Friday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Manchester City in talks with two clubs over £20m-plus Robinho deal
Unidentified clubs express 'firm interest' in unsettled Brazilian - Besiktas and Schalke linked with Robinho during summer
Manchester City have entered into negotiations with two unnamed clubs about a £20m-plus deal for Robinho, with Roberto Mancini still keen to wash his hands of Britain's most expensive footballer and no sign of a thaw in relations between player and manager.
After spending the past six months on loan at Santos, Robinho flew back into England overnight and was due to take part in his first training session with the rest of Mancini's squad this afternoon.
His position has not changed, namely that he wants to leave City and is effectively in Manchester against his will, and City's stance also remains the same, willing to sell him to any club who meet their asking price.
City are refusing to entertain the idea of another loan for a player who cost them £32.5m when signed from Real Madrid on the first days of the Abu Dhabi United Group's ownership almost two years ago. Instead they want to recoup a sizeable amount of Robinho's transfer fee, something they consider realistic given his impressive performances in the World Cup.
They have now received what is being described behind the scenes at Eastlands as "firm interest", with a strong possibility of a deal happening before the end of the transfer window. Besiktas and Schalke have been linked with Robinho this summer but the identities of the clubs involved have not been released.
The alternative is that Robinho has little choice but to try to resurrect his City career – at least until the market reopens in January – and the 26-year-old has been included in the squad submitted to Uefa for the two-legged Europa League qualifying tie against Timisoara of Romania. That has been seen in many quarters as Mancini offering the player an olive branch but the Italian simply felt it would be churlish to leave out the club's record signing when there remains a possibility he may yet play a part in the coming season. Informed sources say nothing too much should be read into it. Guardian

BIG FAT SUN BOLLOX
MANCHESTER City have offered Zlatan Ibrahimovic a four-year deal worth a staggering £96MILLION - or roughly £500,000 a week.
The mega-deal would make the Barcelona striker the highest-paid footballer in the world, earning £24m a year.
That dwarfs the salaries of top stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.
City representatives made their mouth-watering offer direct to Ibrahimovic's manager Mino Raiola to show how much they want to capture the Swedish international.
The huge deal dwarfs the 11m euros a year the striker picks up at the Nou Camp.
Ibrahimovic is unsettled at Barca despite joining only last summer in a 50m euro deal that also took Samuel Eto'o from Barcelona to the San Siro.
The enigmatic forward fell out with Barca coach Pep Guardiola in February and the pair barely speak now.
Ibrahimovic is upset he has not been a regular starter and he has clashed with his coach over Barca's style of play.
So the chance to be involved in building a new club to rival Europe's best is an attractive proposition, especially with such a salary on offer.
The striker is familiar with City boss Roberto Mancini after the pair's time together at Inter Milan.
A source close to Ibrahimovic said: "City have shown how much they want Zlatan and although he is well paid at Barcelona this offer is in a different league.
"It has given him plenty to think about especially when he is not so happy with his football at Barca.
"The idea of being part of a move to create a new super club to challenge the very best in Europe is also attractive.
"City have to agree a deal with Barcelona before this can go any further - but there's a feeling that could all happen fairly quickly now."
Unsettled Brazilian star Robinho could move to Barcelona as a makeweight in the deal.
Ibrahimovic's arrival would raise more questions about the futures of strikers Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Craig Bellamy as City continue their spree.

