2008 Summer Transfer Window

[Timmah! 72]

Even though many leagues are still playing, the moves have already started.

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is joining AC Milan on a four-year deal (link)

No details on money, but he'll help create a dynamic midfield with Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso and Ambrosini already in place.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid is linking themselves to another Gunner midfielder, Spanish international and member of the EPL elite, Cesc Fabregas. Apparently, they want the team to become more "Spanish" (link)

[Timmah! 72]

Add another midfielder to the list of those leaving Arsenal....

Alexander Hleb apparently thinks that, no matter how good he has it in London, the grass must be greener elsewhere (link). Like Flamini, he's being linked with an Italian side.

The Gunners may actually have to start using Englishmen!

[Timmah! 72]

Former Revs star and USA international Clint Dempsey has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in England with Fulham through the end of the 09/10 season.

He didn't get much time after coming over last season, but he stepped up nicely earlier this season after fellow Yank Brain McBride went down with an injury. The only problem is that he hasn't scored since December, and his playing time has become spotty over the course of the spring.

[Timmah! 72]

Chelsea is on the verge of adding another toy to the defense, Portugese right back Jose Bosingwa from FC Porto. He's apparently getting $31.6 million to make the move (link)

He'll join another Portugese on the Blues' backline, the elite Ricardo Carvahlo.

[redsoxdude5 0]

Chelsea is on the verge of adding another toy to the defense, Portugese right back Jose Bosingwa from FC Porto. He's apparently getting $31.6 million to make the move (link)

He'll join another Portugese on the Blues' backline, the elite Ricardo Carvahlo.

hot damn

[Timmah! 72]

hot damn

Here's a follow-up story....not surprisingly, Bosingwa calls it a "dream" to join Chelsea, and according to the article, he chose the Blues over Man United.

Meanwhile.....

Liverpool rejected a $78 million bid from Chelsea for Reds/Spanish star Fernando Torres, who had a huge first season at Anfield. (link)

Christiano Ronaldo squashed rumors of his being open to a move to Real Madrid, and wants to stay at Old Trafford. (link)

Japanese bottom-feeder JEF United Chiba may be planning a major move for Newcastle and England international striker Michael Owen, who just finished a disappointing season with the Magpies. He was prominently absent from the English side during the last World Cup. (link)

[Timmah! 72]

One more item for the day.....

There is a very public, and increasingly hostile, war of words going on between Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill and Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez over the status of Villa midfielder and English Int'l Gareth Barry (link)

The Reds want to sign Barry, who has stated that he would like to join one of the league giants in order to play Champions League football, but the Villans want to keep him at all costs.

Liverpool's take?......"Get over it, and sell us your captain".

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FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o is looking for a new challenge, and Tottenham may be the place for it(link). Apparently, he's on the outs with Barca fans, and a move may be for the best.

Another Barca player is looking to move, and Yaya Toure wouldn't mind joining his brother, Kolo, at Arsenal (link). Such a move would further deplete the Spanish power, while helping address the openings being created with departure by Flamini and the expected loss of Hleb.

Chelsea superstar Didier Drogba has gone as far as tell AC Milan that he wants to play for them, and talk to Chelsea about a transfer. Not only that, but in this report, he apparently told Chelsea he was going to the dentist in Paris, but instead went to Italy to talk transfer, leading to a speaker-phone exchange. Lately, he's calling out his teammates and careless and complacent.

Sevilla defender Daniel Alves is preparing for a move this summer, and is being linked to Barca, Manchester United and, to a lesser degree, Chelsea (link)...United allegedly made a double bid for both Alves and the top scorer in the Spanish League, Luis Fabiano.

Mauro Zarate, who spent '08 in Birmingham while on loan from Al-Saad (Qatar), is being pursued by a "Premier pair" that are described as being "top sides". His selling price is expected be around $20 million. (link)

Some more tidbits from the BBC:

Man United is interested in signing Man City midfielder, Antonio Valencia, who flourished toward the end of the season, but the Citizens claim no offers have been received.

Tottenham is looking into Blackburn midfielder David Bentley...with an expected cost of $30 million.

West Ham hopes to claim City defender and captain Richard Dunne.

[Timmah! 72]

Apparently, it's easy to change your mind in Portugal, because Christiano Ronaldo is now slyly hinting that he may move to Spain after all, but won't make his mind up until after next week's Champions League final. Reportedly, Real Madrid is ready to pony up in the neighborhood of 100 million pounds for his services.....that's in the neighborhood of $200 million for us Americanos.

