Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani to head to AC Milan

Alberto Aquilani, perhaps the most underrated player in the all of the Premier League, looks set to leave Liverpool yet again to Italy as AC Milan secure his services for the upcoming season.
Aquilani will head to Milan on a loan deal where he will serve as the replacement for Juventus signing Andrea Pirlo.

Last season, Aquilani also played in the Serie A with Turin side Juventus. During his time at Juventus, Aquilani made a great impact in the midfield, proving to be one of their best players in the 2010-2011 season.

However, in an absurd act, Juventus did not choose to permanently sign Aquilani, rather letting him return to Liverpool.

Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli commented on the Aquilani move:

"I want to pay tribute to the way Alberto has conducted himself during these discussions...Throughout the entire process, his only desire has been to play football and he has put this ahead of any other considerations and at personal cost to himself. We wish him well for the season ahead."

Aquilani has failed to make an impact at Liverpool, mainly due to the constant run of injuries he had during his time at the club. Performances would indicate he is fit to play in the Liverpool starting XI, but it just wasn't to be for the former Roma man.

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Samir Nasri Set to Complete Manchester City Medical Within a Day

With Cesc Fabregas gone Arsenal would have hoped that they could turn to Frenchmen Samir Nasri to lead Arsenal's attack going forward. However it would seem that the attacking midfielder may just also be on his way out. In turn he would be the third major loss at the Emirates this transfer window (Fabregas and Clichy being the other two).

According to Goal.com Samir Nasri is expected to head over to Etihad to complete a medical, and surely sign off on a contract. He would link up with former Arsenal team mate Gael Clichy who also made the move to Manchester.

The rumours have surfaced after Cesc Fabregas was allowed to leave Arsenal to Barcelona just day ago. Nasri went on to fuel a possible move by not re-signing his contract with Arsenal. The actions have prompted much reaction from the fans, upset at the loyalty being shown towards the club.

After being on the end of an offensive chant from the Arsenal fans in the Newcaslte game, perhaps Nasri does not feel as though he is wanted at Arsenal anymore. Although one would question, where would Nasri fit in at Manchester City. With Aguero making his apparent mark on the English Premier League, David Silva playing extremely well and Dzeko coming into form, there is really no room for Samir Nasri.

Nasri was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year last year, and his loss would leave Arsene Wenger with a great deal of money to be spent before the conclusion of the transfer window. That is, if Arsenal want to realistically challenge for the English Premier League title.

Manchester United Transfer Rumours: Wesley Sneijder Says He Is 'for Sale'

Wesley Sneijder has fueled a possible move away from Inter Milan after stating that he is "for sale if the right offer comes in." The statement made by the Dutch superstar followed Inter's narrow loss to AC Milan in the Coppa Italiana where he had a brilliant free kick.

His comments are expected to refuel interest from Premier League clubs Manchester United and Manchester City as they had inquired about Sneijder earlier in the transfer window.

According to Goal.com Sneijder said that Inter were willing to sell him if the price is right because the club needs money. Just how much money do they need? Well earlier in the transfer window it was reported, also by Goal.com, that Sneijder would be allowed to move with a bid in excess of €40 million.
Sneijder was linked strongly with a move to the Premier League after Manchester United apparently approached the player. Suggestions of such a move were cooled by Sir Alex Ferguson when came out and said they were not interested. Nevertheless, reports in the media continued to suggest a move away from the San Siro.

Manchester City also got themselves involved with Sneijder, but with the signing of Sergio Aguero, Sneijder would most likely oust an already competent player out of the squad. City manager Roberto Mancini also insisted reports of interest in the Dutchman are not true. "He is an Inter Milan player. We never spoke about him," he stated after his team's Community Shield loss.

After their strong performance against Manchester City, Manchester United did not look like a squad in need of a player of Sneijder's calibre. The attacking combinations of Ashley Young, Nani, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck seemed to push forward well against Manchester City. And creativity was definitely not lacking, something which Sneijder is renowned for.

