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Ferguson rules out more signings

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says he will not make any further signings during the summer.

United have brought in Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Bordeaux’s Gabriel Obertan to replace departed forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

Ferguson revealed he had bid for Karim Benzema, who joined Real Madrid, but insisted he had no further targets.

"It is the end of our business," he said. "Stories about who we are supposed to be getting – forget it."

United pocketed £80m from Ronaldo’s world record transfer to Real Madrid and the Old Trafford club had been expected to spend a sizeable proportion of the funds on new players.

Among those to be linked with a move to the Premier League champions are Brazilian forward Douglas Costa, French playmaker Franck Ribery, and Spain striker David Villa.

But Ferguson feels the market is now over-inflated and he does not want to pay over the odds for players.

Real Madrid, for example, have spent in excess of £170m this summer in capturing Kaka from AC Milan, Benzema from Lyon and Ronaldo.

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"We can now forget about signing fantasy players and focus on our squad for the season"

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And Ferguson added: "There are some amazing numbers being talked about, not all of them realistic. It is very difficult to get value now.

"In a way we benefited through the sale of Cristiano, although that figure was non-negotiable.

"But I feel we have a good squad, which meant there was no need for knee-jerk reactions.

"We asked about Benzema and we had a value for him. Lyon have done well because they got 42m euros but I think we took a sensible view."

Instead, Valencia has arrived from Wigan, 20-year-old winger Obertan has been recruited and Owen was signed on a free transfer after his contract with Newcastle expired.

And the England striker has been handed the number seven shirt – the shirt vacated by Ronaldo.

Owen will add extra experience to an attack that still boasts plenty of established talent in Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, plus youngsters Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda.

"There is no question that Michael will score a lot of goals for us"

Sir Alex Ferguson

Ferguson hinted that Welbeck and Macheda, who scored vital goals at the end of last season, will be given opportunities to play their part.

"They are both young players – but young players with ability always get a chance here," added Ferguson.

Owen, meanwhile, has vowed to recapture his best form and show he will be an important part of the United team.

"I am hungry to do well and if this challenge doesn’t create a hunger and put a spring in your step and a smile on your face then nothing will," he said.

"I honestly believe I can still do well in a top team like Manchester United."

Ferguson praised the desire of Owen to prove his critics wrong and is confident the 28-year-old can rediscover the scoring touch that made him one of Europe’s most feared strikers.

"His experience is vital and with Michael you will see the experience he will give us in the penalty box," commented Ferguson.

"There is no question that he will score a lot of goals for us and he has been great for years and years.

"You always have to be aware of him in the last third."</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Kompany may miss start of season

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

Vincent Kompany

Manchester City midfielder Vincent Kompany is set to miss the start of the Premier League season because he is scheduled to undergo foot surgery.

Belgian international Kompany, 23, has been forced to return from City’s pre-season training camp in Bavaria.

He needed injections and wore specially adapated boots last season in an attempt to cure the problem.

Boss Mark Hughes told City’s website: "If he has to have an operation Vincent will miss the start of the season."

Kompany joined City from Hamburg in August 2008 for an undisclosed fee.

Hughes added: "We sent him to a consultant surgeon at the end of last season and he recommended injecting the toe and giving him six weeks’ complete rest but he was suffering the same amount of pain again in training in Germany.

"He’s been back to see the surgeon now. We hoped the rest would cure it but it’s a bit more complex than that. It’s important that we address it now and make sure Vince is fit for the rest of the season.

"We nursed him through to the point where he had to concede that he just couldn’t carry on. He had numerous needles into the joint but he stuck with it bravely. He did really well for the team."

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Man Utd move for ‘new Ronaldinho’

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

• Ferguson targets 18-year-old tipped as ‘new Ronaldinho’
• United offer financial package of £7m plus add-ons

Manchester United have re-established formal contact with the Brazilian club Gremio about trying to reach a compromise over a fee for Douglas Costa, the talented 18-year-old who has been hailed as “the new Ronaldinho” in his country.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, rates Costa as the brightest young talent currently playing in South America but the Premier League champions could not convince Gremio to allow him out on loan when negotiations began earlier this summer and believe the deal can happen only if the Porto Alegre club drastically lower their valuation.