Arsenal has their eyes on Marseille's Samir Nasri as a potential Flamini replacement. However, he's expected to command around 14 million pounds, which may not be something Arsenal would do (link)

Chelsea defensive star Ricardo Carvalho admits that there may be a mass exodus from Stamford Bridge this summer, and that he's probably going to be one of the departures (link)

Another Barca star wants out - this time it's midfielder Deco, who not only wants to get away from the disapproving fans of Barcelona, but out of Spain altogether (link)....Oh yeah, the story linked also mentions that Ronaldinho may make tracks, himself (if Ron can command upwards of $200 million, what will the Brazilian go for?)

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Japanese bottom-feeder JEF United Chiba may be planning a major move for Newcastle and England international striker Michael Owen, who just finished a disappointing season with the Magpies. He was prominently absent from the English side during the last World Cup. (link)

he was hurt during the entire world cup... and they left Rooney alone up top which is why they struggled so much.

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Apparently, it's easy to change your mind in Portugal, because Christiano Ronaldo is now slyly hinting that he may move to Spain after all, but won't make his mind up until after next week's Champions League final. Reportedly, Real Madrid is ready to pony up in the neighborhood of 100 million pounds for his services.....that's in the neighborhood of $200 million for us Americanos.

I'm honestly not surprised whatsoever at the 200 mill pricetag. Frankly I'm surprised it's that low

[The Darcmenace 3]

I'm honestly not surprised whatsoever at the 200 mill pricetag. Frankly I'm surprised it's that low

Yea I agree, Cristiano is a beast and he is only 23 and going to get way better

[Timmah! 72]

International superstar and razor salesman Thierry Henry could be the target of the next MLS team in Seattle, according to the BBC

From the same piece:

- Manchester City and Irish national skipper Richard Dunne has set his heart on a summer move to Tottenham despite efforts by Sven-Goran Eriksson to keep him at Eastlands.

- The Reds will also turn their attention to Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing if they fail to land Aston Villa's Gareth Barry.

- James McFadden is a wanted man following Birmingham's relegation - with Portsmouth, Sunderland and Celtic chasing the £6m-rated striker.

- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to raid his homeland, France, for three players to make up for the loss of Mathieu Flamini. Wenger has identified Lille midfielder Jean Makoun, St-Etienne right-back Mahamadou Dabo and Marseille's Samir Nasri.

- Chelsea are poised to ditch Nicolas Anelka and set up the ninth transfer of his career....this would seem to contradict a Fox Soccer report that says the French striker is more than happy to stay put....stay tuned.

[Timmah! 72]

Highly-regarded AC Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani is in talks to join Arsenal, but Roma will get the chance to at least equal the offer (link)

Arsenal and German keeper Jens Lehmann appears to be on the move back to his homeland with a deal nearly in place with Stuttgart (link) He saw less time in the net at Arsenal with the emergence of Manuel Almunia, and trashed the Spaniard in the press during the season.

Real Madrid confirmed their first signing of the summer: offensive-minded defender Ezequiel Garay from Racing Sentander. He signed a six-year deal and Real paid a $16 million fee - and they may loan him back for next season, anyway (link)

Birmingham City signed former Everton midfielder and Irish international Lee Carsley. He chose the Blues over Derby and West Bromwich Albion (link)

Barcelona's president thinks it's time for Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o to move on. Ronnie has been linked to both Milan clubs and Manchester City. Inter is interested in Et'o, along with the previously mentioned Spurs, who allegedly bid £24 million for the Cameroon international.

Some notes from the BBC:

- Barcelona have agreed a £6m fee with Manchester United for 21-year-old defender Gerard Pique, who arrived at Old Trafford from the Catalan club in 2004.

- Arsenal will make a run for Blackburn ace Roque Santa Cruz if Emmanuel Adebayor leaves for Barca.

- if Portsmouth can pry midfielder Harry Kewell from Liverpool, then they'll allow Nico Krancjar to go to Arsenal for £10 million.

- Fulham skipper and retired USA international Brian McBride is wanted back home by Columbus and Chicago.

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Liverpool signed Swiss right back Phillip Degen, who is finishing up the Bundesliga season with Borussia Dortmund. He's expected to immediately compete for a starting job (link)

Manchester UNited may be on the verge of signing a pair of 15-year old French youngsters, Jeremy Helen and Darnel Situ. Helen is under pre-contract with Rennes, and Situ with Lens, but want to join the superpower. They appear to have beaten out Internazionale, Newcastle, Arsenal and Everton (link)

[Timmah! 72]

Mexican teen Carlos Vela has been granted work papers by England, clearing his path to compete for a first-team spot next season (link).

