Manchester City are embarking on a major summer clear-out as they attempt to make way for Robin van Persie.
Most likely out the Etihad door is Edin Dzeko, a £25million targt for Bayern Munich, while Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor will all be ushered towards the exit.
City's pursuit of Van Persie is set to be the big transfer saga of the summer, with the Arsenal captain having put contact talks with his club on hold until after the European Championships.
In demand: Robin van Persie is wanted by Manchester City and Juventus
Heading out: Edin Dzeko
The Dutchman, who has endured a difficult start to the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, has one year left on his Gunners deal and is attracting interest from all over Europe.
Juventus are leading the way on the continent having worked out a package worth £180,000-a-week, but know it will take an astronomical offer to convince Arsenal to part with their captain.
Despite City's desire to add the Premier League's top scorer to their ranks, the money-no-object attitude of the past must be reined in to keep the club on the right side of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.
Roberto Mancini will not entertain the idea of selling Sergio Aguero, the hero of the final day of the Premier League season, but sees no future for the rest of his forward line, according to The Mirror.
Dzeko, a £27m signing from German side Wolfsburg only 18 months ago, has failed to have the impact many had hoped and a return to Germany seems inevitable.
Meanwhile, both Santa Cruz and Adebayor, who have spent the last year away on loan, will be sold for minimal fee just to get them off the wage bill. Mail
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Are the Citizens Preparing for Robin Van Persie?
Manchester City were touted by many as the most likely to pick up Robin van Persie should he leave the Emirates, and now it seems that the Citizens are preparing the way for his potential arrival at the club.
City manager Roberto Mancini has been told he has to sell before he can buy the Gunners striker—meaning that if they want van Persie, they'll need to make room for him at the club first.
According to Mirror Football, the Citizens are actively trying to sell Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor to create space for van Persie in the strikers role. The media outlet reports that Sergio Aguero—their final-minute, goal-scoring hero of the English Premier League—is the only striker that City are not willing to sell, with every other striker up for offer.
It is possible that all four strikers could depart from the club over the summer transfer window.
Dzeko is frustrated about the lack of minutes he is receiving at the Etihad and has already attracted interest from Bayern Munich and several other Bundesliga clubs about a potential move. The Bosnian international was signed from Wolfsburg only 18 months ago for £27 million—with his experience in the Bundesliga perhaps a selling point to many suitors.
Emmanuel Adebayor is unlikely to return to Tottenham Hotspur with Harry Redknapp's departure from the club as well as their failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League potentially making his loan a more permanent move.
Then there's Santa Cruz, who hasn't played for the Citizens since November 2010 after being loaned out to Blackburn and Real Betis, who could also depart from the club permanently.
And it's hard not to imagine Carlos Tevez being let go for the right price. The striker did score some important goals for the club during the season, but if van Persie is on the line, it could be making way for the Dutch international.
All four strikers could, in theory, leave the club to make way for van Persie.
However, it's not going to happen.
If City is to sign van Persie, one imagines that they'll need to move pretty fast after Euro 2012 is complete to sign the Dutchman before he renews his contract with Arsenal. They'll also need to beat out interest from Italian champions Juventus, who are willing to pay the striker £180,000 per week.
The Citizens could better the offer from Juventus if they felt van Persie was worth the signing, but they would still have a tough time signing the Dutchman in light of their need to sell first.
It is unlikely that any of the four strikers would be able to match their current contracts at another club because they would likely fall outside of FFP guidelines and as a result, will probably remain at the Etihad over the summer transfer window.
Manchester City are definitely preparing for the possibly of a van Persie transfer, but it doesn't look like a feasible option considering the attacking talent they would have to get rid of. The signings of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud for Arsenal must increase the Gunners chance of a title and as a result, the Dutchman's chances of remaining at the Emirates next season.
At the end of the day, Manchester City doesn't need Robin van Persie. He is a luxury that in an ideal world, would be an excellent addition, but to say that he is worth more than four world-class strikers is a little tough.
I mean, they did win the English Premier League without him.
What's to say they can't do it again? Bleacher Report
PSG fail in massive bid for City target
AC Milan owner and honorary president Silvio Berlusconi has confirmed that his side turned down a €46 million bid from Paris St. Germain for defender Thiago Silva, who has also been on Manchester City’s wishlist.
Berlusconi reportedly flew all the way to Paris to conduct negotiations with PSG Sporting Director and former Milan boss Leonardo but eventually, Milan decided against selling Thiago.
“We have not changed our mind. We had no intention of selling the player but we had received an extraordinary offer from PSG. We have always been clear and PSG should not feel let down,” Berlusconi was quoted by Soccernet.
He added: “We told them from the start that we would take a decision once we had looked at the offer and seen what is out there in the market in terms of finding a possible replacement. They made us a very interesting offer, close to €46 million.
“We considered the possibility (to sell) and we looked at the central defenders that would replace Thiago Silva but we haven’t found an adequate player. The old heart of Silvio Berlusconi has allowed us to reject this offer.”
The decision to retain Thiago Silva means that Milan may now need to increase the player’s €4 million per year salary in order to keep him happy for the duration of his contract till 2016.
“Thiago Silva is a great man and we can find an easy solution. We hope to have the best defence next season,” Berlusconi asserted when asked if he will negotiate more favorable terms with Thiago.
