Latest Transfer Update at 19-06-11

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Latest Transfer Update at 19-06-11


Moratti - looking for the right coach.
INTER INTERESTED IN CAPELLO

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti admits he would be happy to see England head coach Fabio Capello take over the hot seat at Giuseppe Meazza.
Leonardo left the Italian giants to take over as coach of Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint Germain earlier this week.
The Nerazzuri, who had to settle for second place behind arch-rivals AC Milan in Serie A last season, are now looking for a successor to the Brazilian.
And Inter president Moratti admits he is likely to face another busy summer as he ponders various names.
One of those is the current England manager, with Moratti telling La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Who doesn't like him? (Capello)"
The Italian is currently tied down to the Three Lions until after the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine and is unlikely to leave his role halfway through qualification.
Moratti is aware that he is likely to face stiff competition from Chelsea, who are also seeking a new manager.
He admitted: "I am looking for the right coach for Inter. A person who won't change the team a great deal and will try to win everything."
The Portuguese media reported this week that Porto coach Andre Villas Boas turned down Inter, while former Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa also rejected an approach.
Moratti added: "At the beginning he (Bielsa) was excited about coming but then he had a few family problems and he had to decline.
"He was truly sorry and I also had a personal letter from him explaining the situation."
Former Inter defender Sinisa Mihajlovic is now being linked with the role along with a whole host of names including Palermo coach Delio Rossi, former Genoa coach Giampiero Gasperini, Louis van Gaal and Brazilian duo Dunga and Zico.

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Redknapp - selling Modric shows no ambition.
REDKNAPP: WE MUST KEEP MODRIC

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp believes selling Luka Modric would leave Spurs having to accept being a mid-table team, but does not doubt chairman Daniel Levy's insistence the midfielder is going nowhere.
Modric has stunned Spurs supporters by declaring he wants to leave White Hart Lane, and will have enraged some by announcing Stamford Bridge as his preferred destination.
The Croatia star's comments came days after Spurs rejected a £22million offer from the Blues - a bid ridiculed by Redknapp.
Levy on Saturday issued a statement insisting the 25-year-old was not for sale "at any price" to any club.
Redknapp reckons selling Modric would send the wrong message about the club, but has no reason to doubt Levy's word.
He told talkSPORT: "It's a happy thing to have a player like Luka Modric, who has suddenly turned into a £50million, £40million player and everyone wants him.
"We're lucky we've got him and we aren't selling him, that's what the chairman says and that's good enough for me.
"The chairman has made a statement. He can't backtrack on that. He means that - I know he means that. Luka's not going.
"Daniel has made that statement - he can't come out and suddenly sell him. Everyone will go, 'What's the use of listening to what he says?' He can't sell him. He's said he's not going to sell him and that's good enough for me.
"Daniel and Joe Lewis own the club. They're not selling Luka - end of story, as far as I'm concerned.
"It's not easy to keep a player who's not happy but the chairman has said we're not going to sell him so we've got to stand by that now. He can't be saying that and then we sell him.
"If we sell Luka Modric where are we going as a football club? We'll have to accept then that we're a middle-of-the-table team that will finish in the top half next season and really that's not what the chairman wants, it's not what I want. It's not, most importantly, what the fans want.
"You've got to keep your best players. I don't see Liverpool wanting to sell Steven Gerrard or Chelsea wanting to sell Frank Lampard, John Terry or any of their top players. Arsenal don't want to sell [Samir] Nasri so you've got to keep your best players if you want to be successful.
"He's such a great player for us we just don't want to lose him. He's a great guy, top-class boy and obviously his head's been turned a little bit by the fact that he's wanted by all these clubs and he could probably go and get a fantastic contract.
"It's difficult but we certainly don't want to lose him. Daniel's made the statement and I'm sure he's determined to stand by what he's said."

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Hughton - favourite to take Birmingham job.
HUGHTON HOLDS BIRMINGHAM TALKS

Chris Hughton has met with Birmingham to discuss their managerial vacancy following last weekend's departure of Alex McLeish.
McLeish parted company with the St Andrew's outfit to take charge of bitter local rivals Aston Villa after securing the Carling Cup but suffering relegation in the same season.
Hughton is now the 1/8 odds-on favourite with bookmakers Sky Bet for the role and could be installed in the coming days.
The former Newcastle manager has been out of work after being axed by the Magpies back in December despite guiding them back into the Premier League from the Championship at the first time of asking.
The respected coach's efforts in the North-East have brought him to the attention of the Birmingham board as they seek an immediate return to the top-flight.
Former West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has also put his name forward for the job but it looks as though Hughton is in pole position for the post.

