City 'agree' shock £31m deal for Inter ace
'Noisy neighbours' Manchester City have struck a huge blow to their bitter rivals United after snatching Wesley Sneijder from under their noses.
According to reports in Italy, a £31million feel has been agreed with Inter Milan and the player will sign a £5m-a-year deal.
Sneijder will make his final appearance for the Serie A club in the Super Cup on Saturday.
Until now the Dutchman had been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford with United desperately seeking a replacement for Paul Scholes.
But the club seemed unwilling to match the Champions League winner's salary demands and City have swooped instead.
The news will add extra spice to the derby clash in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.
The deal could also include Carlos Tevez moving in the opposite direction, possibly on loan initially with a view to a permanent deal.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed on Friday that his opposite number Roberto Mancini will have to win trophies to have overall control at the Etihad Stadium.
Ferguson said: 'Time does that for you and success, too. It depends on the type of club you have. At United I have been fortunate. They know the most important person at the club is the manager.'
The signing of Sneijder will go a long way to reducing the gap between the two Manchester sides as well as fulfilling Mancini's wish for his side to be more prolific in front of goal.
He said: 'We need to score 10 or 15 goals more than last season.'
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Man City deny signing Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder
Sneijder's future has been one of the main talking points of pre-season Manchester City have denied they have agreed to pay £31.4m for Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder after reports surfaced in an Italian newspaper.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Friday that City had signed the 27-year-old Dutch international.
A source at Manchester City has told BBC Sport no bid for Sneijder has been made for the midfielder.
FA Cup holders City play Premier League champions Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday at Wembley.
Sneijder scored with a free-kick after being named in Inter Milan's starting line-up against AC Milan as they city rivals contested the Italian Super Cup in Beijing.
AC Milan recovered to win 2-1 with second half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
The article in La Gazzetta said he would fly to England after the match to begin talks with City.
Inter have also denied any talks have taken place regarding a proposed move to the Premier League for Sneijder.
Began his career at Ajax in 2002 before moving to Real Madrid in 2007, winning La Liga in his debut season in Spain. Two years later he moved to Inter Milan, winning the Champions League in his first season.
On Thursday, Inter coach Gian Piero Gasperini said: "I think there is a bit of misinformation flying around, in fact a lot. I've realised that when it comes to Inter, people exaggerate situations that don't exist.
"It's normal during the transfer window that there are rumours especially revolving around a club like ours which has great players.
United have been linked with signing Sneijder before the end of the transfer window, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson has consistently denied he has made an offer for the player.
On Monday, after arriving in China, Sneijder was asked about a possible transfer away from Inter Milan.
He replied: "Maybe. I have played in many big competitions in Holland, Spain and Italy and I'm still here.
"What is going to happen we will see but I am a happy guy. There is always a chance something will happen but we will see."
Now it gets nasty between Nasri and Arsenal
Samir Nasri last night moved a step closer to the exit door at Arsenal following an apparent row with Arsene Wenger.
The winger was left brooding at home on Friday as the club travelled to Portugal for a weekend friendly against Benfica.
Skipper Cesc Fabregas was also a dramatic omission from the 19-man squad as he continues to force his move to Barcelona.
The Spain star is not understood to be injured, but Wenger claimed that he had not joined his team-mates because he was not fit to play.
Manchester City are waiting to swoop with a £22million bid for Nasri after a clash between him and Wenger on the club’s flight back from a pre-season tour of Asia last week.
Relations between the pair, as a result, are said to be at an all-time low.
And with City ready to make a move, Nasri’s time at Arsenal could finally be coming to an end before the transfer window closes.
The French winger will only be allowed to leave, however, once Wenger ties up a deal for Valencia midfielder Juan Mata.
On Fabregas, Wenger said: “Cesc been out so he’s unable to play. I’ll not speak any more on the subject. There is nothing new to add.”
Roberto Mancini says Manchester City squad is too small to win title
Eastlands manager wants 'two or three more players' • Believes a 'happy' Carlos Tevez will return to the club
Roberto Mancini goes into the Community Shield on Sunday believing Manchester United are "five yards" ahead of Manchester City and warning that the Eastlands club can forget about winning the Premier League unless they sign at least two more players.
City have already made the biggest signing of the summer, Sergio Agüero joining from Atlético Madrid for £38m, as well as bringing in two defenders, Gaël Clichy and Stefan Savic, but Mancini still believes the FA Cup winners come up short compared to Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
"They are on the top," Mancini said. "They're a strong team, they won the last Premier League, they have bought good players and at the moment they are over us. We are very close but United have maybe five yards more than us.
"We want to improve on last season and we'll try to win the Premier League but we need two or three more players and, if we can do that, I think we will be very close. But look at United – they have 29 senior players whereas we have 20. To be competitive, we need more. We're missing players, we don't have enough for the whole season and it's a problem. We haven't managed to get all the players we want and it is important we get them now in the next seven days."
Mancini's top target is Samir Nasri, and City's information is that Arsenal's position may be softening and that the London club may, after all, consider selling the Frenchman to another English club. Mancini, however, upset Arsène Wenger earlier in the summer by discussing his pursuit of the player so he was careful not to inflame the situation again. "It's better we don't talk about this," he said.
