ROUND-UP
As City look to get the 2013/14 campaign started later today, transfer news still dominates the news agenda.
Top of the pile is a report in the Daily Star which claims that the Blues are one of a number of clubs keeping a close eye on Radamel Falcao, after potential issues with the striker’s salary at Monaco have hit the headlines in France.
The Colombian international moved to the Ligue 1 outfit this summer from Atletico Madrid, but is now said to be seeking a second switch as he faces losing half his current salary to French tax laws.
Tony Stenson writes: “The Ligue 1 club last night tried to laugh off the suggestion but the row over their finances continues to rumble on.
“Frederic Thiriez, president of France’s football governing body LFP, believes Monaco have an unfair advantage over other clubs in the French top flight because they can offer players huge wages with the promise of paying no tax.
“But Monaco could face a fine of £85m if they do not move in line with other French clubs where players earning figures like Falcao are currently taxed at 75 per cent.”
Elsewhere, Arsene Wenger could make a move for Micah Richards as he seeks defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes – according to CaughtOffside.
The website reports that the Arsenal boss is keen to recruit the City youth product, who has made 232 appearances in eight years for the Blues.
“Arsene Wenger is keen to strengthen his defence and will wait to see if the 25 year old enjoys any significant involvement in Manuel Pellegrini’s side in the opening Premier League fixtures of the new campaign before launching a late bid for the England international,” the article claims.
“Richards has two years to run on his current contract but has refused to put pen to paper on a new deal until he gets some idea of where he stands in relation to Man City’s new manager.”
Finally, after having to wait an extra two days to get the season started, the morning of City’s first game of the 2013/14 Premier League campaign has finally arrived.
Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko has been speaking to the media ahead of tonight’s clash at the Etihad, calling on his teammates to believe they can pull off an unexpected victory.
The French midfielder told the Evening Chronicle: “We know that the game is very hard because they have signed so many big players.
“Man City have Fernandinho, Navas and Negredo – they are all top players in the world.
“That’s not easy for Newcastle, but we go to City still thinking we can win.
“We have plenty of belief here. When you play for Newcastle you have to believe.
“And we have big players too like Cabaye, Gouffran and Hatem Ben Arfa.
“I believe in my team-mates. Hopefully I play well too.”
Manuel Pellegrini: I will handle the heat at Manchester City
MANUEL PELLEGRINI says managing Manchester City is no bigger challenge than being in charge of Real Madrid or River Plate in Argentina.
Despite the pressure for trophies from City’s Abu Dhabi owners – who have backed him with a transfer war chest of £90million this summer – new boss Pellegrini remains supremely relaxed ahead of tonight’s opening game at home against Newcastle.
Pellegrini said: “It’s not fair to compare with another challenge. I’ve worked in a lot of different leagues, very difficult leagues.
“To manage River Plate is not easy, to manage Real Madrid in Spain is not easy.
“I don’t think the fact I haven’t managed in the Premier League before will be a problem for me. I have a lot of experience in different countries.
“I watched the Premier League on television every weekend in the nine years I was working in Spain. I also faced Premier League teams in my time at Villarreal. I am always watching matches on DVD of the different teams."
I don’t think the fact I haven’t managed in the Premier League before will be a problem for me
Pellegrini praised his predecessor Roberto Mancini for ending City’s long wait for silverware, but says they must get better. He said: “We now start a new cycle after Mancini’s work . He created history here, brought the club their first silverware in a long time, the first title in 44 years. He’ll never be forgotten.
“But football moves on and evolves, and now we have a new era starting with some new players. My target is City must improve in all aspects, in Europe also.
“The target of the club is to continue in the Champions League past the group stage. We also have to work hard to bring the league title here.”
GOLDEN BOLLOX 19-8-2012
Manchester City 'accidentally tried to sign Lionel Messi'
As they prepare to join battle with their arch foes once again, we learn this weekend that Manchester City's roller-coaster ride of the past few years has been even dippier than previously realised. The evidence emerges in the story, told in a new history of the club on sale from today, of how, four years ago, City tried to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona by mistake.