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Sylvain Marveaux - heading to Newcastle.
RENNES ACE MARVEAUX TO JOIN NEWCASTLE

Newcastle's French revolution is to continue after Alan Pardew won the battle for Rennes midfielder Sylvain Marveaux.
The 25-year-old will formally complete a Bosman free transfer move to St James' Park on July 1 after signing a five-year deal.
Marveaux had been heavily tipped to head for Liverpool this summer, although reports on Friday suggested the move had broken down because of a problem with his medical.
The former France Under-21 international has been out of action since November with a groin injury suffered during a 2-1 Ligue 1 victory over Brest.
However, the Magpies carried out their own checks and are confident that will not be an issue, and have snapped up their third close-season signing.
Pardew said: "It's a great coup to have signed Sylvain, who has received interest from a number of other clubs.
"He may not be well known to many of our fans, but he is a real talent and a player we have been keeping an eye on for some time.
"It's been a good couple of days for us on the transfer front."
Marveaux is a left-sided midfielder and the third Frenchman recruited to the Newcastle engine room in the last year or so after Hatem Ben Arfa and recent signing Yohan Cabaye.
Confirmation of his capture comes just a day after the Magpies unveiled Senegal striker Demba Ba as their second summer arrival, following in Cabaye's wake.
His signing will help to offset the loss of skipper Kevin Nolan, who joined West Ham in a move understood to amount to £4million on Thursday, while Alan Smith has also been told he can leave.
With Joey Barton having been informed that he will not be offered a new contract, there is a school of thought which suggests he too will be sold this summer rather than be allowed to leave for free when his current deal expires in 12 months' time.
Newcastle's swoop for Marveaux has come somewhat under the radar with speculation this week linking them with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta and St Etienne's Blaise Matuidi, both players in whom they have had an interest, though it remains to be seen how strong that interest is.
However, chief scout Graham Carr has made a detailed study of the talent available in continental Europe and having achieved such success with former FC Twente midfielder Cheick Tiote last season, the Magpies will hope for a similar return from their latest acquisitions.
Pardew is also edging closer to completing a move for Swansea full-back Neil Taylor, while Ba's arrival is unlikely to end his search for strikers with Leon Best and Nile Ranger both surplus to requirements.

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Tevez - is he set to stay at Man City?
TEVEZ READY TO STAY AT CITY

Carlos Tevez's agent has indicated the Argentine striker is ready to pledge his future to Manchester City.
Tevez's future at Eastlands has been the subject of much speculation after he expressed a desire to be closer to his family, who live in his native Argentina.
But his representative, Kia Joorabchian, has claimed the forward is now prepared to stay as he is ready to bring his family over to Manchester from South America.
"I don't think speculation about Carlos leaving is fair at the moment," Joorabchian told the Daily Star Sunday. "I don't think money is a consideration.
"Maybe it's a case of his family coming over to him. That's something he's trying to sort out. I'm sure in the next week he will sort the family issue out.
"Once he does, he will announce it and everyone will be in a better place."
Joorabchian insists Tevez has not asked to leave and that he remains committed to City's cause by helping them win more trophies after leading them to FA Cup glory last season.
"Carlos has always had a goal. The goal was that City needed to get into the Champions League and win a trophy," added Joorabchian.
"And they won a trophy and achieved that goal. Now that has given him a tremendous feeling. He held that trophy with a lot of pride.
"If you look at the team they are going to get stronger and stronger and, if Carlos stays, they would be my favourite to win the title.
"I'm sure that will be a factor in his mind and, the fact that City fans have embraced him, will count for a lot along with his great relationship with the supporters.
"I think all these factors will be positives for him to stay. Carlos has not made any decision to move. We have not asked to leave the club."

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Fabregas - Barcelona return heavily mooted.
BARCELONA MAKE FABREGAS CONTACT

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has revealed Barcelona have made contact with the Gunners about a possible move for Cesc Fabregas.
Fabregas has been continually linked with a move back to his homeland with the Catalan giants failing to land the midfielder last summer.
Fabregas, who started his career at Barca before joining the Gunners, has never hidden his desire to return to the Nou Camp in the future.
The Spanish giants remain keen to sign Fabregas and are ready to make a new move this summer, although Hill-Wood insists they have yet to make a bid for the 24-year-old.
"Yes, they have spoken to us about Cesc," Hill-Wood told the Sunday Mirror.
"They have been in touch. But so far they have not made a bid and we do not want to let him go.
"But he comes from Barcelona so it is understandable if he wanted to go back. However, they have not made an offer so far."
Arsenal are expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer and Hill-Wood insists boss Arsene Wenger will have funds to spend.
"There is money for the manager," added Hill-Wood.

