently in talks with City’s Brian Marwood about his worsening situation at the club. The 23 year old had a marvelous couple of seasons before this term but has failed to impress Mancini when he has been free of injury and has therefore only started 16 Premier League games this term.
City eye Brazil ace Luis
Manchester City will try to shore up the left side of their defence with a bid for Brazil ace David Luiz.
The Blues have been tracking the 6ft 2ins Benfica star for some time, and face stiff competition from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But manager Roberto Mancini has identified the 23-year-old as a major star of the future - and he likes the fact that Luiz, principally a central defender, is also comfortable at left-back and as a defensive midfielder.
Benfica have been bullish about keeping hold of the £25m-rated Luiz, especially as their Portuguese title win at the weekend, means they will be in the Champions League, easing their financial problems.
They have been citing a £43m release clause in Luiz's contract, which still has two years to run. That fee would eclipse the world record for a defender, held by United's Rio Ferdinand.
Luiz has been likened to Ferdinand. A Brazil Under-20 international, he is tall, athletic, quick, good in the air, not afraid of a tackle, as well as being composed and a decent passer of the ball.
He may immediately be seen as the solution to City's weakness at left-back this season.
City are already close to strengthening the right side of defence by bringing in 6ft 3ins Germany international Jerome Boateng from Hamburg for £11m.
Benfica say they are in no rush to sell Luiz, and want him to stay for at least another season, but they could fall foul of their own fund-raising initiative, the Benfica Stars Fund.
The Portuguese side set up the Fund last year to raise money for investment by selling "shares" in their greatest assets - 17 of their players.
As a result, Luiz is 25 per cent owned by supporters and shareholders via the Fund - and they are intent on making a profit when the player is sold on.
If a club makes a healthy bid for Luiz and the stakeholders want to sell, Benfica would either have to go along with the sale or stump up a quarter of the £18million at which the player was valued when he was "floated" in the Fund.
The problem is that the Eagles are over £10m in debt and would struggle to raise the cash.
Luiz has been a revelation for Benfica, and his central defensive partnership with his countryman Luisao has been a key factor in the club's drive to their first league title for five years.
Signed from Brazilian side Vitoria five years ago, Luiz has played 84 games for Benfica and has scored four times.
He is on the brink of the Brazil squad for the World Cup, having picked up 24 caps for the country's junior teams, but is only expected to be on the plane to South Africa if more experienced stars are injured.
Toure - City squad good enough
Kolo Toure does not believe Manchester City need a major summer overhaul as the club prepare to offer Sylvinho a new contract.
City missed out on the final UEFA Champions League place this season after finishing fifth in the Premier League and that could impact on their ability to sign new players.
Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng is expected to join, but manager Roberto Mancini has conceded players of Fernando Torres' calibre are likely to be out of reach due to the lack of Champions League football.
However, Toure believes City still have a strong squad and are capable of challenging for the title next season if they can start turning draws into wins.
"We have a good squad," insisted Toure. "It doesn't matter if we bring players in or not.
"It's true we made a few mistakes this season. We lost a lot of points, at home especially.
"We had too many draws and it cost us because we could have been fighting for the Premier League.
"We must not make mistakes like drawing against teams we expect to beat because that can make a big difference. We just need to make a little adjustment and keep our focus the whole season."
Meanwhile, reports suggest veteran Brazilian full-back Sylvinho will be offered a new 12-month deal after making 15 appearances since his arrival at the club.
Mancini said: "Sylvinho is a fantastic man and player who always works very well. He is important for us."
Manchester City are set to offer veteran defender Sylvinho another year at the club but look likely to offload strike trio Jo, Valeri Bojinov and Felipe Caicedo. (The Sun)
Roberto Mancini ready to flex Manchester City’s financial muscle
Manchester City are planning to steal a march on Chelsea with moves to sign Marek Hamsik, the Napoli midfield player, and Mario Balotelli, the Inter Milan forward and “bad boy” of Italian football.
After several weeks of discussions over his transfer strategy with the club’s hierarchy, Roberto Mancini, the City manager, has urged his board to proceed with bids for Hamsik and Balotelli as he looks to reinforce a squad that narrowly missed out on a top-four finish in the Barclays Premier League.
The challenge for Mancini will be in convincing the players that they can fulfil their ambitions with City. after the club’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Hamsik, 22, the Slovakia midfield player, is an ambitious target, having been trailed extensively by Chelsea for the past year, but Balotelli would be a more eye-catching acquisition.
The 19-year-old forward has been involved in a series of controversies under José Mourinho’s management at Inter, most recently by throwing his shirt on the ground in response to jeers from fans at the Champions League semi-final, first-leg victory over Barcelona last month.
Balotelli has had a series of disciplinary problems since breaking into Inter’s first team as a 17-year-old, but Mancini believes the forward’s raw talent would make him an ideal signing and that his personality may prove less disruptive in England than in Italy.
Whereas Mark Hughes, his predecessor, preferred to sign players of proven Premier League experience, Mancini is largely focusing his recruitment drive on Serie A and the Bundesliga.
City have lined up a deal to sign Jérôme Boateng, the Hamburg defender, and their list of alternative targets in case the bids fail for Hamsik and Balotelli includes Mesut Özil, the Werder Bremen midfield player, and Mirko Vucinic, the Roma forward.
