Wednesday's B*ll*x (updated)

[Chinners]

Real Madrid plot to hijack Corinthians move for Tevez
Jose Mourinho is poised to hijack Corinthians’ bid for Carlos Tevez.
The Real Madrid manager wants to sign Manchester City’s unhappy strike star after the Brazilian club made a £37million offer on Monday.
A source close to City said that bid will be rejected over concerns that Corinthians do not have the cash.
City still insist they will not take anything less than £50m for Tevez.
They also suspect Tevez’s camp are using Corinthians’ interest to flush out Real.
Mourinho revealed a top-class forward is all he needs to complete his summer spending.
He said last night: “I, like everyone else, believe we need another striker.”
The player’s agent Kia Joorabchian last night talked up a switch to Real, claiming a move to Spain would solve most of his client’s problems.
Joorabchian said: “For Carlos, the main motivation for leaving City is not to go to another club in the Premier League, but to move to a city where his family can adapt.
“A move to Spain might solve that problem. It’s about the language and the culture. In Spain, they speak the same language. You see a lot of Argentinian and Brazilian players live in Spain and they have adapted very easily.”
Corinthians’ bid to re-sign Tevez looks doomed after director of football Duilio Alves admitted: “It would have to be a loan.
“We cannot buy him. That (£50m) is an absurd figure, unviable for the Brazilian football market.”

BEGGING BOLLOX
Carlos Tevez pleads with Man City to accept Corinthians transfer offer
Carlos Tevez has urged Manchester City to accept a ‘take it or leave it’ offer from Corinthians so that he can tie up a return to Brazil before the end of the transfer window.
The South American giants have confirmed that they’ve tabled a £35million bid for the Argentinean striker, which City are believed to have rejected.
But with under a fortnight remaining to conclude any deal with his former club, Tevez has now pleaded with his current employers to reach an agreement with Sao Paolo-based club.
‘An offer arrived (from Corinthians) and I would have no problem returning,’ said Tevez.
‘They got in contact with me, sent an offer to the club and in eight to 10 days the transfer market in Brazil closes.’
The president of the 26-time Paulista league champions insists there will be no negotiations on their opening offer, and if City do not accept, Tevez will remain at Eastlands.
‘I was in Argentina for a Brazil match [at the Copa America], I spoke with Tevez and his representative on the phone,’ Sanchez told Lancenet.
‘Corinthians have made an offer of approximately 35 million to sign him permanently. This sum means we will be spending 20 to 25 per cent of our TV rights earnings if City accept it.
‘I have made an offer which I think City cannot refuse, and we will not raise it further. If they ask for [£50 million], they will keep him.
‘If we haven't closed the deal by Sunday it won't happen this year.’

Ade closes on Real return
Striker inches closer to City exit
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor is closing in on a return to Real Madrid on a permanent basis.
Adebayor, who ended last season on loan at Real, has been deemed surplus to requirements at City and was not included in the squad for their pre-season tour of America.
The former Arsenal man was unhappy at being overlooked for the tour and being forced to train with the club's reserves, but it appears he is edging ever closer to a move away from City.
A number of clubs have been linked with Adebayor, but the 27-year-old rejected all overtures as he was holding out for a switch to Real.
Earlier this summer it was suggested Real would not look to make Adebayor's move permanent, but it seems they have rekindled their interest in the giant forward.
Real have now made their move for the Togo international with Jose Mourinho recently revealing he was looking to add a striker to his squad.
Adebayor scored five goals in in 21 appearances in all competitions for Real last season and his proposed switch to El Santiago Bernabeu could end Real's interest in Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez

Liverpool to move for Wayne Bridge as Leighton Baines alternative
Liverpool are considering a move for Manchester City misfit Wayne Bridge if they fail to lure Leighton Baines away from neighbours Everton.
The City left-back is way down the pecking order at Eastlands following the arrival of Gael Clichy from Arsenal, and will certainly be shipped out this summer by Roberto Mancini.
The Reds are in desperate need of a new full-back having missed out on Clichy, and with the Toffees unwilling to negotiate over Baines, Bridge could well be Kenny Dalglish’s next port of call.
The former Chelsea defender spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, and although his £90,000-a-week wages could prove a stumbling block for the Anfield giants, City are likely to accept a minimal transfer fee for the player to get him off the books.
Dalglish already has Paul Konchesky and Fabio Aurelio as current options at left-back, but both are unfancied by the Scottish boss, which could hasten his move for 30-year-old Bridge.

BOO HOO BOLLOX
Arsène Wenger accuses Manchester City of bending Uefa fair-play rules• Arsenal manager calls for Uefa to investigate sponsorship
• City say comments are 'unfounded and regrettable'
Arsène Wenger has accused Manchester City of attempting to bend Uefa's financial fair-play rules via their new £400m sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways and he said the arrangement threatened not only the incoming legislation but the credibility of the European game's governing body.
He believes that Michel Platini, the Uefa president, is duty-bound to investigate the City deal and he ramped up the pressure on his fellow Frenchman, calling it "Platini's big test".
"It raises the real question about the credibility of the financial fair play," Wenger said. "That is what this is all about. They give us the message that they can get around it by doing what they want. It means financial fair play will not come in. It is as simple as that. I can understand how they do it but it raises the real question. The difficulty and the credibility of the financial fair play is at stake.
"Plus, if the financial fair play is to have a chance, the sponsorship has to be at the market price. It cannot be doubled, tripled or quadrupled because that means it is better that we don't do it and we leave everybody free. That can be defended as well, but if they bring the rules in they have to be respected."
The Arsenal manager had reacted with incredulity and no little scorn when he heard that City had struck the world-record 10-year deal with the company that is owned by the Abu Dhabi government and has close links to the City owner, Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.
The arrangement will see City's ground, which is owned by Manchester city council, renamed the Etihad Stadium. It will also provide financial backing for what will be known as the Etihad Campus, the area of land around the ground, and it will extend the company's sponsorship of the club's shirts; Etihad already pay £2.3m a year for the rights.
In contrast, Arsenal's arrangement with Emirates, which was announced in 2004, was valued at £90m over 15 years. Around £48m of that came via shirt sponsorship, with the naming rights worth £2.8m a year. "We must have done a bad deal," Wenger said, dryly.
Last night City hit back, describing Wenger's comments as "unfounded and regrettable". In a statement, the club said: "The financial details of the comprehensive agreement announced last week between Manchester City and Etihad Airways remain confidential and figures being speculated about are not accurate."
However, the elements at the heart of the agreement include, among others, the securing for 10 years of one of the Premier League's top-ranked media value shirts in 2010-11; the 10-year naming rights for the Etihad Stadium and the naming rights for the Etihad Campus which will evolve dramatically over the next decade.
"Manchester City is a proactive member of the European Clubs Association and is working actively and with transparency with regard to financial fair play. In light of these facts, recent comments about the partnership by some observers are unfounded and regrettable," the statement said.
Uefa say that they are aware of the City situation and that their experts "will make assessments of fair value of any sponsorship deals using benchmarks."
Speaking in Kuala Lumpur while on Arsenal's pre-season tour, Wenger offered the impression that he presumed Uefa would investigate whether Etihad had paid an inflated price. One condition of the Uefa regulations is that sponsors with close links to club owners pay fair sums.
"It looks to me that Platini is very strongly determined on this," Wenger said. "He is not stupid. He knows that some clubs will try to get around that and, at the moment, I believe they are studying, behind closed doors, how they can really strongly check it. That is where the financial fair play is at stake."
The new rules apply from next season, although Uefa will not begin assessing club accounts until the 2013-14 season, when they will assess them from the previous two seasons and stipulate that clubs break even, subject to an "acceptable deviation" of €45m (£40m) over the period. If clubs fail to meet the criteria, they face being barred from European competition. City's last financial figures showed a £121m loss and the next set are expected to be worse