Garry Cook – the chief executive who was integral to the club's extraordinary new ascent – has related to the book's author, Gary James, how, in the febrile period in 2008 when Abu Dhabi was scrambling to pull in a big, keynote signing to mark its takeover, someone said: "It's all getting messy?" Yes, you've guessed it. Someone really did interpret this as "Get Messi," prompting a £30m offer to Barcelona which was summarily rejected.
Yet it is a different kind of madness which provides the most significant theme to James's exhaustive and timely study of the club: that obsessive and ultimately destructive desire to drive Manchester United into the dust, which has possessed City for so long. James believes last May's stunning title denouement has put that fixation to bed and that the club he has chronicled so meticulously wants to beat the best now, whoever that may be.
The two were back at it again yesterday, though – Sir Alex Ferguson tanned and beaming as he took his first Premier League press conference seat of the season, with Robin van Persie settled into the one to his right at Old Trafford.
As ripostes to a title dethroning go, this was a ceremony Danny Boyle could not have fixed. It left Roberto Mancini, a frustrated soul this summer until £15m Jack Rodwell arrived, stuck with the same one-liner that he trotted out precisely a year ago: that United with Van Persie are "five yards ahead" of City. The Italian managed not to grit his teeth when declaring that Ferguson is now in possession of the best strike force in the world. Ferguson, invoking the memory of Eric Cantona and clearly seeing Van Persie as a player who will help more junior players to grow, was the one with all the zip.
The evidence of a summer of fine writing on City – James's exhaustive history Manchester –the City Years was preceded by David Conn's part-study/part-memoir Richer than God – is that City are the ones who have been driven down by their obsession with United. The one season of purgatory Denis Law inflicted on his old club with the back-heel which helped relegate them in 1974 was nothing compared with what Peter Swales, chairman and comb-over king, caused by lavishing a fortune on his hopeless desire to destroy the neighbours.
The calamity was compounded by the fact that City were reigning European Cup Winners' Cup holders, no less, when the fateful takeover led by a double glazing tycoon from Oldham and a soap manufacturing magnate in November 1970 paved the way for Swales acquiring power. "Premature End" is James's chapter heading for this period.
"I dimly remember Scales promising that Maine Road would become as grand an arena as Old Trafford? and City would be the top club in Manchester," writes Conn. "For 30 years fans have cursed what he did next to achieve that destiny."
Cook features substantially in James's narrative, which reveals how City's attempts to keep his appointment below the radar meant that he actually watched United before witnessing the side he had arrived in Britain to work for. Ferguson's title-winning victory at Wigan Athletic in May 2008 provided his initiation, rather than City's 8-1 defeat at Middlesbrough under Sven Goran Eriksson on the same day. "I said, 'I guess it can't get any worse than this'," Cook told James. Well it did, actually.
When Cook walked into his new club with Mark Hughes, the newly appointed manager, the two were greeted with a "Save Sven" petition, pinned to the wall. "Mark Hughes said: 'This is what we've got! What a welcome!'" Cook related to James.
Cook, the former Nike Brand Jordan president, who left the club last September, became synonymous with the old Swalesian manic desire to surpass United. But James correctly jettisons that assumption in a book which is full of the madness of recent years – Thaksin Shinawatra being jetted in to buy the club in a Harrods helicopter, which everyone seemed to miss; Hughes and academy head Jim Cassell blithely playing golf at the Worsley Marriott while the Abu Dhabis tried to gazump Ferguson for Dimitar Berbatov – yet which also charts Cook's pivotal role in persuading the Abu Dhabis to buy the club and change the course of its history.
Cook's presentation to the Arabs before a home game with West Ham United was significant. "The final thing we talked about is where we could go," Cook related. "Nobody had taken their football club and turned it into a brand, other than Man United, but that's a bit different?" United. It's always about United.
It is a story about the two of them once again, today, as we embark on another of these crazy nine-month journeys – even though Chelsea, with Eden Hazard and Oscar, have invested vastly to shatter the duopoly and equip Roberto Di Matteo to make a better fight of it.
There is more uncertainty about the season ahead than there has been for years because no fewer than six new managers – seven if you count Di Matteo's elevation from caretaker coach to the hotseat – are scattered among the 20 Premier League clubs. Andre Villas-Boas, trying to manage change in north London in a way which alienates fewer players than he did at Chelsea, represents a substantive gamble on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy's part that will require time to pay a dividend. It is hard to move beyond the realms of a predictably pessimistic assessment of how Arsenal, with Jack Wilshere sidelined and Alex Song probably moving on, will advance, despite the new talents of Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud.
