It's City vs United! Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic is wanted by BOTH Manchester clubs
Bosnian would be asked to push Joe Hart at the champions but if he goes to Old Trafford instead he'd have the chance to replace David De Gea
Manchester City are set to battle it out with title rivals Manchester United for Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic.
City manager Roberto Mancini wants the Bosnian to switch to Eastlands and keep first-choice Joe Hart on his toes.
And that has put him on course for a fight with neighbour Alex Ferguson, who believes Begovic is the right man to take over from under-fire David de Gea.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis paid Portsmouth £3million for the 25-year-old keeper’s services in 2010.
But Begovic nearly quit the Britannia for Chelsea, before eventually establishing himself as the club’s first choice.
Hamburg join Man City in hunt for UAE star Abdulrahman
Hamburg deal-maker Frank Arnesen admits the German club are monitoring UAE's highly-rated playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, but stopped short of saying whether they would launch a bid for his services.
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Abdulrahman, 21, is the hottest property in Middle Eastern football right now after playing a starring role in the UAE's recent Gulf Cup triumph in Bahrain.
Scorer of a virtuoso effort in the final as the UAE beat Iraq 2-1 to clinch a second regional title after their maiden success in 2007, Abdulrahman was later named Player of the Tournament.
The accolade was just reward for the Al Ain midfielder, whose stock has been on the rise since catching the eye with a number of impressive display's for UAE's Under-23 side at last summer's London Olympics.
Abdulrahman turned down a summer move to Manchester City after impressing during a two-week trial with the English Premier League champions, but it appears only a matter of time before the prodigiously talented midfielder moves to Europe.
Aside from City, who continue to monitor his progress, Sport360° understands that Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon are also keeping tabs on the frizzy-haired star, as are Hamburg.
Speaking exclusively to Sport360°, Hamburg's sporting director, Arnesen, spoke glowingly of Abdulrahman and believes the Yemeni-born youngster has all the attributes to become one of the game's brightest talents in the coming years.
“We have seen Omar Abdulrahman play numerous times, and he is one of the best players in that age category in the Gulf region," said Arnesen.
"He is a good dribbler with fine technique, good ball control with good forward vision and passing. If he keeps his feet on the ground and keeps working at his game, he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Arnesen's praise of Abdulrahman will lead to speculation of a bid in the future, with the Dane acknowledging on his recent visit to the UAE that Humburg must be "creative" in the transfer market as they can no longer compete with Europe's big spenders.
The German club have instead focused on signing young, up-and-coming talent with the likes of 23-year-old Croatian midfielder, Milan Badelj, and South Korean striker Son Heung-Min, 20, fruits of that policy in recent times.
Hamburg were one of three German clubs in the UAE earlier this month as they stepped up their preparations for the resumption of the domestic season which kicked off last weekend following the winter break.
The Bundesliga, assisted by Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, also brought Borussia Moenchengladbach to the region as they continue in their attempts to expand their ever-growing brand across Asia.
And what better way to do that than have one of their clubs sign the poster boy of Gulf football..
MANCHESTER TITLE RACE
PTS +5 GD +1
Aguero: City can still win the title
Sergio Aguero is confident Manchester City can overhaul a considerable points deficit on Manchester United to retain the Premier League title.
City overturned United's eight-point advantage last season with just six games remaining and Aguero, who has recovered quickly from a hamstring injury to give manager Roberto Mancini a boost, believes it is possible again.
Roberto Mancini's side cut United's lead at the top of the league to just five points at the weekend, leading Aguero to declare that City are back in the hunt.
"We won the title off them last season and now we're in the fight again," Aguero said. "We can regain the leadership of the Premier League from them.
"City have everything to continue to grow and the best is yet to come.
"I feel the ambition of my team-mates in the dressing room, in training and in the matches. I hope that the title we won last season was just the first step."
SNUB COUNT - 241
Best of enemies: United captain Vidic has helped City's Nastasic settle at bitter Manchester rivals
They might stand on opposite sides of Manchester and be competing for the Premier League title, but Matija Nastasic has revealed that Serbian compatriot Nemanja Vidic is helping him to settle in England.
Nastasic has arguably been the most impressive of the five players signed by Manchester City on deadline day last summer after the champions gave Fiorentina £12million and Stefan Savic in exchange for the young centre-back.
Despite the fierce rivalry with Manchester United, 19-year-old Nastasic turned to Vidic for advice when he moved to this country and has become good friends with the Old Trafford skipper.
‘Of course I spoke with him when I arrived to ask advice and he has been great with me,’ said Nastasic. ‘I still speak with him. For me he is a great friend and a great person.
‘He gave me general advice, not just about football but about lifestyle and young players adapting to English football.
‘I spoke with Stefan as well because he took my place at Fiorentina. I knew that he had a little bit of difficulty here. But the first two games gave me confidence to play because I noticed that I could cope with the Premier League.’
