Latest Transfer Update at 06-04-11

[<<ELVIS>>]

Latest Transfer Update at 06-04-11


Raul - eyeing Real return.
RAUL SEEKS REAL MADRID RETURN

Real Madrid legend Raul expects to return to the club in some capacity when his playing days are over.
The former Spain striker, now 33, is currently playing for German side Schalke and has a contract until the end of next season with the Gelsenkirchen outfit.
Raul, whose side face Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, left Madrid last summer but insists coach Jose Mourinho did not offload him.
"When I finish my playing career I want to return to Real Madrid," he told La Stampa. "But until 2012, I'm not thinking about it.
"I decided to leave - not Jose Mourinho. He wanted me to stay."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Ferguson - still going strong at United.
FERGIE WON'T OUTSTAY UNITED WELCOME

Sir Alex Ferguson has no retirement plans in place just yet - but has admitted he would stand aside if the Manchester United hierarchy felt the manager's job was too much for him.
Ferguson celebrates his 70th birthday later this year, by which time he will have spent 25 years in the Old Trafford hotseat.
After Saturday's results went in United's favour, it also seems likely the Scot will soon become a Premier League champion for the 12th time - a number that will take the Red Devils to a record 19th title overall.
And although his thirst for trophies remains unquenched, Ferguson has admitted he would not resist if the Old Trafford powerbrokers felt he had gone on too long.
"If I was told, 'Alex, you are too old, we have decided to turn the page', no problem," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I have done my part here, with an absolutely fantastic career."
The only people with enough influence at the club to make such a seismic decision are the owners, the Glazer family, or chief executive David Gill.
Ferguson shows no signs of slowing down, however, meaning former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will have to wait if he is to fulfil his long-held desire to succeed the Scot in the Old Trafford hotseat.
"Jose is a great friend of mine," Ferguson added. "We have spoken many times about his future and I understand his wish to return to England because here a coach has more freedom than in Spain, without the constant following of the media and radio.
"But it's difficult for me to say when my position will be available.
"It will be my health that decides. I will continue until I no longer feel the energy that has always accompanied me.
"My father, who worked in the shipyards, retired at the age of 65 and one year later he was dead.
"The worst you can do is to say I have worked for 45 years and now I have a right to rest. You need to always remain active and in good form."
Ferguson is still capable of dealing with the trickiest of situations - such as Wayne Rooney's foul-mouthed outburst into a television camera at the weekend - and he continues to breathe fresh life into his squad, with Mexican striker Javier Hernandez proving to one of the bargains of the season, scoring 17 times so far.
However, it is his two remaining old stagers, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who are giving Ferguson most to think about.
Giggs has already agreed a new one-year contract for next season, with his manager claiming the 37-year-old can go on longer even than that, while his efforts to persuade Scholes to stay on are ongoing.
"Giggs is exceptional," said Ferguson. "He can play a further two years and I will try to convince Scholes to continue too. As opposed to Giggs, he has had several injuries and problems, especially in his knees.
"He also had an eye problem that ruled him out of action for five months. He nevertheless is always ready to compete for United.
"Giggs and him are among the 10 best players in the history of Manchester United."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Will Ancelotti recall Torres?
ANCELOTTI SURE OF FORWARD LINE

Carlo Ancelotti tonight revealed he had decided who would start up front in Chelsea's Champions League showdown with Manchester United tomorrow.
But the Blues boss refused to reveal whether Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba or both would be in his line-up, claiming he had yet to tell his players.
If body language is anything to go by, Torres looks likely to be recalled, with Ancelotti spending the opening few minutes of training this morning engaged in discussion and friendly banter with the misfiring Spaniard, even pretending to throttle and punch him.
Explaining the exchange, Ancelotti said: "I would like to maintain a good atmosphere on the pitch, in training.
"My players know very well when they have to be serious on the pitch and when it can be fun."
Ancelotti continued to back Torres, who has now gone 10 matches for club and country without scoring and nine since his £50million move to Stamford Bridge.
"Criticism is not in Chelsea. It's outside Chelsea," he said.
"We have seen Torres play well for the team.
"He didn't score, obviously. He's not happy for this reason, but he played well for the team.
"I hope he plays the same tomorrow - for the team."
Ancelotti denied Torres' price tag put pressure on him to start the Spaniard, saying: "I already decided and I never had the pressure to choose the line-up."
The Italian is under pressure, however, to deliver the Champions League, with Ancelotti brought in by billionaire owner Roman Abramovich with that goal in mind.
Having won it twice while AC Milan manager, Ancelotti knows what Chelsea need in order to end their long wait.
"They have experience, they have ability, to do everything to try to win the Champions League," he said.
"They've come so close to winning it.
"Unfortunately, some little details were not good.
"I hope this season we can have better luck. But we have to deserve the luck.
"In the end, if you deserve to win, you will win."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Ambrusics joins Latics on trial