Gremio have severe financial issues and are acutely aware that selling their most prized young asset could be the answer to those problems. With that in mind, they have informed prospective buyers they want £21m. United regard that as excessive for a player who has not yet played 20 senior games but they are hoping Gremio’s position is negotiable and have put together a financial package, with an initial outlay of £7m, plus a series of success-related add-ons if the player lives up to the promise that has brought him to the attention of Ferguson via John Calvert-Toulmin, the club’s principal scout in Brazil.

The transfer hinges on whether a compromise can be agreed and United are hoping the influential deal-maker Chris Nathaniel can help to convince Gremio that they risk getting nothing at all if they continue to play hardball. Nathaniel, whose extensive list of clients includes Rio Ferdinand and Robinho, is prominently involved with Costa and has spent the last few days in Brazil, in the process holding extensive talks with Gremio’s hierarchy.

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Manchester City are also aware of Costa’s burgeoning reputation but they, too, regard Gremio’s demands as exorbitant and would rather pay significant transfer fees for established players. United’s policy is different, targeting players below the age of 25 if large sums are involved, and Costa fits into their transfer strategy as a young, talented footballer whose value should feasibly go up in future years, just as happened with Cristiano Ronaldo, who was 18 when he signed from Sporting Lisbon.

Costa, a Brazil under-20 international, has other admirers in Spain and Italy but has indicated he would like to move to England and become United’s fourth signing of their summer, following Luis Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan to Old Trafford.

Carlos Alberto, Brazil’s outspoken World Cup-winning captain in 1970, recently accused United of “raping Brazilian football” and urged Fifa to intervene to prevent the country’s best young players from being lured away by Europe’s leading clubs.

United, however, are proud of their expansive operation in South America, having plucked three Brazilian players – Rafael and Fabio da Silva plus Rodrigo Possebon – from relative obscurity in the past two years.

Costa, who joined Gremio at the age of 11 and is contracted to the club until February 2013, helped Brazil to victory in the South American Youth Championship in January and February, scoring three goals in the process, but United’s interest in the player dates back more than a year before that. Gremio is the club where Ronaldinho made his breakthrough and Costa has obvious similarities in terms of his ability to run with the ball and beat opponents from his favoured role between midfield and attack, as well as being a free-kick specialist.

Any deal would be dependent on the player receiving a work permit but United have never had significant problems obtaining the necessary paperwork in the past.

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City set to pull out of Eto’o bid

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

• Deadline set for close of play tonight
• Club more optimistic about John Terry

Manchester City’s difficulties in trying to capture the marquee signings they crave have brought them to the point of abandoning their pursuit of Samuel Eto’o. The club have set a deadline of close of business tonight to get a definitive answer from the Barcelona striker. Otherwise they plan to withdraw their £25.5m bid.

Unless there is a late change of heart on the part of the Cameroonian, Eto’o's name will be added to a lengthening list of superstars who have rejected City’s “project” despite being offered huge sums in wages. Franck Ribéry and David Villa have turned the club down this summer and in January, City aborted an attempt to sign Kaka from Milan for £93m.

Mark Hughes, City’s manager, had spoken of the need for “patience” over Eto’o but the player’s prevarication – he led City to believe he was keen before appearing to change his mind and then declining to give a clear answer – was beginning to affect City’s rebuilding plans. Eto’o wanted perhaps as much as 50% of the transfer fee as a signing-on fee, on the basis that he could leave Barcelona on a free next year. An already complex issue has been held up by his wrangling with Barcelona and City have decided they cannot devote any more time to it, even though Eto’o has also turned down a contract in Spain.

Garry Cook, City’s chief executive, said: “Samuel Eto’o is undoubtedly a fine footballer but the circumstances surrounding him were such that the deal could not be completed. We now feel the time is right to pursue other avenues and we have a clear and strategic transfer plan, which we continue to follow.”

Cook was also referring to City’s belief that they might have better luck in their attempt to sign John Terry from Chelsea. Terry took part in a training session at Cobham and though Chelsea insist they are relaxed on the issue, City are encouraged by what they hear from the middle men they have employed to sound out Terry and his advisers.

City have signed Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry but Cook is desperate to bring in another established superstar.

“People have come to realise that you don’t go from 0-100mph in no time at all, and expect everything to fit into place,” he said. “We are talking about players of the very highest calibre on the global football stage. You can’t have everybody. The market has been relatively slow. People have been talking about lots of things going on, but the only people doing much are Real Madrid and City – wonderful company to keep, I might add.