Roberto Mancini surprised many people by giving Nastasic his debut in the Champions League tie away to Real Madrid in September but he has since become a regular alongside Vincent Kompany, breaking up the City captain’s successful partnership with Joleon Lescott.
‘I feel very proud about that because Joleon is a great player and so is Kolo Toure,’ added Nastasic. ‘I expected a transition of six months, possibly a year, because I thought I would have to learn a different way of playing, to learn to expect different challenges when I play.
‘So I’m very happy at the moment that I have played so much in so little time. In a way that has surprised me but this for me is perfect.’
City first-team coach David Platt believes Nastasic’s progress has justified the chance they took on him last summer.
Platt said: ‘Robbie knew about him for a long time, he knew about him in Florence as well. He got good reviews about him.
‘I think other clubs were looking at him but with a 19-year-old you either take the plunge or you don’t – and we took the plunge.
‘Matija has done very, very well. He's only young, he's come out of Serie A and it's a different style of football, but he's come in and settled down very well. But it's not just those two, if you look at the two full backs they are exceptional.
‘Am I surprised? No, because we watched him. We knew he had ability and he has played for the Serbian national side so it's not a surprise, but equally we all know the Premier League is cut and thrust.’
[spoiler].
.[/spoiler]GOLDEN BOLLOX - Saturday 23rd January 1926
City record their biggest victory ever at Old Trafford with a 6-1 win over Manchester United.
Two goals each from Frank Roberts and Billy Austin, plus strikes from Hicks and Tommy Johnson, secure a mammoth win that is unlikely to ever be repeated.
City follow this up with a 5-1 home defeat to Huddersfield Town on their way to eventual relegation from the top flight.
Of course, that famous 6-1 scoreline was to be repeated 85 years later in the Blues' Premier League title winning year!
Bayern Munich are lining up a £40m bid for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 25. Metro
Manchester United are also keen on QPR's Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, but they could face competition from Arsenal for the 33-year-old's signature. Sun
Manchester United striker Federico Macheda, 21, is on the verge of signing for Spanish second division side Elche on loan for the rest of the season. Daily Express
Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 21, has told Liverpool he wants to stay at Inter Milan. talkSHIT
However, Liverpool still hope to agree the transfer of Coutinho on Wednesday despite the midfielder's claim that he wants to fight for his place in Italy. Guardian
Sandro's season-ending injury has forced Tottenham into a January move for Schalke's Lewis Holtby, 22, who signed a pre-contract agreement to move to White Hart Lane in July. Metro
CSKA Moscow are interested in signing Chelsea winger Marko Marin, 23, on a loan deal. Daily Mirror
Sunderland face a battle to sign forward Mauro Zarate, 25, after his agent said the player is happy to stay and fight for his place at Lazio. talkSHIT
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is investigating a loan move for former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady, 26. DSSC
Mohamed Diame, 25, is threatening to report West Ham to Fifa over fears the club are trying to renege on his £3.5m release clause. DSSC
Chelsea are going to hold talks with Belgium international keeper Thibaut Courtois over his long-term future at Stamford Bridge. The 20-year-old is currently on his second season-long loan at Atletico Madrid and has attracted interest from Barcelona. London's Evening Standard
New Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino says he will bring in players from La Liga to ensure that his "ambitious project" has every chance of success. Sky Sports
Former Barcelona midfielder Joan Verdu, 29, could be Pochettino's first signing at St Mary's. Verdu played under Pochettino at Espanyol and is out of contract at the end of the season. Sun
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has extended his contract with Juventus until 2015. Tuttosport
Benfica have parted company with Brazilian midfielder Bruno Cesar, who will move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, according to Brazilian news website Terra. Terra
Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder has revealed that Jose Mourinho and Netherlands national coach Louis Van Gaal encouraged him to sign with Galatasaray. Marca
Manchester United's plan to sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace and then immediately loan the 20-year-old back to the Championship club could face a Football League investigation. Daily Mirror
Ronaldinho, 32, has been named in Brazil's 20-man squad for the friendly against England at Wembley on 6 February.
Interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez says owner Roman Abramovich is happy with the progress he is making at Stamford Bridge. Daily Mirror
Tottenham announce a £4.3m loss for 2011-12 after failing to qualify for the Champions League. DSSC
Al Nasr technical director Sven-Goran Eriksson says the club would "open the gate" for David Beckham, 37, if he wants to play in the United Arab Emirates. Sport 360
Brighton boss Gus Poyet says he would like to manage Arsenal or Chelsea. Daily Star
BBC 5 live's 606 newsletter reports that Celtic manager Neil Lennon was in a playful mood in a recent press conference. He decided to answer one journalist's mobile phone, only to be hung up on twice.
Southampton winger Jason Puncheon, 26, has been teased by his team-mates after leaving the field against Everton on Monday to go to the toilet. Sun
Proper tarted up bollox later on ... I've got shite to do this morning!
