Mou Will Go For Adebayor Now, Neymar in January
Spanish media giant Marca claims that Real Madrid are most likely to sign Emmanuel Adebayor this summer and postpone a deal for Neymar till the winter transfer window next season.
THT Verdict: Only one striker is likely. Jose Mourinho has already confirmed that he is looking for one striker and his preference is Adebayor. While the Madrid hierarchy has their eyes set upon Neymar, it remains to be seen who would be blinking first. Going by current trends, Mourinho might just get his man.
Bayern Complete Boateng Signing
Bavarian giants Bayern Munich have completed the signing of Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng for an undisclosed fee.
“There were intense negotiations and it it took a long time to conclude the agreement, but we have reached a satisfactory conclusion.” – Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
THT Verdict: Bayern have been pushing for the player for quite a while now and have finally got their man. However, Boateng’s biggest strengths cannot be exploited if he is going to be used as a centre back. One would reckon that Badstuber might be pushed to the center of defense in order to accomodate Boateng at full back. The player is known to be flexible enough to be employed as right back or a left back. How Bayern use him remains to be seen.
Dynamo Moscow contemplating Zhirkov deal
Dynamo Moscow intend to reach agreement with Chelsea on the transfer of the Russian national team midfielder Yury Zhirkov during the summer transfer window.
THT Verdict: The unsettled Russian had had a torrid time with the capital club. The former CSKA man has only started in as many as 29 games for Chelsea as both injuries and limited first team opportunities hampered his career at Chelsea. It will be interesting to see how Chelsea management react to this development. Zhirkov is a very handy backup for both Ashley Cole and Malouda because of his versatility on the left wing and Chelsea need him. But if his opportunities are restricted to as much as a backup player, then Zhirkov may opt to leave for Dynamo.
Liverpool Eye Higuain
Reports in the English media are linking Liverpool with Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.
THT Verdict: Unlikely. Liverpool are likely to bid for a young player that can provide backup for Carroll & Suarez. Its hard to fathom why Higualn will choose to go to Anfield giving up on CL and a regular first team spot.
Chelsea on the verge of making their first summer signing
Genk have officially accepted an improved Chelsea bid for Thibaut Courtois and cleared the way for him to become Andre Villas-Boas’ first signing as Stamford Bridge manager in the next 24 hours.
Agent Thierry Courtois was summoned to a meeting with club bosses on Wednesday night and told his son was free to complete his dream move after agreement had been reached on a fee of around £5million.
THT Verdict: Courtois played a defining role in Genk’s title winning campaign last season, and is highly rated. Chelsea have quite a few young goalkeepers within their ranks, but this signing indicates that the club is not satisfied with their development thus far. Anyway, Cech still has quite a few years left in him and Courtois will have to patiently bide his time and at the same time continue to improve. Reports suggest that the keeper would be loaned back to Genk for next season, which would be a good move indeed. In an year or two, he can certainly dispace both Hilario and Turnbull and make the position of Chelsea’s second choice keeper his own.
Green Interests West Brom
Having lost Scott Carson to Bursaspor, West Bromwich Albion is now on the look out for a keeper and it seems that West Ham keeper Rob Green has emerged as a strong contender for the position.
THT Verdict: Green would be a good addition to the West Brom squad having had a good amount of Premier League experience. Also, the lure of coming back to top flight football would be hard to turn down for the England international.
Canales Heading to Roma?
Reports in Italy suggest that Real Madrid player Sergio Canales is on the verge of a move to Roma amidst interest from Everton and QPR.
THT Verdict: Roma manager Luis Enrique is said to have a good knowledge of Canales from his time in Spain and so it makes sense if they have bid for the player. Canales, 20, has failed to settle in as a regular in the current Real Madrid squad and it is not a surprise that he would want to pursue his career elsewhere.
Toffees Eye Schalke 04 Youngster
Everton are reportedly interested in signing Schalke 04’s 20 year old winger Lewis Holtby. The player is valued at 6 million pounds.
THT Verdict: Holtby rose to prominence with Schalke last season and has enjoyed a good season in the Bundesliga. However, David Moyes is on a shoestring budget and it will not be easy for him to bring the players he desires this season. He will have to adopt the sell-to-buy practice and this even applies to the transfer of Holtby, if it does go through.
Corinthians Up Their Offer, Tevez Desperate To Leave
Brazilian outfit Corinthians have surprisingly come back with an increased bid for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez and the striker is now desperate to make the switch.
Tevez hasn’t really had things going his way since last season when he first handed in a transfer request and it was turned down. It is difficult and unethical to keep a player at the club against his wishes but if City do retain Tevez at Eastlands next season, they should go all out in their quest for success. A trophy-less season is the last thing Tevez would want if he is going to turn his back on Corinthians.
Villa Eye Downing Replacement & Show Interest In Parker
Shortly after losing Stewart Downing to Liverpool, Villa manager Alex McLeish has wasted little time in lining up a replacement for the winger. Fioretina winger Juan Manuel Vargas has emerged as the latest target for the Villans. Also, the manager is reportedly interested in the signing of Scott Parker in order to bolster his midfield.
THT Verdict: A bid is likely to be made since Villa now have a total sum of about 36 million from the sale of Young and Downing. While Vargas will seems to be a possibility, Parker is a player now wanted by several Premier League clubs. He was West Ham’s silver lining last season and played a pivotal role in helping the club retain its Premier League status. Unless Villa have a sizeable offer for the England international, it will be tough to prize the player away from the clutches of rival contenders.
Liverpool Complete Downing Signing
The Merseyside club have had a bid of 20 million that has finally been accepted by Aston Villa for Stewart Downing. Liverpool have been in pursuit of the player for quite a while now and had two bids rebuffed by Villa but looks like manager McLeish has finally given in.
THT Verdict: A good buy by Liverpool. The team was lacking the width that it much desperately needed. Also, the signing of Andy Carroll implied that the wide areas of midfield had to be strengthened. It is a move in the right direction by the club albeit 20 million would be a little on the steeper side one would feel.
Modric Hands In Transfer Request
After seeing talks with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy break down, Luka Modric has now decided to hand in a transfer request in order to push for an exit from the club. Chelsea have been looming around the player for quite a while now and Modric does want to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
THT Verdict: Spurs will soon be left with little or no choice in this case. There is no doubt about the quality of Modric and what he bring to the team. Lack of trophies at White Hart Lane is the main reason for the player’s exit (if it does happen) and it is no surprise that he would want to ply his trade elsewhere.
Chelsea Look To Bring Back Scott Parker
“We would love a deal where we loan him out for the season for a substantial fee and then when we get promotion he comes back to us. That would appeal to us because we love Scott. We would obviously want a loan fee because he has substantial value and has three or four years left of his career. They would probably be getting the best of those three of four years. He is at the absolute peak of his game at the moment and is playing out of his skin.” – West Ham co-owner David Sullivan
THT Verdict: Possible. This would be one shrewd move by Chelsea, if they sign former Blue Scott Parker on a season-long loan. With Essien out injured, again, Parker would provide more than decent cover for the injured Ghanaian, along with Ramires and Mikel. The combative Englishman can play as the solitary defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3, as part of a double-pivot or even as a box-to-box midfielder. As this would be a loan move, the club need not bother about his age (30), or the transfer fees, and can continue to concentrate on signing a creative midfielder.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jul/13/chelsea-west-ham-scott-parker