Wednesday's B*ll*x

[Chinners]

Carlos Tevez's Manchester City future rests on the chase for Udinese forward Alexis Sanchez
Carlos Tévez’s prospects of a move away from Manchester City rest on Inter Milan failing to win the five-club chase for Udinese forward Alexis Sánchez.
Tévez, currently with his family in Buenos Aires ahead of next month’s Copa America in Argentina, is expected to be allowed to leave Eastlands this summer if City receive an offer in excess of £40million.
But the likelihood of City finding a club prepared to pay Tévez’s transfer fee and his reported £250,000-a-week wages are unlikely to be enhanced until Sánchez decides on his next destination after signalling his intention to leave Udinese.
City are vying with Barcelona, Inter, Chelsea and Juventus to sign Sánchez, but the 22 year-old has publicly admitted his desire to sign for Barcelona, though Udinese president Franco Soldati insisted last night that no deal had yet been reached between the two clubs.
Soldati denied quotes attributed to him in Chile in which he had supposedly suggested that personal terms had been agreed between Barcelona and the player.
City are prepared to match Udinese’s £35million valuation of Sánchez, but manager Roberto Mancini is understood to have accepted that the player views a move to Barcelona or Inter ahead of City.
Inter have been long-term admirers of Tévez, however, and any failure to thwart Barcelona’s move for Sánchez would raise the prospect of the nerrazzuri renewing their efforts to do business with City for the Argentine.
Although Juventus are keen to lure Tévez to Turin, the club’s failure to qualify for Europe next season makes them outsiders to sign the player, but Inter’s financial power would enable them to meet City’s valuation and go close to matching Tévez’s salary.
The City captain has done little to improve his relationship with the Eastlands hierarchy and supporters in recent days by criticising senior figures at the club and insisting he will ''never return to Manchester’’ once he finally leaves the city. Senior players are also understood to want Vincent Kompany as captain on a permanent basis.
City do not expect a swift resolution to the uncertainty surrounding Tévez, however, due to his likely involvement in the Copa America.
Tévez has been named in a provisional 26-man squad for the tournament, which runs from July 1-24, and his international commitments will ensure that he will not take part in City’s tour of the United States next month and is unlikely to return to Manchester until August.

Manchester City rule out player swap for Bolton Wanderers Gary Cahill According to reports Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini wants a cash-only deal for Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill.
The Mirror claims Mancini is ready to offer £17 million and activate the buy-out clause in Cahill's contract.
The Italian’s Wanderers counterpart Owen Coyle expects his young England star and is looking for the best deal, one that will strengthen his squad.
Coyle is believed to want at least one of Nedum Onuoha or Dedryck Boyata as part of any deal, but Mancini may be unwilling to agree as he sees the pair as the future of the club.

Chelsea and Man City Target Open to £45m Move
Premiership rivals Manchester City and Chelsea will have been put on red alert after the latest comments from Palermo midfielder Javier Pastore.
Pastore has been in impressive form and played a vital role in Palermo's run to the Coppa Italia final this season, confirming the promise he had shown in his debut season last year.
As well as the two Premier League sides, a number of other Serie A teams have shown an interest in the 21-year-old attacking midfielder including, Juventus, Roma and AC Milan.
Chelsea have been keeping a close eye on Pastore over the course of the campaign and are keen to acquire the services of the player they believe will be able to push them on to winning regaining the Premiership title.
However they will face stiff competition from Manchester City as boss Roberto Mancini wants to bring the Argentine international to Eastlands ahead of his teams first foray into the Champions League.
Pastore is currently on international duty with Argentina ahead of the Copa America.
Speaking on his official website, Pastore said: "For the time being I will stay in Palermo. It is a club where I feel very comfortable.
"If a good offer comes in for me and the club, we will look at it together and if it turns out it is my time to move, I will do it happily.
"I'm extremely grateful for everything the club and the fans have given me."
Last season Pastore made 41 appearances for Palermo in all competitions scoring 14 goals and providing six assists.

Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean open to re-signing Manchester City's Roque Santa Cruz
The Scot has revealed an interest in signing the Paraguayan despite his struggle for form last season and is hoping to secure other loan players on permanent deals
Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has refused to rule out the possibility of signing Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz on a permanent basis.
The Paraguayan struggled for form and fitness after rejoining the club on-loan in January, a fact Kean is only too aware of.
"It was tough for Roque,” Kean told BBC Radio Lancashire.
“He picked up a couple of knocks that niggled away at him. It was just difficult for him to get to full speed quickly enough.”
Despite failing to find the back of the net in 10 appearances since returning to the club, Kean believes the forward showed his quality in training sessions.
"Being around the place and showing his quality every day in training, he showed us how good he is," he said.
“It was just difficult because he's been out so long that he wasn't at full speed quick enough to give us the impact on the pitch in the games that he played.”
The Scot is also hoping to sign Mame Biram Diouf and Jermaine Jones, who have also returned to their respective parent clubs following loan spells.
"We have to respect the parent clubs," Kean added.
"When the lads came on loan we tried to fix prices straight away and we couldn't do that.
"Now the loan periods are up, we'll be in contact with those clubs and see if they are available first and foremost.
“And, if they are and we have got the funds to pursue, that is something we can take a view on."