Leonardo refreshingly told reporters that the negotiations ended on a good note despite the two clubs failing to reach an agreement over the sale of his compatriot.
“We thought the negotiations would be successful. However, in order for that to happen, you need the wish of the two clubs to complete a deal.
“Milan seemed willing but then there were certain things that blocked the situation. This can happen in football and I cannot accuse (vice-president Adriano) Galliani of anything, he remains my great teacher. Having gone as far as we did in the negotiation, we decided to pull out,” Leonardo concluded.
Owen Hargreaves lifts the lid on his Man City spell ahead of England v Sweden
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Liverpool FC scouting restructure takes shape with appointment of Manchester City duo
LIVERPOOL FC are set to appoint Dave Fallows as head of scouting and recruitment as part of a double swoop on Manchester City.
Buy Football Tickets on Ebay Fallows will leave his role as first team scouting and recruitment co-ordinator with the Premier League champions to start work at Anfield.
The former Bolton Wanderers performance analyst will be joined by Barry Hunter, who will also quit City to be part of the new scouting set-up under manager Brendan Rodgers.
Since 2008 Hunter has been City’s chief scout for Italy, Switzerland and Russia.
The 43-year-old former Northern Ireland defender, who has also worked as a scout for Blackburn and Norwich, knows Rodgers well from their days at Reading together.
Securing the services of Fallows and Hunter from City represents a major coup for Rodgers as he looks to put the staff in place to help him realise his vision for the club.
Liverpool declined to comment but it’s understood that Fallows will form part of the new technical team working with Rodgers after owners Fenway Sports Group shelved plans to appoint a sporting director.
There are likely to be further appointments to the roles of head of development and head of medicine.
Fallows was at Bolton before moving on to City where he was key to building the club’s international scouting infrastructure using state-of-the-art technology.
“My role is primarily to co-ordinate all aspects of our scouting department, which includes liaising with scouts, fixture planning, managing the constant stream of reports coming in and effectively linking everything together,” Fallows explained back in 2010.
“The traditional role of a scout, where they went to a match and kept all the knowledge in their head rarely exists in modern day scouting structures.” Liverpool Echo
Don’t Make A Decision Before Speaking with Manchester City
Vincent Kompany Advises Axel Witsel
http://www.insidefutbol.com/2012/06/15/ ... sel/64020/
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[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Chelsea are ready to snatch France's 26-year-old right-back Mathieu Debuchy of Lille from under Newcastle's noses. Daily Mirror
Out-of-favour midfielder Alberto Aquilani will not be allowed to tear up his Liverpool contract, but Joe Coe is set for a second chance at the Reds. The Metro
Manchester United are watching Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, 21, and remain keen on Tottenham's Luka Modric. Daily Mail
Everton are trailing Mario Mandzukic, 26, who has been one of the stars of Euro 2012 so far with three goals in two games for Croatia. Daily Mirror
Michael Owen, 32, has decided on a move to Stoke City despite interest from Everton. Daily Express
Stoke City are chasing Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu, 30, but Martin Jol's side will want £1.5m before letting him leave Craven Cottage. The Sun
West Ham are set to hand out-of-contract Mohammed Diame, 25, a three-year deal worth £7m as they look to add to their midfield options. Daily Mirror
Arsenal are leading the chase to sign Real Madrid's 22-year-old star Joselu. talkShit
Chelsea have had a £20m bid for Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic, 22, rejected, according to reports. Daily Star
New Swansea boss Michael Laudrup will make Denmark and Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner his main transfer target this summer. Daily Mirror
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has told fellow Scot Alan Hutton he has no future at Villa Park. Daily Mirror
Poland defender Damien Perquis, 28, has been ruled out of Saturday's crucial Euro 2012 match against Czech Republic with injury.
Russian hooligans have threatened to take on their Polish counterparts ahead of Saturday's final Group A games. Daily Mail
Shay Given, 36, may call time on his international career after the Republic of Ireland's poor showing at Euro 2012. The Sun
Croatia's stars are furious with Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for suggesting they may try to fix their final group game against Spain to ensure a 2-2 draw which would knock Italy out even if they beat the Republic of Ireland. The Sun
Glenn Hoddle has expressed his surprise at Harry Redknapp's sacking as Tottenham manager - claiming the decision cannot have been based solely on footballing reasons. talkShit
Birmingham have Roy Keane on a four-man short-list for their manager's job - even though, unlike the other three people on it, he has not actually applied.Daily Mirror
Injury-prone midfielder Owen Hargreaves, 31, is considering whether to call time on his career. Daily Mail
Tottenham have now formally spoken with former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas about their managerial vacancy. The Times
Damien Comolli could be set for a shock return to Tottenham as director of football. Daily Telegraph
Tottenham are set to hand Tim Sherwood the role of director of football at White Hart Lane. The Sun
John Toshack's endorsement of Michael Laudrup persuaded Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins to hand the Dutchman the Swans' manager's job. Daily Telegraph
Blackburn Rovers secretary Anthony Bloch is understood to have become the latest casualty of Venky's chaotic regime. Lancashire Telegraph
Despite being just hours away from Friday's Euro 2012 clash in Kiev, the fans of both England and Sweden joined together for a heart-warming rendition of Oasis classic 'Wonderwall' in the city square. The Metro
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