City's 'sporting mecca' plans on agenda at Manchester Council meeting
A masterplan to transform the land around Manchester City’s stadium into a sporting Mecca was discussed today.
The plans, revealed by the M.u.E.N. following the announcement of a record-breaking sponsorship deal to rename the Blues’ stadium, were up for debate at a meeting of Manchester council’s executive.
A sixth form college, sports science complex and ‘house of sport’, to accommodate national governing bodies, are among vast redevelopment plans due to go out to public consultation.
The former City of Manchester Stadium has been renamed the Etihad Stadium and the surrounding Sportcity area, the Etihad Campus, after the Blues signed a deal with their sponsors last week.
The council's plans to buy the London Road fire station building in the city centre are also on the agenda for the executive meeting, which will be followed by a full meeting of the council.

CITY FAN OF THE DAY


OTHER BOLLOX
Inter Milan and Manchester United are "in talks" over a £35m deal for midfielder Wesley Sneijder. goal.com

United chief executive David Gill is in Milan putting the finishing touches to a deal to bring the Dutch playmaker to Old Trafford. the Sun

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola says he is "optimistic" about landing Cesc Fabregas as the Catalan outfit prepares to make a third bid to sign the Arsenal midfielder in a £35m deal. Daily Mirror

Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey says he is ready to replace Fabregas, if the Spaniard moves to Barcelona. Metro

Chelsea are hopeful that West Ham's desire to trim their wage bill will mean a proposal to take Hammers skipper Scott Parker on loan for the season will be successful. the Times

Blackburn are on the brink of signing River Plate striker Mariano Pavone.the Sun

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is set to gazump Arsenal in the race for Bolton defender Gary Cahill - on the advice of Blues captain John Terry. Daily Mirror

Tottenham have given the biggest indication yet that they are prepared to sell Luka Modric by making a £12.3m offer for Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero.Daily Mail

Liverpool are ready to sign Lyon defender Aly Cissokho in a £10m deal after Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his club were out of the running. caughtoffside

Villarreal are surprise contenders for the signature of Wolves winger Matt Jarvis. Daily Mail

Chelsea will make a £15m bid for Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi to replace the injured Michael Essien, who will be sidelined for the first six months of the season. Talksport

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew wants to splash out £2m on Crystal Palace's highly rated right-back Nathan Clyne. Daily Mirror

Everton have Birmingham defender Scott Dann in their sights after the 24-year-old's £12m move to Stoke collapsed earlier this summer. Daily Mail

Aston Villa are ready to join the chase for Wigan's £15m-rated striker Hugo Rodallega. Daily Mail

Liverpool have been told they will have to repay £8.2m of European funding if they do not go ahead with plans to build a 60,000-capacity stadium at Stanley Park. Daily Telegraph

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has said that it takes "a real man" to stay loyal to the club as team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are linked with moves away from the Emirates. Daily Telegraph

Former Manchester United and Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich has admitted that he regrets turning down the chance to move to Celtic - not long after Martin O'Neill became manager, which was in 2000. The Australian revealed that he opted instead to try to prove his worth at Old Trafford after falling out of favour with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. (Daily Record)

German football club Werder Bremen have banned their players from getting tattoos because of the risk of infection. Daily Mirror

Chelsea, who will go on a tour of Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong later this month, will travel 19,091 miles during their pre-season preparations - the most of any Premier League club. By contrast, top-flight new boys Swansea will travel only 19 miles - playing away friendlies against Neath and Port Talbot. the Independent

[Nigels Tackle]

what time do you call this?

[Chinners]

Very sorry, only just got back from a night on the tiles .... tsk, on a schoolnight as well ... rock n roll eh

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

One condition of the Uefa regulations is that sponsors with close links to club owners pay fair sums.

