Detailed coverage of Manchester United football club and its players, including match reports, transfer rumours and general football news. We also have sections on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United players (former and current) such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.
We also have a blog dedicated to Manchester United news.
There’s precious little to talk about today - most of it hyperbole and conjecture, with the usual scramble across Europe for strikers and desperate pimping of stars no one wants to buy.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 6 comments
There used to be a time when summer was for lounging in peace near a beach. Now, while Ronaldo does the beach thing (after scoring that many goals he deserves it), most of the footballing world is back to work, so hopefully we’ll see some transfer action sooner than later.
Today’s top rumours:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 4 comments
Despite reports yesterday claiming Manchester City were still hopeful of signing Ronaldinho this summer, it appears as though the Brazilian’s heart is set on Chelsea, to team up with the manager who guided his country to World Cup glory in 2002.
“It is marvellous that Felipao (Scolari) is interested in signing me because he is an excellent coach,” Ronaldinho said yesterday. “I have a lot of respect for him because I have known him since I was very young and he was coach of Gremio. If the chance came up to work with him again then it would be very good. We have a history together in the game, we won the World Cup, and that is something I will never forget.”
A move to Chelsea would also see Ronaldinho link up with his former teammate, Deco, who completed his transfer to the Blues earlier this week.
There is also the possibility that Barca striker, Samuel Eto’o, could make a move away from the Nou Camp this summer, and has been linked with a deal at Chelsea. The Cameroon striker is currently on holiday and on his return will talk to the club about his future. With the manager already confirming that Eto’o is not a part of his plans and Barcelona declaring an interest in Arsenal’s Adebayor, there is every chance he will be tempted by Roman’s rubles.
Manchester United are facing the possibility of losing Ronaldo this summer, and following a nail-biting close finish in May, could these Barca men spell trouble for the Reds next season?
Written by Scott the Red. 24 comments
I’ve missed plenty over the last several days, but now that Euro 2008 is over, expect the signings to pick up, with a few big names sure to switch teams.
Written by Eddie Griffin. 7 comments
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the players I had missed out. I apologise for not including everyone. I’ve added a few, but I’m not claiming this to be a definitive list!
As an Englishman I had to endure the Championships without having any team to support. Actually, I didn’t endure it in the end, I loved it. As I come from a Country with such a ‘crap’ national team, I thought I’d have a look at how the players who ply their trade in England managed to perform. That way, I can pretend that we were good enough to be there.
It was interesting to see the likes of Bosingwa at Portugal and Modric of Croatia who will definitely enhance the Premier League in the coming season but I’m going to look at the performances of those who we in England are already familiar with:
Written by Graham Fisher. 18 comments
Once the Euros wrap up tomorrow, you can expect a flurry of transfer activity to start happening across Europe starting 1st July. We’ll be there to cover everything (everything important, at least), but today there’s precious little to go on apart from some footballers confirming their lack of intelligence and some managers confirming that they’d pay too much for absolutely nothing.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 2 comments
Take it away Scott…
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/real-madrid-passive-spectators-i-beg-to-differ/
Written by Soccerlens. One comment
Liverpool are hoping to finally complete the signing of Udinese full-back Andrea Dossena next week, with the transfer fee reported in some quarters to be 7m.
Is Dossena good enough to be categorised in the same bracket as Gael Clichy, Patrice Evra or Ashley Cole / Wayne Bridge?
Written by Soccerlens. 10 comments
Great match yesterday as Turkey played Germany off the park but had their luck run out on them. Still, one of the standout teams in the tournament and Fatih Terim is a wanted man across Europe now.
On to today’s rumours and transfer gossip:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 8 comments
Liverpool full-back Alvaro Arbeloa reckons (while talking to Sky Sports) that Ronaldo leaving Manchester United and going to Real Madrid can only be good for Liverpool.
Which brings us to the topic of this post - can Liverpool beat United if Ronaldo isn’t playing? And perhaps just as important, can Liverpool finish ahead of United in the Premier League if Ronaldo wasn’t around?
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 19 comments
We hear about the Real Madrid-Cristiano Ronaldo-Manchester United transfer saga every day, with different things said by the concerned parties, and a mountain of speculation written daily on Ronaldo’s future.
If various ‘news’ publications are to be believed, Real Madrid will pay 100m Euros and send over half the Real Madrid starting lineup to secure Ronaldo’s services, and THEN pay him all their combined wages as well. It’s ridiculous, but that’s the press for you.
Then there is Manchester United who are saying that ‘keeping quiet’ is the best way to deal with the situation. I humbly disagree, and I suspect Ferguson, Quieroz and Gill disagree as well.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 20 comments
It’s Monday, and this week that means this is one of the few times you’ll be seeing me around here this week, as I’m taking a trip to see my best mate get hitched. I’m sure you won’t miss me too much, since the roundups will be going on without me, but for those who will, I thought it’d be nice to let you know.