City to pip Chelsea to David Luiz signing
Manchester City are beating Chelsea in the race to land Benfica’s £27 million-rated Brazilian centre half David Luiz.
City are willing to outbid the double winners in the chase for the curly-haired defender who is now a priority signing for both of the Premier League giants.
Luiz has been lined up by Chelsea as a replacement for Real Madrid new boy Ricardo Carvalho, but City believe they will win the race - even if it means paying over the odds for a player yet again.
Coach Roberto Mancini wants Luiz signed quickly to let him sort out his defence and then push out some well-known faces when he trims his squad to 25 for the Premier League rules.
City already have a handful of top centre halves but Mancini believes Luiz, who also plays left back, is the answer and negotiations are at an advanced stage.
Luiz’s signing would push the likes of Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott down the pecking order as Mancini and his team put the squeeze on Mark Hughes’s signings.
The news that City have stepped up their bid will be a blow for Chelsea who have seen the Arab-backed outfit move ahead of them in the signing stakes - with this a potentially major reminder of that wealth.
Luiz will have City’s promise to weigh up against Chelsea’s status, but both the player and his handlers - who are used to dealing with both clubs - could go where the money is instead.
Both City and Chelsea hope to make progress on their moves over the weekend, with Luiz back from international duty with Brazil in America.
It is also an extraordinary fee for a player who has barely got into the Brazil side but most experts tip him as a star of the next decade. Mirror

Carlos Tevez: I'm unhappy after World Cup hell and I'm looking forward to leaving Europe
Carlos Tevez has admitted falling out of love with life in England and looked forward to the day he returned to Argentina.
The 26-year-old has long signalled that he will not play on long into his thirties and disappointment with his country's World Cup campaign has left him again considering his future.
Tevez has little intention of seeing out the four years left on his City contract and said:
'There is only a little time remaining before I retire. It is very difficult to play football if you are not happy.
'I am finding it very difficult to recover since the World Cup, I dreamed of returning to Argentina with the trophy.
'There were no fights in the World Cup, everything was positive, but it was the hardest thing that I've ever had to experience.
'Every day I have less will to continue playing in Europe. I will be there for two or three more years and then I will think about heading back to Argentina.'
'Every day I have less will to continue playing in Europe, and to carry on playing football.
And Tevez hinted that his family's wellbeing could see him quit the game in 'two or three more years'.
'For the last year I haven't lived with my daughters, they are growing up and I'm getting worn down.
'After returning from South Africa I though about quitting football, but I have a large family and now I have to continue.
'Football doesn't make me happy or as fulfilled as before. It becomes difficult to play like this,' he said. Mail

Ireland: Give me £2million or I'll wreck Milner deal
Stephen Ireland is holding Manchester City to ransom by demanding a £2million 'loyalty' payment to quit the club.
Ireland has agreed to go to Aston Villa as part of the deal to bring England international James Milner the other way in an overall package worth £26million.
But Ireland, who feels he has been forced out of City against his will, is holding the entire deal up with his extraordinary demand for the one-off payment to leave Eastlands.
City are furious with Ireland and his representatives - who are refusing to accept anything less than a £2m sweetener for the midfielder to go - and insist they have no intention of paying anywhere near that amount.
Although terms have been agreed between the two clubs for the swap package involving Milner and Ireland, the entire deal - which was supposed to be completed last night - is in danger of collapse unless Ireland and his advisors drop their exorbitant demands.
"Stephen is asking for a ridiculous amount which he's not going to get," said a high-level City source last night. "Every other aspect of the deal has been agreed but he's holding it up with his demand for a £2m pay-off - which he's not going to get."
Mirror Sport revealed how Ireland fell out with City boss Roerto Mancini on the club's pre-season tour of the US when he was told he would not be part of the 25-man final squad submitted to the Premier League on September 1.
And Ireland is prepared to put City's long-running pursuit of Milner in jeopardy in what appears to be an act of revenge against the club where only two seasons ago he was the Player of the Year, completing a remarkable fall from grace.

There was better news for City last night with the revelation they have agreed a £25million fee with Inter Milan for striker Mario Balotelli and expect to conclude the deal within 24 hours.
City and Inter finally agreed on a compromise price, with the Italian club originally holding out for £30m for their volatile but hugely talented 19-year-old forward.
Balotelli's signing will come too late for him to be involved in City's Premier League opener against Tottenham at White Hart Lane tomorrow, but he is expected to watch his new team in action after flying in to England today to pen a five-year deal worth £90,000-a-week.

