Thursday's B*ll*x (updated)

[Chinners]

Uefa to examine Abu Dhabi ties in City's £400m sponsors deal ... zzzz
Manchester City may have to prove that their Abu Dhabi owner is not "influenced" by his half-brother, who chairs Etihad Airways, if their £400m sponsorship deal with the emirate's national airline is to avoid failing one of the key tests of the Uefa Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Though Liverpool's owner John W Henry, who is clearly deeply unhappy with the transparency of the Etihad deal, backed Arsenal manger Arsène Wenger's criticism of the deal as "financial doping" yesterday, City are comfortable that it represents "fair value" and is not simply a means of the Abu Dhabi royal family, which founded Etihad, artificially inflating the balance sheet of the club owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan and enabling it to meet the FFP rules.
However, detailed analysis of Uefa's 91-page Licensing and Fair Play regulations by The Independent reveals that the family relationships between City and its sponsor may fall foul of Uefa's "related party" test. Uefa will consider that club and sponsor are related parties if a family relationship exists. The rules stipulate that a club will fail the "related party" test if money comes in from a "close member" of the club owner's family who "has significant influence over the [club]".
It will be for City to demonstrate that several members of Sheikh Mansour's family who have been integral to Etihad do not exert that influence over him. They are the sheikh's elder half-brother, the Abu Dhabi ruler and UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who founded the airline, Etihad chairman, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and vice-chairman Sheikh Kaled, both half-brothers.
Uefa will come under intense pressure to submit the £40m-a-year Etihad deal, the largest in world sport, to rigorous scrutiny when FFP comes into force, for the 2013-14 season, with some Premier League owners readying themselves to press the organisation to disallow any income from related parties.
Liverpool's owner, Henry, first hinted at his displeasure with the Etihad deal at the weekend when he tweeted: "How much was the losing bid?" The inference was that City had not sought any other potential sponsors because they wanted only an inflated deal from Etihad. After Wenger joined the debate on Tuesday, accusing City of disrespecting FFP rules by not adhering to the market price in their Etihad deal, Henry commented again yesterday: "A club's best player has to be worth at least 10 per cent of your naming rights," he said. "Mr Wenger says boldly what everyone thinks."
There is scepticism in some rival Premier League boardrooms about the fact that Etihad, who have yet to make a profit in their seven-year history and have a similar-sized fleet of planes as Flybe, are paying such a colossal sum. But one of the leading lawyers in the FFP field, Daniel Geey of Field Fisher Waterhouse, said that even if the deal fell foul of related party rules, it could still be deemed acceptable if Uefa considered it to represent fair value. "The first hurdle is whether the Etihad deal can be deemed a related party transaction. Only if it is will an economic judgment have to be taken to assess whether it is fair value," Mr Geey said.
Etihad's financial performance certainly has no relevance to the size of the deal and City do appear to have a strong "fair value" case, based on the fact that they have broken new ground in the way the deal is constructed. They are also planning a vast redevelopment project on land adjacent to their stadium which accrues new sponsorship opportunities for what will become the "Etihad Campus".
City have not disclosed the breakdown of their 10-year deal but they could argue that £20m is fair value for a shirt deal, given that Standard Chartered deliver that sum to Liverpool and that, globally, City are currently a more viewed club than Liverpool in terms of live games screened. If £20m is City's shirt figure, that leaves £15m between the stadium and the campus – the deal is £35m a year in its initial stages, rising to £40m. Wenger's decision to intervene raises the question of how good a piece of business the north London club's own deal with Emirates was, in 2004. They now find themselves locked into a 15-year, £90m contract, for shirt and stadium, until 2019.

As The Independent revealed last month, midfielder Patrick Vieira has decided to retire from the game and is expected to be revealed as a coach and club ambassador at City today.
Vieira had discussions with Arsenal about a role at the Emirates but the club did not propose anything concrete. Despite his having played nine years at Arsenal and 18 months at City, manager Roberto Mancini gets his services. The 35-year-old is expected in Los Angeles with the City pre-season tour, where he will explain his decision next week.

