Thursday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Monaco lining up £9million Adebayor
Manchester City misfit Emmanuel Adebayor has been cleared to talk to his old club Monaco about a cut-price £9million transfer.
Adebayor has no part to play now in Roberto Mancini’s plans, and the 26-year-old striker could be sold to the French outfit before the weekend – with City ready to take a massive hit on the £25m fee they paid Arsenal for him in July 2009.
Monaco are willing to take on Adebayor’s king-sized salary - as they will be helped by the fact that the principality has a tax-free status.
That means the Togo international could pocket around £100,000 a week and not lose out.
Adebayor is seeking a pay-off from City to go, but the mega-rich club are ­optimistic of shifting him out.
He is becoming an expensive luxury item in reserve.
City still have Adebayor under contract until the summer of 2014. If he lasted the distance, it would cost City around £20m in wages – so they will just put him down as an expensive mistake.
Monaco are clear ­favourites in the chase, as they are the only club willing to both accommodate Adebayor’s wages and pay a fee him.
City have searched for takers at home and abroad without success.
There is Premier League interest in taking the player on loan, but that is only a temporary solution to City’s problems with their unwanted forward.
Adebayor had four years with Monaco as a ­youngster before being brought to England by Arsene Wenger in January 2006. He still has friends in the south of France and is open to the idea of a full-time return to the area.

Meanwhile, teenage sensation Romelu Lukaku remains an Anderlecht player after premature claims he had already signed for City.
Reports in Belgium’s ­Sport/Foot said the 17-year-old striker agreed a deal to move to Eastlands in July for around £17m.
The magazine stated: “Lukaku has already reached an agreement with City for a transfer in July.”
But it has now emerged the race for Lukaku is still very much open.
Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal and AC Milan are all keen
MCF.NET THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=36846&start=0

Chelsea make Joleon Lescott their second choice if David Luiz proves too expensive
Chelsea have earmarked Manchester City's Joleon Lescott as an alternative if they fail to prise David Luiz from Benfica.
The Premier League champions are determined to bring in a centre half and have so far made bids of £17m and £21m plus Paulo Ferreira for 23-year-old Luiz yet Benfica insist they want at least £26m or the deal is off.
Manchester City offered a similar amount last season but still failed to land the Brazilian as Benfica demanded £35m and Chelsea are wary of being dragged into a saga should they match the demands.
However, owner Roman Abramovich has long been aware of the qualities Luiz could bring to his ailing squad and is eager to give it one last shot.
Carlo Ancelotti has drawn up a shortlist of five possible centre halves which is also understood to include Wolfsburg's Simon Kjaer, Bolton's Gary Cahill and Lazio's Stefan Radu.
However, left-sided Lescott fits the profile of what they want should a deal for Luiz fail.
Chelsea would only want to offer around £8.5million for the 28-year-old England international as they are wary of his knee problems.
City would want more for a player they spent £22m on barely 18 months ago but are keen to start recouping some hard cash for their fringe players.
Kjaer, 21, only moved to Wolfsburg last July for £11m but has had a difficult season.

CRISTIANO RONALDO TELLS MARIO BALOTELLI: SHUT IT!
CRISTIANO RONALDO has told Manchester City motormouth Mario Balotelli to SHUT IT.
The 20-year-old Balotelli has been making waves ever since he joined City for £24m from Inter Milan.
This week he told England star Wayne Rooney he is not even the best striker in Manchester.
He also reckons City’s strikeforce of Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and himself is the best in the world. But Rooney’s former United pal Ronaldo has told Balotelli he’s not as good as he thinks he is.
“He is a good player but he has to speak less and play more,” said the Real Madrid superstar.
“In the Premier League, if he knows how to listen and wants to learn, he could become a great player. I hope he achieves that.
“However, today he puts many other things ahead of his career and this is not good."

OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal and Manchester United are preparing to move for Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. The Spain international is valued at £25m. Caught Offside

Everton left-back Leighton Baines and Benfica defender Fabio Coentrao have been lined up by Manchester United as possible replacements for Patrice Evra - if the 29-year-old Frenchman joins Real Madrid this summer. Daily Telegraph

Manchester United have been warned off a summer move for Japanese star Shinji Kagawa, with Borussia Dortmund valuing him at £20m. talkSPORT

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce will approach his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson about signing Manchester United veteran Michael Owen this month as a replacement for Darren Bent. Caught Offside

Bruce has also enquired about Tottenham's Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko but will not pay the £13.8m asking price for the 29-year-old and will instead turn his attention to Stoke's Ricardo Fuller, Wigan's Hugo Rodallega and Birmingham's Kevin Phillips. Daily Express

Sunderland will also bring forward their pursuit of Wigan's French winger Charles N'Zogbia but are not prepared to meet the club's £12m valuation. the Times

Schalke 04 midfielder Ivan Rakitic is being chased by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Bolton Wanderers and Everton. The Croatian will be out of contract in the summer. sport.co.uk

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is weighing up £25m-rated Udinese midfield star Alexis Sanchez but has been unable to agree a fee for the 23-year-old Chile international. the Sun

Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up the possibility of a £16.5m move for former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi, 23, who is now established as one of the best strikers in the Spanish league at Villarreal. the Independent

Liverpool could be on the verge of sealing a deal with Ajax for 23-year-old Luis Suarez, with Dutch forward Ryan Babel a potential makeweight in a package worth about £18m. Daily Express

Meanwhile, Paul Konchesky could rejoin Fulham on loan as Liverpool explore ways of offloading the left-back who only arrived at Anfield from Craven Cottage four and a half months ago for £4m. Daily Mail

Keisuke Honda's agent is to discuss the Japan international's future with Premier League clubs. Liverpool are leading the hunt for the CSKA Moscow midfielder but Arsenal and Aston Villa are also interested.sport.co.uk

Aston Villa are ready to let unwanted midfielder Stephen Ireland join Newcastle on loan and are preparing a third, improved £4m bid for Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam. Daily Mirror

West Bromwich Albion are trying to seal a six-month deal for Aston Villa's Norwegian striker John Carew, 31, in time for him to make his debut this weekend. Daily Star

Blackburn boss Steve Kean hopes to seal a cut-price deal for Birmingham winger Sebastian Larsson this week, with the Swede available because his contract expires in the summer. the Sun

West Ham are targeting Sporting Lisbon's attacking midfielder Simon Vukcevic, with the 24-year-old Montenegro player valued at £17m, although the Hammers only want to pay about £6m. Daily Star

Middlesbrough's Scottish striker Kris Boyd, 27, is wanted by Russian club Terek Grozny, who appointed former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit as their head coach this week. Daily Mirror

Sheffield Wednesday are set to sign striker Lee Hughes, 34, from League One rivals Notts County in a £200,000 deal. Daily Mirror

Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill has tabled a £250,000 bid for Ipswich midfielder David Norris, 29, who is out of contract in the summer. Daily Mirror

Blackburn Rovers caretaker boss Steve Kean has been handed the Ewood Park position on a permanent basis. He has been given a two-and-a-half-year contract after going through his plans with the club's owners in India. Daily Mirror

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has hinted he could leave the Spanish side this summer after a row with sporting director Jorge Valdano over transfer policy. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all potential suitors, with the English Premier League his preferred destination. Daily Mirror

Tessa Jowell, the former Olympic minister who retains a place on the London 2012 board, says West Ham's joint bid with Newham council to take over the Olympic stadium does fulfil the promises made in the bid book.the Guardian

Harry Redknapp will give France defender William Gallas, 33, a new contract at the end of the season. the Sun

Avram Grant has been handed no extra funds to recruit players, despite West Ham United's statement on Tuesday backing their under-pressure manager. the Guardian

However, West Ham's joint owners David Sullivan and David Gold have pledged to personally meet a shortfall of £25m to £30m if the club is relegated from the Premier League this season. the Daily Telegraph

Stoke star Jermaine Pennant was reported to have forgotten he owns a Porsche in Spain after his former club Real Zaragoza contacted him about the car, which had been parked at a local rail station for five months. Pennant said he did not remember anything about the car and his agent denied the oversight. Daily Mirror

[Mase]

Kevin Phillips would be a good signing for any team struggling to get out of the bottom three at the moment in my opinion. Can't see why Birmingham would let him go at this point in the season.

[AlpsMaster]

Has Sergio Ramos been discussed somewhere else here?

If he is available then shouldn't we be in for him?

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Has Sergio Ramos been discussed somewhere else here?If he is available then shouldn't we be in for him?

Should be discussed in "Players Whose Name DO Sound Like a Footballer" topic. I mean with name like Sergio Ramos, you were always going to end up as either footballer, actor in one of them telenovelas or making cheesy Eurodance. You were never going to be doctor or lawyer though.

[CitizenYank]

Wow!! Ronaldo got his knickers in a twist. Way to go Mario!!

[blues-clues]

With its new found massive wealth, fan site mancityfans.net have offered to sponsor one of the stands at Eastlands to the tune of £100m so that the club can launch an audacious bid for Lionel Messi. Speaking of the sites good fortune one of the owners said, we asked members to chip in but it seems a few of the paypal payments were entered incorrectly and we have had a bit of a windfall to say the least! We thought it only fair to share this good fortune with our fellow supporters! Meanwhile in the US, bailiffs are believed to be knocking on the door of a Mr D. Merchant.

The Financial Times

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

With its new found massive wealth, fan site mancityfans.net have offered to sponsor one of the stands at Eastlands to the tune of £100m so that the club can launch an audacious bid for Lionel Messi. Speaking of the sites good fortune one of the owners said, we asked members to chip in but it seems a few of the paypal payments were entered incorrectly and we have had a bit of a windfall to say the least! We thought it only fair to share this good fortune with our fellow supporters! Meanwhile in the US, bailiffs are believed to be knocking on the door of a Mr D. Merchant.

The Financial Times

HAHA

All the Lads and Mods are off to Bermuda by the way. We are going to present Shaun Goater with Cult Hero of the Century award. We are of course going to be for the trip ourselves.