Mario Balotelli Offered a Loan Move to Roma for Upcoming Season

Manchester City haven't been as active on the transfer market this year in comparison to previous years. But out of the few signings City made the biggest of all was Sergio Aguero—another striker. And as things would stand it could pave the way for the exit of Mario Balotelli after just one season with the club.

After signing from Inter Milan, Balotelli hasn't had the greatest of impacts at City. He made 17 league appearances for City, scoring six goals in the process. In that short stint he also received a red card for violent conduct, resulting in a few missed games.

His attitude always proved to be a problem both on and off the pitch. During his time at Inter, Balotelli had numerous falling outs with players, fans and even coaches.

Altercations—sometimes physical—with fans had him in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. More recently it was his attitude on the pitch which caused an uproar. The famous attempt at a back heel backfired and saw Balotelli subbed by Roberto Mancini in the first half in a preseason match with the LA Galaxy.

An argument took place on the sideline as Balotelli tried to justify, what could only be described as, disrespectful play towards the opposition.

However, according to Goal.com Balotelli could be on his way out of Manchester, and back to the league where he made his name. The player has reportedly been offered to Roma on a loan deal.
The deal would see Balotelli link up with the likes of Bojan, to form a new—and young—attacking line in Rome. With Vucinic's move to Juventus imminent it would seem that Balotelli to Roma looks feasible.
The year long deal would give "Super Mario" some extra playing time with Aguero, Dzeko and possibly now Tevez all fighting for the front two roles at City.
Hopefully Balotelli can get back on track.

Hulk Will Not Be Sold, as an €80 Million Bid Gets Rejected by Porto

According to a Goal.com report FC Porto have rejected an €80 Million Bid for striker Hulk. The Brazilian powerhouse really proved himself on the world stage in both Portugal and in the Champions League. As is always the case with performers such as Hulk, the big clubs come calling and in this situation Chelsea and Manchester City look to be hot on his heels.

Hulk's agent Teodoro Fonseca told the Portugese newspaper (Record) "I would be lying if I said there hadn't been offers for the signing of Hulk. I believe the highest was for €80 million, but FC Porto didn't even want to negotiate."

According to ESPNStar, when asked about which club had made a bid for Hulk, Fonesca went on to say that "I cannot reveal that. But it is not hard to see because there are only three or four clubs who are able to present those kind of numbers for a player." With reference to the four clubs the report suggests that AC Milan were also in the market for Hulk.

With Villas-Boas leaving Porto to coach Chelsea, one could assume that Chelsea was most likely the club that bid for the star man. Nevertheless, there is no news or hints from the Chelsea camp with regards to a bid being tabled for Hulk. Any club that is more than desperate to secure the services of Hulk to the upcoming season, can guarantee a release of the player if they bid in excess of €100 million.
Whether Hulk is worth the €80 million let alone €100 million is questionable. However if he is able to produce the 36 goals and 21 assists for the club of his destination, he may just prove to pay for himself.

Charles N'Zogbia Close To Signing for Aston Villa from Wigan

According to ESPN, Wigan has agreed to sell Charles N'Zogbia to Aston Villa for £9.5 million (€10.79 million). The move is close to completion.

A previous bid of £9 million was turned down by Wigan.

After a lacklustre season in 2010/2011 Aston Villa were looking to add some fire power upfront. The signing of Darren Bent was a great acquisition at the halfway mark of last campaign, and now the addition of N'Zogbia will make Villa a real force to be reckoned with as they attempt to climb into Europe.

According to a July 14 Daily Mail report, Aston Villa may also look to acquire Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Over the past few years, Aston Villa have seen their squad change dramatically. With star players such as James Milner, Stewart Downing and Ashley Young leaving the side in recent times, Villa have had some shoes to fill. N'Zogbia has shown his club in the Premier League playing for club side Wigan Athletic. The French international is a real creative spark up front and could prove key in developing a link-up between the midfield and Darren Bent.

Athletic had shown that they are capable of EPL football, finishing off the season last year on a high. With N'Zogbia being the key spark behind that resurgence, do not be surprised to see this bid rejected.

Alexis Sanchez's Move to Barcelona Is a Career Killer and a Waste of Money!