Liverpool offer the most fascinating and unpredictable story of all, based on whether Brendan Rodgers, incredibly impressive to observe, really can rebuild a new club based on its old principals – though even he has acknowledged this summer that it may be a three-year job. It will perhaps be a long game. Beyond that, there is a more positive feel about Aston Villa at long last, under Paul Lambert, and Sunderland may be the season's story waiting to explode with Martin O'Neill.
But it all really comes back to Manchester, a city entranced yesterday by Van Persie, whose arrival suggests that Ferguson is now an old man in a hurry, knowing he cannot wait for his prophecies about youth to win back Mancunian supremacy. Since Henning Berg and Teddy Sheringham's arrival in 1997, United have counted only Dimitar Berbatov among outfield players over the age of 27 for whom they had paid more than £3m. Though Rodwell, presented by City three hours before United paraded Van Persie, provides the creativity from the centre of midfield that was especially missing in a poor Champions League campaign – and which United lack – Ferguson has Nemanja Vidic back from injury, Tom Cleverley ready to fulfil his promise and Shinji Kagawa, a player with the range to set the league alight if he can make the transition from the Bundesliga that others have struggled with.
"I feel that by achieving what City achieved last season, this season starts with more of a level playing field than for years," James said. "City had never quite delivered until the title was claimed. Now the obsessions about United can be forgotten." But no one will be forgetting Ferguson. Before a ball has been kicked he, the new noisy neighbour, is making sure of that.
Our turn: Kompany wants new-look Blues to put down a title marker
The spotlight has turned on manager Manuel Pellegrini who has spent big bringing in Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic.
Vincent Kompany hailed City’s £90m new boys as the Blues tonight set out to match their Premier League title rivals and hit the ground running.
United hammered Swansea 4-1 while Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea got off to a solid start with a convincing 2-0 triumph over Hull at Stamford Bridge.
Now its new-look City’s turn against Newcastle at the Etihad tonight with the spotlight on manager Manuel Pellegrini who has spent big bringing in Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic.
Skipper Kompany said: “I look at our squad and I am really pleased with the players we have got in. They are not just great players but great characters.
“Already they have done some unbelievable stuff in pre-season, not just in the games but in training as well.
“The character just fits perfectly. In any team I want to compete on every level, which means you need players who are just positive and always ready to keep going.”
Kompany is also enjoying working under Pellegrini. The 27-year-old Belgian said of his new boss: “A lot of class, a man with a very soft touch in the sense that he kind of knows what to say at the right time. His training sessions have been brilliant so far.”
Chilean Pellegrini, 59, is convinced the title race is wide open. He said: “Normally the same clubs every year are trying to win the Premier League – Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham.
“All of them are important but always, every year, a club has a surprise. Maybe another club can do it this year.”
The mood at City has been transformed since the turbulent final weeks of the last campaign when, with the title already surrendered, City lost the FA Cup final to Wigan – and Roberto Mancini was controversially sacked.
Pellegrini’s calmness, composure and confidence has done much to win fans round and a win tonight in his first Premier League match will do much to justify City’s place as equal title favourites.
Chelsea and Man City target Radamel Falcao 'wants to leave Monaco' as tax drama continues
RADAMEL FALCAO wants to leave Monaco just a couple of months after joining from Atletico Madrid as he faces his salary being cut in half by French tax laws.
Radamel Falcao signed for Monaco for £51m this summer
And Chelsea and Manchester City are on alert after concerns arose about the lack of competitive balance in the French league brought about by Monaco's status as a principality.
Monaco splashed out £51m on Falcao earlier this summer as they made a statement of intent.
But thé nouveaux-riche side are at risk of having to offload their prize asset or they may have to pay a £75m fine.
Currently, Falcao is getting a massive tax-free salary, a luxury that hasn't been afforded to the other Ligue 1 outfits.
But reports in Spain suggest that the player's £12m salary could be effectively cut in half by changes proposed by Francois Hollande's regime.
So the tax advantage that Monaco is considered as unfair
French journalist Cyrille Haddouche, who works for Le Figaro paper, was quoted by the BBC, as saying: "The advantage is huge in being able to convince huge players like Falcao to move to the club.