“We have always said we will keep our workings internal, and don’t openly discuss any of that information. It’s a good strategy and maintains our dignity, because at the end of the day we will be playing with the very best clubs in the world and we want to behave like one of the best clubs in the world.”

Chelsea would like the issue resolved by the time they travel to the US for a four-game tour next Thursday.

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Benítez criticises Barry decision

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

• Liverpool manager unhappy at Barry’s choice of Man City
• Alonso and Mascherano get tacit warning about loyalty

Rafael Benítez laid bare his anger at the disruption to Liverpool’s transfer strategy yesterday when he accused Gareth Barry of joining Manchester City “100% for money” and demanded greater loyalty from two potential departures, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano.

The Liverpool manager remains livid with Barry for favouring City’s ambitions above Champions League football at Anfield, having spent 12 months attempting to lure the England international from Aston Villa. Benítez was caught cold by Barry’s £12m move to City as soon as the transfer window reopened last month and, despite the midfielder’s protestations that he wanted to avoid a repeat of last year’s saga with Liverpool, believes the decision was based entirely on the offer of £130,000 a week. City’s package is at least £30,000 a week more than Barry would have earned at Anfield and, Benítez argued, tempted the former Villa captain to make the wrong career move.

“Maybe it’s just me but in this market, the top level, I don’t think money is the most important thing,” the Liverpool manager said. “At this level everyone earns big money. The question is do you make the right decisions and do what is best for your career? If it’s just for money sometimes you will make mistakes and I’ve been surprised by some decisions this summer – like Barry. I won’t say too much but it was clearly 100% for money. The most important thing for me, though, is the passion of the players.”

Barry’s transfer was beyond Benítez’s control but he is determined to dictate the futures of Alonso and Mascherano, two midfielders under contract at Anfield but coveted by Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Liverpool have not received an offer from either of the Spanish giants for their midfield pair, despite almost daily declarations of intent from the Bernabéu and Camp Nou, and Benítez is adamant he will not be forced into a sale either by his players or their suitors.

Liverpool’s hardball stance could change if they receive a staggering offer from Real or Barcelona and a transfer request from Alonso or Mascherano in the coming weeks. Benítez, however, is aggrieved at the uncertainty surrounding two influential players, and the fact it is largely of the midfielders’ own making, with his transfer strategy now heavily dependent on whether Alonso and/or Mascherano stay or leave. The Liverpool manager said: “When you are the manager of a top side you can tell players that they are staying. You have to decide about the way to do things but I don’t have a problem with that. We have to be strong enough and, if we have to be, we will be. Both players are under contract and we are really pleased about that.

“Don’t forget we signed Alonso from Real Sociedad when nobody knew about him and we renewed his contract two years ago, so he was happy then, and you know what happened with Mascherano at West Ham before we brought him here. Both players owe a lot to Liverpool. They owe Liverpool some loyalty and they both know that.”

Benítez would not divulge what his response would be should Alonso or Mascherano submit a transfer request, however. “That is not the case at the moment,” he added. “At the moment we are pleased with them. I don’t know what can happen but both players are under contract.”

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Van Persie agrees new Arsenal deal

July 8th, 2009 | No Comments

• Dutch striker Van Persie signs long-term contract
• ‘Arsenal have a bright future and I want to be part of it’

Robin van Persie has agreed a new long-term deal with Arsenal, the club has confirmed. The 25-year-old Dutchman was the Gunners’ leading scorer last season with 20 goals from 44 appearances.

While the terms of the new contract for Van Persie, who joined Arsenal from Feyenoord in 2004, have not been disclosed, it is believed to be worth around £80,000 a week, which would make the Holland international one of the highest-paid players at the Emirates.

“I have been at the club for five years now and there really is a great feeling here at Arsenal,” said Van Persie. “We have a top-class manager, a squad full of superb young players, a world-class stadium and brilliant supporters. Arsenal have a very bright future and I want to be part of it.”

Van Persie also suggested he could now end his career at the north London club: “My heart is with Arsenal and I just can’t picture myself in a different shirt. I just can’t see it now because I love this club so much.

“If you look at the last five years, look at the steps I have made every season, if you look at the support the boss and the whole club gave me, the fans gave me, my team-mates gave me – this is the right decision.”

Much like the captain Cesc Fábregas, Van Persie has often talked of the need for Arsenal to turn their potential into silverware. The manager, Arsène Wenger, firmly believes Van Persie is crucial to helping the Gunners, who reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, make that crucial next step.