Being an avid watcher of the Serie A in past years, there was no doubt that Alexis Sanchez had the talent to go on to bigger and better things. It wasn't until the World Cup in 2010 that saw him propel onto the world stage. With this instant fame came comparisons with Ronaldo, expectations that he would be one of the greats and most importantly a whole host of clubs suddenly interested in signing Sanchez.

His season with Udinese in 2010/2011 was quite impressive, scoring a number of goals and bagging a number of assists. Udinese even went so far as to be eligible for Champions League qualification, something they had not achieved in a while. With everything looking good for Sanchez, Barcelona came calling, and today secured the Chilean's services. It is this move that I think will see him not reach his potential as a footballer, rather will see him demoted to the bench and eventually offloaded to another club.

Why do I say this?

Well, Sanchez is a winger, but so is Pedro, Affellay, Iniesta and of course Messi. Indeed Barcelona are spoiled for choice, but by no means do any of these players deserve to play on the bench. Obviously they all can't be played at any one time and depending on the formation employed by Pep only two could possibly play at a time - possibly three.

Along with this Sanchez will most likely play out of position for Barca, further adding to the task at hand - that is, to prove himself at the Nou Camp. Unless Guardiola changes the formation, the current role he plays at Udinese doesn't exist.

At just 22 Sanchez is far from being the oldest player at Barcelona, although in comparison to others around his age at the club, he is vastly inexperienced. He has never played in the La Liga, nor the Champions League. Also take into account that the season will be vastly longer than he is used to and we could see him struggle towards the end of the 2011/2012 season.

Now it wouldn't be fair to say that Sanchez will not work at Barca without proposing he go somewhere else. Actually the answer to that question is quite simple. Stay at Udinese Alexis! With the Italian club on the verge of the Champions League, Sanchez could prove himself further, adding to his price tag and attracting clubs that were once not interested in him to make a bid.

Considering he has made his move to Barcelona I wish him all the best, and for his sake I hope he does well. But the reality as it stands at the moment is that things are weighing against him, hopefully he can replicate the form which made him so popular. Then Barcelona may just have Messi and "Ronaldo" on the same team

Manchester City Accept Corinthians Bid for Carlos Tevez

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez could be leaving the Premier League after manager Roberto Mancini admitted that City had accepted a bid made by Corinthians. The news comes after the bid which was rejected just days ago from the Brazilian side.



The bid previously rejected was in the vicinity of $56.3 million, and as reported by the daily mail Corinthians had improved their bid to $64.4 million just a week later. There is no word on whether this will be the final price paid to Manchester City, but in terms of a pricing this was the rough amount City was hoping to receive for Tevez. There is no doubt that Tevez wanted to leave City.

He made no secret of his desire to leave the Premier League and perhaps move back hope to South America. Despite his best efforts to secure a transfer away from the club last year, he remained at Etihad. His sublime form throughout the season saw him score twenty goals in City's surge to the top of the English Premier League. In the end City qualified for the Champions League, also winning the FA Cup in the process.

The reason behind Tevez's desire to leave the club is unknown. One would think that Tevez would like to stay and compete in the Champions League with City after spending a few years working to get the club in the prestigious competition.

Mancini went on to say "We have an agreement with Corinthians but Carlos now is still a City player." If all goes according to plan Tevez will agree to personal terms with the club and leave City after signing from Manchester United. It is believed that a big sponsor of the Brazilian side is willing to foot much of Tevez's salary.

He is currently in Argentina after missing the penalty which saw Argentina ultimately lose to Uruguay and get knocked out of the Copa America

Andre Villas-Boas: Luka Modric's Price Tag Is "Incredible"; Blues Can Do the Job

Both Chelsea and Manchester United have been in the hunt for an attacking midfielder this transfer window. United fans would be no stranger to the Sneijder transfer saga. Chelsea - not to be outdone - have gone on the hunt for Luka Modric. Yet things do not seem to be moving along in this transfer, as Andre Villas-Boas seemed to suggest.