First, that sounds like completely made up bollocks. Second, why the hell would they have such restrictions if someone is trying to put money in the game?

These clowns are going to get sued at some stage to EU court or whatever and they will get good slapping there.

[Wonderwall]

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has said that it takes "a real man" to stay loyal to the club as team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are linked with moves away from the Emirates. Daily Telegraph

Is it just me or is Jack Wilshire becoming a serial knobhead with all his stupid quotes in the media, I have started to really dislike wilshire. I think he should concentrate on his football and shut his mouth.

[ronk]

One condition of the Uefa regulations is that sponsors with close links to club owners pay fair sums.

First, that sounds like completely made up bollocks. Second, why the hell would they have such restrictions if someone is trying to put money in the game?

These clowns are going to get sued at some stage to EU court or whatever and they will get good slapping there.

No that was put into the process fairly early. The concept of fair value is fairly fundamental, when you've got so many corrupt people in a room they tend to spot the loopholes early when they want to.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has said that it takes "a real man" to stay loyal to the club as team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are linked with moves away from the Emirates. Daily Telegraph

Is it just me or is Jack Wilshire becoming a serial knobhead with all his stupid quotes in the media, I have started to really dislike wilshire. I think he should concentrate on his football and shut his mouth.

And it's quite laughable that some kiddo who doesn't even shave yet is talking about "loyalty". Let's see what happens when big clubs come knocking at your door one day, son.

[Fidel Castro]

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has said that it takes "a real man" to stay loyal to the club as team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are linked with moves away from the Emirates. Daily Telegraph

Is it just me or is Jack Wilshire becoming a serial knobhead with all his stupid quotes in the media, I have started to really dislike wilshire. I think he should concentrate on his football and shut his mouth.

It's not just you. He has started acting like a top knob on the pitch as well, dirty sneaky crying little bitch. Hate him.

[Tokyo Blue]

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has said that it takes "a real man" to stay loyal to the club as team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are linked with moves away from the Emirates. Daily Telegraph

Is it just me or is Jack Wilshire becoming a serial knobhead with all his stupid quotes in the media, I have started to really dislike wilshire. I think he should concentrate on his football and shut his mouth.

It's not just you. He has started acting like a top knob on the pitch as well, dirty sneaky crying little bitch. Hate him.

He is being taught by the masters.

[Bluez]

In contrast, Arsenal's arrangement with Emirates, which was announced in 2004, was valued at £90m over 15 years. Around £48m of that came via shirt sponsorship, with the naming rights worth £2.8m a year. "We must have done a bad deal," Wenger said, dryly.
I am not sure why he said that dryly, they were well shafted. The scum and Liverpool shirt deal alone is worth around 20 mil per year. Theres 200 of our 400 mil straight away with no real arguments.

[bobby brows]

The ultra late Wednesday Rumour Mill

How proud Gary Cahill must have felt when he woke up this morning. Not just in the "HELLO LADIES!" sense, either. Cahill could not have felt prouder had he been knighted, revealed as the second coming, been referenced in a Half Man Half Biscuit song, found a pound on the underground, and been the subject of some frisky tweets from Sabine Lisicki. For our snout tells us that Cahill has achieved something even more precious: he has earned the respect of John Terry.

Terry, the Chelsea manager and the world's first player-manager-referee, has apparently told his assistant André Villas-Boas to sign Cahill. Chelsea are also looking at human beard Daniele De Rossi to replace habitual knack-sufferer Michael Essien, although that doesn't affect their attempt to woo Luka Modric by whispering sweet nothings while discreetly shoving obscene amounts of cash down his pants.