Real Madrid's manager insists that Christiano Ronaldo will join them at some point in his career (link), and their president is equally adamant that it should as soon as possible - for Ronaldo's sake, of course (link)

Fulham signed former Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer to a two-year contract (link)

Tidbits from the BBC:

- Frank Lampard will open talks about a new contract with Chelsea after England's upcoming friendlies

- Liverpool want £16m from Italian power Juventus for midfielder Xabi Alonso, but will call off any deal if they fail to land Aston Villa's Gareth Barry

- Premier League newcomers West Brom Albion and Stoke have both set their sights on Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko

- Manchester United is favourite to win the race to sign Cardiff City's Aaron Ramsey, and are prepared to loan the teen sensation back to the Championship club next season

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Mexican teen Carlos Vela has been granted work papers by England, clearing his path to compete for a first-team spot next season (link).

Real Madrid's manager insists that Christiano Ronaldo will join them at some point in his career (link), and their president is equally adamant that it should as soon as possible - for Ronaldo's sake, of course (link)

Fulham signed former Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer to a two-year contract (link)

Tidbits from the BBC:

- Frank Lampard will open talks about a new contract with Chelsea after England's upcoming friendlies

- Liverpool want £16m from Italian power Juventus for midfielder Xabi Alonso, but will call off any deal if they fail to land Aston Villa's Gareth Barry

- Premier League newcomers West Brom Albion and Stoke have both set their sights on Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko

- Manchester United is favourite to win the race to sign Cardiff City's Aaron Ramsey, and are prepared to loan the teen sensation back to the Championship club next season

I wonder if Ronaldo will do something that Beckham hasn't done.

[Timmah! 72]

I wonder if Ronaldo will do something that Beckham hasn't done.

Becks hasn't won an MLS title yet.....

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Ronaldo: "My future will be clear next week" (link)

Barcelona is on the verge of signing Sevilla midfielder Seydou Keita for $22 million (link)

Tottenham is denying any interest in much-discussed Barca striker Samuel Eto'o, but they did sign Croatian international Luka Modric, formerly of Dinamo Zagreb, for $16.5 million.

Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna signed Mexican striker Omar Bravo, formerly of Chivas Guadalajara (link)

Some more items from the BBC.:

- Real Madrid forward Robinho claims Chelsea have made an offer - believed to be 35 million Euros (about £28m)

- Udinese coach Pasquale Marino expects Liverpool to conclude a deal for the Serie A club's £8m-rated full-back Andrea Dossena

- Chelsea could sign Barcelona's talented Mexican teenager Giovani Dos Santos in a swap deal for £14m-rated Florent Malouda

- CSKA Moscow's Brazilian striker Jo has arrived in England and is expected to complete a move to Manchester City despite reported interest from Everton

- Thomas Ince, 16-year-old son of ex-England star and MK Dons manager Paul Ince, has signed for Liverpool

- Manchester City hope to finance a £12m deal for Zenit St Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin by selling defender Richard Dunne and midfielder Stephen Ireland, with Sunderland leading the chase

- Chelsea have decided to sell striker Didier Drogba, with the club's patience snapping with the petulant star after he was sent off in the Champions League final (I hate to say I told ya so, but..... )

And finally, one more item, just for the fun of it:

Simply Red singer and Manchester United fanatic Mick Hucknall was reluctantly dragged away from watching the Champions League final penalty shoot-out by concert organisers at a charity function he was performing at.

[Timmah! 72]

Some holiday weekend items for ya:

- Real Madrid have a club car ready and waiting for Cristiano Ronaldo. Photograhed in a car park, the top-of-the-range Audi has a handwritten notice on the dashboard saying: "Deliver to Cristiano Ronaldo".

- Tottenham will make a straight £15m cash offer for Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka and £10m for right-winger Shaun Wright-Phillips

- Ronaldinho's agent met Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand this week to discuss a £10m move for the Barcelona star

- Newcastle have tried to offload striker Obafemi Martens to Liverpool, alerting Arsenal and Chelsea to the Nigerian's availability

- Andriy Schevchenko looks set for an exit out of Chelsea and is considering playing in America's MLS League, although AC Milan are poised to take him back to the San Siro

- American Carlos Bocanegra has let other clubs know he wants to stay in the Premier League after being released by Fulham

- Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is keen on taking Ireland international Richard Dunne to Fratton Park, but faces competition from Tottenham, Sunderland and Newcastle

[Timmah! 72]

Mauro Zarate, who spent '08 in Birmingham while on loan from Al-Saad (Qatar), is being pursued by a "Premier pair" that are described as being "top sides". His selling price is expected be around $20 million. (link)

Don't know if anyone else caught it, but FSC showed the USA/Italy U-21 match yesterday, and Zarate played well against a young US side in central defense (I caught the first half).

If he's played as well in his other matches, he's doing a nice job of increasing the price.

[Timmah! 72]

- Barcelona have agreed a £6m fee with Manchester United for 21-year-old defender Gerard Pique, who arrived at Old Trafford from the Catalan club in 2004.