“It is fantastic news that Robin has committed his long-term future to Arsenal. We are all delighted,” said Wenger. “He is a hugely gifted player and has the talent and goalscoring ability to win matches at the very top level.

“We have already seen many times what Robin is capable of on a football pitch, but at only 25, there is still much more to come from him. Robin has the potential to become a true Arsenal great.”

Arsenal, meanwhile, appear to have missed out on one of his transfer targets Felipe Melo. Reports in Italy have suggested that Fiorentina’s Brazilian midfielder is now close to agreeing a move to Juventus.

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ESPN to launch British channel

July 7th, 2009 | No Comments

ESPN’s new service for Premier League football will replace ESPN America in the UK and is also to be offered in HD

US sports broadcaster ESPN has today confirmed that it is to launch a new British channel in early August to show the 46 live Premier League matches it won last month following the collapse of Setanta.

The new channel, which will simply be called ESPN, will launch on 3 August ahead of the start of the new Premier League season on 15 August.

For residential customers, ESPN will be available on a premium subscription basis, for £9 a month to Sky Sports subscribers and for £12 a month to other Sky customers.

Disney-owned ESPN’s new UK channel will replace ESPN America on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable TV electronic programme guides.

The new channel will appear on the Sky electronic programme guide at number 417 with a high definition service at number 443. This will be ESPN’s first European HD channel.

A spokesman for ESPN said the broadcaster was also looking at acquiring other rights for the new UK channel.

“We are interested in rights when they become available and when they make business sense. If we were to acquire additional live rights for the UK market, it is likely they would be broadcast on this [ESPN] channel,” he added.

It is understood ESPN is looking at acquiring other UK sports rights previously held by Setanta, including live Scottish Premier League matches.

ESPN Classic, which shows great sporting moments, will remain on the EPG at number 442.

A range of US and international sports coverage broadcast on ESPN America will continue to feature on the new channel. It is thought that ESPN America could return at a later date as a separate UK channel in another EPG slot.

BSkyB, which owns the rights to show the remaining 92 live Premier League matches next season, will sell the new ESPN channel to both its residential and commercial customers alongside its own Sky Sports services.

The Sky Sports in-house production team will produce ESPN’s Premier League matches, while Sky’s advertising sales house will sell the advertising inventory. ESPN will produce its own graphics, analysis and additional programming.

ESPN won the right to show 46 live Premier League matches for the 2009/10 season, and 23 matches a season for the following three years, following a hastily arranged auction after previous owner Setanta went into administration last month.

“We hope football and sports fans will enjoy ESPN’s compelling mix of Barclays Premier League football, international sports and the best of the US sports in both SD [standard definition] and HD,” said Lynne Frank, ESPN’s managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“We look forward to working with Sky to deliver great sports content to their subscribers and will continue our discussions with all other pay-TV providers so that we can bring ESPN to as many sports fans in the UK as possible.”   

Mike Darcey, Sky’s chief operating officer, added: “Our agreement with ESPN to retail its portfolio of sports channels ensures that we have certainty of distribution of all live Premier League matches to Sky homes, and further adds to the high-quality sports content our customers can enjoy, both in standard- and high-definition.”

ESPN International now includes more than 45 television networks outside of the US in 200 countries and territories.

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‘Terry will be Chelsea captain for ever’

July 6th, 2009 | No Comments

• He wants to be at Chelsea next season, says Ancelotti
• New manager compares Terry to Milan great Paolo Maldini

Chelsea’s latest manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has stated that there is “no price” for John Terry and that the centre-half will remain captain of the club. Manchester City have been repeatedly linked with a move for the player, with some reports claiming that they would double his wages.

“I think that Terry is a symbol of the team,” he said. “Naturally he will be the captain next time; he says he wants to be at Chelsea next season and we want to keep him forever. There is no price – he will be captain of Chelsea forever.

“There is no problem. For him, for us, the story continues for Chelsea. For captain I would like to have Terry. He is very close to [Paolo] Maldini in professionalism and I would like to keep him as captain.”

Maldini lifted the European Cup twice as Milan’s captain during Ancelotti’s time as manager at San Siro and is widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of his generation. Ancelotti is aware that his record in Europe was one one of the factors that got him the job and he said: “I am here for this, to win the Champions League,” he said. “I think this is the great competition in the world.”