"So the tax advantage that Monaco is considered as unfair [by the clubs], especially in a period of economic difficulties for all clubs except Paris Saint-Germain.
"For example, former winners of the league, Lyon and Lille, must now sell players in order to reach break even."
Monaco have sinced move to deny that Falcao will need to be sold, saying on their offical Twitter account: "The club categorically deny rumours about a sale of Falcao.
"As a reminder, the Colombian attacker has signed with ASMFC for five years."
But according to AS, Falcao feels "let down" by Monaco owner, Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, and believes he was recruited to the club under false pretenses after only moving to France because the club could pay him over £4m more than his next best offer.
The paper goes on to suggest that the player may have already been offered to Real Madrid, with Florentino Perez declining the option to bring the Colombian back to Spain as he focusses on his pursuit of Tottenham's Gareth Bale.
And that could leave the door open for Chelsea or Manchester City to make a move, with Arsenal and Manchester United both thought to also be monitoring the situation closely given the failure to prize Luis Suarez from Liverpool and the uncertainty continuing to surround Wayne Rooney, respectively.
MCF.net THREAD: viewtopic.php?f=119&t=46492
Jesus Navas can be the saviour of new-look Manchester City
Winger is the pick of Manuel Pellegrini's exciting recruits to the most impressive squad in the Premier League
Among the more unusual of the many new corporate sponsors Manchester City announced this summer was an official hedge fund partner, though they have not laid off too many bets about their chances of becoming a side feared across the Premier League and Europe.
After three and a half years dominated by talk of who City might throw cash at next, the noisy neighbours have left the sound and fury to others and quietly constructed the best squad in the Premier League: one which answers so many of the questions which have persisted for so long about a lack of width and an absence of pace from midfield.
Most of the anticipation about the side who open at home to Newcastle United revolves around Jesus Navas – the first genuinely dangerous wide player of the Abu Dhabi era – and Fernandinho, a high-energy midfielder in the mould of Chelsea's Ramires, who covers a lot of ground and who, operating alongside Yaya Touré, will allow the Ivorian to push further up the pitch. Stevan Jovetic, from Fiorentina, provides another wide option and Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), the man they call The Beast, provides the same physical qualities as Edin Dzeko because Manuel Pellegrini likes a target man.
The Engineer is the name Pellegrini has always carried, because he became a civil engineer when he retired as a player, working on construction projects after the devastating 1985 Algarrobo earthquake in his native Chile. But Pellegrini builds in other ways. The 59-year-old's arrival feels like a warm breeze drifting up the Irwell after the politicking of the Roberto Mancini era. It is hard to overstate the sense of liberation for players and staff who were tired of the message that only Italians were good enough, which Mancini was often willing to convey in public. Pellegrini is a manager in the literal sense of the word, already working to find out about the home lives of his players, and one of the questions of the season is whether this approach can turn Dzeko into a player Europe fears. The prospect has always been there. Dzeko secured City 15 points with his goals last season, a tally bettered only by Robin van Persie (27) and Gareth Bale (24). Mancini was never able to provide the private encouragement required by this relatively sensitive soul.
Don't expect Pellegrini to be too forthcoming about what entails. Seeking some meaningful conversation with him has been hard going, not least at his press conference on Friday, at which his prime concern by the end seemed to be to getting out of the room. His English is excellent – superior to Mancini's – but when someone repeated his curious, though irrefutable observation that "I am alive" – to be sure he had said it – he was under the impression he was being called "a liar". It all got rather messy. City fans will certainly take a lack of public discussion from their manager. Butter would not melt in Mancini's mouth at press conferences before he left for training sessions with a squad who largely loathed him. The part demotivation played in City's struggle to retain their title is unquantifiable but it was substantial.
Pellegrini has been defined as a 4-3-3 disciple, though City will not be so predictable. "I am very flexible in that sense," he said on Friday. "I don't have to play every week exactly the same. We will see for a lot of reasons which is the best one. I am not afraid of different ways." He has certainly shown adaptability. At Malaga last season, his Spanish style of intense possession football morphed into a rapid counter-attacking game.