Costel Pantilimon, a 6ft 8in Romania goalkeeper, became City's fourth signing of the summer on Friday, joining the club for around £1.6m from Timisoara, subject to a work permit, to become Joe Hart's understudy. Alessio Cerci, the Fiorentina winger, is another target and Mancini also wants a central midfielder. "We had five last year but Patrick Vieira has retired now."
City actually have a senior squad of 24 players, even excluding Emmanuel Adebayor, Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz and Nedum Onuoha, all of whom are training away from the main group because they do not fit into the manager's plans. Mancini made it clear he would not change his mind – "They are good players but not part of our plans," he said – even though he believes City, with their current squad size, may find it difficult to adapt to the rigours of competing for the title as well as playing in Europe.
"We need a good list of players because when you are playing in the Champions League for the first time it is very hard, totally different from the Europa League, and you need to change five, six, even seven players after every Champions League game. Tottenham struggled with this last season and we don't want to have the same problem. It's different for Manchester United, they needed only three [new] players. For them, it is easier."
City also have to clear up Carlos Tevez's position, and Mancini said he could not be certain whether the Argentina striker would remain at the club. Internazionale may be keen on a player-plus-cash exchange involving Samuel Eto'o or Wesley Sneijder. Otherwise, Mancini believes Tevez will return to training on Monday after being given a three-week break to recuperate from the Copa América.
"He's still a City player at the moment. He's a professional and, if he doesn't get another team, he'll play for us and he'll play seriously like last year." The manager spoke to Tevez for the first time in the entire summer on Monday – "His telephone is working again" – and reported that the club captain was "happy" and "told me he would come back".
Mancini believes his side will have to score "10 to 15 more goals than last season" if they want to win the league, an indication that he will be more attack-minded in the new campaign. Agüero, who, was also involved in the Copa América, will be given his debut as a substitute at Wembley, and Ferguson believes Mancini's men could provide the most credible challenge to United in the title race.
"We accept that challenge and it's good for us, as it keeps complacency away from the door," the United manager said.
City threat helps stamp out complacency says Ferguson
Manchester City's continued spending spree has provided Manchester United with a welcome challenge, manager Alex Ferguson has said.
Ahead of Sunday's Community Shield showdown between the Mancunian rivals, Ferguson insisted City's rise was keeping any form of over-confidence out of Old Trafford.
"I thought maybe they (City) would spend more this summer and that may still happen, they may still sign a couple more players," Ferguson told reporters.
"But we get this almost every year when clubs round about us buy, and that's how you view the importance of winning the league these days.
"Chelsea had this great spell of buying when José [Mourinho] first went there and we accepted that challenge.
"It's good to accept challenges, it keeps the complacency away from your door and we carry on as best as we can."
Ferguson added he was taking the Community Shield match seriously, despite its position in the pre-season.
"I have always viewed the Community Shield as a stepping stone to the first game of the season," he said.
Ferguson's mind was also on the impending testimonial match for the now retired Paul Scholes.
The manager said Scholes would go down in history as one of the all time legends of the club.
"Interesting thing was I was with [the former United and France goalkeeper] Barthez (Fabien) on Wednesday having a chat and he said: 'Pass my regards on to Scholesy, he's the best player I ever played with.' You see [Barcelona's] Xavi talking about Scholes, and he's in a better position than most of us to talk about midfield players, saying he's the best player he has ever played against."
Real Madrid star rules out Man City switch
Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol has ruled out any involvement in a possible swap deal for Manchester City outcast Emmanuel Adebayor.
It has been reported that the Spaniard could be included in a player-plus-cash deal for the striker, who spent time on loan at the Bernabeu last season.
Central defender Albiol can also operate at right-back, which is an area in which City are lacking following Jerome Boateng's move to Bayern Munich earlier this summer.
But the 25-year-old insists he has not heard about any potential deal and is looking forward to another season under Jose Mourinho at Real.
"The club have not told me anything about this," he told Cadena Ser radio station.
"My intention is to help the team out in what will be a very long season. I want to take advantage of the minutes Jose Mourinho can give me."
Sunderland eye Bellamy loan deal
Steve Bruce is eyeing Craig Bellamy to make it a perfect 10 summer signings at Sunderland.
The Black Cats boss is ready to offer the out-of-favour Manchester City star a lifeline in the shape of a season-long loan at the Stadium of Light.
Bellamy, who spent most of last season playing on loan at his hometown club Cardiff in the Championship, is now back at City but has been frozen out and told he can go by manager Roberto Mancini.
Sunderland are ready to cover more than half the Wales international's £85,000-a-week wages following the exit of their highest earner, Steed Malbranque, to St Etienne earlier this week.
Bruce took defender Nedum Onuoha on loan from City last season, and admits he faces stiff competition from rival managers looking to cherry-pick Mancini's top heavy squad.
Scottish giants Celtic are keen to nab Bellamy, having had him on loan from Newcastle in 2005.
