Manchester City to Make Hopeful Swap Offer for £35m Rated Real Madrid Superstar Kaka
Eastlands boss wants to use Emmanuel Adebayor as make-weight in potential Bernabeu swap.
Manchester City are plotting an audacious part exchange deal to land Real Madrid playmaker Kaka. Roberto Mancini has previously made his interest in the superstar known and the Italian hopes to make use of Emmanuel Adebayor, currently on loan at the Bernabeu, to help secure the signing of the 28 year old Brazilian.
Togo international Adebayor doesn’t appear to have much of a future at Eastlands, having made just two Premier League starts this season before he was loaned out to the La Liga giants. Given that in January Man City purchased Edin Dzeko, one would imagine the former Arsenal man’s days at the club are numbered.
Mancini will therefore look to use the 27 year old as a make weight in a deal that may well tempt Jose Mourinho. The Real Madrid boss has repeatedly stated his need to purchase another striker and even with a fully fit Gonzalo Higuain and a Karim Benzema firing on all cylinders the La Liga side would still appear to need experienced back up.
Adebayor has been a moderate success during his time in Spain and his two goals against Tottenham in the Champions League Quarter Final will have greatly helped his chances of turning the loan move into a permanent one. Man City are looking to sell the powerfully built striker for a fee in the region of £15m but appear to want to use the player as a bargaining chip.
Kaka has struggled to find a way back into the Real Madrid first team having spent a significant portion of the season out with injury and there have been reports stating that both AC and Inter Milan are interested in the former Serie A star.
It is unknown whether the cultured attacking midfielder would be interested in a move to the City of Manchester stadium but perhaps the idea of a new challenge in a new league would tempt Kaka? Caught'lying'offside
Tevez trip to Milan fuels rumours of summer switch to Inter
Carlos Tevez has been on holiday in Milan sparking rumours he could be joining Inter in the summer.
Italian sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport and TV station TV Italya have reported that the Argentine striker has been in the capital this week adding fuel to the speculation that the former Manchester United player could be on his way to the San Siro.
Italian TV channel TMW also go as far to say that the 27-year-old has been house hunting in the Italian city.
TalkSPORT revealed in March that Inter president Massimo Moratti had held meetings with Tevez's controversial agent Kia Joorabchian making a move to the sixth club of his career appear imminent.
Tevez, 27, handed a transfer request into City in December but a move was blocked by the club's Abu Dhabi owners.
The forward has scored 19 league goals this season and has been awarded the captaincy by manager Roberto Mancini. Talkshyte
Roberto Mancini expects strong Manchester City finish
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has said an easing fixture list will help his side on the season run-in.
City are out of the Europa League but are still chasing a top four Premier League place and have an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.
Mancini, whose side are away to Liverpool in the league on Monday, said: "The players are looking fresher.
"We had problems when we played every three days. Now most of the players are available and that is important."
City beat Sunderland 5-0 at home in their last Premier League game with Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure sharing the goals.
Mancini wants a similar performance at Anfield as his side bid to secure Champions League qualification.
"All the team played well against Sunderland," added the Italian. "To score five goals from five different players was good for us. We played well because the players were rested.
"Our mentality should be the same whether we are at home or away. We can improve, we can score more goals.
"Now is the time to start winning more away matches. Every game we play to win but that is not always possible.
"We have always had a good spirit this year but it has improved a lot. There were times we were really tired because we had a number of injured players.
"But at this moment things are good. But if we want that to continue we need to keep winning."
City convincingly beat Liverpool 3-0 at home in August when Roy Hodgson was in charge of the Merseyside club.
Kenny Dalglish took over at Liverpool in January and Mancini is expecting a tough battle.
"Dalglish is a fantastic manager," said Mancini. "He was an incredible player, I remember him very well. Liverpool are a very strong team, especially when they play at home.
"They lost two important players in [Javier] Mascherano and [Fernando] Torres but they bought [Luis] Suarez, [Andy] Carroll as well as other good players. It will be a very hard game."
Man Utd legend Neville dismisses Man City threat: You are another Blackburn or Leeds
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has scoffed at claims they're concerned about Manchester City's rising prominence.