Ancelotti, who was speaking in halting English after a crash-course in the language, added that he does not expect many changes in the club’s playing staff, but he did announce the arrival of the Russian left-winger Yuri Zhirkov and confirmed that Manchester City’s Daniel Sturridge and Middlesbrough’s Ross Turnbull had joined the club. He said he does not expect the team to change much as they are a great side already.

“I think that Zhirkov, Sturridge and Turnbull will be Chelsea players now. I know a lot of Zhirkov, not so much Sturridge and Turnbull. But I am looking forward to working with them,” he said.

When asked if he would be making bids for Milan’s forward Pato or the Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, Ancelotti remained uncommitted. “I don’t want to talk about other players,” he said. “If there is a good situation for us we can tray and improve the team. I don’t want to talk about them because they are Milan players.

“I don’t think [there will be many changes] because Chelsea are a great team now. If you can improve this it would be better for me and the club.”

It remains to be seen whether Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are part of Ancelotti’s plans. The Portugal internationals have been linked with Inter, but the Italian club appear to have cooled their interest in the pair. Ancelotti indicated that Shevchenko is the most likely to leave. “Shevchenko will come in London on July 9 and will work with us in preseason and at this moment we speak with him to find the right solution for us,” Ancelotti said. “Carvalho and Deco are Chelsea players. If in the future a player wants to go, they have to speak with the club and we take the right decision for the player and for us.”

Ancelotti, who was in good humour throughout, brushed off any suggestions that he is concerned about being Chelsea’s fifth manager in five years and said he just wants to get on with the job. “I am anxious to start because I like my work. I like to start now a new experience. I’ve found a very good organisation and young people to work with me.”

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Owen joins Man Utd on two-year deal

July 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

• Owen signing takes just three days for United to complete
• ‘A fantastic opportunity and one I will seize with both hands’

Michael Owen tonight signed a two-year contract with Manchester United after completing a rigorous medical examination to dispel some of the concerns surrounding his injury problems.

Owen underwent a series of medical checks at a private hospital in Manchester this afternoon before travelling to the club’s training ground in Carrington to finalise the deal which, as a free agent, will not cost United a transfer fee.

The lightning move by Sir Alex Ferguson caught the football world by surprise, the move being done and dusted in the space of three days. “I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me. I agreed without a moment’s thought,” said Owen. “This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands.”

United were able to confirm late this evening that the England striker will be joining Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Luis Antonio Valencia in a new-look attack, and the club have pencilled in a press conference to unveil him either next Friday or the following Monday.

“I am now looking forward to being a United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. I missed pre-season last year and am pleased that I will be starting at Carrington from day one,” the 29-year-old said.

His debut is likely to be the first game of United’s tour to south-east Asia, against a Malaysia XI on 18 July. His first appearance at Old Trafford will be on 5 August when Valencia come to Manchester for a pre-season friendly.

Ferguson welcomed the new arrival by saying: “Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question. Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish.”

His contract at Old Trafford is based on bonuses for playing and scoring but Owen has been happy to take a huge pay cut from his £110,000-a-week salary at Newcastle.

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Owen arrives for United medical

July 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

• Owen expected to join United if he comes through medical
• Striker has left Carrington for more tests at a hospital

Michael Owen is expected to complete his shock move to Manchester United this evening once final medical checks have been conducted. The former Newcastle and England striker spent the day at the club’s Carrington training complex but left early in the afternoon in a black Audi 4×4 to attend a south Manchester hospital for more tests.

Owen, whose contract with the Magpies expired at the end of June, had a medical examination yesterday to assess the troublesome knee which has troubled him since suffering the injury at the 2006 World Cup. However, it is anticipated the ex-Liverpool forward will return to Carrington this evening when he will officially be confirmed as a United player.

Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle but did not find the net after January. He will be extremely motivated to prove his critics wrong but would nevertheless represent a major gamble for United and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. United have sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m while Carlos Tevez has also left the club after his loan deal expired.

United have already signed Luis Antonio Valencia from Wigan for £16m in what promises to be a busy summer at Old Trafford. They did, however, miss out on signing the Lyon striker Karim Benzema, who joined Real Madrid this week for £30m.

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Owen on verge of shock United move

July 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

• 29-year-old could have medical today
• United hope striker can rebuild career with champions

Michael Owen is on the verge of an astonishing move to Manchester United to supply some of the goals that have been lost in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving Old Trafford. Owen, recently linked with Stoke City and Hull City and written off in many quarters as a has-been, was holding talks with the Premier League champions and will complete one of the most unexpected transfers of the summer if he passes a stringent medical examination.