Manchester City hit back at Arsenal in war of words over sponsorship deal
Manchester City have hit back at Arsene Wenger’s dig at their record new sponsorship deal, after the Arsenal boss claimed it was in breach of Fifa financial fair play rules.
The Blues have recently agreed a deal with Etihad Airways to sponsor the club's shirts and stadium for the next 10 years for a reported £400million, which dwarfs Arsenal’s agreement struck with Emirates in 2004.
The Gunners have a £90m deal over 15 years, and Wenger has raised an eyebrow over the nature of the gigantic new deal struck by his Abu Dhabi-owned Premier League rivals.
‘[Their deal] raises the real question about the credibility of the financial fair play,’ said Wenger.
‘They give us the message that they can get around it by doing what they want.
'The difficulty and the credibility of the financial fair play is at stake.
‘If financial fair play is to have a chance, the sponsorship has to be at the market price. It cannot be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. If they bring the rules in they have to be respected.’
City though, claim the reported £400m fee has been exaggerated, and that their deal with the Far East airline has not been inflated in order to get around Fifa FFP rules - describing Wenger's comments as ‘unfounded and regrettable’.
‘The financial details of the comprehensive agreement announced last week between Manchester City and Etihad Airways remain confidential and figures being speculated about are not accurate,’ said a City spokesman.
‘Manchester City is a pro-active member of the European Clubs Association and is working actively and with transparency with regard to financial fair play.
‘In light of these facts, recent comments about the partnership by some observers are unfounded and regrettable.’
Of all the Premier League teams aiming to bring their finances within Uefa's new rules, City arguably face the toughest task with a substantial wage bill driven by some of the country's top-paid stars - including captain Carlos Tevez and midfielders Yaya Toure and David Silva.

How the Maradona factor could help City land £40million Aguero
Manchester City’s bid for Argentina star Sergio Aguero has been given a massive boost – because of his father-in-law, football legend Diego Maradona.
City boss Roberto Mancini is keen on Atletico Madrid star Aguero as a potential replacement for unhappy skipper Carlos Tevez, but Italian giants Juventus are at the front of the £40million chase.
However, Aguero is reluctant to go to Turin because Maradona encounters major problems whenever he returns to Italy that are linked to events during his playing days with Napoli.
Maradona had many scrapes off the pitch during that glorious but troubled period and would rather see his son-in-law, daughter and grandchildren in England - despite his Hand of God notoriety.
The Argentinian icon’s drug problems were a major issue at that time of his life. He also fathered an illegitimate son - who could cause the family more embrassment if Aguero went to Italy.
City are hoping the Juventus bid fails because of Aguero’s reluctance to go to Italy, as they would like to buy him from Atletico for less.
The Spaniards have placed a fixed fee on their star’s head but that could fall if Juve fall out of the picture.
However, Mancini has other options to replace Tevez - if he goes - and has Attilio Lombardo, his most trusted lieutenant, looking at alternatives in case Aguero heads for Juve or elsewhere.

Manchester City in for Uruguay defender Sebastián Coates
City understood to have made an approach for 20-year-old • Arsenal have had the centre-half watched a dozen times
Manchester City are considering adding a third defender this summer to Roberto Mancini's squad by joining the pursuit of the highly rated Uruguay international Sebastián Coates.
Coates has been linked with several clubs in South America and Europe following an impressive two seasons at the heart of the defence of Nacional, the Montevideo club that recently won the Uruguayan championship, and his graduation to the national team at the Copa América.
Scouts from several Premier League clubs have monitored the 20-year-old in recent months, and City are now understood to have made an approach during the Copa América, where Coates won his third senior cap in the final group game against Mexico. However, they face competition from a rival Premier League club – Arsenal had the 6ft 6in defender watched a dozen times last season and are in the market for central defenders, as are Liverpool – and growing interest in Coates has seen Nacional raise their asking price towards £20m.
Coates, an elegant, quick defender, was only last month linked with a €3.5m (£3.1m) transfer to Porto, the Portuguese champions, following the collapse of a proposed move to São Paulo in Brazil. Nacional now believe they can generate much more, thanks to interest from the Premier League, although even with City's wealth, a fee of £20m would appear ambitious.
The Uruguay defender missed out on a place in Oscar Washington Tabárez's World Cup squad in South Africa last summer and his inexperience at senior international level could present problems obtaining a work permit, although he does have Spanish and British ancestry.
City have already strengthened their defensive options with the £7m signing of left-back Gaël Clichy from Arsenal and last week's £6m signing of Stefan Savic, another central defender, from Partizan Belgrade. City officials have insisted another defender is not a priority for Mancini, but Jérôme Boateng is expected to leave the FA Cup winners, and Coates could provide a long-term solution in central defence, while providing a setback to Premier League rivals should he complete a move to the Etihad Stadium.
Arsène Wenger wants two central defenders for Arsenal but has met resistance, and in some cases excessive valuations, in his efforts to sign Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Christopher Samba from Bolton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers, respectively. Everton have, however, made an inquiry for the Birmingham City defender Scott Dann, despite once again needing to sell before they can buy players this summer, which has raised doubts about Jagielka's future at Goodison Park.