In a press conference after Chelsea's pre-season friendly against Portsmouth Villas-Boas was asked about the transfer situation with Modric. He responded "We respect whatever position Tottenham takes and the prices we are talking about is an incredible amount of money." During the conference he also went on to talk about the possibility of Yossi Benayoun slotting in as a Central Attacking midfielder. The comments came after Benayoun's performance against Wycombe, where he played a key role, he said "But here you saw we adapted Yossi [Benayoun]'s position in the middle and also against Wycombe he was marvellous in the position."

The comments fuel speculation that Chelsea will not spend big in the window, rather trying to improve on the signings made last season, most notably solving the Torres goal drought (perhaps with different link up plays). It is no secret that Chelsea want Modric, rewind two weeks back to when the £27 million bid made was shot down by Tottenham.

Although they were dominant in terms of possession in their pre-season friendly against Portsmouth, Chelsea actually failed to find the back of the net. Rather their solitary goal came from a Portsmouth own goal.

Against a quality side (no disrespect to Portsmouth) Chelsea will not be given such gifts. They have a lot of work to do before the commencement of the EPL. Perhaps setting their sights on somebody other than Modric would be the wise move in this situation.
Would you sign Modric?

Aly Cissokho Looks to Complete Move from Lyon to Liverpool

As Liverpool look to add to their signings this transfer window, they have lined up young gun Aly Cissokho. Liverpool have compiled a bid in the region of €10 million to try and land the recent French International.

The 23 year old left back signed for Lyon from Porto in 2009 and since then has developed into a first team player for Lyon, resembling a certain Michel Bastos in his style of play. Liverpool have been in the hunt for a wing back for the duration of this transfer window, they even made an attempt to open talks with Arsenal over a move for Clichy (who went on to join Manchester City) - although Clichy admittedly turned them down.

Lyon have been in poor form recently, both on the pitch and financially. The financial situation is so dire that they sale of Cissokho for €10 million would see them make a loss of €5 million from the original purchase from Porto. If the deal occurs, it is set to be complete by the end of next week. He would be on a list of great additions to the Liverpool squad, who are looking to return to Champions League football, or the Europa League at worst.

Cissokho has made 60 appearances for Lyon and gained one international cap for the French side.
Liverpool are currently in Malaysia on their pres season tour, winning 6-3 against the Malaysian XI, with Charlie Adam getting his first goal for the club.

Ferguson has "no real interest" in signing Wesley Sneijder

After weeks of discussion and rumour, Sir Alex Feguson has come out and denied that Manchester United are in the hunt for Wesley Sneijder. The statements come after Ferguson was questioned about the replacement of Paul Scholes and the likelihood of Sneijder filling the role.

Ferguson is quoted as saying "I keep reading about this, there's absolutely nothing at all to that";"first of all I don't think Inter are prepared to sell him. You get conjecture and you get speculation every week unfortunately." It is believed that the €40 million price tag, combined with the extremely high wage demands of Sneijder have proved to much for United. The question of whether they were ever in the hunt for a replacement for Scholes still remains. Luka Modric may be on the cards as well as a host of other names.

Although one must not forget the face that United have already signed David de Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young this window. The signings push Manchester's total spending to way over €50 which was the intended limit. It would certainly seem by the way that Ferguson answered to the rumours would suggest that United are not pursuing, and were never pursuing him.

Wesley Sneijder still has a few years left on his contract at Inter, and to jump ship after one below average season (mind you they did win two trophies), would certainly question his loyalty to a club which has propelled him onto the world stage.

Ferguson concluded that there was "nothing imminent" in terms of transfers for the remainder of the window. Perhaps, investing the money in the youth of United would be the correct move?
Would you sign Sneijder?

New Strikers at Etihad? Manchester City After More Attack.... Do they really need it?