Out-of-favour City striker Robinho returned to the club's Carrington training complex to train with his team-mates, although it has emerged there are at least two clubs interested in signing the £32.5m British transfer record signing for around £20m.
After spending the past six months on loan back in his native Brazil with his home club Santos, Robinho flew back into England overnight and took part in a full training session with the City squad, although he could be at a new club as early as next week.
Benfica are understood to be interested in signing the Brazil World Cup star, while Fenerbahce have also registered interest. Besiktas and Schalke have also been linked with the 26-year-old forward but there has been no firm offer from any club yet.
Robinho and City are both keen to sever their ties with each other following a move that promised so much but ended in bitter recrimination on both sides, despite the player being named in Roberto Mancini's squad for the two-leg Europa League qualifying tie against Timisoara of Romania.
City are adamant they will not allow Robinho to go on loan again and are keen to recoup a significant chunk of the £32.5m they paid Real Madrid for their most audacious signing following the takeover of the club by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by Sheikh Mansour.
Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli is close to sealing his move to Manchester City, according to the player's agent. Daily Mail

Aston Villa midfielder James Milner is expected to complete his £26m move to Manchester City before the start of the new Premier League football season on Saturday. Daily Express

Tottenham are to step up their £25m double swoop for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young and Manchester City forward Craig Bellamy with Spurs striker Peter Crouch set to join Sunderland. Daily Star

Celtic are still keen on Bellamy but the Welshman would have to take a £70,000 a week pay cut to join the Scottish side. Daily Mirror

Manchester City will not allow Craig Bellamy to join Tottenham with Fulham, Everton and Newcastle United expected to make approaches for the forward. (The Times)

West Ham are closing in on the loan signing of Manchester City's out-of-favour-striker Felipe Caicedo. Daily Mail

WAG OF THE DAY
http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2 ... a-bonzanni

TRANSFER BOLLOX
Winger Ashley Young, who is being linking to Tottenham, will wait to discover the identity of Aston Villa's new manager before deciding on his long-term future. (Press Association)

Manchester United are set to miss out on the signing of Werder Bremen's Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil. the Guardian

West Ham's Scott Parker is close to signing an improved deal at the club ending speculation that he could move away from Upton Park. The Guardian

The Hammers have handed a trial to former Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere. (The Times)

West Ham will step up their efforts to sign Nottingham Forest keeper Paul Smith after reserve Peter Kurucz was ruled out for the majority of the new season with knee ligament damage. talksport.com

Hammers boss Avram Grant is lining up a £4m bid for FC Twente star Cheik Tiote. The Sun

Everton boss David Moyes is also weighing up a move for Ivory Coast international Tiote. talksport.com

Blackburn Rovers are back on the trail of Norwegian striker Erik Huseklepp after he scored twice against France on Wednesday. Daily Mail

Rovers are the latest Premier League club to make an offer for Arsenal's 19-year-old midfielder Henri Lansbury. talksport

Blackburn are also set to make a last-gasp attempt to hijack Stoke striker James Beattie's move to Rangers. Daily Mirror

Rovers striker Jason Roberts has priced himself out of a move to QPR after demanding £30,000 a week. The Sun

Arsenal are considering a move for Lyon's Brazil international winger Michel Bastos. caughtoffside.com

Marseille midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has gone on strike in an attempt to force through a loan switch to Newcastle. Daily Mirror

Fulham hope to pip Birmingham to the £5m signing of AZ Alkmaar striker Moussa Dembele. Daily Mirror

Wantaway Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer has pleaded with new manager Mark Hughes to let him join Arsenal. Daily Mail

Birmingham, Sunderland and Stoke are all keeping tabs on Charles N'Zogbia with the Wigan midfielder set to hand in transfer request. Daily Mail

Stoke are tracking former Portsmouth midfielder Hassan Yebda who currently plays for Benfica. talksport.com

