AC Milan launch £20M bid for Chelsea
ace Drogba
tribalfooball.com - August 29, 2006
AC Milan have launched a £20 million bid for Chelsea striker Didier
Drogba.
Gazzetta dello Sport says Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani
instructed an agent to make the offer after a conversation with
Drogba yesterday.
Galliani bumped into the Ivorian at a restaurant during dinner and
spoke with the Chelsea man for 15 minutes.
After the chance meeting, Galliani is reported to have given one of
Milan's agents the green light to contact Chelsea about a £20
million bid.
Maniche to sign three-year deal with
Atletico
MADRID, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Portugal midfielder Maniche will sign
for three years with Atletico Madrid after the Primera Liga side
reached an agreement with the player's club Dynamo Moscow on
Tuesday.
Atletico said on their Web site that the 28-year-old, who spent a
six-month loan spell at Chelsea last season, would be presented on
Wednesday after undergoing a medical at the club.
He will be reunited with former Dynamo team mates Costinha and
Yourkas Seitaridis who joined Atletico in the close season.
Atletico, who newspapers said will spend nine million euros ($11.54
million) for the central midfielder, have been one of the biggest
spenders in the Primera Liga in the close season.
They forked out a club record 23 million euros for Argentine
teenager Sergio Aguero and another 17 million on other new signings
including Spain Under-21 international Jurado and former Valencia
striker Mista.
The Maniche deal will bring their close-season expenditure to close
to 50 million euros.
Maniche won the Champions League and UEFA Cup while at Porto under
Jose Mourinho and added an English league title to his honours when
he was reunited with the Portuguese coach at Chelsea last
season.
He joined Dynamo from Porto in May 2005 for a Russian record
transfer fee of 16 million euros, together with fellow Portugal
international Costinha but never settled at the club.
The midfielder is a mainstay of the Portuguese national side and
was part of team that reached semi-finals of the World
Cup.
Spurs splash out for Wigan fullback
Chimbonda
tribalfooball.com - August 29, 2006
Tottenham have clinched a deal for Wigan Athletic defender Pascal
Chimbonda.
The Sun says Spurs have agreed a ?5m deal with Wigan for full-back
Chimbonda, with ?3.75m up front and the rest based on
appearances.
Chimbonda, 27, got his wish after angering Wigan by slapping in a
transfer request on the final day of last season.
Korean full-back Lee Young Pyo is now expected to move to Roma as
the makeweight in Mido's return to North London
Man Utd to make final £18M Hargreaves
offer
tribalfooball.com - August 29, 2006
Manchester United will make a final bid for Bayern Munich
midfielder Owen Hargreaves before tomorrow's transfer
deadline.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is fed up that weeks of negotiations
with Bayern over Hargreaves have failed to lead to a deal.
And the player has now had the onus put on him to get the Germans
to agree - or risk seeing his dream move to the Premiership come to
nothing.
Ferguson wants to make a final ?18m bid before the transfer window
closes at midnight tomorrow, despite the player's agent claiming
Bayern have won their battle to keep him.
Hargreaves, 25, had hoped to bide his time in Munich and wait for
United to return when the window reopens in January.
But Fergie has ruled that out, fearing the midfielder will have
become cup-tied for the Champions League.
United also refuse to be dragged through the same saga with Bayern
next summer.
Hargreaves may even have become surplus to requirements in 12
months' time if the likes of Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea and
youngster David Jones continue to progress at Old
Trafford.
Spurs trump West Ham for
Malbranque
tribalfooball.com - August 29, 2006
Tottenham have reportedly trumped West Ham for Fulham midfielder
Steed Malbranque.
The Sun says Spurs boss Martin Jol completed a hectic day of
transfer activity when he hijacked Malbranque's ?2.5million move
from Fulham to West Ham.
Hammers boss Alan Pardew was confident of signing French midfielder
Malbranque this week.
But the player made it clear he preferred a move to White Hart Lane
and expects to sign a ?30,000-a-week contract today.
Malbranque, 26, will become the final piece in Jol's jigsaw after a
dismal start to the new season.
He has been out in the cold at Fulham since refusing to sign a new
Craven Cottage contract.
Now Malbranque will fill the gap on the left of Tottenham's
midfield after Jol abandoned his pursuit of Middlesbrough's England
winger Stewart Downing.
His move to White Hart Lane will be a kick in the teeth for West
Ham following Michael Carrick's ?18.6m switch to Manchester United
this month.
The Hammers received just ?3m when they sold Carrick to Spurs two
years ago.
But they failed to insert a sell-on clause into the deal and
watched Spurs pocket a ?15.6m profit on the player.
It is that money which has financed Spurs' sudden burst of transfer
activity which also included the signings of Mido and Pascal
Chimbonda.
Spurs up bid for Real Madrid powerhouse
Baptista
tribalfooball.com - August 28, 2006
Tottenham have made an improved bid for Real Madrid utility Julio
Baptista.
Spurs have made an increased bid of £13.5 million for Real Madrid's
Baptista, 24. Boss Martin Jol's offer matches the fee Real paid
Seville for the Brazilian last summer and is likely to be
accepted.
If Jol succeeds it will be a massive victory over arch-rivals
Arsenal. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger went all out to sign the Samba
ace last summer before he opted for Real.
Jol wants to pair Baptista with his midfield pitbull Edgar
Davids.
Man Utd make £10M offer for Juventus ace
Trezeguet
tribalfooball.com - August 28, 2006
Manchester United have made a £10 million bid for Juventus star
striker David Trezeguet.
The French international striker wants a move following the Turin
side's enforced relegation to the Italian Serie B after the
match-fixing scandal.
Yesterday Trezeguet's father - who also acts as his agent - met
with Red Devils officials about a possible move before the transfer
window closes on Thursday.
Juve president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has privately admitted that
United have made a bid for the 28-year-old player, says The
Sun.
That is believed to be in the region of ?10million, although Juve
are said to be demanding ?17m.