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Phil Jones - defender is joining Manchester United.
BLACKBURN REVEAL JONES CONCERN

Blackburn's owners have "reasons to believe" Phil Jones' agent - if not the player himself - spoke to Manchester United before being granted permission to do so.
But the Red Devils insist they did everything by the book over the transfer.
Jones' anticipated switch to Old Trafford was sealed on Monday and he will put pen to paper on a five-year deal when he returns from the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.
But Ewood Park owners Venkys considered making an official complaint to the Premier League over the £20.5million deal, only to back down as they did not want any legal wrangle to hamper Jones' career.
Anuradha Desai, chairperson of the Venkys group, held talks with Rovers manager Steve Kean and they decided the best course of action was to allow the highly-rated youngster to move on with their blessing.
Desai told the Mail on Sunday: "We have reasons to believe that the player's agent and maybe the player had been in touch [with United] for two to three months before permission was granted.
"I was ready to take Manchester United on, ready to go to a tribunal if that's what it led to. But we spoke at length to Steve Kean and we knew Phil wanted to go to United.
"We concluded that the person who would be most damaged by a delay and legal action was Phil. That wasn't fair on him. There was a release clause for £16.5m and the total deal was £4m more with the add-ons. We wish Phil well.
"Phil is an outstanding young English player and I'm proud of the role Blackburn played in developing him. We made him an enormous offer to stay with us and we wanted to keep him."
United insist they conducted all their transfer business in the correct manner and Jones' agent also rejected the suggestions from Rovers.
A spokesman for Manchester United responded: "We had the appropriate permissions to speak to Phil Jones."
And Jones' agent, John Colquhoun added: "I won't be commenting on the confidential process that was undertaken. Everyone is telling me they're happy with what went on so, unless I hear different and unless I've got questions to answer, I don't feel I have to comment."

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Samba - wants to join Arsenal.
ROVERS KEEN TO KEEP SAMBA

Blackburn are keen to keep Chris Samba for at least another season despite the big defender's desire to join Arsenal.
The Gunners have been credited with a long-standing interest in the centre-back as they look to bolster their defensive ranks.
Samba looked set to leave Ewood Park in the wake of Sam Allardyce's sacking but was eventually persuaded to put pen to paper on a fresh deal by new boss Steve Kean.
The 27-year-old, who is now under contract at Ewood Park until the summer of 2015, was targeted by the Gunners during the January transfer window without success.
Arsene Wenger is expected to return with another offer in the summer as he aims to improve a backline which proved leaky at times last term in another season without silverware.
Anuradha Desai, chairperson of the Venkys group who own Blackburn, admitted that Samba was keen on a move to north London but Rovers are eager to keep him for at least another 12 months.
"We don't want to let Chris go," Desai told the Mail on Sunday. "I'm confident that we can keep him and I hope he'll stay.
"I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition."

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Taarabt - hoping for better contract offer.
TAARABT DROPS QPR EXIT HINT

Adel Taarabt has hinted he could leave QPR and has welcomed links with Newcastle.
Taarabt has admitted talks over a new deal at Loftus Road have hit a stumbling block after Rangers' promotion to the Premier League.
The former Tottenham man has admitted the breakdown in discussions could see him leave as he fears they could suffer relegation as things stand.
"I helped QPR win promotion but they will not offer me a better contract. They say I am already on big wages," Taarabt is quoted as saying in the Mail on Sunday.
"They want me to stay four years on the same terms. But I don't want to sign for four years then after one year I am going to be back in the Championship.
"No disrespect, but if we keep the same players, it will be very difficult to stay in the Premier League when you are playing Man United and Chelsea.
"I understand that QPR have changed my life. People had almost forgotten me when I joined from Tottenham. But I don't think they are being fair to me."
Newcastle have been credited with an interest in Taarabt and the playmaker admits he would be interested in a move to St James' Park.
"People say Newcastle will be good for me, that the fans love players like me," added Taarabt.
"It is fantastic to play in front of 50,000 supporters every week. I do not need one of the very big clubs at this stage."

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Grafite - on the move.
GRAFITE JOINS AL AHLI

Brazilian striker Grafite has left Wolfsburg to join Al Ahli on a two-year contract.
The 32-year-old, who was the top scorer in Wolfsburg's 2009 Bundesliga title success, revealed the offer from the Dubai-based club had been too good to refuse so late in his career.
"At my age it is time to think of my family, which is close to my heart, and discover something new," he told Wolfsburg's official website.
"I want to take a step forward and also prepare my family particularly well for my life after football."
He added: "I want to thank Wolfsburg for four great years in a magnificent country and at a wonderful club.
"My special thanks go to VfL Wolfsburg, which has provide the most notable moments of my career."
The Brazilian scored 28 goals and was named German Footballer of the Year when the Wolves won the 2009 Bundesliga title.
Last season Grafite, who has been capped four times by Brazil, managed just nine goals as Wolfsburg narrowly avoided relegation.