WAG OF THE DAY


OTHER BOLLOX
Sunderland will spend the money from the transfer of midfielder Jordan Henderson to Liverpool on defender Roger Johnson and midfielder Craig Gardner, who both play for Birmingham. Daily Mirror

Liverpool want to sign Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam, 25, who could cost £8m, while the Reds are also keen on Roma's Brazilian goalkeeper Doni, 31. the Guardian

Another player interesting Liverpool is Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing. (Daily Telegraph)

Villa are willing to let winger Ashley Young move to Manchester United for £16m. the Sun

Manchester United will also beat Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham to the signature of Blackburn defender Phil Jones, 19, but he will cost them £16m. Daily Mirror

Southampton will attempt to persuade Manchester United to part with two bit-part players, plus cash if the Old Trafford outfit want to sign highly rated 17-year-old midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Daily Express

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez will reject overtures from Real Madrid to remain with the Red Devils. the Sun

Chelsea have lodged a £9m bid with Belgian side Racing Genk for 19-year-old left-sided winger Kevin de Bruyne. Metro

Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona are battling to sign Udinese's much-vaunted forward Alexis Sanchez, 22, for about £30m.Daily Mirror

Shakhtar Donetsk are ready to let midfielder Willian join Arsenal, with Gunners midfielder Denilson going the other way in part-exchange, plus £4m. the Sun

The Trotters have enquired about signing Dynamo Kiev's Senegalese defender Pape Diakhate, 26, fuelling speculation Cahill could leave. talkSPORT

Champions League winners Barcelona are keen on a move for Newcastle left-back Jose Enrique, 25. talkSPORT

Fulham have turned down a bid, thought to be worth £10m, from Tottenham Hotspur for striker Moussa Dembele. Daily Telegraph

Sebastian Larsson, who is a free agent after being released by Birmingham, will reject Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Newcastle to sign for Sunderland. Daily Mirror

Newcastle and Blackburn will go head to head in a race to sign 25-year-old Egyptian forward Shikabala from Zamalek. talkSPORT

Meanwhile, Newcastle have moved ahead of local rivals Sunderland in the race to sign Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia, who played for the St James' Park club between 2004 and 2009. (Daily Telegraph)

And Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan, along with Blackpool striker DJ Campbell, is a target for West Ham manager Sam Allardyce after rejecting a new contract with the Magpies.(Daily Telegraph)

Newcastle midfielder Alan Smith is in line for a shock return to his first club Leeds. Daily Mirror

Meanwhile, Stoke and Queens Park Rangers are considering moves for Newcastle striker Nile Ranger. (Daily Mail)

West Ham are ready to bid £750,000 for 18-year-old Southend defender Kane Ferdinand, the cousin of Manchester United and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand. Daily Mail

Wolves are closing in on a deal for £4m-rated Reading centre-back Matt Mills. Daily Mirror

AC Milan could step in and buy midfielder Alberto Aquilani from Liverpool, with Juventus dithering over the £16m asking price. Metro

Leeds midfielder Neil Kilkenny, 25, will choose between five clubs when he returns from international action with Australia. He is out of contract and is wanted by Ipswich, Nottingham Forest, Burnley, Hull and Bristol City. talkSPORT

Nottingham Forest are keen on signing Fulham midfielder Jonathan Greening and Crewe midfielder Ashley Westwood. Daily Mirror

Reading and Millwall are competing with each other for the signing of striker Marlon Harewood, who had been offered a deal by Notts County but wants to sign for a Championship side. Harewood can leave Blackpool on a free transfer. Daily Mirror

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has flown in to interview prospective new managers, including ex-England coach Steve McClaren, former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes, who had been at the helm at Fulham but resigned last week. Daily Mirror

Martin Jol's first task as Fulham manager will be to try to persuade former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton, who was the Dutchman's assistant at Tottenham, to join the club as his assistant. Daily Telegraph

Cardiff are ready to pay Watford £300,000 in compensation for their manager Malky Mackay. The Bluebirds are looking for a new boss after Dave Jones was sacked last month. Daily Mirror

Tottenham are not going to sell Luka Modric, fellow midfielder Sandro or left-sided player Gareth Bale, says manager Harry Redknapp. Daily Mirror

United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel says he has joined Tottenham to be the club's new number one, not to sit on the sidelines. talkSPORT

La Liga club Athletic Bilbao want Roberto Martinez as their new boss and if the Spanish outfit cannot land the Wigan manager they will turn their attention to out-of-work Mark Hughes, who recently resigned as Fulham boss. Daily Star

Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has defended the language he uses in his Twitter posts after coming bottom of a vocabulary league table among footballers who use the social networking site. Metro

England are planning to stay in a Holiday Inn in Warsaw if they qualify for the 2012 European Championship. the Sun

[avoidconfusion]

I would think that Aguero would be a more fitting replacement for Tevez than Sanchez....