But the players at his disposal point to the technical 4-3-3 game he inculcated at Villarreal, and Navas really could be one of the names of the new campaign. City's director of football Txiki Begiristain has told of his shock at hearing that the player was available – "Navas? Navas of Sevilla?" – and the player was on board for £14.9m by June. The prodigious young Navas left Sevilla's pre-season training camp in an inconsolable state eight years ago, desperately homesick and suffering panic attacks. They say his family and his religious convictions have played a significant part in him putting that in the past and providing the thrusting input from the right flank which took Sevilla to their 2006 and 2007 Uefa Cup triumphs. It was in 2010 that he seemed to have put these private struggles in the past.
Begiristain confronted Navas with all the possible negatives about Manchester – language, rain, distance from his family – to be sure that he was not "misleading" him. The presence in Manchester of the winger's close friend Negredo, who scored 85 times in 180 Sevilla appearances, may help.
Already, in pre-season, City have looked a more open side, with some of the consequences that might have for defence. Eight goals have been shipped in the last three games and, though pre-season cannot be taken at face value, that is not what the meanest defence of the past two Premier League seasons has been known for. If there is a weakness in this squad it is that the defence lacks depth, which is why Begiristain has gone back to seek Real Madrid's Pepe, who, as we revealed last month, was their prime summer target. Pellegrini was non-committal about Martin Demichelis, Bayern Munich's Argentinian centre-back, who is another target. "I don't know at the moment," he said of that pursuit, though defensive reinforcements do seem on the way.
Joe Hart's error for England against Scotland raised the issue of the goalkeeper's occasional slips last season with City, though it is hardly an issue. Hart is a strength. Pellegrini warned that he selects on performance, not reputation. "My teams do not play by name." But "the past is past," he added. "Of course, there is last season but we have a new season now. I hope Joe will have the performance we all know he has had in his whole career. I have a lot of trust in him."
The future of Gareth Barry is less clear after his fine season last year. Pellegrini said the Englishman wants to stay but is free to go if he has better options.
Pellegrini said he was delighted that City had avoided much attention. "That is why we did it the way we did it. We thought it was the best way for us. We knew what we needed as new players for us." What his new club most require are consistency and an ability to deliver away what they do at home. That they should have relinquished the title while dropping only two points at home all season says everything. Clinching the 2013-14 title seems like a formidable challenge with a new manager, new system and embedding five new front-line players. But this review of their squad does not even touch upon Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Samir Nasri, who may also be reborn now released from Mancini's shadow. If it all clicks fast the Premier League has something to fear.
Gareth Barry allowed to leave - Pellegrini
Manuel Pellegrini will let Gareth Barry leave Manchester City if the midfielder wants to go -- but believes the veteran is keen to stay and fight for his place.
The England international has been a regular in each of his four seasons at the Etihad Stadium but is expected to lose his spot in the team to new signing Fernandinho this year.
Barry, who has been linked with other clubs, was not even taken to Finland by manager Pellegrini for last week’s friendly against Arsenal and the new manager said he will not stand in the 32-year-old’s way if he finds another club.
"It depends on what he wants," said Pellegrini, who has plenty of other central midfielders to pick from
"In his position I have also [Jack] Rodwell, [Javi] Garcia, Yaya [Toure] and Fernandinho but I spoke with Gareth, he wants to stay here and he does not any problems to stay here to fight for his position like other players in the squad.
"If he wants to go because has better options, it depends on what he wants to do. He is here and in the squad and we will try to use it the whole year."
Barry, a £12 million signing from Aston Villa in 2009, has entered the final season of his five-year deal at City.
He is a popular and respected figure at the Etihad Stadium and the club will not force him to leave against his wishes.
Arsenal face a battle if they follow up on enquiries made over Manchester City defender Micah Richards.
Other than chasing a new striker, Wenger is also on the hunt for a midfielder and a defender who can play in the centre or on the right.
Richards fits the defensive bill perfectly and Arsenal have revived an interest in the ex-England star over the past 10 days.
They will wait to see whether Richards is given significant action during City’s opening games before deciding whether to launch a late bid.
Richards still has two years to go on his contract and the club have offered a new deal that he is yet to sign.
Man City teams up with BT Sport in content drive
Manchester City has agreed a three-year partnership with newly-launched pay-television broadcaster BT Sport in a move that is set to enhance its match-day media content.