Ambrusics, 19, is in his third season at the Walkers Stadium, where he has come through the academy set-up.
This is the Hungarian's first season as a professional and he was on the bench for Leicester's Carling Cup win at Leeds earlier in the season.
"Robert is somebody Gerry (Taggart) and I know well from our days at Leicester and we want to give him a chance here at Boundary Park," said Latics manager Paul Dickov.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Aquilani - happy at Juve.
AQUILANI HOPES FOR TURIN STAY

Juventus midfielder Alberto Aquilani is hopeful he will remain at the club beyond the summer.
The Italian playmaker is on loan at the Turin giants until the end of the season from Liverpool, but Juve have an option to buy him should they wish to do so.
"There is a price fixed for Juve to acquire me at the end of the season," Aquilani said to Corriere dello Sport.
"The club has to evaluate the situation but I would like to stay.
"It is thanks to the Bianconeri club that I have returned to the national team."
Aquilani joined Liverpool in the summer of 2009 for a reported £20million, but failed to make an appearance for the club until November due to injury.
The 26-year-old returned to Italy after just one year in the Premier League.
Aquilani has scored twice and made 27 league appearances for the Turin giants this season.
Juve are seventh in Serie A, eight points behind Udinese, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot with seven games remaining.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Ranger - no deadline for deal.
RANGERS TAKEOVER TALKS CONTINUE

Craig Whyte is pushing ahead with his attempts to purchase Sir David Murray's majority stake in Rangers but several details need to be ratified before a deal can be struck, Press Association Sport understands.
Talks continued today and Whyte's legal team are not working within any time frame despite Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston's claim on Friday that the takeover attempts would come to a conclusion "one way or another" within a couple of days.
Sources close to the deal remain optimistic over a successful outcome with tax issues not thought to be a major stumbling block to a final agreement.
A potential complication emerged on Friday when the club's interim financial figures revealed a one-off payment of £2.8million to HM Revenue and Customs.
The liability from "player compensation schemes" from 1999-2003 initially came as a surprise to the Rangers board, and it is believed to Whyte too, and there was no certainty over who would foot the bill.
However, Murray is thought to have intimated that his organisation will take responsibility for the unexpected outlay.
The issue was separate to an ongoing tax investigation, which Johnston admitted could leave Rangers with a bill they were unable to pay if they lost their case.
The Ibrox chairman likened the situation to a "10,000-pound gorilla sitting in the room and you don't know what its appetite is".
However, a general agreement over the issue is thought to be in place between Whyte and Murray International Holdings, despite the huge uncertainty over the final cost, if any.
Whyte, who is understood to have pledged a £25million investment in the playing squad over five years, first officially announced his intention to make a bid for Murray's controlling stake in November.
However, the period of due diligence and intricate nature of negotiations were compounded by the close involvement of Lloyds Banking Group in the day-to-day running of the club.
Johnston admitted on Friday that director Donald Muir had been placed on the board to represent the bank's interests as they seek to recoup their losses.
But Whyte is believed to have reached an agreement with the bank last week, paving the way for a deal to be struck with Murray.
Rangers did not reveal their overall debt on Friday, but it is believed to be more than £20million, with the last official figure standing at £27.1million in June.
Rangers announced a retained profit of more than £9million for the last six months of 2010, a figure affected by the one-off tax payment.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Comolli - backing new owners.
COMOLLI: LIVERPOOL IN GOOD HANDS

