All the latest football news and gossip from around the world.
Manchester City have agreed to buy Nasri for £23m from Arsenal according to reports. The deal is expected to go through withing the next 48 hours. Manchester United has looked like favourites to land the Frenchman, especially after he revealed he would like to join the current Premier League champions. But moneybags City are thought to have offered the player wages he couldn’t refuse plus bonuses.
Meanwhile Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has told Barcelona that they can have Cesc Fabregas for £35m, despite saying yesterday that he ‘would do all that he can to keep the two star players.’ Some fans were seen outside the club yesterday waving banners to keep the players, one furious fan said “look at how we performed last season towards the end, and now they are going to sell two of our best players. it want be long before other star players leave like Jack Wilshere and Ramsey.”
Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner are expected to leave the club in the summer transfer window after reports they could be left out of their clubs one week tour.
Manchester City are getting busy again in the transfer window, and have made a bid to sign Athletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero and Inter Milan’s Eto’o in a double swoop worth around £58m, which could also see Tevez being included in a swap deal with Inter.
City were celebrating last night after they announced they were set for a £400m cash injection in a new sponsorship deal with Etihad.
Kenny Dalglish is turning his attentions to Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia after running out of patience in trying to sign Stewart Downing and with his club Aston Villa slapping a £20m price tag on him. The Liverpool boss is also trying to sign goalkeeper Doni of Roma
Aston Villa are also keen on signing N’Zogbia but wont be able to match Liverpool’s wages it is understood. Manchester City keeper Shay Given is also being lined up after he lost his place to Joe Hart last season.
Chelsea have pulled out in their bid to sign Luka Modric of Tottenaham and have turned to Marko Marin as they player they want to sign. Marin currently plays for German side Werder Bremen, although the 22 year old midfield star would cost Chelsea at least £30m to sign.
Meanwhile Chelsea’s Michael Essien will miss all of next season after he injured himself during a training session on Friday afternoon. The midfield player is thought to have damaged his knee ligaments again and will be out for at least 6-8 months the club said.
All The Latest Football News and Transfers….
Cesc Fabregas is heading for a crunch meeting with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger next Tuesday. The 24 year old Spanish star is expected to tell Wenger that he wants to leave the club and join his former club Barcelona before the new season starts.
There have been rumours for the past few seasons about Cesc leaving but nothing has ever come of them, but this time it looks almost certain that he will be heading to the Spanish giants, with Barcelona hoping to have a deal ready for him by the end of the week. It is thought that Arsenal are holding out for at least £40m for the player. Barcelona have put in a £35m bid so far.
The deal will become a hugh blow to the Arsenal fans who have just lost Gael Clichy to Manchester City for £7m and it also looks like Samir Nasri will be on his way out behind Fabregas. Nasri has been reported to say that he wants to join Manchester United and win trophies.
QPR have placed a bid with Liverpool for out of favour Joe Cole. The newly promoted club are a big admirer of the midfielder and are looking for experienced Premier League players to help them stay up next season. The club are also interested on Wayne Routledge of Newcastle United who spent last season on loan with them.
However Newcastle United are also after Joe Cole and Manchester City’s Shaun Wright-Phillips. Newcastle have money to spend in the transfer window after the £35m sale of fans favourite Andy Carroll to Liverpool. United are set to make bids for the players in the coming week.
Tottenaham are facing tough opposition over the signing of ex Man United star Giuseppe Rossi after the players agent reportedly refused to rule out a move to Italian outfit Juventus and AC Milan.
Paris St Germain are ready to make bids for Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov and Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka. The French teams new boss Leonardo is looking to make some big signings this summer. Anelka began his football career at PSG and would be happy to go back there.
Stoke City are the latest club to join the race to sign Welshman Craig Bellamy from Manchester City. The other teams are Sunderland, Blackburn, Fulham, Bolton and Celtic. Bellamy spent half of last season playing his football on loan with Cardiff City in the Championship in which he scored 11 goals out of 36 games.
Profile of Gareth Bale…
Name: Gareth Frank Bale
Age: 21
Position: Left Winger / Left Back
Height: 6ft
D.O.B: 16th July 1989
Club: Tottenham Hotspurs (Spurs)
Nationality: Welsh
Born: Cardiff
Personal Awards:
- PFA Championship Team of the Year: 2006-07
- Football League Young Player of the Year: 2007
- FAW Young Player of the Year: 2007
- E.ON Player of the Round: 2009–10 5th Round
- Premier League Player of the Month: April 2010
- Tottenham Hotspur Football Club ‘Young Player Of The Year’: 2009–10 / 2010–11
- Wales Player of the Year Award: 2010
- BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2010
- BBC Wales Carwyn James Junior Sportsman of the Year Award 2006
- PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2010–11
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2010–11
Best Moment: Scoring a hat trick against Inter Milan in the Champions League
Gareth Bale started his promising career at Southampton in 2006 as a 16 year old boy to become the second youngest player to play for the club, the youngest being that of Theo Walcott. Bale’s first ever goal for the club came on the 6th August the same year, a stunning free kick got the score level to 1-1 against Derby County.
Bale went on to play a total of 45 games for Southampton during two seasons and managed to score 5 goals before being sold to Tottenham in May 2007 for a final figure that reached £7m after an early settlement.
The following season Bale signed a new 4 year deal with the club and was presented the number 3 jersey, but was later dropped from the squad in favour of Assou-Ekotto after some poor performances.
Fast forward to the 2009-2010 season and Bale had started to show some great promise, especially towards the end of the season,which see him named Player Of The Month for April. He then signed a new 4 year deal with the club as a reward for helping Spurs reach the Champions League through the qualification process.
2010/2011 season and Bale was on fire, especially with some impressive wins in the Champions League in which he set up all four goals when they played Young Boys as they beat them 6-3 on aggregate after losing the first game 3-2. He then went on to score an amazing hat trick against Inter Milan after being 3-0 after just 35 minutes at the San Siro. The return leg he set up 2 goals and Spurs knocked Inter out of the competition with a 3-1 win at White Hart Lane. He was later handed the Player Of The Year (PFA) Trophy on 17th April 2011.
After an impressive season Gareth Bale has been linked to numerous clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United. Tottenham however will be keen to keep the Welsh wizzard at all costs.