Under the terms of the agreement, customers of BT Sport will be able to access behind-the-scenes content at the English Premier League club, as well as player and staff interviews. In addition, BT Sport will also work with Manchester City TV, the club-operated television service, to launch the new BT City Square match-day initiative. Located outside the club’s Etihad Stadium, the renamed area is designed to give fans a better match day experience before and after games.
City’s chief commercial and operating officer, Tom Glick, said: “We are delighted to work together with BT Sport and look forward to close collaboration to drive innovative content that can be shared across each of our media platforms. As part of the partnership, our purpose built outdoor fan entertainment area, BT City Square, will also be enhanced, making it an even better venue for fans and families to gather before and after each home game.”
The deal will help BT Sport increase its presence in the UK football market, after it secured a deal to show 38 live matches per season from the Premier League over the next three campaigns. Manchester City’s home games against Everton and Hull City have already been scheduled to appear on the channel before the end of October, with further games later in the season yet to be confirmed. Simon Green, head of BT Sport, added: “At BT Sport, we look to reflect the passion of sports fans and to create unique, engaging content and this partnership helps to give us the inside track.”
GOLDEN BOLLOX 19-8-2010
We're not mad! Mancini defends Manchester City's £130m spree after Sir Alex Ferguson's attack
Roberto Mancini says Manchester City's signing blitz is over for this transfer window, before hitting back at Sir Alex Ferguson's attack on his neighbours' 'kamikaze spending'.
James Milner's move from Aston Villa took Mancini's spending to more than £130million since the end of last season - more than five times the amount Ferguson has spent strengthening his squad.
Yet the Italian, who will not welcome his sixth new recruit until City have returned from tonight's Europa League playoff in Romania, dismissed the Manchester United boss's criticism and said the 11-time Premier League champions had spent lavishly in the past to take success to the club.
The City manager said: 'All the other teams have spent a lot of money in the past. I don't mean 15 years ago, but in the last one, two or three years.
'It's normal when you want to buy a good player that you have to spend money, this is the market. 'It is not important for me (what Ferguson says). I respect his opinion, but I repeat that United, like City, have spent a lot of money in the past.'
In his attack, Ferguson said: 'Over the last two or three years we have seen wealthy owners become part of clubs and therefore go on this kamikaze effort to spend their money.'
Liverpool Set Sights On £16m Manchester City Pair as Hodgson Looks to Spend Potential Mascherano Windfall
Liverpool are considering a move for Manchester City pair Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz. Roy Hodgson is willing hoping to re-invest any potential incoming funds from the sale of Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua to bring in the Eastlands pair who do not appear to have a first team future at Eastlands.
Roberto Mancini is looking to trim his squad ahead of naming his 25 man Premier League squad and is looking to release some more of his ever expanding squad on loan but is willing to listen to decent offers for some of his players, including the England full back Bridge who has now fallen down the pecking order at the club.
Roque Santa Cruz only arrived at the club last summer for a fee of £17.5m but Man City may well accept offers of around £10m for the 29 year old and Roy Hodgson is keen to bring in new attacking options and is said to be a big admirer of the former Bayern Munich and Blackburn Rovers man who only managed six Premier League starts last season and is likely to see even less action this term.
Bridge would cost far less and would help resolve the left back problem the Merseyside club currently finds itself in. Daniel Agger had to fill in against Arsenal and Hodgson is keen to bring in a new full back as soon as possible.