After spending records amount of cash on players last season, Manchester City are out to replace players that many clubs do not have the luxury of replacing. After signing Edin Dzeko, Balotelli and Yaya Toure last season, one would wonder why City are after Neymar, Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri.
Manchester City boast oneof the most formidable rosters in all of Europe, and this was justified by their third place finish in the Premier League and qualification for the Champions League.
Recently, Manchester City tried to add to this roster by involving themselves with the possible signings of Sergio Aguero , Neymar and Arsenal Frenchman Samir Nasri. With every player mentioned here, City have gone above and beyond monetary expectations. Let us take a look:

Sergio Aguero
Athletico scared off Juventus with a €45 million price tag for the hit-man. Then City came calling offering in excess of this amount for Aguero, plus a contract which will see him earn triple the salary he currently earns. If Tevez remains at City, they will have a strong Argentinian feel to their strike force.

Neymar
 Next on the agenda is Neymar. the Brazilian starlet recently proved he has what it takes to make it in Europe, scoring twice to save Brazil from the hands of Ecuador. Originally his club Santos were not eager to allow other clubs to talk to their star man.

Yet after all the commotion made by Santos, Manchester City were some how allowed to speak to Neymar. It would be reminiscent to not include the fact they were willing to match Neymar's buyout clause of €40 million

Samir Nasri
With Arsenal's French attacking midfielder coming out of contract next season, Arsenal will most likely let him go and the likely destination looks to be the Etihad. With many European clubs trying to secure the services of the attacking midfielder, most namely Manchester United.
City will face fierce competition. Rather than wait, City tabled a €20 million bid for Nasri, although it was quickly rejected by Arsenal.
However the Gunners are re-thinking their decision, after comments made by Nasri suggested he wouldn't re-sign next year. If that proved to be the case, then Nasri would be free to leave the Emirates with no transfer fee incurred

So with such choice available to City, are any of the following signing necessary? Or should they remain content with the squad that delivered them to where they are today?

Rossi to Juventus?

It would seem the Juventus have given up their chase for Sergio Aguero rather turning to Italian Giuseppe Rossi in their hope to achieve the Scudetto. Talks with Aguero broke down when Manchester City came calling with their transfer kitty. City were willing to meet what ever Athletico wanted for their start man and in turn Aguero decided to turn down Juve.

Rossi would seem the more realistic target for Juve. A bid in the region of 30 million euro would certainly secure his services. As well as this Juve are willing to tripple the wages he currently earns. As well as the monetary incentive Rossi would find the transfer back to his home country easier than other targets, not having to worry about learning a language, or settling in. He would team up with Italian International team mates Giorgio Chiellini and Gigi Buffon, and almost slot right into the first team, with Juventus desperate for some firepower up front.

It is believed that Giuseppe Marotta and Federico Pastorello (Rossi's agent) are good mates, and have already settled on a personal contract. Earlier in the week Villarreal invited Juve to bid for Rossi. It may just look as though Juventus will have some hope in the Serie A this year!

Brazilian Giants Corinthians make an 40 million Euro offer for Carloz Tevez

By Marcel Abboud

In perhaps an unexpected move, Carlos Tevez's former club Brazilian giants Corinthians have made an offer of €40 million Euros to move the want away striker from Manchester City back to Brazil.

Despite captaining the Citizens, guiding them to a FA Cup and qualification to the 2011/2012 UEFA Champions League, the Argentine striker has made his intentions known publicly of his desire to move away from Eastlands. Before this offer many expected Tevez to move to Spain or Italy, with Inter Milan looking the most likely on perhaps a loan deal.


This offer (if approved by the City board) will see Tevez return to his former club where he spent two years (2004 - 2006), winning the Campenato Brasileiro Seria A in 2005 to which he made 38 appearances and scoring 25 goals before his somewhat controversial move to West Ham United FC in 2006.

Napoli unveil players the fun way!

Napoli have announced the signing of Gorkhan Inler on a permanent deal. It is believed Undinese reliquished their player for a sum of 12 million Euros.

However what has dominated the headlines is not the signing, but the way the signing was revealed.

CHECK IT OUT!

Official: Arsenal sign Gervinho

As quickly as this tranfer rumour popped up, it was completed. No one saw it coming but Lille striker Gervinho has officially signed with Arsenal in a deal believed to be worth 12 million Euros. The news of the signing was made apparant by Arsene Wenger himself and comes after the loss of Clichy to City and very soon Samir Nasri as well.