That is expected to take place today when, if everything goes according to plan, United hope to announce they are willing to take on a striker whose career had seemed to be in an irreversible tailspin. Owen is a free agent after coming to the end of his contract at Newcastle United and his stock has fallen so much over a dismal season that, until now, he has been linked only with clubs in the lower half of the Premier League table.

Owen even faced the ignominy this week of the Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, saying he would not try to sign him because the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player could not be guaranteed to play 30 games a season. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, appears to be untroubled by the forward’s various injury problems and is keen to reunite him with Wayne Rooney, his former strike partner for the England national team until Fabio Capello decided that Owen was no longer worthy of a place in the squad. Everton have been monitoring Owen’s potential availability but were informed that they had effectively been gazumped.

The transfer is likely to prompt a mixed reaction among United supporters given Owen’s past with Liverpool and, more pertinently, the fact that he has become recognised as a player on the wane.

Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle, but he cost them £41m in total when putting together his wages and his transfer fee, and was dropped by the club’s interim manager, Alan Shearer, during the run-in to their relegation. He has not scored since January and, as his reputation has plummeted, his representatives appeared to have had so little confidence in finding a major club that would be willing to sign him they produced a 32-page brochure to persuade prospective buyers that he was worth a punt.

Ferguson is unlikely to have needed a glossy supplement, however, to know all about Owen’s ability, having closely followed his career since the player was at school. Liverpool got in ahead of United after Ferguson could not arrange a deal with the player’s father, Terry, and sources close to the Old Trafford manager have indicated that he has always regarded Owen as one that got away.

Even so, it represents a significant gamble on the part of Ferguson given the way Owen, at 29, has become more synonymous with injuries and high wages than the goals that once made him one of the more feared strikers in European football. There have also been misgivings about Owen’s commitment to his professional life, with the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, recently questioning whether the player was spending too much time indulging his love of horse racing.

None of these concerns appears to have registered with Ferguson, though, as he contemplates rebuilding his frontline in the aftermath of Ronaldo’s £80m transfer to Real Madrid and the Manchester City-bound Tevez severing his ties with Old Trafford. Karim Benzema, the France international striker, has moved to Real Madrid and United have ruled out other attackers such as Samuel Eto’o and Franck Ribéry because of a long-term decision not to sign players aged 26 or older for large fees because of the way their potential sell-on transfer values would then drop.

United are so determined to keep to this rule that Dimitar Berbatov, who was 27 when he signed from Tottenham for £30m last September, has been described as the “last of his kind”, but Owen’s situation, as a free agent, means these restrictions do not apply. He is clearly intent on showing that he can still play at the highest level judging by his comments last week. “I’ve got skin thicker than 99.9% of the population and I have got used to it,” he said. “I’ll come back. I’ll play well and score goals once more.” Few could have imagined him doing so in a Manchester United shirt.

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It’s Real or nothing, says Ribéry

July 2nd, 2009 | No Comments

• Chelsea and Manchester United set for another snub
• France midfielder intent on leaving Bayern Munich

Chelsea and Manchester United’s hopes of signing Franck Ribéry appear to be receding, with the France midfielder saying he wants to leave Bayern Munich and join Real Madrid.

Ribéry is quoted today in L’Equipe saying: “I have made up my mind, I want to leave. It will be Real or nothing. I will wait to see how things pan out but I would like to hold talks with the Bayern management soon.”

Chelsea had identified Ribéry as a possible headline signing but feared that his compatriot Zinedine Zidane, now a special adviser at Real, would use his influence to bring the 26-year-old to the Bernabéu.

Manchester United have also been linked with Ribéry although their new policy of signing only players under 26 had made Old Trafford a less likely destination.

Ribéry’s compatriot Karim Benzema has already agreed to join the Spanish side from Lyon and become Real’s third major signing of the summer after the arrivals of Kaka from Milan and Cristiano Ronaldo from United.

Bayern officials have repeatedly said Ribéry, who joined them in 2007 from Marseille, is not for sale. Their general manager Uli Hoeness does not believe Ribéry’s desire to leave alters their position. “Does Franck want to go to Real?” he asked. “For us, that changes absolutely anything. Life is not always a fairytale. Real have not made us a specific proposal and we do not need their money.”

