The president of Santos has done a bizarre turnaround, claiming Brazilian wonderkid Neymar won't be sold in the foreseeable future - after initially revealing major European clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid had met his trigger price.
Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro seems to have had a change of heart toward the 19-year-old and is reluctant to cash in on potential £40million deal.
A statement released on the Santos website confirmed large European clubs were interested in a purchase, but with Neymar on international duty for the Copa America the pressure to reveal details from local press forced the latest development.
'In the face of continuous speculation over the future of our crack (player) Neymar by the national and international press, I state that for Santos FC, Neymar is not negotiable for technical, market and attachment reasons,'
Riberio asked that interested clubs respect the decision not to sell and refrain from approaching Neymar - a player he claims has an 'umbilical link' with the side.
Neymar is the second player to slip through the grasps of City manager Roberto Mancini, with Alexis Sanchez's proposed move from Udinese thwarted by approaches from Barcelona to sign the Chilean.
Manicni was also mocked by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis when quizzed about possible transfer talks for Argentinean forward Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Pay-rise behind £10m Arsenal star’s talks with City
Arsenal star Gael Clichy is set to receive a huge pay-rise at Manchester City, with Arsene Wenger’s refusal to meet the star’s demands the real reason he left the London club, according to the Independent.
Manchester City were reportedly offering a deal to the Arsenal man in the vicinity of £10 million, but the clincher in the deal for the France international is a wage rise from £58,000 a week (excluding bonuses) to more than £90,000.
Clichy is reportedly leaving talks to his agent while he is out of the country, and while Liverpool were also in the mix to forge a deal with Arsenal, the need for Champions League football and Manchester City’s big budget has put them ahead for Clichy’s signature.
Arsenal have said they hope to keep Clichy, but with Kieron Gibbs available to take over the left-back position, a move wouldn’t overly hurt Arsene Wenger, and the French manager will most likely not increase Clichy’s wage to meet offers by City or Liverpool for the star.
Clichy staging talks with Manchester City will be a huge blow for Liverpool, with Kenny Dalglish hoping to sign the star to fill the left-back position that has long been missing from the Merseyside team.
Adebayor will wait until final hour for Madrid move
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has made it clear he wishes to return to Real Madrid.
Adebayor spent the second half of last season at Real, after struggling for regular playing time under City boss Roberto Mancini.
The Togo international played 14 La Liga matches for Real, scoring five times, but head coach Jose Mourinho has yet to make a move to acquire his services on a permanent basis, with Santos' Neymar reportedly his top target instead.
Adebayor, though, is content to bide his time, telling Marca: "We have to wait. I have it clear that I want to play for Madrid and I will wait until the last day. I'm not going to sign for any team until August 31.
"I will wait for them until the last day at 11 at night. If then Madrid have decided not to buy me, I will search for another team.
"I think that I'm an option. I honestly think that I left a good impression there. I arrived for six months and I did everything I could for the shirt.
"I settled in quickly, I played and scored goals. I did my job, although I can give more. Mourinho told me that he would do everything he could for me to return to Madrid.
"We had a good relationship, I think that he was happy with me. For me, Madrid are everything. I love the club."
Dave Whelan confirms Wigan Athletic are interested in signing Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips
The Latics' head honcho reveals his club are keen on a £3m swoop for the player, but wage demands could prove to be a stumbling block in any potential deal
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has revealed his club are interested in signing Manchester City and England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips this summer.
Whelan is hoping that the lure of playing under manager Roberto Martinez will work in his club’s favour as the Latics aim to strengthen their squad as they set their sights on securing a place in the top half of the Premier League following last season’s relegation skirmish.
City demanding £5million for Villa target
Shay Given will not be allowed to leave Manchester City on the cheap.
Aston Villa are willing to pay £3million for the out-of-favour goalkeeper, but City want at least £5m for the 35-year-old.
Given wants to move after losing his place to Joe Hart, but City are determined not to sell him for less than his market value.
Villa must replace Brad Friedel, who has joined Tottenham on a Bosman, and new boss Alex McLeish having identified Given as his No.1 target.
Given made just four appearance for City last season, none of them in the Premier League.
Bolton and Fulham lead chase for Manchester City winger Bellamy
Bolton Wanderers and Fulham FC are leading the chase for Manchester City winger Craig Bellamy who could cost either club around £4m.
Bellamy spent the whole of last season on loan with Cardiff City, helping them to play-off place only to be undone by Reading at the semi-final stage. The 31 year old is keen to rejoin the Welsh side however it is unclear whether they are in a position to be able to purchase him permanently.
Bolton and Fulham are both in need of attacking forwards and at £4m Bellamy is a player both Martin Jol and Owen Coyle would like to bring to their respective clubs. There have been suggestions that Manchester City could offload the Welshman to Bolton in exchange for Gary Cahill on top of a cash payment although sources have denied that is Bolton’s intention, preferring instead to sell Cahill for £17m and simply paying close to Manchester City’s valuation for Bellamy.
£7m Gael sparks Bridge Toon bid
MANCHESTER CITY hope £7million Gael Clichy will be theirs by Tuesday's start of pre-season training.
The capture of the Arsenal left-back is likely to hasten the exit of ex-England ace Wayne Bridge, 30, who is wanted by Newcastle.