City, meanwhile, are awaiting the next move from Corinthians after rejecting the Brazilian club's €40m (£35m) offer for Carlos Tevez on Tuesday. The City hierarchy value their club captain at closer to £50m and harboured doubts about the structure of the deal being proposed by Tevez's former club, who have stated they need the deal sealed by Sunday and have also proposed a loan deal via one director.
The former City midfielder Ousmane Dabo, signed by Mancini for Lazio in 2003, has backed the widely held belief that the Italian will only sanction Tevez's departure on his own terms. Dabo, who now plays for New England Revolution, said: "Mancini won't be bullied by anyone, that is for sure. He will handle the situation very well. If he wants Tevez to go, he will let him go. If he wants him to stay, he won't let him leave."



OTHER BOLLOX
Wesley Sneijder could join Manchester United from Inter Milan for £35m within the next 48 hours after agreeing personal terms of £190k-a-week. Daily Mirror

Or Manchester United will use Nani as bait in their bid to lure Sneijder to Old Trafford. Daily Star

Kenny Dalglish is closely monitoring the situation of Chelsea youngster Daniel Sturridge with a view to making an approach for the Blues striker. Footie Online

Liverpool are also after Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain as the club looks to make a statement of intent. The possible arrivals of Neymar and Carlos Tevez at the Bernabeu could mean at least one of Real's strikers are made available. Footy Bunker

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish is pushing the club to splash out £7m on Scott Parker - and is also eyeing Fiorentina winger Juan Manuel Vargas as a replacement for Stewart Downing. Daily Mirror

But West Ham want to offer Scott Parker to Chelsea and Spurs on a season-long loan, rather than a permanent deal. Metro

Arsenal have earmarked 21-year-old Danish international Mathias Jørgensen as the next defender to arrive at the Emirates in a £5m deal, with the youngster expected to partner Thomas Vermaelen during the new season. Footy Bunker

West Brom have approached relegated West Ham about buying goalkeeper Rob Green to replace Scott Carson, who has moved to Bursaspor. Daily Mirror

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson has rejected rumours he wants to leave White Hart Lane. Talksport

Liverpool flop Milan Jovanovic is set to move to Belgian side Anderlecht - on his wife's orders. Daily Mirror

Another Kop transfer-market failure, Christian Poulsen, is a £2.5million target for FC Copenhagen in his native Denmark. Daily Mirror

Arsenal and Bayern Munich are at loggerheads over Borussia Dortmund midfielder Arturo Vidal with the Chilean the subject of a £12m bid by either side, the 24-year-old only has one year remaining on his current deal and will be sold on if he does not agree to a new deal this summer. Footy Bunker

QPR are closing in on the signing of Lazio and Italy winger Pasquale Foggia. The 28-year-old started just two Serie A games last season. Talksport

Everton are planning a £6m move for Schalke 04 winger Lewis Holtby with the 20-year-old having previously admitted to being an Everton fan. Manager David Moyes is still seeking an energetic youngster and the fan looks to fit the bill. Footy Bunker

The Toffees also want to sign Real Madrid player Sergio Canales on a season-long loan, after news from Spain indicates Valencia are considering to a bid for the player. Footie Online

But according to reports in Italy, Canales is edging towards a move to Roma. Talksport

Swansea have opened talks with Ipswich about taking striker Jason Scotland back to Wales. Scotland scored 53 goals in 105 appearances for the Swans. Talksport

Denilson is set to be frozen out at Arsenal after throwing a tantrum at being substituted after only 20mins of the team's first Malaysian friendly. Metro

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has said that Cesc Fabregas is 'excited about coming back' to the Nou Camp.Talksport

Dutch giants Ajax have taken former Aston Villa youngster Harry Forrester on trial following his release from Villa Park at the end of the season. The 20-year-old never made a first team appearance for Villa. Talksport

[Wooders]

When we sort this uefa business out what should be probed is how easy uefa act after pressure from the do called big boys


Anyway, today's wag is faptastic, who or what is she

[simon12]

, given that Standard Chartered deliver that sum to Liverpool and that, globally, City are currently a more viewed club than Liverpool in terms of live games screened.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Love it

Edited for Wooders...Still good insight tho mate and agree about the wag.