Sunderland are pressing ahead with an £8m bid for Rennes striker Asamoah Gyan as defender Anton Ferdinand heads for Palermo on a season-long loan. Daily Mail

OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea have been accused of "harassment" by Brazilian club Santos over their attempted signing of teenager Neymar, with Santos threatening to report the Blues to Fifa. Daily Mirror

England goalkeeper David James's arrival at Bristol City is believed to have contributed to Steve Coppell's shock resignation as manager. Daily Mirror

Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia will quit the club if he is not manager Arsene Wenger's number one choice this season. Daily Star

Birmingham are keen to tie manager Alex McLeish to a new deal, especially with neighbours Aston Villa looking for a new manager. The Sun

Theo Walcott has revealed that David Beckham helped him to get over the disappointment of being left out of Fabio Capello's World Cup squad with a stream of phone calls and emails Daily Mirror

[ENIAM NAM]

The bollix is getting earlier and earlier chinners!

Hopefully good news regarding the curly haired defender!

[gillie]

Your bollox are appearing in full view earlier by the day Chinners mate.

[Kyle]

Chinners, don't let the man get you down. I love your early bollox postings, a fantastic read after a good days work... Screw reading it in the morning.

[Kladze]

Tevez out !

[Dameerto]

I don't trust their translators, and if he gave the interview in English I'll eat my copy of the Yellow pages.

[irblinx]

Am I the only one that thinks Ireland is probably entitled to the loyalty bonus? It's a completely different situation to when Sir Joey engineered a move away and then asked for one, Stevie hasn't asked for a move and has four years left on his contract. These clauses are a bit of a joke generally as the player will no doubt get a hefty signing on fee, was paid a great deal by us and no doubt will be again by Villa but if there is a loyalty clause in his contract we should pay it and wish him well

[Esky]

Am I the only one that thinks Ireland is probably entitled to the loyalty bonus? It's a completely different situation to when Sir Joey engineered a move away and then asked for one, Stevie hasn't asked for a move and has four years left on his contract. These clauses are a bit of a joke generally as the player will no doubt get a hefty signing on fee, was paid a great deal by us and no doubt will be again by Villa but if there is a loyalty clause in his contract we should pay it and wish him well

Right with you. If Marwood and Mancini are so insistent on Milner as to force out one of our favourite academy products then they really deserve to be fleeced.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Isn't the Tevez stuff all old news?

Anyway with Mancini supposed to be after Luiz it would seem he is going for broke right through the team and really putting his neck on the block.

The keeper position is up for grabs and one player will be seriously unhappy. At center back Luiz would be bad news for somebody(Vinnie/Joleon/Kolo) Full back either Zaba or Micah pushed out for Boateng and Bridge already out for Kolarov.

In midfield we have the demise of Stevie already and with Milner still a probable I assume we will see even less of SWP and then up front we have the prospects of Balotelli with Ade likely to fall and Bellers all but gone.Maybe they all make us stronger and we do need a good squad but it all emphasises the man management task in front of Mancini. I hope he is up to the task.

[cityPinoy_fc]

Isn't the Tevez stuff all old news?

Anyway with Mancini supposed to be after Luiz it would seem he is going for broke right through the team and really putting his neck on the block.

The keeper position is up for grabs and one player will be seriously unhappy. At center back Luiz would be bad news for somebody(Vinnie/Joleon/Kolo) Full back either Zaba or Micah pushed out for Boateng and Bridge already out for Kolarov.

In midfield we have the demise of Stevie already and with Milner still a probable I assume we will see even less of SWP and then up front we have the prospects of Balotelli with Ade likely to fall and Bellers all but gone.Maybe they all make us stronger and we do need a good squad but it all emphasises the man management task in front of Mancini. I hope he is up to the task.

i'm sure mancini is up to the task mate. he was after all the former manager of inter, one of the top european clubs and the top dog in serie a, it's not like he came out of italy managing small clubs.