Both players would probably jump at the chance of a new challenge and the only obstacle to such a move could be Mancini’s unwillingness to hand over his players to potential rivals to a top four finish. Caught Offside
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]Arsenal are believed to be looking at bringing in £25m-rated forward Michu, 27, from Swansea as deals for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, and Manchester United's 27-year-old centre-forward Wayne Rooney hit problems. The Independent
Uruguay international Suarez is expected to stay at Liverpool after Reds captain Steven Gerrard helped resolve the issues between the forward and the Anfield club's manager Brendan Rodgers. Daily Mirror
Chelsea look set to make another bid for England international Rooney before the end of the transfer window. Fulham Chronicle
Blues boss Jose Mourinho has not given up on signing Rooney but Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick insists the Old Trafford outfit's players want him to stay. Daily Star
With Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, 25, and left-back Leighton Baines, 28, possibly heading to Manchester United, the Toffees could be set to spend £15m to buy Wigan's 22-year-old midfielder James McCarthy. Daily Star
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, 27, is being linked with a move back to Tottenham as part of a world-record Gareth Bale deal but it is believed Modric would prefer a move to Manchester United. Daily Mirror
Liverpool target Willian, 25, could be heading for Tottenham instead as they are prepared to pay more than the Reds' £26m valuation for the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder. Daily Mirror
AC Milan have joined Liverpool in the race to sign 23-year-old defender Mamadou Sakho from French champions Paris St-Germain. Daily Star
Norwich are planning a double signing of Galatasaray's 32-year-old striker Johan Elmander, who used to play for Bolton, and forward Andrea Caracciolo, 31, of Brescia. DSSC
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich made an unprecedented trip to the Blues dressing room to visit the home players before the win against Hull on Sunday. Daily Telegraph
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has confirmed he does not wish to sell 29-year-old midfielder Stephane Sessegnon. ESPN
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he is working 24 hours a day to sign new players for the Gunners in the transfer window. Daily Telegraph
Racist Full-back Patrice Evra, 32, cannot believe how Manchester United have been written off in this season's Premier League title race. Metro
Former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, 27, says he turned down a lucrative offer to join Turkish side Galatasaray earlier this summer. The National - Abu Dhabi newspaper
Eintracht Frankfurt have responded to their lack of goals so far this season by signing one-time Tottenham target 21-year-old forward Vaclav Kadlec from Czech side Sparta Prague for an undisclosed fee. BT Sport
Newcastle's 31-year-old defender Fabricio Coloccini, who recently met the Pope, says he is happy staying in English football. Guardian
Wayne Rooney set up two goals in Manchester United's win over Swansea but the 27-year-old still wants to leave the Old Trafford club, with Chelsea his preferred destination and Arsenal his contingency plan. Times
Chelsea will offer United £40m for Rooney and hand the England international a four-year deal worth £300,000 a week in their latest attempts to sign him. However, if their latest bid fails, the Blues will switch their attentions to Borussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski, 24. People
Rooney has conceded he will not be allowed to leave Manchester United and that he will spend the 2013-14 season with the Premier League champions. DSSC
Manchester United are about to launch an ambitious move for Real Madrid midfield duo Mesut Ozil, 24, and Kaka, 31. Mundo Deportivo
Manchester United boss David Moyes will return to former club Everton to make an £18m bid for 25-year-old midfielder Marouane Fellaini, whose £24m buyout clause recently expired. Mirror
Real Madrid have hinted they expect Gareth Bale to join them this summer by leaving the club's number 11 shirt free for the Welshman should he arrive from Tottenham. Daily Express
Chelsea face a battle with Inter Milan and Napoli if they want to bring Anzhi Makhachkala striker Samuel Eto'o, 32, to Stamford Bridge. Daily Star
Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino has dismissed speculation that the Catalan club will try to sign either Chelsea defender David Luiz, 26, or Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, 28, after claiming he is happy with his defensive options. The Independent
England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, 35, hopes the London club will sign Rooney from Manchester United. Daily Telegraph
Atletico Madrid's 26-year-old playmaker Arda Turan's possible move to either Liverpool or Arsenal has moved a step closer. His agent has been quoted as saying that Turan's transfer to the Premier League this summer is "probable". AS sports newspaper
Liverpool will make a move for Brazil and Internacional striker Leandro Damiao if Manchester United or Tottenham beat them to the signing of Anzhi Makhachkala forward Willian, 25. People
Manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed he turned down offers to leave Tottenham this summer. Daily Express
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be out for up to three months with a knee injury suffered in his side's 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa on the opening day of the Premier League season. Mirror
Celtic boss Neil Lennon says he is no closer to signing a striker despite making a second bid for Schalke's 23-year-old Finnish forward Teemu Pukki as the German club are refusing to sell. STV
Swansea defender Ashley Williams, 28, admits he is flattered by reports linking him with a switch to Arsenal, but insists he is still fully committed to his current role. Metro
Former Friends actress Jennifer Aniston has become Watford's second celebrity signing of the year after she was presented with a Hornets shirt. Actress Mila Kunis was also presented with a Watford shirt recently. DSSC
GOLDEN BOLLOX 19-8-2011
Yaya Toure says new-look Manchester City will be talked about all over the world
Yaya Toure believes the revamped Manchester City will soon demand respect throughout the world of football.