Modric may not be the only part of Spurs' spine to sprint through the door marked "Done One. Sorry. Bye!". In the latest episode of Daniel Levy's Charm School, he has reportedly offered the club captain Michael Dawson a pay rise of only £5,000 a week, taking his wages to just below £40,000 a week. Dawson didn't swerve off the road at the news, but is apparently radged off at an offer he called "derisory". Players always use the word "derisory" in these instances. What's wrong with Roget's: "laughable", "preposterous", "cockeyed", or "an effing disgrace you little slug I'll stove your face in".

Whether Modric and Dawson leave or not, Harry Redknapp will be spending some money this summer. Redknapp has gone shopping to world football's great summer bargain house, Real Madrid, and is keeping a twitchy one on Lassana Diarra and Esteban Granero.

Wesley Sneijder was once available from the Real Madrid shop for GBPnotmuch, but now he will cost Manchester United around £35m. The Sun reckon a deal is imminent and, in a new spin on the age-old "WE TOLD YOU SO" journalistic backslapping, have congratulated themselves for being the first to say that a potentially imminent deal was potentially imminent.

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has idly filled in the last ever News of the World crossword with the words Rodallega, Given, N'Zogbia, Hutton and Parker. It's either a devilishly subtle criticism of Rebekah Brooks – our multi-lingual cousin reckons N'Zogbia roughly translates as "lamentable wench in dire need of a haircut and/or a moral compass, either will do" – or he hasn't done it properly.

Liverpool want Wayne Bridge.

We'll give you a second to compose yourself before we continue.

José Mourinho wants Carlos Tevez. Trouble is, Tevez wants to be closer to his children in Argentina. That said, Tevez might just be thick enough to believe Madrid is closer to Argentina than São Paulo, where Corinthians are based, especially if Mourinho draws him a map to prove it.

Any other business? There's something about Cesc Fábregas and Barcelona, but we don't have the energy.

[Chinners]

Evening Bollox
Council approves Manchester City plans for 'world capital of sport' at Etihad stadium

Multi-million pound plans to transform land around City’s Etihad stadium into the ‘world capital of sport’ have been given the green light by town hall chiefs.
A masterplan that will deliver a string of new community facilities including a sixth form college, sports science centre and a headquarters for national sports’ governing bodies, were welcomed by Manchester council’s executive at a meeting on Wednesday.
The ‘Eastlands community plan’ – the details of which were revealed in the M.u.E.N. following the announcement of City’s record stadium deal with sponsors, Etihad, last week – will now go out to public consultation over the summer.
The money-spinning Blues deal, which includes renaming their Eastlands ground the Etihad stadium and the surrounding Sportcity complex the Etihad campus, was described as ‘genuinely good news’ for the city by Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester.
He said: “It gives us a very robust platform with which to underpin the proposals set out in the Eastlands community plan.”
The plans are the latest in a transformation story being spearheaded by a partnership between the council, New East Manchester and the football club.
Basketball, taekwando, badminton, netball, rugby league and rugby union – who want to start a new team in east Manchester – are among a raft of sports who want to contribute to a new ‘sporting mecca’ by creating national-standard facilities for use by both residents and elite athletes.
They will sit alongside City’s own proposals to expand on to land opposite the stadium in Openshaw West. Included in the council’s community plan are a multi-sports village and national speedway stadium at Belle Vue and a new leisure hub and swimming pool on Grey Mare Lane.
Council bosses will also build a sixth form institute that can educate both local teenagers and products of an expanded Manchester City academy, a centre of excellence in sports science and medicine with Manchester university, and a ‘house of sport’ to accommodate national sports chiefs.
Mr Smith said the £18-20m the council will yield from City’s deal with Etihad could make a ‘significant contribution’ to the facilities contained in the plan which they hope to build over the next five years. He added: “This is a real opportunity for the area to move on and progress.”

Aguero: I will leave Atletico
In-demand Argentina striker Sergio Aguero has reaffirmed his desire to quit Atletico Madrid this summer.