OTHER BOLLOX
Scott Dann could become the third Birmingham player to go to Sunderland this summer with Steve Bruce considering making a move for the 24-year-old centre-back. the Guardian
Arsenal and Chelsea are also interested in the 6ft 5in Blues defender, whose proposed £12m transfer to Stoke collapsed last week. Daily Mirror
Real Madrid could lodge a bid for Arsenal captain and long-term Barcelona target Cesc Fabregas, 24.skysports.com
Barcelona want to pay the Gunners just £8.5m, or 25% of the total transfer fee of £34m, this summer for Fabregas. Daily Mirror
Striker Robin Van Persie may be in line for the captaincy if Fabregas leaves - but is ready to hand in a transfer request if departing big names are not replaced. Daily Star
Samir Nasri is set to tell Arsenal that he wants to leave the club and Manchester United will make a formal bid for the 24-year-old winger once he does. Daily Mirror
Arsenal have told Italian side Roma that it will take a bid of at least £28m to prise Frenchman Nasri from the Emirates Stadium. footybunker.com
Chelsea are ready to join the race to sign Nasri, who has rejected a five-year deal worth £90,000-a-week. Daily Mail
Another player possibly leaving Arsenal could be midfielder Andrey Arshavin, 30, who will be out of contract next summer and has emerged as a target for Galatasaray. the Sun
Bolton defender Gary Cahill could become Andre Villas-Boas' first signing as Chelsea manager. The 25-year-old centre-half, who could cost around £17m, is also wanted by Arsenal and Tottenham. Daily Mail
Brazilian side Santos are ready to hand 19-year-old striker Neymar a massive pay rise, to about £90,000-a-week, to see off interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Daily Mail
Porto striker Hulk has dampened talk of following his former manager Andre Villas-Boas to Chelsea in the immediate future. talkSPORT
Still on Chelsea's radar is teenage Anderlecht forward Romelu Lukaku. Anderlecht admitted earlier this month that the two clubs had held talks, but the Blues have now been told he will cost £18m.Daily Express
Roma's Brazilian keeper Doni, 31, has had a change of heart and agreed to join Liverpool - the fee is yet to be decided but the Italian club looking for at least £1.5m. talkSPORT
French side Paris St Germain have made a £13.5m bid for QPR's 22-year-old Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt. Daily Mail
Such a move for Taarabt would earn his former club Tottenham a multi-million-pound windfall, as they are entitled to a 40% sell-on fee as part of Taarabt's move from White Hart Lane to Loftus Road a year ago. the Independent
Tottenham are ready to listen to offers in the region of £10m-12m for striker Jermain Defoe, 28, to raise funds to buy Villarreal's Giuseppe Rossi, 24, and Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente, 26. footybunker.com
Spurs have also approached Roma over the availability of their 27-year-old Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic. footie-online.co.uk
Tottenham and Liverpool are both on the trail of 16-year-old French striker M'Baye Niang, who is currently with Caen.the Sun
West Ham have accepted a £10m bid from Turkish club Fenerbahce for midfielder Scott Parker, but the 30-year-old midfielder is refusing to uproot his young family. Daily Mirror
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are also set to launch a £5m bid for England midfielder Parker. Daily Mail
Premier League newcomers Swansea are set to make a £3m move for Leeds striker Luciano Becchio. the Sun
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann is in line to become the new manager at Blue Square Bet Premier club Stockport, newly relegated from the Football League. Daily Mail
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will fast-track former Barcelona trainee Hector Bellerin, 16, into the first-team squad after snapping him up from the Catalan club's academy this summer. the Sun
Manchester United defender Patrice Evra says it will "not be easy" for new goalkeeper David de Gea to follow Edwin van der Sar as number one keeper at Old Trafford. Daily Express
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has revealed that Reds striker Fernando Torres advised him to move to Anfield in January, even though Torres was on the verge of moving to Chelsea. Both deals eventually went through on the final day of the transfer window. the Independent
Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy says he has no problems with new manager Martin Jol, who signed Murphy for Tottenham in 2006 but sold him 18 months later. Murphy insists the pair never fell out, but his Spurs appearances were limited at the time as his father was terminally ill. Daily Star
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech finally met Claudio Ranieri face to face earlier this year - seven years after the Italian signed him for the Stamford Bridge club in 2004. Ranieri was sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho just after Cech completed his £7m move. the Sun
WELSH BOLLOX
Swans to open Barca talks
Swansea are set to open talks with Barcelona striker Jonathan Soriano with a view to wrapping up a £1m deal.
The 25-year-old caught the eye of Swans boss Brendan Rodgers last season when he fired home 32 goals for the Barca B team and the striker is now high on his wanted list.
Chairman Huw Jenkings is refusing to confirm that Swansea are in the hunt for Soriano but did say he is due to open talks with the agent of a player they hope to sign.
"I will be meeting with the representative of a player that we feel will be perfect for Swansea City," Jenkins told the South Wales Evening Post. "He has the talent that would fit in to the style in which we believe in, and we are hopeful of him coming here.
"By flying out to meet his representative, I hope we can agree a deal within the next few days. We will talk about what we want to achieve as a club, and what the player wishes to achieve too."
Swansea will have to move quickly to secure a deal for Soriano as there will be no shortage of interest in the player.