MANCHESTER CITY'S SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS WANTS TO COME IN FROM WINGS
SHAUN Wright-Phillips is over the first hurdle as he bids to avoid World Cup heartbreak for the second time in his career.
Wright-Phillips was left out of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England squad for Germany in 2006 after failing to nail down a regular first-team place during his debut season at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.
And in recent weeks he has been haunted by a similar scenario after falling out of favour with Roberto Mancini at Manchester City.
But Wright-Phillips, 28, breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday when he was included in Fabio Capello’s initial 30-man squad. Now the task is to make the final 23.
He said: “It would be a dream come true to be in the squad for South Africa and to help England go as far as possible. To pull on an England shirt on such a big stage would be a real highlight.
“Of course, it was a huge disappointment not to go last time, it’s always been an ambition of mine to play in a World Cup. I’ve just got to keep my head down and work hard to make it happen.”
Wright-Phillips was injured when Mancini replaced Mark Hughes as City boss just before Christmas. When he was fit again, Mancini signed Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough for £8million and, although largely left-footed, Mancini preferred to play him on the right with Craig Bellamy on the left.
That meant no room for Wright-Phillips, who went from automatic choice to fringe player, starting seven of 26 games under Mancini and being replaced in five of them. But he said: “The team has been doing well and the wingers have been playing well, so I have to respect the manager’s decision.
“As long as when I came on I did well and still looked sharp I hoped that would be enough to get me in the squad. I’ve been involved in more or less all the England squads, so the manager knew what I had to offer.”
Despite making the 30, there is plenty of competition for the right-wing slot, with Johnson, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott and James Milner contenders.
He added: “There is a lot of competition and that means everyone has to raise his game, which is only good and positive for the country.
“Whoever eventually goes to the World Cup will hopefully be on fire and that is exactly what we need from players once they are in South Africa. Brazil and Spain will be the favourites but a lot of teams will be worried about us.”
CITY TRANSFER BOLLOX THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=32472
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Bayern Munich are lining up a move for Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov. footylatest.com
Manchester United are ready to make a move for Real Madrid's £21m-rated midfielder Lassana Diarra. Caughtoffside.com
Tottenham are preparing a £12.7m bid for AC Milan's Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar. footylatest.com
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has set his sights on Lyon's abrasive 26-year-old Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan, who is part of France's World Cup squad. Caughtoffside.com
Wenger is also lining up Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta if Arsenal lose captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona in the summer. Daily Mail
Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure could be heading to Arsenal with his agent admitting there is a 99% chance the Ivory Coast star will leave the Spanish club this summer.imscouting.com
Liverpool are weighing up an £8m swoop for Valencia's 21-year-old Argentine midfielder Ever Banega, who has been likened to former Reds favourite Xabi Alonso. Caughtoffside.com
The Anfield side are set to offload £20m-signing Alberto Aquilani who has failed to make an impact at Liverpool and are bracing themselves for a huge loss on the midfielder. Daily Mail
Chelsea are the latest club to show an interest in Notts County keeper Kasper Schmeichel who is also being tracked by Bayern Munich, West Brom and Derby. Daily Mail
Chelsea are planning a summer clear-out to raise funds for new signings with Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Juliano Belletti and Paulo Ferreira all set to leave the Premier League champions. The Times
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will bring England goalkeeper David James, who he worked with at Portsmouth, to White Hart Lane on a free transfer in the summer.Daily Mirror
Sevilla and Aston Villa are monitoring Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun, who could leave Anfield this summer. Daily Mirror
Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell looks set to spurn the advances of Manchester United and sign a new contract at Goodison Park. footylatest.com
Birmingham are lining up a summer bid for West Ham striker Carlton Cole, while Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky is also wanted by the Blues. Daily Mirror
Fulham are lining up £2m swoop for Portsmouth striker Frederic Piquionne who is also wanted by Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce. Daily Mirror
West Brom have made an approach for Sunderland right-back Phil Bardsley. Daily Mail
WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/p ... hment/5-20
OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes had a last-minute change of heart about coming out of international retirement with England manager Fabio Capello set to name the 35-year-old in his England World Cup squad. Daily Mirror
Capello spent two months trying to convince Scholes to play at the World Cup and was only told 'No' by the United star on Wednesday morning - just hours before the preliminary squad was announced. Daily Star
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves stormed out of Old Trafford after being left out of the side to face Stoke on Sunday. Hargreaves had hoped to force his way into Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. The Sun
Gianfranco Zola will sue West Ham after being sacked on Wednesday without being offered any compensation. Daily Mirror
Portsmouth boss Avram Grant and former England and Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle are among the names on a shortlist to replace Zola at Upton Park. Daily Mirror
Martin O'Neill is set to remain at Aston Villa as manager despite rumours that he is about to quit the club, with Liverpool monitoring his situation. Daily Mirror
Notts County boss Steve Cotterill and former Charlton supremo Alan Curbishley have joined Crystal Palace's Paul Hart and axed Celtic manager Tony Mowbray on the shortlist for the vacant Coventry City job. Daily Mail
Aston Villa have been revealed as the football club giving fans the best value for money, according to a survey by leading finance company. (The Sun)
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