Aguero: Wishes to leave Vicente Calderon
Aguero revealed earlier this summer that he wanted to leave Vicente Calderon, and he has been strongly linked with Real Madrid, as well as Chelsea and Manchester City.
However, his father was quoted earlier this week suggesting that his son could yet remain.
But speaking from his homeland, where he is taking part in the Copa America, Aguero underlined his desire to find a new club.
"I will not return to Atletico, it is clear," he told ESPN.
"I talked to the club, gave a statement, now my representatives are negotiating my departure from the club.
"I don't know when the agreement will be, but I will know when the Copa America is finished."

How do Manchester City fans feel about their club’s exorbitant spending?
Earlier this week an article was published on this site that caused quite a stir and a fair amount of anger on behalf of Manchester City fans. The gist was as follows: Manchester City have bought their way into the Champions League, rather than earned their position and as such that they weren’t worthy of taking part in European football’s most exciting venture. What follows is not an attempt to stoke the fire anymore, after all I’d estimate that around 90% of what is written about City is negative and I have no intention of falling in line in that respect.
The truth however, is that Manchester City’s spending is a contentious issue. It’s been frustrating as a football fan to see the game warp into something that is a business first and sport second. In a way football stopped being about the ‘game’ and started being about the money when the Premier League began in earnest and Sky started to get behind it. This permitted clubs to start paying bigger and bigger wages and began the age of exorbitant transfer fees.
In essence, to blame Manchester City for football’s current state of play is madness. Football was a commodity long before Sheikh Mansour began to pump his money into the club.
So should fans care if success is engineered only through the backing of a billionaire? Most fans, if asked, would probably confess that success and trophies no matter how this success is brought about is preferable to a lack of success. Having said this however, there are certain cases throughout footballing history where overspending has backfired in a big way.
Nobody attacked Portsmouth for winning the FA Cup in the 2007/8 season after Harry Redknapp spent big, but perhaps questions should have been asked as to how the club could afford to pay the wages of likes of Peter Crouch , Jermain Defoe and Lassana Diarra . In the end the club went into administration in 2010 and are currently rebuilding having finished 16th in the Championship last season.
Then there’s Leeds financial implosion back in 2004, the result of a lot of a bad decisions. It’s clear that when handled badly an economical cavalier attitude can have disastrous consequences. To that extent the club in question has to be certain that their owner has only the best interests of the club in mind and won’t leave when the going gets tough. Clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City seem to have found owners that are committed to their cause and as such I’m sure that there are many opposition fans looking on with a certain degree of envy.
As for City’s spending, well they’re playing catch-up, so why shouldn’t they get the chance to splash some cash? The old top four (Manchester United , Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool) did their spending over the course of numerous years and were able to do so on the back of their privileged position in the Premier League.
The payout for Premier League positions goes a long way towards facilitating big transfer fees and when you consider that Europe’s elite earned an average of 38.45m euros for reaching the knockout stages of the Champion’s League in previous seasons, it’s little wonder that the clubs in question where in a better position than City to build towards success.
Without this major cash injection how on earth were City supposed to come along and shake up the top four? City’s expenditure is not ‘cheating’ or ‘gluttonous’ or any other such term, it’s simply necessary to put them on an even keel with clubs like United and Chelsea.
Since not all clubs have as solid a base as a club like Arsenal, they have to appeal to big money moves, rather than relying on youth to find success. In many ways Sheikh Mansour is Manchester City’s winning lottery ticket. City fans won’t care that they’re ‘buying’ success, because at the moment, they’re too busy enjoying the ride.

Manchester City: 3 Players Who Would Make the Citizens Even Better
Next With Tevez and Adebayor on Their Way Out, Who Should City Buy? Manchester City have more money than they will ever need.
In the past, this has somehow been a bad thing for the Citizens, who have used their money ignorantly. Now, with their squad finally settled, it seems that both Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor will be out the door.
The loss of two strikers, one of whom was on loan for much of last season, doesn't seem like a big deal. However, Carlos Tevez was the EPL's joint top scorer with 20 goals. There was always something wrong with his relationship with City but he played through it and looked good last campaign. Now, he wants to leave and so does Adebayor.
Who should Manchester City buy? They will probably target a new forward if both Tevez and Adebayor are actually on their way out. But the Blues will also want two midfielders. Here are three players Manchester City should purchase.