[Wooders]

Did you honestly need to quote the whole page for that bit of insight?

[mr_nool]

Those legs just have to be photoshopped. She's skinnier than Barbie for fuck's sake. Major turn off, imo.

[Dameerto]

What all the writers forget when writing these pieces of doom is that we're innocent until proven guilty - it's not up to us to prove all allegations wrong, it's down to UEFA to prove our guilt. So fucl you, doom merchants (our own one excluded obviously)

[ashton287]

Manchester City may have to prove that their Abu Dhabi owner is not "influenced" by his half-brother, who chairs Etihad Airways

i'd of thought it was the other way round.

[BobKowalski]

Manchester City may have to prove that their Abu Dhabi owner is not "influenced" by his half-brother, who chairs Etihad Airways

i'd of thought it was the other way round.

Yep that was my first thought. Its not as if the brother who chairs Etihad Airways sat Sheikh Mansour down and coerced him into accepting enormous sums of money in return for putting the name on the Stadium and shirts. I mean how long would that argument take...

"Here is £400m And I really want y_"
"Deal. You drive a hard bargain bruv"

[bobby brows]

Thursday's Rumour Mill

There are lots of people whose whole years are about building up to 20 minutes of inglorious action in south-east Asia but that won't do for Denílson. The Brazilian midfield puzzle (what exactly does he do? Is he a great player in evolution or an average one in way over his head?) was introduced at half-time in the first match of what celebrity Arsenal fan Eric Idle may refer to as the club's Even Greedier Bastards tour of the Far East, and was substituted 20 minutes later.


Five humdrum seasons in the Premier League hadn't convinced Wenger that Denílson isn't good enough for Arsenal – but it seems a brief sortie in Malaysia could. Riddle thus resolved, Denílson will shortly be on his bike. Bolton are quite interested, Newcastle wouldn't say no, and Spanish wannabes Malaga fancy pairing him in midfield with Marseille's Argentinian schemer Lucho González.


If only Denílson were British. Then Liverpool would surely slap in an immediate £20m bid. Instead Kenny Dalglish will take a wheelbarrow full of cash to Stamford Bridge, tip the contents onto the marble floor of Roman Abramovich's suite, then bundle Daniel Sturridge into the unorthodox get-away vehicle and scarper.


With Liverpool having all but secured the services of Stewart Downing, Aston Villa need a replacement, which is why Fiorentina's Juan Manuel Vargas is worth a mention at this point.


But wait, we stopped talking about Arsenal transfers too early. Sorry, force of habit. Turns out that Wenger has his eye on another centre-back, not the rugged experienced stopper that many fans crave, but 21-year-old Dane Mathias Jorgensen. Even more encouragingly for Arsenal fans, Wenger seems determined to land the Chilean midfield dynamo Arturo Vidal, whose hard-as-nails yet velvety touch is therefore precisely what the club need. Arsenal will have to outbid Bayern Munich for Leverkusen player, however.


Chelsea, meanwhile, are set to miss out on the services of Porto's Falcao, and all because of that dastardly José Mourinho, who, according to The Sun, is hatching a "plot" to "hijack" Chelsea's bid for the striker. And in a cruel hijacking double-whammy, Manchester City are poised to gazump the Stamford Bridge side for Sergio Agüero, who is determined to move to England rather than Italy, where Juventus are offering him lots of money, because his father-in-law's legal woes in that land would make it hard for him to visit Agüero. And who wouldn't want a visit from Diego Maradona?


A salary of £200,000 grand a week is likely to be enough to convince Wesley Sneijder to compete with Darron Gibson for a place in Manchester United's midfield.


Queen's Park Rangers hope to bolster their squad in time for tomorrow night's vital pre-season friendly against Harrow Borough by signing 28-year-old Lazio winger Pasquale Foggia.


Fellow Premier League newcomers Swansea City are eyeing up Ipswich's Jason Scotland.


Finally, several websites are reporting that Everton are going to sign someone but that sounds very far-fetched. Still, it is our duty to report that Schalke wideman Lewis Holtby and Real Madrid slinker Sergio Canales are targets for a club that traditionally recruits fewer people than the Saharan branch of Snow Ploughs R Us.