Anyhow, enough of that–onto the news!
According to Robinho’s agent, the Brazilian attacker would be interested in a move to Manchester United. Robinho has been linked with being part of a cash + player deal for Cristiano Ronaldo,.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Robinho’s expendable, we know that much. But, the key hurdle here is whether or not United are going to relent and sell Ronaldo.
Luiz Felipe Scolari and Chelsea are reportedly interested in making a move for Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, after the performance that Schweinsteiger had in helping end Scolari’s run as Portugal head man.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Schweinsteiger would certainly be within Chelsea’s price range, and he’s replaceable in a midfield that already has two other top talents in Halil Altintop and Franck Ribery.
According to News of the World, Newcastle could be set to make a 6 million pound bid for Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Lennon has developed into a regular in Tottenham’s starting lineup over the last few seasons, and at 21, he’s still far from a finished product. However, Juande Ramos could be willing to sell him, especially with other attacking talents like David Bentley on his radar.
The Mirror says that Everton could make a move for Darren Bent, though to do it, David Moyes will have to offload Andy Johnson.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Spurs may be looking for more than the eight million or so that Everton could be willing to offer, which could see them lose out to ambitious Sunderland, who could pay 12 million for Bent.
Blackburn are interested in a move for Harry Kewell, who’s looking for a new club after being let go by Liverpool. Roma are also interested in Kewell, so Blackburn may have to work fast.
Rumor Rating: 5 - There are a lot of moves that could be set off depending on what Blackburn decide to do now that they have a new manager in place.
According to the Mirror, Portsmouth are set to make a two million pound bid for Tottenham’s Younes Kaboul, who could be on his way out after an unimpressive debut season with Spurs.
Rumor Rating: 4 - He cost eight million pounds last summer when he came from Auxerre, so Tottenham are set to take a hit, albeit willingly, to sell him.
West Brom are set to sign Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi for 2.5 million pounds. Ipswich and Norwich were also interested in Ameobi, while Stoke, where he was on loan last season, turned down the chance to sign him permanently.
Rumor Rating: 5 - The Baggies have made the front line a priority thus far, signing Aston Villa’s Luke Moore and Hearts’ Roman Bednar, so they might be looking for reinforcements in other areas now that they’re set to have a trio of new target-men in their ranks.
Stoke are lining up a million pound move for Jamaican midfielder Rudolph Austin from Portmore United.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Stoke tried to nab the 23-year old midfielder last year, but they couldn’t get a work permit. However, that won’t be a stumbling block this time around, so the deal should be done soon.
Birmingham don’t want to sell James McFadden, but he wants to leave, according to his agent. McFadden wants top-level football, and with Celtic sniffing around, the opportunity’s there for him.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Birmingham really don’t want to let one of their key players go, but in the end, they may have to, especially if this news gets Celtic to pony up a tempting offer.
Croatian defender Robert Kovac is hoping to land a move to the Premier League, as he doesn’t plan to see out the final year of his contract with Borussia Dortmund.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Kovac has played at the highest level with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, so the 34-year old may be looking for a new challenge at the tail end of his career.
Sevilla could be set for another cash injection, as Inter are interested in a move for the versatile Adriano, and could make a cash + David Suazo swap for him.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Now, on one hand, they’re letting some of their top players go, which leaves some pretty big holes. But with the money that they’ve pocketed and could still yet pocket, they could really invest in the future.
Getafe have some retooling to do after their successful campaign last term, and one of the players they have in their sights is River Plate attacker Augusto Fernandez.
Rumor Rating: 4 - A bid of four million euros could land Fernandez, who made his debut with the Argentine senior national team earlier this year.
Valladolid have snapped up Atletico Madrid striker Braulio Nobrega, who spent last season on loan at Getafe, where he played a key role in the club getting to the UEFA Cup quarters.
Rumor Rating: 5 - The fee for the 22-year old is 1.5 million euros plus incentives, and while he wasn’t going to play much (if any) part for Atletico next season, he’ll be a key part of Valladolid’s push to stay up in La Liga.
Roma are interested in Chievo forward Victor Obinna. The 21-year old Nigerian has been a regular in Chievo’s squad for the last three seasons since his move from Enyimba, and he has a goal in three appearances for the Nigerian national team.
Rumor Rating: 4 - The newly-promoted club would be reluctant to let one of their gems go, but a sale could free up some valuable funds for transfers that could keep them in Serie A after.
Catania could make a move for Fiorentina striker Daniele Cacia, who is likely surplus to requirements at Fiorentina after playing a very limited role last season.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Cacia played for Italy at U-17 and U-19 levels, and now that he’s 24, he might be looking for that move that will allow him to get regular first-team chances and a shot at proving his worth on the top flight.