Sergio Aguero
Age: 23
Position: Striker
Nationality: Argentinian
Team: Atletico Madrid
Sergio Aguero seems like the ideal replacement for Tevez. They are a lot alike in some ways, but Kun Aguero seems to be more calm and would probably settle better in Manchester than his teammate did.
I feel Kun wouldn't disrupt anything at City and would start as striker, with Balotelli and Silva (or two others) on either side of the Argentinian. Aguero would be the perfect forward signing as the attacking style wouldn't need to change and Aguero could have a direct swap with Tevez.

Samir Nasri
Age: 24
Position: Center Attacking Midfield
Nationality: French
Team: Arsenal
Samir Nasri's transfer rumours have been going on since the beginning of the offseason. Despite Nasri's talent, he has yet to win a major trophy with Arsenal. It is believed that he will be leaving the Emirates, unless Arsene Wenger can persuade him not to.
His likely destination is Eastlands, where he would join the recently transferred Gael Clichy. Unlike in Aguero's case, Samir Nasri wouldn't join Manchester City because of someone's departure. City just want an attacking midfield like the Frenchman.
It's hard to tell who Nasri would replace in the starting squad, assuming that he will be a starter. The Citizens play with a 4-2-3-1 formation and the ideal place for him to go would be the center attacking midfield position, but that wouldn't work with Yaya Toure already assured that spot.
Nasri would maybe go on the wing, where he could possibly take Silva's place, or he could move to defensive midfield where he can make Gareth Barry a substitute. Whatever it is, there's no denying that City want Nasri and I feel that it would be a good decision to purchase the Arsenal man.

Jack Rodwell
Age: 20
Position: Center Defensive Midfield
Nationality: English
Team: Everton
Unlike the two players on the other slides, Jack Rodwell probably wouldn't be in the starting lineup right away if he moved to City. He isn't yet a starter on his current team Everton, but Jack Rodwell is a promising defensive midfielder, which is an area which Manchester City will want to cover.
The Englishman is only 20 years old and Everton won't want to sell him yet, but if enough money were spilled out by the Citizens it would certainly be accepted by the Toffees. Purchasing Rodwell would be a great investment for the future.

Liverpool: Wayne Doesn't Bridge The Gap
Despite him clearly not fitting the player profile of that what Liverpool are looking to sign, and John Henry virtually ruling this out the media hacks will not let this one go. Wayne Bridge was first mentioned as a potential signing some weeks back however Henry took to Twitter to rule out such a deal making it clear that Bridge wouldn't fit into the player profile category we're looking to sign.
A thirty something player who is seeing his career on the wane isn't exactly what we're after is it, we've just managed to offload one of these in Paul Konchesky so would we really want to replace him with an older model who is looking as though his career is even more in decline and would cost us even more than Konchesky was!
Man City may well let him leave for a "nominal fee" but even if Bridge's £90,000 per week wages were not a problem his footballing ability and age should be.
We may well have given up hope of luring Leighton Baines across Stanley Park but in my honest opinion the signing of Bridge isn't likely to happen and even though rumour has it that a move for him is "on the cards" the former England international isn't coming to Anfield this summer and I'd not want it anyway even though we do need a left back.
http://www.liverpool.vitalfootball.co.u ... z1S0qK0CNv

[Slim]

They make a good point on Rodwell, however he wouldn't be a starter for us either. We do look lost and a little ragged in the middle without de Jong there however and he is a good shout as backup.

Schneijder, Nasri, Pastore, Cesc....pick one, buy him.