Liverpool's director of football Damien Comolli believes the Fenway Sports Group have already laid the right foundations for success.
Next week will mark six months in charge for the Americans and the atmosphere at the club has changed dramatically from that experienced under the dysfunctional reign of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
FSG, headed by principal owner John W Henry, sanctioned the outlay of a club record £35million on Andy Carroll and £22.8million on Luis Suarez as they spent the income from the £50million transfer of Fernando Torres and the sale of Ryan Babel to Hoffenheim.
And Comolli believes that has shown the new owners are prepared to invest for success.
"I share the fans' optimism because the owners said things when they arrived and stuck to their words in January," he told LFC Weekly.
"They have shown their commitment and their backing and everything they have said they will do, they have done.
"I never had any doubts about that but I think for the fans it has given them re-assurance that the owners will stick to their words and that they are ambitious.
"When you talk to John Henry and ask him what his plans are for the club, the only thing he says is: 'I want to win.'
"When that's the starting point, everybody has to make sure that everything we do is geared in that direction. That's the bottom line."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Gotze - not for sale.
WATZKE RULES OUT GOTZE SALE

Borussia Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke has ruled out selling teenage star Mario Gotze and claims clubs chasing the teenager are "wasting their time".
Gotze, 18, has been a regular in the Dortmund side which has run away with the Bundesliga this season - Jurgen Klopp's men are seven points clear with six games remaining - and also made his Germany debut in November.
Speculation has suggested Europe's leading clubs have him in their sights but Watzke is adamant the midfielder is going nowhere.
"I can say he is not for sale," he told Bild, before insisting the club would reject a 25 million euro offer for a player who came through their system.
"Definitely. Mario has a contract with us until 2014 and he will remain in Dortmund for at least that period of time.
"Other clubs can forget making an offer for Mario, they would be wasting their time."
The 4-1 weekend win over Hannover has left Dortmund 14 points clear of third-placed Bayern Munich with the top two qualifying automatically for next season's Champions League.
And while Watzke is confident his club will be competing among Europe's best in 2011/12, he was more cautious when it came to discussing the title.
He added: "We can assume that the points we took against Hannover mean we will qualify for the Champions League but the title...we have six tough games left."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Carrasso - going nowhere.
CARRASSO TO STICK WITH BORDEAUX

France goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso remains 100% committed to Bordeaux despite the club's disappointing season.
Les Girondins have managed only nine wins from 29 Ligue 1 games and head into the final nine matches of the campaign in eighth spot in the standings and battling for a Europa League berth.
With things not going well on the pitch for the 2009 champions, their camp was further unsettled five weeks ago when coach Jean Tigana offered his resignation only to have it rejected.
However, Carrasso, who signed a four-year contract when he joined the club in summer 2009, told radio station RMC:
"In my mind, when I came to Bordeaux, it was for the duration.
"With the disappointment of this year I want to grow personally and try to add value to the club so we can start something good.
"The Champions League is the flagship competition. I hope to rediscover it at the end of next season."
The 29-year-old has reportedly attracted interest from top clubs in England and Germany but added: "I am 100% with Bordeaux. I don't expect any proposals."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Crouch - 'gutted' over red card.
CROUCH SORRY OVER RED CARD

Peter Crouch apologised to his team-mates for his red card that was key to Tottenham's defeat against Real Madrid last night, Michael Dawson has revealed.
With Spurs already 1-0 down thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor's opener, the England striker saw red after just 15 minutes for two needless fouls on Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.
Without him, Tottenham struggled and Jose Mourinho's men ran riot, taking the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with a 4-0 hammering.
Crouch refused to speak after the game at the Santiago Bernabeu, but Spurs skipper Dawson said the striker had apologised for the error, which leaves the club with little hope of going through from next week's second leg.
"He (Crouch) was gutted," Dawson said.
"He apologised to the lads but we went out there to give our all and it didn't go to plan.
"I didn't see the bookings so I don't know if they were harsh. To have it happen so early on when you are playing a team like Real Madrid was disappointing."
Adebayor's second and strikes from Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the victory for Jose Mourinho's men, and Dawson admitted that he and his team-mates had little chance of staying in the game after Crouch's dismissal.
"Going down to 10 against Real Madrid is always going to be hard," he said.
"After conceding the second, it was an uphill battle and the last two goals were world class finishes."
Dawson still maintains that the Londoners have a chance of making the last semi-finals and has called on his team-mates to pick themselves up for Saturday's game against Stoke.
"We have to pick ourselves up again for Saturday and then we have the return leg at White Hart Lane," the England defender added.
"There's 90 minutes of the tie left to play. We will go there, give it our all and see where it takes us."