BEIRUT: Today’s transfer news has Manchester United trying to strengthen their side after their 6-1 pounding from Manchester City, while Arsenal is trying to sign new players while keeping the ones they already have. Also, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and other clubs make an appearance.
Possibly the most wanted player in Europe
Lille’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard has been on the radar of top clubs for years. Arsene Wenger has made it publicly known more than once that the 20-year-old is his number one target.
The latest news claims that nouveau-riche Paris Saint-Germain are preparing a colossal bid for Hazard. PSG will have to fight off interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid if they are to acquire the services of a player who has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi.
Lille’s president Michel Seydoux has said Hazard will be able to leave next summer for around £40 million, but they’d prefer to sell him to a club outside of France. PSG’s bid is thought to be around £45 million.
Another Belgian international being scouted by top clubs is Cagliari’s Radja Nainggolan. Nainggolan, whose father is Indonesian, has attracted interest from Manchester City, AC Milan, Inter and Napoli.
Manchester City, AC Milan and Napoli are also all competing for Basel’s £15 million rated youngster Xherdan Shaqiri.
Manchester United watching Napoli
It is commonly mentioned among fans and experts alike that Manchester United’s weak point has been their central midfield since the departure of Roy Keane.
With the retirement of Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson has been scanning the globe looking for a new talisman.
In the past names such as Wesley Sneijder, Luka Modric and Xavi have been mentioned, however this time it looks like the name in mind is Slovak Marek Hamsik. The Napoli maestro would be brought in to control the tempo and link the midfield to the Red Devils’ forwards.
Manchester United is also reported to be watching strikers Edison Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Inter Milan in for Arsenal playmaker
Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sport has reported that Inter could make a bid of around £17.5 million for Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman has recovered brilliantly since breaking his leg two seasons back, and has shown himself to often be the focal point of Arsenal’s midfield play. Inter supposedly could offer Argentinean playmaker Ricardo Alvarez (who the Gunners made a bid for over summer) as leverage.
Walcott coy on future
Arsenal’s 22 year old forward Theo Walcott has refused to mention anything to the media about resigning with the North London side.
The English international has 18 months left on his contract and has recently attracted reported interest from La Liga reigning champions Barcelona, as well as a new suitor, Juventus.
Walcott was signed as a ‘wunderkind’ and is expected to eventually fill the enormous boots of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, although he has come under constant criticism from many ex-England internationals for his lack of ball control and poor decisions.
Arsenal looking for players
Arsene Wenger is known for his love of players from his homeland and it seems the latest one is Sochaux’s Marvin Martin. Spanish side Valencia has also expressed interest, believing the 23-year-old can fill the void left by Juan Mata.
It is thought that Martin could be Wenger’s first choice, however a backup option could be World Cup winner Luca Toni. Toni has struggled to break into the first team at Juventus, despite only being with the club for less than a year.
At 34, the signing of Toni would go against Arsene Wenger’s usual scouting policy of trying to unearth young gems, but it is thought that his arrival would be on a single season loan basis only.
Arsenal have also had scouts watch American defender Tim Ream, who currently plies his trade in MLS with New York Red Bulls as well as Malaga striker Jose Salomon Rondon.
Beckham still highly regarded by some
LA Galaxy has made it known they’d like to retain David Beckham’s services, however French side Paris Saint-Germain feel confident they can lure him to France.
PSG’s directors feel he can still offer the club a lot in terms of experience and technical quality.
UEFA President and France national team legend, Michel Platini on the other hand has expressed his doubts about the players skills, saying his arrival to France “will certainly be good for shopping.”
“I love this player but he is not the footballer he was and if he comes to Paris now it will be to do something other than football,” Platini said.
Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp has also expressed interest in bringing Beckham back to London.
Anzhi Makhachkala’s Samuel Eto'o claims world-class stars are on their way to Russia
If you haven’t heard of Anzhi before, they are a Russian club owned by billionaire Suleyman Kerimov.
They’ve managed to attract the star power of Samuel Eto’o (by paying him £300,000 a week) and former Real Madrid star Roberto Carlos, but are still on the look for talent.
Eto’o feels Russia is a league for the future and will improve greatly by the time of the World Cup in 2018. The former Barcelona and Inter man also says that he gets calls daily asking if Russia is a good place to play.
In the past year players such as Robin van Persie, Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ashley Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Neymar, Frank Lampard and a number of others have all been linked to Anzhi.
Juventus and Lyon want Brazilian international striker
Juventus, Lyon and a few clubs from Brazil are monitoring Wagner Love of CSKA Moscow. A bid of around €16m will be needed.
Tottenham looking for Gomes replacement
Heurelho Gomes’ turbulent time in England looks to be coming to a close as Harry Redknapp has expressed interest in signing Bulgarian international keeper Nikolay Mihaylov, who was signed by Liverpool in 2007 but encountered work permit problems.
The 23-year-old keeper is currently shot blocking for FC Twente in the Netherlands and with Gomes’ form and other Tottenham keepers Brad Friedel and Carlo Cudicini nearing their swansong, Redknapp has turned his eyes to the Bulgarian player.
Juventus after Manchester City player
Turin side Juventus want City’s Aleksandar Kolarov to help them push for the Serie A title. City in turn are considering a bid for Barcelona’s Maxwell to replace Kolarov.
Arsenal goalkeeper might move on
Arsenal backup goalkeeper Lucasz Fabianski has made it known that he may look to move on in the January transfer window.
The Polish international has had sporadic form as well as recurring injuries over the past few seasons that have seen him go in and out of the Arsenal first team. However, with fellow Pole Wojciech Szczesny’s form over the past season, Fabianski has found first team appearances hard to come by.