He insisted that United will remain the dominant team in English football irrespective of City's emergence or the outcome of next week's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Retired Neville said: "We've seen it before with Blackburn. We saw it with Leeds, we saw it with Chelsea and we see it now with City and Tottenham.
"There have been loads of clubs who have thrown money at it over the last 15 years. Some of them have been successful and some haven't. All I know is that United have remained successful throughout that period.
"The reality is that the club still stays, this club doesn't move, it continues and does what it does.
"When the current owners who bought City came in, you recognised they would throw a lot of money at it. You know what's been coming for two or three years. You just hope you can always keep them at bay.
"The credentials are there but the reality is you have to do it on the pitch. You have to win a game. They know they'll have to beat Manchester United to win the FA Cup. It was the same last season (in the Carling Cup semi-finals).
"I wouldn't say it's a lesser game for either club. But how, as a Manchester United player, can you think about City when you've got a European Cup quarter-final against Chelsea here on Tuesday night?
"The players are quite cold about it. There's no point getting carried away with the emotion of it all: trying to stop City's domination and stop them winning things. That's a bit of an irrelevance. It's noise to be honest with you."
Manchester City favourites to sign Hulk
FC Porto's superstar maybe up for grabs in the summer and City look in pole position to get him.
FC Porto's superstar striker Hulk may be the subject of some incredible bids from the Premier League's giants over the summer.
The 24 year-old powerhouse Brazilian has scored 21 goals in 23 league appearances and has also put in some impressive appearances in the Europa League for the newly-crowned Portuguese champions, who look a shoo-in to make the semis after beating Spartak Moscow 5-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
FC Porto have a habit of selling their best players after a successful season at the club, at which point their transfer fees are at their highest. Deco, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Lucho Gonzalez, Ricardo Quaresma and Lisandro Lopez were all sold on at huge profit after catching the eye in Europe over the past few seasons.
Hulk's agent Teodoro Fonseca explained that the Premier League would be his client's preferred destination if he were to leave the Portuguese giants and it's easy to see why. Hulk is an all-action player with great strength and pace who would relish the fast-paced and physical game played in England's top division.
Manchester City would probably be favourites to capture his signing. There are rumours that both Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli could be leaving the club at the end of the season so they may well be in the market for another striker whereas a transfer fee of around £25 million plus te player's wage demands wouldn't be a problem either.
OTHER BOLLOX
Liverpool target Keisuke Honda has vowed to remain at CSKA Moscow and honour his contract with the Russian club. The Japan international striker has 18 months still to run on his current deal. Talksport
Liverpool will make an "audacious" bid to sign Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon this summer for £15m. caughtoffside.com
Meanwhile, Tottenham may be forced to sell some of their leading players, including midfielders Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart, if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League and suffer the finacial consequences. Spurs must overturn a 4-0 first leg deficit in their quarter-final with Real Madrid to stay in this year's Champions League and are currently outside the automatic qualification places for next year's competition. Daily Mail
Manchester United are preparing a summer move for Werder Bremen winger Marko Marin. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sees the 22-year-old as a long-term replacement for veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs. caughtoffside.com
United are also stepping up their interest in Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel. The 23-year-old Netherlands international has also been on Chelsea's radar. Talksport
Bolton striker Johan Elmander and defender Gary Cahill could be on their way to Arsenal in the summer. Metro
Meanwhile, Gunner boss Arsene Wenger is hoping to persuade Roma defender Philippe Mexes to turn his back on a transfer to AC Milan and move to north London instead. caughtoffside.com
Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay is due for talks over his future at Barcelona having been left frustrated by a lack of action in the team. This will interest Liverpool, who have been monitoring the 25-year-old. Talksport
Blackpool have revived their interest in Newcastle striker Nile Ranger. Daily Mirror
Premier League clubs have been put on alert after it was revealed that Porto striker Hulk would welcome a move to English football. The Brazil international has been linked with moves to Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. Talksport