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Real Madrid seal £30m Benzema deal

July 1st, 2009 | No Comments

• Lyon sell forward in deal which could be worth over £35m
• Cristiano Ronaldo has inauspicious first day at the club

Real Madrid’s extraordinary and relentless summer spending spree continued to send reverberations through the football world last night when the club agreed a £30m deal to sign the France striker Karim Benzema, a transfer that takes their spending beyond £180m since Florentino Pérez was reappointed as their galáctico-obsessed president a month ago.

Pérez has now signed Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m, Kaka for £59m, Raúl Albiol for £13m and brought in the man regarded as the most exciting young player in France, in a deal that could rise to £35.2m depending on his success at the Bernabéu.

Benzema, the scorer of 23 goals in Ligue 1 last season, has been heavily linked with Arsenal and, particularly, Manchester United but Sir Alex Ferguson’s long-standing admiration for the 21-year-old Lyon player never manifested itself in the form of a concerted attempt to bring him to Old Trafford as a replacement for Carlos Tevez.

Instead, United have left Madrid unchallenged to add yet another striker to their already bloated squad. “We know his importance and his efficiency in our squad,” Claude Puel, the Lyon coach, said. “He’s an exceptional player but we also know the financial figures of the club.”

Lyon said in a statement: “The player wishes to take the opportunity offered to him by Real Madrid to become one of the key players in an ambitious new policy involving several of the world’s biggest players. Lyon has accepted Karim Benzema’s decision and negotiated the terms of a transfer which satisfies all sides.”

Benzema, who has helped Lyon win four Ligue 1 titles and has already accumulated 24 caps for France, scoring six goals in the process, was finalising the deal in Madrid tonight while, back in England, Ferguson’s options now appear to have receded even further as he contemplates starting the season with only two senior strikers, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

Ronaldo’s transfer was officially formalised today, with United receiving the money in one lump sum, and the indications from Old Trafford are that Ferguson is happy to sit on the money for the time being, despite having already spent £16m on signing Luis Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic.

“Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United,” Ferguson said in a statement. “His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.

“His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over. Everyone here wishes him well in his future career.”

Ronaldo’s new career as a Madrid player had an inauspicious start, however, when he allegedly smashed a car window after being followed by photographers in Lisbon. A 17-year-old woman was reportedly hurt by flying glass and has filed a complaint to the police.

“He [the photographer] chased me by car from the Ritz Hotel with my mother in the car with me and they filmed all our actions,” Ronaldo said on the website of Gestifute, the agency that represents him. “The chase so perturbed my mother that I had to stop and convince them to leave us.” Reports suggested Ronaldo smashed the window with a single kick. A spokesperson for Lisbon police declined to comment.

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Man City make £25.5m bid for Eto’o

June 28th, 2009 | No Comments

• Samuel Eto’o has been offered a £180,000-a-week deal
• Hughes’ City spending is set to hit £200m

Manchester City have made a formal £25.5m bid for the Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o and put together a “stratospheric offer” to make him the highest-paid player in English football.

Eto’o, one of the most prolific attackers of his generation and the scorer of the first goal when Barcelona beat Manchester United in last season’s Champions League final, will earn a weekly salary in the region of £180,000 if he can be persuaded to take part in the next phase of City’s relentless and financially driven campaign to be recognised as one of Europe’s elite clubs.

The capture of such an acclaimed player would be another significant coup for City but it also tells only part of the story, with the manager, Mark Hughes, on the verge of taking his spending through the £200m mark by signing Carlos Tevez to play alongside Eto’o. Both players have informed City that they want to join the revolution and, if everything goes according to plan, City will have taken their summer spending to £80m by the time the players report back for pre-season training.

“Eto’o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best-paid player in the world,” Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, said. “It’s starting to become clear that he has this monster offer. He wants to stay but an offer like this is very difficult to refuse. If Eto’o accepts this stratospheric offer, we will have to bring in someone. If Eto’o accepts Manchester City’s mammoth offer, we will need another striker.”

The man Barcelona want is David Villa at Valencia, once a target of Hughes until it became clear he wanted to stay in Spain, while Laporta said a deal for the 20-year-old Keirrison of Palmeiras was close to being agreed, the reported fee being €15m (£12.8m).

City have remained determined to bring in another established superstar and a £25.5m offer is worthy of Laporta’s superlatives, given that the player in question is 28 and in the final year of his contract.