[Wooders]

sell jolean - buy luiz

makes sense to me bobby M

[Slim]

Luiz+Kompany.....and they thought we had a defence before.

[french_tony]

Hmmm.
Bent £24m
Adebayor £9m

Really???? Thats a ridiculously cheap price, hope its bollox! Anything under £15M and I will be very disappointed. I know we don't need the money but it will look as though teams can take us for a ride.

[Martinez]

Middlesbrough's Scottish striker Kris Boyd, 27, is wanted by Russian club Terek Grozny, who appointed former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit as their head coach this week. Daily Mirror

Wow, is that actually in Groznyij as in the middle of Chechniya? Who wouldn't want to go there.....

[markuse]

Middlesbrough's Scottish striker Kris Boyd, 27, is wanted by Russian club Terek Grozny, who appointed former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit as their head coach this week. Daily Mirror

Wow, is that actually in Groznyij as in the middle of Chechniya? Who wouldn't want to go there.....

It is. Pretty strong history for teams down there in that troubled region. Also Alania Vladikavkaz and Anzhi Machakchala come from down there.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

sell jolean - buy luiz

makes sense to me bobby M

If we couldn't get Luiz, still wouldn't mind revisiting Wolfsburg, this time for Simon Kjaer. Moreover, buying him and selling Lescott might mean we break even, overall, on the two deals.

[ryanmcfc]

I wouldn't sell Lescott to Chelsea, especially for only 8million.


I also wouldn't want Ramos, when's the last time he actually had to defend anyone?

[CitizenYank]

Wasn't on the Skysports Newswire, but I thought I'd mention it:

From the I-Think-Hell-Has-Frozen-Over Department:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70I2FQ20110119

He will have "overall responsibility for all soccer-related matters, which will include the proposed first team," it said.

Even Americans know this guy is crazier than a shit house rat.

[blues2win]

I'm probably over reading this but Mancini did seem to me to hint today that there could be someone coming in this window. He said not before the weekend both in relation to outs and ins. Afterwards 'we'll see' he said. Since he ruled out a short term move for Lukaku I suspect we're talking about a defender; David Luiz or Van der Wiel? There again he could be talking about a possible deal for Oxley-Chamberlain..

[Slim]

I think we are very much short a top top defender. My only concern is I know who needs to be replaced and I wonder how his brother would react to him being relegated to the bench or possibly even shipped. Luiz is perfect for us, sign him the fuck up Bobby.

[blues2win]

Having listened again to today's press conference Mancini is asked whether he has finished bringing players in this window. In the past he's tended to give his usual ' in this moment yes'. Today he gave a broad smile and said 'we have 10 days'. I think that's a clear indication that we might well make another signing this window.

As far as Luiz is concerned we might be letting the Chelsea situation play out to avoid a bidding war. We can always match a bid if it's accepted and on the other hand we can pile in, if Chelsea pull out, with no competition. Pure speculation on my part of course. Luiz is genuinely two footed and I think could play anywhere in the back four. So I think he could play right back perfectly well ( although he hasn't played there as far as I know) while providing excellent cover for other positions in the back four. In my view he'd be a terrific buy and I hope we get him. He's incredibly gifted technically and very good in the air at both ends of the pitch.

If we buy him and play him at right back though it would be the end for Lescott ( no need for a left footed cover for centre back or left back) and probably Richards too. That's two home grown players out but I'm sure the necessary 8 could be filled using EDS players. I don't suppose Zaba would be thrilled with the idea either and he's improved this year under Mancini. The sad fact though is that although Zaba's an excellent squad player he's not in Luiz's class.

If it's Gregory van der Wiel we're after it would again mean moving on Richards but Lescott might survive as a left footed centre back in reserve. Not a very good one in my view but there we are.

Your point about Kolo is a good one. I'm sure Kolo's presence here was a significant factor in getting Yaya here and keeping him settled here. He's a very important first team player. How he would take to Kolo missing an increasing number of games to accommodate a younger player can easily be imagined.

[JamieMCFC]

Wasn't on the Skysports Newswire, but I thought I'd mention it:

From the I-Think-Hell-Has-Frozen-Over Department:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70I2FQ20110119

He will have "overall responsibility for all soccer-related matters, which will include the proposed first team," it said.

Even Americans know this guy is crazier than a shit house rat.

If they ever do actually get a team together and find a league to play in they are going to be so well run. I see all types of comedy coming out of this one.

Team President - Pele
Associate Director of Soccer and Ambassador - Cobi Jones
Director of Soccer - Eric Cantona

[carl_feedthegoat]

Hmmm.
Bent £24m
Adebayor £9m

Really???? Thats a ridiculously cheap price, hope its bollox! Anything under £15M and I will be very disappointed. I know we don't need the money but it will look as though teams can take us for a ride.

9 million plus 8 million year in wages mate..........the wages that cunt is on is surreal....I think we would do well to make that deal happen.
Also - I fucking hope Lescott is off.I will celebrate if he does go.

Heres hoping