The Sunderland boss said: "It's fair to say all us managers are looking at City, because of the amount of players they've got and the fact they can only pick a squad of 25.
"They've got some unbelievable players who they've not even taken on pre-season tour with them.
"I'd think every manager's looking at City. Steed leaving frees up a wage for us."
Bruce, who has also been linked with Bellamy's City team-mate Shaun Wright-Phillips, is well-stocked with strikers after a hectic summer of in-comings.
He wants to use 32-year-old Bellamy on the left flank, after admitting defeat in a bid to bring in his City team-mate Adam Johnson.
"In an ideal world we're looking to bring in a player who can play wide left, who can go past people," said Bruce. "That's where we're looking to strengthen."
Bruce laughed-off claims he's ready to strip Lee Cattermole of the captaincy in favour of summer arrival John O'Shea.
He added: "I've not changed anything, it's still the same. Catts will be captain."
Meanwhile, Wales boss Gary Speed has called on Manchester City to sort out Bellamy’s future.
Speed, who has included Bellamy in his squad to face Australia next week in Cardiff, said: “The quicker he gets settled the better. I know him – he wants to play football.”
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Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Anderlecht with a fee of £20m likely to be offered over the weekend. Daily Mail
Totenham are ready to revive their interest in Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi and could bid £28m for the forward who eluded them in January. Daily Mirror
Joey Barton's future appears to lie with either Arsenal or Tottenham after the transfer-listed Newcastle midfielder priced himself out of a move to boyhood club Everton. Metro
The Gunners are refusing to budge on their £40m valuation of captain Cesc Fabregas however, and have rejected a £35m bid from Barcelona for the Spain midfielder. Metro
Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol has ruled out being part of a player swap deal that takes Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor to the Bernabeu. talkSPORT
Manchester United winger Gabriel Obertan will complete a move to Newcastle next week with a fee of £3m already agreed between the two clubs. Daily Mail
Tottenham's attempts to bring in Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra have been so far foiled by the former Chelsea, Arsenal and Portsmouth anchorman's wage demands. talkSPORT
Arsenal attacker Carlos Vela could be bound for La Liga for a third loan spell with Real Sociedad interested in a temporary deal. Inside Futbol
Liverpool's Joe Cole could be on his way out of Anfield before the start of the season with Paris Saint-Germain usurping Tottenham as the leading candidates for his signature. Metro
Tottenham are asking for £20m from Stoke in exchange for striker Peter Crouch and midfielder Wilson Palacios. The Potters are willing to go to £18m. Daily Mirror
Newcastle are planning a move for Barcelona's out-of-favour striker Keirrison as a possible replacement for Andy Carroll. The Magpies hope to bring in the Brazilian for £3m. CaughtOffside.com
Arsenal are already scouting for a replacement for unsettled Cesc Fabregas with manager Arsene Wenger contemplating a bid for Borussia Dortmund playmaker Shinji Kagawa. Fanatix.com
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has tipped Tottenham as potential surprise challengers for the Premier League title. Metro
Actor and former Wimbledon legend Vinnie Jones believes AFC Wimbledon could repeat the Crazy Gang's antics and reach the Premier League in just four years. The Sun
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Nani tells Manchester City: You’ll struggle without Carlos Tevez
Tomorrow, the Manchester United winger returns to Wembley - the scene of his biggest heartache since leaving Sporting Lisbon four years ago.
In May, United were played off the park by Barcelona in a one-sided Champions League final... and Nani did not even make the starting line-up.
But at least he will be there for the Community Shield showdown with Manchester City, which is more than Tevez will be as the Argentine remains at home following his efforts in the Copa America.
Many doubt City's talisman will turn up as scheduled on Monday.
And, with Inter Milan tipped to become his sixth club, Mancini is undoubtedly planning life without last season's 29-goal striker.
Nani, 24, was a team-mate of Tevez at Old Trafford.
He said: "I played with Carlos and he is an important player for any club.
"I don't know if he will stay at City but, if he does go, it will be a big problem for Mancini because of the way that he plays and his experience.
"The Community Shield is the first official title of the season and we want to win. And facing City makes the match more exciting.
"It's also our first derby of the season, so to lift the trophy would raise our morale and inflict pain on our rivals."
United fans are keen to see Nani in the flesh again.
He has long fluctuated between world-beater and wasted talent.
And despite 10 goals and a table-topping 18 assists, his use as a late substitute in the Champions League final - which Spanish giants Barcelona won 3-1 - suggested boss Alex Ferguson does not trust him in the truly big games.
On top of that, United have signed England winger Ashley Young and given Antonio Valencia a longer contract.
Italian outfit Juventus are the latest club to show an interest in signing Nani.
But the Portuguese international expects to grace Wembley again tomorrow after playing a starring role in United's 2-1 friendly win over Barca in Washington last weekend when he scored the opening goal.
He revealed: "I prefer to forget the rumours about other clubs being interested in me.
"I don't want to say too much but, if they are true, it's because I have been working well.
"But, sincerely, I am focused only on United.
"I speak with Mr Ferguson a lot - many times - and he is always very clear. He explains what he wants from me and I do everything to try and fulfil the mission
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