[Chinners]

Patrick confirmation Bollox
Manchester City is delighted to announce that Patrick Vieira has accepted the newly created position of Football Development Executive with the club.
The World Cup winner will have a wide ranging role, helping to deliver the club's social responsibility programme, both in the UK and abroad, as well as working closely with City's commercial partners.
He will also take an active role in the development of youngsters at the Platt Lane complex, providing mentoring support as part of the Academy's Multiskills Programme, which seeks to provide a well-rounded lifestyle education for the club's junior players.
35-year old Patrick, who has retired from professional football to concentrate on this new role, joined Manchester City in January 2010, becoming Manager Roberto Mancini's first signing.
In a remarkable playing career spanning 18 years he won numerous domestic championships in both England and Italy, as well as the World Cup with France in 1998 and the European Championship two years later. The last of his five FA Cup successes came in May as City overcame Stoke at Wembley, ending the club's 34 year wait for silverware.
Patrick will report to the club's Chief Football Operations Officer, Brian Marwood, who said:
"Patrick is the ultimate professional and it is our very great privilege to introduce him as our new Football Development Executive. His experience in the world of football is virtually unparalleled and he will be a huge asset to our club as old and young alike benefit from his knowledge.
“His contribution to world football during his time as a player was extraordinary and he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to grace the Premier League. Whilst it is sad to see Patrick’s playing career come to an end, we are delighted that he has chosen to extend his time with Manchester City in this new capacity.
Wherever he goes he commands the respect of his audience and we believe he will make an invaluable contribution to our club as we build on our recent successes.
Patrick said:
“This role is a fantastic new challenge for me and I am very grateful to Manchester City for offering me this opportunity. I have a lot to learn about the non-playing areas of the business but there are many very experienced people here for me to learn from and I am confident that I can make a significant contribution to the club’s ongoing success.
“I am particularly pleased to be given the opportunity to work with the club’s community scheme.
Manchester City has a great reputation for its commitment to its community and charity partners and I believe I can help to take that message to an even greater audience.
“Everyone at Manchester City – the fans, the staff and the players – have made me and my family feel very welcome here over the past two years and I am very happy to have been given the chance to stay and develop my career away from the pitch.”

Adebayor wants to return to Real Madrid and work with 'best ever' coach Jose Mourinho
Emmanuel Adebayor has hailed Jose Mourinho as the best coach he has ever worked with and reiterated his desire to return to Real Madrid next season.
The 27-year-old joined the club on loan from Manchester City in January and made a positive impression as Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the Primera Division, lost to the Catalan club in the semi-finals of the Champions League but gained an element of revenge by beating Pep Guardiola's men in the Copa del Rey final.
The former Togo international is not thought to be a part of City coach Roberto Mancini's plans and would relish the chance to further his career at the Bernabeu.
He told Spanish newspaper AS: ''We talked before we went on vacation. He said he was calm, that he wanted me to stay. If he called me right now, I would catch the first plane out to Los Angeles (where Real are currently on their pre-season tour)
''And if I could play three or four years in Madrid, I would retire at the club.
''I don't want to go anywhere other than Madrid.''
Working with Mourinho once more is key to Adebayor's desire to go back to Madrid.
''He gave me the confidence I needed, made me believe in myself and enjoy football again,'' added the former Arsenal man.
''Mourinho is the best coach I've ever worked with, no doubt, and Madrid will win titles with him.
''I would love to play under him again and I say, 'I'm here if you need me'.
''If we do not meet again, I wish him and the club well and I say this wholeheartedly, 'I owe you one'.''