The Blues midfielder says the summer strengthening of the Blues – due to continue today with the signing of Samir Nasri – will help them become one of the best teams on the planet.
Yaya played a huge part in taking City to a new level last season, with winning goals in the FA Cup semi-final and final, and some powerful performances as they secured Champions League football.
But, after picking up Sergio Aguero, Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic with Nasri set to jon them for £25m, Yaya feels they can move on again.
“The team is looking in good shape – we have signed big players and they look fantastic in training,” said the big Ivorian.
“My ambition is to make people talk about Manchester City with respect, and that is why I am here.
“The manager and Garry Cook are doing fantastic and we will see in a few short years that Manchester City will become one of the best teams in the world. I am totally sure of that.”
But City are not just refining the quality of the first team, they are also drafting some of Europe’s top young talents into the Academy.
The Blues signed highly-rated Spanish youth international Denis Suarez in the summer, and he was taken on the tour of the USA and Canada.
And he caught Yaya’s eye. He said: “It is not easy to settle but he has David Silva and myself speaking Spanish and we are all trying to help him.
“It is very good for the future of the club to have such talented young players – they make the club stronger.
“Denis is a midfield player with very good quality. He is an amazing player and has the ability to take the ball, like all Spanish players.”
The Blues have four triallists from around Europe working with the elite development squad at the moment.
Top of that list is Croatia under-17 striker Ivan Dzoni, who scored against Oldham reserves on Wednesady, while 22-year-old Argentine midfielder Jose d’Angelo has also impressed.
The others are Benfica starlet Francisco Silva junior and former AC Milan striker Luca Scapuzzi.
SAMIR NASRI WANTED TO JOIN UNITED
SAMIR NASRI was last night closing in on a £22m move to Manchester City amid claims he wanted to join bitter rivals Manchester United instead!
The Arsenal ace was understood to be undergoing a medical in Manchester having agreed a five-year-deal at City worth £160,000 a week.
But reports in France have suggested Nasri was holding out for a move elsewhere, with United,
Barcelona and Real Madrid his preferred choices.
Sources in his homeland claim the striker told friends he wanted to join one of Europe’s giants, but chose City
when both Spanish clubs showed no interest and the Gunners refused to sell him to United.
The claims will cast doubts over Nasri’s motives for joining the billionaire big spenders as he gets set to become one of the highest-paid stars in the top fllight.
But this won’t bother boss Roberto Mancini, who has been hounding his bosses for weeks to push through a deal to
land the French star.
Nasri will more than double the wages he was earning at the Gunners and take Mancini’s summer spending
crashing through the £70m barrier.
His arrival will follow that of record £38m signing Sergio Aguero and confirm City’s status as genuine title contenders
this season.
Nasri’s departure from the Emirates will be the second major blow for Gunners boss Arsene Wenger this week
following the sale of Cesc Fabregas to Barca.
But he has been powerless to stop Nasri leaving after the player made it clear he would not sign a new deal.
Nasri will become the second Gunner to join City this summer following Gael Clichy’s decision to join Mancini’s
men in a £7m deal.
Provided the loose ends are tied up within the next 24 hours then Nasri could make his debut in Sunday’s clash at Bolton, where Aguero has been told to expect a hostile reception.
The new superstar will be hoping for a happier outcome than on his last visit to the Reebok with Atletico Madrid in 2008, when he was sent off just 12 minutes after going on as a substitute.
The Argentine striker was shown a straight red card for spitting at Matt Taylor in the UEFA Cup last 16 tie and was
banned for two games.
Trotters fans have vowed to abuse Aguero but he said: “I remember the incident. I was spitting in the direction
of the player but not to the player. However, the officials thought that and suspended me.
“I don’t know what the reception will be like, but as long as our fans welcome me, I’ll be happy.”
Aguero looks set to make his full debut following his stunning cameo against Swansea
on Monday night which included two goals and an assist.
But it remains to be seen if wantaway Carlos Tevez will be included in
Mancini’s squad. STAR
MORE BOLLOX SOON