[bobby brows]

Ryan Giggs is on the tabloid front pages again, with each of them touting a different EXCLUSIVE story about the lust-crazed, carpet-chested winger. The Mirror: "Giggs tried to seduce lover's mother — family claims flirting led to bust-up." The Sun: "Sex cheat Giggs fights to preserve follicles — stressed Ryan's new hair battle." The Star: "Giggs is a sex addict, the new Tiger Woods — Aunt reveals extent of rat Ryan's cheating." That's right, hair is the new sex in the tabloid v footballer battleground, with Wayne Rooney's new weave being swiftly followed by today's Giggs-based news concerning a machine which "has about 20 lasers which increase blood flow to the scalp and promote hair growth". The best thing about the machine is that "it's painless" and "you can do it at home". Pretty much like sex then. But with lasers.


Liverpool were celebrating last night after apparently convincing Sunderland to accept David Ngog in part exchange for Jordan Henderson. Though the Sun insists the deal is valued at a straight £18.5m, everyone else reckons the figure is £20m, of which a fraction will be offset by the transfer of Ngog. Most of the broadsheets (including this one) suggest Liverpool will pay only £13m, with Ngog optimistically valued at £7m, in which case we can only say well done, Anfield negotiators.




Liverpool's chances of signing Newcastle's José Enrique could be ended by the rival interest of Barcelona, but he's not the only left-back on their shopping list: there's also Osasuna's Nacho Monreal and Lyon's Aly Cissokho, who are both valued at £9m. The Roma goalkeeper Doni is Anfield-bound as a £1m back-up to Pepe Reina. Wasn't that supposed to be Brad Jones's job? Second-generation Anfield wonderkid Thomas Ince, meanwhile, is being chased by Rangers and Ajax.


As Bolton tell Manchester City that Gary Cahill will set them back £17m, and Aston Villa slap a £16m price tag on Ashley Young, Blackburn have informed Manchester United that they will "not take a penny less" than £16m for Phil Jones. Is it just the Mill, or do all footballers cost the same these days? Anyway, a possible deal for Cahill is complicated by possible player exchanges, with the Trotters asking for Nedum Onuoha or Dedryck Boyata, and City offering Shaun Wright-Phillips and Craig Bellamy.

Wigan, meanwhile, want £12m for Charles N'Zogbia, who is wanted by Sunderland as well as Newcastle, his former club. The pair are also battling for the free-transfer signature of former Birmingham ace Sebastian Larsson, in whom Blackburn, Aston Villa and Arsenal are also interested, while Sunderland should complete the equally fee-free signing of Coventry keeper Kieren Westwood. The similarly-named Crewe midfielder Ashley Westwood is heading to Nottingham Forest as part of a £1.6m double swoop also involving Fulham's Jonathan Greening. And Fulham's new manager, Martin Jol, wants to offer internationally free-scoring but domestically disastrous striker Robbie Keane a route out of White Hart Lane.


Less likely to be ushered out of the Tottenham exit by a grateful Harry Redknapp is Luka Modric, with the manager ridiculing the idea of his Croatian star joining Manchester United for £20m. "We're getting quoted more than that for people who couldn't lace his boots," he lashed. More bad news for United's money men came with the prospective fee for Udinese winger Alexis Sánchez rising to £30m.


Championship rumour update: Sam Allardyce is ready to make his first moves as West Ham manager, slapping in a £1.25m bid for Blackpool goal-grabber DJ Campbell and launching a £3m raid for Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan. Current Hammers striker Carlton Cole, meanwhile, has been seen in New York this week, partying with Emile Heskey and rapper Tinie Tempah. Really.


Cardiff will have to pay Watford upwards of £300,000 if they want to steal their manager, Malky Mackay. Championship new-boys Southampton are set to stump up £1m — plus a hefty £15,000 a week in wages — for Chelsea midfielder Jack Cork. And permacrocked England star Alan Smith is wanted by his former club, Leeds United, but is also mulling over offers from the US and Qatar.


Auxerre defender Cédric Hengbart is considering possible moves to Blackburn, Stoke and QPR, who are all willing to pay the £1.5m ante for the poker-crazy star, who will make a decision about his future only after he competes in this month's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. "I have contacts in England," he said. "Stoke and Blackburn are the most serious ones, and there's also QPR to a slightly lesser degree." Stoke and QPR are also battling over Newcastle striker Nile Ranger.


And an entire Senegalese football team have gone missing following a friendly match in Le Havre, with French authorities assuming they plan to settle in France illegally. "We tried to be good hosts and make them welcome," said a council spokesman, "but when we went to pick them up to go to the airport, they had all vanished."

[craigmcfc]

Sweet little Minki. Shame she's been tarnished by formerly dating that arrogant South African captain

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

That Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain feller is supposed to be bees knees. We need to sign him as he would count as homegrown in future.

[bobby brows]

Sweet little Minki. Shame she's been tarnished by formerly dating that arrogant South African captain

Mark Fish?

[craigmcfc]

Sweet little Minki. Shame she's been tarnished by formerly dating that arrogant South African captain

Mark Fish?

Graeme Smith