After finishing 5th in the Bundesliga last season, Wolfsburg are looking to take that next step into the top three. So far, they’ve made some solid signings in Andrea Barzagli and Christian Zaccardo from Palermo, but now they have Alexander Hleb in their sights.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Wolfsburg’s current manager, Felix Magath, worked with Hleb at Stuttgart, so there’s a personal connection. You’d still think that he’ll end up with either a Barcelona or Bayern Munich if he does leave, but Wolfsburg can afford him, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they actually landed him.
Well, that’s it for today. What do you think of today’s rumors? Schweinsteiger to Chelsea? Lennon to Newcastle? Robinho + cash for Ronaldo?
Chime in, chip in, and I’ll be back tomorrow!
Written by Eddie Griffin. 3 comments
Klaas Jan Huntelaar is, without doubt, one of the most prolific strikers in Europe at the moment. In the 2007/08 season he scored an amazing thirty-three goals in thirty-four appearances, making him the top scorer in the Eredivisie, scoring eleven goals more than Twente’s Blaise N’Kufo.
Now, after three glorious seasons in Ajax, ninety-six goals and 113 appearances for the Amsterdam outfit, the time has finally come to go.
Written by GT. 7 comments
Guillem Balague interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo in the aftermath of Portugal’s Euro 2008 quarter-final defeat at the hands of Germany. You can read the full transcript of the interview here.
Balague has a history of doing really good interviews (e.g. his tete-a-tete with Benitez) and he hasn’t disappointed, with a timely interview covering one of the most talked about stories this summer.
Highlights from the interview:
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 19 comments
Well, it’s Friday again. The week’s certainly flown by, hasn’t it? Speaking of flying, who could be flying to a new locale soon? Read on, and you’ll find out.
Could Liverpool make a move for Valencia’s David Silva? Silva’s price tag is 20 million pounds, so it may be a stretch at this point, but the possibility is being floated around in various reports.
Rumor Rating: 2 - With Andrea Dossena already signed and Gareth Barry likely on his way soon, funds for more transfers are likely at a minimum. However, if the Reds can sell both Xabi Alonso and Peter Crouch, that could give them the money they need.
According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester City are set to get the green light on their 18 million pound move for CSKA Moscow striker Jo, after agreeing to buy out the remainder of his rights from MSI.
Rumor Rating: 4 - So, does it no longer smell fishy, or no?
Arsenal are interested in Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins, but the Magpies have slapped a 15 million pound price tag on the 23-year old Nigerian striker.
Rumor Rating: 3 - At this point, that could be more than Arsenal might be willing to pay, but if they do part with Emmanuel Adebayor, Martins could quickly be lined up as a replacement.
The Daily Mirror says that Arsenal are set to make a 10 million pound bid for Russia’s Andrei Arshavin, who struck off the rust from missing Russia’s first two Euro 2008 matches due to suspension to play a pivotal part in leading his side to the quarters.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Well, by the most recent tidbit I mentioned on Arshavin, Arsenal will have to hurry to sign him up, since today’s the 20th.
At the same time, it seems that everyone loves Arsenal players, as Roma and Juventus are interested in Gael Clichy.
Rumor Rating: 2 - Enough is enough, right Arsene?
The Sun says that Tottenham have agreed a four million pound deal for Fiorentina’s Mario Santana. The 26-year old attacker doesn’t figure into La Viola’s plans for next season, and according to Fiorentina’s sporting director, Santana should join Spurs in the next few days.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Santana is coming off of a solid season at Fiorentina, scoring six goals and creating several more, so he’ll be an asset to Tottenham’s offensive exploits.
Meanwhile, they face some competition for West Ham’s Anton Ferdinand, as Aston Villa are weighing up a bid for the six million pound man.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Just like Tottenham, Villa need to strengthen their defenses if they want to make a serious run at the top four, so it wouldn’t hurt to at least make a bid.
Sunderland could make a move for defensive midfielder Peter Luccin, who could be available on a free if Real Zaragoza release the 29-year old.
Rumor Rating: 3 - Luccin, who has been playing in Spain since 2001, has a great deal of experience at the highest level, which would be valuable to an up-and-coming Sunderland side.
Birmingham are interested in making a move for Portsmouth’s David Nugent, who’s already surplus to requirements at Fratton Park and could fall even further down the pecking order if Pompey sign another striker or two in the summer.
Rumor Rating: 4 - With Stoke and Sunderland also interested in Nugent, Birmingham may be on the outside looking in, if the former Preston star wants to stay in the top flight.
Spain
Celta Vigo have signed Recreativo Huelva defender Edu Moya on a free transfer.