[Goaters 103]

Though Im not Irelands biggest fan, I too feel he is quite within his rights to ask for the handshake payment as he is effectively being hawked off for Milner.

Thing is, he's got us by the short and curlies and he, or more likely his Agent, knows this. Prob end up settling for £1.5m compromise and the move goes through in the next 72 hours. Milner has no match practice anyway so would be little use at Spurs.

[salford city]

You can't fault Ireland's timing and who can blame him. At the moment he's holding the trump card and will get some form of a pay off.

[john@staustell]

Though Im not Irelands biggest fan, I too feel he is quite within his rights to ask for the handshake payment as he is effectively being hawked off for Milner.

Thing is, he's got us by the short and curlies and he, or more likely his Agent, knows this. Prob end up settling for £1.5m compromise and the move goes through in the next 72 hours. Milner has no match practice anyway so would be little use at Spurs.

I dont think anyone is entitled to a 'loyalty' bonus, it stinks when they're paid 60 grand a week or more.

City will be pretty chilled about it, they dont have us by the short and curlies. He'll just sit in with the youth team until January.

If true that is, of course, cos it may be total BOLLOX!

[lets all have a disco]

Nobody has us by the short and curlies,if we wanted we could get every penny and more for Milner,Luiz Balo whatever get the deals done and move on.

[Crossie]

£500,000 a week, hahaahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aa a a aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *breathe*

[BobKowalski]

Isn't the Tevez stuff all old news?

Anyway with Mancini supposed to be after Luiz it would seem he is going for broke right through the team and really putting his neck on the block.

The keeper position is up for grabs and one player will be seriously unhappy. At center back Luiz would be bad news for somebody(Vinnie/Joleon/Kolo) Full back either Zaba or Micah pushed out for Boateng and Bridge already out for Kolarov.

In midfield we have the demise of Stevie already and with Milner still a probable I assume we will see even less of SWP and then up front we have the prospects of Balotelli with Ade likely to fall and Bellers all but gone.Maybe they all make us stronger and we do need a good squad but it all emphasises the man management task in front of Mancini. I hope he is up to the task.

Yep on the Tevez story its a rehash.

And yep on the Mancini going for broke. I like his thinking.

[Fidel Castro]

Hope to fucl we don't go for Zlatan. Especially when we've already got Balotelli, Adebayor and Tevez in attack. Adding the bignosed arrogant overrated lump to that list will mean at least one of them will get pissed off and want to leave.

[brite blu sky]

Isn't the Tevez stuff all old news?

Anyway with Mancini supposed to be after Luiz it would seem he is going for broke right through the team and really putting his neck on the block.

The keeper position is up for grabs and one player will be seriously unhappy. At center back Luiz would be bad news for somebody(Vinnie/Joleon/Kolo) Full back either Zaba or Micah pushed out for Boateng and Bridge already out for Kolarov.

In midfield we have the demise of Stevie already and with Milner still a probable I assume we will see even less of SWP and then up front we have the prospects of Balotelli with Ade likely to fall and Bellers all but gone.Maybe they all make us stronger and we do need a good squad but it all emphasises the man management task in front of Mancini. I hope he is up to the task.

You are spot on about Mancini going for broke. In a way you can completely understand it as he was always going to be under pressure and for him he may as well be under a bit more pressure but with the players he wants and that he has brought in and that ultimately owe him one. The difference in pressure though is that he is setting himself up to be under pressure from City fans by ousting some fan favourites en masse. If it doesn't pay off quickly he might get a lot of flak.
Personally although it is hard to swallow losing good players i like, Bob is the one carrying the can and if he wants to go for it then great, i like the attitude.. it may be a gamble but it is probably worth taking at this time. I can see it translating into a style of play also.. and i can see City and Mancini surprising us all by not being as cautious as last season suggested he would be.