Over a five-year contract Eto’o would earn around £45m which, contrary to what Laporta says, is not as lucrative as some of the salaries on offer at Real Madrid. But it would see him replace Robinho as the best-paid player in the Premier League and might make up for any misgivings the Cameroonian has about joining a club that will not be involved in Europe next season.

City have already signed Roque Santa Cruz for £17m from Blackburn Rovers and, with Tevez, Robinho, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips all on board, Hughes would then have legitimate claims to boasting one of the most exciting and dangerous attacking line-ups of any club in the world. Tevez’s two-year loan agreement at Manchester United officially expires on Tuesday and the Argentinian has provisionally agreed a £140,000-a-week contract to move across the city.

Ironically the first-team place he craves may now be anything but guaranteed but Tevez must also be impressed by City’s ambition at a time when the club’s billionaire owners in Abu Dhabi are living up to their promise to back Hughes’s judgment in the transfer market.

Hughes, who returns from a family holiday on Tuesday, was determined to get his transfer business done early in the summer and has also signed two players from Aston Villa, the England international Gareth Barry for £12m and Stuart Taylor, as a back-up goalkeeper for Shay Given.

The club have resigned themselves to John Terry staying at Chelsea, despite being led to believe for most of last season that the England captain wanted, at the very least, to hear of their plans. However, they believe they have the financial muscle to make Everton back down over the proposed transfer of Joleon Lescott, even if it might cost around £20m.

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Man City make £25.5m bid for Eto’o

June 28th, 2009 | No Comments

• Samuel Eto’o has been offered a £180,000-a-week deal
• City’s summer transfer spending is set to hit £200m

Manchester City have made a formal £25.5m bid for the Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o and put together a “stratospheric offer” to make him the highest-paid player in English football.

Eto’o, one of the most prolific attackers of his generation and the scorer of the first goal when Barcelona beat Manchester United in last season’s Champions League final, will earn a weekly salary in the region of £180,000 if he can be persuaded to take part in the next phase of City’s relentless and financially driven campaign to be recognised as one of Europe’s elite clubs.

The capture of such an acclaimed player would be another significant coup for City but it also tells only part of the story, with the manager, Mark Hughes, on the verge of taking his spending through the £200m mark by signing Carlos Tevez to play alongside Eto’o. Both players have informed City that they want to join the revolution and, if everything goes according to plan, City will have taken their summer spending to £80m by the time the players report back for pre-season training.

“Eto’o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best-paid player in the world,” Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, said. “It’s starting to become clear that he has this monster offer. He wants to stay but an offer like this is very difficult to refuse. If Eto’o accepts this stratospheric offer, we will have to bring in someone. If Eto’o accepts Manchester City’s mammoth offer, we will need another striker.”

The man Barcelona want is David Villa at Valencia, once a target of Hughes until it became clear he wanted to stay in Spain, while Laporta said a deal for the 20-year-old Keirrison of Palmeiras was close to being agreed, the reported fee being €15m (£12.8m).

City have remained determined to bring in another established superstar and a £25.5m offer is worthy of Laporta’s superlatives, given that the player in question is 28 and in the final year of his contract.

Over a five-year contract Eto’o would earn around £45m which, contrary to what Laporta says, is not as lucrative as some of the salaries on offer at Real Madrid. But it would see him replace Robinho as the best-paid player in the Premier League and might make up for any misgivings the Cameroonian has about joining a club that will not be involved in Europe next season.

City have already signed Roque Santa Cruz for £17m from Blackburn Rovers and, with Tevez, Robinho, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips all on board, Hughes would then have legitimate claims to boasting one of the most exciting and dangerous attacking line-ups of any club in the world. Tevez’s two-year loan agreement at Manchester United officially expires on Tuesday and the Argentinian has provisionally agreed a £140,000-a-week contract to move across the city.

Ironically the first-team place he craves may now be anything but guaranteed but Tevez must also be impressed by City’s ambition at a time when the club’s billionaire owners in Abu Dhabi are living up to their promise to back Hughes’s judgment in the transfer market.

Hughes, who returns from a family holiday on Tuesday, was determined to get his transfer business done early in the summer and has also signed two players from Aston Villa, the England international Gareth Barry for £12m and Stuart Taylor, as a back-up goalkeeper for Shay Given.

The club have resigned themselves to John Terry staying at Chelsea, despite being led to believe for most of last season that the England captain wanted, at the very least, to hear of their plans. However, they believe they have the financial muscle to make Everton back down over the proposed transfer of Joleon Lescott, even if it might cost around £20m.

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