Rumor Rating: 5 - The 27-year old had been at Recreativo since 2006, when he moved from Tenerife, with whom he’s had two spells in his career.
Juventus are reportedly willing to sell David Trezeguet, but they’ll only do so if they receive an offer of 25 million euros.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Barcelona wouldn’t have a problem forking out the money for Trezeguet, and while Juve might not want to sell to one of their Serie A rivals, AC Milan could show some interest if they can’t get Adebayor.
Roma want Portsmouth’s Niko Kranjcar, but Harry Redknapp says that there’ll be no selling unless they get a ridiculous offer.
Rumor Rating: 1 - In other words, Kranjcar will be at Portsmouth next season.
However, Roma are close to snapping up Siena defender Simone Loria, whose terrific campaign last season led to attention from the likes of the Giallorossi.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Any chance they move him up front?
Roma could also be signing a second Liverpool player, after recently wrapping up the signing of John Arne Riise, as Harry Kewell is being linked with a move to Rome.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Like I’ve said before, if he’s healthy, he could make a big impact wherever he lands.
Lazio are being linked with a surprise swoop for Boca Juniors star Juan Roman Riquelme.
Rumor Rating: 2 - Whether or not Riquelme would jump back to Europe so quickly is unknown, but he’s certainly got it good at Boca.
So, could uncertainty about his future be the reason why German striker Mario Gomez has struggled at Euro 2008? Well, he could soon be stress-free, if Bayern Munich can agree a fee with Vfb Stuttgart for him, after reportedly already agreeing terms with the 22-year old hit-man.
Rumor Rating: 4 - Gomez is rated at 25 million euros by his club, but Bayern could be using Lukas Podolski (who replaced him in the starting XI against Portugal) as a deal sweetener.
Rafael Van der Vaart, fresh off of a terrific season for Hamburg SV, is a target for both Manchester United and Chelsea, but he says he won’t be considering anything while the Dutch are still alive in Euro 2008.
Rumor Rating: 4 - There’s a slight chance that Van der Vaart could remain at Hamburg, but with uncertainty about him renewing his contract, Hamburg might take advantage of his value being at a high to get the most possible for him.
Lille are set to sign Villareal midfielder Rio Mavuba on a permanent deal, as the clubs have agreed a fee of seven million euros for the French international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Lille and impressed enough to earn a permanent move.
Rumor Rating: 5 - Mavuba lasted only a half season at Villareal after moving from Bordeaux last summer, but I’m sure he’s not too torn up about being able to stay in France.
Finally, in news from Scotland, Rangers and Celtic have made a couple of key signings, as Rangers have signed Burnley striker Kyle Lafferty for three million pounds, while Celtic have signed Derry winger Pat McCourt, who was almost set for a move to West Brom before Celtic swooped in.
Well, that’s it for today. Discuss how you feel about today’s rumors, chime in with your own, and I’ll be back tomorrow!
Written by Eddie Griffin. 3 comments
Remember, back in February, the Sun published a story about how Cristiano Ronaldo was using his phone on the training pitch to send SMSs and he had been fined by Ferguson because of that? It seemed fishy at the time but was sold as gold dust against the ‘arrogant Portuguese’ and everyone lapped it up.
Today, thanks to the diligence of his solicitor (and the fact that when push comes to shove, tabloids are found wanting in the departments of truth and ‘reliable sources’) Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted a settlement from The Sun which includes an apology, payment of trial costs and undisclosed damages (which Ronny is giving away to a charity in Portugal).
Written by Soccerlens. One comment
All Premier League transfers going through in the summer of 2008 are on this page. For our transfer rumours column see our transfer news section.
This page is updated frequently, so if you find a transfer not listed here put it in the comments and we’ll add it. This page lists Premier League clubs only, and confirmed transfers only.
Written by Ahmed Bilal. 35 comments
Could Aston Villa finally be ready to give in and sell Gareth Barry to Liverpool? Their part in today’s roundup makes it look as if they might be preparing for the incoming 15 to 20 million pound windfall from the impending Barry transfer.
Written by Eddie Griffin. 3 comments
Ambition–without it, where would this transfer roundup be? Thanks to all of the players and clubs who have it, we’ve got plenty to present you everyday.
We start today’s roundup with a player who’s aiming for the highest level, and to do it, he may well have to leave his current club to do it.
Written by Eddie Griffin. 7 comments
So, Manchester United have offered the father of Italian youngster Davide Petrucci, who they recently signed from Roma, a job as a gardener. If his son lives up to his potential, he’ll be hiring his own gardener in the future.
Written by Eddie Griffin. 16 comments
Manchester United have signed one of Italy’s best prospects in the form of striker Davide Petrucci from Italian club Roma, much to the fury of the Italian club and press, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Written by Soccerlens. Leave a response