Gary Owen: Carlos Tevez is worth £50m
If Cristiano Ronaldo is worth £80m and Jordan Henderson worth £20m, then Carlos Tevez should be no less than £50m.
It is as simple as that.
Manchester City’s brilliant Argentine striker is certainly worth no less than Fernando Torres.
In a summer in which Roberto Mancini is trying to find the players to take his team to the next level – much of the transfer talk has been dominated by the departure of Tevez.
Like any City fan, I can sympathise with his need to be close to his family. And if he does leave the club, I will wish him well.
But City are a business. They paid a lot of money to sign him, made him one of the highest paid players in the world and have him under contract.
They are under no obligation to let him go on the cheap.
Tevez has been superb for City. He has turned into a top class goal-scorer – more so than when he was at West Ham or United.
He is now one of the best players in the Premier League because he does the hardest job in football, and that’s put the ball in the back of the net.
That ability comes at a premium, which is why City should get what he’s worth.
If he does go, then they have the problem of replacing him. But City will move on.
He’s been outstanding in two seasons at the club – but if you look at the results without him last season, they were still pretty good. Not least in the FA Cup semi-final.
Great teams have to learn to cope with the loss of star players and if City are to challenge for the biggest honours they will have to do just that. Everyone knows about the talent of Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko is another top striker, even if we haven’t seen the best of him yet.
If Fernando Torres can struggle to settle at Chelsea having already played in the Premier League for years then Dzeko could be forgiven for taking time to acclimatise.
I am sure we will see what a class act he is next season. But if there was one player I’d like to see City sign, it’s Samir Nasri.
The Arsenal man ticks all the boxes. He would take a lot of the pressure off David Silva creatively. He is the right age at 24 and he has experience at the highest level.
That is the level of player City must now be looking at.
Because of the club’s newfound wealth, it was important to bring players in quickly to get us to where we want to be. We’ve done that ever since Sheikh Mansour took charge in 2008.
Sometimes it has meant spending more than we would have liked – and sometimes it has meant buying players for the short term. There is nothing wrong with that.
All the top teams around Europe are prepared to spend to be successful. No matter where you go, Spain, Italy, Germany or the Premier League, it is always the wealthiest clubs who are challenging at the top.
City are in that bracket now. They have won the FA Cup, broke into the top four – and, unlike Tottenham last season, they must ensure they stay there. That means strengthening again.
And Nasri would be the perfect way to do just that.

[craigmcfc]

That's one hell of a set of pins on todays WAG. Tremendous

[DoomMerchant]

That's one hell of a set of pins on todays WAG. Tremendous

and who is she exactly?

thanks

[BobKowalski]

Ade's going to be heartbroken if Jose doesn't start responding to his love letters and have him back. Carrington will be on full suicide watch.

[Chinners]

UTTER UTTER UTTER BOLLOX
Manchester United deny approach for Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder helped the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa Manchester United are not pursuing a deal to sign Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder and never have been, BBC Sport has learned.
The Italian club denied receiving an offer from the English champions on Wednesday, but reports suggested the Dutchman remained a target of United.
However, club sources have revealed that a deal for the 27-year-old is not currently in the offing.
Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David de Gea have joined United this summer.
The combined cost of that trio is reported to be about £53m, but funds are said to still be available for the Old Trafford outfit to further strengthen their squad.
The retirement of midfielder Paul Scholes, in particular, was thought to have created a hole that needed filling - and newspaper reports have long insisted that Sneijder is a top target for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
Various articles on Wednesday and Thursday claimed a deal of around £35m had been agreed between United and Inter, with Sneijder accepting terms on a £190,000-a-week contract.
But those reports appear to be wide of the mark.
Only on Wednesday, Inter technical director Marco Branca insisted the Milanese club had not received any official offers for the Netherlands international, saying: "No, there's not been an official offer and there has never been the intention to listen to them.
"There are no updates. He is not for sale."
And United boss Ferguson told ESPN Soccernet Press Pass on Thursday: "I keep reading about this, there's absolutely nothing at all to that [reports of United's interest in Sneijder].
"First of all I don't think Inter are prepared to sell him anyway.
"You get conjecture and you get speculation every week in newspapers unfortunately. And we have to answer these for some reason - why, I don't know.
"But we have to find a reason without adding insult to any particular club, or embarrassing any particular player. There's nothing we can do about it."
Furthermore, in early June, Sneijder told Inter's website: "At the moment I am very happy here, and I don't see why I should leave."
Sneijder helped the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa and won the domestic title, domestic cup and Champions League treble with Inter under Jose Mourinho in the same year.
And, speaking to BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty on Monday, former Manchester United and England defender Gary Pallister insisted Sneijder would be "a huge hit" if he moved to Old Trafford.
"Maybe he is the sort of player that has been missing from United's side since Roy Keane left," he said.
"He will bring a bit of steel in there.
"There are no doubts about his temperament and ability to succeed at Old Trafford. He has played at the San Siro and been a success.
"Sneijder's pedigree is up there with the best. He's got great quality, a good engine. He has got the experience to go straight into the side and make an impact.
"United have got young players coming through but they have lost a great player in Paul Scholes and they need to replace that."