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is planning a major clearout of his squad this summer, with at least seven players set to depart. Emmanuel Eboue, £15million Russia forward Andrey Arshavin, left-back Gael Clichy, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and striker Nicklas Bendtner are all to be axed. In their place, Wenger wants Everton's Leighton Baines, Lille playmaker Eden Hazard, Southampton's 17-year-old starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Blackburn defender Phil Jones. Daily Mail
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will reignite his interest in Uruguayan forward Diego Forlan, after Atletico Madrid hinted they were prepared to sell player, who turns 32 next month. Daily Mirror
Sam Allardyce claims that Blackburn would not be in danger of relegation from the Premier League if he has not been controversially sacked in December and replaced by Steve Kean. Rovers are currently two points above the relegation zone with 34 points from 31 matches. Talksport
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss pre-season training with the Gunners if he plays in this summer's Under-21 European Championships. Wenger is willing to rest the player to protect him from burn-out. Metro
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti claims he is not afraid of upsetting owner Roman Abramovich by dropping striker Fernando Torres, who joined for £50m from Liverpool in January, but has yet to score in his first nine appearances for his new club. Daily Mirror
Recently retired Manchester United defender Gary Neville has criticised England boss Fabio Capelo for his failure to tell United's Rio Ferdinand he was no longer national captain - and says Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson would never have acted in that way. Daily Mirror
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has told Nigel Reo-Coker he has a future at Aston Villa just six months after the midfielder said he wanted to quit the club. Boss Houllier has also warned clubs off England star Stewart Downing and insists he will be staying at Villa Park. The Sun
Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak has hinted he wants a move away from the club insisting Sir Alex Ferguson "didn't really give me a chance." Ferguson has been linked with moves for Atletico Madrid's David De Gea and Lyon's Hugo Lloris.
A YouTube clip featuring Finnish teenager Joonas Jokinen performing a 'somersault' penalty has become a viral sensation after racking up almost a million hits. Metro
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has taken time out from his European tour to have a kick-about with the Barcelona squad. The teenage singer was invited to train with the Catalan giants after he was spotted wearing their famous red and blue strip while playing football with his entourage. Metro
***Official Bollox***
News that Gary Neville has become a Sky pundit will have been greeted with wry smiles by Blues who still consider the England defender as a favourite target.
Neville’s passion for all things Red mean that he has rarely had anything good to say about City though his stance seems to have softened since he hung up his boots and said goodbye to derby action on the pitch.
Instead he will now view from the television studio and has been giving interviews to mark the switch.
In the Independent Ian Herbert reports on Neville’s admiration for the Blues current skipper.‘The image of Carlos Tevez arriving on the touchline to taunt Neville after a goal last season will always be a symbol of the new-found competitiveness between the sides brought by City's new wealth. It was a response to the defender's suggestions that Ferguson had been no fool to sell the Argentine.
Neville, whose new roles as a Manchester United ambassador and Sky Sports summariser were confirmed yesterday, insisted that he would cross the street to shake his former teammate's hand and actually liked him, though he affirmed ahead of next weekend's FA Cup semi-final that while the Argentine was one of many greats at United, he is the footballing great at Eastlands.’
The neighbours are, of course, due to meet at Wembley next weekend and we warned everyone that Cup fever might break the thermometer. Dean Hill is proof of that.
According to the Manchester Evening News website this morning, the City-mad dad of three was so desperate to get himself a ticket that he slept in a flower bed at CoMs.
‘Dean Hill, 39, brought a sleeping bag, his iPod and a bottle vodka for his vigil in the shadows of the City of Manchester stadium,’ reports the MEN.
‘When doors opened at 6am, with tickets going on sale at nine, more than 200 fans were already queuing for a precious seat at the Wembley clash next Saturday.’
Next week’s semi-final is also on the mind of Paul Merson who in the Daily Star suggests that Wayne Rooney’s ban means it is advantage City.
‘It will definitely affect United badly,’ he writes. ‘He’s their match-winner. They were 2-0 down against West Ham and, bang, he scores a hat-trick. One of those goals was world class as well. He will be a massive miss. ‘City will be laughing their heads off. They will never get a better chance to reach the Final and win some silverware.’
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