Gervinho was in stunning form this season, making a name for himself in the 2010 World Cup. From there the striker went on to score fifteen goals and bagged 10 assists in his clubs rise to the top of Ligue 1. As well as Gervinho Arsenal also signed Carl Jenkinson, who looks to be the perfect replacement for Gael Clichy.

Gervinho may just provide some hope for Arsenal fans who are so fearful of the dual exit of Fabregas and Samir Nasri!

Could Per Mertesacker be on his way to The Emirates?

By Marcel Abboud

After struggling in the center back position for a while now, Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger appears to be making a bid to lure SV Werder Bremen defensive stalwart Per Mertesacker to The Emirates.

The towering German center back has been a mainstay at Werder Bremen since his arrival from Hannover 96 in 2006 and has been a transfer target for Wenger since the 2010/11 transfer window. But with Werder Bremen lingering around the relegation zone in the Bundesliga at the time, the center back believed it was in his and the clubs best interest that he stay with Die Grün-Weißen so they can stave off any relegation fears.


The Gunners have really struggled to fill the defensive holes in their backline and Wenger will be looking to Mertesacker to help sure up the defense, along with keeping his eyes on Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill and Christopher Samba of Blackburn Rovers.

Nasri set for Manchester City move

Samir Nasri looks to be the second Arsenal player to leave for Manchester City in as many weeks, after City made a 25 million euro bid for the French superstar. Nasri will be offered a 6 million euro a year contract in return for his services. With Carlos Tevez looking to leave the Etihad (new stadium name) Nasri could prove to be the perfect addition to the squad.

Earlier in the week Gael Clichy completed a move to Manchester signing on for a few years. Nasri would prove to be a big loss for Arsenal, especially after his stellar season scoring ten times, even with extensive injuries. Nasri has been at Arsenal for 3 years arriving in 2008 and has made over 120 appearances for the club. Fabregas is also set to leave the Emirates, and sources say that if Nasri leaves so to will Fab, resulting in a mass transfer budget for Arsene Wenger to use before the EPL gets underway.

City are in a prime position for attracting players to Manchester,with a top three finish resulting in guaranteed Champions League football. If Nasri remains at Arsenal they would have to play through the qualification stages of Europe, not guaranteeing a spot in Europe's premier competition.

Any deal that eventuates will be signed off within the next few days. City are also in the market for Fabregas but are faced with stiff competition from Barcelona for his services.

Official: Liverpool sign Charlie Adam

Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam has completed a deal with Liverpool after passing a medical with flying colours. The 25 year old signed on with Liverpool after Blackpool were relegated from the EPL last year.It was quite clear to everyone that Adam had something special and was on the radar of all the big clubs in Europe. However Liverpool got in there first adding Adam to a list of signings completed this transfer window.

In an interview Adam said he was delighted to have signed for Liverpool FC, stating he wants to become a better player, and believes that Liverpool will help him to achieve this feat. Charlie Adam also made a setimental thankyou to the staff and players at Blackpool, after spending a few great years at the club.


The deal is believed to be in the region of 7 million pounds, with Dalglish desperately wanting to get the signature of the Scottish player ahead of any other clubs.

Photos to follow shortly

Official: Clichy completes City move

Arsenal have relinquished the services of left back Gael Clichy to Manchester City, as Eastlands looks to add some pace and consistency to their defence. The deal is said to be worth about 7 million pounds with Clichy expected to earn in excess 85000 pounds a week. The Frenchman signed on for four years in Manchester.

Clichy had joined Arsenal to replace Ashley Cole after he had left for Chelsea, since then the 25 year old more than filled the shoes of the Englishman turning out to become one of the best left backs in the world. He is extremely well known for his pace and overlapping runs.

Clichy made over 300 appearances for Arsenal during his time at the Emirates. The left back says he had no regrets during his eight years at the club. He believes the move is the right step for his careers, allowing him to experience a different playing style. Manchester City players Kolo Toure and Patrick Viera are apparently very keen on the deal, being friends with Clichy outside football.

With Fabregas and Nasri expected also to leave in the coming weeks, Clich may be the first of a long list or Arsenal players to leave London.