Burnley FC sign Ben Mee on loan from Man City
Burnley Football Club is delighted to announce that highly rated Manchester City defender Ben Mee today becomes the first summer signing at Turf Moor.
The England under-21 international has agreed to join the Clarets on a season-long loan deal from the Premier League club.
Mee came through the Academy ranks at Eastlands, captaining City’s side to FA Youth Cup success over Chelsea in2008, before graduating to the senior set-up and making a first-team debut in the Carling Cup last season.
After signing a new contract with City, the 21-year-old then joined former Blues’ boss Sven Goran Eriksson on loan at Leicester City in January and went on to make 15 Championship appearances for the Foxes last season.
The Sale-born central defender impressed in Leicester’s 4-0 win over Burnley at the King Power Stadium in April and is a high-class addition to the Clarets’ squad as boss Eddie Howe steps up his recruitment drive ahead of the new Championship campaign.

Wenger pays tribute to 'exceptional' Vieira
Arsène Wenger has paid tribute to Patrick Vieira after the Arsenal legend called time on his playing career.
Vieira has retired at the age of 35 and taken up a new position as Football Development Executive at his final club, Manchester City. But he will of course be remembered for his exploits at Highbury after making 406 appearances and winning seven major trophies in a nine-year spell at Highbury.
The Frenchman captained Arsenal to an unbeaten Premier League campaign in 2003/04 and his former manager appreciates what he brought to the Club.
"You can only have lot of respect for what Patrick has achieved," said Wenger. "His career is sensational. He was an exceptional player for us.
"We have classy players in midfield now but Patrick was special. He was a tall player with good technique.
"You do not compare [old players with new players]. We have exceptional players in midfield with their own character. But at Arsenal we will be forever grateful for Patrick’s contribution."

Manchester City lose out to Barcelona for Racing Santander ace by Geraldine Lagard.
According to reports Barcelona have beaten Manchester City to the signature of Racing Santander youngster Miguel Angel Sainz-Maza.
Marca claims Barca have pipped City to the highly-rated 18-year-old striker.
Sainz-Maza will travel with his family and his representative Agustin Martinez to Barcelona, where after passing a medical examination will sign with the club.
Despite his youth, the forward will begin his career at Camp Nou with Barcelona B.

Manchester City Prepare Sensational £45m Bid For Carlos Tevez Replacement
Manchester City have already identified the man they want to replace striker Carlos Tevez – Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller.
The Blues are lining up a £45million transfer for the 21-year-old, who has four years left on his contract, and will offer him a six-year £250,000-a-week deal.
The Germany international rocketed to fame by winning the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup with five goals.
He carried on his fine form last season bagging 12 goals and 11 assists in the Bundesliga.
City boss Roberto Mancini is a huge admirer of Muller and would love to replace want-away captain Carlos Tevez.
The Argentine is attempting to push through a £35million move to Corinthians but the Blues will not let him leaveon the cheap, and are demanding the full £45million valuation.
Mancini will face a tough task in persuading Bayern to sell their most valuable asset and may even have to go higher than £50million to get their man.
If Bayern refuse to sell, City may even try to sign Muller’s team-mate Mario Gomez, who could be bought for £40million.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Ade's going to be heartbroken if Jose doesn't start responding to his love letters and have him back. Carrington will be on full suicide watch.

In these comments, Ade has come over as a time-serving groveller of the highest order; it would take some doing for anyone to be even more turgidly obsequious and nauseating than this creep......uuugghhh.

If Mourinho is seriously interested in Tevez, can't we offer him a 'buy one and get one free' option and let him have Ade for nothing, as part of the deal, just to get rid ??

[craigmcfc]

That's one hell of a set of pins on todays WAG. Tremendous

and who is she exactly?

thanks

Wish I knew ! There's a gap on my wall too

[john@staustell]

Juve put it in the press that they bid for everyone, but they haven't got a pot to pee in, and their legendary support has pissed off.

I hope we sign Coates, his grandad Ralph was a bloody good winger!!! :-)

[DoomMerchant]

Juve put it in the press that they bid for everyone, but they haven't got a pot to pee in, and their legendary support has pissed off.

I thought that juve had a wedge and were completely setup based on some shit going down. I could swear that renato or one of our Italian posters said they will have the cash to splash if they want to.

Cheers

[Slim]

Any money they had has been pissed away paying back taxes they 'deferred'.

Italian financing at it's best.