The transfer was completed today, with the final price being $8 million (Fox)

Some other items:

- Liverpool has told Chelsea to forget a move for striker Fernando Torres, in spite of a rumors of planned £50 million bid (Fox)

- Tottenham has become the favorite to land highly-rated Barcelona teen and Mexican international Giovani dos Santos (Fox)

- Manchester United is tired of Real Madrid's public pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo, and is threatening to seek sanctions from FIFA. Real says "the press made it all up, and we would neeeeever, eeeeeeever try and tamper with one of their players" - wink wink, nudge nudge (Fox)

- United wants to spend down their £50m summer transfer budget quickly, with Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards, along with the previously mentioned Sevilla duo of Luis Fabiano and Daniel Alves at the top of the wish-list (BBC and following)

- If Frank Rijkaard takes over as manager of Chelsea he will attempt to bring in strikers Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a combined £50m

- Blackburn midfielder and seemingly perpetual Beckham caddy David Bentley has snubbed a new contract, clearing the way for Tottenham and Chelsea to launch £15m bids

- Middlesbrough is looking to make Michael Bradley the next American in the EPL, and are preparing a £3 million bid to Dutch side Heerenveen

- Aston Villa boss is keeping tabs on Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell, Man Utd goalkeeper Ben Foster and Man City/Ireland captain Richard Dunne, who's also been linked to Sunderland and Tottenham

- Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be in charge of Inter Milan by the weekend, and wants to make Chelsea star Frank Lampard is first signing

[Timmah! 72]

Retired USA international Brian McBride has confirmed that he is leaving England returning to the MLS, with Columbus and Chicago the prime candidates to land him (Yanks Abroad)

Tottenham has become the favorite to land highly-rated Barcelona teen and Mexican international Giovani dos Santos

The deal has been completed, with dos Santos heading to White Heart Lane for £12m (BBC)

Manchester City is now accepting the fact that Richard Dunne is leaving, with Tottenham on the verge of a £5m deal for the star Irish defender (BBC)

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard: "I want Gareth Barry to become a Liverpool player. I am desperate for us to sign him" (BBC)

Italian side Sampodoria has signed Antonio Cassano from real Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Cassono spent last season on loan from Madrid, and was suspended for 5 matches after threatening a referee for red carding him (Fox)

Juventus has signed Brazilian international Amauri from Palermo for $35 million. He scored 15 times last season and the deal includes Palermo buying Antonio Nocerino from Juve (Fox)

Patrick Berger, recently released by Aston Villa is going home to Sparta Prague, after spending the last 12 seasons in England (Premier League)

Other items from the BBC:

- Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe is also desperate - for £10m-rated Liverpool striker Peter Crouch

- Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro may return to Germany with former clubs Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich interested. But the Spanish pair of Valencia and Villarreal have also considered making a move

- Juventus has contacted Barcelona about a bid for French star David Trezeguet

- Man United is hoping to gain a leg up in the Aaron Ramsey derby by loaning Cardiff reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton

- Reading star Stephen Hunt's £5m move to Sunderland has hit a snag - after he refused to discuss his future before he gets married in his native Ireland on Friday... and then completes his honeymoon in mid-June

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Robinho: Real's going to trade me for Ronaldo (Fox)....

....but Real is admitting a Ron signing is "impossible" (Fox)

Man United, Middlesbrough and Tottenham are pursuing York City teenager Adam Boyes, who had a positive visit to Old Trafford (Fox)

Stoke City is looking at bringing Lee McCulloch back to the EPL after a a tour with hometwon club Glasgow Rangers(Fox)

Wigan is hoping to fend off a transfer bid from Fulham for goal-scoring defender Paul Scharner (Fox)

American keeper David Yelldell signed for three years with German 2nd division side TuS Zublenz on a free transfer (Yanks Abroad)

Some gossip from the BBC:

- Liverpool is holding out for a £18m bid from Juventus for midfielder Xabi Alonso, and they're about to lose John Arne Riise to Roma for £5m

- meanwhile, the Reds plan to reload by adding Blackburn's David Bentley for £8.5m and Porto's Ricardo Quaresma for £15m

- Man City's Georgie Samaras is being targeted by Celtic for £3m, but Werder Bremen wants a say in the matter

- Portsmouth hopes to raid Chelsea for winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, defender Wayne Bridge and striker Ben Sahar

Gossip from Sunday:

- Man United is going to throw £30m at Lyon for striker Karim Benzema

- Arsenal will replace Mathieu Flamini with Hamburg's Piotr Trachowski

- Newcastle will offer £8m to Liverpool for striker Peter Crouch in an effort to divert him from Portsmouth

- Tottenham will clear house, with England international Paul Robinson and striker Darren Bent headlining those expected to depart

[Gotlaid 0]

dunno if its been updated. Ronaldo seems pretty set to go to Real Madrid...